The Best and the Worst of the Week
Deacon
John Moorewon Best Concert Video at the 2003 Surround Music Awards for his DVD release Deacon John's Jump Blues. The DVD, which topped competition from the Dixie Chicks and Led Zeppelin, features Moore performing with an all-star lineup of local musicians, including Teedy Boutte, the Zion Harmonizers, Allen Toussaint and Dr. John.
Fran Pradd,
assistant vice president of Liberty Bank and Trust, received the third annual
Social Services Needs-of-People Award for her efforts to help provide banking
services to people who are mentally ill, homeless or recently released from
incarceration. The Money Management Advocacy Council Icon group presented the
award in a ceremony at Sweet Lorraine's Jazz Club.
The New Year's Coalition,
formed to raise awareness of the dangers of firing guns on New Year's Eve, helped
curb the problem again this year. Last week, police reported a 24 percent drop
in complaints of shots fired, and the city enjoyed the fourth consecutive year
without death or injury stemming from celebratory gunfire.
St. Bernard Parish hunters and trappers,
in a seasonal tradition to flush out prey, last week set marsh fires that filled
much of the metro area with smoke. St. Bernard Fire Chief Thomas Stone said
the annual fires increase air pollution and cause traffic accidents and respiratory
ailments in residents.
