Latest news with #NOLA
Axios
15-07-2025
- Climate
- Axios
New Orleans could get 10 inches of rain from tropical system
New Orleans and Jefferson Parish officials are preparing for up to 10 inches of rain as a tropical system heads toward Louisiana. Why it matters: That's more rain than New Orleans typically gets in the entire month of July. Some parishes are preparing for the threat by setting up sandbag locations and encouraging residents to prepare for the possibility of street flooding. The big picture: The system was moving over Florida on Tuesday and expected to reach the Gulf on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said. A tropical depression could form while it moves west in the Gulf, per NHC. It will be named Dexter if it strengthens into a tropical storm. It's expected to approach Louisiana's coast on Thursday, NHC said. Between the lines: It's the Gulf Coast's first storm threat of the 2025 hurricane season. The biggest concern for southeast Louisiana is flooding, according to the National Weather Service's Slidell office. It's too early to tell where the heaviest rain will fall. The latest: Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall are expected to start Wednesday in New Orleans and continue through at least Saturday morning, NWS said. It's "not out of the question" for some places to get more than 10 inches, NWS wrote in its Tuesday forecast. New Orleans is most likely to get 3 to 4 inches by Sunday, with higher totals on the coast, per NWS. Rainfall rates in some storms could be more than 4 inches per hour, which is faster than the pumps can drain streets. A flood watch is in effect for southeast Louisiana and south Mississippi from Wednesday through Saturday morning. What to do now: Leaders are asking residents and businesses to clear catch basins in front of their properties now. Clean your gutters, too. It's also a good time to check your emergency kit and charge your phone and electronics in case there's an outage. Make sure you have a way to get info (Ex. NOLA Ready texts or a weather radio). Sandbag sites are open in St. Tammany and Terrebonne parishes, WDSU says. Once the rain arrives, stay off the roads if there's flooding. It's dangerous for you and can push water into homes and businesses. Drainage prep Zoom out: Drainage pumps in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish can handle 1 inch of rain the first hour and 0.5 inch per hour after that when the systems are working at full capacity. When rain falls too quickly, it overwhelms the pumps, causing street flooding. The Sewerage & Water Board said 86 of 93 major pumps (map) were working as of Tuesday. Two of its power turbines were down and available only for emergency use. SWBNO crews are drawing down canals and cleaning catch basins in anticipation of the rain, spokesperson Ceara Labat tells Axios New Orleans. All the underpass pumps were working, SWBNO said, with the exception of one of the three that drain the Carrolton Avenue/I-10 underpass. In Jefferson Parish, all 194 pumps were working as of Tuesday, per drainage director Ben Lepine. Employees have also tested all the generators and were ready to staff pumping stations 24 hours a day if needed, he said in a statement. Public works employees are focusing on cleaning catch basins until the rain arrives. Entergy said it is monitoring the storm and preparing for severe weather in south Louisiana. The company has materials, supplies and staffing available if needed, a spokesperson tells Axios New Orleans. What we're watching: Meteorologists are monitoring where the system goes once it enters the Gulf, which will give them a better idea where the heaviest rain will fall.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Parents left scrambling for childcare after two summer camps abruptly shut as Trump withholds $6B in funding
Hundreds of families have been left scrambling to sort childcare after two New Orleans summer camps closed abruptly. The camps, run by the nonprofit Asher Institute NOLA, closed on July 1 after the group said it did not receive expected funding from the city government. The programs — The Hangout NOLA and one held at Bricolage Academy — served children from across the city, offering full-day care and meals at no cost. The closure caught parents and staff off guard, and they questioned why the camps were set in motion without sufficient funding. Many families rely on such programs for summer childcare while they work. 'I was like, so this is real? They are really closing camp?' LaKee Moss, whose son attended The Hangout, told local station WDSU. 'It was unexpected. It was disappointing. It was shocking.' Moss said the camp provided not only childcare while she worked, easing the financial burden during the summer months. 'This is going to make me emotional,' Moss added. 'But just to have not had to find a babysitter. To not have had to worry about where he was while I'm at work.' The Trump administration recently announced it was withholding over $6 billion in federal grants intended for after-school and summer education programs next year, including English language classes and camps. That funding is under review to determine whether it aligns with the administration's policy priorities, CBS News reported. The camps were led by Lee Anderson, chair of the Asher Institute and stepfather of New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson. Anderson told parents that the organization had been promised public funds to operate the camps but that the money never arrived. 'There has been a lot of stuff going on with the City Council,' Anderson said on July 1. 'They gave support. We actually thought by now we would have been able to fully fund the programs.' However, members of the New Orleans City Council said they were unaware of any formal funding commitment, according to Several camp employees say they are still owed wages. Instructor Angell Love told WDSU she received her last pay stub but no paycheck. 'What do we do?' she said. 'We want to keep our families here. But we need money to run the space.' The Trump administration is holding back more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school programs 'People have livelihoods. I'm an instructor. This is my only pay for the summer.' Raynard Bender, the CEO of The Hangout NOLA, said the issue came down to undelivered funds. 'There were promises that were made, and unfortunately, those promises weren't kept. I honestly don't feel like it was in any kind of malice.' Lee Anderson and the Asher Institute said 'I am sorry about the situation at hand right now.' Adding that all staff should 'receive pay by Wednesday.'
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
As Essence fest takes blame for Lauryn Hill's wildly late set, Stephanie Mills lets criticism rip
The Essence Festival has taken responsibility for a Lauryn Hill performance that saw the hip-hop legend take the stage at 2:30 in the morning. "Let's be very clear — WE don't play about Ms. Lauryn Hill. Not for clicks. Not for headlines," organizers wrote Sunday on Instagram. "She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can.' Read more: Fugees lawsuit: Pras Michél, Lauryn Hill trade barbs about scuttled tour The 31st annual New Orleans-based event, which ran Friday to Sunday, was peppered with issues from the beginning. According to the news site NOLA, Hill was quietly added to the already inflated lineup just two days before opening night. 'Does Lauryn know about this?' one fan quipped in comments on an Instagram post announcing the addition. Others riffed on her well-known history of tardiness. The festival was reportedly already running behind when contemporary R&B trio Psyrin opened the first day. At the halfway point, GloRilla finished 45 minutes after the next act was supposed to start, NOLA said. So it was little surprise that headliner Hill didn't get onstage until 2:30 a.m. Saturday. She performed to a nearly empty Caesars Superdome — hundreds of people were left instead of tens of thousands — closing with 'Fu-Gee-La' more than an hour later. Though Hill is notorious for starting her shows late, even telling a 2023 audience 'Y'all lucky I make it,' Essence Festival organizers quickly took the blame for this one. Read more: Lauryn Hill is so over those tardiness complaints: 'Y'all lucky I make it,' she tells L.A. "Family is family and around here we protect our own no matter what the PEOPLE have to say,' the organizers said. 'The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched. Put some respect on her name. Keep the takes, but keep her out of them. All love and deep profound admiration for Ms. Lauryn Hill,' they added. Comments celebrated Essence's 'accountability.' The social media post even received love from Saturday headliner and legend Erykah Badu, who contributed some applause emojis. However, not everyone was over the moon. In an open letter to the Essence Festival on Tuesday, Grammy-winning artist Stephanie Mills voiced her grievances about the event's "overall level of professionalism." Read more: Fyre Festival 2 flames out as Billy McFarland puts brand up for sale: 'I need to step back' 'While I remain grateful for the opportunity to have participated, my overall experience was unfortunately marred by significant production issues that negatively impacted both my performance and the artist experience as a whole,' wrote Mills, who performed Sunday. 'The schedule and time management were severely lacking, creating a chaotic and stressful environment backstage … the technical difficulties, specifically concerning the sound system, proved deeply problematic,' she continued. She closed out the letter by calling for a 'vastly improved experience' for artists and fans of the festival in future installments. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
As Essence fest takes blame for Lauryn Hill's wildly late set, Stephanie Mills lets criticism rip
The Essence Festival has taken responsibility for a Lauryn Hill performance that saw the hip-hop legend take the stage at 2:30 in the morning. 'Let's be very clear — WE don't play about Ms. Lauryn Hill. Not for clicks. Not for headlines,' organizers wrote Sunday on Instagram. 'She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can.' The 31st annual New Orleans-based event, which ran Friday to Sunday, was peppered with issues from the beginning. According to the news site NOLA, Hill was quietly added to the already inflated lineup just two days before opening night. 'Does Lauryn know about this?' one fan quipped in comments on an Instagram post announcing the addition. Others riffed on her well-known history of tardiness. The festival was reportedly already running behind when contemporary R&B trio Psyrin opened the first day. At the halfway point, GloRilla finished 45 minutes after the next act was supposed to start, NOLA said. So it was little surprise that headliner Hill didn't get onstage until 2:30 a.m. Saturday. She performed to a nearly empty Caesars Superdome — hundreds of people were left instead of tens of thousands — closing with 'Fu-Gee-La' more than an hour later. Though Hill is notorious for starting her shows late, even telling a 2023 audience 'Y'all lucky I make it,' Essence Festival organizers quickly took the blame for this one. 'Family is family and around here we protect our own no matter what the PEOPLE have to say,' the organizers said. 'The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched. Put some respect on her name. Keep the takes, but keep her out of them. All love and deep profound admiration for Ms. Lauryn Hill,' they added. Comments celebrated Essence's 'accountability.' The social media post even received love from Saturday headliner and legend Erykah Badu, who contributed some applause emojis. However, not everyone was over the moon. In an open letter to the Essence Festival on Tuesday, Grammy-winning artist Stephanie Mills voiced her grievances about the event's 'overall level of professionalism.' 'While I remain grateful for the opportunity to have participated, my overall experience was unfortunately marred by significant production issues that negatively impacted both my performance and the artist experience as a whole,' wrote Mills, who performed Sunday. 'The schedule and time management were severely lacking, creating a chaotic and stressful environment backstage … the technical difficulties, specifically concerning the sound system, proved deeply problematic,' she continued. She closed out the letter by calling for a 'vastly improved experience' for artists and fans of the festival in future installments.
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Travel + Leisure
08-07-2025
- Travel + Leisure
Our Readers' 10 Favorite Hotels in New Orleans of 2025
Few cities in America do hospitality quite like New Orleans. It's in the city's DNA, deep as the Mississippi River, exuberant as an impromptu second line—unbelievably resilient no matter what gets thrown at it. In all its diverse neighborhoods, NOLA's irresistible joie de vivre marches on. And whether our readers visited for a bachelorette party, business convention, or the Super Bowl, they found hotels brimming with rich history, ebullient style, and the kind of service you remember long after check-out. How Voting Works Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe—to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Nearly 180,000 T+L readers completed the 2025 survey. A total of more than 657,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.). Hotels were classified as either resort hotel, city hotel, inn, or safari lodge based on their location and amenities, and they were specifically rated on the criteria below: Rooms/facilities Location Service Food Value For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses. The first view upon arrival at The Windsor Court. The Windsor Court What Readers Loved This year's favorite properties in New Orleans are located primarily in the Central Business District and the French Quarter—the city's historic heartbeat of tourism. The sole exception is the Pontchartrain Hotel (No. 7). One reader described it as being 'perfectly located in the heart of the Garden District,' and also noted that it has a great jazz bar. Readers also paid particular attention to the classics this year, like The Roosevelt New Orleans, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel (No. 3), whose resplendent building dates back to 1893. About the Hotel Monteleone (No. 2), one reader wonders, 'Can you really say you've been to the Crescent City without a turn at The Carousel Bar?' And taking first place, steps from the River, is The Windsor Court, which has been hosting guests in style since the '80s. 'This is the hotel to make your stay in New Orleans the best,' a reader says. 'Quintessential NOLA.' The Winner The Windsor Court The Windsor Court's main lobby. The Windsor Court Situated near the riverfront in the Central Business District, this posh 1984 classic wins on amenities, from the wonderful pool stretching 65 feet long, to the museum-worthy art collection. But it's the staff that really cements the Windsor Court's status as a New Orleans legend. 'The level of service is unmatched, from the doormen, front desk, housekeeping, and the staff in the bar and restaurants,' one reader said. Another, who traveled with their family, recalled, 'They treated the children as honored guests.' T+L Reader The level of service is unmatched, from the doormen, front desk, housekeeping, and the staff in the bar and restaurants. — T+L Reader The Full List 1. The Windsor Court Reader Score: 94.96 2. Hotel Monteleone Reader Score: 90.15 3. The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel Reader Score: 88.39 4. Omni Royal Orleans Reader Score: 88.00 5. The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans Reader Score: 87.64 6. Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans Reader Score: 87.56 7. Pontchartrain Hotel Reader Score: 87.50 8. Bourbon Orleans Hotel Reader Score: 83.24 9. JW Marriott New Orleans Reader Score: 80.44 10. Hyatt Regency New Orleans Reader Score: 80.00
