That sinking feeling: Turkey and the Wolf cookbooks may be at the bottom of the Atlantic

Robert Burns wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

The same applies to turkeys and wolves, when it came to the distribution plans for the cookbook “Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin’ in New Orleans” from Ten Speed Press. Allow me to explain. The Turkey and the Wolf restaurant has been serving up delicious comfort food at 739 Jackson Ave. since 2016. The menu consists of items like Fried Bologna Sandwich, Collard Green Melt, Mama Tried Burger and Hog’s Headcheese Taco.

Viewpoint: There’s no quick fix for the city’s crime problems

The underlying conditions that precipitated the pandemic of crime New Orleanians are facing today were centuries in the making. Hopefully, they will finally be addressed. According to a Pew Research Center poll taken last summer, almost six out of 10 Americans believe that violent crime is a “very big problem” in the United States today. Across the country mayors and other elected officials are already working collaboratively on solutions old and new.  Many solutions harken back to an era when arresting and incarcerating perpetrators was more important than the current emphasis on such lenient policies as reduced bail, shorter sentences and more rehabilitation. 

Recently elected New York Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain, ran on a promise to make the Big Apple safe. “Public safety is my administration’s highest priority,” Adams said repeatedly.

Before the parades start, Mardi Gras ladders grace the sidewalks in front of Uptown hardware stores

 

The children’s Mardi Gras ladders that are ubiquitous along parade routes probably came from a family-owned Uptown hardware store. Clement Hardware & Variety, Harry’s Ace Hardware and Freret Hardware have long produced parade ladders that allow children to safely see the parades and catch throws. 

The parade-ladder tradition has been traced back to the 1940s, according to a 2007  Times-Picayune story. Uptown native Linda Clarke told a reporter that her father, Clarence Francis, came up with the idea of building a ladder seat after she was burned by a flare during an evening parade. Not long after, the DIY retrofitted ladders started appearing up and down the parade route. “I used to sit in one of these when I was a kid,” said Darren Clement, who co-owns Clement Hardware with his wife, Michele. 

Rick Torres, the owner of Freret Hardware, said he began making parade ladders in 1982, when he took over the business from his father, Fred Torres.

NOPD announces arrests in Uptown carjackings

The New Orleans Police Department announced the arrests of three suspects, including one juvenile, in recent Uptown carjackings and vehicle thefts. Police have also obtained arrest warrants in a carjacking near St. Charles and Louisiana avenues and arrested a suspect in a Hoffman Triangle shooting.

NOPD Second District officers have arrested Quinton Skipper, 19, and a 17-year-old juvenile male on one count each of armed robbery in a carjacking.

Spyre’s #InSpyreMeDaily Challenge Awards Locals for Healthy Habits (sponsored)

Our city of New Orleans inspires us to live our best lives, always. To start the new year with a healthy outlook, Spyre is excited to introduce the #InSpyreMeDaily Challenge! Located at 1772 Prytania Street in the heart of New Orleans’ Lower Garden District, Spyre debuts a thoughtful renovation of the former, historic Norwegian Seamen’s Church building and grounds.The mission is to create a welcoming space with a dynamic range of health offerings where guests and members can address their unique health concerns in a way that’s best suited for them. Spyre believes healthy living involves the body, mind, and spirit. Each week, January 10th – Feb 4th, those who post photos of themselves doing these activities rack up points to win a free 3-month membership (each week)!

Uptown synagogues and other Jewish institutions on guard against potential attacks

The attack Saturday (Jan. 15) on a synagogue near Fort Worth, Texas, where four people were taken hostage, reverberated across the American Jewish community and heightened concerns about safety and security. Those concerns are particularly acute in Uptown New Orleans, the home not only of two synagogues, Temple Sinai and Touro Synagogue, but also of Tulane University’s Hillel and Chabad houses and the Jewish Community Center. 

“What we know, and have known for generations, is that it takes courage to walk through the world as a Jew, and it takes strength to deny those who would harm us the power over our humanity that they seek,” Touro Synagogue posted on its Facebook page after the hostage incident in Texas. “We will continue to be proud of who we are, and we will continue to love others for who they are.”

“We pray for peace for all of those families of all of those who were affected. We pray for the day when we’ll beat our swords into plowshares, our spears into pruning hooks, when none will make us afraid,” said Rabbi Daniel Sherman in a video message to his congregation, referencing words from the Jewish prophet Isaiah.