Propeller Announces ’23 Impact Accelerator Ventures (sponsored)

Propeller announces the 20 ventures selected for our nationally recognized Impact Accelerator. This program catalyzes transformative social impact by supporting startup and growth entrepreneurs working towards community oriented solutions to our region’s most pressing challenges in community economic development, education, food, health, and water. There has always been a demand for programs like this, and the COVID pandemic and other challenges from the last several years have increased the need. Consider these statistics:
40 % of businesses do not reopen after disasters, 25% fail in the year following a disaster, and 90% of small businesses fail within 2 years of disaster. At the onset of the pandemic, Black business ownership rates dropped 41% between February and April 2020.

Viewpoint: Fall elections are shaping up to be a spicy mix

Attorney General Jeff Landry made it official yesterday. He is one of 12 candidates already signed up for ballot’s top spot, with former LABI executive Steve Waguespack and state Rep. Richard Nelson expected to round out the field today. Landry, whose campaign is sitting on more than $9 million as well as a bucket full of endorsements and a giant lead in the polls, is planning a larger-than-life campaign kick-off in the coming days. It may be hard for any candidate to significantly narrow Landry’s lead. Landry is running a tight campaign.

‘Coffee on Your Corner’ pours zoning and enforcement, public safety and housing

Residents in District A and District B will have a chance to meet with city officials during two August “Coffee on Your Corner” events. Questions on zoning and enforcement issues will be answered at the District A coffee klatsch. The District B Neighborhood Engagement Office event is on public health and housing. The Mayor’s Office created Coffee on Your Corner to bring city government to neighborhood venues. The events give New Orleanians a chance to hear about city programs, initiatives and operations directly from the officials in charge of them.

Uptowners don’t need to travel far for a COOLinary meal

Let’s face it — August in New Orleans, especially with seemingly endless record heat, can be brutal. All the more reason to escape to your favorite restaurant, or that restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, to indulge your taste buds with a COOLinary meal. During the 19th annual August COOLinary, some of the city’s finest dining establishments are offering specially curated prix-fixe menus at unbeatable prices. During COOLinary New Orleans, restaurant goers can enjoy two- and three-course lunch menus for $25 or less and three-course dinner and brunch menus for $50 or less from 109 restaurants citywide. Participants include some of the city’s longstanding and iconic Creole and Cajun restaurants as well as new places featuring New Orleans cuisine incorporating international inspirations.

Man killed in early morning shooting on Toledano

A man was shot to death early Friday (Aug. 4) in the Hoffman Triangle neighborhood, the New Orleans Police Department reported. At about 2:25 a.m., NOPD Sixth District officers responded to a call of a shooting in the 3300 block of Toledano Street, near Galvez. They found an unresponsive man with a gunshot wound. Medical responders declared him dead at the scene.

Viewpoint: Parish and statewide candidates queue up for qualifying next week

Judge Monique Barial is ready to move up. For almost 10 years, she has handled family-law cases at Orleans Parish Civil District Court Division H, Domestic Section 2.  A graduate of Xavier University and the Southern University Law Center and a former attorney adviser for the U.S. Small Business Administration, Barial believes that she is well-prepared to take on new judicial challenges beyond the domestic arena. She recently announced her candidacy for the open seat in Division D previously held by Judge Nakisha Ervin Knott, who was elected to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal. Barial is one of the dozens of candidates who will begin qualifying next Tuesday (Aug. 8), for judicial, legislative, regional and statewide offices.

Christopher A. Etienne, Sr., Letters From A Father: Victory Lap Mentality (Sponsored)

Dear Son,

Before my eyes, you’re growing and developing to become a smooth, strong, and smart child. I am proud of you. I have learned from you. And you’ve made me a better father. The late U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson argued, “In the homes of our Nation, we look to the fathers to provide the strength and stability which characterize the successful family.”

Two sought for questioning in Central City double homicide

The New Orleans Police Department is seeking assistance in locating two persons-of-interest for questioning in the ongoing investigation of a double homicide that occurred on Dec. 4, 2022, in Central City. At about 8:30 a.m., officers called to the 2900 block of Danneel Street found two men suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They were transported to a local hospital, where they later died. The Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Terry Johnson, 32, and Richard Watson, 46.