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NEW ORLEANS — In a sign that the investigation into St. Tammany Parish Coroner Peter Galvan is heating up, federal authorities on Thursday executed a search warrant on his office as part of a grand jury investigation into the coroner’s questionable spending practices, according to sources with knowledge of the probe. Galvan was previously ordered … Continue reading →
River Ridge — Jefferson Parish sheriff deputies Friday found a man dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound and the 16-year-old son he is believed to have fatally shot in the house they shared in a quiet neighborhood. Col. John Fortunato, a sheriff’s office spokesman, said deputies were contacted shortly after 11 … Continue reading →
Slidell — Dena and Michael Lopez were expecting their 21-year-old daughter to come home to Slidell last month after she returned from an Easter break picnic with a friend. But Meghan Lopez never made it home. The Southeastern Louisiana University sophomore and her companion had packed up blankets, foods and fishing poles for an outing … Continue reading →
A ruling by the Louisiana Supreme Court means the state will scale back plans to offer public school students classes through online firms, colleges and private companies, state Superintendent of Education John White said Friday. The change, which stems from a 2012 state law, is called course choice and is set for launch during the 2013-14 school … Continue reading →
Covington — The Zelaya family left Honduras nearly a year ago to put down roots in Covington’s River Oaks subdivision because they wanted to escape the danger and crime that forced them to live in a fenced compound in their native country. “As we say back home, a golden cage is still a cage,’’ … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Inmates’ lawyers and the U.S. Justice Department say the current design of a $145 million jail under construction in New Orleans won’t meet requirements of a reform agreement signed by Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman. In papers filed at federal court, they say the facility lacks space to separately house mentally or physically … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS Generations of New Orleanians have fond memories of playing miniature golf at City Park. On Friday, after decades of absence, the beloved sport made its return with the opening of City Putt, the latest project completed as part of the City Park 2018 Master … Continue reading →
New Orleans — New Orleans police arrested two men and are searching for a third suspect in connection with a shocking beating and robbery in the Central Business District last weekend. Byron Ferguson, 21, and Dorian Ferguson, 31, were booked with simple robbery and second-degree battery, according to New Orleans Police Department … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — It’s notoriously difficult to unseat an incumbent sheriff in Louisiana. And on the face of things, Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman, who will next face voters in February, would seem to be sitting pretty. He’s been elected easily three times, and he’s got nearly $600,000 … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — Police have issued an arrest warrant for the man they believe is an accomplice in the fatal shooting of an AmeriCorps volunteer last month. Investigators allege Glen Emerson, 18, drove the SUV that carried … Continue reading →
METAIRIE — The late Al Copeland, the outsized Metairie entrepreneur who made a fortune from his Popeyes fried-chicken restaurants and loved to race speedboats, will be memorialized in Lafreniere Park along with those twin passions. A statue of Copeland will anchor the Al Copeland Concert Gardens, which will also include a performance stage. Copeland … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — The building that houses Brennan’s Restaurant, one of the grande dames of the New Orleans fine dining scene, was auctioned off Thursday at a sheriff’s sale for $6.85 million, the latest action in an ongoing saga that involves steep debts and a family feud that centers on control of the restaurant. Continue reading →
If the National Hurricane Center starts talking about Tropical Storm Van later this year, it will mean the 2013 hurricane season was just as busy as forecasters predicted and there were 20 named storms. The forecast released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center calls for an above average season with … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — David Voelker, a New Orleans businessman who took on a prominent role in state rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina, died Tuesday of complications following a lung transplant. He was 60. Active on a variety of nonprofit boards in the metro area, Voelker was tapped in January 2006 by then Gov. Kathleen Blanco … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge Thursday refused to let the city of New Orleans out of a potentially expensive agreement to reform its troubled Police Department. A spokesman for Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the city is appealing U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan’s decision to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. City officials … Continue reading →
A Shreveport legislator said Thursday that an agreement is in place with Gov. Bobby Jindal to ensure hearing impaired residents receive financial assistance for the tools they need to navigate daily life. The governor offered an alternative funding source to allow legislators to abandon state Rep. Patrick Williams’ legislation. Williams, D-Shreveport, proposed taxing cellphone bills since fees … Continue reading →
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America threw open its ranks Thursday to gay Scouts but not gay Scout leaders — a fiercely contested compromise that some warned could fracture the organization and lead to mass defections of members and donors. Of the roughly 1,400 voting members of the BSA’s National Council who cast ballots, … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — The flag was officially passed on Thursday, putting control of one of the largest civil works projects in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers into the hands of Col. Richard Hansen. At the change-of-command ceremony on the edge of the Mississippi River, Hansen became the 62nd Commander and District Engineer of the … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — A man was killed on Interstate 10 Thursday morning in a shooting that caused gridlock for many commuters. It was the second fatal shooting on the interstate in less than a month; on May 6, two men were shot in a car westbound near Metairie Road, one of them fatally. Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A four-car accident on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway sent one car catapulting into the lake. The causeway’s manager says the lone occupant of that car was rescued by emergency workers and appeared to be in good shape. No serious injuries have been reported so far in the Thursday afternoon accident. Other details on … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge has postponed the trial of several alleged members of a violent New Orleans drug ring, including a man once described by police as one of the city’s most dangerous criminals. That man, alleged ringleader Telly Hankton, and 12 other defendants were indicted last year on racketeering, gun and … Continue reading →
Harvey — A Harvey man has been booked with negligent homicide after, investigators with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, say he killed a friend during a late-night drinking session. Phillip McClendon, 28, also was booked with being a felon in possession of gun in … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — A former New Orleans police captain who was convicted of plotting to arrange a contract to provide security for Entergy at inflated rates and then skim off the top has had his prison sentence reduced by more than three years. A federal appeals court panel in January upheld Michael Roussel’s conviction, … Continue reading →
Harvey- A Harvey man has been booked with negligent homicide after investigators with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office say he killed a friend during a late-night drinking session. Phillip McClendon, 28, also was booked with being a felon in possession of gun in connection with the fatal shooting of Robert Casbon, 32, on May 20. … Continue reading →
The city of New Orleans struck out Wednesday on convincing legislators to forgive a loan dating back to the early days of the Hurricane Katrina recovery. Municipalities borrowed money from the state in 2006 to pay the debt service on cheap borrowing that Congress created to spur the hurricane recovery. The New Orleans School Board … 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 … Continue reading →
NEW ORLEANS — Perhaps the most dramatic, or at least poignant, moment at Wednesday’s meeting of the New Orleans City Council committee came not by way of the high-ranking city officials there to assess progress on the mayor’s anti-violence campaign, or the council members who pelted them with questions. 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 … Continue reading →
HARVEY — The day after the Jefferson Parish School Board voted to reject a proposed collective bargaining agreement with the teachers’ union, Superintendent James Meza said he has no plans to reopen negotiations, and doesn’t see a new agreement in the next year — if ever. Meanwhile, Meladie Munch, who heads the … 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 — A team of experts in the areas of law, finance and engineering will soon come to the city to help officials plan a long-term vision for dealing with stormwater infrastructure. New Orleans is one of eight cities that will benefit from the RE.invest Initiative. Other cities are Milwaukee; Honolulu; El Paso, Texas; … Continue reading →
New Orleans — Planning has begun for an $8 million upgrade to a long-troubled Harvey bridge that is closed to vehicular traffic because of mechanical problems. The 4th Street Bridge closed last week after the mechanisms that allow it to open and close malfunctioned. Initially, marine traffic into the Harvey Canal was … 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 — A 50-year-old inmate at the long-embattled Orleans Parish Prison died of 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 … Continue reading →
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 of Carondolet Street. The victim and his companion can be seen … Continue reading →
Community officials, faith leaders and supporters gather at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans on Wednesday to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new Planned Parenthood health center nearby on Claiborne Avenue.
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 →