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.

Viewpoint: What will the next police chief be able to accomplish?

Insiders expect interim Superintendent Michelle Woodfork to be appointed as the next superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department. Woodfork, they say, is clearly the best choice among the six semi-finalists that Mayor LaToya Cantrell presented to the select committee of business, civic and political leaders for interviews this week. Two of the candidates are tainted, having left their previous positions under a cloud. Others might not be suitable because of their race, level of experience or lack of working knowledge about the city. 

With crime on top of almost every citizen’s mind, the city doesn’t have the luxury of hiring a chief who needs a couple of months to familiarize himself or herself with the neighborhood rivalries, gangs and drug culture behind much of the violence. While yesterday (July 19) was a rare murder-free day, other crimes still took place. 

It’s no secret that Cantrell handpicked Woodfork and that Woodfork has closely followed her boss’s lead.

Dr. Sharon Latten-Clark Announces District 2 BESE Candidacy (sponsored)

Longtime educator and school leader, Dr. Sharon Clark, is officially announcing her candidacy to serve as the District 2 member on the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). “The essence of a good education is the belief by leaders that every child regardless of circumstances must have a quality education that will transform their present circumstances and expand their future opportunities,” said Clark. “This belief will be my guiding principle as I serve the students, teachers, administrators, and families of District 2.”
With a career in public education spanning over a quarter of century, Clark began as a para educator and English teacher in the Houston Independent school district before coming back to teach English at Fredrick Douglass High School. She went on to serve as an Assistant Principal in Phoenix, Arizona, before coming back home to take the reins Sophie B Wright Public School. Clark led Sophie B Wright prior to Katrina and transformed it into a high performing, open enrollment school for generations of families in New Orleans.