city government

Danneel, Annunciation and Taylor playgrounds closing for lead removal from soil

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Three Uptown New Orleans playgrounds – Danneel, Annunciation and Taylor – are closing immediately after unacceptably high levels of lead were found in the soil there, city officials said. More than 400 mg/kg of lead in the soil is considered a hazard by state and federal health agencies, a level exceeded at several Uptown playgrounds. Inspectors found the following amounts, according to the full report:

Danneel Playspot (5501 St. Charles Ave.): up to 890 mg/kg in bare soil in child play areas. High-priority remediation recommended at an estimated $30,000.

crime

NOPD continues sex-crimes investigation into former Aerosmith video actor

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After arresting Dean Kelly on a rape charge last week, New Orleans police said this week that he remains under investigation in more cases in the university area. Kelly had also been using the name Tyler Durden and attempting to lure girls on campus into posing for nude photos, WWL reports. A Tulane student told WGNO that Kelly told her he worked for the Green Lantern film shooting in New Orleans and invited her to after-parties. Meanwhile, celebrity gossip site TMZ reported that Kelly once acted alongside Alicia Silverstone in a music video for the Aerosmith song “Crazy.” Police have said the investigation into Kelly may be lengthy.

crime

Suspect arrested in St. Charles Avenue rape complaint

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The NOPD sex-crimes unit arrested a New Orleans man Monday on charges that he sexually assaulted a woman at his St. Charles Avenue residence in November, police said. Dean E. Kelly, 39, was charged with forcible rape, police said. He is accused of bringing a female acquaintance to his residence in the 4000 block of St. Charles Avenue, plying her with alcohol and then sexually assaulting her, investigators said in a news release.

events

Second lines Saturday through Central City, Sunday around Louisiana Avenue corridor

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Two second lines will parade through areas of Uptown New Orleans this weekend, one running the length of Central City on Saturday and another looping through the neighborhoods around Louisiana Avenue on Sunday. The Lady Jetsetters, making up for an earlier parade that was canceled due to weather, will begin at noon Saturday on Washington Avenue beyond Broad Street and cut a long swath through Central City, passing down Martin Luther King Boulevard and ending on Dryades Street in Milan. The second line will feature the Stooges Brass Band. The Ladies and Men of Unity Fifth Year Anniversary Parade is scheduled to begin at 11:45 p.m. Sunday at the Rock Bottom Lounge on Tchoupitoulas. Featuring the Hot 8 Brass Band, the second line will head up to Magazine Street, then Louisiana Avenue, St.

city government

Vehicle strikes traffic light at Nashville and St Charles

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A car struck a traffic light at the intersection of Nashville and St Charles early Tuesday morning, resulting in the destruction of both the vehicle and the traffic light. Around 12:45 a.m. a car headed south through the intersection struck the riverside traffic light on Nashville Avenue, but no casualties were reported, said Officer Keith Villen of the NOPD. New Orleans firefighters extinguished the flames from the burning car within minutes of the incident. The NOPD has advised residents traveling along St Charles to take extra precautions around this intersection until the repairs are complete. licensed to a Hinds County, Mississippi, agencyA

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

Rash of Uptown armed robberies continues with more on Maple, Upperline

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Two more armed robberies have been reported this week, continuing a rash of the crimes in various Uptown neighborhoods over the last two weeks. About 10:30 p.m. Monday, a man approached pedestrians near Maple and Lowerline streets with a silver semiautomatic handgun and demanded their wallets, police said. Once they turned the wallet over, he left in the direction of St. Charles Avenue. Around 9 p.m. Wednesday, two people walking their dog in the 1200 block of Upperline were approached by a man armed with a nickel-plated semiautomatic handgun who demanded their money, police said.

arts, books and music

Latter Branch hosts Children’s Book Festival

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Thousands of screaming children can’t be wrong. And that the screams at the First Annual Children’s Book Festival — which took place Saturday afternoon at the Milton H. Latter Memorial Library on St. Charles Avenue — were screams of joy, shows that somebody got it right. The Festival, sponsored by the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library and the Ruby Bridges Foundation, aimed to link readers, writers, and book lovers of all ages, as well as raise awareness of literacy issues and resources in the greater New Orleans area. The festival drew patrons from across New Orleans, which was its strength, said Rona King, a lower-elementary teacher at Audubon Charter School.