Entergy New Orleans has scheduled a series of town hall meetings throughout April and May, offering its customers the chance to voice their opinions, get their questions answered, and actively engage with Entergy team members. Meetings will be held in each of of the councilmanic districts. The first meeting will be held from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, in City Council District D on the Dillard University campus, 2601 Gentilly Blvd. Entergy customer service specialists will be available to provide billing assistance and the Energy Smart team will be sharing valuable energy e ..read more

By Willmarine Hurst For The New Orleans Tribune A steak is just a steak until it’s flavored with just the right spices and herbs and cooked to perfection. Then it is transformed. Enter Kara Johnson, a native New Orleanian, attorney, budding entrepreneur, and fourth generation of great cooks and spice makers. Johnson is the owner of The Cook Shop Seasoning Blends, and she comes from a long line of great cooks.  In the early 1900s, her great-great grandparents, Joseph and Marie Meteye Reveal were the owners of a restaurant located at 532 Toulouse in the French Quarter. The restaurant with ..read more

By Kimmie Tubré For The New Orleans Tribune In the archives of civil rights history, specific names stand out as symbols of courage, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Among them is Leona Tate, whose unbeatable spirit and unwavering determination has left an indelible mark on the landscape of American education and history. Tate’s story is not only one of personal triumph but also a testament to the power of ordinary individuals to affect extraordinary change. Without Tate, a piece of history could have been gone forever. That piece of history is the former McDonogh 19 school ..read more

As public school districts struggle, this new plan will only siphon more tax dollars away from those schools, critics say By Elizabeth White LSU Manship School News Service BATON ROUGE—The so-called Louisiana GATOR Scholarship program passed the House Appropriations Committee in a 13-8 vote Tuesday despite concerns over cost and implementation. Parents in Louisiana would receive from $5,000 to $15,000 in state money to send their children to private schools under a Landry administration bill that is moving through the State Legislature. Carenco’s Rep. Julie Emerson. The bill, proposed by Rep ..read more

By Anitra D. Brown The New Orleans Tribune It’s true. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry recently suggested – loud enough for others to hear– that U. S. District Judge Susie Morgan should be impeached. When i heard, I had the very same reaction I have when I watch a boisterous, wayward toddler frantically run down a crooked, uneven street, then trip and fall. The abrupt tumble catches you off guard; but, it was expected. He acts this way often – reckless, inattentive, and uncontrollable. In fact, as the unruly toddler runs, you shout a warning, “Hey, stop running before you . . .” You can’t even com ..read more

A House committee has advanced a bill requiring a 25-foot distance from police officers. Violators could face up to 60 days in jail and a $500 day. While a similar bill was vetoed by John Bel Edwards, Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to support the measure. By Madison Maronge LSU Manship School News Service BATON ROUGE–A House committee moved forward with a bill Tuesday that would criminalize coming within 25 feet of an on-duty police officer if ordered to halt by the officer. Penalties for violations could include a jail term of up to 60 days and a fine of $500. The bill, HB173, has been sent to ..read more

Attorney Ron Wilson has been appointed to the Legal Defense Fund Board of Directors The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) today (Monday, March 25) announced the appointment of Ron Wilson, a renowned civil rights attorney who is especially well-known for several cases that have had significantly had a significant impacted on voting rights in Louisiana. Since graduating from law school in 1975, Wilson, has been engaged in the private practice of law—primarily public interest and civil rights litigation. In addition to Wilson, Kenji Yoshino, the Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constituti ..read more

By Anitra D. Brown The New Orleans Tribune Judge Susie Morgan, who presides over the federal consent decree in which the New Orleans Police Department is under, began a Thursday morning status hearing to discuss progress made in how NOPD’s officers conduct stops, searches and arrests by offering her opinion on a different, though slightly related topic. The question: Will Troop NOLA—an expansion of state police presence in the city that has been pushed by Gov. Landry and even lauded by some local officials—be compelled to operate under the guidelines of the federal consent decree? The short a ..read more

The New Orleans Public Library is officially fine free system-wide, after Library Board approved the new policy on March 12. In 2019, the Library eliminated fines for youth materials to remove economic obstacles for New Orleans youth. Less than a year later, fines on all overdue items were suspended in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  City Librarian Emily Painton, aid eliminating fines has not impacted the library’s operating budget or resulted in fewer items being returned. “We’ve been effectively operating without fines for almost four years with no adverse effects to ..read more

Louisiana’s Republicans are cooking with hot sauce. From reversing criminal justice reform measures in a special session to the voter suppression tactics that will figure prominently in the ongoing regular session — it is not looking good. Hold on . . . you did not think our Republican “friends” forget about education, did you? You know didn’t, right. First, in early March – barely two months after Gov. Landry named his appointments to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education – BESE did away with the requirement that all 12th graders complete the Free Application for Federal Stud ..read more