crime

Police blotter: Two carjackings, three robberies reported in Uptown neighborhoods

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Two carjackings and three robberies, including an armed vehicle theft, were reported in Uptown neighborhoods during the past weekend. One of the carjackings was foiled in the Freret area. The victims in that incident were two 55-year-old women and a 22-year-old man. They were in a car in the 2200 block of Valmont Street, between LaSalle and Freret streets, at about 4 p.m. on Sunday (Sept. 12) when a black sedan drove up.

city government

Storm recovery updates: City details ongoing Hurricane Ida relief efforts

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On Wednesday (Sept. 8), Mayor LaToya Cantrell lifted the curfew for New Orleans residents and the Army Corps of Engineers began installing its blue roofs, two signs that recovery from Hurricane Ida is progressing. Waste water treatment operations have returned to normal, the Sewerage & Water Board has announced, so residents can do their laundry, run their dishwashers and take long showers again. Trash continues to fester in front of homes, however. The city is issuing an emergency contract to bring more trucks and hoppers onto the streets, said Ramsey Green, the city’s infrastructure chief, at a press conference Wednesday.

Hurricane

‘Extremely dangerous’ Hurricane Ida strengthens as it nears landfall

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The National Hurricane Center reported Sunday at 6 a.m. that Hurricane Ida is an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm expected to make landfall in southeastern Louisiana later today. Reports from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 150 mph with
higher gusts. The Mayor’s Office has issued the following updates:
The city continues to closely monitor Hurricane Ida alongside public safety and infrastructure partners at the local, state and federal level. A hurricane warning, storm surge warning, and flash flood watch are in effect for our area. Ida is expected to strengthen into an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 74 to 110  mph.

Hurricanes

If you are leaving for Hurricane Ida, do it now, officials say on Saturday

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Hurricane Ida will be a dangerous and life-threatening storm, city, state and national public safety officials said Saturday in a mid-day briefing. Ida is still expected to make landfall west of New Orleans on Sunday afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane. “If you’re leaving, which I recommend, do that now,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. “We need to make sure you are in a safe place. “If you stay, you need to be prepared.

auto burglary

NOPD seeks suspect in auto theft, burglary

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The New Orleans Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a suspect in a vehicle burglary and auto theft that occurred on Aug. 19. At around 3:50 a.m., the vehicle pictured at the top was used to commit vehicle burglaries in the 1700 block of Robert Street. It was also used to steal the blue 2020 Subaru Forester, pictured with the suspect inside. Detectives tracked the stolen Subaru to the 3700 block of Second Street, where it was recovered.

opinion

Kristine Froeba on hurricane prep: Popeyes, bourbon and ice

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No matter the crisis — pandemic, plague, zombie apocalypse or, even worse, a Cat 3 barreling toward the mouth of the Mississippi — New Orleanians never lose their sense of humor. The world might just end, but even if it does, we’re going out with a wink and smile, drinks held high, ironic swagger intact. (COCKTAILS REQUIRE ICE)
The cone of uncertainty is old hat to locals. We’ve been helping our family and friends prepare for Armageddon since before we finagled fake IDs. Supermarket and hardware store shelves empty at an alarming pace when there’s a storm in the Gulf.

Carjackings reported in Irish Channel, Fontainebleau neighborhoods

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Two carjackings were reported this week in Uptown neighborhoods. On Monday (Aug. 23), a 30-year-old woman was carjacked in the 600 block of Toledano Street. She was inside her sport utility vehicle at about 10:40 p.m. when a group of male and female juveniles pulled up in a sedan, the New Orleans Police Department reported. One of them got out and demanded the victim turn over her vehicle.

opinion

Viewpoint: New WYES leadership team has deep local roots

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With the recent retirement of WYES president Allan Pizzato, two native New Orleanians who are driven to broadcast excellence, Robin Cooper and Dominic Massa, have taken the helm to bring new ideas to the Crescent City’s iconic public television station. 

Leading the station since 2013, Pizzato oversaw the station’s tricentennial coverage, the creation of new shows and documentaries, and the construction of the $17 million headquarters that opened in 2017. The chief operating officer under Pizzato, Cooper assumed the position of president and CEO last month, leaving her previous spot available for long-time WWL-TV Executive Producer of Special Projects Dominic Massa. “WYES was built by some of the city’s best and brightest leaders, who believed in the power of television to educate, inform and inspire. That mission couldn’t be more important or needed today,” Massa said. By all accounts, Massa is one of the hardest working and most respected broadcasting professionals in New Orleans television.