By: Allen Johnson

Mayor Ray Nagin, Police Chief Warren Riley, and tourism industry officials last week kicked off a $1 million police recruiting drive to offset the phased withdrawal of 300 National Guard troops from New Orleans beginning next month. “We want to get to 1,600 officers as quickly as possible,” Riley says, optimally by mid-2009. Read the rest of this entry »

by Alejandro de los Rios

From ESPN.com comes this fantastic profile about Chris “Birdman” Andersen that sheds incredible light on the player, his past and his estranged relationship with his mother. It’s actually a pretty heart-wrenching story — published on mother’s day, no less — about how Andersen hasn’t seen his mother since a fight they had while he was on the Denver Nuggets three years ago.

It certainly shes new light on Birdman, a long-time fan favorite, and his struggles coping with his father’s abandonment when he was young and living rough-shot in rural Texas. Linda Holubec, Andersen’s mom, had to feed her three children diamond-head snakes and worked three jobs to pay for bills. She also ran in a biker gang and shot her first gun when she was 10. It is a must read for any Hornets fan or if you’re looking for a reminder to show some love to all the moms out there today.

By: Clancy DuBos

The field of potential candidates posturing to run for Leon Cannizzaro’s just-vacated seat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal is growing almost by the day. So far, those eyeing the race include several sitting judges — Ron Sholes and Paul Bonin of Traffic Court, and David Bell of Juvenile Court — and former Civil Court Clerk Dan Foley. Sholes, a partner at the Adams and Reese law firm, already has a billboard at the corner of Poydras and South Rampart streets asking voters to “promote” him to the appellate court. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Jeremy Alford

Despite campaign hoopla to the contrary, pet local projects and “slush” still make their way into the state budget — to the tune of more than $77 million as of last week. These days, they’re called NGOs, or nongovernmental organizations, and lawmakers can direct state funds to them via the state’s operating budget. The ostensible purposes range from economic development to drug treatment, and recipient groups vary from religious organizations to social services outfits. Read the rest of this entry »