blight and demolition

Demolition requests denied for “modest” homes on Henry Clay Avenue, Laurel Street

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A request to tear down a single-story home on Henry Clay Avenue and a proposed renovation of another house on Laurel Street that city officials said would essentially replace it as well have both been rejected by the Historic District Landmarks Commission, but two demolition requests in the Irish Channel and in Hollygrove were approved. The home at 301 Henry Clay dates back to the early part of the 20th Century and remains in relatively good condition, according to the HDLC staff report. The front porch has some damage from a vehicle strike, but the foundation is not damaged and could be repaired, the report concludes, recommending that the demolition request be denied. No one appeared before the HDLC to present the demolition request last Thursday (July 20), but a structural engineer’s letter on behalf of owner Brice Abadie said the cost to make the repairs would exceed the house’s value. Erin Holmes of the Preservation Resource Center disputed that view, and characterized the request as part of a trend of selling smaller homes in sought-after neighborhoods to buyers who intend to replace them with something much larger.

crime

Carjacking reported on Terpsichore Street, police say

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A man was carjacked Wednesday afternoon on Terpsichore Street in Central City, New Orleans police said. The victim, a man in his 20s, was at a stop sign at Terpsichore and Rev. John Raphael Jr. Way (the former LaSalle Street) around 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, when an unknown male “approached the driver side of the vehicle and forced him out,” the report states. The carjacker took the victim’s wallet and drove off in his silver 2014 Toyota Corolla, which has a license plate of “ZQG 434,” the report states. Further details were not immediately available. Anyone with information is urged to call the NOPD Sixth District station at 658-6060 to speak to a detective, or CrimeStoppers at 822-1111 to leave an anonymous tip that could be eligible for a cash reward.

crime

Wounded 60-year-old man charged with murder in Irish Channel killing

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A 60-year-old man found with a superficial gunshot wound to the head Tuesday night in the Irish Channel is being charged with the murder in the death of another man inside the home, New Orleans police said. While investigating a shooting in the 800 block of Fourth Street (between Annunciation and Laurel streets) around 11:55 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, officers found Charles Jones, 60, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, and another man was found dead inside the home, police said at the time. The dead man’s head injury has since been determined not to have been caused by a gunshot, contrary to its initial appearance, said NOPD spokesman Aaron Looney on Wednesday afternoon. “The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office will determine official cause of death … pending autopsy results,” Looney said.

crime

Praline store robbed, woman’s purse snatched on Josephine, police say

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A praline store was robbed Monday evening, and a woman’s purse was snatched by a man on a bicycle on Josephine Street, New Orleans polices said. Shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, July 24, a man walked into Pralines by Jeanne, implied that he had a weapon and demanded cash from the register, according to the initial NOPD report. “The victim complied and the perpetrator fled on foot across the street,” the report states. Shortly before 9:30 p.m., a woman in her 50s was in the 1600 block of Josephine Street (about a block off St. Charles) when a man on a bicycle confronted her from behind, according to the report in that case.

crime

New Orleans police officer shot in drive-by on Camp Street

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A New Orleans Police Department officer was injured in a drive-by shooting overnight on Camp Street, authorities said Monday morning. NOPD Officer Chris Abbott — on a security detail for the Hurstville Security District — was patrolling near Leontine and Camp streets shortly before 1:15 a.m. Monday, July 24, “when an unknown vehicle approached from the rear at a high rate of speed,” according to a NOPD news release. “The officer pulled to the side of the road and the other vehicle slowed as it passed the officer’s car,” according to the report. “An unknown occupant of the vehicle fired a weapon multiple times at the officer, striking him once.” The gunshot hit the officer in the leg, and he was treated at the hospital and listed in good condition afterward, officials said.

crime

Man arrested on robbery charge after dispute with acquaintance over money inside van, police say

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A man walking on South Claiborne Avenue on Saturday night was summoned into a van by an acquaintance who then demanded money from him and pushed him back out of the vehicle when he refused, New Orleans police said. The victim, a man in his 30s, was walking in the 2000 block of South Claiborne Avenue (near Martin Luther King Boulevard) shortly after 9:30 p.m. Saturday when a white van driven by Francisco Torres-Gomez drew near, according to the initial NOPD report. Torres-Gomez told the victim to get into the van, and because the victim knew Torres-Gomez, he did so, the report states. Torres-Gomez “then demanded money, and when the victim refused, he was pushed out of the van,” the report states. Torres-Gomez was later arrested and charged with attempted simple robbery, according to jail records.

business

City planners question “Freret Mews” townhomes planned for former Publiq House parking lot

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A row of nine two-story townhomes proposed for construction in the parking lot of the former Publiq House building has drawn strong criticism from city planners, and the developers have asked for an additional month to prepare a response before seeking permission for the project. A development company called DensityBump LLC, headed by Lawrence Linder and Richard Ehret, is proposing the “Freret Mews” project on the Neighborhood Housing Services property that spans the block between Freret and Lasalle streets alongside Cadiz Street. The buildings would have ground-floor parking with two-bedroom, two-bath townhouses above, and the project would maintain a driveway between the Publiq House building and the new homes, according to the proposal sent to the City Planning Commission. The original plan for the project called for 10 townhomes, but developers reduced it to nine following neighbors’ concerns about density. Though the townhomes will be sold, not rented, some neighbors worried that the new owners would simply use them for AirBnB rentals.

city government

Construction begins on $6.7 million swimming center in Gert Town next to new police station

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Just two months after announcing the start of construction on the new headquarters for the NOPD Second District in Gert Town, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and other officials returned to the site Friday morning to break ground for the new $6.7 million pool and community center that will be built next door. The 15,000-square-foot Gert Town Natatorium at 3411 Broadway Street will include a “six-lane, 25-yard indoor competition swimming pool and … men’s, women’s and a family locker room area as well as a snack bar,” the city announced. It will share a “community plaza” with the police station on the site as well, and is expected to open in spring 2018. “Community pools are critical to keeping our kids off the streets and providing them a place to come together,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu afterward.

crime

Suspect caught on camera after Jeanette Street homicide captured, police say

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The suspect caught on surveillance video after a fatal shooting on Jeanette Street last week was captured Wednesday on the Westbank and arrested, New Orleans police said. Tyjon Luque, 17, is charged with second-degree murder in the July 14 shooting death of 19-year-old Duvander Haley, according to a NOPD news release. Police responding to a shooting call around 7:15 a.m. found Haley lying face up on the sidewalk in the 8500 block of Jeanette Street (near Joliet) with multiple gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, the report states. After being identified by homicide detectives, Luque was located Wednesday near General DeGaulle Drive and Kraft Place by officers in the NOPD’s Algiers-based Fourth District. Anyone with additional information is urged to call the NOPD Homicide Division at 504-658-5300 to speak to Detective Robert Bachelder, or CrimeStoppers at 822-1111 to leave an anonymous tip that could be eligible for a cash reward.

crime

Death of man who fell during ‘altercation’ on South White under investigation, coroner says

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The April death of a man who fell during an altercation on South White Street is being investigated as a homicide, the Orleans Parish Coroner said Thursday. Garland Faciane, 38, died April 3 of “complications of blunt trauma of the head” that occurred as a result of falling during an altercation Feb. 25, said Jason Melancon, a spokesman for Coroner Jeffrey Rouse. The incident took place on the section of South White Street in the NOPD Sixth District, which runs roughly from Washington Avenue to Interstate 10, but the exact location is unknown, Melancon said. The fight was with another man over a woman, and the suspect — 52-year-old Henry Matthews — is now facing a charge of manslaughter, according to our partners at The New Orleans Advocate.