Good morning, New Orleans.

Hope House opened Brooke’s Place at the Oscar J.

Tolmas Charitable Trust Campus in Covington, adding 2,200 sqft of space for forensic interviews, therapy sessions and training. The new facility also hosts a junior advisory board and represents an $800,000 investment to expand support for child abuse victims.

A vigil was held yesterday to honor Nolan Wells on his 19th birthday.

Local residents gathered to share photos and memories as they celebrated his life.

A Biz 500 survey shows that businesses are hiring more while facing challenges in finding workers with the right technical skills and training.

Over 90% of executives reported steady or rising hiring and noted gaps in specialties such as culinary+production and architecture.

Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Balls opened its fourth City Park location on Aug.

20 after partnering with City Park Conservancy to debut a limited-edition Bloom Ball flavor — a mix of hibiscus, lemon and ginger — and will also sell sno-balls at Tad Gormley Stadium and the Quadraplex on select dates.

Acamaya in New Orleans topped The New York Times list of 41 best Mexican restaurants on August 21 — sisters Ana and Lydia Castro opened their first restaurant with a seafood-driven menu that fuses flavors from Mexico City, the Gulf and local tradition.

The U.S. Army Corps authorized construction of the Louisiana International Terminal in St. Bernard Parish, letting Port NOLA & partners design a deepwater terminal costing from $2 billion to $3 billion that will accommodate larger container ships 17 miles downriver from New Orleans and expand trade access.

Starting next school year, Louisiana public schools will require students to actively demonstrate fundamental movement skills in physical education, replacing standards that only asked them to identify activities.

Educators and stakeholders designed the new rules (per State Superintendent Cade Brumley) to support lifelong fitness and health.

FUEL partners with LABI Foundation and YouthForce NOLA to expand energy career pathways for high school students in Louisiana.

The program will offer internships, mentorship, and work-based learning opportunities over the next three years (strengthening local energy workforce).

New Orleans-based Emline launched a fellowship + mentorship program that teaches high school seniors the fashion business with a summer trip to Los Angeles planned.

City Council honored founder James Mayes for creating a pathway that helps participants start a business and design products.

TVA approved a new rate structure on Aug.

20 that will raise data center costs by about 10% over three years (designed to keep additional costs off customers). Local officials, including Gov. Landry and Entergy Louisiana, are working to ensure that large projects like Meta’s pay their full service costs.

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Office of Tourism unveiled the 'Every Moment Feeds Your Soul' campaign at the Louisiana Travel Summit in New Orleans to spotlight local fairs, seafood, and attractions.

The plan includes Louisiana’s Tournament of Roses float + Robin Barnes’s live TV for New Year's Day.

On Tuesday, the NFL fined the Cowboys and Saints $500K each for unsportsmanlike conduct at a joint practice in Oxnard.

Both teams plan to appeal the fines and continue preseason games, with the Cowboys set to face the Cardinals plus the Saints scheduled to play the Rams.