Avenue Pub purchased by local barbecue and bar veterans

The Avenue Pub has new owners. Blue Oak BBQ founders Ronnie Evans and Philip Moseley have teamed up with the owners of the Frenchmen Street bar The Rambler, Steve Jeffcoat and Ryan Noland, to purchase the Pub in early September. The longtime St. Charles Avenue spot for beer, bourbon and bites is currently closed for renovations and will reopen sometime this month. Former owner Polly Watts helped her father, Duane Watts, open the divey 24-hour beer hangout in 1987.

Man arrested after 4-year-old boy shoots himself

A 25-year-old man was taken into custody after a toddler shot himself on Sunday (Oct. 2). Police found the 4-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound around 4 p.m. at the intersection of South Claiborne Avenue and Gen. Taylor Street. Lindell Mays was arrested and booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center for responsibilities of owners of firearms with respect to minors. The police did not reveal Mays’ relationship with the 4-year-old.

Roadwork ahead: South Carrollton closure between Fig and Earhart postponed (updated)

From The Mayor’s Office
Editor’s note: The city announced on Oct. 3 that the closure has been postponed until further notice. 
South Carrollton Avenue will close to traffic between Fig Street and Earhart Boulevard beginning Monday (Oct. 3) at 7 a.m. and lasting through 5 p.m. on Dec. 5. The city’s Department of Public Works contractor Wallace C. Drennan, Inc. will install new water lines and drainage as part of the Marlyville-Fontainebleau Group C infrastructure improvement project.

73-year-old driver shot to death on Pontchartrain Expressway

A 73-year-old man was killed Friday evening (Sept. 30) in a drive-by shooting on the Pontchartrain Expressway, the New Orleans Police Department reported. In response to reports of gunfire, NOPD Sixth District officers arrived at about 8 p.m. to Interstate 10 East near the Norman C. Francis Parkway overpass. They found a vehicle on the shoulder with visible bullet damage. The man in the driver’s seat, later identified as William Manns, had multiple gunshot wounds.

Business Profile: Rich’s Wash Dat, helping NOLA shine one car at a time

From humble roots to blossoming success, Rich’s Wash Dat has served the New Orleans area for years, offering high-quality services with a topnotch staff. Family owned and operated, every Rich’s Wash Dat location is committed to hiring people of all ages, colors, creeds; offering free washes to police and first responders; and operating in an environmentally friendly way. A simple idea to help families and locals keep their cars clean was all that was needed to create the brand we know today. The premier car wash opened in 2008 in Westwego, giving the community an opportunity to clean their cars at an affordable price. WashWego in Westwego was the first of its kind in the area, adding technologically advanced methods to ensure high quality in a quick and fun option to a typical car wash.

Vals’ Cuban American chef is serving up a Latin brunch

The mid-century modern café on the Freret restaurant corridor looks like it would be more at home in Palm Springs. But Vals’ retro California vibe extends further than the décor. What’s drawing attention now is its weekend brunch. The Latin-inspired menu pays homage to the deeper roots of chef Alfredo Nogueira. Self-taught in the culinary arts, Nogueira points to his childhood family table as inspiration.

Al Copeland celebrated in biographical cookbook by Chris Rose and Kit Wohl

“Secrets of a Tastemaker: Al Copeland The Cookbook” by Chris Rose and Kit Wohl was published Sept. 13 by the Cookbook Studio. The book is a biography of fried chicken magnate Al Copeland Sr. It is also a cookbook packed with some of Copeland’s most famous (and not-so-famous) recipes. Copeland was the larger-than-life figure behind the Copeland’s restaurant chain and the famed Popeye’s franchise. Al Copeland Jr., who wrote the book’s forward, and Kit Wohl will be at the Garden District Book Shop on Saturday afternoon (Oct.

Viewpoint: Crime and Cantrell will hurt the city’s bottom line

Like many New Orleanians, I’ve been inundated with national and international news reports about New Orleans’ crime and Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s missteps. This week’s piece in the New York Post is only one of many recent examples. With New Orleans’ designation as “Murder Capital of the U.S.” and the lack of progress being made in reversing that trend, I expect those stories to become more frequent. Bourbon Street is still hopping and no conventions have cancelled because of the record number of murders, armed robberies and carjackings. Perhaps some are naïve enough to believe that crime and Mayor Cantrell are not hurting our economy.