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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Saints safety J.T. Gray just suffered the first injury of training camp
New Orleans Saints veteran safety J.T. Gray suffered a lower-body injury during Monday's practice, which was the first injury of this year's training camp. Afterwards, Saints head coach Kellen Moore said that Gray was still being evaluated, but that he did not "think that it was anything bad." Moore also later added that he will be able to provide more of an update on Tuesday after tests are completed. Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune noted that Gray had slipped during a special teams session, which makes sense as that is the main role that Gray plays on the team. Gray is one of the longest-tenured players on the roster, having been in New Orleans since he entered the league as an undrafted rookie in 2018 (out of Mississippi State)). He has only played 153 career snaps on defense, but has 2,065 career snaps on special teams. He made the All-Pro first team in 2021, when he was also recognized as a Pro Bowler, and has made the second team twice, most recently last year.
Axios
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Stage is set for New Orleans sheriff's race
The race for who'll get to wear the badge as New Orleans sheriff next year is officially set with incumbent Sheriff Susan Hutson getting in the game before qualifying ended Friday. Why it matters: In New Orleans, the sheriff runs the Orleans Justice Center, the jail from which 10 inmates escaped in May. With law enforcement still looking for one of them, this election stands to be one of the most fascinating to watch. The big picture: The matchup between Hutson and former interim NOPD chief Michelle Woodfork, who qualified Wednesday, was going to be interesting even before the jailbreak. Woodfork, who was beat out for the police department's top cop job in 2023 by chief Anne Kirkpatrick, remains popular. In recent months, she's been working with District Attorney Jason Williams, who has established himself as a stiff ally for Woodfork. Hutson secured a political victory earlier this year with a historically-narrow win for a millage renewal to support the jail, but the state's first Black female sheriff 's record wasn't without blemishes before the jailbreak. Hutson has faced charges of retaliation against an employee, according to The Times-Picayune, and the city's Inspector General said she'd improperly spent public money on deputy hotel rooms during Mardi Gras. Between the lines: Hutson said she accepts accountability for the jailbreak, and she temporarily suspended her campaign in May to focus on the jail. But shortly after the escape, Hutson began blaming the historic jailbreak on a lack of funding that led to an inadequately maintained facility. By the numbers: Hutson will have to make up some ground to secure a win, according to JMC Analytics' polling numbers taken in New Orleans just after the jailbreak. At the time, 63% of "likely voters" said they had a somewhat or very unfavorable opinion of the current sheriff. Meanwhile, 49% of "likely voters" said they had a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Woodfork. If the election had been held that day, 35% of those polled said they'd vote for Woodfork, compared to 12% for Hutson. Other candidates who qualified for sheriff include Edwin Shorty Jr., businessman Bob Murray, retired Judge Julian Parker and Ernest Lee, according to The Times-Picayune.
Axios
10-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
15 New Orleans bars and restaurants that have closed this summer
The doldrums of summer came early to New Orleans, bringing with them a rush of bar and restaurant closures. Why it matters: More hospitality owners are pulling the plug early rather than crossing their fingers and hoping to keep paying their bills through the slowest part of the year. The big picture: With few festivals, high temperatures and little tourism, summer has long been New Orleans' slowest season. So, if a restaurant or bar is going to close, it's more likely to come during the warmest months of the year. On the lighter end, summer might mean limited hours or short-term closures. But the coronavirus pandemic cranked that intensity to the max level, with full-blown summer shutdowns picking up pace in recent years. Yes, but: We're not powerless against it. As Ian McNulty outlined for The Times-Picayune, now's the time to show your favorite bars and restaurants that you're there to help them make it through to fall. You can buy gift cards, arrive earlier, and shop smarter when you're opting for take-out by ordering directly from the restaurant rather than paying fees to third-party apps. Closures since March 2025 so far include: Maypop and Mopho, both from chef Michael Gulotta. Maypop in particular had a tough run after a closure prompted by a building collapse across the street last year. Tracey's Irish Channel Bar. Owners said the cancellation of the Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day parade this year was the final straw, WDSU reports. BABs from chef Nina Compton and partner Larry Miller. Justine from Justin and Mia Devillier. Frey Smoked Meat Co., which had been in Mid-City for about a decade. The Franklin, which has already made way for new restaurant Evviva. Zony Mash, the brewery on the edge of Broadmoor. Ugly Dog Saloon, which closed in the CBD. Milan Lounge, a beloved Uptown dive bar. Medium Rare, which was only open for about a year, Eater reports. Tonti's Bistro in Algiers Point. Brocato's Kitchen in Mid-City, though The Times-Picayune reports it may reopen elsewhere. Trilly's Cheesesteak, which cited rising costs as a major factor.
New York Post
05-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Pelicans exec makes Zion Williamson stance clear after bombshell rape allegations
The rape allegations against Zion Williamson are not affecting the Pelicans' plans for his future with the organization. While new executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said he had been 'advised not to venture into any of his legal issues' in an interview with The Times-Picayune, he made it clear the team intends to build around its former No. 1 overall pick. 'I've had really good conversations with Zion,' Dumars, the former Pistons title-winning executive, said Wednesday. 'We've had lunch. Dinner. Watched playoff games together. We've done it all. I've had some real, honest conversations with him. Some real direct and honest conversations. 'We're going to go forward with Zion. He's going to continue to be a focal point here as we go forward.' 4 Zion Williamson during a March 2025 game. NBAE via Getty Images Williamson's standing with the franchise came into question following the bombshell rape allegations made against him in a lawsuit filed last week by woman claiming to be his ex-girlfriend. The woman, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, alleges the forward raped her twice in 2020 and 'continued to abuse, rape, assault and batter plaintiff' until their relationship ended in 2023. On Sept. 23, 2020, the woman alleges Williamson 'pinned Plaintiff down on the bed with her hands behind her back and raped her' after she refused to have sex with him. Williamson is also alleged to have called her 'stuck up' and a 'b—h.' Roughly one month later on Oct. 10, amid a discussion about Doe possibly visiting a friend, Williamson is alleged to have 'picked her up, threw her down to the ground, and pinned her shoulders down so she could not move,' and then 'violently raped Plaintiff in multiple ways.' 4 The Pelicans recently hired Joe Dumars as their executive VP of basketball operations. AP The woman is seeking between $18 million to $50 million, according to ESPN. Williamson denied the allegations, and his legal counsel said they planned to file counterclaims and 'seek significant damages for this defamatory lawsuit.' 'We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them. The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless,' Williamson's legal counsel told The Post in late May. 'This is the plaintiff's third set of attorneys. This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance.' 4 Williamson represented the Pelicans at the NBA Draft Lottery. NBAE via Getty Images While Dumars did not comment on the lawsuit, Pelicans owner Gayle Benson addressed the topic Tuesday but did not offer much. 'You know, lawsuits are lawsuits,' Benson said, according to The Times-Picayune. 'You really can't … You don't know. I mean people can sue you for anything. There's no reason you can be innocent or not. It's just something that people do, unfortunately.' Before this lawsuit emerged, the Pelicans reportedly had been open to moving anyone on the roster in their attempt to build a winner after missing the playoffs for the fourth time in Williamson's six seasons. 4 Zion Williamson missed 52 games last season. Getty Images Dumars, though, said that sending Williamson to the NBA Draft Lottery in May — before the lawsuit's unveiling — showed the team's commitment to him. The Pelicans will pick seventh in the upcoming draft. 'I sent him to the lottery for a reason,' Dumars told the publication. 'I want him to start focusing on the responsibilities of being the best player here and the focal point. There are some responsibilities that come with that. Go represent your organization.' Any revival in New Orleans will need Williamson to be healthy and productive, the former having been a major issue since he landed with the franchise after starring at Duke. Though Williamson has averaged 24.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in his career, he's appeared in 60 or more games just twice in six seasons. Williamson, 24, played in just 30 games this past season and missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a foot injury. He's appeared in just 214 games. 'We've had some real direct conversations with him about that,' Dumars said, per the outlet. 'Expectations. Accountability. That's our plan going forward with Zion.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New Orleans jail escapee was caught with help from an anonymous tip; 2 inmates still on the run
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — As police continue to scour Louisiana for the two remaining New Orleans jail escapees on the run, one fugitive was captured on Monday with the help of an anonymous tip from a concerned citizen. Lenton Vanburen Jr., 26, was found Monday evening sitting on a bench near a department store in Baton Rouge – approximately 78 miles (125 kilometers) from the jail he and nine others escaped from earlier this month, police said. Authorities also said Monday that five people were arrested for assisting Vanburen following the audacious jail escape through a hole behind a toilet. Three of those people share the same last name as Vanburen, including Lenton Vanburen Sr. All five were charged with accessory after the fact — a crime that involves harboring, concealing or aiding a felon who is avoiding arrest, trial, conviction or punishment — which is punishable by up to five years in prison. On Monday, two other escapees were arrested in Walker County, Texas. Details about their capture were not available. Still on the lam are Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey. Groves, 27, was convicted on two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder last year for his role in the 2018 Mardi Gras Day shootings of two men. He also faces a charge of battery against a correctional facility employee, court records show. Massey, 33, has a lengthy criminal history. In March, he was booked on charges of motor vehicle theft and domestic abuse battery involving strangulation. He is also wanted by St. Tammany Parish authorities on suspicion of kidnapping and rape, law enforcement officials told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. Authorities have urged the public to call police with any information that may lead to the capture of Groves and Massey, and are offering $20,000 in rewards for tips leading to their arrest. The bold New Orleans jailbreak occurred nearly two weeks ago, when the inmates yanked open a faulty cell door inside a jail, squeezed through a hole behind a toilet, scaled a barbed-wire fence and fled into the cover of darkness. Authorities didn't learn of the escape until a morning headcount, hours after the 10 men bolted for freedom. Graffiti was left on the wall at the scene of the crime, a message that read 'To Easy LoL,' with an arrow pointing to the gap where the toilet once was. City and state officials have pointed to multiple security lapses in the jail. Conditions had been deteriorating in the jail in the months before the escape, with unsupervised inmates smoking marijuana 'without fear of consequences' and fashioning weapons out of brooms, mops and buckets, according to a new report released Tuesday by an independent watchdog monitoring a 2013 federal consent decree that was intended to reform the jail. The monitor urged Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson to reestablish a high-security unit in the jail, noting the unrelenting violence among inmates that's made the facility 'not reasonably safe and secure.' Hutson, a progressive reformer, had abandoned the practice of housing certain inmates in a high-security setting after taking office in 2022. 'Many of the inmate-on-inmate assaults occur because staff allow inmates out of their cells and leave them unsupervised, or inmates are able to manipulate the locks on their cells to open them,' the monitors wrote in the report, which was written before this month's escape. ——- Associated Press writer Jim Mustian in New York contributed to this report.
