New Orleans City Council

The New Orleans City Council approved an ordinance on Thursday (May 8) that will protect sex workers from arrest and prosecution for prostitution when they have reported crimes committed against them while working.

Defying New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, the New Orleans City Council voted on Thursday (April 10) to dedicate $10 million to New Orleans public schools — partly fulfilling the terms of a legal settlement that Cantrell rejected.

New Orleanians could have a chance this fall to expand the municipal bill of rights — by amending the home rule charter to prohibit any laws that arbitrarily and unreasonably discriminate against someone based on conviction history.

The move seems likely to face a challenge from Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who pushed back on the proposed November agreement because she didn’t believe that the city budget could shoulder the costs, she said.

The City of New Orleans has pushed back the opening of Lincoln Beach in New Orleans East to 2026. Residents of New Orleans East and advocates for the project are frustrated with the delay.

“The city’s financial positioning has taken a major shift,” Chief Financial Officer Romy Samuel said at a special meeting to discuss the school board settlement on Feb. 11.

As concerns have mounted over the city’s anti-terrorism protocols in light of last week’s deadly truck attack on Bourbon Street, local and state officials have both promised official investigations.

The approval in New Orleans is part of a larger, $484 million deal that will see Entergy turn over all of its natural gas distribution assets to the firm.

“We need to get back to the basics,” Helena Moreno said in a video shared on Facebook. “I believe we need a leader who’s there 24/7, someone who’s ready to roll up their sleeves and get things done. It’s time to make the people of New Orleans the top priority once again.”

The New Orleans City Council is poised to pass Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s $1.78 billion budget for 2025 at its regular meeting on Thursday (Nov. 21) – but with some notable additions.