Big Chief Demond Melancon will take hand‑sewn Mardi Gras Indian suits and bead portraits from the Lower Ninth Ward to the Venice Biennale this spring.

A Slidell physician received probation and home confinement after admitting to ordering unnecessary cancer‑genetic tests that led to $6.6M in false Medicare claims.

An OIG audit says low pay left NOEMS understaffed, missing response-time standards and relying more on private ambulance contractors.

Two Oklahoma men were arrested after authorities say they found roughly 168 pounds of marijuana in Lafayette — a haul investigators estimate is worth about $1.5 million.

A New Orleans man was charged after allegedly threatening State Sen. Jay Morris and his family. He is being held in Texas while authorities arrange extradition.

The Doug A. Brooks Family Donor Fund Clubhouse is headed to Covington at 626 W. 29th Ave — an 8,486 sq ft site with STEM, art space and a gym for kids 6–18.

A duffle bag with skeletal remains was pulled from a sewer near Annette & Benefit in Gentilly; the Orleans Parish coroner is investigating.

Orleans Parish Communications District will start using AI agents to triage some 311 calls, building on tools already used on 911. Experts urge transparency and oversight.

Bankruptcy filings climbed in Louisiana and nationally in 2025; New Orleans lawyers say quick legal help can cut costs and preserve options.

Keith Lee is waiving food vendor fees at his May Familee Day festival in New Orleans, opening the event to small local restaurants while bringing national acts to the lakefront.

A stove-top cooking fire on Drury Lane displaced seven people, including two children; firefighters say smoke alarms worked and no injuries were reported.

St. Bernard deputies are seeking 22-year-old Lee Collins III after two women were shot and later died Easter night on Centanni Drive; an arrest warrant charges him with two counts of second-degree murder.

A man was shot early Monday on the 200 block of Bloomingdale Court and taken to a hospital; New Orleans police say the investigation is ongoing.