Muted Mardi Gras: Closed bars, barricaded Bourbon Street
Tourists from Brooklyn take photos on a nearly deserted Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. โWe were expecting a little bit lower key than the normal Mardi Gras,โ Wheeler said. Coronavirus-related restrictions in New Orleans included canceled parades, closed bars and a near shutdown of rowdy Bourbon Street. That, and unusually frigid weather, prevented what New Orleans usually craves at the end of Mardi Gras season: streets and businesses jam-packed with revelers. To the east, Mobile, Alabama, which boasts the nation's oldest Mardi Gras celebrations, had also canceled parades.
The Latest: Jump in cases worries S. Korea as holiday starts
(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)SEOUL, South Korea โ South Korea has reported 504 new coronavirus cases for the latest 24-hour period. Although coronavirus cases stayed relatively low in Japan last year compared to the United States and Europe, infections have been climbing recently. Kate Brown says outdoor contact sports, including high school football, can resume this week amid a decline in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. On Wednesday, Germanyโs Robert Koch Institute reported 8,072 new virus cases and 813 deaths in 24 hours. ___MADRID โ Spainโs official 14-day rate of coronavirus cases has fallen to 584, from a peak of 900 two weeks ago.
The Latest: Calls for voting extension in Georgia after Zeta
Early voting ended Tuesday, so Zeta hasnโt disrupted any voting so far. Early voting ended Tuesday, so Zeta hasnโt disrupted any voting so far. State officials werenโt sure how many of the 336 early voting locations statewide were closed or delayed in opening. ___6:55 a.m.Officials in Georgia say high winds from Tropical Storm Zeta have caused a second death in the South. ___4:00 a.m.A tropical storm warning is in effect in Atlanta as Tropical Storm Zeta makes its way quickly toward the northeast.
At least 1 dead as Hurricane Zeta hammers Gulf Coast
Hurricane Zeta passed through Wednesday leaving much of the city and metro area without power. Even as Zeta battered the south, the upcoming election was still on the mind of some residents. โGuys, we received the brunt of Zeta, and Zeta gave us a good punch,โ McInnis told WDSU-TV. More than 875,000 customers were without electricity in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including about 350,000 in metro New Orleans. Winds could be โespecially severeโ in the southern Appalachian Mountains, where flash flooding is possible, the hurricane center said.
Texas man charged in 2019 fatal shooting in French Quarter
NEW ORLEANS A Texas man was indicted Thursday on a second-degree murder charge in the fatal shooting death of another man last year in New Orleans French Quarter, the district attorney's office said in a news release. Leonard Patty, 38, whose city of residence was unavailable, would face a mandatory life sentence if convicted as charged. The news release says Patty is accused of shooting Dilling, 34, following an early-morning scuffle on June 30, 2019. The video shows Dilling arguing with, then walking away from, a woman identified as his ex-girlfriend, the release says. The district attorneys office said Pattys criminal history includes felony convictions for domestic violence and aggravated robbery in Texas.
Let the good times ... hold. Virus recloses New Orleans bars
A man walks by the closed Tropical Isle Bar on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. Louisiana had been an international hot spot for the new coronavirus in March, and New Orleans was its focal point. A gradual easing of restrictions began in May, culminating with Mayor LaToya Cantrell's decision to let New Orleans bars reopen, albeit at only 25% capacity, on June 13. Since the start of the crisis, Louisiana has identified at least 36 outbreaks, affecting at least 405 people, involving bars," Edwards office said in a Saturday news release. Statewide hospitalizations were at 1,300 and trending sharply upward, according to figures the state health department released Monday.
French Quarter sans tourists: 'An old neighborhood again'
In this Wednesday, May 20, 2020, a bar is boarded-up at a Bourbon Street intersection in New Orleans French Quarter. Some residents of the historic French Quarter, while acknowledging the economic pain and suffering, say the lack of tourists has been a relief. The French Quarter is the 300-year-old historic heart of New Orleans. Kari Mote, who lives in the nearby Bywater neighborhood, is a waitress who lost her job at a French Quarter restaurant when the state shut down on-site dining. As the French Quarter slowly reawakens, Pellerin hopes city leaders resist the urge to relax such regulations or loosen noise limits in an effort to increase commerce and tax revenue.
This famous French Quarter seafood restaurant is opening a location in Houston
Houstonians will soon be able to get authentic New Orleans style seafood from an iconic French Quarter restaurant without having to take a road trip. Acme Oyster House, a popular New Orleans foodie destination, is headed to Houston. Houston Eater reports according to permit applications filed with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, 1201 Westheimer Road, formerly occupied by Tex-Mex restaurant El Real, will now be home to the New Orleans restaurant. โAcme has been very excited about entering the Houston market for a while now,โ says Grant Walker, the Lee & Associates broker who repped Acme Oyster House in the deal, according to Houston Eater. Due to the uncertainty as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a set date for Acme Oyster Houseโs grand opening has not yet been announced.