A man who police said was previously convicted as a sex offender was arrested recently for sexual assault. Michael Childs, 52, was arrested Oct. 26 after DNA evidence was used to link him to a French Quarter meeting with a 51-year-old woman that turned violent, New Orleans police said today. On Sept. 30, Childs allegedly met the woman at a bar on Decatur Street. Later, they went to Childs' home in the 4300 block of N. Prieur.

by M.D. Dupuy

The streets are finally clear from all of the Halloween foot traffic, and it’s time to make room for some two-wheeled vehicles for tomorrow’s Day of the Dead themed Alley Cat Bike Race. The route of the half race/half scavenger hunt challenge will remain undisclosed until cyclists begin their wild journey through the Quarter and downtown, finally ending at Handsome Willy's for some refreshing post-ride brews.

by Mary-Devon Dupuy

New Orleanians aren’t going to let a mid-week Halloween get in the way of their macabre merrymaking, and Jim Monaghan’s 17th Annual Molly’s Halloween Parade is the perfect venue for festive folks to party hard and still be in bed before everyone runs out of candy.

Harry Connick Jr. was in the French Quarter today, and he brought a bunch of his friends with cameras with him. Never a stranger to PBS, Connick is in the midst of shooting for a new PBS special that will pay triubte to Louisiana's songs and "industries that have shaped its future." The show is underwritten by BP, so we might have a clue where the latter part is going. But today it was all singing and dancing in the Quarter for Connick, as he taped a segment featuring Pelican State original, "You Are My Sunshine." Click through for NoDef video from behind the cameras:

One iPhone wasn't enough for one teenage robber on Wednesday night, and he ultimately fell victim to the Clould. A 15-year-old man who allegedly wielded a gun in robberies in the French Quarter, on Frenchmen Street and in the Marigny on Wednesday was arrested after stolen smartphones were traced to his location. Cops caught up with the teen in the 5300 block of Urquhart St., which is in the Lower 9th Ward, hours after the robbery rampage began at about 7:30 p.m., according to police.

Tuesday's Night Out Against Crime marked a show of force by the community, but the early-week violence didn't stop for the occasion. Over a period of 48 hours, New Orleans police responded to four shootings, according to New Orleans police. An unruly Bourbon Street patron is also being sought for stabbing of a bar manager on Monday night.

An iPhone snatcher on two wheels struck on Bourbon over the weekend. Now, police are on the lookout for this mobile miscreant. According to a police report, the teenager on bicycle approached a woman near Razzoo in the 500 block of Bourbon St. at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The teen grabbed a smartphone from a woman's hands as she paused. When fleeing the thief met up with another teenager on a bicycle. Two women gave chase on foot, but they could not catch up. The whole incident was caught on surveillance video. Click through to view:

by M.D. Dupuy

There’s a new place for art lovers to stroll, and it isn’t on Julia or St. Claude. The Historic New Orleans Collection recently completed a new addition at their French Quarter digs. The ground floor of the Perilliat House, located at 400 Chartres St, is the new home of The Laura Simon Nelson Gallery, a new spot devoted to preserving Louisiana’s artistic history.

by Erica Boni

Oktoberfest will be missing one of its major players in the city this year as the social organization with the official New Orleans German organization's continued exile in Jefferson Parish. Luckily, Broussard’s has added a second day of events to their third annual French Quarter Octoberfest in an attempt to fill the void left by the end of the Orleans Deutsches Haus.

As our spooky city counts down to Halloween, occult author Anne Rice is becoming increasingly nostalgic for the  “ghosts, spirits, vampires, and witches,” of her hometown. In a post on her Facebook from 5pm last night, she tells fans that she’s in the market for a new pied a terre in New Orleans, using a little crowd sourcing to get fans to help her find a new place to roost.