Find bargains and help your community during Small Business Saturday

From a favorite restaurant for a celebratory dinner, the bookstore that always delivers on binge-worthy reads to the boutique with perfect gifts — independent, local shops and restaurants help make New Orleans unique. On Saturday (Nov. 25), StayLocal and its member businesses — independent, local shops, restaurants and seasonal markets — will celebrate Small Business Saturday in commercial corridors in neighborhoods throughout Greater New Orleans. The majority of these businesses are in Uptown neighborhoods. Falling between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday is a national shopping event dedicated to celebrating and supporting local businesses.

City closes homeless encampment at Tchoupitoulas 

From the Mayor’s Office
The Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services and Strategy Director Nathaniel Fields provided updates Tuesday (Nov. 21) on city’s weeklong efforts to close one of the city’s largest homeless encampments on Tchoupitoulas Street under the Pontchartrain Expressway. The Tchoupitoulas Street encampment was officially closed and fenced off Friday (Nov. 17), and the area is now being patrolled to stop trespassers. Thirty-one people have been housed from the Tchoupitoulas encampment, while five individuals are waiting to be permanently housed.

Fire breaks out in Lower Garden District cocktail lounge

A fire broke out in a Lower Garden District cocktail lounge early Monday (Nov. 20), the New Orleans Fire Department reported. 

NOFD fire  crews responded to a 911 call reporting a fire at 1840 Thalia St. at about 3 a.m.. The first units arrived on the scene to find The Treehouse, an indoor-outdoor bar, with fire coming from the center of an outside patio area. The last employees had left the building around 2:30 a.m. without seeing indications of a potential fire.

Police blotter: Two shootings in Hoffman Triangle

Two shootings reported within blocks of each other in the Hoffman Triangle area on Thursday (Nov. 16), according to the New Orleans Police Department. The first occurred about 5:40 p.m. during an attempted robbery. A gunman approached a man in the 3900 block of Washington Avenue and demanded his belongings. When the victim stated he had nothing to give, the gunman shot him before fleeing the scene.

Man killed in double shooting on Central City street

A shooting Tuesday night (Nov. 7) in Central City left one man dead and another injured, the New Orleans Police Department reported. At about 8:40 p.m., NOPD Sixth District detectives responded to a call of shooting in the 2900 block of Louisiana Avenue. They found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The Emergency Medical Services brought him to a hospital, where he later died.

Man shot to death in Central City

A man was shot to death in Central City early Sunday (Nov. 5), the New Orleans Police Department reported. At about 4:05 a.m., NOPD First District detectives responded to a call of a shooting in the 2600 block of First Street. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 35-year-old male had suffered at least one gunshot wound. He was unresponsive, and medical responders declared him dead at the scene.

Film Festival’s opener explores musical connection between New Orleans and Havana

By Jeanne D’Arcy, Uptown Messenger
The 2023 New Orleans Film Festival will open with a screening of Música! It follows student musicians from Cuba on a musical exchange that includes Preservation Hall in New Orleans. The first screening takes place at the Prytania Theatre Uptown on Thursday (Nov. 2) at 7:30 p.m.
Film goers have another opportunity to see the Música! by Academy Award winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music) at the Prytania Theatre at Canal Place 2, on Monday, Nov. 6, at 12:30 p.m.
Viewers meet three young musicians and watch their lives over five years – at school, with their families, performing around town, and on a musical exchange to Preservation Hall in New Orleans.

New Orleans Film Festival comes to the Prytania

By Jeanne D’Arcy, Uptown Messenger

The 34th New Orleans Film Festival will screen films at the Prytania Theater Uptown presenting a wide variety of films, most of which cannot be seen any other way. NOFF opens on Nov. 2 and closes Nov. 7. The festival will showcase films at four venues, including the Prytania Theater Uptown, 5339 Prytania Street.