events

Goat yoga, plant sales and brunch start up again at Paradigm Gardens

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Goat yoga and plant sales are starting up again Paradigm Gardens in Central City.  The events raise money for the Paradigm Gardens School, a tuition-free private school for kindergarten through 12th grade. Weekly plant sales start Sunday (Feb. 28) and promise seasonal heirloom veggies, fruits, flowers and herbs, plus something you generally don’t find at the big-box stories or garden centers: brunch. Breakfast from top local chefs, fresh squeezed juices and cold-brew coffee are offered, along with music, arts and crafts vendors and chair massages. 

Plant sales are Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon. If you’re in the market for plants, the Paradigm folks advise you to come early, as the plants sell out.

From its Central City beginnings, Peewee’s Crabcakes is expanding across city

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It’s been a busy year for Charles “Pee Wee” Armstrong. I first met Armstrong last January at his restaurant on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Peewee’s Crabcakes on the Go was a small location that served delicious crab cakes and other seafood dishes out of a to-go window. The operation was successful, slinging lunch and dinner five days a week. Armstrong, who started cooking professionally when he was 16, first opened Peewee’s Crabcaketes on the Go in 2018 inside On Faith Donuts, a donut shop run by his brother.

arts, books and music

New neon studio lights up Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard

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The space at 1618 Oretha Castle Haley surely never looked like this before. The Big Sexy Neon studio is filled floor-to-ceiling with fantastic new neon works and vintage signs waiting to be restored. There are fleurs-de-lis, there are corkscrews, there are quirky signs, there are gorgeous works of art — all on dazzling display. Nearly a year ago to the day, Nate Sheaffer signed a lease on the space that formerly housed the Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Art Center, which is now on St. Claude Avenue in Arabi.

Police blotter: Shootings in Central City, Hoffman Triangle leave two injured

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On Sunday — a day after a shooting in Central City left two men dead — two shootings were reported in Uptown neighborhoods. Early Sunday (Feb. 21), a 39-year-old man was driving in the 2800 block of Roman Street when shots were fired at his car. He was struck in the gunfire and drove himself to the emergency room. The shooting was reported to the NOPD at 2:52 a.m.

At 10:26 p.m. on Sunday, Sixth District officers were dispatched to the 3200 block of Loyola Avenue, where they found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Two Lusher football coaches seriously injured in hit-and-run

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Two football coaches at Lusher Charter School suffered serious injuries in a hit-and-run accident on Mardi Gras (Feb. 16) night, the school’s CEO and athletic director told the Lusher community in an email on Saturday. One coach lost both legs as a result of the hit-and run. The email from CEO Kathy Riedlinger and Athletic Director Louis Landrum sent Feb. 20 stated the accident caused “serious injury to Coach Pierre Warren and life-threatening injury to Coach Adam Sivia.”

arts, books and music

Nix Library to close temporarily for ADA renovations 

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Nix Library will temporarily close to the public for facilities upgrades to bring the building to American Disabilities Act standards, starting Monday (Feb. 22). 

The project includes the installation of an ADA-compliant wheelchair lift and an accessible public bathroom. 

Located on South Carrollton Avenue, Nix Library has been a part of the New Orleans Public Library since 1930. Executive Director and City Librarian Gabriel Morley said the renovations will make Nix better equipped to serve the entire community. 

“The Nix Library renovations will ensure that this community treasure truly is for everyone,” Morley said. “We’re thrilled to be revamping one of our oldest library locations in a way that will allow us to increase access and continue to fulfill our mission to transform lives, enrich neighborhoods and preserve history for years to come.” 

Construction for the project will begin March 1, and Nix Library will be closed for the duration of these renovations and will reopen following their completion. 

Items may not be returned to Nix Library during its closure, but library users can return items checked out from Nix Library to any other library location. 

This project is expected to be completed in Summer 2021. A reopening date will be determined when renovations are complete. 

For the duration of the closure, Nix patrons can use any of the other 14 library locations.

crime

Double homicide reported on Eighth Street near St. Charles Avenue

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Two men were shot to death on Eighth Street at Carondelet on Saturday, the New Orleans Police Department reported. Sixth District officers responding to a call arrived in the 1600 block of Eighth Street at 6:23 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 20).  They found two men with multiple gunshot wounds lying in the driveway of a residence, according to an NOPD press release. One victim died at the scene. The second victim was transported via EMS to a local hospital, where he was declared dead.

food and drink

The Business Bar on Freret caters to mixing business and pleasure

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A new restaurant and bar that aims to support the business community opened on 4525 Freret St. on Friday. A combination bar, restaurant and workspace, The Business Bar was already packed on opening night when it held a happy hour for entrepreneurs. Laughter and conversation bounced off the walls; some customers grooved in their seats to the R&B music playing overhead, while others mixed business and pleasure as they worked on their laptops while also clinking cocktails with names like “Old Fashioned Grind,” “Bloody Fresh Start” and “Break Even Expresso.” 

The co-owners of the restaurant were putting in sweat equity as they rushed to keep up with the flood of customers on opening night. Jade Newman, 31, sprayed down tables and greeted customers while Jessica Robinson, 32, manned the bar.

arts, books and music

Community photo shoot today at Dryades and Toledano

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From the Mayor’s Office

The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy this week continues its third “Embrace the Culture” virtual series with a weekly “Geaux Live NOLA” event — part of a multi-week series that will feature live-streamed performances by local artists and musicians. This week’s event has been rescheduled to today, Feb. 19, from noon to 4 p.m. This will be a community photoshoot with photographer Felice Gee. The event will take place on the corner of Dryades and Toledano streets. A maximum of 10 people every half hour can participate.

land use & development

Microbrewery and restaurant planned for former Hollygrove Market site

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A restaurant and brewery complex is in the works for the area behind the Carrollton Avenue post office that was once home to the Hollygrove Market. On what is now an empty lot with some abandoned industrial buildings, developers are planning the Catalyst Microbrewery and Restaurant. The redeveloped site at 8301 Olive St. will include two buildings, one for the brewery and another for the restaurant, with off-street parking, outdoor seating and an urban garden. The urban garden is apropos for the site’s history.