Monthly Archives: August 2017

“Coming Home,” by Rod Moorhead, a memorial in the “Field of Angels” dedicated to 2,200 enslaved children who died before they turned three, at the Whitney Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana in July 2017. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert The curator of Whitney Plantation … Continue reading →

It’s raining hard again here in New Orleans, and my heart’s beating like an anxious dog’s. I have spent the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this week trying to talk my 80-year-old father into evacuating his home north of Houston, and … Continue reading →

Back when this Donald Drumpf fiasco was still a little bit funny (I think we all agree it’s no longer funny in the slightest), many comedy fans accused Orange Julius Caesar of ripping off insult comedian and lounge singer, Tony Clifton. In … Continue reading →

David Drake was the only good teacher I ever had, or at least the only teacher I was glad to run into later in life. David was a college English II professor of mine back in Florida. He was youngish … Continue reading →

Brain surgeon-turned-Drumpf administration head of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Dr. Ben Carson, toured two of New Orleans’ revamped housing project developments last Tuesday, along with Governor John Bel Edwards and representatives from both HANO and HUD. The two developments, … Continue reading →

At the risk of sounding pretentious: New Orleans began removing our Confederates monuments months before it became fashionable. Following South Carolina’s lead after the 2015 Dylan Roof shootings, Mayor Mitch Landrieu—whose policies have otherwise done more to burden local African Americans than to help … Continue reading →

Robin Grisaffe and a friend were caught on the I-10 bridge in creeping traffic and increasing rain as the waters rose around the city. “Traffic was so bad my friend wanted to exit sooner than we otherwise would have,” says … Continue reading →

For 20 years now, the members of Egg Yolk Jubilee have practiced in the “Jefferson Orleans North” ballroom in Metairie, performing their songs for what looks like an empty senior prom. The seven current band members set up their gear … Continue reading →

I grew up in Ft. Myers, Florida, a retirement town at that time, though the gorgeous beaches and bountiful fishing there might’ve tricked you into thinking Florida was America’s greatest state. The area was also bountiful with professional wrestling, which … Continue reading →

Scott Eustis did not stop smiling for hours. The coastal wetland specialist with the Gulf Restoration Network was attending a public hearing in Baton Rouge. Its subject was a pipeline extension that would run directly through the Atchafalaya Basin, the world’s largest … Continue reading →