Free Republic

The manager of a Kenner post office stole $630,000 worth of stamps and sold them online after losing more than $667,000 while gambling in recent years, federal authorities said this week. Prosecutors also allege Ryan Cortez, 46, embezzled nearly $10,000 from a church in Des Allemands that listed him as its treasurer. The alleged theft was to fuel a gambling problem to which he confessed, the feds allege. And in the process of allegedly stealing stamps, authorities said, Cortez made history by committing one of the largest internal thefts the U.S. Postal Service has ever seen.

A cat in Louisiana reportedly cut power to more than 7,500 people when it snuck into a substation early Monday. Entergy New Orleans tweeted around 9:30 a.m. the cat "got into a substation that feeds parts of Uptown, Central City, Mid-City, and the [Central Business District] and caused a flash when it came into contact with [their] equipment." Power was restored to customers hours later, around 11:30 a.m., the company said. The cat, which did not survive the incident, wasn't the first animal to find its way into a substation, but it was "unusual," Entergy said. "Generally, squirrels and other small...

DUDLEY — Police chiefs in Massachusetts have responded angrily to a remark by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren that the American criminal justice system is “racist ... front to back.” Ms. Warren, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, was speaking before an audience at historically black Dillard University in New Orleans Aug. 3 when she delivered what she called “the hard truth about our criminal justice system: It’s racist ... I mean, front to back.” Ms. Warren cited disproportionate arrests of African-Americans for petty drug possession; an overloaded public defender; and state laws that keep convicted felons from voting even after their...

New Orleans could once again become the home for the Super Bowl on Wednesday afternoon (May 23). That's when the city's contingent, led by the New Orleans Saints and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, will present a proposal to the NFL team owners to host the 2024 Super Bowl (58), according to the Saints and the GNOSF. New Orleans will be the only suitor for the 2024 Super Bowl at the league owners meetings, making its chances of landing the NFL's crowning event highly probable. The vote by the 31 other teams is expected to occur shortly after the...

On Tuesday night (April 23), President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will welcome Emmanuel Macron, president of France, and his wife, Brigitte, for the first state visit of the Trump administration. According to a press release from the first lady's office, every aspect of the visit was "all carefully selected by First Lady Melania Trump, to complement and pay homage to the long-standing friendship between the United States and France." Let's get to the most important matter: what are they eating? The main course, we're happy to report, will include jambalaya, "which will be cooked in a New...

The legacy: It was an annual plague. Every summer, as warm weather set in, New Orleans braced for an outbreak of yellow fever. Those who could afford it got the heck out, fleeing to the Northshore or farther. Those who couldn't, stayed. And they prayed. Nearly every year, hundreds of them would be killed anyway by the so-called "saffron scourge" -- sometimes thousands. Then, in 1900, a team led by Army doctor Walter Reed confirmed a key discovery: It was the mosquitoes. The winged pests weren't just annoying. They were deadly, spreading the virus that caused the disease. That breakthrough...

‘I think he’s a remarkable talent … on the Bill Clinton, Barack Obama scale,’ says one admirer of New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

A leader of the Black Lives Matter movement died early Wednesday morning in New Orleans after being shot in the thigh, according to multiple reports. Muhiyidin Elamin Moye, 32, was shot in the thigh while riding a bicycle, police told The New Orleans Advocate.

Full title...................Congressman With Cash In His Freezer Released From Prison Because The Bar For Corruption Is Higher Now....................Former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson was released from prison after serving less than half of his 13-year sentence, due to a Supreme Court ruling that increased the prosecutorial threshold for corruption charges. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III re-sentenced Jefferson, a former Democratic lawmaker, to time served Friday morning after vacating Jefferson’s last remaining conviction, according to The Washington Post. Ellis first sentenced Jefferson in 2009 on corruption charges, but was compelled to reduce the 13-year sentence due to the high court’s reinterpretation...

Fans booed New Orleans Saints players who knelt before the presentation of the American flag and the singing of the national anthem Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The boos rang down during a moment of silence for fallen NOPD officer Marcus McNeil, who was killed in the line of duty Friday. The fans cheered when the players stood before the anthem, which was performed by former Saintsation Deri Tucker. Sunday's game vs. the Lions was the Saints' first at the Dome since President Trump weighed in on protesting NFL players during a campaign rally in Alabama last month. Officer Marcus...

When Tropical Storm Nate formed and forecasts put New Orleans in its projected path for this weekend, one big question loomed for residents and business owners: Will the pumps work? "That's now a thought in everybody who lives in New Orleans," said Devin Shearman, a manager at Katie's restaurant and lounge, which flooded during an unexpected rainstorm Aug. 5. It was one of two flash floods this past summer that led to revelations about personnel and equipment problems at the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, the agency that runs the pumping system that drains the city. Some pumps weren't...

Lafayette beer company says it's pulling NFL, Saints branded items over anthem protests Advocate staff report Sep 27, 2017 - 9:56 am (0) Another Louisiana company has said it will no longer promote the NFL or New Orleans Saints brand after league-wide protests during the national anthem last week. Schilling Distributing Company, based in Lafayette, said it plans to pull all of its Bud Light "point of sale" material featuring the league and team's logo. "With all the negative attention the NFL is receiving right now due to these protests, we do not feel it is appropriate to associate our...

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says he is boycotting the New Orleans Saints after several players refused to stand during the national anthem on Sunday as part of a coordinated protest against social injustice and criticism from President Donald Trump about NFL activism. Nungesser, a Republican who is the state's chief tourism promoter, said that he views the protests as "un-American" and offensive to the military. "To know what that national anthem means to the veterans and their families ... If it hurts one of those families, it's not worth it," Nungesser said Tuesday by phone. He's currently in Germany promoting...

A Slidell-based Carnival krewe has uninvited a pair of New Orleans Saints players to serve as grand marshals for the krewe's 2018 parade after the players participated in a protest during the national anthem prior to Sunday's (Sept. 24) game, WVUE-Fox 8 reports. The Krewe of Poseidon took back invites to players Kenny Vaccaro and Alex Okafor, who had already agreed to serve as grand marshals, after they sat during the anthem in Charlotte, according to the news station. Vaccaro and Okafor were among 10 Saints and 150 professional football players around the National Football League who refused to stand...

WOW Cafe & Wingery of St. Bernard in Chalmette took to Facebook on Sunday afternoon to say it won't televise the Saints vs. Panthers game after a group of players participated in a protest during the national anthem. "I apologize to all of our guests but we will not be viewing the Saints game today in house," the post reads. "Some of our local players chose to sit during the National Anthem, which will not be supported or praised at WOW. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you." Lindsey Manasco, a 31-year-old manager, waitress and bartender...

NEW ORLEANS — With much of the city flooded by Hurricane Katrina, looters floated garbage cans filled with clothing and jewelry down the street in a dash to grab what they could. In some cases, looting on Tuesday took place in full view of police and National Guard troops. At a Walgreen’s drug store in the French Quarter, people were running out with grocery baskets and coolers full of soft drinks, chips and diapers. When police finally showed up, a young boy stood in the door screaming, “86! 86!” — the radio code for police — and the crowd scattered.

Left-wing rioters from Antifa drove to New Orleans in an armored assault vehicle, maced a woman in a wheelchair and defaced several Confederate statues. In exchange Confederate supporters landed punches and knocked an Antifa across the head with a flag pole. All of this happened Monday evening on May Day, a date significant to left-wing groups and which coincided with other uprisings around the country. Most of the violent activity occurred while police waited on the sidelines, according to sources who likened the situation to that in other liberal cities like Berkeley. Police were purportedly told to stand down while...

The fallout from last weekend's New Orleans flash flood continued Thursday. A state of emergency has been declared for Orleans Parish as drainage complications persist with the possibility of heavy rain Thursday and Friday. Here's a rundown of the new information unveiled so far Thursday... Fire damages turbine that powers pumps Much of New Orleans is at high risk of flooding Thursday and Friday because a fire overnight damaged the power source that runs most of the city’s pumps, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said early Thursday. The fire damaged one of five ancient turbines that power the Sewerage & Water Board’s...

@mayorlandrieu Notifying public of the potential risks associated with diminished pumping capacity for East Bank residents west of Industrial Canal Retweet: Bc the @NWSNewOrleans is forecasting rain today, City is urging residents in affected area to move vehicles to higher ground. After spending over a million to remove Confederate statues, Mayor Mitch Landrieu (touted now as a potential Democratic Presidential candidate for 2020) is having his city flooded for failure to maintain the pump system. Typical Democrat. The city is under sea level and relies on a system of pumps. Mayor Landrieu was too busy worrying about statues to worry...

NEW ORLEANS — All suspects have been arrested in connection to the robbery and beating of two tourists from Boston in the French Quarter. Nicholas Polgowski and Rashaad Piper were booked Wednesday morning into the Orleans Parish jail. This comes as the two other suspects, Dejuan Paul and Joshua Simmons, are currently being held without bail. The four men are being charged with second degree robbery in connection to the beating of two Boston tourists Saturday night on Bienville Street. One of the victims is still listed in critical condition. Police said the attack was reported before 9 p.m. in...