Good morning, New Orleans.

Twenty-five Greater New Orleans companies earned spots on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list, with New Orleans-based Crescent Canna leading the group by reporting (858%) revenue growth over three years while 53 Louisiana firms in total made the list, including top-ranked Omega Foundation Services.

KID smART named Terrence Sanders-Smith to its board as it expands arts programming at its new Center for Arts & Education at 2533 Columbus St. Sanders-Smith, a local artist and curator with decades of experience, joins the nonprofit that has served over 70,000 students and 15,000 educators since 1999.

Louisiana regulators overruled a judge’s ruling on Wednesday to require Meta to share projected job and electricity usage details for its Hyperion data center in Richland Parish.

The decision supports the local development expected to create 1,000 jobs and boost economic investment.

Governor Landry’s new stipend plan for the 2026-27 school year will exclude roughly 12,200 school jobs such as nurses, counselors, and administrators as state funding drops to $168 million; school districts are expected to seek local funds to offset the shortfall.

Hilton New Orleans Riverside earned a 5 Green Key rating — the highest eco-rating that checks energy use, water conservation, waste diversion, and community engagement.

It is the only hotel in Louisiana to receive this honor after more than 13 years of sustainability efforts.

Credit Human in New Orleans is promoting ‘providential spending’ to help residents manage rising costs like home repairs, utilities, and hurricane preparedness + insurance expenses amid inflation; the approach encourages spending strategically to prevent larger future costs.

The Office of U.S. Rep. Troy Carter will host a Passport Acceptance Event on Aug.

20 from 9 a.m. to noon at West Bank Regional Library (2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey). Applicants must appear in person with required documents, and on-site birth certificates are available for a $15 fee in cash.

The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board reported that water samples from Memorial Park in Algiers tested positive for E. coli (and coliform) on Tuesday night and Wednesday, so residents were advised to boil water for one minute until the advisory is lifted.

Additional tests are underway.

Animal Rescue New Orleans features Phillip (a playful 6-month-old pittie weighing about 35 pounds) who was found as a stray and now needs a loving home.

The shelter invites local families to adopt or foster him through its application process.

New Orleans metro home sales rose 3.8% to 1,172 transactions in July as prices climbed 3.7% to $357,453 and market time fell 6.2% to 61 days.

Orleans Parish saw a 14.6% price jump + 7.3% more sales, signaling a rebounding real estate market per NOMAR.

New Orleans is transforming Katrina-era sites as redevelopment continues.

The former Six Flags park remains in limbo while Tulane University redevelops Charity Hospital (to create a vibrant hub) and a Bywater building is being renovated into mixed-income housing (despite costly Plaza Tower challenges).

Billy Iuso Concert

8 p.m. — Tipitina's — Free entry — Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Free Fridays Concert Series with live music.