Viewpoint: Candidates line up to lead the state Democratic Party out of its doldrums

Qualifying for the March 2024 elections got off to a quick start yesterday at the Clerk’s Office, Criminal District Court.  Two attorneys, Dianne Alexander and LaKeisha Jefferson, signed up for open seats in First City Court and Civil District Court respectively. In addition 71 other contenders — including a number of fresh faces of the more progressive persuasion — qualified for Democratic and Republican parish and state committees. Ronald Coleman, president of the local NAACP, was first in line to qualify for re-election to the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee. Yesterday’s turnout was higher than four years ago, when only 48 candidates qualified on the first day followed by 49 the second day and 114 the third and final day for the state political committees. With the poor showing in the fall elections, the Louisiana Democratic Party is clearly at a crossroads.

New hotel, restaurant planned for St. Charles Avenue in Lower Garden District

A five-story hotel with a ground-floor restaurant and rooftop bar is in the works for the former site of the Trolley Stop on St. Charles Avenue. The owner and developer is Verdad Real Estate & Construction, the firm behind the redevelopment of the Magazine Street building that once housed Harry’s Ace Hardware. Verdad has hired local cocktail virtuoso Neal Bodenheimer of Cure, Vals and Cane & Table to oversee the restaurant and bar operations. LightHouse, a hotel management firm based in New York, will operate the hotel.

Jingle, Jangle, Jingle, here comes Mr. Bingle … with another message from Kris Kringle

To quote Don Draper of “Mad Men,” nostalgia is powerful; it’s delicate but potent. Mr. Bingle, New Orleans’ Christmas snowman, turns 76 this year. And New Orleans is still as infatuated with the little fella as when he was first created in 1947 — perhaps more so. Mr. Bingle, flying above Canal Street on Maison Blanche, was an iconic symbol of New Orleans’s childhood past: ours, our parents, and even our grandparents. When local children saw Mr. Bingle on WDSU-TV after school, they knew it was getting close to Christmas.

Find bargains and help your community during Small Business Saturday

From a favorite restaurant for a celebratory dinner, the bookstore that always delivers on binge-worthy reads to the boutique with perfect gifts — independent, local shops and restaurants help make New Orleans unique. On Saturday (Nov. 25), StayLocal and its member businesses — independent, local shops, restaurants and seasonal markets — will celebrate Small Business Saturday in commercial corridors in neighborhoods throughout Greater New Orleans. The majority of these businesses are in Uptown neighborhoods. Falling between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday is a national shopping event dedicated to celebrating and supporting local businesses.

The New Orleans Thanksgiving table: Oyster dressing, rice, bread stuffing or mac ‘n’ cheese?

By Kristine Froeba, Uptown Messenger

Our New Orleans elders and those who respect the old guard serve oyster dressing with their roast turkey. I wouldn’t dream of Thanksgiving without it. However, an influx of newcomers might be changing the menu. In old New Orleans, as in the present, gumbo, turtle soup or oyster soup is served first, followed by the roast turkey and oyster dressing. A myriad of dishes follow, but another expected dish is rice dressing.

City closes homeless encampment at Tchoupitoulas 

From the Mayor’s Office
The Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services and Strategy Director Nathaniel Fields provided updates Tuesday (Nov. 21) on city’s weeklong efforts to close one of the city’s largest homeless encampments on Tchoupitoulas Street under the Pontchartrain Expressway. The Tchoupitoulas Street encampment was officially closed and fenced off Friday (Nov. 17), and the area is now being patrolled to stop trespassers. Thirty-one people have been housed from the Tchoupitoulas encampment, while five individuals are waiting to be permanently housed.