opinion

Viewpoint: It’s time to put that mask on again

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Those readers who know me personally understand that I am very involved in the Greek Festival, which is returning Memorial Day weekend after a two-year hiatus. During a visit to the Greek church earlier this week, the festival’s long-time operations director, who comes in from Texas, said, “I see you are wearing a mask again,” to which I replied: “I never stopped wearing a mask.”

Just before Jazz Fest, I wrote about an out-if-town friend, a decades-long Fest enthusiast, who wanted to mask at the Fair Grounds even though he is fully vaccinated and boosted. Impractical, I thought, and way too hot to mask.  He recently flew home after two jam-packed weeks during which he attended the festival all seven days, consumed copious amounts of ice cold watermelon in the WWOZ tent, caught nighttime performances such singer John Boutté at d.b.a., and dined with old friends at Peche, Brennan’s and Doris Metropolitan. On the way to the airport, he even grabbed an oyster po’boy at the Kenner Seafood Market. By the time his flight landed in New York, he had the dreaded Covid cough.

crime

Man shot to death on Central City street

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A man was shot to death Wednesday morning (May 18) in Central City, the New Orleans Police Department reported. Police found the 30-year-old in the 2700 block of Clara Street, near Washington Avenue, with a single gunshot wound. The offense occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m., police said. Medical responders took him to a local hospital, where he later died. The Coroner’s Office will identify the victim and conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

fire

Early morning fire overtakes three vacant Hollygrove houses

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Three vacant Hollygrove houses went up in flames early Wednesday (May 18), the New Orleans Fire Department reported. People, who were believed to be squatters, were seen escaping the fire. At 6:16 a.m., nearby residents placed a 911 call  reporting a vacant home on fire at 3031 Eagle Street. Arriving on the scene a 6:22 a.m.,  firefighters found three vacant homes on fire and immediately struck a second and third alarm to contain the spread. The three homes were vacant and had no  utilities.

Get Your Mom and Dim Sum pop-up brings Southern-influenced Chinese food to local breweries

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A new dim sum pop-up is adding another option to the city’s Chinese food scene. Get Your Mom and Dim Sum can be found at your local brewery. 

Owner Andrew Lu was raised in Lafayette and grew up in the restaurant industry. His love of food and cooking began in the kitchen of his family’s Chinese restaurant. After attending the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge, Lu moved to New Orleans and worked his way through some of the city’s top restaurants. “I started working with chef Nathan Richard at Kingfish and from there, the both of us moved on to Cavan,” Lu said.

Bisutoro on Magazine aims to “bring the Japanese menu back to simplicity”

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Bisutoro on Magazine, a new sushi bistro, opened in March in the Lower Garden District. Bisutoro on Magazine’s focus is Japanese dishes that you won’t find anywhere else and a rotating specialty fish list that includes selections from around the world. Chefs and owners Ryan Smith and Dariel Medina serve an array of nigiri, sashimi, hand rolls and other small plates. Smith, who grew up in Salt Lake City, received his culinary training in Japan and made sushi at Utah ski resorts before relocating to New Orleans 11 years ago. He said he wants to bring traditional Japanese sushi, in all its simplicity, to the city he loves.

crime

Police blotter: Shooting in Central City, armed robbery in Freret

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A shooting and an armed robbery were reported in Uptown neighborhoods on Sunday (May 15). A man suffered multiple bullet wounds in a shooting in Central City on Sunday evening, the New Orleans Police Department reports. The victim was standing at the corner of Josephine Street and Rev. John Raphael Jr Way at about 5:50 p.m. when he heard shots fired, the police report said. He then realized he had been shot multiple times. The Emergency Medical Service took him to the hospital.

events

Magazine Street businesses getting ready for Champagne Strolling on Saturday

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The Champagne Stroll on Magazine Street is back. The after-hours shopping and sipping soiree will take place Saturday (May 14) from 5 to 9 p.m.

Special sales,  sips, bites, music and more will be available up and down Magazine. See here for a list of businesses and their Champagne Stroll offerings. Some of the Magazine merchants are getting ready for Champagne Stroll by decorating champagne bottles. See them here.

Broadmoor

Hey! Cafe plans to expand into rehabbed Broadmoor building

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Hey! Café got its start as a tiny coffee shop on Magazine Street before moving to the Lafitte Greenway. Now it is adding a second location in the Broadmoor neighborhood. 

Co-owner Tommy LeBlanc, who has a cartoon and animation background, transitioned into the coffee business after he was laid off in 2009, when the company he worked for changed hands. 

He and co-owner Greg Rodrigue opened the Hey! Café in the Magazine Street spot that was once home to Magazine Perks. “We loved being there,” LeBlanc said.

events

Neighborhood cleanup planned for Delachaise area

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The Delachaise Neighborhood Association, District B Councilwoman Lesli Harris’ office and the Department of Sanitation have organized a neighborhood cleanup day for Saturday, May 21. The association calls the event “a rare opportunity to clean up our neighborhood in one swoop.” Volunteers will meet at Samuels Square Park, 2100 Napoleon Ave., at 9 a.m.  From there, assignments will be provided and volunteers will break up into groups. The bags of trash will be brought back to Samuels Square Park, where city sanitation workers will pick them up. Garbage bags, gloves, T-shirts and refreshments will be provided. More volunteers are needed, even if it’s just for an hour.

opinion

Viewpoint: Clerk Chelsey Richard Napoleon believes she was called to serve

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After a Covid-related delay, Chelsey Richard Napoleon will take the oath of office for her second term as Clerk of Civil District Court and ex-officio recorder on Saturday, (May 14) at Southern University at New Orleans. The investiture ceremony will be followed by a free crawfish boil  at SUNO’s Quad. Surrounded by family and friends, Napoleon will be honored Sunday (May 15) at a special Mass at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, where she is an active member of the church’s pastoral council. The following day, Napoleon will also host a golf tournament at the Audubon Golf Course, 6500 Magazine St. 

“At the end of the day, we are all in this together,” Napoleon said when asked why she created a weekend of activities to thank the community for their ongoing support.