Kajun’s Pub, St. Claude's 24hr karaoke dive bar, is the unassuming low-brow setting for a new form of high-brow bar food.  Kajun’s opened its kitchen a little over a week ago, sporting a menu featuring handmade gourmet sausages, prepared and smoked in house. Head chef Chris Smedley runs the in-house charcuterie of Borracho.

Updated 10:25 a.m.

A New Orleans police officer was shot early Saturday morning while responding to an incident in the Upper Ninth Ward, according to police. The officer, whose name was not released, was shot while responding to a robbery at the Dollar General near the corner of St. Claude and Poland Ave. at about 7:30 a.m., according to police. The officer is currently in serious condition, and is receiving medical care.

Yet another story of a New Orleans icon changing hands came across the tickler recently. The Hi Ho Lounge has been transferred to Brian Greiner, the owner of Frenchmen’s popular Maison.

by Emma Boyce

Even in a recession, there’s one product that's always sought after: alcohol. Faubourg Wines (2805 St. Claude) first opened its doors on Thanksgiving Day. Six days later owner Catherine Markel is still getting gratitude.

The Hi-Ho Lounge was robbed Saturday night, according to a police report released Tuesday. About 11:30 p.m., a masked man carrying a gun entered the bar, located at the corner of St. Claude Ave. and Marigny Street. He forced everyone inside the popular downtown hangout to lie on the floor. Then, he threw a bag to the bartender ordering them to put money from the register in the bag. The bartender put an undisclosed amount of money into the bag, and the robber fled.

The St. Roch Market isn't the only iconic building on St. Claude Ave. getting a revival. Construction also started recently at the former McDonogh no. 16 building, located at the corner of Pauger. The building, which was once on the Louisiana Landmarks Society's nine most endangered buildings list, will become the McDonogh 16 Home for the Aged.

Though not apparent on the surface, there should be no mistake: the red menace is trickling into New Orleans. We all know the Russian mafia is on the loose in the Crescent City, but this threat has made itself more overt in recent days. In a naked attempt to eliminate those who would detect their presence, the Russians chose to strike first against our mad scientists, and their secret lairs. Just yesterday, NoDef received a bulletin from the Consortium of Genius' own drumbot that the local outfit's leader, Evil Dr. Milo T. Pinkerton III, had been captured by a band of Russians known as Commie Hilfiger.

BYWATER - The vacant lot at the corner of St. Claude Ave. and Bartholomew Street has housed to a rumored Starbucks, an in-the-works grocery store and a one-time-only Night Market. But now it seems that we've been deceived. Something has been building there for years, but we couldn't see it until it was completed this morning. The Stonehenge has appeared on St. Claude! Are the aliens leaving us another gift?

by Brad Rhines

While the Contemporary Arts Center will be closed this weekend for a Hollywood film shoot, St. Claude Avenue will be bustling with their monthly second-Saturday openings. Among the events this weekend are a reprise of last fall’s acclaimed Piety Street installation “Music Box: A Shantytown Sound Laboratory” and a collaborative performance event called “Posing Process,” an on-going piece originally conceived for and installed in the CAC, but recently removed and relocated in the wake of the CAC protests. 

In 2011, a lot of the old maxims about New Orleans' resistance to change got thrown out the window. From Freret Street to Mayor Mitch's office to the Krewe of Chewbacchus, the City showed us that changing with the times, if not desired, is at the very least inevitable and therefore necessary. Waters around us have grown and all that. To be sure, many of the old vanguards of the city will live on past this period. But there are a few who came later that didn't live up to the hype. That doesn't mean they won't be back around again. As EWE taught us, you can always come back and marry someone who makes you look good. So, without further rambling, here's a list of who's in and who's out in 2011, and what to look out for in 2012.