Suspect sought in burglary on Magazine Street

Members of the New Orleans Police Department are requesting the public’s assistance in identifying and locating a suspect wanted in connection with a business burglary that occurred on Tuesday (April 26) in the 1800 block of Magazine Street. According to investigators, the suspect arrived in the pictured truck and burglarized a Magazine Street business. The suspect used a four-way lug wrench to break windows before stealing several display items.

The suspect is described as a white male, wearing a Saints 51 Vilma jersey shirt, black pants, black-and-green Jordan 6 shoes and black-and-gold crown baseball hat. The suspect also has a flame tattoo around his left forearm and a tattoo of a bird on his right hand. If you have any information regarding this suspect or vehicle, please notify Detective Amanda Williams at adwilliams@nola.gov, Sixth District Detectives at 504-658-6060, or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 504-822-1111.

Red Gravy on Magazine to close, citing staffing, pandemic and hurricane woes

Red Gravy Cafe is closing after serving rustic Italian fare on Magazine Street’s restaurant row for less than a year. The last day of business will be Saturday (April 30). Owner Roseann Rostoker blames bad timing and the combination of the pandemic, staff shortages and Hurricane Ida for the closure. Rostoker and her husband and business partner, Lou Lombardo, are from New Jersey and Philadelphia, respectively. They moved to New Orleans 10 years ago and opened Red Gravy as a brunch and lunch spot on Camp Street in the Central Business District.

Police blotter: Stabbing in Central City, another is sought in Hollygrove shooting

One. suspect is booked and another is sought in two recent violent crimes committed in Uptown neighborhoods. An argument between two women in a Central City home turned physical early Monday (April 25), the New Orleans Police Department reported. The women were fighting in in the 2400 block of Clara Street at about 12:30 a.m. when one armed herself with a knife and stabbed the 29-year-old victim. Officers were called to the home and booked Misty Morris, 38, with aggravated battery, false imprisonment and domestic abuse battery, police said.

Lusher Charter School will be renamed The Willow School

After decades of heated controversy that boiled over in recent years, the Lusher Charter School board has chosen a name to replace that of avowed White supremacist Robert Mills Lusher. The highly ranked public school educating kindergarteners through 12th-graders will become The Willow School. The name is a nod to the Willow Street building where the school began educating students in 1917 and where the elementary students are still educated. The Orleans Parish School Board renamed the building itself for Dr. Everett J. Williams Jr., the first Black superintendent of the city’s public school system. Robert Mills Lusher was a Reconstruction-era state school superintendent who promoted and instituted racial segregation in public schools.

Xavier University is planning to open a medical school to increase diversity in the health professions

Xavier University of Louisiana has prepared African-American students for medical school or doctorate degrees in the health sciences since the 1976. It consistently ranks high in the list of undergraduate universities placing Black students in medical schools.

Now Xavier will establish a medical school of its own, the Graduate School of Health Sciences and Medical School, the university announced Thursday (April 21). The endeavor is in the planning stages, university officials said, so it will be years before the medical school is ready to begin training future physicians.

Earth Day celebration at ricRACK highlights methods to combat climate change

Keeping fabrics and used clothes out of the landfill is core to the mission of the non-profit organization ricRACK. On Friday (April 22), the textile recycler celebrated Earth Day with a variety of activities that support this and their other goals to help save the planet. “Earth Day has always been a special day to ricRACK,” said Alison Parker, the founding director of ricRACK. “Most people don’t associate sewing with the environment — but fashion, costumes, textile production and recycling all play an important role in climate change.” According to Business Insider, the fashion industry produces 10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions, is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply and pollutes the oceans with micro plastics.

Roadwork ahead: Construction begins in May on MLK Boulevard between St. Charles and Claiborne

Construction on the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Patch, Mill and Overlay project is scheduled to begin in May and the city expects it to continue for about 14 months.

The city is holding a pre-construction community meeting on Tuesday (April 26) from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Allie Mae Williams Multi-Service Center second-floor meeting room at 2020 Jackson Ave.

Barcelo Gardens Farmer’s Market brings fresh produce to food deserts (sponsored)

Barcelo Gardens is on a mission to bring fresh produce to food desert areas! In a city known for food, there are a surprising number of food deserts in New Orleans. Finding fresh fruits and vegetables in some areas can be incredibly challenging. Barcelo Gardens Farmers Market is on a mission to fix that. To learn more about Ashley’s mission and Barcelo Gardens Farmers Market, visit the GoFundMe page and listen to her interview on GoFundMe’s podcast, True Stories of Good People.