elections

Carrollton residents push for Orleans-based lawmakers

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After years of representation in Baton Rouge by Jefferson Parish lawmakers, Carrollton residents see this year’s redistricting process as a chance to rejoin their neighbors in New Orleans, they told a panel of legislators in charge of the process Thursday night. Similarly, the Irish Channel is seeking to have its neighborhood voice reunited in one legislative district, and at least one local state lawmaker called that request a goal he shares. The Riverbend area of Carrollton is currently represented by state Rep. Cameron Henry in the state House of Representatives, forming a far eastern corner of his Jefferson Parish-based district. The four Orleans Parish voting precincts dmade up less than 10 percent of the vote in Henry’s district in the 2008 elections, said Marshall Hevron of the Carrollton-Riverbend Neighborhood Association, and also voted very differently from the rest of the district. Most of the Jefferson voters cast ballots for Republicans John McCain in 2008 and David Vitter for Senator in 2010, while the Orleans Parish enclave strongly supported President Obama and then U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon against Vitter, Hevron said.

arts, books and music

Uptown events today: Alcohol moratorium, restaurants’ requests before New Orleans city council

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Two Uptown restaurants seeking liquor licenses – and a modified ban on new alcohol permits in the Carrollton area – will come before the New Orleans City Council at its 3 p.m. meeting today, as will the proposed Gabrielle restaurant. Cowbell on Oak Street and Ignatius on Magazine Street both have the recommendation of the City Planning Commission for permission to sell alcohol, while the Gabrielle was denied its recommendation to convert the Uptowner banquet hall on Henry Clay Avenue into a full-time restaurant. Meanwhile, the city council is also considering modifying its general ban on new liquor licenses in the neighborhoods around Riverbend area. The ban is not absolute – Cowbell falls within the existing moratorium’s boundaries – but it requires businesses to go through the city council for a moratorium waiver even when their zoning would ordinarily allow it. The law prohibits these bans from being renewed, however, so their boundaries are changed whenever they near expiration.

crime

NOPD: Panhandler attacks man with bottle

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A panhandler allegedly attacked a passer-by with a bottle after being refused money on Oak Street just off Carrollton this weekend, police said. The victim was walking near the intersection of Fern and Oak about 5:15 p.m. Saturday when he was approached by a stranger asking for money, according to Lt. Mike Montalbano of the NOPD Second District investigative division. The man refused and walked off, and the panhandler hit him in the back of the head with a bottle, Montalbano said. The two struggled and the suspect escaped, but investigators identified 43-year-old Barry D. Williams as a suspect Monday, Montalbano said. The victim identified Williams from a photo lineup, and police located him Tuesday afternoon and arrested him on a charge of aggravated battery, Montalbano said.

neighborhood groups

Recovery School District public hearing on building assignments (Live coverage)

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The old Priestley school is “a spectacular piece of property, and the amount of imagination that’s been directed toward what ought to be done with the property has been zilch,” said neighbor Robbie Robertson, frustrated by a lack of specifics on Priestley’s proposed reuse at a meeting about the future of New Orleans school buildings in the Recovery School District.

crime

Two more Uptown armed robberies reported

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Two separate armed robbers in separate Uptown neighborhoods each appears to have struck a second time, continuing a two-week pattern of holdups into a second weekend, police said. Both of the latest robberies were reported Friday, Dec. 10, said Sgt. Shaun Ferguson of the NOPD Second District. At the intersection of Zimpel and Adams in the Central Carrollton neighborhood, two women were approached by a man with a gun who took the purse one of the women was carrying and then left in a downtown direction, Ferguson said.

crime

Two more Uptown armed robberies reported

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Two separate armed robbers in separate Uptown neighborhoods each appears to have struck a second time, continuing a two-week pattern of holdups into a second weekend, police said. Both of the latest robberies were reported Friday, Dec. 10, said Sgt. Shaun Ferguson of the NOPD Second District. At the intersection of Zimpel and Adams in the Central Carrollton neighborhood, two women were approached by a man with a gun who took the purse one of the women was carrying and then left in a downtown direction, Ferguson said.

arts, books and music

Lusher retains neighborhood-based admissions — for now

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Children who live in a small Carrollton neighborhood will still get automatic admission to Lusher Charter School next year, but only if they enter as kindergartners, based on a policy the board voted Saturday to extend to the 2011-2012 school year. Exactly much how longer that option will exist, however, remains uncertain. “For this year, what we’re going to do is accept in-district neighborhood students in kindergarten,” said Lusher CEO Kathy Riedlinger. “Beyond kindergarten, there’s no guarantee.” About a third of the incoming kindergarten students each year have received automatic admission to Lusher because they live in a neighborhood that runs roughly between St.

events

72 hours Uptown: Fight, Shop, and Sing Your Heart Out

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Attend a Christmas bash, catch up on shopping at the market, or belt out Handel’s Messiah — there’s no shortage of options to get into the holiday spirit this weekend. See below for a snapshot of what’s going on Uptown. Friday

Friday Night Fights, 7-10pm, Freret Street Boxing Gym, Freret and Napoleon. Monthly outdoor boxing match. $15.

crime

Uptown police battle wave of muggings

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An aspiring chef was stabbed just off Prytania and a bank manager was robbed in his car while driving through Fontainebleau in a wave of seemingly unconnected muggings around Uptown New Orleans over the last week, police said Wednesday.