Entrepreneur battles neighbors to open Daiquiri World restaurant

An old Church’s Chicken building on Louisiana Avenue has turned into a battleground for a neighborhood association and a fledgling entrepreneur who is renovating it into a full-service restaurant with alcohol sales. The Delachaise Neighborhood Association filed an appeal with the Board of Zoning Adjustments to stop work on the building two blocks from St. Charles Avenue. It alleges that the planned Daiquiri World will be a bar disguised as a restaurant and that the layout resembles a fast-food operation. The BZA staff recommended denying the appeal, stating that the plans show a standard restaurant. But the BZA board said those plans are incomplete and are not stamped by a licensed architect.

Viewpoint: Should more New Orleanians own guns for self-defense?

Growing up in a small Arkansas town, I was around guns frequently. I spent many an hour watching my cousins who were national skeet shooting champions. One of them, a female, is still ranked on the national circuit. I knew that guns were for hunting and recreation but also for protection. By 1979, I was the proud owner of a Creole cottage in Treme and shortly thereafter a spiffy Triumph TR6 that I usually drove with the top down.

Police arrest three suspects, including two juveniles, in homicide, shooting

The New Orleans Police Department made three major arrests last week in connection to crimes committed in the Uptown area. All arrests took place on July 28, according to a press release. Two suspects were arrested in connection to a homicide last month (July 15) in the 8300 block of Nelson Street, according to police. The victim was found unresponsive with gunshot wounds and pronounced dead by medical responders on the scene. On July 18, the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Conrad Noble and determined that Noble died from a gunshot wound.

Nix Library is shuttered again, this time for drain pipe repairs

Carrollton area readers rejoiced when Nix Library reopened July 19 after nearly a year and a half of renovations and repairs. Then it closed again last week, after a drain pipe in the basement had cracked. “It will remain closed until the repair can be made,” said library spokesperson Jane LeGros. “We have secured a vendor to repair the pipe, so hopefully we will be able to reopen soon.” When it reopened in July after 17 months, the 92-year-old building had been thoroughly cleaned and sported upgrades for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Apparent murder-suicide attempt leaves Hollygrove man dead, his son hospitalized

A 30-year-old man is accused of killing his father inside their Hollygrove home early Sunday, the New Orleans Police Department reported. The accused shooter then turned the gun on himself, police said. His injury was not fatal, authorities said. Police who were called to home in the 2800 block of Cherry Street at about 3:55 a.m. found the older man dead from an apparent gunshot wound. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office later identified the victim as Herman Charles.

Viewpoint: No stopping Mayor Cantrell now — she’s on the move

Last night’s report from WDSU-TV that Mayor LaToya Cantrell spent nearly $10,000 on airfare for herself on the recent trip to Switzerland probably surprised more than a few citizens. Cantrell made the trip to celebrate a recent sister-city agreement and attend a jazz festival. WDSU’s investigation further revealed that three staff members — a social media manager, the director of international relations and an individual providing security — also made the trip. Their airfare expenses were in addition to the $10,000.  The total costs for food, lodging and entertainment for this taxpayer-funded junket are not fully known. 

The trip to Switzerland was one bookend of her recent European travel, which also included a similar trip to the French Riveria for another sister-city agreement and more music. To Cantrell, both of these trips were all in a day’s work regardless of the costs.

Teenagers, including a Bridge City escapee, arrested in carjacking, shooting, armed robbery

The New Orleans Police Department announced recent arrests in a carjacking and shooting in the Milan neighborhood and an armed robbery in Touro-Bouligny. A juvenile suspect accused of shooting a 59-year-old man during a carjacking was an escapee from the Bridge City Center for Youth, according to media reports. Authorities say he was one of six teens who broke out of the juvenile jail on July 17. He remained at large for hours after the other five were apprehended. Police arrested the 17-year-old and a 16-year-old female after the vehicle they were driving crashed on St.