city government

Second District police move into new station in Gert Town; building on Magazine Street now vacant

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The Uptown-based Second District of the New Orleans Police Department has moved into its new building on Broadway Street in Gert Town, leaving its century-old former headquarters now vacant. After the new building neared completion in late August, Second District officers began moving in in early August. The new station is now being used regularly, with meetings scheduled there and its parking lot filled with NOPD cruisers and SUVs. City and police officials have touted multiple benefits to the move, beyond the mere fact of having a modernized facility. The new location is more centrally located in the Second District — which spans from the river near Napoleon Avenue up through the Audubon and university areas into Carrollton and Hollygrove.

city government

City Council adds residency requirement for Audubon Commission members

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All 24 members of the Audubon Commission must now be residents of New Orleans and appointed by the mayor under any circumstances, the New Orleans City Council decided this month — leading to the resignation of at least one member and growing calls for the commission to broaden its diversity by adding representation from more neighborhoods across the city. Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer, chair of the council’s governmental affairs committee, is examining all of the city’s 75 boards and commissions regarding their composition, attendance and other structural issues. Starting alphabetically with the Audubon Commission, Gisleson Palmer said she found that the 1886 act of the City Council establishing the 24-member Audubon Commission specifically required that all of its members be “citizens and property-tax payers.” That requirement, however, was apparently lost at some point in the commission’s 140-year history, so Gisleson Palmer proposed restoring it, updating the archaic “citizens and property-tax payers” to the more modern standard of city residents. The Audubon Commission’s own handbook, she noted, also says the members must be 24 registered voters.

events

Louisiana-shot ‘The God Inside My Ear’ to open Horror Film Fest this weekend

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By Nicholas Reimann for UptownMessenger.com

It may still be over a month to Halloween, but the NOLA Horror Film Fest is set to bring in some scares a little earlier as it opens for its eighth annual event Thursday at the Prytania Theatre. Thursday night will feature the festival’s opening film — Louisiana-produced “The God Inside My Ear,” one of 60 films selected for the festival out of 590 overall submissions. Produced, written and directed by Joe Badon, the film focuses on the character of Elizia, who “discovers a world of conspiracies, strange voices, and horrifying visions,” the festival’s film description reads, after experiencing a “peculiar and sudden” breakup with her boyfriend. The film stars Linnea Gregg as Elizia and holds a 7.6 out of 10 rating from 18 votes on the Internet Movie Database. The film is also described as a comedic style of horror on its IMDb profile, which states the film premiered in August of 2017.

business

Gunman’s butterfingers foils Milan Street business robbery, police say

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A man tried to rob a business on Milan Street at gunpoint Monday morning, but his clumsy handling of his firearm gave the business owner the opportunity to escape, New Orleans police said. Shortly before 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 17, the gunman walked into the business in the 1700 block of Milan Street (between Carondelet and Baronne Streets) and tried to rob the owner, a man in his 60s, according to the initial NOPD report. “In the process, the subject dropped the handgun to the floor and the magazine came out,” the report states. “As the subject scrambled to get the gun back together, the owner took the opportunity to run from the location and scream for help.”

crime

Man injured in shooting near Earhart Boulevard in Hollygrove, police say

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A man suffered several gunshot wounds Sunday night after a shooting just off Earhart Boulevard in Hollygrove, New Orleans police said. The victim, a man in his 40s, was in his vehicle in the 2800 block of Cherry Street (near Apricot Street, which runs alongside Earhart Boulevard) around 9:45 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, when a maroon vehicle parked in front of him, according to the initial NOPD report. Several people got out and opened fire on him, so he ran inside a business to get away, the report states. The victim was shot in the leg and the back, and was taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment, said NOPD Officer Juan Barnes.

colleges

Fifth Annual “Blue Doo Run” at Tulane to raise money for prostate cancer research

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One thousand runners are expected to dash across the Tulane Uptown campus on Saturday evening as part of the Fifth Annual Blue Doo Run, a fundraiser for prostate cancer research. The two-mile race begins at 5 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 15) behind Gibson Hall on St. Charles Avenue, and is open to all runners and walkers with registration through the New Orleans Track Club. “The event includes New Orleans‐style music, food from 30 local restaurants and caterers, costuming, silent auctions, a kids’ tent and more to celebrate prostate cancer survivors,” according to an announcement from Tulane.

business

City planners “skeptical” of designs in proposed rebuild of McDonald’s on St. Charles Avenue

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City planners are “skeptical” about McDonald’s plan to demolish their two-story restaurant on St. Charles Avenue and replace it with a new building designed to be more manageable for staff, but will continue talks with the corporation’s architects and attorneys for another month before making a recommendation, they said this week. McDonald’s wants to tear down the building in the 3300 block of St. Charles Avenue (near Louisiana Avenue) and replace it with a new one because its design — from the early 1980s — is unusual today, said attorney Justin Schmidt. The company has acquired another adjacent lot since that time, and the building’s second-story dining room makes it difficult for the staff to keep an eye on customers, he said.

crime

Suspect sought in theft of appliances at vacant Central City home

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Investigators have identified a suspect in a break-in at a vacant Central City home where several appliances were stolen, and are hoping the public can help locate him, New Orleans police said. The break-in at a vacant property in the 2700 block of Thalia Street was discovered around the afternoon of Aug. 31, when a broken window near the front entrance was found, according to the NOPD news release. “The victim also reported several residential appliances had been stolen from inside of the property,” the report states. Theronn Stevenson, 54, was identified as a suspect in the burglary, and investigators are trying to find him to arrest him, the report states.

business

City Planning Commission recommends approval of grocery/condo project on Freret Street

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The former Publiq House building on Freret Street should be allowed to be converted into a grocery store, with a new 24-unit condo building constructed over the adjacent parking lot, the City Planning Commission voted Tuesday afternoon. The commission voted 5-2 to recommend that the City Council allow the entire project at 4528 Freret as proposed by Neighborhood Housing Services, the building owner, and Green Coast Enterprises, the developer. No tenant has been selected for the grocery yet, because the developers did not want to start the leasing process before they were sure the project would be allowed, said Will Bradshaw of the Green Coast Enterprises. “We think there’s an interesting opportunity to create an urban grocery store,” Bradshaw said. The commission’s vote essentially allows six more condo units than the planning staff had recommended, because it allows the rezoning of the back portion of the parking lot facing LaSalle Street to commercial.

crime

Alleged beer thief who tried to stab cashier on St. Charles Avenue wanted by police

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A man who stole a case of beer from a St. Charles Avenue business and then tried to stab the cashier earlier this year is now wanted by police after his image was caught on surveillance camera, and investigators are hoping the public can help identify him, New Orleans police said. The man entered a business in the 2100 block of St. Charles Avenue on April 25, 2018, and stole a case of beer, according to the NOPD report. A cashier followed him outside, but the thief drew a knife and “attempted to stab the cashier,” the report states, and then rode off on a red-and-black bicycle toward Calliope Street.