New building on Magazine Street gets HDLC approval over neighbors’ objections

In a divided vote held after two months of hearings, the Historic District Landmarks Commission gave the green light to a new mixed-use building on Magazine Street in the Irish Channel. Their April 6 ruling will now go before the City Council, which could overturn the vote. The Garden District Association has filed an appeal, GDA Executive Director Shelley Landrieu told Uptown Messenger. Garden District, Irish Channel and Lower Garden District residents came out in force to oppose the plans for the three-story 15,000-square-foot building planned for an empty lot at 2230 Magazine St. The HDLC received 29 letters of opposition to the plans and one letter of support, according to city records.

Review: New Orleans artists present a celebration of diversity and place

By Saskia Ozols, guest columnist

The current exhibit by the Renegade Artists Collective, “Off the Beaten Path,” includes an outstanding combination of voices that link symbolism of New Orleans and the Greater Gulf South, through commentary on its history and notes on considerations for the future. 

RAC exhibition curators Erin McNutt and Cheryl Anne Grace, both painters themselves, organized the show to include artists of varied genres and professional backgrounds — all currently working in New Orleans and without traditional gallery representation. The exhibit features work by professional mid-career artists along with the works of select students, art majors chosen by a committee from local universities. 

Exhibiting new talent with established professionals has been a formula in historic art communities to assure longevity. It both preserves and promotes a healthy, thriving art community. The structure fosters growth and provides a pathway for both artists and collectors to persevere through generations despite otherwise challenging conditions. Cities such as Boston, New York and Philadelphia have long histories of this structure in their most venerated institutions.  

This structure is especially important now as visual arts practice, preservation and education are quickly slipping away from public view.

Teenagers’ fight ends with her in the hospital with gunshot wounds, him in jail on attempted murder charge

A 17-year-old female was seriously injured and a 19-year-old male arrested in a shooting Wednesday afternoon (April 13) in the Hoffman Triangle neighborhood. The teenagers were fighting in 3300 block of Jackson Avenue, near South Galvez Street, at about 2 p.m. when the 17-year-old was shot multiple times, the New Orleans Police Department reported,. She was taken to the hospital. The 19-year-old, Keymon Bush, was arrested near the scene. He faces charges of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated second-degree battery and illegal use of a weapon. Bush remained jailed Friday morning on $350,000 bail.

Viewpoint: Reflections on taming the demons within

With the ongoing war between Russia and the Ukraine and with New Orleans’ never-ending crusade against crime and corruption, there is much for Christians, Jews and Muslims to reflect upon during Holy Week, Passover and Ramadan. Everyone has demons that haunt them. New Orleanians, it seems, have more than their fair share. The ability to fight off temptation often determines the quality of a person’s character and the kind of life they lead. Yet the longer I observe people — including politicians at all levels of government — the more I wonder what makes integrity fade away.

Victim in Central City double shooting dies from his injuries

One of the victims in a shooting in Central City on Friday (April 8) died of his wounds the next day, the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office reported. Ronnell Owney, 31, was on South Claiborne Avenue and First Street just before 9:30 p.m. when a man opened fire. Owney was struck multiple times and was taken to the hospital, where he died on Saturday (April 9). Another man suffered a single gunshot wound in the shooting. The investigation is ongoing.

Police book 18-year-old linked to 16 vehicle burglaries in Uptown neighborhoods

NOPD Second District officers arrested Mckenzie Fair, 18, on Thursday (April 7) in connection with multiple vehicle burglary incidents in Uptown neighborhoods. After developing Fair as a suspect in multiple vehicle burglary incidents, detectives obtained a search warrant for Fair’s home. During the search, detectives discovered a handgun that had been reported stolen. Fair was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center for 16 counts of simple burglary, two counts of simple criminal damage to property and one count each of illegal possession of a stolen firearm, attempted simple burglary and illegal carrying of a weapon. Fair remained jailed Monday on a $39,500 bond.

Police blotter: Six men wounded in three shootings

Three shootings were reported in Uptown neighborhoods over the weekend. A double shooting Saturday evening (April 9) injured two men in the 8100 block of Palmetto Street, near the Costco. Second District officers were called to the area at 7:39 p.m. They found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. The Emergency Medical Service took them to the hospital. Police said there was a single shooter in the incident.