Uptowners, reeling over ATM robberies, ask why FBI doesn’t intervene 

The violent robbery of a Capital One Bank ATM and destruction of Uptown’s Tchoup Stop gas station has neighbors in fear for their safety. Many are wondering when the FBI will make an appearance. 

The ATM was stolen with a pickup on Thursday (Feb 2) at 4 a.m. “They repeatedly smashed through the window with a truck,” said a store employee. “They kept hitting it until it fell apart.” Sources say the robbers then tied the machine’s guts to their truck –  including the interior compartment that holds the money – dragging the remnants of the banking machine down Tchoupitoulas Street. During the robbery, the robbers destroyed a brick portion of the building’s wall, a storefront window, the ATM, and the cashier’s booth inside the 5600 Tchoupitoulas business.

Uptown restaurants are well-represented among James Beard semifinalists

Of the 12 New Orleans restaurants honored this year on the list of the 2023 James Beard Award semifinalists, half are in Uptown neighborhoods. Honorees range from an iconic grand dame, Commander’s Palace, to a newly opened Senegalese restaurant, Dakar NOLA. 

The James Beard Awards, established in 1990, considered the Oscars of the food world, are the highest honors in the U.S. food industry. The finalists will be announced on March 29 and the winners on June 5.

Tchoup Stop ATM stolen in early morning smash-and-grab

The ATM in front of the Tchoup Stop gas station and convenience store was ripped out and hauled off early Thursday (Feb. 1), according to the New Orleans Police Department. A pickup reportedly smashed into the store at about 4 a.m., and the thieves pulled out the bank machine. The incident at 5600 Tchoupitoulas St. follows an attempted ATM theft at the Regions Bank, 5409 Tchoupitoulas St., at about 4 a.m. on Jan.

Suspect arrested in double shooting that left one dead

The NOPD’s Violent Offender Warrant Squad and the U.S. Marshals on Thursday (Feb. 2) arrested Kentrell Williams, 40, in a homicide on Dec. 22, 2022, in Central City. Corey Carter, 46, was killed and another man was injured by gunfire in the 2700 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard at about 8 p.m. Carter was pronounced dead at the scene. On Dec.

Viewpoint: Could Tyre Nichols’ killing have happened in New Orleans?

My heart went out to RowVaugh Wells as she watched the evidence unfold last week against the seven rogue Memphis police officers and three first-responders who are alleged to be responsible for the untimely death of her son Tyre Nichols. A 29-year-old Black man, Nichols died on Jan. 10, three days after a fatal encounter with the MPD’s Scorpion police unit. Nichols made the mistake of trying to run away from the officers during a traffic stop. Running from the police is never a wise move and usually leads to an ugly chase.