Viewpoint: The system is designed for New Orleans mayors to prevail

Critics of Mayor LaToya Cantrell have been having a field day recently with multiple incidents about which to complain. Yet it seems no matter how much venom is directed toward her, Cantrell manages to adroitly deflect every accusation like a sizzling fried egg sliding off a Teflon-coated pan.   

Case in point: U.S. District Court Judge Susie Morgan is demanding answers about the Public Integrity Bureau’s shoddy investigation of NOPD officer and Cantrell bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie. The good judge must know that it’s Cantrell who wields the big stick at the NOPD. Other than to extend the consent decree even longer, what recourse does the judge actually have?  Cantrell has already refused to allow her staff appear in Morgan’s courtroom. A long-awaited investigation by lawyers working for the City Council concluded that the informational mailer that Cantrell authorized during the recall campaign probably violated state law.

Mayor’s Office invites public to meetings on the city’s budget

From the Mayor’s Office

Mayor LaToya Cantrell is holding Budget Community Meeting Series this to solicit public opinion on how the city should allocate the 2024 budget. “Building out the city’s budget for 2024 is a process that does not happen overnight; it starts right now,” Cantrell said in a press release. “These town halls are specifically designed for residents to hear directly from my administration and also for us to listen to the public relative to their priorities as well. ”

At the townhall-style meetings in each City Council district, officials will discuss budgeting priorities aligned with the Cantrell administration’s framework designed to prioritize issues that matter most to New Orleanians. These priorities include treating public safety as public health and investing in infrastructure, quality of life, economic development and good and inclusive governance.

Armed robbery victim dies; teenage suspect faces murder charge

A Hoffman Triangle shooting victim died of his wounds Saturday (July 22), and a teenager jailed in that shooting now faces a murder charge in his death. Police found Kenneth Allen with a gunshot wound in the 3100 block of Second Street at about 12:45 a.m. on July 11. He was unresponsive, and Emergency Medical Services brought him to a hospital. He died 11 days later at 57. On July 18, the NOPD arrested 19-year-old Cody McClairen in connection with two shootings committed just days apart in the Hoffman Triangle, including Allen’s shooting.

Roadwork ahead: Camp Street detour continues in Lower Garden District

sDrivers in the Lower Garden District will continue to face a barricade on Camp Street at Thalia. The downtown-bound travel lanes of the 1200 block of Camp will remain closed through Monday (July 31), the Department of Public Works reported. The street is closed for asphalt paving operations as part of the Central City Group B project. The work began June 21. Drivers heading toward downtown are rerouted onto Thalia Street, then turn left onto Constance Street and left again onto Erato Street, where traffic can return to eastbound Camp Street (see map above).

Seven people displaced in Hollygrove fire that engulfed three homes

Seven Hollygrove residents, including four children, were displaced Monday (July 24) in a fire that severely damaged three houses. Firefighters withstood temperatures in the mid-90s to extinguish the three-alarm fire. One firefighter was injured while battling the blaze. 

The first New Orleans Fire Department unit arrived at 3:31 p.m. Firefighters found the single shotgun at 1825 Hollygrove engulfed in flames that threatened the building to its left. A search of the building found no one inside, and neighbors confirmed that the residents, three children and one adult, were not at home when the fire broke out. A second alarm was requested at 3:40 p.m. as the fire quickly spread to an unoccupied double under renovation a few feet away, at 1831-33 Hollygrove, and an occupied single-family home at 8926 Cohn St.

Traffic-ticket season to begin Aug. 1

Traffic cameras will be catching speeders and red-light scofflaws again beginning Aug. 1 — the same day all 39 school zone cameras will be reactivated. Ten traffic cameras that were damaged during Hurricane Ida in 2021 have been repaired and will soon be back online. The repairs included replacing sensors and installing new poles and other support equipment. Three of the 10 reactivated cameras are at the intersection of Earhart Boulevard and South Carrollton Avenue.

Library Block Party features ‘epic set of blocks’ and early literacy

The New Orleans Public Library is holding Block Parties — featuring “the most epic set of blocks you have ever seen” — on Monday evenings for children age 5 and younger along with their parents or other caregivers. The playdates will be held at Nix Library, 1401 S. Carrollton Ave., and the Central City Library in the Allie Mae Williams Multi-Service Center, 2020 Jackson Ave., on Monday July 24 and July 31 from 5 to 6 p.m.

The event is designed to promote early literacy. While the children are playing, the adults will learn how to use open-ended questions and play techniques to support language development. The library’s early literacy program is designed to give pre-readers a strong foundation before they learn to read and write. It prepares children to be lifelong learners.