| BY BOB WARREN | Staff writer |
‘Blazing bacchanal.’ It’s been some years since the Mid-City bonfire raged on New Year’s Eve. There were no real rules, and it could get, uh, a little edgy. Authorities eventually stepped in. Doug MacCash takes a look back. 'Mama, be safe . . .': A New Orleans mother worried mightily about her 16-year-old son’s safety, praying that he would not become a victim of violence. But tragically, he did, on a family trip to California over Christmas, Mario Fazio reports. The pressures of gentrification: Our series on some of the region's best known streets -- and the changes they've undergone -- continues with Chad Calder's look at St. Claude Avenue, where the forces of gentrification loom large. If you're interested in the previous stories, you can catch up to all of them here. 49 what? Lots of us have something a little special we do each year to mark our birthday, but Ian McNulty, our dining out guru, has dozens of reasons why his tradition is better. Thanks for reading Lunch Line today, and have a great weekend. Bob | 