S&WB cancels boil-water advisory for most of Uptown area

The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, in consultation with the Louisiana Department of Health, has canceled the precautionary boil-water advisory for most residents and businesses in the Uptown area after bacteriological tests confirmed that water in the area was safe to drink and could be used for personal needs. Twenty-four properties will remain under the advisory. These properties lost water service entirely because their water lines are directly tied into the section of the 30-inch water main that had to be repaired. Door hangers have been hand-delivered by staff to each impacted property where the advisory remains in effect, and S&WB technicians have been dispatched to conduct further water quality tests on those blocks. Reisidents who have not used their water supply during this precautionary boil water advisory are advised to flush their internal and external plumbing by running water through their system for several minutes.

Boil-water advisory issued for Uptown residents

The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans has issued a precautionary boil water advisory for a limited Uptown area in bounded by South Carrollton Avenue to Napoleon Avenue and from South Claiborne Avenue to the Mississippi River. Water pressure in the affected area has dropped below 20 psi due to a water-main break on Claiborne Avenue near Soniat Street. S&WB has crews are working to isolate the leak and make repairs. Residents in the affected area are advised per Louisiana Department of Health not to drink, make ice or brush teeth, until further notice. Residents in the affected area that are immunocompromised are advised not to wash hands, shower or bathe.

Parks and rec officials: Ballot proposal means services, jobs, safety and more

By India Yarborough, iayarbor@my.loyno.edu
Loyola Student News Service

New Orleanians will decide the fate Saturday of a city proposal to redistribute parks and recreation funds. And while many city residents might gloss over the plan’s fine print, involved parks and rec organizations say the proposal is an effort to improve the quality of life of New Orleans residents. “It’s vital, and it’s no fluff,” said Ann Mcdonald, director of the city’s Department of Parks and Parkways. Parks and Parkways is one of four parks and recreation organizations in the city that have an interest in seeing the millage proposal pass. The proposal, if passed May 4, would take the 6.31 mills of taxpayer dollars that are currently divided between Audubon Nature Institute, New Orleans Recreation Development Commission and the Department of Parks and Parkways, and redistribute that money more evenly between four organizations: Audubon, the development commission, Parks and Parkways, and City Park.

NOPD sobriety checkpoint planned for Thursday night

The NOPD’s Traffic Division will conduct a sobriety checkpoint Thursday night at an undisclosed location in New Orleans. The checkpoint will be in effect beginning at 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, and concluding at 5 a.m. on Friday, April 26. Motorists who encounter this checkpoint will experience minimal delays, the NOPD said. They will need to provide proper documentation if requested – this includes proof of insurance, driver’s license and vehicle registration.

Police seek help in finding two missing men

Two men reported missing recently from the Broadmoor and Fontainebleau areas still have not been found. The New Orleans Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Robert Hitchings, 34, and Kenneth Line, 46. Hitchings was last heard from on April 7 in the 7700 block of Walmsley Street. The reporting person stated that Hitchings suffers from a mental disorder and may be in need of his medication. He can become very violent if he does not take his medication.

NOPD to conduct traffic sobriety checkpoint this week

The NOPD’s Traffic Division will conduct a sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed location within Orleans Parish. The checkpoint will be in effect from 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 11 to 5 a.m. on Friday, April 12. Motorists who encounter this checkpoint will experience minimal delays and should have the proper documentation available if requested – this includes proof of insurance, driver’s license and vehicle registration.

City hosting bike network planning workshops this week

The city of New Orleans will present a series of “open house” neighborhood workshops to engage residents in each district about the upcoming plan to expand and improve the City’s bike network. Meetings for Districts A & B take place this week. The City is working in collaboration with the Department of Public Works, the City Planning Commission, and community partners on this project, known as Moving New Orleans Bikes. The plan will help expand the City’s current Bike Network Map with the community’s assistance. Here are the meetings for the Uptown area, both from 6 to 7:30 p.m.:

Monday, April 8
District B
KIPP-Booker T. Washington
2514 Third St.

City suspends parking restrictions, barricades streets as severe weather moves through area

Heavy rain and storms, some which may be severe, are forecast to continue to move through the New Orleans area today. The cty of New Orleans urges residents to stay weather-aware during storms.

The National Weather Service issued an Areal Flood Advisory on Thursday in effect until 7 p.m., including parts of Orleans Parish. An Areal Flood Watch is also in effect for the entire parish until midnight tonight. That means heavy rain from storms could cause street flooding. The line of storms could also bring severe threats including high winds, hail, and possible tornadoes.

NOPD to set up sobriety checkpoint tonight

The NOPD’s Traffic Division will conduct an upcoming sobriety checkpoint tonight at a location within Orleans Parish. The checkpoint will be in effect beginning at 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, and concluding at 5 a.m. on Friday, April 5. Motorists who encounter this checkpoint will experience minimal delays and should have the proper documentation available if requested — this includes proof of insurance, driver’s license and vehicle registration.

NOPD Uptown-based Second District receives new commander

Commander Doug Eckert was named the new leader of the NOPD Second District on Friday, returning for his second stint in the Uptown-based district after several years leading investigations for the entire city. Eckert’s transfer was one in a long chain of transfers and promotions announced by NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson and Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Friday. The Eighth District also received a new commander, as did several of the department’s internal divisions, and Ferguson reshuffled his command staff following the departure of two high-ranking officers to Baltimore with former Chief Michael Harrison. Eckert had previously spent about six months in the Second District as the supervisor of investigations, second in command to the district’s commander at the time, Paul Noel. Eckert departed to lead the city’s crime lab and then its central Criminal Investigations Division, and Noel was later named a Deputy Superintendent to Harrison.