Good morning, New Orleans.

A gravel spill on the elevated westbound Westbank Expressway just before 11:30 a.m. on Oct.

29 forced crews to clean the lanes and diverted traffic to Terry Parkway, with drivers advised to use alternate routes until the scene cleared.

The Cocktail Hour and The Wolf opened Thursday night at Decatur and Ursulines in the French Quarter, the first new business on Decatur since months of Sewerage and Water Board barricades blocked customer access.

City officials praised expedited permits and announced a concierge program plus a second round of stabilization grants.

A class action was filed in Orleans Parish Civil District Court against DraftKings and FanDuel alleging the apps use targeted notifications and bonus offers to keep users betting.

Plaintiffs seek refunds and say sublicense casinos Amelia Belle Casino and Bally’s Baton Rouge failed to supervise the apps.

The New Orleans Chamber and UnitedHealthcare announced Oct.

28 a health program that will let small employers with 2 to 50 employees access large-employer plans, potentially earn an extra 4% monthly savings, use a 1.7 million-physician/5,600-hospital network, receive wellness incentives up to $1,000, and access HR tools (contact the Chamber or your broker to enroll).

NOMA selected six local artists for its 2026 to 2027 Creative Assembly yearlong residency, which provides funding and museum support for projects and public programs at the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, and the cohort began in September including Compton III, Ben Hamburger, Kelly Love Jones (Chappell-funded), Donney Rose, Kelsey Scult and Tiffany Smith.

The National WWII Museum will mark Pearl Harbor's 85th anniversary with events starting Nov.

5, a new Secret WWII podcast season, and a free public ceremony on Dec. 7 with an 11:55 a.m. moment of silence and a keynote by historian Geoffrey Wawro, plus exhibits including a USS Arizona fragment.

Unitech Training Academy is launching an Electrical program and is accepting enrollment now at its relocated New Orleans campus at 201 Evans Road, Suite 400, offering classroom instruction and hands-on training in wiring, electrical systems, and safety practices.

Workers installed litter booms on Wednesday in the Monticello Avenue Canal, the St. Charles Canal in New Orleans East, and a Lower Ninth Ward canal to trap trash before it enters the drainage system, and the two-year CALPOP project will place 40 interceptors during Mardi Gras to collect data.

The Sewerage and Water Board will begin replacing the city's lead water lines early next year after a federal rule requires all public and private lead service lines be removed by 2037; work locations will be posted in the weeks ahead.

Essence Festival organizers said Thursday they will consider moving the July festival if they can't secure a multi-year deal with the city.

The city's steering committee is asking for confirmed vendor payments, a cash-flow plan, and a Feb. 1 lineup, and New Orleans & Company is weighing partners for a July cultural event.

Fitch Ratings raised Louisiana’s general obligation bond rating from AA-minus to AA on Friday, Oct.

29, which could lower state borrowing costs for outstanding and future bonds. Fitch cited 2024 revenue-policy changes, solid budget performance, and financial flexibility (Treasury has not estimated taxpayer savings), but warned of slow growth and spending pressures.

A new peer-reviewed study published this month found industrial air pollution along the Mississippi River industrial corridor may raise newborns' risk of congenital heart defects, with babies of highest-exposure mothers facing more than four times the risk, and authors are urging more monitoring and stricter emissions rules.

New Orleans expects bigger Halloween weekend crowds now that Halloween falls on Saturday, with hotels about 88% booked and restaurants & retailers preparing for increased spending tomorrow.