A Pratt Park playground and football field where children were playing was showered with bullets Saturday afternoon, during what appeared to be an attempted drive-by shooting, witnesses and police said. According to the New Orleans Police Department, a report was filed claiming that a car was seen driving by the park around 4 p.m. when one or more people... Full story »

A Belle Chasse High School student accused of threatening to shoot up the school and harm a teacher will remain in custody pending the outcome of a mental health evaluation later Wednesday, a state judge ruled. Leonard Jourdan III, 18, of Belle Chasse was arrested Monday and booked with terrorizing after he allegedly said in class he was going... Full story »

A reader of this column just solved the problem of the Holocaust. He was responding to my dismay that the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., has led to calls for more guns. It was in Newtown Friday that police say 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother at home before killing six other adults and 20 small children at Sandy Hook... Full story »

A former city police officer, accused in a series of hit-and-run crashes in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish, is scheduled for a trial Thursday on the latest wreck. Roger Jones Jr., 38, who used to handle "quality of life" issues in the 8th District, resigned from the department in late September after he allegedly crashed his personal car in... Full story »

 President Barack Obama just finished making what will undoubtedly become a radical attack on the Second Amendment sound reasonable on television -- he's world class at that. The school shooting in Newtown does seem to have changed the game, though. When Obama talks about common ground regarding gun control that can be found quickly between Democrats and Republicans because... Full story »

The U.S. Army said Wednesday it will seek the death penalty against the soldier accused of massacring 16 Afghan villagers during pre-dawn raids in March.  Full story »

He invited boys from his neighborhood to play video games at his house, police allege Full story »

This information reflects initial calls for service reported by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office for the west bank of Jefferson Parish. Locations are approximate due to automated location methods and address inconsistencies, the Sheriff's Office says. Burglar alarm calls are excluded. 4600 block of 10th Street - Dec. 18, 6:20 p.m., disturbing the peace. 11th Street and Washington Avenue -... Full story »

LaToya Cantrell is scheduled to be sworn in as the newest member of the New Orleans City Council at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Her father-in-law, Magistrate Commissioner Harry Cantrell, will conduct the ceremony.  Cantrell, who ran the Broadmoor Improvement Association, beat out juvenile justice advocate Dana Kaplan in a Dec. 8 runoff election for... Full story »

This information reflects initial calls for service reported by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office for the east bank of Jefferson Parish. Locations are approximate due to automated location methods and address inconsistencies, the Sheriff's Office says. Burglar alarm calls are excluded. 3200 block of 36th Street - Dec. 18, 8:45 a.m., criminal damage. 6400 block of Airline Drive -... Full story »

Connecticut's chief medical examiner says he's seeking genetic clues to help explain why a shooter killed 20 children and six adults in a Newtown elementary school.  Full story »

For years, the lack of cooperation and, on occasion, downright antagonism between the Orleans Parish district attorney's office and the Police Department was an impediment to justice. In a city with a history of chronic violence, the discord was harmful to efforts to bring peace to the streets. Fortunately, the relationship between the agencies has changed dramatically under District... Full story »

The horrific shootings that occurred in Newtown, Conn., this past Friday broke the hearts of the nation. Debates quickly sparked about gun control and inadequate mental health care. However, along with outrage came an outpouring of compassion and prayers for those directly affected by the massacre. In the wake of a tragedy, people often feel powerless. Yet the power... Full story »

River Birch landfill executive Dominick Fazzio and co-defendant Mark Titus are once more set to face off with federal prosecutors this morning Full story »

He allegedly threatened to shoot up the school Friday because the student believed the world was ending Full story »