Michael Patrick Welch
The Time I Hitched a Ride with Muhammad Ali
In 1971, just after returning to boxing and losing to Joe Frazier and just before his case went to the Supreme Court, Muhammad Ali picked up an unsuspecting 19-year-old thumbing a ride in Chicago.
Meet the Florida Woman Who Became an Internet Hero for Calling Republican Governor Rick Scott an 'Asshole'
When Florida Governor Rick Scott walked into a Gainesville Starbucks, Cara Jennings told him exactly how his policies are screwing over the poor and women in need of healthcare.
America's First Slavery Museum Shifts the Focus from Masters to Slaves
Unlike many plantation tours, which lionize wealthy white slaveowners, the Whitney Plantation in Louisiana tells the violent history of slavery from the perspective of the people who were chained, maimed, and molested.
Meet the New Orleans Blogger Whose Story on Senator David Vitter's Alleged Love Child Could Derail His Campaign
Independent journalist Jason Brad Berry has broken big stories before, but his latest might change the course of the Louisiana gubernatorial race.
Hurricane Katrina Was a Nightmare for Inmates in New Orleans
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, we revisited the horrific story of the inmates who were stuck in the hellish Orleans Parish Prison.
New Orleans Rapper K. Gates Is Not Kevin Gates, and He's Not Having Sex with His Cousin
New Orleans rapper K. Gates first hit it big in 2009 with "Black and Gold," the unofficial theme for the Saints football franchise. But these days, he's getting confused for rapper Kevin Gates—and Kevin Gates's odd sex life.
I Got Paid to Dress Up as a Ninja as Part of a Team-Building Exercise
With a new baby at home and a need for a little extra Christmas money, I jumped when the Go Game producers wrote to me recently about a job in New Orleans. Soon I was dressed as a ninja in the French Quarter.
The NOLA Hip-Hop and Bounce Archive Is Canonizing New Orleans Rap
The archive, started by Holly Hobbs in conjunction with the Amistad Research Center, collects interviews with New Orleans rappers and bounce artists to give hip-hop its proper place in the pantheon of New Orleans music.
Remembering New Orleans's Funniest Disability Advocate
Jonah Bascle wasn't just a beloved comedian—he was an artist, an activist, and a rabble-rouser whose work advocating for wheelchair access should be remembered just as much as his jokes.
The Messy Aftermath of a Rape at New Orleans's Beloved Nudist Country Club
The clothes have come back on and the victim has suffered panic attacks and public shaming.
Killing a Ten-Foot Alligator in the Swamps of Louisiana
When you own swampland in Louisiana, it can be a bit like owning an inefficient alligator farm. I took a trip with Dave Turgeon to the swamp where he makes part of his living.
The Last Good Cop Gets Blood on His Hands
I spoke to Hoffacker about how his intense day job influences his art, his struggle to be a good cop in a city not famous for good cops, and what it’s been like living through America’s recent Ferguson-inspired love affair with hating the police.