As aproud Louisiananative, Igrewupacross thelakeinCovington andcametocallNew Orleanshomeduringmytimeinmedical school at TulaneUniversit yand residency at LSUHealthNew Orleans. Iwas inspired to pursue medicine by my mother,who wasa nursewhenIwas growingup. I’ve always loved sc ienceand foundcaringfor children to be both fascinatingand deeply rewarding.
Af terIcompleted by fellowship at the University of Washington andSeattle Children’s Hospital,Imoved back to NewO rleans andbecamea Pediatric Pulmonologist at ManningFamilyChildren’s whereIworkclosely with children andfamilies to create care plansthatare manageable, personalized andefective. My goal is always to help kids breatheeasier, thrive andlivethe fullestlives possible
Te ll us ab ou tM an ni ng Fa mi ly Ch il dr en ’s Pu lm on ol og yP ro gr am
Respirator yissuesare incredibly common in theGulfSouth andatManning Family Children’s we’refor tunate to have ahighly collaborativeand experiencedPulmonology team.O ur department provides inpatient andoutpatientconsultations,evaluation, diagnosisand treatmentfor awiderange of acuteand chronicrespiratory conditions,from asthma andchronic coughtocysticfibrosis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, pneumoniaand complexair waydisorders
We also ofer advanced services including intensivecaresupport,acute andchronic ventilation, home ventilationprograms, pneumograms,sleep studies andfiber-optic bronchoscopy.O ur team utilizes state-ofthe-ar tcomputerizedpulmonary function, metabolicand stress-testing equipmentto ensure ever ychild receives themostup-todate care.
Just as importantly, ourPulmonology team workshand-in-handwithmanyof thehospital’sother specialiststhrough multidisciplinar yclinic sensuringfamilies receiveseamless, comprehensivecareall in oneplace
Meet Ou rKrewe ManningFamilyChildren’s
Leah Nuss,MD
PE DI ATRI CPULMO NO LO GY
Questions&Answers
What made youwanttogo into pulmonology?
Th ro ug ho ut my trai ni ng,Ih ad th eo ppor tu nity to le arnf ro mp ed iatric pu lm on olo gistswho bu iltl on g-stan di ng re lati on sh ipswiththe ir pati ents—som etim es fo ll owin gthe mf ro m infa nc ythrou gh yo un ga du ltho od .Iknewrig ht away th at th is wa sthe ty pe of me an in gf ul, la stin gi mp ac tIwante dtom ake. He lp in ga ch il db re athe ea si er is in cred ib ly rewa rd in ga nd op en sthe do or fo rthe mtod oa ll th ethi ng s th ey love
Do youhaveany kids?
Yes! I’mm arri ed with twos ma ll ch il dren .My da ughte rj us ts ta rted Ki nd erga rten an dl oves un icorns,d rawi ng,a nd an im al s. My so nist wo an da bsol utel yo bses se dwithcarsa nd pl an es
What ’s thefirstthing youdowhen youwakeup?
Ia lwaysc he ck th eweath er—N ew Orle an s lovestos urpriseu swiths ud de nrai ns to rm sa nd te mp eratureswi ng s. Th en Ig et my ki ds re ad y fo rsch oo l, enjoya qu ic kc up of cofe em ad e by my wo nd er fu lh us ba nd,a nd hu stle to get brea kfas ta nd sc ho ol ba gs organ ized .
Do youhaveany pets?
We ha ve ad og na me dM ag gi e—sh e’s in cred ib ly sweetb ut an xi ou s, an ds he loves wa lksa nd treats (b ut abso lute ly hatesfi rewo rks an dthu nd erstorms).
What ’s your favorite hobby?
Il oveb akin ga nd tr yi ng newrec ip es Th eG re at Britis hB akeO foften in sp ires me to at te mptsom ethi ng new, th ou gh
If re qu entl yg ra vitate ba ck to my trie dan d-tr ue fa vo rites.
What ’s onefun fact aboutyou?
Iwas on ce ce rtifi ed fo ru nd er wate r he li co pter esca pe as pa rt of aj ob trai ni ng re qu irem ent.
What ’s onememoryfromyourtime at ManningFamilyChildren’sthat stands out?
On erecentcasei nvol ve dayou ng pati ent with acom pl ex lu ng dise asewho re qu ired co ordi nati on betwee np ul mo no lo gy,p ed iatric su rg er y, im mu no lo gy an dthe ICU. Sh efaced mu ltip le ad missio ns an dp ro ce du resd ue to co mp li cati on s, an dthe leve lofcoo pe rati on am on go ur te am sexe mp lifie dthe ty pe of hi ghleve lcareyou ’d expe ct from am aj or pe di atri c ce nter.I ’veb ee nfor tu nate to fo ll ow he rf ro m he rI CU stay to outp atie nt cl in ic visits—s he’s nowthriv in g, do in gwel li nsch oo la nd da nc in g, wh ic hs he loves.
What ’s onething youwishthe communityknewabout the PulmonologyDepartment?
Th at we tr ul yf un ctio na satea m. From ou r do ctorsa nd NPstoo ur nu rses an dcare co ordi nato rs,eve ryon eisd ee pl ycom mitted to prov id in gthe best ca re possib le.A nd th e co ll ab orative, mu ltid isci pl in ar ya pp ro ac hwe ta ke en su resfam il iesrecei ve co mp re he nsive su ppor tthrou gh outthe ir ch il d’sj ou rn ey.
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Safe haven
Reality TV star Marguerite Perrin stars in ‘Dixie’s Holiday Bar’
HOLIDAY SHOWS OFTEN STRIVE FOR HOLIDAY MAGIC, but sometimes it comes from unexpected sources.
With “Dixie’s Holiday Bar,” producers Vaughn Trudeau and Jason Derek North stumbled upon a more serendipitous connection, uniting gay icons from across decades: Bourbon Street gay-bar owner Miss Dixie and reality TV star and “God Warrior” Marguerite Perrin.
“You’re walking into a snow globe,” Trudeau says of the show.
The musical show is a holidaydrenched immersive experience, packed into the intimate space at Cafe Istanbul. It runs Dec. 16-18 and 20-21.
“Dixie’s Holiday Bar” takes place in the legendary gay-friendly Dixie’s Bar of Music on Bourbon Street, a safe space in an era when homosexuality was criminalized. The bar was originally opened by Yvonne Fasnacht and her sister Irma on St. Charles Avenue. Yvonne was a clarinetist and bandleader, and she was the personality in the front of the house, gaining her the nickname Miss Dixie, while Irma kept the books. The bar moved to Bourbon Street, where it hosted live music and welcomed a diverse clientele, famously including Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and more.
In the show, the bar has suffered some physical damage after a rowdy night, and Miss Dixie has organized a holiday variety show as a fundraiser for repairs. Miss Dixie’s staff includes a friendly bartender who spends more time at the piano than making drinks. There’s a grumpy porter who doesn’t love Christmas, and a door person is always a bit nervous, keeping an eye out for police who might try to bust the bar and its gay clientele.
The show follows the story of the bar and its proprietor sisters, but it also works in a variety of acts. Miss Dixie also leads some Christmas carols, and it’s ripe for sing-alongs, Trudeau says. Trudeau and North first worked together on the show “Six Frenchmen” in July. Designed for the space at JAMNOLA, it was an immersive show in which attendees mingled with historical ghosts of New Orleans’ past while exploring the venue’s art installations and illusions.
They both moved to New Orleans from New York. Trudeau built a career in TV production, including many years and programs at MTV. He worked on the Video Music Awards, and at the end of his stint, was at Logo TV, the dragheavy queer programming channel MTV
by Will Coviello |
acquired. He moved to New Orleans nine years ago and now oversees production for entertainment giant Live Nation. North has focused on experimental and immersive theater, both as a performer and producer, and he spent four and a half years at Sleep No More, the long running New York immersive show based on Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”
After “Six Frenchmen,” they decided to do another project together, spotting a window for a holiday show and looking for an LGBTQ+ subject. North was particularly interested in projects that show more of the LGBTQ+ spectrum, while Trudeau had been delving into local queer history. They decided to do a story about Dixie’s Bar and Fasnacht, who had been an icon to the gay community.
They enlisted Quinn L. Bishop, a tour guide, writer and historian (Bishop wrote “My Oh My,” a chronicle of Black queer influences on rock ’n’ roll in Gambit’s June 23 issue). Together, the three of them fleshed out the story, and Bishop wrote the script.
As they were working, Trudeau stumbled onto an inspiration about who could play Miss Dixie. A drag performer asked him to make a music mix for a performance. Trudeau mixed in snippets from the reality TV show “Trading Spouses.” He used the internet famous, or infamous, “God Warrior” tirade from Perrin. Then he found out Perrin lives on the Northshore.
Perrin appeared on a couple of episodes of “Trading Spouses” in 2005.
In it, after spending time with a family that enjoyed astrology and tarot card readings, she became upset, famously yelling, “She’s not a Christian!” and declaring herself a “Warrior for God.”
“She became a major overnight celebrity in all of the wrong ways,” Trudeau says. “She became an outcast. She was mortified. She was a deeply religious woman, but she was also tired and under-slept and had cameras pointed at her at all hours, and she had the meltdown. She wasn’t thrilled about how she was portrayed.”
Perrin recoiled from the inadvertent fame and image she created. She turned down roles casting her as versions of the angry God Warrior. But it wasn’t until tragedy struck that she got a chance to change perceptions about her.
Her daughter died at the age of 25, and Perrin was devastated. She says she barely got out of bed for a year. When accounts of her depression spread, she started to get letters in the mail. Almost all of them came from gay fans offering sympathy and support.
Perrin embraced their support and the LGBTQ+ community. On a trip to New York that happened to be during Pride weekend, she was recognized and swept away by fans, Trudeau says. Since then, she’s regularly traveled to Pride events and frequently posts on social media from drag shows.
“She’s been a very visible ally,” Trudeau says. “She’s the grand marshal of all sorts of Pride parades.”
When they asked her to be in the show, she didn’t hesitate.
“She said, ‘I was born to do this role, but I need to tell you that I am not a singer,’ ” Trudeau says.
She’s thrown herself into it, and she also brings experiences and enthusiasm no one else could.
“She is a 12 out of 10 to start,” Trudeau says. “There’s been a lot of scaling back to get her to 11. The most effective person in this role isn’t someone who’s acting. It’s someone who is being who they are.”
Tickets are $32.07 and up via dixiesholidaybar.com.
‘Jingle All the Gay!’
Kitten N’ Lou present their annual holiday show full of music, burlesque, dancing, holiday sparkles and more. The variety show features a mash-up of holiday characters and traditions and saucy twists on holiday songs. The Bywater-based duo bring the show to Seattle and New Orleans, and performers come from across the country, including Tito Bonito, Mr. Gorgeous, Kylie Mooncakes, Cherdonna, Victoria DeVille, RedBone and New Orleans’ Jeez Loueez, Lola Van Ella and more. At 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, and Saturday, Dec. 20, and 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, and Wednesday, Dec. 24, at New Marigny Theatre. Tickets start at $35 via strangertickets.com. Find more information at kittenandlou.com.
Christmas Without Tears
Actor and comedian Harry Shearer and singer Judith Owen host their 20th anniversary holiday celebration and sing-along with a host of musical guests, including Irma Thomas, Patterson Hood, Jon Cleary, Tonya Boyd-Cannon, Helen Gillet, Tom McDermott, Matt Perrine, Trendafilka and more. Other performing guests include John Goodman, Bryan Batt and Trixie Minx. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, at Orpheum Theater. Tickets $47.45 and up via ticketmaster.com.
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Bela Fleck is a virtuoso on banjo and has ranged from bluegrass to jazz music. He’s on tour with his longtime band the Flecktones, featuring bassist Victor Wooten. The group recently reissued its holiday album “Jingle All the Way.” At 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, at The Joy Theater. Tickets are $63.15 via ticketmaster.com.
NOLA Christmas Fest
The winter wonderland inside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is a playland with ice skating, slides,
‘Jingle All the Gay!’ PROVIDED PHOTO BY DMITRIY PRITYKIN
Marguerite Perrin stars as Miss Dixie.
PHOTO BY JASON DEREK NORTH
OPENING GAMBIT
An attack on one is an attack on us all. Immigrants belong in New Orleans
THUMBS UP/ THUMBS DOWN
A crowd of New Orleanians showed up to support Taqueria Guerrero on the Mid-City restaurant’s last day before temporarily closing due to the federal immigration enforcement raids in the city. People turned up in droves on Nov. 30 to grab a meal and leave extra tips for the Mexican restaurant, and there was a consistent line down the block before Taqueria Guerrero ran out of food in the evening. The situation was just one example of some local Latinoowned businesses closing — and New Orleanians standing against the government’s draconian actions in town.
‘New Orleans stands alone:’ city leaders demand information about anti-immigrant crackdown
THE PERCENTAGE OF NEW ORLEANIANS WHO SAY THEY DON’T WANT BORDER PATROL AND ICE RAIDS IN THE AREA.
That’s according to a poll of 500 New Orleanians across the political spectrum, who answered questions posed by JMC Analytics last month. But that number could be even higher now as the immigration raids have proven to be destructive to the economy and disruptive for thousands of people — including U.S. citizens who are staying home to avoid being harassed or racially profiled.
U.S. Border Patrol’s presence is forcing immigrant parents to keep their kids home from school, The Times-Picayune recently reported. Schools in both Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish, which has the highest number of Hispanic students in Louisiana, have reported lower attendance since federal agents have started raids in the area.
THE NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL IS DEMANDING THE TRUMP REGIME provide it with detailed information regarding residents being detained by paramilitary immigration enforcement units, including the number of detentions, how many residents are being held within the city limits and the legal basis for each detention.
In a Dec. 6 letter to Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, the council also insisted his forces not violate residents’ constitutional right to due process and humane treatment, halt its use of racist profiling tactics and no longer roam the city in masks and without visible identification.
During a press conference, Council Vice President and Mayor-elect Helena Moreno noted that the council’s demands are ultimately for the regime to operate as any normal democratic government would. “I don’t think we’re asking for too much here,” Moreno said.
Moreno also said her office will begin translating Know Your Rights and other immigrant support information, which are currently available in English and Spanish, into Vietnamese and other languages to ensure it is accessible to all New Orleanians.
What does Jef Landry deserve for Christmas?
Gov. Jeff Landry has appointed Dr. Evelyn Griffin to be Louisiana’s next surgeon general. Griffin is a vaccine skeptic, anti-abortion and recently tried to tie hepatitis levels in the U.S. to immigration, the Louisiana Illuminator reported. Griffin, a Baton Rouge obstetrician and gynecologist, also is part of the CDC’s Advisory Committee, which recommended changes to the long-held guidelines that newborns be vaccinated for hepatitis B at birth.
“Operation Catahoula Crunch ... is causing widespread fear and confusion, disproportionately affecting vulnerable members of our community,” the council wrote. “Businesses are closing, workers are afraid to show up and the broader economic impact is significant.”
The council has also called on Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to refrain from entering schools, hospitals, libraries, city buildings, churches and other civic and cultural spaces.
It is, of course, unlikely the administration will comply. For decades, ICE and CBP have resisted efforts to impose even modest amounts of transparency on them. And even a cursory review of both organizations’ public statements and social media posts show they seem to revel in the terror their operations have caused in other communities.
Given the disdain for local residents and governments Bovino has shown in other parts of the country, it is doubtful he’ll decide to change his tune now. 23.2%
New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno, center, with City Council Budget Chairman Joe Giarrusso, left, and Council President JP Morrell, right.
PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS / THE ADVOCATE
New Orleans cultural community calls for end of ICE, Border Patrol raids
Free The Swamp, a campaign by local grassroots groups against the deployment of ICE, Border Patrol and National Guard troops in Louisiana, has issued an open letter so far signed by more than 300 members of New Orleans’ cultural community, including Big Freedia, Ani DiFranco, PJ Morton, Jeez Loueez, Lola Van Ella, Bella Blue, Bo Dollis Jr., John Boutte, Ryan Rogers and many others. Find more information at freetheswamp.org
In Louisiana, we know the power of protecting one another – our communities keep us safe, despite politicians working to divide us and make us afraid of one another. Through natural and man-made disasters, we take care of each other in New Orleans, as we’ve always done and will continue to do.
EVERYONE is worthy of just treatment and respect, regardless of our origins, what we look like, or what languages we speak. With that being said, the cultural community of New Orleans residing on these unceded Bulbancha land stands with our immigrant community.
Beyond standing against fascism and terror campaigns, New Orleans celebrates all of the ways immigrants shape our beloved practices and traditions. The history of our city and culture has always been entwined with and impacted by immigrants and we refuse to allow the Trump and Landry administrations to bully us and redefine who we are.
The unlawful occupation of our city by federal agents participating in this administration’s human trafficking agenda will not only deeply harm our immigrant community members, but will also have a devastating impact on the cultural economy that
SIGNED (as of Dec. 9)
A.J. Haynes
Aaron Brewer
Adachi Pimentel
Adam Lozoya
The Traveling Pianist
Adrian Claveria
Adrienne Petrosini
Ainsley Matich
Alan Tolbert
Alex Osborne
Alexis Marceaux
Alfred Banks
Alice Riener
Ama Rogan
Amanda Blackshaw
Amelia Lormand
Amina Scott
Aminisha Ferdinand
Amy Sharpe
Andrea Gomez
Andriu Yanovski
Angela Griffith
ani difranco
Anna Helms
Anna Laura Quinn
Annalisa Kelly
Annie Duq
Antoinette Follett
Arsène DeLay
Ashley Crawford
Ashley Rodrigue
Ashley Shabankareh
Ashley Zoerner
Aurora Nealand
Ayo Scott
Barrett Allen
Barry Birnbaum
Bella Blue
Ben Fox
Ben Schenck
Benjamin Hoffman
Beth Bochnak
Bethany Lee
Big Freedia
Bo Dollis Jr
Branden Daniel Kempt
Brandon K. Manning
Brent Rose
Brieze Levy
Brooke Pickett
Bruce Sunpie Barnes
Bunny Love
Byron Asher
C A Stuckey
Caitlin Strokosch
Carey goforth
Carlyn Krulee
Carmela Rappazzo
CE Kaminstein
Chad Roby
Charlie Halloran
Chloé Marie Johnson
Christian Levi
Christien Bold
Christopher Burton
Christopher Davis
Christopher Hochkeppel
Christopher W Sharkey
Colin Myers
Corina Hernandez
Cory C Cortez
Crystal Ross
Cyntoya McCall
Cyrus Cooper
Dakota Marie Crow
Dan Bernstein
Dan Wally Lang
Dana Honn
Darrell Lavigne
David C Owen
David Culotta
Davis Rogan
Dayle Zelitch
Deanne Sandel
Debbie Davis
Denise Frazier
Dick Jones Trygar
Diego J Martin Pérez
Donna Olsen
Donney Rose
Dr. Sick
Drew Prestridge
Durand Jones
Dusky Waters
Dylan Edwards
Ellen Rosenberg
Emelie Guidry
Emily Dufrene
Emma June
Welsh-Huggins
Eric Merchant
Erin O’Shea
Ethan Ellestad
Evan Paydon
Evelyn Lee
FCB
Felix Allen
Fernando Benitez
Fly Boi Keno
Fox Monroe
Frederick “Wood”
Delahoussaye
FreeQuency
Garrett Van Hancock
Geovana Martinez
Gina Leslie
Gogo Borgerding
Grace Hart
Gracie Cousin
Greg Oliver
Gregg Hill
Hannah
Kreiger-Benson
Hannah Peterson
Hannah Weckstein
Helen Gillet
Hunter Gordon
Ian Cicco
Ian McPhail
Inez Timmer
Jace Rhodes
Jack Reno Sweeney
Jackie McGrath
Jacob Bradford
Jade Bronte
James Holzer
James Markway
Jane Smith
Jared Cliff LaReau
Jason W Doyle
JD Solomon
Jeez Loueez
Jelly Joseph
Jen Creedon
Jenna Trapani
is responsible for $2 billion in state and local tax revenue. Masked agents terrorizing our workplaces, schools, churches and homes will chill the tourism economy, one of the state’s largest employers, during one of the busiest times of year. On top of the cruelty and devastation, the economic hardship to the cultural and hospitality industries will damage our state’s already precarious economic footing.
New Orleans occupies the unceded land of Bulbancha, meaning place of many tongues. Our food, music, dance, and architecture bear witness to our shared legacy of welcoming newcomers. We pride ourselves on our historic locations like Bayou Road, one of the oldest indigenous trading posts in the country. The American tradition of unjust criminalization and vilification has been practiced on the cultural community for generations, and we will not stand by silently while it is done to our Indigenous and immigrant neighbors.
New Orleans is the most heavily surveilled city, in a state with the highest national incarceration rate. The history of law enforcement whispers from the soil of the state’s remaining plantations, and many of us who are no stranger to navigating a criminal legal system designed to revive enslavement under the new banner of prison labor know all too well that WE keep us safe. We are purposefully over-policed and over-surveilled, but we will not succumb to fear.
We stand against this invasion of our community, our streets, our home. We will show up and speak out. They cannot take our love for one another, our art, our joy, our creativity, our passion, our power. We call for an end to this federal occupation.
Jennie Brent
Jennifer Kay
Jennifer Miller
Jennifer Odell
Jennings
Jeremy Phipps
Jessica Miller
Jody Johnson
Joe Gelini (Cha Wa)
John Boutte
Jon Greene, Artistic Director, The Radical Buffoons
Jonathan Jouet
Joshua Bock
Joshua Rosenberg
Joshua Starkman
Jourdan Johnson
Joy Clark
Julia Lang, Professor, Tulane University
Julie Seversin
Justice Singleton
Justin Boone
justin gordon
Justine Diamond, Elspeth’s Airs Perfumes
Kai Cavell
Kaitlin Sylvester
Kamari Stevens
Karl Clements
Kat Walker
Kate Moranski
Katya Chizhayeva
Kelcy Wilburn
Kelly Kempt
Kendra Unique
Kerry Genese
Kevin Harrell
Kevin Winter
Khris Royal
Kim Morris
Kimberly Kaye
Kirkland Green
Kyle Cripps
Kyle Sharamitaro
l. kramer
Laura Ates
Laura Sanders
Laura Stein
Lauren Castorena
Lauren Lacoste
Lawrence
Layla Musselwhite
Leyla McCalla
Lilli A. Lewis
Lindsey Boettinger
Lindsey Cheek
Lisa H
Lisa Mae O’Neill
Lola van Ella
Lolly LeBron
Lovella Calica
Lydia Jekot
Lynda Rose
maddie
Madeleine Kelly
Madeline E. Polley
Madeline Fussell
Madison Maronge
Madisyn Pina
Maggie Lambert
Maggie Tidwell
Mallory Head
Margie Perez
Mari Watanabe
Marie-Isabelle
Marissa K Sessoms
MARK LEVRON
Martin Bats Bradford
Mary Davis
Mary Devon Dupuy
Mary Hill
Maryellen Fazenbaker
Matt Dethrow
Matt Hayden
Matthew McLaughlin
Matty Hayes
Max Bronstein
Maya Jones
Meghan Matt
Meghan Spell
Meryl Zimmerman
Meschiya Lake
Mia Borders
Micah McKee
Michael Doussan
Michael Paz
Michael Taylor, Jr.
Michelle Hamilton
Mikayla Braun
Mina Seck
Minh Nguyen
Molly Goforth
Murf Reeves
Nahum Zdybel
Naima Murphy Salcido
Nancy Birnbaum
Nancy Heilner
Natalie Mae Palms
Nate Cameron
Nathan Winters
Nelson Williams
Nidia
Noah Hazzard
Noah Young
Olivia Beckwith
Paige Freeman
Pamela Danner
Papa Mali
Patrick Mackey
Paul Sanchez
Peggy Cochran
Peter Kaminsky
Peter Simon
Phoenix Phantasma
PJ Morton
Queen Vampya
R Clare Jackman
Reginald S. Sinkler II
Remy Dee
rex marshall
Rex Marshall
Richard Flynn
Roan Smith
Rob Wagner
Robert Brown
Rocky Leonard
Romain Beauxis
Rosalie Havoc
Russell Welch
Ryan Rogers
S Lyman
$leazy EZ
Sakinah Daaz
Salem Habte
SarahJane Guidry
Scarlet Letta
Scierra
Scott Henrichsen
Sebastian Ravenswyck
Shana Turner
Shaye Cohn
Shep Kelly
Simon Lott
Simon Moushabeck
Siobhan Hebert
Slangston Hughes
Sophia Rabinovitz
Sparkie Wilson
Stephanie Atkins
Stephen Bohnstengel
Steve Rapport
Sweet Crude
Sweet Crude
Tavia Osbey
Ted Long
Teena May
Terrall Gilton Jr
Thomas C
Tiffany Anderson
Tiffany Monique Cain
Tiffany Morris
Tina McCrory
Trixie Minx
Tsarina Hellfire
Twen Peeks
Tyler Twerk Thomson
Tyler Watkins
Valborg Gross
Valerie Skinkus
Victoria Donaldson
Victoria Riggs
Voice Monet
W Franklin
William Darvill
Xena Zeit-Geist
Ya Maw Ice
ZFM PUBLISHING LLC/
Zena Moses
Moreno seemed to acknowledge CBP and ICE’s unwillingness to act transparently.
Moreno said she had asked about the status of at least 12 people disappeared from the parking lot of the Elysian Fields
Lowe’s earlier this week, but so far neither Bovino nor any other official with the administration had answered her questions.
OPENING GAMBIT
“I was just told flat out no, that I would not be able to receive this information,” she said. “I was then later sent additional information that I could potentially send in a public records request essentially.”
Likewise, U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, who along with other civic and political leaders attended the press conference, said he too has asked for data on the sweeps. Carter serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has oversight authority over both CBP and ICE
“To date, we’ve received no information,” Carter said.
Carter, a member of the U.S. Homeland Security Committee, said he would call for a field hearing in New Orleans where members of Homeland Security, CBP and other leadership would have to answer questions publicly.
“I’ll be requesting a full field hearing to be held here in New Orleans so we can directly address and assess these pressing issues in the light of day and in the presence of the people most affected,” he said.
The reality is that the city council has little power to stop, or even control, the federal government. Under the law, both CBP and ICE have broad powers to operate in the area, and even under non-authoritarian governments, they’ve conducted anti-immigrant sweeps without regard to the wishes of local leaders.
Urban League President and former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial called the occupation an “abject failure” as the majority of residents targeted have not had outstanding warrants or violent criminal histories. He also said ICE and CBP units wearing masks is reminiscent of the sort of tactics the Klu Klux Klan uses to terrorize minority communities.
“I was born in a segregated hospital when segregation was the law of this city,” he said. “Masks remind me of the tactics of the Ku Klux Klan.
Let me be clear, I do not suggest that ICE are the Ku Klux Klan, but in this country, there is zero precedent for sworn law enforcement officers to mask themselves to carry out public enforcement actions.”
Morial also noted that civil rights organizations are already working on legal challenges to the operation in the hopes of stopping it.
Council Vice President JP Morrell also dismissed claims by Trump loyalists that the sweeps are targeting only violent undocumented people or those with outstanding warrants, pointing to the fact that Bovino has said the operation will not end until 5,000 people have been removed from the region.
“You should never trust a quota,” Morrell said, adding “I do not believe you are here for the reason you say you are here.”
Asked if the city was working with other local governments, Morrell noted that officials in Kenner and Gretna are actively helping ICE and CBP units hunt down their residents, making cooperation unlikely.
“New Orleans stands alone,” he said. — John Stanton
Two political scions enter race to replace Matthew Willard in state legislature TWO SONS OF LOCAL POLITICIANS, EDWIN T. MURRAY AND EUGENE GREEN III, have entered the
U.S. Border Patrol agents detain and handcuff a man on Williams Blvd. in Kenner
PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
after Willard joins the City Council in January.
Murray is the son of former state legislator Edwin R. Murray, who served as a state representative and senator. Green, meanwhile, is the son of City Council member Eugene Green Jr.
“It’s time for a new generation of leadership in Louisiana,” Murray said. “I’m running for representative to help working families get ahead by taking on the political system that’s rigged in favor of big business.”
In his statement announcing his candidacy, Green said “Our communities deserve a representative in Baton Rouge who listens, works tirelessly, and delivers motivating results.”
Murray is a partner at Chehardy Sherman Williams law firm, specializing in personal injury, asbestos litigation and commercial litigation. He graduated from Loyola University New Orleans and Southern University Law Center and interned for Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jefferson Hughes as well as many judges in the area.
He’s also a member of Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, serving on their election committee and as their assistant executive counsel.
In his announcement, Murray said his biggest priorities would be lowering the cost of insurance and the cost of living in New Orleans, expanding early childhood education, public safety and reducing blight.
“Food, fuel, utilities, insurance, housing – it all adds up in a hurry,” he said. “Too many families in our community simply can’t afford to make ends meet.”
To create safer neighborhoods, Murray called for more neighborhood policing and increased investment in both recreational
programs for youth and rehabilitation programs.
A St. Augustine and Tulane Business School graduate, Green III works as a property management consultant for his father’s real estate company Nationwide Real Estate Corp.
Green III has financial experience as a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the treasurer of Xplore Federal Credit Union. He also is a member of the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee, the local arm of the Democratic Party, and previously interned for U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and the U.S. Small Business Association.
Green III said his campaign will focus on lowering insurance costs, protecting the environment and investing in economic development, infrastructure, public safety and effective social services.
He also said the city should be getting more revenues from assets the state currently owns, like the Ceasars Superdome, the Smoothie King Center the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center — echoing a point his father has made repeatedly on the council.
“The City of New Orleans deserves a fairer share of the revenues generated by those assets,” he said. “I will vigorously advocate in Baton Rouge for additional essential State funding for New Orleans and for direct funding into District 97.”
The primary election is on Feb. 7, with a runoff March 14 if no candidate receives 50% plus one vote.
— Kaylee Poche
Eugene Green III and Ed T. Murray SCREEN SHOTS FROM CAMPAIGN WEBSITES
JOHN STANTON
New Orleans again has a mayor, in fact if not name (yet)
IT CAN FEEL A BIT ODD
referring to Helena Moreno as New Orleans mayor-elect these days. That’s not out of some personal or partisan reason, but because Moreno over the last month has essentially been the city’s mayor, in fact if not in name.
It’s a refreshing and badly needed change of pace for a city that’s suffered under years of an absentee mayor who only ever showed up for photo ops or to indulge her petty bone.
Moreno’s leadership was obvious soon after her October win when the city was faced with dual budget crises: first, how to make payroll through the end of 2025, and then how to close a more than $200 million funding gap for 2026. The politically safe route would have been to stick to her day job as city council vice president, allow Mayor LaToya Cantrell to continue to hold the reins of government — and own the whole mess.
Instead, Moreno took charge, first by securing a $125 million short-term loan to pay city workers through the holidays, and then by throwing out Cantrell’s draconian plan to impose 30% or more cuts to city departments. Within weeks, she produced and passed a budget much more calculated in its funding cuts than Cantrell’s plan. Still, the new budget includes plenty of hard choices that won’t prove popular. That means, for better or worse, Moreno will enter office in January owning the biggest problem facing the city. In my nearly 30 years covering politics, it’s almost unheard of for a politician to make that decision. In fact, only the work done on the 2008 financial crisis by then Sen. Barack Obama and the late Sen. John McCain — both of whom were running for president — comes to mind.
Moreno’s leadership can be felt in small ways, too. Her incoming Chief Administrative Officer, Council Member Joe Giarrusso, showed up with most of his council staff at a benefit for the historic First and Last Stop Bar in the 7th Ward as a show of solidarity and support for the owner who is facing eviction by her abusive, gentrifying landlord.
But it has been on immigration that Moreno has perhaps been at her most mayoral. She has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant crackdown. Through official statements, press conferences and her social media, she’s made clear the city stands with Black and Brown New Orleanians. That’s particularly powerful given that Moreno is herself an immigrant — a fact the Trump administration is surely aware.
And while there’s realistically little city officials can do to stop or slow the raids, Moreno is learning the lessons taught by Chicago, Charlotte, Los Angeles and other cities. She’s also secured assurances from the New Orleans Police Department that they won’t participate in raids.
Before CBP and ICE forces even arrived, she began circulating Know Your Rights materials to vulnerable communities. Her office has tried to help locate detained community members, and she’s working to rally the city’s large legal community to help those caught up in the raids.
Moreno will undoubtedly make plenty of wrong decisions once she’s actually in office. But if her work on these successive crises is any indication, at least the city will have a leader in City Hall — physically and metaphorically — it can look to for praise or blame.
And that’s a small, but crucial, step in the right direction.
Victoria V. St ipelcovich, Financial Advisor 2916 General Degaulle Drive, Suite101 New Orleans, LA 70114
Call Sandy Stein (504) 483-3150 or sstein@gambitweekly.com
New Orleans city council budget chairman Joe Giarrusso, vice president and mayor-elect Helena Moreno and council president JP Morrell.
PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
@GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com
Hey Blake,
Every year at the holidays, seeing Mr. Bingle brings back memories of the Maison Blanche department store. The Canal Street location is the best known, but I remember stores in the suburbs as well. Which was the first?
Dear reader,
THE FLAGSHIP LOCATION OF MAISON BLANCHE, THE ICONIC DEPARTMENT STORE chain referred to by many locals as MB, was on the 900 block of Canal Street. It opened in 1909 in the massive building that is now the Ritz-Carlton hotel.
As Edward J. Branley explains in his 2011 book about Maison Blanche, the store has roots in a dry goods store founded here by Abraham Shwartz. His son Simon, with the financial backing of his father-in-law Isidore Newman (namesake of the Uptown school), opened his own store on Canal Street, calling it Maison Blanche. It was originally located in the five-story Mercier Building at Canal and Dauphine. Maison Blanche later purchased and demolished that building and constructed the 12-story building we know today.
In addition to the store departments housed on the building’s first five floors, the remaining seven floors were rented as office space for doctors, dentists and WSMB Radio. Mr. Bingle, the New Orleans holiday icon, was created at the store in 1947.
BLAKE VIEW
As the city’s population began shifting to newer neighborhoods, particularly during and after World War II, Maison Blanche expanded. In 1942, it opened a location at Tulane and Carrollton avenues. The store was designed to serve “New Orleanians whom war economy has prevented from making trips to the downtown business area,” reported the Sept. 30, 1942, Times-Picayune.
In 1947, the company opened its second suburban store at 3045 Gentilly Blvd. near Elysian Fields Avenue.
Other suburban locations included Metairie’s Airline Village store, opened on Airline Drive in 1957, and a Westside Shopping Center location in Gretna, opened in 1958. A Clearview Mall store in Metairie followed in 1969. According to Branley, the final expansion store was in Lake Forest Plaza, which opened in 1974 in New Orleans East.
The chain went out of business in 1997 and was acquired by Dillard’s.
THIS IS THE BIGGEST AND BUSIEST WEEK OF THE YEAR FOR THE PATIO PLANTERS of the Vieux Carre, which since 1946 has worked to celebrate and enhance the beauty of the city’s oldest neighborhood, the French Quarter.
A history of the group prepared by Ted Liuzza and reprinted in a 1996 TimesPicayune article explained the group’s origins. “One thing missing in the Quarter prior to World War II was a garden club or social organization for its residents. There were a number of business groups but no garden or social clubs,” Liuzza wrote.
A June 1947 article in the New Orleans States reported: “Eight members of the Patio Planters will assist in the developing of patio and balcony gardens in the French Quarter.” According to the newspaper, the president was Mrs. Parker Harris and the other members were Mrs. Maye Crawford, Mrs. Sam Wellborn, Mr. and Mrs. A.J. LaCoste, Mr. and Mrs. E.R. Knoblock, Joe Lala and A. Sutch.
In September 1947, the group announced Patios on Parade, a tour of 40 French Quarter homes and courtyards. A self-guided holiday home tour (this year’s happens on Sunday, Dec. 21) is a tradition that continues to raise money to support the group’s biggest event: Christmas caroling in Jackson Square, which will take place later that night. Tickets to the home tours are $35 if reserved in advance at patioplanters.net. Caroling is free and begins at 7 p.m.
Santa makes his way past the Maison Blanche department store on Canal Street during the 1970 Canal Street Christmas parade.
PHOTO BY H.J. PATTERSON / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE ARCHIVE
PROJECT CENSORED’S LIST OF BURIED STORIES
HITS HALF- CENTURY MARK
BY PAUL ROSENBERG , SENIOR EDITOR , RLNEWS | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANSON STEVENS - BOLLEN
Half a century ago, Peter Jensen launched Project Censored, in part as a response to how the Watergate break-in was covered. Richard Nixon didn’t censor the initial reporting, but he didn’t have to. The press simply didn’t cover it with any serious scrutiny until well after Nixon was elected. The story didn’t reach the American people when it mattered most — when they could have done something about it directly themselves, before they went to the polls in November 1972.
Reflecting this, Jensen saw censorship as working differently in a democracy than in a dictatorship. He defined it as “the suppression of information, whether purposeful or not, by any method — including bias, omission, under-reporting, or self-censorship — that prevents the public from fully knowing what is happening in society.”
That happened with Watergate, though the truth belatedly came out. And an echo of the same sort of thing happened just as I was writing this half a century later. Six members of Congress who had served in the military or the CIA released a video accurately informing those serving, as they had, that they have the right — and in some cases the duty — to refuse unlawful or unconstitutional orders. President Donald Trump responded on social media by falsely claiming their video message was “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH,” but the New York Times relegated the story to page 16, with a headline that didn’t mention Trump’s call for their execution. “No wonder Trump thinks he can get away with anything,” said Mark Jacob, a former top editor at both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.
This was only a faint echo of what happened with Watergate — especially given the Times’ diminished gate-keeping role. But those echoes are everywhere around us, every day. That same dynamic of suppression of information by under-reporting and self-censorship is constantly at play, with the same consequence of preventing the public from fully knowing what’s happening in society — particularly in time to do something about it. For half a century now, Project Censored has been bringing these omissions to light, and while each story highlights a particular omission, they are
often complex and interrelated to each other. There’s a perfect example in this year’s top censored story — “ICE Solicits Social Media Surveillance Contracts to Identify Critics.” Government spying on, suppressing, and even criminalizing its critics goes back at least to World War I as a systematic endeavor, but new elements have intertwined with it over time. Racial targeting, private contracting, and omnipresent surveillance technology are all present in this most recent example and are routinely censored in other settings as well.
It’s also an example of systemic abusive policing, which shows up again in stories seven and eight, targeting the homeless for private profit in the first story, and killing four people a day in the second one, mostly in response to 911 calls, the majority of which involved a non-violent offense, or no offense at all. Racial targeting is also involved in this story (with Black people and Native Americans far more likely to be killed), as well as in stories number three and four, regarding systemic exploitation of Native Americans and targeting of pro-Palestinian activists, respectively.
Stories four through six involve tech surveillance in different ways, not just targeting activists but also systematically blocking data privacy protections for everyone, and using surveillance technology to harm workers and disrupt unionization at Amazon and Walmart, the largest private employers in America.
In turn, the class exploitation and oppression involved in this last example appears in two others as well, number seven, about private companies reaping over $100 million to sweep homeless camps in California (doing nothing to solve the problem), and number 10 about the extreme under-representation
PROJECT CENSORED
of working class Americans in state legislatures — a censored story about censored voices that fittingly rounds out the list.
This is the deeper point of Project Censored’s list: That it’s not just about this or that suppressed and under-reported story, it’s about a whole different way of seeing the world if that systemic censoring were stripped away. Here, then, is Project Censored’s half-century anniversary list, so you can see for yourself what that means.
ICE SOLICITS
Social Media Surveillance Contracts to Identify Critics
In February 2025, Techdirt’s Tim Cushing reported on Sam Biddle’s Intercept investigation into a new ICE bid solicitation seeking private contractors to “monitor and locate ‘negative’ social media discussion” about the agency. The request, also covered by the Independent, appeared as the agency prepared for a more aggressive role under the returning Trump administration. ICE’s plan, Biddle wrote, could pull “people who simply criticize ICE online” into its surveillance dragnet.
Biddle noted the solicitation was “nearly identical” to a 2020 request that resulted in a $5.5 million contract with Barbaricum, a Washingtonbased defense and intelligence firm. But the new version, arriving amid ramped-up enforcement rhetoric, signaled a broader threat. Cushing observed that ICE justified the program by citing increased risks — yet provided no evidence.
The scope of potential targets is massive. Social media criticisms of ICE number in the millions, but contractors would be required to assess users’ “proclivity for violence” using “social and behavioral sciences” and “psychological profiles.” After scraping personal details — Social Security numbers, addresses, affiliations — contractors would deliver ICE dossiers containing photos, partial legal names, birth dates, education or work ties, and identified family members. The request also sought facial recognition tools capable of scanning the internet for additional information tied to a subject.
Although framed as a safety measure for ICE employees, Cushing wrote that the document “makes it clear ICE is looking for tech that allows it to monitor people simply because they don’t like ICE.” The First Amendment implications, he added, are unmistakable: The
government should not monitor social media users to quantify criticism, especially when it conflates negativity with threats.
ICE’s digital surveillance ambitions are not new. Past investigations revealed fake ICE social media profiles, entrapment schemes, and systems designed to flag “derogatory” posts. While Forbes and the New York Times have addressed ICE’s tech investments targeting immigrants, no corporate outlet has covered this planned monitoring of ICE critics.
WATER SCARCITY Threatens 27 Million People in the United States
Nearly 30 million people in the U.S. live in areas with limited water supplies, Carey Gillam reported for The New Lede in January 2025. The finding comes from a first-of-its-kind U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study assessing national water availability from 2010 to 2020, including quality concerns. With climate change worsening droughts, floods, and contamination, the crisis is expected to deepen. Project Censored also highlighted two ongoing threats: saltwater intrusion and PFAS “forever chemicals,” linked to cancers, liver disease and birth defects.
USGS Director David Applegate warned of “increasing challenges to this vital resource,” noting that socially vulnerable communities face the greatest risks. Gillam reported widespread pollution in waterways across the Midwest and High Plains tied largely to industrial agriculture runoff. USGS found “substantial areas” of major aquifers — supplying one-third of public drinking water — contaminated with arsenic, radionuclides, manganese and nitrates. Low-income, minority and rural, well-dependent communities face disproportionate exposure. Project Censored cited worsening shortages in Texas due to drought, aging infrastructure, and
international water disputes, and in Florida, where population growth and groundwater overuse have collided with climate-driven storms and droughts. In Virginia, massive data centers consume up to five million gallons of water daily, Grist reported, straining already depleted aquifers.
Globally, the situation mirrors U.S. trends. A joint U.S./UN assessment, Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023–2025, described current conditions as “a slow-moving global catastrophe,” with 48 U.S. states experiencing drought in 2024 — the highest number on record. Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that the Trump administration ordered the closure of 25 federal water-monitoring centers, undermining the nation’s ability to track shortages.
Although major outlets like the New York Times and The Washington Post cover droughts, Project Censored noted they typically frame the issue as an economic threat to agriculture, not a direct danger to human life. As of July 2025, Newsweek was the only U.S. corporate outlet to report on the USGS water-availability study.
INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
in the
U.S.
Underfunded and Exploited by Federal and State Governments
A series of 2024–25 investigations by ProPublica, High Country News, and Grist revealed how federal and state governments continue to underfund and exploit Indigenous communities — coverage largely ignored by corporate media. Matt Krupnick (ProPublica)
documented the chronic underfunding of tribal colleges, institutions created in the 1970s to serve Native students harmed by generations of violence, dispossession, and cultural erasure.
Although Congress set funding at $8,000 per tribal student in 1978, adjusted annually for inflation, the government has never met its obligation. Since 2010, per-student funding ranged from $5,235 to just under $8,700 — far below the roughly $40,000 it would be if federal commitments had been honored — totaling a $250 million shortfall. Under the Trump administration, conditions worsened as at least $7 million in USDA grants for tribal colleges were suspended.
Meanwhile, a joint High Country News/Grist investigation showed how states profit from “trust lands” located inside reservations. These lands, often seized during the 1887 Dawes Act Allotment Era, generate millions through grazing, logging, mining and oil and gas production — funding state universities, prisons, hospitals and schools. Earlier reporting traced this system to the 1862 Morrill Act, which granted nearly 11 million acres taken from nearly 250 tribes to states to build land-grant universities.
The new investigation mapped 1.6 million acres of state-managed trust lands within 83 reservations across 10 states, revealing how state control undermines tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction. In some cases, tribes must lease back what was once their own land — an estimated 58,000 acres — paying the state for agricultural or grazing use. One notable exception is the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana, who secured the return of nearly 30,000 acres through a 2020 water-rights settlement.
Corporate media coverage of these injustices remained minimal, limited mostly to stories about Trumpera layoffs that failed to address the deeper, long-term history of governmental neglect.
META UNDERTAKES
“Sweeping Crackdown” of Facebook and Instagram Posts at Israel’s Request
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Meta has executed a massive censorship campaign on Facebook and Instagram, removing or suppressing posts critical of Israel or supportive of Palestinians, Drop Site News reported in April 2025. The report called it “the largest mass censorship operation in modern history,” based on internal Meta data provided by whistleblowers and confirmed by multiple sources inside the company. Meta reportedly complied with 94% of takedown requests from Israel — the single largest originator of content removals worldwide — affecting an estimated 38.8 million posts. While most requests were classified under “terrorism” or “violence and incitement,” the complaints all used identical language regardless of the content, linking to an average of 15 posts each without describing the posts themselves.
The campaign disproportionately targets users from Arab and Muslimmajority nations but has a global reach, affecting posts in over 60 countries.
Drop Site News warned that Meta’s AI moderation tools are being trained on these takedowns, potentially embedding this censorship into future automated content decisions.
Project Censored noted that the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned Meta’s actions, stating, “Meta must stop censoring criticism of the Israeli government under the guise of combating antisemitism, and Meta must stop training artificial intelligence tools to do so.” The report also cited the Committee to Protect Journalists’ findings that Israel controls coverage of its military operations.
Although independent outlets such as ZNetwork and Jewish Voice for Labour republished the Drop Site News report, no major U.S. newspapers or broadcast outlets had covered the story as of July 2025. Meta shows no signs of ending the censorship initiative, leaving critics concerned about the implications for free expression and the global reach of government-directed social media moderation.
BIG TECH Sows Policy Chaos to Undermine Data Privacy Protections
Big Tech companies are actively attempting to undermine consumer data privacy laws, using tactics reminiscent of Big Tobacco in the 1990s, Project Censored reports. Jake Snow documented this in Tech Policy Press and the ACLU of Northern California in October 2024.
Snow outlined a three-step strategy. Step one: “Respond to a PR crisis with a flood of deceptive bills.” Just as tobacco promoted “smoking sections” to weaken bans, Big Tech floods Congress with industry-backed laws that replace meaningful privacy protections with weak alternatives.
Snow cites a 2021 Virginia law drafted by an Amazon lobbyist as “just what Big Tech wants.”
Step two: Complain about the “patchwork” of state laws, portraying diverse regulations as chaotic or unworkable. Tobacco did this in the 1990s; today, tech lobbyists repeat it, even creating websites like United for Privacy: Ending the Privacy Patchwork.
Step three: Use federal preemption to erase state laws and block stronger local legislation. While federal law could set a floor — like the federal minimum wage — Big Tech pushes it as a ceiling, limiting grassroots influence.
Snow notes that states and cities historically drive real change. California, for example, enshrined a privacy right in its 1972 constitution, offering protections against modern abuses.
Once state legislatures are sealed off, communities with limited access to Congress lose power.
These tactics are not hypothetical. The House version of Trump’s controversial “Big Beautiful Bill” included a provision shielding tech companies from state lawsuits for a decade over negligence, privacy violations or AI misuse. Though removed by the Senate, similar efforts are expected.
Project Censored noted that while outlets like the New York Times and Time have reported aspects of Big Tech lobbying, no corporate coverage has fully captured the scale, coordination or historical parallels Snow identified — leaving much of the strategy’s impact unexamined.
PHOTO BY MARK SHIEFELBEIN /THE AP
Brunch With Sa nta
AMAZON AND WALMART
Use Hostile Surveillance Technology Against Warehouse Employees
Walmart and Amazon, the two largest U.S. retailers with more than 2.7 million employees (excluding Amazon drivers), have deployed extensive surveillance technologies that harm workers’ health, safety and well-being, according to Oxfam America’s April 2024 report “At Work and Under Watch,” as reported by Alex Press for Jacobin.
media have largely ignored these abuses. The surveillance regimes, chronicled in Oxfam’s report, illustrate how Amazon and Walmart weaponize technology to suppress worker rights, undermine organizing efforts and prioritize efficiency over employee safety.
PRIVATE COMPANIES
Reap Over $100 Million Sweeping Homeless Camps in California
Criminalizing homelessness doesn’t solve the problem — but it does generate massive profits for private firms. According to a 2024 investigation by the Guardian and Type Investigations, at least $100 million has been paid to clear homeless encampments in California, a figure likely far below the true total, since spending data was available for only 14 municipalities and agencies. The costs are staggering.
Walmart patented technology in 2018, allowing management to monitor employees’ movements, eavesdrop on conversations and track customer interactions. Amazon uses similar systems, including real-time productivity ratings. Oxfam’s findings, based on surveys and interviews, revealed alarming impacts: 75% of Amazon and 74% of Walmart workers feel pressure to work faster, over half report limited bathroom access due to production quotas, and roughly half report burnout. Dehydration affected 41% of Amazon and 91% of Walmart workers in the prior three months. Workers described extreme conditions. An Amazon employee compared their facility to “Squid Game,” noting frequent medical emergencies, while a Walmart worker explained injuries are often blamed on employees, with management refusing negotiation.
Unionization offers potential resistance, but efforts have been suppressed. Amazon defeated a union vote in North Carolina in February 2025, reportedly through constant intimidation. Academic research on Bessemer, Alabama, confirmed Amazon used workplace devices to send anti-union messages, monitor social media groups, and track employee sentiment about union activity. The American Prospect concluded Amazon is converting AI and monitoring systems into tools specifically designed to quash dissent.
Project Censored emphasized that, aside from some specialist and independent reporting, corporate
Marinship, a Bay Area construction company, received $3.4 million to dismantle a camp of about 200 residents. In Santa Clara, a $1 million, three-and-a-half-year contract covered only 264 unsheltered residents. Police presence adds millions more; one Los Angeles sweep costs an estimated $2 million.
The human toll is severe. Sweeps don’t reduce homelessness. A 2024 RAND study found that temporary declines in visible encampments in Los Angeles quickly reversed, with one community’s unsheltered population doubling within months. Repeated sweeps harm residents’ health: Modeling from Boston predicts hospitalization and death rates rise significantly, with overdoses projected to increase by 30%.
Legal backing has worsened the situation. In 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that punishing people for sleeping outside is not cruel or unusual, enabling police to confiscate property. Since then, roughly 150 cities in 32 states have enacted or strengthened such ordinances, often imposing steep fines or jail time. Some cities abroad take a different approach. Denmark and Finland have successfully reduced homelessness through housing-first policies, providing permanent homes rather than policing encampments. Finland now has only a
homeless families it had in the early 2000s and fewer than half as many unsheltered individuals.
Meanwhile, a lucrative punitive industry has emerged. As Project Censored notes, corporate media have largely ignored the profits companies make from these sweeps, focusing instead on homelessness as a social issue while leaving the exploitation of unhoused communities largely unreported.
UNDERREPORTED, Often Deadly Abuses of Police Authority
In 2024, U.S. police killed an average of nearly four people daily, disproportionately Black, Indigenous, and Pacific Islander, according to Mapping Police Violence data reported by Sharon Zhang in Truthout (February 2025). Police killed 1,365 people — more than any year since 2013 — and nearly two-thirds were in response to 911 calls, mostly involving non-violent or no offenses.
Black people were 2.9 times more likely than White people to be killed, American Indians and Alaska Natives 3.1 times more likely, and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders 7.6 times more likely. Only 10 days in 2024 have passed without a police killing. Officers were charged in just nine cases.
The Washington Post, previously tracking police killings, stopped its reporting amid owner Jeff Bezos’s right-wing influence, while Trump ended the federal law enforcement misconduct database established in December 2023. Mapping Police
PHOTO BY ANDREW SHEPARD /THE AP
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New Orleans
EAT + DRINK
Lakefront pho
Yummy Pho & Fried Chicken opens on the Lakefront by Beth D’Addono |
YUMMY IS ON THE MOVE
Charles Wang, whose primary business is supplying fresh sushi to local supermarkets, opened his first restaurant, Yummy Sushi, in Gentilly two years ago. In September, he found an ideal location for his second place, Yummy Pho & Fried Chicken, in the shopping center on Franklin Avenue near the UNO Lakefront Arena.
“So many of our Yummy Sushi guests ask us about pho,” says Wang, a native of Tianjin, China, who worked in food service in New York before moving to New Orleans more than 20 years ago. “When my realtor showed me the location, it seemed perfect. I didn’t want another sushi restaurant too close to my other place. But there’s no Vietnamese food around here. I think we will fill a need in the neighborhood.”
The restaurant opened Sept. 20 in a row of stores in the shopping center. The simple interior is sparkling clean, with room for about 60 guests, and there is plenty of parking. So far, takeaway and delivery are steady, with more locals trying dining in, and they can bring their own alcohol.
“It was important for me to have an authentic Vietnamese chef in the kitchen,” Wang says. He asked his longtime friend, Viet Bui, who has a construction business, if he knew anyone that fit the bill. It turned out a distant cousin, Phuong Tran, was a chef looking for a kitchen.
When Wang asked Bui if he was interested in becoming a partner in the business, it took him just 15 minutes to agree.
“I love to eat, and I know what tastes good,” says Bui, who helps out in both the front and back of the house.
Tran, a Saigon native, visited New Orleans while seeing family in Tallahassee, Florida and fell in love with the city. She learned to cook from her mother and then worked for years in a restaurant in Vietnam. Although she studied to be a nail technician, one day on that job was
enough to convince her that career wasn’t her passion.
“Cooking makes me happy,” she says in Vietnamese, with Bui translating.
“She understands everything after being here only one year and three months,” Bui says.
Clearly, the chef understands her culinary heritage. The menu is anchored by pho, the rich, aromatic beef or chicken bone broth noodle soup that is the perfect antidote for chilly weather.
Making the soup takes at least 12 hours, slow deriving the umami-laden flavors of star anise, cardamon, cinnamon and coriander in the broth.
Served with a tangle of rice noodles and a plate of fresh Thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts and lime, Tran’s version is pho at its complex best.
To taste all the proteins, order the Yummy combo, which swims with thin slices of rare steak, brisket, beef tendon, tripe and meatballs. There’s also the option of clean pho ga, chicken noodle soup, or shrimp in beef broth or pho khon thit, simply
a bowl of broth and noodles. The chef plans to add a vegetarian pho in the New Year, and there will be an all-seafood pho for Lent after Mardi Gras.
A chef’s special soup, bun bo Hue, a dish from central Vietnam, is a bowl of rice noodles in a pork and beef laden spicy broth. Bone chao is a Vietnamese take on steak and eggs, with a grilled beef, two eggs, tomato, onions, pate, pickled vegetables and a French baguette.
Appetizers include pork spring rolls, either with shrimp and pork in translucent summer rice paper rolls, or sheathed in crispy shells that crackle like layers of caramelized sugar, with mint and lettuce on the side for wrapping. Vermicelli and rice bowls arrive with grilled lemon grass pork, beef or shrimp, always with fresh herbs on the side. Prices are reasonable, portions generous.
While Yummy Pho is off to a good start, Wang isn’t planning on expanding the Yummy brand too quickly.
“If the location is right, and the concept fits, I am interested,” he says. “Whatever we do, it will be Yummy.”
Tip of the Hat THERE’S ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD CUBAN SANDWICH on the menu of the High Hat Cafe, next to the gumbo ya-ya, fried catfish and pimiento cheeseburgers. But the Cuban connection at this Freret Street mainstay runs deeper than the menu.
Co-owners Fredo Noguiera and Ryan Iriarte are both New Orleans natives and first-generation CubanAmericans. They have long talked of the possibility of opening a cafe together drawing on these roots, and soon that will come to fruition.
The two are now developing Cafe Conmigo, within sight of High Hat Cafe. It’s at 2511 Jena St., a few steps off Freret Street, in a tiny building that was previously home to Ice Cream 504. The new restaurant is slated to open in early 2026.
Cafe Conmigo translates as “coffee with me,” and coffee will be a big part of the program. A specialty espresso machine will help produce a menu of Cuban coffee drinks.
The food menu is starting off with a short list of sandwiches, led by the Cuban of course, and also the Cuban style frita burger (featuring beef with chorizo spices, onions and shoestring fries).
The cafe will have a selection of Cuban pastries, desserts and snacks, like pastelitos, croquetas and flan.
It’s modeled closely on the Cuban cafes common to Miami, guided by the hand of veterans in the local hospitality business.
“It’s just pared down, simple but perfectly executed. That’s the goal,” Noguiera says.
He and his partner bought High Hat Cafe from its founders Chip Apperson
Elis Herman (left), Charles Wang, Phuong Tran and Viet Bui at Yummy Pho & Fried Chicken.
PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT
Ryan Iriarte (left) and Fredo Noguiera will open Cafe Conmigo.
PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
and Adolfo Garcia two years ago. But their connections to the restaurant and each other go back much further.
The two have been friends since working together at Riomar, Garcia’s pioneering (but long-gone) Latin American seafood restaurant in the Warehouse District.
Noguiera went on to become chef for Cane & Table, known for its Latin-Caribbean flavors and cocktails in the French Quarter, and Vals, the related tacos and tequila spot just up Freret Street. He continues in those roles today.
Iriarte was manager at High Hat for a decade and guided a bar program that made the cafe a sleeper hit for well-crafted drinks.
Cafe Conmigo also will have a cocktail program, starting with classic daiquiris and mojitos.
The partners are working with other local names on pieces of the Cafe Conmigo menu.
That includes French Truck Coffee for a house blend and Ralph Brennan Bakery, the relatively-new wholesale baking program from the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, for a custom sandwich loaf.
years back. That was called Next to Nothing, and its all-but-hidden location seemed ideal because initially its owners planned to base it around the alcohol delivery market. Major in-city arteries that intersect nearby put the shop in easy reach of many New Orleans neighborhoods.
But as the laws governing alcohol deliveries meandered through approval, Next to Nothing transformed to serve its own clientele at the shop and the bar.
After Next to Nothing closed, Ashley and Michael Zabalaoui reopened the space as Back Line with a similar concept, a new look and more programming.
The snug retail shop now feels a bit like a reading room merged with a tasting room.
The wine bar has the same small contours as before, with a contemporary style and a small rotation of wines and spirits available by the glass.
That includes some spirits made in the same building by local distiller Atelier Vie. Its gin, dubbed Euphrosine, name-checks the street address.
The ever-changing ranks of Freret Street restaurant long had a Cuban option at Sarita’s Cafe, though this long-running spot closed last year and was replaced by the Mexican restaurant La Catrina. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune
The wine selection is wide ranging, with a focus on small producers. There’s also a small selection of tinned seafood and other gourmet food available to go or to have at the bar.
Wine in stock
It’s situated among industrial buildings, but there is more going on in this area than meets the eye.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD WINE SHOP IS AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE during the holiday season, a place to drop in for a host gift on the way to a party orget something special for your own events. It’s all the better if it has its own wine bar to sip a glass while you shop. This combo wine shop/wine bar concept has been growing in more neighborhoods lately.
A new one feels like a real find in an unlikely location, where it’s building its own offbeat neighborhood vibe.
Just under the Broad Street overpass, there’s the new Five O Fore Golf + Entertainment driving range, while right next door is Ralph Brennan’s Bakery, a wholesaler producer. And across Earhart Boulevard, past Restaurant Depot, there’s another well-hidden wine shop/wine bar, the Independent Caveau NOLA, with its stylish interior and a lush selection of cheese, charcuterie and gourmet foods.
Back Line Wine & Spirits (3928 Euphrosine St.) is a shop and wine bar built in a warehouse that has new life as an art studio complex. Its bar is the warehouse’s old receiving office; its patio is the loading docks. Back Line is part of the ArtEgg Studios, a vintage egg and dairy warehouse that’s now a warren of studios for artists and other creative businesses.
This is the second act for a similar business that started here a few
Like Next to Nothing before it, Back Line can tap into a mix of people and events based out of the ArtEgg building for its own neighborhood vibe around the bar.
The shop is adding to it with art openings and free weekly wine tastings on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. It hosts pop-ups, including frequent visits from Porgy’s Seafood Market for oyster and wine pairings on the patio. — Ian McNulty /
Erin Byers
Murray & Maggie Ward
The Local Palate
by WIll Coviello
THE LOCAL PALATE, BASED IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA , covers Southern foodways. Its winter issue explores oyster culture, from farmers to chefs and shuckers. Local Palate in conjunction with Oyster South and BLK ELK, also created a short companion documentary series called “ShellBound.” The second installment is about oyster farming on Grand Isle and oyster bars in New Orleans. It will be released online on Dec. 19 via thelocalpalate.com. The special section on oysters on the website also has everything from oyster recipes to information on nonprofits focused on the industry. Magazine editor-in-chief Erin Byers Murray and producer Maggie Ward spoke to Gambit about the magazine’s oyster project.
Why did you do a big issue on oysters?
ERIN BYERS MURRAY: The magazine covers Southern food culture and Southern foodways. We do a lot of stories about the people who make our food and the ways we celebrate around food.
We have a lot of interest in the oystering world in the South. There’s a lot of rich history to the industry. For our winter 2025 issue, we decided to create a guide to Southern oysters. In conjunction with that, we started talking about a video series. I am part of Oyster South, a nonprofit that connects people in the oystering world: farmers, chefs, distributors and people on the hatchery level. Oyster South was putting together a storytelling grant, and we applied to do this video series.
Aquaculture in the South has really exploded in the last 15 years. They’re now producing off-bottom oysters and harvesting them that way instead of from the wild. Wild and cultivated oysters, especially from Louisiana, have traditionally been larger oysters. Now you have these amazing farmers that are working in the aquaculture space to grow very petit, very specialized oysters. I come from the Northeast, and I love those oysters and the salinity level. But you’re now finding that level
of quality in all parts of the South, especially in that part of Louisiana. We’re focusing on a lot of independent producers. We were trying to introduce people to farmers they maybe hadn’t heard of before. More have come online in the last few years. Texas just started allowing people to farm oysters in the last three years. 2022 was their first harvest. We want people to be aware of the breadth of options out there.
What does the Louisiana episode focus on?
MURRAY: We were also trying to identify stories of the people that are doing good work in the field. Part of our choice for Grand Isle was working with Boris (Guerrero) and telling his particular story, and why farming called to him and his family.
Visually, there’s such a rich story to tell about Grand Isle seafood and the legacy of it.
MAGGIE WARD: Each episode has its own framework, but we’re focused on chefs and farmers in each location. In Virginia, we’re focused on environmental conservation. We’re showing how they’re farmed and then going out to the smaller farmers. When we get to Louisiana, we’re showing that and getting into the history of oyster bars, and talking to chefs and oyster bar shuckers.
MURRAY: What you’re seeing in New Orleans is the bigger oysters are charbroiled because they shrink up on the grill. Southerners like char-grilled oysters with lots of butter. Now because we have these boutique oysters, a lot more people are eating them raw or on the half-shell. It’s shifted a little bit. In the
Low Country, you see people roast or steam their oysters and serve them that way.
WARD: My favorite thing to do on a Sunday is get steamed oysters. We have a strong tradition, where on Sundays, they are steamed in these large buckets. Then they’re dumped out on large tables, and everyone gathers around and pries them open and eats them that way. Usually on a cracker with some cocktail sauce.
A little further up the coast (in South Carolina), the tradition is more the raw oysters. Everyone has their own way of doing it.
What else does the series cover?
MURRAY: We met some incredible farmers along the coast of North Carolina. There’s a wonderful food scene in Wilmington, and chef Dean Neff is a chef there who champions the Southern oyster. That episode tells his story and the story of a farm nearby. What was really cool about Virginia is there is so much happening about sustainability in the oystering world. It’s about stewarding that waterway, the Chesapeake. It’s on the rebound as a waterway, in part because of the oyster industry that’s grown there.
We wanted to focus on sustainability and that oysters are culture and community builders.
(The print edition) hit newsstands in November. It’s a very service-y feature. We talk about why oyster farming matters, and how to shuck oysters and what to pair oysters with, what kind of beverages. And we also get into some profiles of Southern farmers. We talk to shuckers. We highlight some oyster nonprofits. We realized when we were picking these farmers that they’re each up against big challenges, whether it’s the environment, or the government’s framework for aquaculture, or storms. We talked a lot to Boris about losing his farm during Hurricane Ida and having to rebuild. In North Carolina, they went to the capital to lobby for the rights to farm more waterways. In Virginia, they’re doing a lot of environmental research on how to clean the waterways and keep them alive. We’re trying to tell the story of how we’re trying to preserve a way of life and an industry that is exploding at the same time.
WI NE OF THE WEEK
Caposaldo Prosecco
Brightwith persistent bubbles, the wine has afruity aroma of citrus, green apple and acacia blossoms. On the palate,the elegant, brut-style wine has apleasant acidity and freshness and asoft, round mouthfeel.
DISTRIBUTED BY
The production team behind ‘ShellBound’ includes Erin Byers Murray (far left) and Maggie Ward (for right).
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE LOCAL PALATE
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Out to Eat is an index of Gambit contract advertisers. Unless noted, addresses are for New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: Email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.
Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream.
com
— This Mid-City sweet shop serves its own gelato in flavors like praline, salted caramel and tiramisu, as well as Italian ices in flavors like lemon, strawberry and mango. There also are cannolis, biscotti, fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons and coffee drinks. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $
com — Gulf Drum Yvonne is served with brown butter sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. There also are oysters, seafood pasta dishes, steaks, lamb chops and more. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$
Bamboula’s — 514 Frenchmen St.; bamboulasmusic.com — The live music venue’s kitchen offers a menu of traditional and creative Creole dishes, such as Creole crawfish crepes with goat cheese and chardonnay sauce. Reservations accepted. Lunch, dinner and late-night daily. $$
The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar — 118 Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985) 315-7001; 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 284-2898; thebluecrabnola.com — Basin barbecue shrimp are served with rosemary garlic butter sauce over cheese grits with a cheese biscuit. The menu includes po-poys, fried seafood platters, raw and char-grilled oysters, boiled seafood in season, and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lakeview: Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. Slidell: Lunch Wed.-Fri., dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Sat.-Sun. $$
Broussard’s — 819 Conti St., (504) 581-3866; broussards.com — The menu of contemporary Creole dishes includes bronzed redfish with jumbo lump crabmeat, lemon beurre blanc and vegetables. Brunch includes Benedicts, avocado toast, chicken and waffles, turtle soup and more. Reservations recommended. Outdoor seating available in the courtyard. Dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$ Cafe Normandie — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The menu combines classic French dishes and Louisiana items like crab beignets with herb aioli. Sandwiches include po-boys, a muffuletta on flatbread and a burger. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch Mon.-Sat., dinner Fri.-Mon. $$
The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 274-1850; thecommissarynola.com — Dickie Brennan’s Commissary supplies his other restaurant kitchens and also has a dine-in menu and prepared foods to go. A smoked turkey sandwich is served with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat bread. The menu includes dips, salads, sandwiches, boudin balls, fried oysters and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$ Curio — 301 Royal St., (504) 717-4198; curionola.com — The creative Creole menu includes blackened Gulf shrimp served with chicken and andouille jambalaya. There also are crab cakes, shrimp and grits, crawfish
$ — average dinner entrée under $10
$$ $11-$20
$$$ — $20-up
etouffee, po-boys and more. Outdoor seating available on balcony. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Dahla — 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 766-6602; dahlarestaurant.com — The menu includes popular Thai dishes like pad thai, drunken noodles, curries and fried rice. Crispy skinned duck basil is prepared with vegetables and Thai basil. Delivery available. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$
Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — A menu full of Gulf seafood includes oysters served raw on the half-shell or char-broiled with with Parmesan, garlic and herbs. The menu also includes po-boys, po-boys, gumbo, blackened fish, fried seafood platters and more. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House — 144 Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse.com — There’s a seafood raw bar with raw and char-broiled oysters, fish dip, crab fingers, shrimp and more. Redfish on the Half-shell is cooked skin-on and served with crab-boiled potatoes, frisee and lemon buerre blanc. The bar offers a wide selection of bourbon and whiskies. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse — 716 Iberville St., (504) 522-2467; dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com — The menu includes a variety of steaks, plus seared Gulf fish, lobster pasta, barbecue shrimp and more. A 6-ounce filet mignon is served with fried oysters, creamed spinach, potatoes and bearnaise. Reservations recommended. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$
El Pavo Real — 4401 S. Broad Ave., (504) 266-2022; elpavorealnola.com — The menu includes tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, ceviche. tamales and more. Pescado Vera Cruz features sauteed Gulf fish topped with tomatoes, olives, onion and capers, served with rice and string beans. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and early dinner Tue.-Sat. $$
Juan’s Flying Burrito — 515 Baronne St., (504) 529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504) 569-0000; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-9950; 8140 Oak St., (504) 897-4800; juansflyingburrito.com — The Flying Burrito includes steak, shrimp, chicken, cheddar jack cheese, black beans, rice, guacamole and salsa. The menu also includes tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, nachos, salads, rice and bean bowls with various toppings and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$
Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — The Cajun Cuban with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The eclectic menu also includes char-grilled oysters, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, fried seafood platters, pasta, salads and more. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$
Kilroy’s Bar — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941;
higginshotelnola.com/dining — The all-day bar menu includes sandwiches, soups, salads, flatbreads and a couple entrees. A muffuletta flatbread is topped with salami, mortadella, capicola, mozzarella and olive salad. No reservations. Lunch Fri.-Mon., dinner daily. $$
Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and sharable plates like NOLA Tot Debris. A slow-cooked pulled pork barbecue sandwich is served with coleslaw on a brioche bun. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 5132606; legacykitchen.com — The selection of steak and chops includes filet mignon, bone-in rib-eye, top sirloin and double pork chops and a la carte toppings include bernaise, blue cheese and sauteed crabmeat. There also are burgers, salads, pasta, seafood entrees, char-broiled oysters and more. Reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$
Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The menu of Japanese cuisine includes sushi, signature rolls, tempura items, udon noodle dishes, teriyaki, salads and more.The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado, snow crab, green onion and wasabi roe. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$
Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and specialties including shrimp Mosca, baked oysters Mosca and spaghetti Bordelaise and chicken cacciatore. Chicken a la grands is sauteed with garlic, rosemary, Italian herbs and white wine. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Sat. Cash only. $$$
Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant.net — This counter-service spot serves po-boys dressed with sliced cabbage like the Famous Ferdi filled with ham, roast beef and debris. Creole favorites include jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Breakfast is available all day. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Neyow’s Creole Cafe — 3332 Bienville St., (504) 827-5474; neyows.com — The menu includes red beans and rice with fried chicken or pork chops, as well as shrimp Creole, seafood platters, po-boys, chargrilled and raw oysters, salads and more. Side items include carrot souffle, mac and cheese, cornbread dressing, sweet potato tots and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$ Nice Guys Bar & Grill — 7910 Earhart Blvd., (504) 302-2404; niceguysbarandgrillnola. com — Char-grilled oysters are topped with cheese and garlic butter, and other options include oysters Rockefeller and loaded oysters. The creative menu also includes seafood bread, a Cajun-lobster potato, wings, quesadillas, burgers, salads, sandwiches, seafood pasta, loaded fries and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$
orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar offers cheese boards and appetizers to nosh with wines. The menu includes Creole pasta with shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$
Parish Grill — 4650 W. Esplanade Ave., Suite 100, Metairie, (504) 345-2878; parishgrill. com — The menu includes a variety of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, pizza and salads. For an appetizer, sauteed andouille is served with fig preserves, blue cheese and toast points. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$
Peacock Room — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com — At brunch, braised short rib grillades are served over grits with mushrooms, a poached egg and shaved truffle. The dinner menu has oysters, salads, pasta, shrimp and grits, a burger, cheese plates and more. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Mon., brunch Sun. $$
Rosie’s on the Roof — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The rooftop bar has a menu of sandwiches, burgers and small plates. Crab beignets are made with Gulf crabmeat and mascarpone and served with herb aioli. No reservations. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$
Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 9343463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — The menu features traditional and creative Creole dishes. Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, littleneck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs. Outdoor seating available on the balcony. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$
Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes raw and char-broiled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys, fried chicken, crab and corn bisque and more. Redfish St. Charles is served with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, Elmwood, (504) 733-3803; 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 510-4282; 4024 Canal St., (504) 302-1133; 4218 Magazine St., (504) 894-8554; 70488 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 234-9420; theospizza. com — A Marilynn Pota Supreme pie is topped with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. There also are salads, sandwiches, wings, breadsticks and more. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily. $
The Vintage — 3121 Magazine St., (504) 324-7144; thevintagenola.com — There’s a full coffee drinks menu and baked goods and beignets, as well as a full bar. The menu has flatbreads, cheese boards, small plates and a pressed veggie sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
a carousel, carnival games, an elf obstacle course, mini golf, a market and more. There also are special events, a pub, pizza and other dining options and more. General admission includes ice skating and many rides, and some attractions have individual fees. Admission is by morning or afternoon sessions, which run 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m. most days on Dec. 20-29. It’s open 1-5 p.m. on Dec. 15. The event is cashless. Tickets $30.43 and up via nolachristmasfest.com.
LPO: Holiday Spectacular
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra is joined by vocalist Alexis Marceaux for a holiday program including Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time is Here,” “March of the Toys” from “Babes in Toyland,” James Stephenson’s “Holiday Fanfare Medley No. 1,” Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” and more. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, at Orpheum Theater. Tickets $35-$69 and $13 for children at lpomusic.com.
Robert Earl Keen
“Christmas with the Family” is an underappreciated holiday classic from Robert Earl Keen’s 1994 album “Gringo Honeymoon.” The Texas singer-songwriter is best known for such story-telling songs, including “The Road Goes on Forever.” In 2024, he released a new album and box set, “Western Chill.” Red Shahan opens for him at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, at House of Blues. Tickets $61.50 and up via ticketmaster.com.
Patterson
Hood
Patterson Hood, cofounder of the Southern rock band Drive-By Truckers, is on tour while marking milestones. A new documentary about the Truckers is out, and the band will mark its 30th anniversary next year. Hood released his fourth solo album, “Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams,” early this year. He performs a solo show at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15, at Chickie Wah Wah. Tickets are $51.62 and up at ticketweb.com.
Leslie Odom Jr.
Leslie Odom Jr. won a Tony Award and a Grammy for his work in the musical “Hamilton,” and he’s starred in many shows on Broadway, on TV and film. As a singer, he’s also released several albums, including two holiday albums. He sings holiday songs and more at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, at Orpheum Theater. Tickets start at $62.40 at ticketmaster.com.
Fatter Than Albert
After a great run in the 2000s, the members of New Orleans ska stalwarts Fatter Than Albert decided it was time to go off and do different things more than a decade ago. But in late 2022 and summer 2023, the band played a couple of rare reunion shows. In a holiday miracle, Fatter Than Albert is reuniting one more time for a show Friday, Dec. 19, at the Broadside with ska punk bands Bad Operation and Joystick and DJ Maddie Ruthless. Music starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $27.47 via broadsidenola.com.
Caroling in Jackson Square
Patio Planters provides songbooks and candles for the annual gathering to sing Christmas carols in the French Quarter. At 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, in Jackson Square. Find information via patioplanters.net.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra presents a sort of rock opera holiday show with light displays and more. This performance includes a new version of “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” and a salute to Beethoven. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, at Smoothie King Center. Tickets are $54.70 and up at ticketmaster.com.
Jingle on the Boulevard
The parade features Santa Claus and holiday characters, dance teams, marching bands, riding groups, throws and more. The parade starts at noon at 8400 Morrison Road and proceeds on Crowder, Hanye, Read and Lake Forest boulevards. Saturday, Dec. 20. Visit jingleontheboulevard.com for details.
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MUSIC
FO R C OMPL E T E MUSI C LISTINGS AND MO RE E V E NTS TAKING PLA CE IN TH E N E W O R L E ANS A RE A, VISIT CALENDAR.GAMBITWEEKLY.COM
To learn more about adding your event to the music calendar, please email listingsedit@gambitweekly.com
MONDAY 15
30/90 —Margie Perez, 6 pm; Piano Man G, 9 pm
ALLWAYS LOUNGE — Betsy Propane & The Accessories, 7 pm
APPLE BARREL — Mark Appleford, 6 pm; Decaturadio, 10:30 pm
BACCHANAL — Byron Asher, 6 pm
BAMBOULA’S — The Rug Cutters, 12 pm; Jon Roniger & The Good for Nothing Band, 4:30 pm; Ted Hefko & The Thousandries, 9 pm
BEANLANDIA — Treme Brass Band, 6 pm
BJ’S LOUNGE New Orleans Blues Society: Christmas Potluck and Jam, 6:30 pm
CAPULET — Belinda Moody, 6 pm
CARROLLTON STATION — Biscuits n’ Jam with Meryl Zimmerman & Friends, 10 pm
CHICKIE WAH WAH — Patterson Hood (Of the Drive By Truckers), 8 pm
DBA — Secret Six Jazz Band, 6 pm; The Jump Hounds, 9 pm
DOS JEFES — John Fohl, 8:30 pm
THE MAISON — Tanner Gus, 5 pm; Gene’s Music Machine, 8:30 pm
MAPLE LEAF BAR — George Porter Trio with Chris Adkins, 7 pm; 9 pm
SANTOS BAR — See You Soon featuring Hetti Murphi, Sleepy Ron & Paco, 10 pm
SATURN BAR —SLAAP Cabaret, 9 pm
SPOTTED CAT Paradise Jazz Band, 2 pm; New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings, 6 pm; Khris Royal + The Point, 10 pm
PEACOCK ROOM, HOTEL FONTENOT — Da Lovebirds plus Michelle Carrere, 8 pm
REPUBLIC NOLA Freak Show Peep Show , 7 pm; Rewind: Republic's 20 Year History, 11 pm
SANTOS BAR — Ragency & Mijita
TIPITINA’S Marc Broussard + Joe Stark, 8 pm
SATURDAY 20
30/90 Tyler Kinchen & The Right Pieces, 8 pm
APPLE BARREL Smoky Greenwell Blues Band, 10:30 pm
ARORA — Modestep + ZIIKA + YODUH, 10 pm
BACCHANAL — Miles Berry, 1 pm; Raphael Bas, 7 pm
BAMBOULA’S — Aaron Levinson & Friends, 11 am; James McClaskey & The Rhythm Band, 2:15 pm; Ed Willis Blues 4 Sale, 6:30 pm; Paggy Prine & Southern Soul, 10 pm
BAR REDUX Hobo Gadget Junk Band, 9 pm
BJ’S LOUNGE Klezmer All Stars Annual Hanukkah Party, 9 pm
BLUE NILE — George Brown Band, 7:30 pm; Afrobeat, 10 pm
CAFE NEGRIL — Decaturadio, 1:30 pm; Jason Neville Funky Soul Band, 6 pm; Sierra Green, 10 pm
CARROLLTON STATION — Whisper Party + Hunks of Coal Holiday Fundraiser for Bike Easy, 9 pm
CHICKIE WAH WAH — Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rôdailleurs, 9 pm
DBA — Tuba Skinny, 6 pm; James Andrews Crescent City All-Stars Band, 10 pm
DOS JEFES — The Afrodiziac’s Jazz, 9 pm
DOUBLE DEALER BAR Joey Houck, 5 pm
HOLY DIVER — Filth Abyss with DJ Mange, 10 pm
HOUSE OF BLUES — Steel Panther, 8 pm
THE HOWLIN’ WOLF Sydney and The Sams & Friends, 8 pm
JAZZ PLAYHOUSE The Nayo Jones Experience, 7:30 pm; 9 pm
JOY THEATER Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, 8 pm
LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Reverend Rob B. Mortimer, 11 pm
Present: Heaux Heaux Heauxs, 10 pm
SATURN BAR Pleasure Savior w/ Negrolith/Sana/P. Filthy, 10 pm
TIPITINA’S Anders Osborne + Ghalia Volt, 9 pm
TUFF BREAK LOSER’S LOUNGE Xmas Costume Party ft. DJ Erion Williams & DJ Khris Royal, 9 pm
TIPITINA'S Anders Osborne, 8 pm
SUNDAY 21
30/90 — Manic Mixtape, 9 pm
ALLWAYS LOUNGE Garden of Joy Jazz Band, 8 pm
BACCHANAL Pete Olynciw, 1 pm; Noah Young, 7 pm
BAMBOULA’S The Jaywalkers, 11 am; Walker & The Three Finger Swingers, 1:15 pm; Midnight Brawlers, 5:30 pm; Kat Kiley, 9 pm
BJ’S LOUNGE James McClaskey & The Rhythm Band, 9 pm
BOURBON STREET HONKY TONK
The Bad Sandys, 8 pm
CAFE NEGRIL Mike DelaCerda, 1 pm; The Next Level Band, 9 pm
CAROUSEL BAR The Iguanas, 7 pm
CHICKIE WAH WAH — Eric Lindell with Robert Mercurio, Andrew Campanelli & Rich Vogel, 8 pm
DBA — Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr + the Wild Magnolias, 10 pm
THE DOG HOUSE — Craig Cortello, The “Canine Crooner”, 5 pm
DOMINO SOUND RECORD SHACK — DJ Soul Sister, 3 pm
DOS JEFES — Piano Bob, 8 pm
HOWLIN’ WOLF — Minx Burlesque, 6 pm; Hot 8 Brass Band, 10:30 pm
JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Richard Scott & The Twisty River Band, 7:30 pm
THE MAISON Russell Welch, 3 pm; Jenavieve and the Winding Boys, 6 pm; Krewe Debauchery, 8 pm
MAPLE LEAF BAR — Joe Krown Trio, 8 pm
THE MAISON — Giselle Anguizola, 1 pm; Big Easy Brass Walker, 8 pm; DJ Dottie Dunn, 11 pm
MAPLE LEAF BAR — Walter “Wolfman” Washington’s 92nd Heavenly Birthday Party, 9 pm
NOLA BREWING & PIZZA CO —
SATURN BAR A Night of Brazilian Music with Lapis, 8 pm
TIPITINA’S Fais Do-Do With Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, 5:15 pm
Noah Young Trio Featuring Mahmoud Chouki, 7 pm
OKAY BAR — Boot, Nina, Leest, 9 pm
Xmas Shakedown
by Jake Clapp
WHEN HE WAS GROWING UP, HASAN MATTHEWS’ HOUSE WAS DECORATED for Christmas as soon as Nov. 1 rolled around. It didn’t take long, says the New Orleans bounce artist better known as HaSizzle.
“Our house was decorated from November to December — keep the tree up, and decorate it for Mardi Gras,” HaSizzle says. “I was raised off that real New Orleans, Uptown love where Christmas is Christmas.”
On Christmas Eve, HaSizzle’s family would usually have a little party with family and friends, and everyone could open one gift from under the tree at midnight. Later, when everyone was asleep, his grandfather would dress up as Santa and sneak the rest of the presents under the tree. And he’s now building his own Christmas traditions with his wife and two kids.
HaSizzle and Joseph’s “Santa Baby” has especially become a local playlist staple in recent years, as has PJ Morton’s version of the Donny Hathaway classic “This Christmas” with HaSizzle.
HaSizzle says he loves the season and the way it brings people together, so he and Big Freedia are throwing a poppin’ Christmas show on Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Toulouse Theatre.
Both Freedia and HaSizzle will perform, and they’re collecting items for a turkey giveaway event hosted by Freedia, Juan LaFonta and Trey “DaMeatMane” Barber on Dec. 21 at Shakespeare Park. There’s a discount on tickets at the door with the donation of an item like canned or boxed food, baby formula, diapers or toiletries.
“Being a father and getting to show my boys — I’d love if Christmas was all year around,” HaSizzle says.
There just aren’t many places doing holiday music as well as New Orleans, and many of the city’s bounce artists have contributed their touches to Christmas playlists over the years. Big Freedia has two EPs of jingle bells-shaking bounce for the season, “A Very Big Freedia Christmas” and “Big Freedia’s Smokin’ Santa Christmas.” HaSizzle also has put his machine gun cadence to two EPs: “Christmas in New Orleans” and “Bounce Soul Christmas.”
HaSizzle’s two EPs feature bounce re-workings of holiday classics, like “Santa Baby,” “The Christmas Song” and “Mary Did You Know,” with help from guest vocalists Jelly Joseph, Rahim Glaspy, Taijan Cook and more.
“Me and Jelly singing ‘Santa Baby’ — I love the version of me and Jelly singing,” HaSizzle says. “To me, Jelly is one of the greatest vocalists from the city of New Orleans.”
It has been a busy year for HaSizzle. He celebrated 20 years of making music during his set at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. In September, he released a new studio album, “Brass & Ass,” which featured the To Be Continued Brass Band along with Joseph, Pell, Mia X, Shamarr Allen, Partners-N-Crime and more. And just last week he released his latest live album, “Hot Off the Heater, Vol. 1.”
HaSizzle is now prepping for more releases in 2026, he says, including another Christmas album — this time a live recording. And in February, HaSizzle will host the International Mardi Gras Twerk & Bounce Fest, with twerk competitions.
“The times we livin’ in, painful things are happening everywhere around the world,” he says. “My music is based on joy and love. My movement is shaking off, twerking off negativity.”
Tickets for the Dec. 20 show are $30 in advance via toulousetheatre.com and $35 at the door ($5 discount with donation of an item). HaSizzle performs most Thursday nights at Stellar, formerly the Dragon’s Den.
HaSizzle rockin’ with Old Saint Nick. PROVIDED PHOTO
IN THE NEW YEAR BRING Brunch
MUSIC
Stank state of mind
by Jake Clapp
THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF WORDS to describe good funk music.
Dirty. Gritty.
Grimy.
When done right, funk should make your face scrunch up, your head nod and your body move in ways even you might not have expected.
So when Ghost-Note was searching for a way to describe one of their new songs, drummer Robert “Sput” Searight says, the band started searching for something that hadn’t been used before.
“We were going back to the Parliament days, and we were talking about all of the symbolism of funk. People cover their nose. People would use phrases like ‘stanky.’ So we were trying to figure out words that hadn’t been used in the groupings,” Searight says. “And we’re such foodies. I thought ‘mustard’ and ‘onions.’ ”
It’s easy to imagine the smell of mustard and raw onions — and there it is, the stank face.
“Mustard n’Onions” was a good name for the track, and Ghost-Note decided to keep the title for its fulllength album released in 2024. The album was well-received last year, and it has helped drive the funk-jazzhip-hop collective into a busy 2025 touring, including an appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk in November.
Ghost-Note makes a stop in New Orleans on Saturday, Dec. 20, for two sets at the recently re-engineered New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market. The band will play songs from “Mustard n’Onions,” and it’s also the band’s last show before the holidays.
“We’re gonna have a Christmas funky good time,” Searight says.
Searight, who’s also a keys player, co-founded Ghost-Note in 2014 with percussionist Nate Werth while the two were members of the jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy. The duo released an album, “Fortified,” in 2015 largely made with guest musicians, but with 2018’s “Swagism,” a more consistent band began to form with seasoned musicians who had played with Prince, Kendrick Lamar, Kirk Franklin, Erykah Badu and Herbie Hancock.
Along with Searight and Werth, the fluid Ghost-Note lineup includes bassist MonoNeon, guitarist Peter Knudsen, saxophonists and flautists Sylvester Onyejiaka, Jonathan Mones and Mike
Jelani Brooks, trombonist Danny Wytanis and keyboardists Dominique Xavier Taplin and Vaughn Henry.
The band started working on what would become “Mustard n’Onions” in 2019 while touring off their “Swagism” release. Being on the road together helped the members steadily hone the Ghost-Note sound — an unstoppable groove and charismatic style — and every chance they could, the band would book studio time in different cities and record. The band ended up recording around 30 songs during that stretch before the pandemic hit in 2020, Searight says.
Touring “led us into the direction, in my opinion, of where I thought we needed to go, and the music just evolved in the way that encompassed the band we had on the road,” Searight says. “When we got to ‘Mustard n’Onions,’ we knew our sound. We knew our personalities. It was a fun record to do because we were all excited about this new sound we discovered.”
That sense of fun is all over “Mustard n’Onions,” which clocks in at 80 minutes, as well as in the band’s Tiny Desk appearance. There’s also a lot of joy on the album — although, for Searight, “maturity” is more the word he associates with this album.
“I think we kind grew up on this record,” he says. “The word ‘joy’ is fitting as well because we definitely play with joy. But I don’t think that would be a new addition to it. I think that’s one of the things our fanbase has always been mesmerized by: our sense of joy when we’re playing with each other on stage, where we’re supporting one another in a way that most bands don’t let the audience in on.”
Tickets to the Dec. 20 shows start at $25.30 via jazzandbluesmarket.com. Find Ghost-Note at ghost-note-official.com.
Ghost-Note
PROVIDED PHOTO BY LAUREN JENKINS
PREMIER CROSSWORD PUZZLE
COMIN’ AT YA!
By Frank A. Longo
99 Knight’s title
Pop/rock singer Mann
Utah or Iowa
Biden’s party: Abbr.
Botches up
Potential perp
Trash on the street, e.g.
Popular soft drink flavor
Mimic 119 Spanish painter José de --
Long, narrow inlet
Terminating
Common aspect of seven long answers in this puzzle 130 Journalist Bly
Viper, e.g.
Northern Spanish city
Lovers’ rendezvous
Nation north of Ethiopia
Sturdy poster material
1 Popular glue brand
“Search me!”
In an unfeeling way
“Just -- thought!”
Confronted
Brits’ baby buggies
Former senator Evan
“Behold!,” to Caesar
Penetrating
Sources of element #50
Stiller of “Zoolander”
2006-19 Bolivian
Morales
Shout from a drill
36 Part of DJ 37 “The Thrill Is Gone” bluesman 40 ET’s ship
Burger holder 45 Largest city of Samoa
Stitch 49 Dress in Delhi 50 Least original 51 Quick photodeveloping center 52 Food, old-style 53 Chapeau fastener
55 “She wouldn’t hurt --!”
57 Architect Ludwig Mies van der -58 Volcano’s outflow
59 Reluctant 60 St. -- (big dog)
63 Movie critic Roger
65 Ruffle the feathers of 68 Whale types
69 Hollywood’s Cage, to pals
Permit to
Opera part, in Paris
Tycoon 78 -- -Freez (dairy treat chain)
79 Pro -- (in proportion)
Prompt 86 -- -fi flick
Analyzes, as 10-Down
Some breads and whiskeys
“Rhyme Pays” rapper
“Ad -- per aspera”
88 Tan shades
Incisive insult
Cardinal, e.g.
Austin-to-Houston dir.
“The jig --!” 98 Figure out, as a code
Emphasis
De-creaser
In a gentle way
Cyberspace letters
Feared fly 107 Old Ford auto, in brief 109 Not be able to recall 110 Curly-haired “Peanuts” character
Sailor, slangily
Wise guys
Jungle stalker
“Hurray!”
Nota --
Blues singer -- James
Small peeve
That girl
81 Young males, in many rap songs
“-- tu” (Verdi aria) 128 DuVernay of “Queen Sugar” 129 “Drop Dead Fred” star Mayall
