crime

Victim of robbery near Earhart beaten with pipe for RTA card; woman robbed at gunpoint on South Derbigny

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A man in his 50s was beaten in the head with a pipe by an assailant who took his RTA card near Earhart Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon, and a woman was robbed at gunpoint on South Derbigny Street overnight, New Orleans police said. Around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, a man in his late 50s got into a “physical altercation” with 36-year-old Tamarcus Barber, according to the initial NOPD report. Barber hit the victim in the head with a pipe, then reached into his pocket and took his RTA card before leaving, the report states. Barber was arrested later on an armed-robbery charge, the report states. Around 2:15 a.m. Thursday, a woman in her 20s was in the 2800 block of South Derbigny Street (near Toledano Street) when she was confronted by a man armed with a gun, according to the report in that case.

crime

Calhoun Street carjacking suspect arrested, but multiple cars have disappeared, police say

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The suspect wanted in a carjacking case on Calhoun Street was arrested Tuesday morning, but the car he allegedly stole and several others in recent cases around the Uptown area have been uncharacteristically difficult for investigators to locate, New Orleans police said. Jerrod Jacobs, 22, was arrested Tuesday morning after being identified by detectives in connection with a July 5 carjacking in the 3500 block of Calhoun Street, said NOPD Second District Lt. Jennifer Dupree. The victims had parked their 2013 gray Toyota Corolla around 1:30 a.m. when two assailants confronted them with handguns, forcing them out of the car and driving off in it, the reports at the time stated. Although Jacobs was arrested, the car has yet to be located, Dupree said. Vehicles taken in armed carjackings or even simple automobile thefts frequently turn up a day or two later, abandoned in a remote neighborhood, stripped of any valuables, and littered with random trash, illegal materials or even worthless items stolen in other cases.

schools

Sylvanie Williams performance score projected to fall to ‘F,’ jeopardizing charter renewal (live coverage)

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Based on the most recent test scores, officials with the New Orleans College Prep charter network are projecting that the state will assign Sylvanie Williams elementary an ‘F’ rating for the just completed 2016-17 school year, two letter grades below the ‘C’ that they were striving for in order to avoid losing the charter. School officials have had about two weeks to analyze the test data released by the state from the last school year, they said, and their projections based on the data are for Sylvanie Williams to earn a 36 school performance score. Last year was a charter renewal year for Sylvanie Williams, and state regulations had required that the school — because of the length of time that New Orleans College Prep has operated it — to score 70 or higher, for a C.

Last year, Sylvanie Williams earned a 54, a ‘D,’ up slightly from a 52.4 the year before that. Throughout the 2016-17 school year, College Prep officials had described rising to a ‘C’ as a significant challenge but within reach, and devoted extra staffing, individualized lesson plans and even after-hours tutoring to try to reach the goal. Practice test scores administered to the kids throughout the year alternated between small jumps and plateaus, so the precipitous drop shown by the actual end-of-year testing administered by the state was a surprise.

city government

“I’m going to fight,” Aylin Maklansky says, launching City Council bid

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With filing barely closed on a competitive six-person field for the District A seat on the New Orleans City Council, Aylin Maklansky launched her campaign with a speech promising a grassroots campaign for progressive leadership in the city with a particular eye toward environmental issues. A Ben Franklin and Tulane law graduate, Maklansky spoke to a crowd of supporters Friday evening at the Mid-City Yacht Club. After years of public service from former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office to serving as legislative director for District C Councilwoman Nadine Ramsey, Maklansky promised to walk the streets of District A neighborhoods to listen to constituents as part of her own first campaign for public office. “I’m just like all of you,” Maklansky said. “I’m frustrated about the direction our city is going in.

Man robbed on Louisiana Avenue, police say

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A man was robbed of cash Friday night on Louisiana Avenue, New Orleans police said. The victim, a man in his 30s, was near South Robertson and Louisiana shortly before 11 p.m. Friday, July 14, when he was confronted by two men who pointed a gun at him and demanded his belongings, according to the initial NOPD report. He handed over $900, and they left, 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.

city government

Architect brings field for District B to half-dozen candidates

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Eugene Ben, an architect with more than a decade of experience developing housing in Central City, became the sixth and final candidate Friday to join the race for the open District B seat on the New Orleans City Council. An architect and environmentalist, Ben said he has been in District B for 12 years, moving to the city from New York to work with FEMA. He has worked with the Central City Housing Development Corporation, the Central City Partnership, and the Keller Foundation which is building the Keller Community Center on Magnolia Street. He was also involved in designs for the O.C. Haley Boulevard corridor dating back a decade, and in the development of 60 homes in the B.W. Cooper area (now known as Marrero Commons). The District B race is his first bid for elected office, but Ben said he is motivated to run because of issues relating to economic growth in the city, crime in Central City, lack of after-school activities and land-use issues, among others.

city government

Race for District A seat on City Council grows to six contenders

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Two more candidates — a charter school assistant principal and an attorney who has worked on the City Council staff — qualified Thursday to run for the open seat representing District A on the council, bringing the total field to six contenders with a few hours left to for more to join. Aylin Acikalin Maklansky, who spent several years working as legislative director for Councilwoman Nadine Ramsey, and Toyia Washington-Kendrick, assistant principal of Esperanza Charter School in Mid-City, both completed the qualifying paperwork on Thursday afternoon. They join four other District A candidates who had already qualified: attorney and Lakeview neighborhood leader Joe Giarrusso III, entrepreneur and Carrollton neighborhood leader Tilman Hardy, Dan Ring, and Carrollton activist Drew Ward. The District B field remains unchanged in the last 24 hours, with candidates Jay H. Banks, Seth Bloom, Catherine Love, Timothy David Ray and Andre Strumer. All the candidates in both Districts A and B are Democrats.

crime

Teen shot to death on Jeanette Street, police say

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A 19-year-old was shot to death Friday morning on Jeanette Street, New Orleans police said. The victim was found lying face up and unresponsive with several gunshot wounds on the sidewalk in the 8500 block of Jeanette Street around 7 a.m. Friday, July 14, according to initial NOPD reports. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Anyone with 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.

city government

“Action Andre” Strumer joins District B, but Johnson opts not to run; Dan Ring joins District A race

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The races for the District A and B seats on the New Orleans City Council each drew additional candidates late Wednesday and Thursday morning — Dan Ring in District A and “Action Andre” Stumer in District B — and one expected candidate, Eric Johnson, announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy. Using the moniker “Action Andre” to appear on his line on the ballot, Strumer filed to join the field for the District B seat Wednesday afternoon using an Irish Channel address. According to online profiles, Strumer is the CEO of Lost Dog Productions. “For the last 10 months, I’ve been meeting my fellow New Orleanians, listening to their stories and struggles, needs and concerns, and hopes and frustrations of these New Orleanians, and walking the district everyday. I have heard you.

crime

Two more persons of interest, one nicknamed “Boo,” sought in killing of woman on Olive Street

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With two people in custody already in connection to the June 14 killing of a woman on Olive Street, homicide investigators are seeking the identities of two more people they want to interview about her death, New Orleans police said. At least five men surrounded the home in the 7800 block of Olive Street shortly after 11 a.m. June 14, with one kicking at a door and others invading the alley, according to previous accounts of the shooting. Police were called to reports of a break-in that soon included gunshots, and although they arrived within minutes, 21-year-old Brayanta Ketchens was already fatally shot in a bathtub in the home when they found her. Investigators have already made two arrests — Jonathan Stone, 25, on a charge of second-degree murder, and Kenneth Murdock, 21, on a charge of principal to murder — in a shooting police now describe as retaliation of some sort for an altercation involving Stone’s brother earlier in the day. Now, investigators are seeking to speak to two more unknown men about the case, and are hoping the public can help identify them from surveillance images.