Uncategorized

Fire in vacant Central City house damages nearby buildings, displaces residents

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Eight people were displaced Saturday by a fire that started in a neighboring abandoned property. New Orleans firefighters responded to a 911 call reporting a fire at 2708-10 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The first NOFD company arrived at 1:17 p.m. to find a one-story, wood-framed double shotgun heavily involved in flames. The flames were spreading to neighboring properties, so the firefighters  struck a second alarm. The neighbors had evacuated their homes before the first unit arrived.

Toxic fumes still plague Uptown neighborhoods, Irish Channel residents say

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On a pleasant spring evening last week, Irish Channel residents Kimberly Terrell and Justin Vittitow met at Parasol’s to plan a presentation on the air quality in their neighborhood. They were sitting outside the bar, but soon had to go in. Fumes that had drifted in from across the river were burning their throats, Vittitow said. 
Nearly two years after the City Council passed a resolution in support of Irish Channel residents’ efforts to rid their neighborhood of toxic fumes from industry on the Mississippi River in Jefferson Parish, Vittitow and Terrell — members of JOIN (Jefferson, Orleans, Irish Channel Neighbors) for Clean Air — were back in Council Chambers. They spoke Tuesday (March 28) to the Joint Climate Change and Sustainability and Governmental Affairs Committee. “We still have this.

Community Lighthouses begin to shine; hubs will provide aid and energy during disasters

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A rousing performance from the Roots of Music marching band kicked off the opening ceremony Saturday (March 25) for the Community Lighthouse project at Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Washington Avenue. An initiative of Together New Orleans, the Community Lighthouse project is envisioned as a citywide network of solar-powered hubs with backup battery capacity throughout the city, so that every New Orleanian is within walking distance of an energy and aid source during power outages. The pilot phase of 24 community lighthouses is expected to be fully operational ahead of the 2023 hurricane season. The event Saturday celebrated the completion of the first two lighthouse:, one at Bethlehem Lutheran and another in Broadmoor Community Church. Together New Orleans is a coalition of faith-based and community institutions all over New Orleans.

Roadwork ahead: Camp and Washington to close for six weeks

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The intersection of Washington Avenue and Camp Street will be closed to vehicular traffic beginning Monday (March 20) at 7 a.m. The closure is expected to last about six weeks. Crews from Department of Public Works contractor Hard Rock Construction will be doing subsurface utility repairs. The intersection is scheduled to reopen by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 28. Traffic control measures such as barrels and fencing will be onsite to direct drivers and pedestrians. The $12.5 million Camp Street (Louisiana Avenue to Washington Avenue) Infrastructure Improvement Project calls for repairing and/or replacing sewer and drainage lines.

Roadwork ahead: Lanes closed on St. Charles Avenue near MLK Boulevard

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The city has temporarily closed alternating uptown bound travel lane on the 1400 block of St. Charles Avenue, approaching Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The closure to accommodate asphalt paving operations will last all day on March 2, until 5:30 p.m.
Vehicles parked on the 1600-1800 blocks of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between St. Charles Avenue and Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard should be moved off the street, and the Department of Public Works asks that residents adhere to the “no parking” signage on the streets. Vehicles parked in these zones will be ticketed and towed.

Public safety, crime reduction to be explored at Coffee on Your Corner

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Public safety officials will take your questions on Thursday (Feb. 23) at the next Coffee on Your Corner with the District B Neighborhood Engagement Office. Representatives with the Violent Crime Task Force and with NOLA311 will meet with citizens. Mayor LaToya Cantrell formed the Violent Crime Reduction Task Force, under the command of Orleans Parish Communication District Executive Director Tyrell Morris, in January to strategize methods of crime prevention. Morris will present updates at the meeting, according to Kevin J. Kellup, the neighborhood liaison for District B. Kellup said 15 to 20 District B community leaders will also participate.

fire

Man dies inside burning Central City apartment building

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A man died Friday (Feb. 17) inside a burning Central City apartment building, the New Orleans Fire Department reported. Firefighters were called to a fire in the 2000 block of Simon Bolivar Boulevard at about 12:30 p.m.  They found an occupied seven-unit two-story apartment building, in the rear of shotgun style apartments, heavily engulfed in flames. The fire had already extended to the second floor and through the roof. While putting out the fire, the firefighters found a man’s body in a bedroom.

public safety

Viewpoint: Amid the revelry, be aware that this can happen

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By Stephanie Knapp, guest columnist

On a Monday night in November, the Pelicans were playing the Warriors at the Smoothie King center. It was chilly outside, with an early sunset thanks to daylight savings time. My fav neighborhood bar — with its craft beer, reliable big screens, and low-key, cozy vibe — was the perfect place to tune in. I’d watched games there often enough, usually accompanied by my writing or a novel for multitasking during timeouts. But that evening, I ended up leaving early.

opinion

Viewpoint: Could Tyre Nichols’ killing have happened in New Orleans?

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My heart went out to RowVaugh Wells as she watched the evidence unfold last week against the seven rogue Memphis police officers and three first-responders who are alleged to be responsible for the untimely death of her son Tyre Nichols. A 29-year-old Black man, Nichols died on Jan. 10, three days after a fatal encounter with the MPD’s Scorpion police unit. Nichols made the mistake of trying to run away from the officers during a traffic stop. Running from the police is never a wise move and usually leads to an ugly chase.

trash collection

Troubles with the city’s trash collection keep rumbling along

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As garbage pickup begins to stabilize in the Uptown and Mid-City neighborhoods, city officials are looking at why the basic city service collapsed in recent months. As bins spilled over with garbage and languished on the curb, the city’s 311 system recorded 3,638 sanitation complaints within the first 19 days of January alone. District A Councilman Joe Giarrusso said in a recent newsletter that his office received close to 400 complaints in the past few weeks over missed trash and recycling pickups. Most of those complaints were in the areas served by Richard’s Disposal. Owner Alvin Richard, a four-decade veteran of the local disposal business, appeared before a recent the City Council’s Community Development Committee to answer questions about the missed pickups, a problem that came to a head over the holidays.