Gambit Weekly's annual "Best of New Orleans" issue was printed but never distributed, thanks to Hurricane Katrina. Gambit printed an abbreviated list of winners in October, but the paper received many requests for the full issue. The Gambit staff decided to sell the issue for $10 per copy, with proceeds benefiting The Foundation for Entertainment Development and Education, Inc., a nonprofit organization that funds projects and programs that acknowledge the importance of the performing arts to the New Orleans area. In a press release, publisher Margo DuBos said, "We hope that interested AAN members will run an ad promoting the sales of the issue on a space-available basis." The ad can be viewed here; for a different size or file format, contact Rebecca Thiel at rebeccat@gambitweekly.com.
Two months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the city's alt-weekly is hitting the streets with a new issue and a focus on the city's future. Given that those streets are still dominated by trash, debris and discarded refrigerators, Gambit's speedy return feels like a triumph. The 64-page issue is being distributed wherever people are returning to live and work, and publisher Margo DuBos says that she has been thrilled with the community's response.
When the order to evacuate came, Gambit Weekly staff writer Katy Reckdahl had to decide which would be worse: staying in New Orleans for the storm or delivering her first child in a car on the evacuation route. She stayed. Here is her account of her son's first days at Touro Infirmary and her family's eventual escape from the city.
