New Orleans- Police are searching for three men who were captured on surveillance video early Sunday ambushing, beating and robbing a man who was walking with a female friend in the 400 block … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — A 50-year-old inmate at the long-embattled Orleans Parish Prison died of terminal cancer at the hospital late Tuesday, just before midnight. John C. Alexcee, held on a $3 million bond while awaiting trial for a two-decade-old rape, was diagnosed with metastatic cancer during his incarceration, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. Continue reading →

HARVEY — After facing a crushing defeat at the polls earlier this month, the Jefferson Parish School board has decided to go back to voters on Oct. 19 and try again to get a critical 7-mill property tax renewed. Officials were confident the millage, which generates about $23 million, would be renewed on May … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Not retirement, not a recent heart transplant, not even a trip to the Big Easy could persuade former Vice President Dick Cheney to lighten up for an evening. Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana’s top education officials released relatively upbeat standardized test results for public elementary and middle schools across the New Orleans metro area on Wednesday, but added a strong note of warning about test questions aligned with new federal standards and took the first steps toward dropping underperforming private schools from the state’s voucher program. Continue reading →

New Orleans - Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Frank Marullo got home from dinner Tuesday night, parked his car in front of his Birch Street house and got out to find five men waiting. “They were right on top of me,” the 73-year-old judge said. The men told Marullo to “give it … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — A day after state Sen. J.P. Morrell asked the state legislative auditor to examine New Orleans’ crime statistics for accuracy, Inspector General Ed Quatrevaux sent Morrell a letter saying his office has already begun such an inquiry and he expects it to be complete by the end of the year. Morrell’s request … Continue reading →

A deeply divided Jefferson Parish School Board voted 5-3 vote late Tuesday against approving a new collective bargaining agreement with the Jefferson Federation of Teachers. Board members Larry Dale, Mike Delesdernier, Mark Jacobs, Sandy Denapolis-Bosarge, and Pat Tovrea voted against the agreement. Etta Licciardi, Ray St. Pierre, and Mark Morgan voted to approve the agreement. … Continue reading →

Political columnist Stephanie Grace and veteran reporter Laura Maggi, both members of the team that won two Pulitzer Prizes at The Times-Picayune in 2006, are joining The Advocate’s New Orleans staff. Grace, who wrote a column for the Picayune from 2003 until 2012, will write three columns a week for The Advocate. They will be published on … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — The Vieux Carré Commission on Tuesday told the developer of a controversial restaurant planned for a blighted corner on the edge of the French Quarter that he must tweak some aspects of his design before the project will be approved for construction. Sean Meenan has proposed opening a Habana Outpost, a … Continue reading →

A $3.5 billion spending plan for public schools was rejected by a state Senate committee Tuesday, which will likely kill the measure for the session. The proposal, Senate Concurrent Resolution 23, was denounced primarily for proposed changes in how the state would change funding for special education students. After about 90 minutes of criticism, a move … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans judge has forbidden police and prosecutors from talking about a case involving Akein Scott, one of two brothers accused of gunning down 19 people at a Mother’s Day second-line parade on May 12. One other person was trampled Before he allegedly opened fire on the crowd, Scott was awaiting … Continue reading →

Slidell — Katelyn Marie Lusich was a pregnant 17-year-old when she, her boyfriend and a third man were arrested in February 2012 for their alleged roles in the fatal stabbing of 32-year-old Ashley King, whose body was found burned in her Slidell apartment. In the months since, Lusich had been free on $750,000 bond, according … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — A live power line fell on a school bus Tuesday morning but did not injure any of the elementary school students on board, police said. The school bus was near Ursulines Avenue and North Derbigny Street when the line snapped about 8 a.m., said officer Garry Flot, a New Orleans Police … Continue reading →

HARVEY — The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating two homicides that occurred late Monday on the West Bank. In both instances the victims were found shot to death. The first shooting happened about 10:15 p.m., said Col. John Fortunato, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman. Continue reading →

Legislation to wrest away financial control from the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office zipped through a Senate committee Tuesday. State Rep. Tim Burns and St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister told the state Senate Committee on Judiciary B that House Bill 561 is necessary because of abuses within the Coroner’s Office. “This has … Continue reading →

Sara Barnard has been named director of sales and marketing for The Advocate in New Orleans. Barnard joined The Advocate staff in September as sales manager for the New Orleans edition, working out of the Baronne Street office. In her new position, she will supervise the advertising sales staff while pursuing marketing partnerships with community and … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — The crowds were lined up along both sides of South Claiborne Avenue — some to protest, some to support — what is soon to rise from an empty lot next door. On the neutral ground, more than 100 residents chanted “my life, my choice” and waved signs that read “I … Continue reading →

BATON ROUGE — The embattled St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office will submit some 78,000 emails to the state legislative auditor on Friday, and a judge in Baton Rouge will decide whether another 2,000 Coroner’s Office emails are privileged or should be given to auditors, attorneys for both sides said Monday. Jenifer Schaye, who … Continue reading →

• St. Tammany Coroner’s Office shelling out to lawyers

Slidell — When Kim Kelly, chief financial officer for the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office, was called to testify in recent weeks before a federal grand jury investigating the Coroner’s Office, she initially billed her employer for the cost of her personal lawyer, her attorney, Vincent Wynne, confirmed Monday. Wynne said he is representing … Continue reading →

HARVEY — The Jefferson Federation of Teachers could face an uphill battle tonight in its fight to convince the Jefferson Parish School Board to approve a new collective bargaining agreement. Federation President Meladie Munch says she is optimistic, but Superintendent James Meza said that the draft agreement submitted to the board was never endorsed … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Plans for Morning Call to reopen in a new location near its old French Quarter digs are less settled than they first appeared, but still may come together, the business’ owner said Monday. The Vieux Carré Commission and one of its committees recently heard pitches for a new building to be … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Saying Inspector General Ed Quatreveaux has prevented millions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse while helping to send unscrupulous employees packing, the Ethics Review Board on Monday voted 4-0 to reappoint him for another four-year term as City Hall’s top watchdog. The board … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office is searching for an inmate who walked away from a job assignment in a transitional work program, a month shy of his release from the local jail. This is the second time in recent weeks an inmate participating in a work release program has walked off the … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — Firefighters were called out to a Gentilly church on Sunday after a 36-year-old man allegedly set fire to the building while worshippers were inside. The incident occurred at Kingdom Hall church at 4411 Congress St., according to the New Orleans Fire Department. Officials said Sanders Floyd Jr. went to the church … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a charge that is the backbone of the case against a former BP executive accused of concealing information from Congress about the amount of oil spewing in 2010 from the company’s blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico. Defense attorney Reid Weingarten called it a huge victory for … Continue reading →

New Orleans — Firefighters were called out to a Gentilly church on Sunday after a 36-year-old man allegedly set fire to the building while worshippers were inside. The incident occurred at Kingdom Hall church at 4411 Congress St., according to the New Orleans Fire Department. … Continue reading →

Mandeville — The state highway department is starting work on an $11.3 million project to widen a 1.2-mile stretch pf U.S. 190 in Mandeville from two lanes to four. A ceremonial ground-breaking was held last week at Mandeville City Hall. Allison Schilling, a district administrator … Continue reading →

Kenner — An unexpectedly strong bond rating has Kenner Mayor Michael Yenni expanding the scope of his ambitious beautification project, thanks to about $3 million more in available funding. Yenni said that because of an A+ rating from Standard and Poor, Kenner no longer has to maintain a $3 million reserve when it borrows … Continue reading →

METAIRIE — Two Metairie men accused of robbing a business and pedestrian at gunpoint Thursday morning have been arrested. Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputies booked David Lewis, 21, of Metairie, and Stanford Randolph, 19, of Metairie, into Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on two counts each of … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — By Saturday morning, a city still in turmoil over a shooting rampage at a Mother’s Day parade last Sunday saw the beginning of another bloody weekend. A 29-year-old woman was shot dead in Algiers on Friday night, followed by two more killings within four hours. The three slayings punctuated … Continue reading →

Marrero — Most New Orleanians will tell you the world’s greatest festivals are held in and around the Crescent City. Another one took place Friday and Saturday, although instead of great food and music, it was rich with insects, reptiles and even nearly microscopic organisms known as water bears. The seventh annual BioBlitz at Jean … Continue reading →

New Orleans — About halfway through his opening news conference in New Orleans on Friday morning, fielding a question about leadership in times of public fear, the Dalai Lama paused and put a finger to his chest. “Real gun control,” he said, “ultimately, from here.” And again, to make sure … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — The VA hospital under construction on Canal Street is $370 million over budget and 14 months behind schedule, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability office that examined the local hospital’s progress, as well as other VA hospital projects across the country. The New Orleans hospital’s initial cost, according to … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — The City Council on Thursday approved the demolition of most of the buildings at the Iberville public-housing complex as the Housing Authority of New Orleans and the city begin a redevelopment plan they say is necessary to revitalize Canal Street and the Central Business District. The decision to allow the demolitions came … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — One of the two brothers accused of gunning down 19 people at a Mother’s Day parade was allegedly holed up in an eastern New Orleans apartment during the days-long manhunt that followed the rampage. Monique Pepe, 19, who leased the Hayne Boulevard apartment alone, is accused of letting Shawn Scott, 24, … Continue reading →

Jefferson Parish — When Jefferson Parish politicians agreed this week to put two property tax millages crucial to the parish’s water and sewerage departments back before voters at a lower rate than originally proposed, there was little discussion of the impact that decision would have on future capital improvements. But … Continue reading →

ST. TAMMANY PARISH — An activist group that launched a recall petition drive for embattled St. Tammany Parish Coroner Peter Galvan on Wednesday gathered some high-profile signatories Thursday. St. Tammany Parish Council members Reid Falconer, Jake Groby, Richard Tanner and Maureen O’Brien and Abita Springs Mayor … Continue reading →

New Orleans — Police are looking for an unknown assailant who shot a man walking through an eastern New Orleans neighborhood late Thursday night. The 21-year-old victim reported the shooting around 10:28 p.m. in the 5100 block of Bundy Road, which has seen several shootings in … Continue reading →

New Orleans — Two brothers with ties to a 7th Ward street gang were captured after a four-day manhunt and charged with gunning down 20 people in a shooting rampage at a Mother’s Day second-line parade on Sunday. The victims, 19 shot and another trampled in the chaos, were collateral damage in the brothers’ ongoing gang … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — After working for months to pass legislation that would make it easier for food trucks to operate, City Councilwoman Stacy Head said Thursday she has decided to let Mayor Mitch Landrieu take the lead. Landrieu unexpectedly vetoed an ordinance early this month that would have loosened several of the restrictions governing … Continue reading →

Taking the initial step in what will be the first unionized charter school in Louisiana, teachers at the Morris Jeff Community School received recognition from the school’s board of directors Thursday. “One of the most amazing things about this is that it did not come about because of any problems,” teacher Rowan Schafer said. “It came … Continue reading →

NEW ORLEANS — The current tactic of moving storm water out of the city as quickly as possible needs to change, and now is the time to change it, according to three experts who spoke at a workshop Wednesday devoted to exploring how other U.S. cities are turning water challenges into water assets. The workshop … Continue reading →

Metairie — An advisory board tasked with mapping out the continued redevelopment of Jefferson Parish’s Fat City neighborhood submitted its final recommendations this week, and the board sees both short-term and long-term fixes needed for the area’s growth. The Jefferson Parish Council accepted the Fat City Advisory Board’s final report with repeated congratulations for the … Continue reading →

New Orleans — A 17-year-old New Orleans boy was wounded Wednesday afternoon after unknown assailants opened fire on him from a vehicle in the St. Roch neighborhood. The incident was reported around 6:26 p.m. near the intersection of North Derbigny and Painters streets. Police said the victim … Continue reading →