Cold Stone announced a New Orleans location and plans to open two to three south Louisiana shops over the next five years, and it is recruiting franchisees to run them.

Hondo Rodeo Fest takes over the Caesars Superdome April 10 612 with a million-dollar rodeo purse, headlining concerts and a Champions Square street festival.

FERC’s draft environmental review finds Cheniere’s Sabine Pass Stage 5 is likely to affect the threatened eastern black rail, sharpening scrutiny of Gulf Coast marshes and mitigation plans.

The Downtown Development District’s State of Downtown shows nearly 40 million visits in 2025, population and income gains and a downtown vacancy rate well under the national average.

U.S. Drought Monitor maps now put most of Terrebonne and Lafourche in extreme drought, leaving growers and coastal communities short on water as spring planting begins.

A federal judge dismissed a suit alleging The Willow School’s entrance exam excludes students with disabilities; the family says it will appeal. The ruling leaves selective schools' screening rules intact for now.

Gov. Jeff Landry signed an order creating an Office of Rural Health Transformation to steer a Year‑One federal award of roughly $208 million toward workforce, telehealth and hospital stabilization in rural parishes.

Teams at Hogs for the Cause are building lobster shacks, golf simulators and a paddle‑wheeler as they race to raise money for families battling pediatric brain cancer. The two‑day festival is April 10–11 at UNO Lakefront.

A New Orleans judge pushed Dean Kelly’s trial into May as prosecutors probe alleged probation violations and new sexual‑assault counts. A pretrial conference is set for May 20.

Banh Mi Boys will open a Mandeville counter on April 12, bringing its banh mi–po'boy hybrids and quick‑service menu to the Hwy 22 shopping strip.

Police arrested two women after an alleged apartment assault in New Orleans East. Authorities say the probe is ongoing and detectives continue follow-up work.

Two men arrived at New Orleans hospitals after separate overnight shootings; one was taken to a trauma center with abdominal wounds and police say investigations are ongoing.

The New Orleans Giant Puppet Festival returns April 9–13 with more than 40 shows, workshops and two neighborhood parades across the Bywater and Marigny.