By Bob Warren
Allegations: Lusher Charter School, one of the most in-demand public schools in New Orleans, is in the news this morning. The organization is answering allegations lodged by its former high school principal and dealing with a petition from some parents demanding the Lusher name be done away with and more faculty of color hired.
A 'very sweet snake': Cara, a 12-foot albino Burmese python, is still missing in the Blue Zoo Aquarium at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. Searchers, some wearing night-vision goggles, came up empty Tuesday night. The good news: Cara is described as a 'very sweet snake.'
The survey says…: A new poll puts New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s approval rating at 62% as she heads into her re-election campaign. Also in that poll, more than half the respondents said that crime remains their chief concern.
Parting ways: One of the highest-profile restaurants on the north shore is leaving one of the highest-profile hotels. Oxlot 9 and Covington’s Southern Hotel are parting ways, both said in recent social media posts. The restaurant has occupied a corner of the posh hotel since it reopened in 2014, after an extensive makeover.
For the best: Former Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy says he and the team will both be better off with their association ending after only one season. Van Gundy was let go recently and the team is searching for a new coach. The coach said he and the general manager just weren’t on the same page – and that would have been a recipe for an unhappy ride, for sure.
Also in the news: Tropical Storm Elsa made landfall this morning along the northwestern Florida coast. And a grand jury in Jefferson Parish has handed up a first-degree murder indictment against a man accused of killing another man during a dirt bike sale.
All this and much more in today’s Lunch Line. Thanks for taking a break with us. BW | 
