Features

Searching for Work: One Laborer’s Day

May 29th, 2009 | By Yamiche Alcindor | Category: Features

Albert Greenleaf says the worst part of his day is the waiting. He waits for work. He waits for a chance at food. He waits for an opportunity to do anything for money.



Redevelopment Is Still Hampered By Absentee Landowners

May 29th, 2009 | By Phillip Lucas | Category: Features

Leafy Oak trees on one side of deserted Madrid Street in New Orleans cast an eerie, flickering shadow over the other. Minutes away on Wuerpel Street, the weeds in some overgrown lawns scrape the bottoms of discolored roof gutters.

Nearly four years after Hurricane Katrina, a drive along these streets shows that home abandonment continues to be a major problem for the city.



Celebrating the Unsung Musical Roots of Louisiana

May 29th, 2009 | By Jessica Goff | Category: Features

Lazy Lester. Professor Longhair and Earl King. Slim Harpo, Guitar Gable and Lil Bob. They may not be burning up the airwaves much these days. But to anyone interested in the cultural roots of Louisiana, they are groundbreakers of modern music.



Musicians’ Village Builds on City’s Culture

May 28th, 2009 | By Jan Ransom | Category: Features

J.D. Hill said since Katrina it has been difficult to get gigs. The storm eliminated a lot of the clubs, and some of the owners do not want to pay. Without much money, he lived in what he describes as a “rat-trap” on St. Anthony Street until he found a home in the Musicians’ Village.



From the Strippers’ World, Tips on the Economy

May 28th, 2009 | By Jan Ransom | Category: Features

The recession has been bad for much of the work force, but for exotic dancers, the bad times are still good. Dancers and club owners in the French Quarter said sales have dropped, but tourists and businessmen continue to put money into the industry.



Art of Spoken Word Gets a Boost

May 28th, 2009 | By Craig Dewey Stanley II | Category: Features

In an art gallery tucked between a Caribbean restaurant and a full service laundry on a quiet street in Mid-City a group of teenagers and adults sat on the edges of their seats, full of anticipation.



A Barbershop Full of Memories Will Soon Be One

May 28th, 2009 | By Justin Phillips | Category: Features, Introduction

It’s a shame,” Sam Jupiter said with a heavy sigh. The 92-year-old barber took a step back from behind the customer sitting in the barber chair and set the clippers down on the counter. He pulled a small white towel from his side pocket and wiped sweat from his weathered cheeks and neck.



After Storm, the Rise of the Bug

May 28th, 2009 | By Diasia Sade Ellerbee | Category: Features

Nearly four years after Katrina in real-life New Orleans, entomologists say a change in the ecosystem has caused some bugs to proliferate and others to die off.



Homeless and Forgotten Years After Katrina

May 28th, 2009 | By Jamila T. Williams | Category: Features

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, New Orleans’ rate of homelessness is more than four times the national average.



For Each Visitor, a Different View of the City’s Recovery

May 28th, 2009 | By Traver Riggins | Category: Features

“You can capture 70 percent of New Orleans by just being in the French Quarter,” said Rohit Gopi, a New Orleans tourist.

While many would disagree with Gopi’s assessment of the New Orleans experience, the perceptions and misconceptions of those who visit New Orleans some four years after Hurricane Katrina are as varied as recipes for the perfect gumbo or étouffée.



The Streetcar: A Roller Coaster of Diversity

May 27th, 2009 | By Raymond Edward Tyler | Category: Features

Public transportation in New Orleans offers riders a historic and diverse tour of the city.



One Man Gives Back, With Music

May 27th, 2009 | By Justin Phillips | Category: Features

A nonprofit called the Mothership Foundation helps Louisiana and New Orleans residents achieve a higher quality of life.



New Orleans Seeks to Redefine Itself Through Architecture

May 26th, 2009 | By Tiffany Frasier | Category: Features

As the city continues to rebuild itself, the question of how New Orleans will be revitalized remains.



For the ‘Katrina Class,’ Pride and Bittersweet Memories

May 26th, 2009 | By Yamiche Alcindor | Category: Features

With diplomas in hand, the Class of 2009, the Katrina Class, celebrated the end of four turbulent years.



Claiming the Crown: New Orleans Chef Wins Seafood Cook-Off

May 26th, 2009 | By Traver Riggins | Category: Features, Introduction

New Orleans chef Tory McPhail and his team, under tight time constraints, prepared a delectable meal to win the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off — all while entertaining the crowd.



Oldest Black Church Commemorates 176 Years

May 26th, 2009 | By Charley Steward | Category: Features, Introduction

A fashion show, banquet and dance performance highlighted the celebration at the First Street Peck Wesley United Methodist Church.



Bugged-Out Bet

May 25th, 2009 | By Jamila T. Williams | Category: Features, Top Story

Alison Gros wanted to come up with a way to get her fourth-grade special education students at Andrew Jackson Elementary School excited for preparing for their Louisiana Educational Assessment Program tests. She and her student teacher assistant decided to eat worms.



Festival Boasts Everything Greek

May 25th, 2009 | By Craig Dewey Stanley II | Category: Features, Introduction, News, Top Story

Beneath a mildly blazing sun that threatened retreat at any moment, the Holy Trinity Cathedral’s annual Greek Festival returned to New Orleans on Saturday for its 36th year.



Behind the Badge of a Reserve Police Officer in the Big Easy

May 25th, 2009 | By Tamara Best | Category: Features

The clock reads 9:45 p.m. as Lt. Menzies pulls up outside the NOPD headquarters and walks toward a monument dedicated to his fallen colleagues. It’s at this wall, with its mirror-like material, where visitors see their silhouettes, a reminder of life’s fragility.



Walking the Beat

May 24th, 2009 | By Diasia Sade Ellerbee | Category: Features

For both officers Pamela Jordan and Lazono Black, their day is spent in and out of a patrol car, responding to dispatcher calls and making their presence known in the area. Magazine Street has been both officers’ beat for less than a year; they have been partners for a month and a half.



Preserving a Neighborhood, One Photograph at a Time

May 23rd, 2009 | By Jamila T. Williams | Category: Features

To help preserve the legacy of the neighborhood, a group of seventh- and eighth-grade students at Coghill School have documented the area’s history through photographs and interviews with several residents as part of the Pontchartrain Park Photography Project.



Champion Player’s Father May Be Gone, but He Still Watches His Son

May 23rd, 2009 | By Joseph L. Cook | Category: Features, Top Story

Chad Gough-Fortenberry is a champion. And on the baseball field it’s as if all eyes are on him: those of his fans, his opponents, and even Major League scouts.



A Yard to Play In, Thanks to Volunteers

May 21st, 2009 | By Tiffany Frasier | Category: Features

National Voluntary Agencies Active in Disaster, a coalition of nonprofit organizations that collaborates to respond to disasters, honored Church World Service earlier this week with its 2009 Innovative Program of the Year Award for the New Orleans project.



Rough Ride Over, Roosevelt Hotel Returns

May 21st, 2009 | By Diasia Sade Ellerbee | Category: Features

About 100 people danced to the Rebirth Brass Band and sipped Champagne at a street party on Baronne Street on Wednesday to celebrate the lighting of the newly restored Roosevelt Hotel, home to the famous Blue Room and Sazerac Bar.



A Mixologist With a Message

May 21st, 2009 | By Justin Phillips | Category: Features

On nights when Chris Hannah works the bar, his choreographed ballet behind the counter creates drinks where every sip could be likened to a waltz through the French Quarter, leaving each patron with a little more bounce in their step.



Family Gras 2009 Doubles Its Take to $6.3 Million

May 21st, 2009 | By Jan Ransom | Category: Features

The convention bureau met at the Hilton New Orleans Airport in Kenner on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the economic impact of Family Gras 2009 and future projects.



New Baby Has an Old Name

May 20th, 2009 | By Jamila T. Williams | Category: Features

One of the newest feathered additions to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas finally has a name.



Welcome Note

May 18th, 2009 | By administrator | Category: Features, Introduction

Follow in the footsteps of the best and brightest young journalists in America by applying to The New York Times Student Journalism Institute.



How to Apply to the NY Times Student Journalism Institute

May 18th, 2009 | By administrator | Category: Features, Introduction

You need not be a journalism student to apply for the Institute. You must complete the application form, submit an essay of up to 500 words on why you want to be a journalist and provide six clips from a student newspaper or other publication.