Carjackings in Lower Garden District, Central City were related, NOPD says; DA Jason Williams, his mother were victims

District Attorney Jason Williams and his mother were carjacked in the Lower Garden District on Monday night (Oct. 16), media reports state. The New Orleans Police Department have linked that carjacking to another that occurred about half-hour later, stating they were likely committed by the same two men. Williams was helping his 78-year-old mother into his car at about 10 p.m. when they were approached by two armed men demanding his vehicle. He complied, and one of the gunmen fled in his black Lincoln Navigator.

Uptown neighbors to gather Tuesday for Night Out Against Crime

The 40th annual Night Out Against Crime will take place Tuesday (Oct. 17). Events are planned across Uptown neighborhoods and are listed below. The Night Out Against Crime in New Orleans is a community-wide event to raise crime prevention awareness, reduce crime and increase the support of local, state and federal law enforcement. It began over 30 years ago with NOPD officer Kelly Marrione.

Roadwork ahead: Utility repairs continue on Palmer Avenue

The partial road closure on Palmer Avenue between Loyola Avenue and Freret Street is expected to end Dec. 1, the Department of Public Works announced. Construction crews began in 1800 block of Palmer Avenue and will make progress toward the 2000 block ending at Freret Street. Crews have completed the first run of utility repairs and are currently working in the 2000 block of Palmer Avenue. The city’s construction contractor, Murphy Pipeline Construction, is performing subsurface utility repairs and roadway restoration.

Viewpoint: Does anyone really care about the Oct. 14 elections?

Saturday’s elections for statewide and parish offices along with a number of other ballot initiatives will be the culmination of many months of hard work and millions of dollar spent by candidates, their supporters and public and quasi-public agencies such as school boards. Yet there is a broad swath of voters who are likely to attend their favorite football game or fall festival and bypass the polls. Perhaps that’s why Shawn Wilson was greeting Democratic voters in Alexandria on Tuesday, why Jeff Landry is midway through a series of Diner Dashes in seven cities around the state, and why lieutenant governor contender Elbert Guillory borrowed a jet for a statewide tour this week. 
Early voting was off 42,000 people statewide in comparison to the 2019 statewide elections. The vast majority of those who did vote were 65 and older. On the other end of the spectrum, fewer than a thousand 18- to 20-year-olds made the effort to visit the polls last week.

Loyola’s student newspaper wins Edward R. Murrow Award for podcast

From Loyola University’s College of Media and Music

The world’s largest organization dedicated to broadcast and digital  journalism honored Loyola University’s student newspaper, The Maroon, on Monday (Oct. 9) with a prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for its environmental podcast, “Engulfed.”

The Radio Television Digital News Association singled out the first episode of the  podcast, “St. John’s Fight: From Battling Cancer to Covid,” when it announced the  winners of the Student National Murrow awards last month. The Maroon won the award  ]for Excellence in Podcasts. 

The episode examines one community’s fight against petrochemical companies  polluting Black neighborhoods that line the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, a corridor commonly known as Cancer Alley. 

Loyola students Rae Walberg, Domonique Tolliver and Brendan Heffernan researched,  reported and produced the four-episode podcast, which premiered in September 2022. The idea for the podcast came to Walberg after reporting on a local organization’s efforts to combat industrial pollutants in St.

Officials mark the start of Carver Playground renovations

A groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday (Oct. 3) marked the beginning of the George Washington Carver Playground Improvement Project in the Black Pearl neighborhood. The scope of work includes upgrades and renovations to the playground’s existing concessions building and restrooms to bring them up to city, Department of Health and Hospitals and Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Mayor LaToya Cantrell, the city’s Capital Projects Director Vincent Smith, CEO of New Orleans Recreation Development Commission CEO Larry Barabino Jr., District 98 state Rep. Aimee Freeman, former state Rep. Neil Abramson and community member Burnell Scales attended the ceremony. “The group assembled here have been boots on the ground to ensure this project happens,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

Volunteers needed for Lafayette Cemetery cleanup

The Garden District Association is calling for volunteers to clean up the historic Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 at 1400 Washington Ave. The cemetery has been closed to the public since 2019. The annual cleanup on Thursday morning (Oct. 5) will help prepare the 19th century “city of the dead” for All Saints’ Day.