A pedestrian was injured after being struck by a vehicle near St. Charles and Toledano around 3 a.m. Thursday, police officials say. Continue reading »
Jul 262012
Jul 242012
Broken windows along the front of the Sigma Alpha Mu house on Broadway Street, photographed Tuesday. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
Fire damage can be seen in a second-story window and on the roof at the rear of the building. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
A vacant Tulane fraternity house was damaged in a fire early Friday morning, authorities said, leaving a newly scorched structure directly next door to an empty lot on Broadway Street where a frat house that burned last October was recently torn down.
The former Sigma Alpha Mu house at 712 Broadway caught fire around 1 a.m. July 20, said Tulane University spokesman Michael Strecker. The building was unoccupied and undergoing renovations, so there were no injuries, Strecker said. He referred questions about the cause of the fire to the New Orleans Fire Department, which did not have information on the investigation readily available Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading »
Jul 242012
A Carrollton Avenue gas station was robbed Monday night, and a woman leaving Freret Street was attacked from behind in a purse snatching last week, police said. Continue reading »
Jul 242012
No one was injured in the crash near the Pontchartrain Expressway just before 5 p.m. rush hour, according to our partners at WWL-TV:
Jul 232012
A man walking his dog Monday morning was cut with a knife and robbed of his wallet on Calhoun Street in the university area, police said. Continue reading »
Jul 232012
Firefighters look for hot spots in the wreckage of a shed behind a Laurel Street home. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
A shed in a Laurel Street backyard caught fire Monday afternoon and spread to the main house, damaging the rear bedroom and the attic and drawing firefighters from the scene of a much larger Constance Street fire from just a few hours earlier. Continue reading »
Jul 232012
Flames rise from the roof and windows of an abandoned service station on the corner of Constance and Laurel on Monday morning. (photo courtesy of Jeff Lopez)
An abandoned service station at the corner of Constance and Peniston streets burned to the ground Monday morning, damaging the house next door but harming no one, witnesses and officials said.
Jul 232012
Owen Courreges
For those of you who have been under a rock since, well, ever, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the Police Association of New Orleans (PANO) don’t always see eye to eye. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where they just plain don’t like each other.
Part of the issue is that Landrieu has repeatedly said that the NOPD has sufficient manpower, while PANO argues that it has been chronically understaffed. The latest volley occurred recently when PANO released the results of a survey performed by Tulane Criminologist Peter Scharf. That study purported to show that an overwhelming majority of NOPD officers feel the department needs more officers and better equipment, and that morale is circling the drain.
Continue reading »
Jul 192012
After a wounded man at the hospital claimed to have been caught in the crossfire of a early-evening gun battle at the busy corner of Magazine and Louisiana, investigators have found “no evidence” that suggests the shooting actually took place there, authorities said Thursday evening. Continue reading »
Jul 192012
Garvin Scott (via NOPD)
Jul 192012
Six robberies around Uptown in the two weeks since July 6. A home invasion case on Broadway near St. Charles is not depicted, because of its different classification. (map via NOPD.com)
Jul 182012
Latisa Lewis, mother of Errol Meeks, is comforted by family members as she cries at a vigil for her son Jan. 20, 2011. (UptownMessenger.com file photo by Sabree Hill)
William Baham
A 26-year-old man was found guilty of second-degree murder Wednesday evening in a 2011 shooting that claimed the life of a 19-year-old known as a peacemaker and shut down a Freret Street trouble spot. Continue reading »
Jul 182012
The new owner of a Maple Street college bar that last year struck a bargain with the city to stay open amid allegations of underage drinking and other violations is now being praised for his efforts to make peace with his neighbors. Continue reading »
Jul 172012
The crash was reported around 2:30 a.m. on Broadway near Zimpel, and Mayor Landrieu arrived on scene, according to a report by our partners at WWL-TV. Landrieu later said that he stood apart from the crash investigation and that proper protocol will be followed:
Jul 162012
A man suffered two gunshot wounds to the knee and one to the finger Monday evening in the crossfire of a shooting at the busy intersection of Magazine Street and Louisiana Avenue, authorities said. Continue reading »
Jul 162012
(map via NOPD.com)
Jul 162012
(map via NOPD.com)
Jul 162012
Owen Courreges
You know, if I ever have kids, I think I’ll send them to Company Burger for school. It’s probably cheaper than paying for a traditional private school, and I hear the cafeteria is awesome.
What? You say that Company Burger isn’t a school? It’s a burger joint?
Oh my. Somebody might want to alert Mayor Landrieu before he starts subsidizing it as a charter school. Continue reading »
Jul 142012
A Hollygrove community group is hosting a “Stop the Violence” rally this afternoon in Conrad Park, featuring food, music, sports and motivational speaking. Continue reading »
Jul 132012
At a “Fight the Blight” event in March 2011, Mayor Mitch Landrieu paints a gate around the pool at Taylor Park with Laquinn Huey, who was 8 at the time. (UptownMessenger.com file photo by Sabree Hill)
City officials hope to bring a critical mass of volunteers back to Taylor Park in the Hoffman Triangle on Saturday, updating last year’s “Fight the Blight” efforts with this year’s “NOLA for Life” murder-reduction strategy. Continue reading »