Child Killer Caught?
Mon Jan 4
NEW ORLEANS - According to an official NOPD spokesperson, a suspect
in the cases of four murders of young girls last year has finally been
arrested. The official press release stated that the suspect has not yet
confessed nor has any evidence been confirmed, and so the name of the suspect
will not be released yet. An anonymous tip to the Tribune, which led to
the initial inquiry to the NOPD, alleged that the suspect in custody was
an NOPD officer. This is only one of many unconfirmed suspiscions as to
the killer's identity. In 1999, four girls were discovered over a period
of four months, each brutally raped and mutilated. The signature of this
killer was a knife inserted into the victim's vagina after death. The case
had been in the NOPD's Unsolved file but not actively investigated since
the end of 1999.
Explosion at Pontalbo
Wed Jan 6
NEW ORLEANS - Police investigation into the explosion centered around
Jackson Square early March of this year concluded Friday, June 22nd. The
explosion and subsequent fire was found to have originated from apartment
#305 of the Pontalbo St. Ann apartments overlooking the square. At first
thought to be a tragic accident blamed on faulty gas lines to the studio
flat, evidence examined now shows quite clearly the explosion was intentional.
The resident, Jenna Lynn MacNamara, was at home when the explosion ccured.
It took rescue teams four days to locate the body amongst the debris. Jenna
- identified by dental prints - apparently set off the blaze herself using
the gas stove. A discarded gasoline can was also found onscene. Police
report that a suicide note was received two days after the blast but that
piece alone was not enough to convince them it wasn't another arson. With
the conclusion of the investigation the police have determined it was indeed
suicide. Structural damage to the apartment is estimated at around $9,000
including rewiring the apartment for the change-over from gas to electric.
No word yet as to whether the owners of the complex plan to re-work all
of the apartments for electric stoves/ranges.
Marie DeCroix interred.
Fri Jan 8
NEW ORLEANS - The final remains of New Orleans socialite Marie DeCroix
was laid to rest today in St Louis Cemetary #1. Miss DeCroix perished in
the fire that destroyed her home last New Year's eve. Dr. Michael Adamson,
of the Shreveport Cororer's Office released the remains almost six months
after the event, citing backlogged autopsies. A source stated a private
reading of the will will occur sometime this week. This reporter could
find no known relatives of the deceased for collaboration.
World News - New Dehli
Wed Jan 13
INDIA - Despite extensive efforts by international teams to clean up
the radioactive fallout throughout the area around New Dehli, aid packages
from all of the G7 nations, and over a year of diligence by the Red Cross,
the death toll from the Pakistani nuclear attack on the city has reached
six figures today, with the death of five more survivors from radition
sickness. Despite broad international efforts, there is not enough money
or people to effectively deal with the massive destruction and sickness
which this event has heralded. Severe sanctions were announced this week,
against Pakistan, to add to those originally laid upon them after the short,
but brutal, war between the two countries shook to world to his foundations.
World News - Nuclear Cleanup Complete
Wed Jan 13
ALBEQUERQUE - Authorities have announced that tentative plans are in
the works for citizens of the city nearly destroyed during the Pakistan-India
War last year to return to their homes after a fifteen month cleanup initiative
by the Army Corps of Engineers in cooperation with the Department of Energy
and the Atomic Safety Commission. Although they expect residual damage
to continue to plague the ecosystem of New Mexico for decades to come,
they are confident that the bulk of the fallout has been dealt with and
the area around the city is safe enough for habitation once again. This
comes as a great relief to those evacuated after the blast, many of whom
have been forced into shelters and halfway houses in surrounding cities.
There still exists an area around the detonation point which remains unsafe
and precautions have been taken to keep humans and animals out of the contaminated
zone.
World News - Disarmament Talks
Wed Jan 13
NEW YORK - At a press conference at the United Nations, spokesman said
that the disarmament talks were making progress, despite some early resistance
by members of the security council and a letter of dissent from a coalition
of atomic energy providers against the proposal to make production or transport
of plutonium and weapon-grade uranium an act of international terrorism.
Given the brush with nuclear war which the world had one year ago, outspoken
opponents of the measures have grown, for the most part, silent.
Amazon Efforts Continue
Wed Jan 13
CARTAGENA - Scientists from an international coalition to collect samples
of Amazon flora and fauna before the forest is destroyed have announced
progress in the nearly impossible effort to catalogue hundreds of thousands
of genetic samples and specimens before the damage caused by last years
blight reduces the once great rain forest to a number of smaller ecosystems.
One of the groups at the forefront of this effort is composed of scientists
from the human genome project who are using the techniques they have developed
to encode genetic samples from the specimens collected into a central database,
so that cloning may allow the species which enter extinction to be recreated
at some future point.
World News - Ancient Amazonian Civilization
Unearthed
Wed Jan 13
BUCARAMANGA - While mapping out the extent of the damage done by last
year's massive pestilence in the Amazon Basin, several teams have come
across structures which may point at the existence of a hitherto unknown
civilization in the distant past of South America. While the investigators
refuse to comment further until archaeologists can be brought to confirm
the findings, speculations from those in the original teams guess at a
date of around 3000 BC.
HOLLYWOOD - The movie, 2001, A Space Odessey, was re-released nationwide
yesterday. Following in Lucas' footsteps, the special effects
have all been re-mastered and updated, with a few additions not possible
before.
Strange Addition to Jackson Statue
Thu Jan 14
NEW ORLEANS - Residents of the Pontalbo Apartments and employees of
Jackson Square-area businesses were surprised Tuesday morning (August 14)
to find a new addition to the statue of Andrew Jackson in the center of
the Square. And inflatable doll of the sort available in adult stores had
been tied to the statue, situated so that "she" was facing Jackson on the
horse. NOPD mounted police removed the doll by 10 AM Tuesday, and said
there was no evidence of malicious intent in the prank.
*** Next to the short article is a photo of said doll tied facing the
statue of Jackson, lashed on tight with rope.***
Incidents in Congo Square
Fri Jan 15
In the Features Section
In a scene reminiscent of times long gone by, the Congo Square has
once more been the home of voodoo rituals during the dark of night. Congo
Square has a rich history among the local Voodoo practitioners, a place
where slaves gathered when slave holders refused to allow them to practice
their faith. The police have been called to the Square every night for
the last two weeks to break up disturbances. Oddly enough, by the time
that officers arrive, the drums and the chanters have disappeared. These
instances have seen a resurgance in the voodoo faith, with tourists pouring
into the city hoping to catch a glimpse of these illicit rituals of old.
Grisly Double Murder
Fri Jan 15
NEW ORLEANS - A small apartment above a New Orleans new-age shop was
the site of a bloody, grusome double murder last week. Rainbow and Cornflower
Sunchild (names legally changed in the 1980's) were both found dead from
massive blood loss. The bodies were posed with heavy-duty wire in a domestic
setting, and the skin of both faces was removed and not recovered at the
scene. The Sunchilds were discovered by a Child Protective Services agent
on a visit concerning the welfare of the couple's only child. The daughter
is now in foster care.
Lights in the Bayou
Fri Jan 15
FEATURES - More reports flood in of activity throughout the city of
increased voodoo activity. Buildings have been vandalized in all sections
of the city, with the words 'NO MORE CHAINS' appearing alongside what are
referred to as veves.Dr. Timothy Drees, Professor of Anthropology at Tulane
University, said when interviewed, "The veves in question are an odd combination
that I have never seen before. There is an indication of both Rada and
Pedro influences involved that traditionally have been in conflict." He
went on to explain that various sects follow two paths of ideology, with
one more traditional and the other advocating for change. "These are sophisticated
veves, usually only drawn during rituals, in the privacy of voodoo temples."
Drees would not comment on the implications of this grafitti, other than
to say, "These symbols tell a story...when all the pieces are put together,
the outcome could become nasty." Sources in the bayou have also reported
that certain areas of the cypress marshs have been the site of cult like
activity as well. Police have been unable to catch any of the culprits
in action, but the Fish and Wildlife department report that they have discovered
at least one clearing where animals were involved in blood rituals. Details
are sketchy at this time, with reports of finding dead chickens, calves,
and goats floating in the water.
<<Two pictures accompany this article. One is of the bloated
bodies of dead animals floating on the scummy surface of the swamp, and
the other of the graffitti 'NO MORE CHAINS' with a number of symbols around
it. Anyone with voodoo-lore 3 or more can contact Loki to find what the
symbols mean.>>
New Civic Group Forms
Sun Jan 17
Concerned Citizen Lobbyists Seek Community Support.
NEW ORLEANS - A press release Monday morning announced the formation
of Citizens for Transient Safety, a civic group dedicated to the enforcement
of New Orleans' vagrancy laws. "We are not here to hinder the lives of
the city's homeless," the press release said. "Our interest is in the protection
and safety of everyone who lacks a bed to sleep in or a roof for protection.
Primarily, our concern is for the overwhelming number of children living
on the city's streets." The membership of the group is not yet solidified,
but notable members listed in the release include two city judges, several
clergy members and three of the city's most active social workers. Membership
is open to any and all with a real concern for the welfare of all the city's
residents, said the press release. Inquiries can be directed to <address
and phone number given -- +mail Ragged Robin for details>.
Elks Medical Plaza Board of Directors Meeting.
NEW ORLEANS - The governing board of Elks Medical Plaza will be having
a full meeting on Friday, September 7th, at 7:00 p.m. Due to space considerations,
the board will graciously be having the meeting in the Conference Room
of the Reilly Recreation Center on Tulane's campus. Promotions will be
discussed, proposed projects announced, and a small social will be held.
All hospital personnel are invited, as are the press.
<OOC This will be held at 7 P.M., Tuesday, January 26. I would like
to see all PCs who are connected with the Elks Medical Plaza attend this
meeting as it will be a way to gain RP while I sort out who is who. Questions,
+mail Destiny>
BAD-BOY ROCKER DEAD OF OVERDOSE!
Wed Jan 20
NEW ORLEANS - Erick Engler, noted avant-garde social rebel and rock
star with the band Blade Fetish, was found dead in his house after making
an after-midnight phone call to 911. When police arrived, the rock star
was found dead in his bedroom of an apparent drug overdose. However, the
police say that no official decision about the cause of death has been
made yet.
Engler, owner of the local BDSM club, The Church, and repeatedly seen
by the paparazzi in poses of more and more public outrageousness, was,
with his band, one of the leading forces of the "Darkwave" musical movement.
Blade Fetish's premier album, "How Spoilers Bleed" went gold, while two
follow-up albums, "Dri Draconne", and "Dischordia" went platinum.
"We are greatly saddened by the loss of this great artist," said Lyle
Sampan, spokesperson for Electra Records, one of the Engler's two labels.
"It is a tragedy that Mr. Engler should be taken by the very forces he
sang about on his record."
Others were not so sympathetic. "I would not be so callous as to say
that justice has been done," said the Rev. Richard Meller, of the Metarie
Baptist Church, "but it is obvious that the seeds of the man's destruction
were sown by his own had."
Search for Arsonist
Fri Jan 22
ST TAMMANY PARISH - The county sherriff's office is still searching
for a suspect in an alleged arson just outside of New Orleans last week.
The fire destroyed a 100-year-old plantation-style house located ten miles
north of the city on August 16. No injuries or casualties were discovered,
but Peter Demonet, the owner of the house, has not yet been found. It is
unknown whether other people were living in the house at the time. Investigators
for the county discovered cans of cleaning fluid and rags in the basement
which lead them to believe that the fire was deliberately set. Neighbors
along the rural route remember a young man walking down the road toward
New Orleans that night, but no suspect has been named. Anyone with information
can call the county sherriff's office at ###-####.
CORRECTION - Mon Jan 25
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: The post titled "Search for Arsonist" should not say that Peter
Demonet has not been found. It should say that he was murdered a month
ago. The killer was caught and is in jail. *hangs head* That'll teach me
to write a post half-cocked. My apologies to whomever I might've messed
up!
Police Request Information in Engler
Death
Sat Jan 23
NEW ORLEANS - Police are intently searching for suspects and information
in the death of rock star Erick Engler. Evidence suggests that the overdose
that Engler died of last week may not have been accidental. Detective Gabriel
Castle, who is investigating the case, urges anyone with information to
contact the NOPD Anonymous Tip Line <+mail Ragged Robin) . "This information
could include past association, friendship, or when you had seen him last
and what he had said to you or anything you might have overheard," said
a statement released by Castle today. As the investigation has only just
begun, the release said, no details about the case can be made public.
City Council Meeting Lasts Late
Wed Jan 27
NEW ORLEANS - This week's city council meeting lasted far into the night,
as most of the observers had something to say about the several proposals
made in reference to the adjudicated properties the city owns. Councilman
Jordan Franklin's initial volley in the war to provide lower-cost housing
for lower-income families fell short of its mark early in the meeting,
as his proposal was defeated by a vote of five to two. The bill would have
waived back-tax fees on a certain number of adjudicated properties to lower-income
families, on condition of residence and improvement of the property over
ten years. Following the vote, Councilman Burt Feeney told reporters, "The
entire city council is all for providing assistance to get lower-income
families into places they can call their own. Councilman Franklin's plan
was just not appropriate at this time." Franklin himself commented, "This
is only the first inning. We still have a long way to go." The vote incited
a flood of observer comments, including empassioned speeches by Ruby Falco
and Remy LeBeau, urging the Council to rethink their votes. After all opinions
had been heard, a representative from the newly created Citizens for Transient
Safety, Olivia Cisneros, presented a bid to the Council to buy the argued-over
properties at the price of the land value. The council voted four to three
in favor of accepting outside bids for the properties. Any individual or
organization may submit a bid in writing to the City Manager, for voting.
Proper procedures and guidelines are available at the information desk
at City Hall. (+mail Ragged Robin for info)
Man Dead in Suspected Homophobic Killing
Thu Jan 28
NEW ORLEANS - Police discovered the body of Mark Sommers, 21, a tourist
from Atlanta, dead in a Bourbon Street alley Saturday evening. Sommers
frequented the city's gay establishments during his stay in New Orleans,
according to a few local bartenders. His throat was slit and he was found
suspended from electrical wires in the alley. Police have no leads at this
time, however, several of Sommers' frequent companions feel sure that the
murder was tied into the college student's homosexuality. "Mark didn't
care if anyone knew he was out," said roommate Chris Barnes in a telephone
interview. "He'd get in anyone's face if they called him anything derrogatory."
The body will be returned to Sommers' parents in Atlanta for burial.
Book Review: Dragon Weaving by Batte
Piroshki
Fri Jan 29
The new book by Batte Piroshki , _Dragon Weaving_, is nearly a masterpiece
of fairy tale fantasy. Set in a fantastical limbo of "yesteryear", the
main character, a dragon sorceror who is never specifically named, is an
ironic and lonely soul searching for love. He finds it with a human woman
searching for freedom from a fanatical suitor. Although the storyline is
light, and the tone is sweet, there is a dark side to this. In a new period
of unbelieving, the time for fairy tales comes to an end, and the dragon
hero leaves this world to science and the new order of life. While it appears
to be a children's story, the message is clearly for the adults: never
give up fantasy. While we've heard this message before, Puff the magic
dragon had nothing on "Dragon Weaving".
Mother of Missing Twins Found Dead
Sat Jan 30
NEW ORLEANS - Two infant boys remain missing after their mother was
found dead in a Jackson Square alley yesterday afternoon. Patricia Long,
24, and her two-month-old twins Joel and Jacob were reported missing by
husband and father Jerry, 27, earlier this week. Patricia's body was discovered
in an abandoned alley by Sr. Francis Adams, a nun at St. Louis Cathedral.
The twins have not yet been found, however, and NOPD urges anyone with
any information about the boys to contact the Tip Line.
NEW ORLEANS - An amazing archaeological find was uncovered today in
the Mississippi near New Orleans today. An underwater blasting crew, while
trying to remove an outcropping 33 miles south of the city, were astounded
when they uncovered the damaged remains of a German U-81 submarine. The
detonation had done a good deal of damage to the otherwise well preserved
craft, and now efforts are being made to raise it from the riverbed intact.
Historians at Tulane University are already speculating on the implications
of the craft's presence, and say this may lend credence to certain theories
that the Nazis were indeed prepared to wage war with the United States
on their home ground.
Hollywood comes to New Orleans
Fri Feb 5
HOLLYWOOD - Before the corpse is cold, Hollywood moves in on New Orleans
to do a movie on the late great Erick Engler. Scott LeRiviera, son of late
Lydia LaRiviera, held a party for the Hollywood set in his mansion recently.
Rumours indicate that Mr. La Riviera will be playing the part of the illfated
musician.
Union head resigns
Wed Feb 10
IC Date: July 7, 2001
-(CITY DESK)- It was announced today that teamster boss Glenn
'Mule' Henderson was resigning as President of the local chapter. When
asked why he was doing so, Mr. Henderson, through Union spokesmen, cited
differences with the National Committee. Mr Henderson's future plans were
not detailed, nor who would replace him as New Orleans local chapter head.
Moon Sentenced to Death
Thu Feb 11
NEW ORLEANS - After a gruesomly detailed trial concluding this week,
former NOPD Detective Thistle Moon was sentenced to death for on five counts
of first-degree murder. Moon confessed fully to the murders of five adolescent
girls over the last two years and plead guilty on all counts. Surprisingly,
the defense lodged no insanity plea, though psychologists on the side of
the prosecution repeatedly testified to Moon's psychological instability.
The jury returned the guilty verdict after two hours of deliberation, and
city judge Myer Bascomb delivered the sentence of death by lethal injection.
The sentence is scheduled to be carried out on October 20, 2001.
Marriage Announcement: Benton to Falco
Thu Feb 11
Marriage Announcement:
BENTON, Arthur to FALCO, Ruby. Groom is a French Quarter businessman,
bride is a musician. Honeymoon and residence not announced.
Music Review: Necrolestes
Wed Feb 17
NEW YORK - When one buys an album whose title is Greek for "grave-robber,"
one expects a sound as heavy and ponderous as the tomb it implies. The
latest CD from Order of Reason fulfills that expectation but takes surprisingly
different steps away from it as well. Overall, the album is an interesting
blend of industrial and darkwave Gothic sounds, not easily categorizable
into one or the other genre. Anyone who has enjoyed the relatively obscure
last CD to come from this project (currently only peopled by frontman Coil)
will find it strongly based in OoR's electronic dance-beat roots, but with
a much darker theme. No longer holding to topics of outrage and defiance,
this album focuses more on themes of death and decay, a more typically
Gothic fare. Songs of note that follow this new theme are "Silver Roses",
about a girl that shuts herself off from the world so she doesn't have
to see things age or change, including herself, and "Pygmalion", a mortician's
love song to a most lovely 'client'. No, this album is not for the faint
of stomach. Most surprising, perhaps, is the mournfull ballad "Carnivale",
reflecting Coil's New Orleans influences. The song tells the story of the
ghostly remnants of an unfortunate Mardi Gras party: caught in a terrible
fire, all were killed, and now dance in their charred finery on the anniversary
of the disaster for eternity.
<<Hey, if you'd ICly buy this, drop Ragged Robin a note, wot?>>
Rocker Returns; Charges Pressed
Thu Feb 18
NEW ORLEANS - A local Englerite rocker, known only by his stage name
Puck, has returned to New Orleans after a year in Los Angeles recording
and promoting his first album. The CD's first release, "Mind Trip," has
enjoyed regular play on college stations and the video debuted on MTV's
120 Minutes a month ago. Upon returning home, Puck immediately fell into
the lifestyle that seems the most popular among New Orleans' famous:
drug abuse. Not two weeks after he moved back into the city he was arrested
on purchase and possession charges and released under a large bail. Apparently
the death of Erick Engler from drug overdose has had little to no effect
on the music community: not even the loss of one of their own will keep
them from their debauchery.
NEW ORLEANS - Evan Wilson's Free clinic has passed hands. The new director
is Dr. Kathleen McDiarmid, Chief of Sugery at Elks Place.
LOUISIANA - The German U-Boat found recently near the mouth of the Mississippi
is still there, as engineers and archaeologists struggle to find a way
to raise the ship without damaging it further. Several weeks back, civil
engineers discovered the ship while blasting obstructions in the river
floor which were impeding traffic on the river. The U-Boat, now definitively
dated from mid-way through the Second World War, was damaged considerably
by the explosives, making the task of recovering it even more difficult.
Meanwhile, archaeologists are debating whether divers should attempt to
open the ship and recover artifacts within, just in case the submarine
should break apart. Proponents point out that such items would be lost
in the delta silt, while objections focus around further compromising the
integrity of the vessal.
Shooting in Pontalbo
Mon Feb 22
NEW ORLEAN - In the home of Mr. David Dowling, a gunman sat waiting.
He attacked Mr. Dowling when he came home this evening, and shot him several
times. The gunman then attacked Officer Jena Ray, who remains unharmed.
Chief of Surgery at Elks place was downstairs, and came up to help, and
was attacked as well. While she survives in good condition, the same may
not be said of Mr. Dowling, whose condition is listed as unknown. Police
have no comment as of now, but a neighbor says, "That person sure had a
grudge against Dave! They should be looking for guys he's pissed off, you
know? Some girl's ex come back for blood!"
NEW ORLEANS - For Halloween, a band of myschevious teeneagers went through
parts the city, namely the Garden Distrct and Vieux Carre, setting off
some kind of explosives which were used to splatter targets with pumpkin
debris, and a light blue paint. Many areas were targeted, Namely the following
places in the Garden District: The Attic, Savoy General Store, The Vaudeville
Museum, and Montague's Dream, while Vieux carre was hit at: The Side Show
Bar, The Summer Tree, The Cellar, Maisonettes, Royal St. Women's Shelter,
The Church, The Rink, and The Police Station. Finally, a large pumpkin,
probably made up of a pile of smaller ones, was detonated in Louis Armstrong
Park, sending a shower of Pumpkin flesh over the city. Few injuries occured
from car accidents, and the damage to buildings has not yet been estimated.
Home Invasion in Vieux Carre
Mon Feb 22
IC Date: October 31, 2001
NEW ORLEANS - While the city celebrated Mischief Night, an unknown assailant
broke into the store/domicile of the Summer Tree bookstore. While details
are sketchy, the evening clerk, Clara Beaumont, 16, New Orleans, was found
dead on the roof, a victim of an apparent robbery. The owner's twin daughters
were also apparently molested, and were rushed to Elks Place Medical Plaza,
where they were under the care of the eminent Isaac Goldfarb. No motive
has yet been assigned to this home invasion, and NOPD spokesmen have refused
to comment while the crime is under investigation.
Halloween Revisited
Tue Feb 23
IC Date: November 1, 2001
NEW ORLEANS - Cleanup of the previous day's festivities continues as the NODPW diligently work on washing out the residue of the pumpkins that can be found all over the city. Those businesses that were specifically targeted with the smaller attacks will need to repaint their buildings, the blue paint used seems to be Sherwin Williams, Indoor/Outdoor housepaint. Eyewitness reports say that dozens of blue-painted males, ranging in the teenage years are responsible for Halloween's Pumpkin Bash. One Interviewee was recorded stating, "They were all over. They Were all blue-painted males. I knew they were all males because they had their....well....you know....painted blue too. They were all naked. And Blue." During the cleanup of Louis Armstrong Park, the site from where it has been determined that hundreds of the little pumpkins used in the chaos spree throughout the city were set off all at once. Terrorist Analysist Levon Burtris had this to comment: "This does not seem to be the workings of a known terrorist group, nor are they using known terrorist tactics. I've never heard of any group using pumpkins before."
Finally, the following was found, written in blue paint, underneath
the pumpkin residue in the Park: To be, or not to be- that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous
fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end
them. To die- to sleep- No more: and by a sleep to say we end The heartache,
and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die- to sleep. To sleep- perchance to dream:
ay, there's the rub! For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When
we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There's the
respect That makes calamity of so long life. For who would bear the whips
and scorns of time, Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The
pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the
spurns That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, When he himself might
his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear, To grunt
and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death-
The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn No traveller returns- puzzles
the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others
that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus
the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents
turn awry And lose the name of action. --Hamlet
Authorities are still looking
for any leads.
Finn rides again!
Wed Feb 24
IC Date: November 3, 2001
NEW ORLEANS - Police were called to the Vaudeville Museum early on November
2nd when the alarms sounded. When they arrived, several very rare pieces
were left untouched, but a recently revamped statue of the legendary Jonathan
Finn had been taken from its alcove. Finn holds a special place in New
Orlean's history, having created his carnival macabre on the outskirts
of a growing city in 1873. Left in its place was a note that read, 'Got
bored. Went out for a ride.' Seasonal pranksters found a place for the
wax figure in Jackson Square. Placing it on the lap of Andrew Jackson himself,
the statue of Jonathan Finn rose up, leaning forward as if leading the
general into battle. Nimmy Monroe, curator of the historic Cabildo, located
right off the square, was quoted as saying, "Its disgraceful! Defiling
General Jackson with that...that...*man*! Historical data clearly states
that that rascal Finn was a privateer during the war, hindering rather
than helping the south! Disgraceful!"
Elevator Accident
Wed Feb 24
IC Date: November 4, 2001
NEW ORLEANS - Early morning on the 3rd, the freight elevator in Elks Medical experienced a catastrophic failure. The car jammed in the shaft just short of the third floor, and all would have been well if just left at that. Experts say that the continued strain of the lifting mechanism caused the suspension harness to dislodge and seperate into two smaller peices. The more then two ton harness spead down the length of the shaft and smashed into the roof of the elevator, sending it to the basement at alarming speed. Luckily for the two passengers, Brenna Price and Charles B. Finster, an EMS worker and a hospital orderly, the emergency inertia brakes mounted on the rails kicked in and slowed them to a safe landing just below the basement level of the hospitol. Emergency workers arrived on the scene to help extract the two victims. Unfortunately during the extraction process the auxilary generator mounted just above the harness broke loose and fell on the car, crushing it to a mere half its size. Workers with cutting torches were lowered into the shaft and the two passengers, New orleans natives, where freed from the wreckage. Both where treated for contusions, abrasions and muscle pulls, and released from the hospital.
Hospital administrators where shocked at the news, and are co-ordinating with Schindler Elevator Corporation to investigate the cause of the catastophy and insure that the other elevators currently in use at Elks Medical are in good working order.
Charles Finster told reporters that he was fine, and had no intentions
of sueing. He thanked God for making it through and told reporters that
he was very fortunate to be trapped in the elevator under such conditions
with a compatent EMS worker. Elks reports that there will be no interuption
in services, and that they expect the frieght elevator will be repaired
within the next two weeks.
Gulf Coast Shipping Reorganization
Wed Feb 24 Newsdesk
IC Date of event: Novemebr 1, 2001
BUSINESS - New Orleans, LA. Today, in a deal long known to business
insiders, Gulf Coast Shipping and Rowan Imports announced completion of
their merger, and was offically approved by the State's Department of Commerce.
Glenn "Mule" Henderson, former head of the local Teamster affiliate, was
named as President. There was some uproar among shipping insiders, as that
there is a suspicion that Mr. Henderson used the recent two month shipping
strike to position himself for this job, but Joshua Templeton, newly named
head of the IAFTP -teamster Union, said "That's utterly false. When Mr.
Henderson was head of this here Union, he had nothing but the interest
of it's members at heart" Word on the street among the union members support
Mr. Templeton's opinion.
Letter to the Editor
Thu Feb 25
Dear Tribune,
I am tired of being afraid.
I am tired of feeling disgusted. I feel both of these things every day
when I go to work. I go to work to earn my living and pay taxes. The taxes
I pay go to subsidize, thats a fancy tax word for "pay", the rent of the
inhabitants of Flordia Street Projects on Basin and Canal, the source of
my fear and disgust. Why does the government think that the problems in
New Orleans are remedied by throwing money at the poor? Why have the projects
been in place so long and are still filled with the disenfrachised and
the disfunctional? Why are the projects such easy targets for drugs and
violence? Why are brothals and sex clubs, which the entire city knows of,
still in operation? I know why. I might be paraphrasing when I say that
great man once said "The only true evil in the world, is that good men
do nothing.", but I am not parahrasing when I say "This city needs some
good moral leadership with fresh ideas on cleaning up the mess that the
bleeding heart liberals have made."
The Angry Tax Payer
Homophobia Suspected in Death
Mon Mar 1
Investigations into the September 8 death of Atlanta college student
Mark Sommers, 21, have led police to suspect homophobia as the motive in
the murder. In a statement released today, the NOPD has asked for any information
concerning their unidentified suspect: a Middle Eastern man who may have
been seen combing the gay bars several weeks before the Sommers death.
Witnesses drawn from a variety of specialty bars throughout the
city have told police that Sommers was very outspoken about his lifestyle,
leading police to believe that he may have attracted the attention of someone
who disagreed with his outspokenness. If you have any information, please
contact the NOPD Tip Line <+mail Ragged Robin>.
Attack Leaves One Dead.
Tue Mar 2
At approximately 4:30 AM, on Tuesday, November 13th. 2001, shots
were fired from an unknown location near Bourbon and St. Peters street,
just outside the popular Lost Raven bar, resulting in the death of Xaviera
Hollis Lleweylln.
Lleweylln, a former model, was found dead at the scene by paramedics,
having taken several shots; the fatal being a blow to the heart. Witnesses
at the time of the shooting claim to have not seen the attacker, nor do
the cops have any leads at this time.
The deceased has no known living relatives.
Assault on LG&E refinery! 18 dead!
Sat Mar 6
(CityDesk) Friday, November 23rd, 2001 In the early hours
of this morning, the brand new Lousiana Gas and Electric Company's pride
and joy, was suddenly and brutally attacked by unknown assailants carrying
military quality weaponry. Late shift workers report seeing several firefights
between refinery guards and parties unknown erupt at approximately 3am.
The workers say that they were protected by two uniformed NOPD officers,
whose identities have not been released.
NOPD sources have confirmed 18 dead, all members of Surety Security
Inc., a private contractor hired by LG&E to guard it's 11.7 million
dollar complex. While investigations are on going, unnamed sources within
the police department are leaning to an heretofore unknown ecoterrorist
group, which opposes oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. LG&E spokemen
Trisha Barry released statement that there was no damage of any substantial
amount to any equipment, and there was no danger to the public at any time.
Ms Barry expressed condolences to the famlies of the slain guards, and
reported that LG&E would beef up security forces and devices, "to make
sure this never happens again."
Police sources say that the investigation is continuing.
Man Arrested for Two Murders
Sat Mar 13
NEW ORLEANS While the City Council deliberated property and tax
issues down the hall, NOPD officers were apprehending a suspect in two
of this year's homicides in the lobby of City Hall Tuesday night. An anonymous
tip led officers to the building, where Sevrin Etoile had been attending
the meeting. Etoile was arrested on two counts of murder in the first degree,
in the deaths of John Hiller and Theodore Woodsworth earlier this year.
Police released a statement today to assert that their evidence
against Etoile was fast and that prosecution should be swift. Etoile is
being held without bail. His trial should begin in about two weeks, said
the statement.
Marriage
Mon Mar 15 (Donatien)
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Donatien Rimbaud
I know it is a little early in the season to broach that most
romantic of subjects, marriage, but I was taken just recently by the efforts
of a relative of him to secure for herself the perfect husband, around
which to build the rest of her life after a beautiful ceremony to herald
the oncoming utopia which was sure to follow. How quaint. Personally, I
find weddings to be very dull affairs, in general. Usually they are nothing
more than an excuse to wear ghastly appareal in colors which are barely
suitable for easter eggs, or which make allusions to ones purity which
rarely hold up to scrutiny in these cynical times. In meaning, they offer
little more than the illusion of security, an impossible permanence when
concerning beings who grow and whose needs and feelings change. Even more,
most of the love professed at such events stems not from true emotions,
but from neurotic needs and selfdelusions, lies withint lies. Indeed, utopia
may be too tame a description.
Perhaps it is too much to ask people to deal with each other
as adults and to admit to themselves and those they profess to love, that
the world is an uncertain and difficult place, where what is true one day
may not be true tomorrow, no matter how much we may want it to be. Emotions
aren't truth, they are merely what we wish to be true, while in reality
they are ephemeral, brief and fleeting, to be indulged when they show themselves
and forgotten when they abandon us the next morning. Is this cynical? Perhaps.
Or maybe it is just realism. Are we, as a culture, ready to grow up and
abandon those fantasies which cheered us as children, to persue more adult
pastimes?
Fire at Dunross
Tue Mar 16 (Jim Crow)
NEW ORLEANS Last night in the Garden District, the fire department
rushed to respond to a fire at Dunross Manor only to find the owner of
the house being dragged from the blaze by security guards, tied to a chair
and bleeding from a gunshot wound and cut throat. Miraculously, former
assistant district attorney Killian Donaldson survived the ordeal due to
emergency surgery performed on his front lawn by a doctor on the scene.
The fire, which sources say was chemical in nature, was obviously an attempt
to cover up the attempted murder. The victim is in critical condition at
Elks Place Medical Center, under guard as police wait for him to regain
consciousness and shed some light on the identity of his assailant. Police
sources refuse to divulge any further information on the case, including
if they have any suspects.
Former Asst. D.A. Dead At Age 30
Wed Mar 17
Former Assistant District Attorney, Killian Gerard Donaldson died early this morning due to heart failure in Elks Place Medical. Donaldson, age 30, suffered a heart attack that, despite doctors best efforts to save him, took his life. Donaldson was in a coma prior to this heart failure, though doctors aren't certain if the attack was related; more information will be forthcoming with the pending autopsy.
Killian Donaldson leaves no known heirs to the Dunross Estate, though
he is survived by his father, James Donaldson.
In the blurb section of the Business section
On the exchange, 600 shares of GCS/Rowan Stock were put on sale today, at 25 1/8.
OOC: Interested buyers, +mail Despair who handles the stock exchange
Homicide suspect killed!
Thu Mar 18
CityDesk December 17th, 2001 Suspected murderer Hideoshi
Yanakov was slain today when Captain Alan Longstreet and the NOPD's Quick
Response Team raided Yanakov Jewelry in the Pontalbo St Peter. Yankov apparently
responded to demands to surrender with a burst of gunfire. QRT units responded,
striking Yanakov twelve times, many in the head. NOPD Internal Affairs
made it be known that it was a 'correct and righteous' shooting.
Mr. Yanakov was wanted in connections to the murder of Xaviera
Llewelyn, and several assault cases.
Submarine Raised
Wed Mar 24 (Jim Crow)
LOUISIANA The German submarine found buried in delta soot three
monthes ago has finally been raised from the riverbed with only minimal
damage to the structure. This is the third attempt to do so, the first
two failing due to significant damage caused to the vessal by civil engineers
using explosives to clear away a blockage in the river where the ship lay.
The intact vessal has been moved onto an onshore rig inside a large warehouse,
previously constructed for that purpose, while engineers and archaeologists
examine it to determine if it should be moved somewhere for further study.
So far, the identity of the vessal has remained a mystery and the interior
has yet to be breached, though plans are that it will be opened in the
next two weeks, once the team is sure it won't damage the ship.
City Councilman slain
Sun Mar 28
NEW ORLEANS New Orleans Mayor announced in a news conference this
morning that Councilman James Deverou had been killed in an ambush attack
in the French Quarter. He expressed his deep sympathy for the widow of
the slain Councilman, and urged anyone with information about the case
to contact the NOPD. Details surrounding the case are being closely guarded
at this time, but eyewitness reports indicate the attack was a very violent
one. One witness, not giving her name stated, "It was like someone just
ripped his throat out, there was so much blood, it was all over the street."
Several citizens have contacted the paper asking if the city would be a
memorial service. At press time, no details were available, and Mrs Deverou
was unavailable for comment.
Emergency Election Process Begins
Tue Mar 30
NEW ORLEANS The process to elect a City Council representative to replace the recentlymurdered James Deverou is now underway. Applicants must live in the Vieux Carre and fill the normal requirements for holding public office. Declaration of candidacy forms are due to City Hall by <<RL Friday at midnight EST>>. The emergency election will be held on February 1, which leaves little time for campaign. The Mayor's office released a statement saying that he expects voter turnout to be high, despite the short campaign time, in memory of Councilman Deverou. Investigations into his death are still underway.
In other news, with the coming of 2002 several City government positions will be up for reelection, including all City Council seats. Information on open positions and how to declare candidacy is available at City Hall.
<<OOC: +mail Ragged Robin either to declare candidacy, or for
more information on possible positions. Living people only, please.>>
Murder Suspect Disappears!
Wed Mar 31
A mechanical failure and a mysterious police impersonator led to the disappearance of suspected murderer Sevrin Etoile, on the way to his trial yesterday. He is currently at large and the NOPD has launched a full investigation. The trial is, of course, on hold until Etoile is found.
NOPD officials say that Officer Brian Poughty did not exist in police records until he appeared with orders to remove Etoile to the courthouse. "Everything was in order," said the Sargeant who signed the release form. "He had a valid badge and the proper papers." The van assigned to transfer the suspect broke down in the auto pool, and a new van was sent for to take its place. That van has not yet been found, nor has Brian Poughty or Etoile. Two other officers that joined Poughty in the van are also missing.
Anyone with any information is urged to call the
NOPD Anonymous Tip Line <+mail Ragged Robin>.
Submarine Opening
Tue Apr 13 (Jim Crow)
HOUMA Archaeologists working on the World War II German U81 submarine
recently recovered from the bottom of the Mississippi near Houma have reported
that they intend to open the vessal next week, once the final concerns
for the structural integrity of the ship, which was damaged by blasting
by civil engineers, are put to rest.
Special Election Upcoming
Fri Apr 16
The City Council special election this Friday seems an easy win for favorite candidate Shelby Deverou. Wife of the late Councilman James Deverou, she is by far the leader in the current polls. Other candidates are rallying lastminute campagin promises in an effort to win back support. Only the polls on Friday will tell for sure the outcome of the emergency election.
<<Please +mail Ragged if you would purposefully vote against Shelby
being on city council. Don't mail her if you'd vote for.>>
Another reported missing
Mon Apr 19
Sidebar on the front page:
The reports of missing persons has grown to 23 in the last three
months, with the most recent disappearance Mohammad AlRana of 2671 Canal.
AlRana was a cab driver for the Checkered Cab company who reported him
missing. His cab was found in the middle ofRoyal, after an apparent collision
with a motorcycle. Police report that the motorcycle had been tampered
with, but witnesses to the accident were too shaken by the incident to
be provide accurate descriptions.
A picture of the cabbie is beside the short article. Police informants
speculate that AlRana was involved in an automobile theft ring and that
his disappearance lies at their feet. The NOPD is investigating.
Deverou Wins Council Seat
Tue Apr 20
NEW ORLEANS In a landslide vote that surprised very few pollsters, Shelby Deverou won the City Council seat left vacant by the death of her husband, James Deverou, this January. Ms. Deverou will take her seat on the Council bench at the next meeting on <<Thursday, April 22, at 10:30 PM Eastern, RL>>. On the agenda are reports on the progression of the adjudicated housing properties, and a proposal for the restoration of certain historical homes in the downtown Bourbon residential area.
<<OOC: as ever, +mail Ragged Robin ahead of time to get on the
agenda. Anyone with Res 2 looking for a nonapartment housing source is
urged to try and attend.>>
Grisly Cult Sacrifice?
Tue Apr 20
Early wednesday morning, a body was found hanging from a tree located
a few miles from the edge of the Bayou St. John. Originally suspected to
be a juvenile, the body was identified early this morning as belonging
to one 19yearold Etienne Gautreaux, a young man wellknown among the 'street'
population of New Orleans.
What separates this particular death from the other violent crimes
perpetrated against youth living on the streets of New Orleans is the particular
viciousness of the crime: the body was badly beaten (almost beyond recognition)
and mutilated in a fashion meant (apparently) to mimic elements of Voudoun
ritual.
Currently, fundamentalist Christian groups have already responded
with public statements urging more stringent qualifications for ordination
in the Voudoun religion and a greater amount of political or police oversight
over Vodoun ritual. Spokespersons for the Voudoun community disavow connections
with the grisly murder, asserting that their religion has little or nothing
to do with human sacrifice.
More on this story to come as conditions develop. Until such time
as further information is released, pedestrians especially are warned to
be leery of groups or gangs traveling the Latin Quarter or other areas
of the streets at odd hours.
Sewer Workers strike!
Wed Apr 21
(CityDesk) Friday, February 8th, 2002 Outside the cityhall
offices, New Orlean's sewer workers and related professionals started a
wildcat strike to protest working conditions that have led to the disappearances
of at least eight sewer workers in the preceding two months. While cit
officials are at a lost to explain the missing workers, they insist that
the sewers are safe. Says City Engineer Martin LaCrucis, "After the renovations
in 1996, there's absolutely no unstable sections of the city's understructure."
Union representative Edgar 'Sandy" Huguenot disagrees vehemnetly.
"That's a crock, and they know it. These eight guys were skilled professionals.
You don't just disappear off the face of the Earth. They must have fallen
into a pit somewhere!"
It has been told to the paper from reliable sources that the
city, sticking to the story of the sewer systems safety, has asked the
New Orleans Police Department to investigate the disappearances.
Council Approves Historic Neighborhood
Renewal
Fri Apr 23
A neighborhood of historic shotgunstyle homes, just downtown of
Dumaine on Bourbon Street, was approved for restoration by a federal grant
distributed to the homeowners chosen to inhabit the properties. Melissa
Miles, from the Office of Housing and Urban Development, brought the proposal
before the council for its final decision. The money had been approved
last October, but Sunday night was its final vote. Though the program is
funded federally, it will be overseen at the city level and requires city
cooperation.
The resolution for the program passed after some debate over
whether or not such money should not be spent to further alleviate the
city's homeless problem. Steps were initiated by councilmember Jordan Franklin
to revise the conditions for approval, and with that codicil the resolution
passed with only one abstention.
The proposed changes involving the income level of the
program's participants will be discussed and approved in a joint
meeting between council members and the newlyhired administrative liason
for the project, Benjamin WalkerAshley. Mr. WalkerAshley is a Boston native
and now a Louisiana resident who topped HUD's list of applicants for this
position. Once the specific criteria for acceptance have been agreed upon,
applications for the housing will be available at the HUD office in City
Hall. The Tribune will announce when those are released.
Among the certainties for approval of a housing application in
this neighborhood are that the applicant is a firsttime homeowner, and
agrees to restore the property to its historic original. Membership in
a neighborhood homeowner's association will be mandatory to ensure that
the restorations are being conducted. "I think it's a great opportunity
to create a community of historicallyminded people in the city," said Council
Chair Dorthea Barton after Sunday's meeting.
<<Contact Ragged Robin and Jolly Roger for more information. Anyone
looking for housing and mortals looking for guarenteed RP are encouraged
to look into this!>>
On page 4 of the Metro section:
STREETLAMPS SCHEDULED FOR REPAIR
The Street Department, to help stem violent street crime, has
awared contracts for the installation of new halogen street lamps. Many
of the old lamps are out completely or are dim from age. The company who
won the contract to replace and maintain the lights was Candlepower, Inc.
They are planning to use halogen lights, to reduce the overall energy costs
of the lights and increase their functional lifetime.
The project should take about two weeks to accomplish, in total.
Some are hoping that the improved lighting will increase the feeling of
security among the people who live in the city. The work on replacing the
street lamps, which will take one month, will start the day after Mardi
Gras as a moneysaving measure, as cleanup crews do doubled duty.
Dear editor,
I write this letter not out of what most will no doubt call bigoted
hatred, or some misplaced notion of superiority. Rather, I express these
views froma simple concern for the city where I have spent my entire life.
Our City Council has adopted a fine plan for attempting to improve living
conditions for all in New Orleans. An admirable effort, allowing struggling
families to make their way, with just the slightest helping hand from the
government, to give them the head start we all need. No one disputes this
is a necessary, and desirable act.
My point of contention, rather, is with the choice of director
for thislargescale endeavor. Benjamin WalkerAshley is hardly qualified
to supervise one of the most important urban renewal programs in our city.
A former literatureprofessor, who abandoned his post last year for greener
pastures, and has absolutely no experience in governmental procedure, bureaucratic
organization, or leadership of any kind, is now responsible for this daring
undertaking?
Though I do not harbor ill will towards the gentlemen personally,
I feel I must address his personal life, as it is relevant to the matters
at hand. For someone who will be leading the cause of strengthening families,
and the home life among lower class incomes, it is hardly befitting that
director to have the, shall we say, extreme lifestyle Mr. WalkerAshley
exhibits. His recent public marriage to the transvestite entertainer Holly
Windholm in a known gay bar, and his proclivity to open his home to all
manner of transients and undesirables must be considered as a barometer
of his attitudes towards the familial structure at large. For a man whose
own personal choices are questionable at best to have such a large sway
over the next generation of families and children is a risk I as a voter
and taxpayer am not willing to take.
I strongly urge the New Orleans City Council, and the HUD, to
reconsider their nomination of Benjamin WalkerAshley to this position.
The future of ourcity may be at stake, and we need a leader behind the
helm who is qualified, capable, and resilient. For this position, I'm afraid
the professor simply does not qualify. Thank you.
Margaret Keane
President, Greater New Orleans PTA
Dear editor,
Having read Mrs. Keane's letter, I feel obligated to reply. I
wholeheartedly agree with her in regards to to what the City Council is
doing is a fine thing. Helping people make a fresh start by providing them
with the means for affordable housing is not only a wonderful gesture,
it is one that has been too long in coming.
However, I must most strongly disagree with the rest of her letter.
For someonewho starts out saying that she merely has a "simple concern"
for the city in which she has spent her life, she seems to be intent on
disparaging the character of a man who has taken this city and made it
his home as well as insulting every man, woman and child who has
ever spent time with Mr. WalkerAshley.
Mrs. Keane states that Mr. WalkerAshley has had no experience
in bureaucratic organization or leadership of any kind, strongly implying
that the fact that professorial duties do not include any of these things.
While Mr. WalkerAshley maynot have actual governmental experience, I feel
that his job as a assistant professor does qualify him for his position.
A large part of any professor's job even assistants is to organize.
He is responsible for the furthering the education of students, and it
would behoove any professor to be able to do so in the most efficient way
possible. Mr. WalkerAshley has spent years learning the bestmeans of performing
his job, and that includes all manner of educational paperwork. Surely
that could be considered to be some experience in administration, ifnot
the experience that Mrs. Keane has in mind. Obviously the Council who appointed
Mr. WalkerAshley to this position felt that his credentials were sufficient
enough to be given the job.
Mrs. Keane then goes on to bring up the matter of Mr. WalkerAshley's
private life, prefixing her thinly veiled homophobic (and outright slanderous)
statementswith the phrase, "Though I do not harbor ill will towards the
gentlemen personally..." If Mrs. Keane truly held no illwill towards Mr.
WalkerAshley, she would have not brought her statements to such a public
forum likely knowing fullwell the uproar that the aforementioned
statements are bound to cause. His choiceof lifestyle has absolutely no
bearing to his ability to perform his job. In fact, I will go on the record
as saying that it may even help him to be a openminded, fair individual
when it comes to making choices something that Mrs. Keane, despite
her disclaimers, is obviously not. The fact that the WalkerAshleys have
opened their home to people who are homeless and without jobs (or, as Mrs.
Keane so kindly referred to them, "transients and undesirables") speaks
volumes about their kindness and generosity. Mr. WalkerAshley knows the
people he is trying to help. Can Mrs. Keane say the same?
As a fellow lifelong citizen and registered voter of the City
of New Orleans, I feel that Mr. WalkerAshley is eminently qualified for
the job which the City Council has seen fit to grant him. His strengths
may be considered to be nontraditional, but perhaps it is time for someone
to /be/ nontraditional. This is nolonger the 1950's, with traditional family
values. Family has taken on a whole new meaning. Time for a man who /is/
qualified, capable, and resilient one whounderstands the changes
that have happened to family, and one who knows the people who will be
applying for housing to take the helm and give people who sorely
need it the help they deserve. Benjamin WalkerAshley is the man to help
the City of New Orleans make its way into the future.
Alisynde Lacroix Morgan
Students Charge Racism at Tulane
Wed Apr 28
NEW ORLEANS, LA More than two dozen students and faculty
members occupied the president's office at Tulane University for several
hours last week, demanding that the university's administration deal with
their concerns about 'institutional racism' on the campus.
The protesters chanted as they marched into the offfice of the
president, William R. Cotter, said Stephen B. Collins, a university spokesman.
The racially diverse group had a list of 14 demands that said that 'by
repeadedly silencing students of color, Tulane University is an exemplary
racist institution and implicitly cherishes white supremacy.'
The president talked with the group briefly before he left to
attend a morning meeting, leaving the protesters without resolution, and
the protested ended after two hours.
Mr. Collins denied that anyone in the administration was racist,
but said that the president had agreed to work on the protester's concerns.
He plans to create a mentor program for minority students, and to see if
the university's affirmativeaction policies for hiring staff members could
be made more aggressive.
Activity Center Opens
Thu Apr 29
In an effort to keep teenagers off the streets, the Citizens for Transient Safety have contracted with a national chain of activity centers to sponsor New Orleans' first Youth Activity Center. The Center has recently opened on Lelong Avenue as part of the City Park complex, and is open seven days a week.
The Center is staffed by volunteers, and charges a minimal fee for use. That fee can be waived, however, if 10 hours a week are volunteered there. Gymnaisum facilities and an Olympicsized swimming pool are available for unlimited use, as well as a juice bar, largescreen TV and videos, and a video arcade. More facilities may be added as funds become available. The Center is open to all youths, regardless of economic status, as a place to simply hang out that's guarenteed to be safe.
<<OOC: Please contact Ragged Robin to volunteer. Res 1 can afford
regular attendance. Any Res level may volunteer 10 hours a week and get
free admission. The Center is a DayZone all the time!>>
Rock Star's Hands Slapped
Thu Apr 29
NEW ORLEANS After many delays, a decision was finally reached
concerning the arrest of Puck, a musician recently returned to New Orleans
and promptly arrested on drug charges. The incident occurred last year,
but due to legal delays and extended plea bargaining, the conviction did
not come until this week. Puck's charges were dropped from posession and
abuse of a controlled substance to disorderly conduct, due to a technicality
of arrest. A fine was served and paid.
Mardi Gras Parade Route
Fri Apr 30
The Greater New Orleans Mardi Gras commission announces the following parade route will be used for the Final Parade of the season.
Floats will line up along Camp Street, near the wharves. Krewes will
be ready to roll no later than <RL
Wed 9:15PM Eastern>. Parade will proceed riverside on Camp Street from
the Wharf area, around Lee Circle, down St Charles/Royal to St Louis, Riverside
on St Louis to Bourbon, past Dark Secrets, The Raven, and Bob's Billiards.
Once off Bourbon, floats are dispersed.
The judges stand will be placed on Lee Circle.
Obituary: Joseph Etienne Gautreaux
Sat May 1 (Jim Crow)
Joseph Etienne Gautreaux, 19, was laid to rest this morning in a traditional
voodoo Creole ceremony. The procession was only witnessed by members of
the small religious community and a handful of tourists, reporters, and
respectful locals. The young man, murdered apparently for his religious
beliefs, has no surviving family. The police have not admitted to any suspects
in the brutal slaying, but sources say that more than one assailant was
involved.
Parade Judges announced
Tue May 4
The New Orleans Mardi Gras Commission has finally announced this year's panel of judges for the Fat Tuesday lineup of parades.
Dr. Merton Chalmers, Miss Jena Rey, Ms Marie Callahan, Mr. Trevor Blackthorne, Mrs Shelby Deverou, Father Alvin , Mr. Benjamin WalkerAshley, Holly AshleyWalker, Mr. Arriallis Lafuce have all been invited to take the stand to determine the winner of this year's final parade.
Shelby Deverou, widow of the late Councilman James Deverou, is the newest member of the New Orleans City Council. She is a wellknown storyteller, best known for her Ghost Stories which she tells on WWOZ Jazz FM.
Father Thomas Alvin is a recently arrived priest in New Orleans, a member of the Catholic church attached to Saint Louis Cathedral. Father Alvin has been hard at work in the few months he has been here, working with charities and the local community.
Marie Callahan AKA Bird, has had various minor roles in some Disney movies several years back, best known for her performance of "Follow Your Heart" in the animated film "Roanoke." The song spent several weeks on the pop charts, climbing eventually to #59.
Arriallis LaFuce is a Hammond born native. He is a local business owner who once wore the uniform of New Orlean's finest NOPD while attending Tulane University. Mr. LaFuce is currently engaged to Ms. Delta Beausoleil, owner of Dreamdancer's Art and Supply who caters to the needs of most of the local artists.
Benjamin Walker-Ashley is a local writer turned civil servant. His articles and stories have appeared in several national journals , and he has recently taken over the historic renovation project in the Lafitte's <or whatever it's called> neighborhood. WalkerAshley is a native of Boston, Mass., but has made New Orleans his permanent home.
Trevor Blackthorne <Rory>, is a world famed author of gothic horror recently relocated to New Orleans. After beginning to ask about about Mardi Gras and openly admitting that he had never been to it in his lifetime on national television, he should be the perfect unbiased judge.
Holly Windholm Walker-Ashley is a local entertainer, well known amongst
the club set for his Parisstyle revues as well as his dramatic stage performance,
all in drag. He is a native of New Orleans and has been involved with the
theater since the age of three.
HUD: Application Requirements
Tue May 4
Mr Benjamin Walker-Ashley, project manager for the New Orleans initiative for Urban Renewal has released the revised guidelines drawn up with, and approved by the City Council. The project, intended to revitalize historic urban neighborhoods, and allow lower income applicants a chance at home ownership they would otherwise be denied due to income levels.
1. Qualified applicants must be first time homeowners.
2. Applicants must be Res 2, with an upper cap of "lower" Res 3. This
program is an assistance for firsttime homeowners and lowerresource families,
so those of higher resources will not be accepted.
3. Loans will be distributed on the basis of need and the estimates
of the cost to fully renovate the property, from the general fund provided
by the federal program.
4. Seven properties will be immediately available. Three will be reserved
for the possibility of opening the program to even lowerincome residents
(Res 1):
a. pending the transfer of funds from Jordan
Franklin's upcoming slumlord penalty proposal.
b. provided the funds are available, the Res
1 applicant must show proof of a steady job to augment the renovation and
upkeep costs.
Along these guidelines, the seven properties are up for application as of now.
OOC: Direct all IC inquiries about qualifying for one of these homes
to Benjamin through +mail.
The Associated Press
TOKYO, JAPAN -- Construction of the floating airport structure has
begun this week in the Sea of Japan. A joint project between the Japanese
government and several corperations aims to create a massive floating platform
which they intend to use as a floating airport. One member of the Diet
and major supporter of the project Hakiro Tamatsu said, "We're all excited
about this project. Japan is essentually a very small country and we are
limited as to how we can expand. The projections and the tests run on this
airport are positive, everything seems good so far." The immense engineering
project is expected to be completed by 2011 at the latest, to be opened
for business by 2015.
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN -- Two years after the nuclear incident between India and Pakistan, things are none the better between these two long time archfoes. In a move which has caused outrage in the international community, Pakistan has pushed the tensions between these two nations to new levels today by announcing tighter restructions on citizens of India coming in to Pakistan for any reason. As expected, India has followed this action in kind, placing the same restrictions on Pakistani citizens. When pressed for an explanation as to the reasons behind his decision, Pakistani Prime Minister was quoted as saying, "India has still not apologized for causing what could have been a nuclear war between our two nations and rapidly turned in to a world war. They are shameless and clearly do not ever intend to deal with us in peace." This move on Pakistans part, while startling, is a culmination of bitterness between the two countries during the two years of United Nations imposed peace.
BEIJING, CHINA -- Chinese police arrested Chinese-American scholar Ben Kwon on charges of espionage. Ben Kwon is a noted nuclear scientist and has been working within the University of Beijing's physics department for the last three years, mostly teaching. The United States denies these charges of spying, calling them baseless and ridiculous. Spokesman for the Department of State, Jacob Gasser said, "We are currently working with the Chinese government to resolve this issue. We are certain that Mr. Kwon was not doing anything illegal while inside of China but we are willing to consider any option." Mr. Kwon is currently being held by the Chinese authorities without any communication with his family but has been permitted contact with several US officials. Mr. Kwon has a wife and two children living in the United States.
NEW YORK - Dow up 124.7, NASDAQ trading down at the end of fiscal year
for fourth occasion in the last decade. High yield CDs up .6%, home mortgage
rates at an all time low.
HOUMA - The German U-81 submarine recently found at the bottom of the
Mississippi has finally been opened after weeks of anxious preparations
by the archaeologists and engineers involved. While the exact identity
of the submarine has yet to be determined, the body of the ship's captain
was found on board and his identity will be released, pending notification
of the family in Germany and the permission of the German government. The
rest of the crew is notably absent, suggesting that they abandoned ship
prior to it sinking.
Parade Winners Announced
Fri May 7
Crowds numbering over 200,000 flocked to the parade route this year
for the last parades of the season. This year's crowds were noted to have
been lower than in previous years, by almost a third. Questioning some
partiers, some believed the recent increase of disappearances plaguing
the City Works Department may have been the reason many stayed away this
year, while Slidell mayor, Theodore Bouvier was thrilled to see his small
suburb community enjoy the best crowds on record. "Many people stayed home
this year, and stayed away from the city, and our tourist population almost
doubled this year." The New Orleans Mardi Gras Commission announces the
winner of the final parade of the season. Celtia Krewe with thier tribute
to Irish Celtic Mythology, rode atop a float that highlighted a door between
worlds. Said one witness, "It almost makes you wish such a world existed."
Carnival Macabre's float, while a favorite amongst many, did not win the
judges favor. One spectator was heard to say, "It just makes me feel uneasy,
like I shouldn't even be looking at it. But, I can't look away." One float
missed the judges stand altogether, and didn't join the parade until it
reached the French Quarter. It garnered the most disperse reactions, with
it's tribute to various women of historical signifigance, all depicted
performing thier strange predilections, all being lorded over by a Victorian
Satan.
Space Mirror, 2nd Try
Fri May 14
MOSCOW, RUSSIA -- This week the Russian space agency announced it would
be reattempting the failed solar experiment of three years ago. The experiment
involving using a massive mirror in geosynchronous orbit over a small area
in Siberia. The purpose of the experiment was to determine whether sunlight
would be able to be reflected successfully to the surface of the earth
to create a sort of false daylight. The Russian government states the long
term goal of this experiment is to be able to increase the amount of daylight
available to critical farming regions.
Native American Lawsuit
Fri May 14
WASHINGTON, DC -- Following the pattern of Holocaust survivor suits
against various European banking interests and German corperations who
utilized slave labour during the second World War, the Native American
Tribal Council (NATC) has filed suit against the United States claiming
damages at 103 billion dollars. The NATC issued a statement on this, explaining
the motivations behind this suit. They claim that of all the injured peoples
of the last two hundred years, they have suffered the worst and the most.
They claim to have original treaty documents signed by representatives
of the United States government and that current conditions violate these
signed agreements. The US Goverment issued a statement responding that
the situation was currently being investigated.
Religious Terrorism
Fri May 14
JAKHARTA, INDONESIA -- On Thursday six carbombs went off at various
points around the city, all of them apparently timed to 4:13pm. The cars
were stuffed with explosives and apparently had full tanks of gas to fuel
the blazes afterwards. The buildings targetted included two mosques, the
party headquarters of the leading Muslim political front, two prominent
businesses owned by Muslims and the home of the mayor of the city who is
also Muslim. A group calling itself the Christian Indonesian Coalition
claimed responsibility for the blasts which claimed twenty six lives and
left seven others in critical condition. The Jakharta police have no suspects
yet, this being another act of violence which has been so prevalent in
the city over the last two years.
Cloning Injunction
Fri May 14 (Jim Crow)
LONDON, ENGLAND HandenGenetics corperation was ordered by an English
judge to cease body part cloning research on the grounds that it may constituite
the cloning of a human being which is provisionally prohibited by the English
government. The company had begun testing whether or not specific body
parts and organs could be economically cloned separately. The judge has
ordered a sixteen month long study to determine whether or not the research
violated the provisional law. HandenGenetics states they are going to appeal
this decision which they claim is ludicrous and is only holding back have
managers in the tubes now, doing jobs that absolutely need to be done.
how dangerous these sewers are have spread all through Louisiana. I hear
they are bringing scabs in as far as Little Rock." City Sewer Department
spokesman Andy Crandle confirms there have been more disappearances. "We
still swear to the safety of the sewer system. But we feel these accidents
may not be accidents, and, while we have no desire to believe the Union
has anything to do with it, have asked the police to designate officers
to accompany sewer wor in disarray, and no sign of the Goshens or their
three children.
Police spokespeople and eyewitnesses report that every bit of
furniture was smashed, and it look like someone had been swinging a sledge
hammer into the walls. Police are keeping the rest of the details close
to the vest, but relatives and neighbors said no vaulables were taken.
Former Union President Dead!
Fri May 21
AP-WIRE: In a small side bar on the front page of the Tribune and in
the world news sections of newspapers across the country, the following
story appears:
Former Longshoreman President Dead
Details are scetchy at the moment, but police officials confirm that
Mule Henderson,43, was found dead in the Orleans Parish swamps around Bayou
St. John. Henderson is survived by his wife,Rachael. Family members are
petitioning that no autopsy be performed, citing religious convictions.
Bud Pippen, business manager for Local #143 of the International Brotherhood
of Longshoremen, said, "It don't make no sense. None of it. First off,
the boss steps down from his position. Then he's dead, not even a year
later. Something smells fishy, and for once, it ain't ol' Muddy I'm talking
'bout." Parish coronor Dr. Wendy Cricken could not be reached for comment,
and police are staying silent. Cause of death is not apparant at this time.
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University announces a partnership with Sundancer
Educational Group to open up a new school on their campus. Except the students
at this school will be slightly different from the others who attend Tulane.
They will all be between the ages of 10 and 18 at the New Orleans School
for Gifted Children. The school focuses on extremely brilliant children,
specifically from the city but also allowing students from the rest of
the state and even from elsewhere in the country. The school is funded
by grants and private contributions from corperations as well as individuals,
so there will be no tuition paid by the students or their families. Jacob
Levy, a board member of the school, said this, "We want /all/ children
who are eligable to be able to participate. It shouldn't be restricted
to the rich or influential. Intelligence and creativity know no social
distinction. We generally feel we shouldn't bother with one either." The
school plans to be accepting students for the fall semester, a small class
but expanding once more facilities are built and dormitories are made available
to them. "We owe it to these special children to give them our best so
they can be their best."
Company Rocks Computer World
Wed May 26
Taenarus Technologies, a New Orleans based high-technology firm, made its first step into the wilderness of the software markets a big one as it released its new office suite, Oracle 2002, at the annual Seattle Trade Fair. Rumors ran rampant about the ease of its use and the thinness of its code. Software super-giant Microsoft's represenatives could not be reached for comment.
"What makes Oracle 2002 so bold is it is trying to pry away MS Office's grip on the market by beating them at its own game," says industry analyst Brett Spengler. "The same efficiency with less bloat. If Taenarus Tech can deliver on their promises, they might just give They Who Must Be Obeyed a run for its money."
Features of the new office suite include a remarkable concept of system requirements-the system will run off of very many operating systems-Windows 2000, Windows 98, Linux, as well as Windows 95 and even the ancient Windows 3.1, though not at full strength. The secret to this remarkable adaptability is concealed within the code and the mind of the secretive programmer, William Hazzard. First looks also show it to be very user-friendly and takes forty percent less space than Office 2000.
Oracle 2002 to is specifically focussed on the company computer system, but industry experts say that it would not be long before Taenarus came out with a home version. They are even more shocked as Taenarus is not known for its software at all.
The suite won't be released in stores until May 1st, 2002.
In the Technology Section
Fri May 28
Dr. Armallah Kafbata of Nairobi, Kenya, has been named Interim Director
of the Hayward Genetic Center, one of the city's more prominant research
facilities, until the return of Dr. Marilyn Bizalion, who has taken an
extended leave of absence in order to pursue research opportunities in
her native England. Kafbata states taht this is not expected to affect
current research, or interfere with any of the Center's dealings with Elks
Hospital, such as genetic testing and counselling.
World News - Solar Reflector
Wed Jun 2
MOSCOW, RUSSIA -- The Solar Reflector mirror was boosted in to low orbit
earlier this week and deployed to test the ability to reflect sunlight
back to the earth, creating a daytime in the night. The Russian government,
who kept the actual focus location of the test a secret, declared the test
to be extremely promising. The lead project engineer, Ivan Chernoden said,
"We were very, very pleased with the initial results of the test. We were
able to maintain a full square mile of sunlight for almost four hours before
the mirror had to be retracted." The Russian government statted that they
will be retrieving the mirror to continue to work on it. They expect to
retest it as soon as the summer of 2002.
Followup: Native American Lawsuit
Wed Jun 2
WASHINGTON, DC -- The United States Congress has begun proceedings to
deal with the charges and demands made by the Native American Tribal Council
(NATC) which were presented in the form of a lawsuit against the United
States over two weeks ago. There has been extremely mixed responses on
Capitol Hill over this and the President has been mostly silent on the
subject, other then to state that the situation would be studied extensively
and that work would be done to set things right. The lawsuit has divided
the nation in opinion polls, causing an interesting controversy. Sen John
Hannon (R) of North Dakota said, agree that they were not treated with
respect or with honesty in the beginning. However, it seems to me that
the country can not be expected to reorganize itself around them after
a hundred years." The debate includes the fact that some of the land the
Native American tribes involved in the council lay claim to include several
places where US military installations exist.
Iran Radical Overdoses
Wed Jun 2
TEHRAN, IRAN -- Radical cleric Muhammed al-Jaheem was found dead, apparently
of a heroin overdose, in his small living quarters which are attached to
the mosque where he worshipped and met with his followers. Muhammed, known
was a radical among radicals, fervently called for a renewal of hostilities
against the American-British power block. The method of his death sent
a shockwave through the religious community in Tehran, particularly among
his followers. The Tehran police are currently investigating the incident
but have found evidence linking the cleric and his organization to recent
drug smuggling activities.
Potchenkin Named Chief of Surgery
Wed Jun 9
Dr. Galina Potchenkin, a noted surgeon and researcher, has been named
Chief of Surgery for Elks Medical Plaza. The doctor has been in the city
for several months, interviewing with the board of directors and discussing
contracts. Mr Wilford Haight, one board member said, "Not only does Dr.
Potchenkin bring depth to our research capability and unparalleled skills
as a surgeon, she is also capable of leading the hospitals inter-relationship
with the community."
It seems the proverbial Fat Lady has sung her last note with the critically acclaimed band, Blade Fetish, and what a fine note it is. Their latest, and last masterpiece of music achievement has been poured into an album titled 'Denouement.' Reportedly, the album itself took a mere four days to complete, though with Gideon Wylder's expertise, it's not incredibly surprising.
It's the pinnacle of the Blade Fetish sound missing only the rich vocals of deceased frontman Erick Engler. Darkwave at its best with abiding classical overtones, on tracks 'Epiphany', and 'Aldebaran II.' Solemn, haunting; a maelstrom of emotion and a soothing balm. Destruction. Rebirth. Fear. Peace. Everything and nothing. Simply put: exquisite.
No statement has been issued as to any future projects for Wylder, though we'll have to keep our fingers crossed in the hopes that the Brit will grace us with his music stylings in the years to come.
A tribute album is already in the works, on the roster so far is ex-Spice
Girl Geri Halliwell, and the Grammy-award winning songstress Celine Dion.
No word whether or not the reports that Hanson will cover 'Bloody Glass
Roses' are true, but we can always dream.
ORACLE 2002 Released
Tue Jun 15
Oracle 2002 was released today to brisk sales. The new software package
has been causing quite a stir in the software world by challenging the
Microsoft hegemony. Many companies, possibly tired of Microsofts bloatware,
are attracted to the office suite, which takes up forty-percent less RAM
than Office, yet still can compete with the older system in features. Oracle
2002 was built designed and built by Taenarus Technologies of New Orleans,
under the direction of William Hazzard, its designer, and CEO Jennifer
Hague. A spokesperson said that "To say we were not confident of strong
sales would be a lie. However, we are pleased that companies seem to be
very interested in our product." Microsoft spokespeople had no comment
on Oracle 2002's release.
Street Project Continues
Tue Jun 15
The Street Department has announced that as of yesterday, the project
to replace all the streetl amps in New Orleans has reached its ten percent
completion mark with the historic Vieux Carre neighborhood. The new halogen
street lamps replace some lamps that had been with the city for thirty
years, and not only will increase the light supplied, but also use less
electricity. Both civic and environmentalist groups applauded the action.
Historic groups were glad to note as well that the streetlamps on historic
Bourbon Street were /not/ replaced, nor will they be. "We want to keep
the old world charm of Bourbon Street," said a spokesperson for the department.
There is sufficient light there to merit keeping the old system.
Sewer workers remain on strike
Sat Jun 19
IC Date: Sunday, May 5th, 2002
CITYDESK - Chuck Delaney is one of only three sewer workers who
today's duty is to picket City Hall, with a worn placard saying "City unfair
to workers". He smokes a GNC cigarette as he talks about how the rest of
the union is still strong. "Oh hell yeah, we ain't breaking yet. They offered
us money, but that tain't the reason we be out. They get them a bunch of
scabs in to work our jobs, and you know what? They don't keep him, because
they run off or get sucked up in that morass down theres." Edgar "Sandy"
Hugenot, union representative, concurs. "Our issues have not been addressed.
They have managers in the tubes now, doing jobs that absolutely need to
be done. how dangerous these sewers are have spread all through Louisiana.
I hear they are bringing scabs in as far as Little Rock." City Sewer Department
spokesman Andy Crandle confirms there have been more disappearances. "We
still swear to the safety of the sewer system. But we feel these accidents
may not be accidents, and, while we have no desire to believe the Union
has anything to do with it, have asked the police to designate officers
to accompany sewer workers." Police spokesperson Pat Briscoe confirms that
NOPD officers will, for the time being, accompany sewer workers underneath
the city. The city is also bringing in structural engineers and civil engineers
to do a comprehensive survey of the sewer system.
White Supremacist to Speak.
Sat Jun 19
Despite numerous petitions by locals, noted anthropologist, author of
the books _A Bell Curve in the Road_ and _Tribes_ and white supremacist
lecturer, Eric Patterson, will be speaking this coming Wednesday at Delgado
Community College. New Orleans is one stop on the tour touting his latest
book, _Urban Spears_, which has included a stopover on Larry King and Politically
Incorrect. Patterson is noted for his firebrand speaking style which lead
to rioting in Baltimore. Protesting is expected. The NOPD has issued a
statement that officers assigned to crowd control will have a zero tolerance
policy on civil disobedience.
Rat Numbers Very Low
Sun Jun 20
IC Date: Monday, May 6th, 2002
CITYDESK - The Lousiana State Department of Health reported today
that the entire New Orleans Metro Area currently has a welcomed shortage
- rats. In keeping with statistical data, the vermin population of this
usually heavily infested city is staggeringly low. New Orleans, with it's
ports and low latitude, usually ranks up with New York and Chicago in vermin
per capita. But the recently completed survey shows that, even after the
spring breeding season, rat populations are low as to be almost non-existant.
Harold Guraine, of the Department of Health, explains "Usually, when there
is such a dip in in population, there usually some obvious cause...flooding,
burning, a large influx of predators, such as cats. But it seems stray
cats and dogs are at historic lows also, so this is a puzzle. We are hoping
that there is no viral infection sweeping the population of vermin, and
it's sort of good we haven't seen any evidence of that. Still, we are curious
as to what is going on." It is estimated that rodent infestation costs
the city of New Orleans 250 million dollars a year, at normal populations.
Family Missing
Mon Jun 21
Thursday, May 9th, 2002
CITYDESK - Police reported today that an etire family may have been
a victim of foul play. Relatives entering the house of Frank and Elizabeth
Goshen, of the 300 block of Governor Nichols, were shocked and dismayed
to find the lower floor of the entire house in disarray, and no sign of
the Goshens or their three children. Police spokespeople and eyewitnesses
report that every bit of furniture was smashed, and it look like someone
had been swinging a sledge hammer into the walls. Police are keeping the
rest of the details close to the vest, but relatives and neighbors said
no vaulables were taken.
JAKHARTA, INDONESIA The city of Jakharta is embroiled in the worst
rioiting it has seen in a decade. Following the murder of the Christian
Indonesian Coalition (CIC) leader Peter Shankara, the city has exploded
in to violence. Muslim and Christians are marching in the streets, attacking
each other with guns, bottles, explosives, rocks and
NEW ORLEANS, May 13 (Reuters) Danvers and Colby Media (NYSE:
DCME), one of the largest advertising firms out of New York, announced
on Monday, the 13th, that it's completed the regional offices that have
been rumored for some time. Offices have already opened in other countries
to help with international media concerns. This opening office is in New
Orleans, Louisiana.
''We recognize that different locales have different flavors. We have always sent scouts or executives into locations to study the feel wanted. We're taking that one step further, now. New Orleans is only the first step in our focus on major markets in the United States,'' said Ken Donaldson, executive in charge of the expansion projects.
The New Orleans office will focusing on accounts that originate in the
southern states, as well as those accounts that seek the change from New
York City style of advertising. The office environment will also be different
from that in New York City, from reports. In the press release, it was
noted, ''the executive in charge of the New Orleans ophey had been proven
right. Union representative Edgar "Sandy" Huguenot claimed victory. "We
told them it was unsafe, but they wouldn't listen. Now, not only is Louis
Armstrong Park closed off, but they are going to settle millions of dollars
of claims. And they've lost the good will of our Union. Don't think we
won't remember this, when our contract is up in 2004."
City spokespeople had no comment, but did admit that the work
back up will take several months of costly overtime to catch up, and that
the Corp of Engineers have closed off the area around the Picnic area in
Louis Armstrong Park to study the rock strata to see why the large amount
of methane is forming there.
Wedding Announcement
Sun Jun 27
World renowned neural surgeon and phlebotomist, Dr. Adam N. Piersen, PhD MD, is set to wed New Orleans Police Coroner Dr. Wendy Criken in a private ceremony at the groom's sister's residence on an as yet unannounced date in the fall of 2002.
The couple announce their engagement even though Dr. Piersen, currently on leave from his residency at Elks Place Medical Plaza, is in abstentia, visiting colleagues in Calcutta, India on a lengthy sabattical which may keep him away for a few years, though the praised surgeon did show in his native New Orleans to gift the bride with a 16th century Italian diamond from the Borgia collection, and sends word of his imminent arrival for his own nuptuals.
The couple have decided upon a private. closed ceremony. Dr. Piersen first received recognition for his cutting-edge medical procedures and was once rumoured to have been up for the Nobel Prize in Medicine, yhough he chose to remove himself from the list of cantidates, the reclusive doctor citing personal ethics as his reasoning. Amazingly, out of some sixteen hundred cancer patients, Dr. Piersen has not yet lost a one. Dr. Criken is a long time resident of New Orleans and permanent fixture within the police department.
The couple refused to comment upon their choice of honeymoon destinations.
Mysterious disappearances continue
Sun Jun 27
IC Date: May 18th, 2002
CITY DESK - City officials reported today that five more people
have disappeared underneath the city. Two municipal sewer system managers,
a civil engineer from Colgate University in New York, and two New Orleans
police department officers have been missing for forty eight hours. They
were last seen entering the sewers Thursday morning, in Jackson Square.
Robert Evangeline, 46, and Melidio Ramirez, 36, were two long time Department
of Sewer supervisors, who was tasked with repairing a sluice gate meter
at the intersection of Decatur and St Anne. henry Montefusco, 52, of the
Engineering Department of Colgate University, volunteered to go with the
two managers, so as to see if there was any credibility to the Sewer Workers
Union claims of unsafe areas of the sewers. As is the new policy, two NOPD
officers, Rudolph "Rudy" Giancarlo, 32, and Pierre DuMont, 23, accompanied
them. As of now, said City Sewer Deparment spokesperson Andy Crandle "They
seem to have disappeared". Police do suspect foul play, but refuse to comment
on why this is. In related news, New Orleans, the city's image has taken
a battering in national pundits, calling into question the city's honesty,
safety, and competency.
NOPD detective missing
Mon Jun 28
IC Date: Sunday, May 19th, 2002
CITYDESK - In another baffling and frightening occurence, fifteen year
homicide detective John Gorman, 42, was reported missing today. he had
been assigned the cases of the missing Goshen family, and the five men
who went missing Thursday. While there is no idea where John Gorman was
last seen, his car was found on Decatur and St Ann, and it is possible
that he was investigating those disapperances when he vanished. The governor
called the situation grave, while Mike Matthews, state senator, asked for
the Army Corp of Engineers to settle the mystery once and for all. City
Council will hold an emergency meeting on the epidemic of disappearances
on Thursday, May 24th, at 8pm (RL 8pm, EST)
Top-rung Ad Company Moves In
Wed Jun 30
NEW ORLEANS, May 13 (Reuters) - Danvers and Colby Media (NYSE: DCME), one of the largest advertising firms out of New York, announced on Monday, the 13th, that it's completed the regional offices that have been rumored for some time. Offices have already opened in other countries to help with international media concerns. This opening office is in New Orleans, Louisiana.
''We recognize that different locales have different flavors. We have always sent scouts or executives into locations to study the feel wanted. We're taking that one step further, now. New Orleans is only the first step in our focus on major markets in the United States,'' said Ken Donaldson, executive in charge of the expansion projects.
The New Orleans office will focusing on accounts that originate in the southern states, as well as those accounts that seek the change from New York City style of advertising. The office environment will also be different from that in New York City, from reports. In the press release, it was noted, ''the executive in charge of the New Orleans operations is originally from Louisiana and has been with the firm for over 10 years.''
Danvers and Colby Media is a premier level advertising firm, handling
all aspects of product placement from print ads to the cinema. Global offices,
spanning Europe, the Pacific Rim and the Americas, have brought in record-setting
revenues for the advertising arena. Danvers and Colby Media is traded on
the NYSE as DCME. To learn more about Danvers and Colby Media, visit the
World Wide Web at http://www.danverscolby.com. (OOC: http://www.acmenet.net/~ginger/ccity/dc.html)
Sewage Situation
Tue Jul 6
IC Date: Friday, May 24th, 2002
CITY DESK - An emergency meeting was held by the City Council last night
at City Hall to address the recent disappearances and related problems
in the city sewer system. It was decided that the City Sewer Department
will refrain from doing any further maintenance on the sewer system, until
after the US Army Corp of Engineers arrives early next week. Sewer Department
spokesman Andy Crandle admitted that the sewer system is already in poor
repair due to the prolonged sewer worker strike. Early this week, city
works had to scramble to control rising sewage in the 300 block of Governor
and Nicholls. They were able to remedy the problem before the situation
became more dangerous. Crandle said that should another similar incident
occur, there is little that can be done. "Whatever happens, will have to
wait until Tuesday. So we (are) crossing our fingers," he said. Crandle
stated that rising sewage can pose a very serious health hazard to residents
if city water supplies become contaminated. He warned that residents should
be wary of any water that looks, smells, or tastes unusual. "If the water
doesn't look good, its probably not," he said.
The Tribune caught up with some area citizens to get their feelings
on the current sewer crisis in New Orleans. They were all asked: How do
you feel about the current situation with the city sewers, and what are
your thoughts on the possibility of sewerage erupting into the streets
and contaminating city drinking waters?
Alec Hill, Casino Floor Manager: What a horrible thought. I think
the city council needs to stop sitting on their asses and do something
about this, before we're all ankle-deep in our own excrement.
Andrea McKeon, Private Investigator: I think that's definitely
something the council and the department of water and sewer treatments
needs to work on. I guess fresh drinking water and nicely flushing toilets
is something we get used to and don't even think about. To be honest I
hadn't thought the problem through to that conclusion. Just been worried
about all the disappearances.
Zadi Bywaters, Student-Artist: I can tell you I'm upset, anxious,
and more than a bit on edge by this whole thing. Now, what I think is...they
better quit sending people down there without some tracking devices. And
if the water gets worse than it was, maybe something will get done.
Ivo Dominguez, Author: Major cities have lost water and sewer
service before. A major flood, hurricane or earthquake can knock them out.
As long as the city government can handle the distribution of safe drinking
water, it shouldn't be a problem. Many people disappearing without a trace,
that's the problem. Who are the Army Corps of Engineers sending to look
into the matter, their expert tunnel fighting team? If the NOPD can't handle
the investigation, they should call in the State Police or the FBI or someone
like that. No one can handle the maintenance problems if their workers
keep
Backpage news.
Tue Jul 6
Saturday, June 1st, 2002
CITY DESK - Audobon Zoo authorities reported today that a 14 foot African
Rainforest Emerald Boa has escaped from it's cage in the reptile exhibit,
sometime in the last weekend. The Boa is one of the oldest reptiles on
exhibit, and zoo officials have put up a $10,000 reward for it's safe return.
Please contact Mavis Alberman, at (504)555-7323, if you have information
concerning this.
19 Army Engineers Killed in sewer
Tue Jul 6
IC Date: June 1, 2002
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - In a what seems to be an end to the Gulf Coast city's
problems with it's sewer system, two US Army Corp of Engineers squads were
decimated that by a methane gas explosion in an ancient viaduct under Louis
Armstrong Park in downtown New Orleans. The Engineers had been asked to
come into the city by the Governor due to a rash of disappearances over
the last five months. At least twenty three individuals had been listed
as missing in connection with being in the sewers. Colonel Robert Duffy
of the Engineers is convinced that the situation is under control. "We
found a faulty methane dector in the area and several bodies, before the
explosion, which we believe was called by a surveyor sight metal tip sparking
off a concrete wall " Questions still remain. Sewer Department spokesperson
Andrew Crandle had been quoted earlier that in searching for the previously
missing men , the city was sure it was not methane, because they would
have found bodies in a detailed search. Sources indicate a lawsuit maybe
filed against the city by both the Sewer Worker's Union, and relatives
of some of the missing. -(With contibutions from Jack Wrigley, of the New
Orleans Tribune)
Sewer workers return to work
Wed Jul 7
IC Date: June 4, 2002
CITYDESK - With assurances from the US Army that the situation was taken
care of, the Sewer Workers Union went back to work today, confidant and
happy that they had been proven right. Union representative Edgar "Sandy"
Huguenot claimed victory. "We told them it was unsafe, but they wouldn't
listen. Now, not only is Louis Armstrong Park closed off, but they are
going to settle millions of dollars of claims. And they've lost the good
will of our Union. Don't think we won't remember this, when our contract
is up in 2004." City spokespeople had no comment, but did admit that the
work back up will take several months of costly overtime to catch up, and
that the Corp of Engineers have closed off the area around the Picnic area
in Louis Armstrong Park to study the rock strata to see why the large amount
of methane is forming there.
Local Man Found Shot
Thu Jul 8
(Jackson Freer) Several nights ago, a local man named Steven
Callam was found shot to death in an underground parking garage on the
waterfront side of the city. The thirty four year old man was apparently
shot several times and the police arrived rather promptly on the scene,
alerted by a 911 call to the site about several gunshots. Apparently, however,
there were no witnesses who actually viewed the sight although one man
claimed to have seen someone fleeing the location. The description of a
large, dark haired caucasian male dressed in casual clothing in his mid
to late twenties wearing a pair of glasses.
On the scene, the police discovered an unidentified white powdery
substance in the man's left breas6t pocket, a substance which a policeman
on the site speculated could have been a controlled substance of some sort.
Additionally, the pollice found the murder weapon not long afterwards.
New Orleans Tribune investigation has concluded that the man
was a known small time pimp and drug dealer but curiously, both his money
and the druglike substance were left on his body. And to remain further
mysterious, the police have been exceedingly uncooperative in offering
information on this case. Perhaps something occured which the police are
not interested in having the public knowing.
Captain's Identity Found
Thu Jul 15
NEW ORLEANS The identity of the German submarine captain whose
body was recently found on the bridge of a U81 recovered from the Mississippi
several monthes ago has finally been released. Captain Detlev Wilhelm Koenig
was the only member of the U81 crew to go down with the ship when it sunk
during WWII. A recipient of the Iron Cross, his only remaining family is
a brother in the States. However, the German government has begun to make
arrangements to return the body to Germany for a proper military burial.
NeoNazi Plan Pilgrimage
Thu Jul 15
BONN A number of neoNazi groups have begun choosing members to
send abroad to accompany the body of newly discovered WWII Nazi submarine
Captain Detlev Koenig back to Germany. The groups claim Captain Koenig
as a hero of the Third Reich and are being vocally supported by several
White Supremetist groups in the United States, who also plan to journey
to New Orleans to see off their 'brother'.
BERLIN An organization called the Survivors of the Holocaust has
issued a formal protest with the German government and the European Union
over the plans to give a hero's welcome and burial to Captain Detlev Koenig,
a WWII submarine captain whose ship went down in the Mississippi River
and was recently recovered by the civil engineers. Their protest is supported
by a number of nationalist groups from the United States and the government
of Isreal. Already, two groups of extremists have issued threats of terrorism
directed at the excavated U81 and the body of the Nazi. One is radical
Jewish group dedicated to tracking down Nazi war criminals and the second
is a rabidly nationalistic terrorist group called the Right Hand of God,
which has in the past advocated terrorism towards Japanese and Serbian
residents of the United States.
NEW ORLEANS Anticipating the imminant removal of the newly discovered
remains of Captain Detlav Koenig, a WWII Nazi submarine commander, a number
of white supremetist and neoNazi groups have camped out in sight of the
warehouse where the remains and the recovered submarine are being kept.
Quite a few local residents have complained about their presence and a
large protest yesterday night by a Jewish student organization at Tulane
have raised tensions high and caused the police to stake a permanent presence
at the site, until things die down.
Police Rocked by Scandal
Tue Jul 27
Two days ago Officer Matthew Dykes was arrested by the New Orleans Police Department for the murder of Steven Callan, a local small time drug dealer and pimp. Officer Dykes is a vetern of the New Orleans Police Department and was apparently up for a promotion soon before he was arrested. The officer in question reportedly had a relationship with a woman who was a known prostitute. Police suspect revenge was the motive for murder as it seems the deceased, Steven Callan, had beaten Matthew Dyke's love interest severely several nights before the murder.
Matthew Dykes is currently out on bail of 500,000$ and is going
to stand trial for first degree murder.
Engineer jumps from Pontalbo St Ann
Wed Aug 4
<CityDesk> July 15th, 2002 In the early morning hours,
PFC Hector Umberto Garcia fell off the Pontalbo St Ann Apartment complex,
an apparent suicide. Garcia, age 25, of Lake Charles, LA, was a member
of the National Gaurd, assigned to the 314th Enginner Battalion, US Army
Corp of Engineers. The Engineers have been camped in half of Louis Armstrong
Park, working to repair the sewer system and rock strata from methane leaks
thet killed over forty earlier this year. The Army had no comment about
Garcia's tragic death.
Explosion in New Orleans!
Mon Aug 9
<AP> New Orleans, LA Tuesday, July 23rd In what can
be considered the worst non wartime disasters for the United Sates Army,
a series of explosions rocked an Army encampment last night in one of the
most famous parks in New Orleans.
At approximately 7pm Central standard time, when most of the
members of the 314th Battalion Army Corp of Engineers, Lousiana National
Gaurd were beginning to be served the evening meal, the sewer system underneath
the famous Louis Armstrong Park's picnic area erupted in a series of at
least eight explosions, which caused wholesale destruction to the unit's
encampment, and even damaged the Congo sqaure portion of the park. Since
there were over 600 soldiers and several FBI agents at the park, but at
press time, it had only been officially stated as 213 dead, 345 injured,
and 45 missing. The names have not yet been released.
Jay Daniels, of the US Geological Survey, one of the first to
arrive on the scene, thinks he understands what happened. "Well, according
to records, the Corp of Engineers was down here trying to reduce a dangerous
methane deposit. We will continue to look to see what happened, but from
my reasoning, and an examination of the site, I believe that the rest of
the methane detonated at once." Daniels pointed to large deposits of obsidian
found in the detritus. "The obsidian, which is very rare for a non volcanic
area, may have 'trapped' the methane within it's structure, and a fan the
Army may have been using ignited a pocket. When the pocket blew, it ruptured
a second pocket, and so on and so on. Seeing that the osidian vein seems
to be localized to Louis Armstrong Park, I highly doubt they'll be any
more events like this."
Meanwhile, the retrieval of the bodies has been slow, and there
is an idea afoot to allow those wwho perished to rest forever at the site.
"While the ground will be able to support park activities," say Daniels,
"The damage to the strata could make retreival of all the bodies not only
costly, but impractical, timewise." When asked what he felt about that,
a distraught Leuitenant Colonel Robert Duffy, commanding officer of the
314th, replied, "That's.....great. The whole .....damn thing needs to be
buried, forver." Colonel Duffy was then ushered to Fort Polk for debriefing.
In an odd twist, members of local communities have begun to gather
in Congo Square, just off the blast site, where they seem to be keeping
some sort of vigil. When asked, a local man who refused to be indentified
, replied. "We be prayin' for the souls of the soldiers, and for the storm
that be coming out of their deaths." Local churches and synogogues had
already begun collecting contributions for the victim's families.
Hit and run in Congo Square
Wed Aug 11
IC: Wednesday, July 24th
(CityDesk) Late last night, a Yellow taxi that had been
stolen moments before, plowed into a group of Voudon practitioners praying
for the souls of the tragically killed Army Engineers. No one was hurt
seriously. A woman apparently was thrown to the pavement, but was not seriously
hurt."
Body found on the Wharf.
Tue Aug 17
While walking on the wharf, a Mr. Fallon found a gruesome sight; the
horribly disfigured corpse of an unidentified man. Sources in the NOPD
say this is not the first of these mutilated bodies to be found on our
streets. The first was found in the alleyway next to the Lost Raven, a
bar on Bourbon Street. How many more of these horrifying deaths have there
been without the public being told?
Elks Fundraiser Successful!
Tue Aug 24
Tuesday, July 30th, 2002
(City Desk) Tuesday, July 30th Doctor Brian Fraun, Administrator
of the Elks Plaza Hospital was pleased to report that the charity gala,
organized by head of surgery Doctor Galina Potchenkin, was a success. Many
of the city's elite attended the event and a little over half a million
dollars was donated to the hospital.
Doctor Fraun was quoted as saying, "This really is great for
us. It allows us to expand our facilities better and to provide more adequate
service to the community as well as permitting us to continue our dedication
to advancing the knowledge of medical science."
New Orleans own little industrigoth has released yet another CD, known as Coil to his fans and detractors alike, this artist is nothing if not prolific and this new album entitled Snowcash is an excellent addition to his portfolio. As following the failure of his last album, 'Necrolestes', Coil has clearly decided to move from the pseudogothic in to a full shift in to the techno/industrial genre. And when I say techno, I mean it. Not just in style but in content as well. This album is clearly designed to be listenable but he has not abandoned those of his fans who just like to /dance/ to his music. The selections on this CD include Snowcrash, Carnival 2.5, Thermal Noise, Stalingothik, Rain, Biomechanic and Skyward. Each one of them maintaining a theme while being excellently done, one can not help but notice the increase in quality of the recording and editing which was done.
Coil does a very good job of representing a variety of themes in this CD, with the brutally technophilic Biomechanic, the vaguely cynical look at politics with Stalingothik, the strangeness of life which love can bring in Thermal Noise and a beautiful piece of work about dreams and freedom with Skyward.
It is clear to this reviewer that Coil has matured somewhat artistically and the material success of his previous albums has allowed him to increase the quality of his recordings. And while some of his pieces are unusual, all of them are well done and the whole album is worth listening to.
Grade: A
Review:Midsummer Night's Dream
Wed Aug 25
The debut of Midsummer Night's Dream, presented by The Magic Theatre:
For Madmen Only, was a smash. ALthough at first it seemed to be yet another
tired rendition of shakespeare's strangest comedy, it turned into a magical
affair. Though the acting was at best amateurish, there were a few talented
people who made the performance a pleasure to watch. Holly WalkerAshley
certainly stole the show (and I think a few hearts as well) as Hermia,
to be followed by a cunning Julien Fontainbleau as Puck. The top of them
all was Johnny Wishbone as Oberon, replacing the absent David Dowling.
While the play began shabby and drab, emulating a group of students raiding
their closets for costumes, and making the sets from leftover wood found
in the dumpster, it soon became apparent that this was to offset the brilliant
genius found in the design once they entered Oberon's wood. LIke the Wizard
of Oz, it went from blah to fantastic. I highly recommend seeing this performance,
and I believe that this company will entertain us all with more experimental
theatre in the future.
Local Celebrity Missing
Tue Aug 31
(OOC: This appears on page 3, above the fold, about 3
days ago. )
Former Football Star and Actor Missing
Richard DeBroche, a former wide receiver for Tulane University and the Carolina Panthers, and a star of several movies including "By Dawn's Light", was reported missing today. Witnesses say that Mr. DeBroche was forced into a car by four people wearing black suits, however, neither the NOPD nor any federal agency has a record of such an arrest. Some suspect the involvement of organized crime.
The NOPD missing persons report states that Mr. DeBroche was last seen on Royal Street. Anyone with information to his whereabouts is invited to call the Silent Witness hotline.
( OOC: A head shot of Richard is next to the article.
)
(OOC: This article appears at the bottom of the front page, despite its very short length. All the local papers carry approximately the same story, as do a few national papers (though they tend to put it a little further back). There are also a few brief pieces on TV news about it.)
DEBROCHE DEAD, 1 INJURED IN NOPD SWAMP RAID
By Carl Hurst
Oscar-nominated actor and former football star Richard DeBroche was
found dead at an undisclosed location in the swamps of Jefferson Parish,
revealed the New Orleans Police Department last night. Police officials
remain tight-lipped about the exact circumstances under which the famous
man, missing since (( day )), was found, but Jefferson Parish Deputy Samuel
Dooley suggests that the usual signs of a kidnapping were not present.
"We never recovered a ransom note and found no evidence that he was being
held against his will." admitted Dooley, though both Jefferson Parish and
New Orleans police state that no conclusions are being made until DeBroche's
autopsy is completed.
No arrests were made . Captain Alan Longstreet of the NOPD suffered minor injuries and a NOPD consultant, David Dowling, was severely injured when a firearm exploded during the search. Dowling, a theater producer whose consulting work with the NOPD was previously unknown, is at Elks Medical Center in critical but stable condition. Mr. DeBroche is survived only by his adoptive cousin, Kelly Baron.