Earth Day Celebration at ricRACK includes designer challenge, sidewalk sale

RicRACK is hosting its annual Earth Day Celebration and Textile Reuse Challenge on Saturday (April 22) at its Central City shop creative reuse shop and community sewing studio.

Attendees will learn more about how to create sustainably, consume less and reuse or repurpose items throughout the year. Community partners the Green Project, Grounds Krewe and Compost NOW will be onsite giving out information about their programs.

There also will be a sidewalk sale — including racks of children’s clothing and shoes for all ages. 

Here’s why Unique Nola Ghost Tours are a great way to see New Orleans (sponsored)

New Orleans is a fantastic city full of great history and culture, and very walkable, with few hills. A guided walking tour of the city, particularly a ghost tour of New Orleans, is a great way to make sure you don’t miss out on anything! Unique NOLA Tours provides an immersive experience that allows guests to get up close and personal with New Orleans’ history. The Unique NOLA Tours Difference
Monique Hamilton and Christopher Falvey set out to create a business that gives New Orleans locals as well as tourists an experience that they won’t forget. Unique NOLA Tours was founded to fill the need for smaller, more intimate, and accurate ghost tours in New Orleans.

Viewpoint: Re-election as a moderate Republican in Louisiana is futile

Political observers were not surprised Tuesday (April 11) when Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin announced that he will not seek re-election. In a state where former President Donald Trump is still revered by a large number of voters, overseeing elections as a living, breathing moderate Republican just isn’t easy. 

Ardoin will have served five years when he departs at the end of the 2023. He first ran for the position after the 2018 resignation of then Secretary Tom Schedler, who was embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal. Detractors said at the time that Ardoin, as a long-time employee in Schedler’s office, should have been aware of Schedler’s misdeeds and supported the victim. 

Ardoin might not have been the best Secretary of State Louisiana ever had — but he certainly wasn’t the worst. Generally speaking, the elections Ardoin and his team managed worked as well as could be expected.

S&WB lifts boil water advisory for all Uptown areas

From the Sewerage & Water Board

Crews continue to work to repair a water main break of a 30-inch water line at Audubon and Cohn, which was installed in 1905. All residents in the affected area now have water through temporary lines and in consultation with the Louisiana Department of Health, the Sewerage & Water Board reports, and the precautionary boil water advisory has been lifted for all customers. A map of the affected areas can be found here: www.swbno.org/News/BoilWater

Customers who have not used their water supply during this precautionary boil water advisory are advised to flush their internal and external plumbing by running water through their system for several minutes. As part of the repair to the 30-inch water main, crews need to install an additional temporary water valve to isolate the section that needs to be repaired. The contractor reported on Wednesday morning (April 12) that the water flow from the break is sufficiently high that a bypass line will be needed to safely install the second temporary valve.

Christopher A. Etienne, Sr., Letters from a Father: Easter Sunday & Spring Renewal (sponsored)

Dear, Son:

Seeing your joy when we attend church and your good, spirited interactions with the church members is always excellent. I love to see you sing and clap your hands, as I do when the church choir is singing, or even say, “Amen”! after the pastor has finished praying. It’s truly a delight to see you enjoy Easter Sunday Service. As you’re learning, we as a people and country use the Holy Week to take a moment from our hectic lives for family, fellowship, friendship, prayer, and reflection.

Fire erupts in a University area apartment building

A one-alarm fire broke out Monday night (April 10) in a house at 825 Hillary St., according to the New Orleans Fire Department and University area neighbors. The property is being developed as student housing, documents filed with the city indicate. Owner Preston Tedesco, a doubles-to-dorms developer, submitted a non-conforming use request in 2021, asking to create five apartments in the building at that address. An LLC that Town of Carrollton Watch has linked to Tedesco and developer John Hamide bought the 2,200-square-foot building building in 2020 from Riverlake Properties for $1 million, according to the Assessor’s Office. The owner was cited for working without a permit in early 2021.

Solange sells her Garden District church

Some California-based investors have purchased a Garden District church building with historic ties that go back to the 1840s. It may be better known, however, for its ties to Beyoncé going back to 2o18. That’s when entertainment news site TMZ declared, with a three exclamation point headline, that Beyoncé Knowles-Carter bought a church in New Orleans. She didn’t. But TMZ wasn’t too far off.

Boil water advisory in effect during water main repair

Sewerage & Water Board crews are continuing repair work on a water main break on a 30-inch water line at Audubon and Cohn. The water main dates back to 1905. Residents on the impacted blocks were notified by door knocking and community canvassing. Most residents in the affected area now have water through temporary lines. There are customers who are still without water services on South Johnson and Calhoun streets.