Mary Staes

Mary Staes is Digital Content Lead for Very Local. She works with our freelancers and crafts content for our social media platforms and website. Before Very Local, she worked with CBS affiliate WWL-TV as a web producer and weekend assignment editor for about 4 years. She has also handled broadcast coverage for 160 Marine Reserve training facilities while she served as an active duty Marine. As a native New Orleanian, she takes being "very local" to heart. She loves being intertwined with the culture and figuring out how there are less than two degrees of separation between us all, whether we're natives or not.

There are plenty of places to shoot for the stars around New Orleans

By Mary Staes / July 22, 2019

It’s fifty years after the moon landing, so to celebrate, here’s a list of where you can get a better look at the heavens.

Weekend Picks: The return of Midnight Noodle… and school supplies

By Mary Staes / July 18, 2019

Let’s be honest, after the cabin fever we all had during Hurricane Barry, the sooner the kids are out of the house, the better.

The Man behind the Band: How one director’s return to his high school evolved into a brand new sound

By Mary Staes / July 15, 2019

In 2004, Christopher Herrero walked the halls of Edna Karr High School as a student. Now, he walks the same halls, leading one of the city’s most recognizable bands.

Weekend Picks: Which party to go to – Barry or Bastille?

By Mary Staes / July 10, 2019

Whether it’s a hurricane party (AKA stay home, binge watch and eat snacks) or a Bastille Day party, we’ve got plans for the weekend.

No car? No plan? What to do if a hurricane comes our way

By Mary Staes / July 10, 2019

Sure, we make fun of staying for hurricanes and throwing parties with our families while we’re off from school and work, but in all seriousness, it’s only a matter of time before a storm hits the city.

Weekend Picks: Essence, ice cream and the Women’s World Cup

By Mary Staes / July 4, 2019

Essence Fest is here! And since 4th of July is on Thursday, it all rolls up into one big celebration.

Local designer adds fashion to the cultural fabric of second lines, Carnival costumes

By Mary Staes / July 3, 2019

Marvin Millon, a Treme native, is one of the strongest forces behind the fabric. He put his own stamp on the tradition in 2018, as king of the Divine Ladies Second Line.

Hey Zion, here’s some of the best places to eat in New Orleans

By Mary Staes / June 21, 2019

Don’t know who to ask where to get the best gumbo? We’ve got you covered. Fried seafood plates? Let’s dance.

When one door closes 🍰, another one opens 🏀

By Mary Staes / June 21, 2019

This week showed us the ups and downs of life, but in New Orleans fashion, we took it in stride and are ending things off with a celebration.

We ordered 82 inches of Popeyes chicken for draft day; here’s what happened

By Mary Staes / June 20, 2019

The Wingspan Box is only available on draft day, because, you-know-who is coming to play for the Pelicans. And what New Orleans celebration doesn’t have Popeyes Chicken? None that I can think of wanting to attend.