Morning! It's Thursday and World Maritime Day.

🚢 Fun fact: New Orleans is the only U.S. port where you can take both an ocean cruise and a river cruise.

☀️ Today's weather: A cold front arrived overnight, dropping us to … the high 80s. Womp womp. But with the lower humidity, it will feel nicer outside.

• Dry and sunny through the weekend.

🎧 Sounds like: "Pond Mountain Breakaway" by Tray Wellington, who headlines BlackAmericana Fest this weekend.

Today's newsletter is 985 words — a 3.5-minute read.

New Orleans leaders are exploring how to provide unrestricted cash payments for new parents, we've learned.

Why it matters: The payments could combat poverty, which health officials say contributes to high maternal mortality rates and other poor family health outcomes.

The big picture: Founded in Flint, Michigan, Rx Kids provides a one-time $1,500 payment to pregnant parents, followed by six months of $500 payments once a baby is born.

• Enrolled families saw a 91% drop in evictions, a 50% drop in neonatal mortality, a 29% drop in NICU admissions, a 27% decrease in low birthweights and an 18% increase in adequate prenatal care, data show.

And that's what got Jennifer Avegno's attention.

• As New Orleans' deputy mayor for health and human services, Avegno has overseen the rollout of Family Connects, a city program that provides free in-home nursing visits for new parents and babies.
• That program, however, has shown "that the No. 1 thing people need help with is basic needs: Food, keeping rent paid [and] the lights on, diapers. That's what we hear over and over and over."

Zoom in: Avegno believes expanding Rx Kids to New Orleans can bridge that gap.

What we're watching: Local officials hope to pilot the program in New Orleans East at a cost of around $4 million a year.

• Extending to all of New Orleans would cost around $10 million annually.

State of play: Michigan's programs have shown a return between $1.60 and $3 for every $1 invested, but the upfront cost will take a blend of federally funded Temporary Assistance for Needy Families dollars and philanthropy, Avegno says, especially as New Orleans faces an acute budget crisis.

• "It's not a done deal," she says. "But my commitment is we're going to keep trying."

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The team behind Jewel of the South is opening a pop-up bar in the French Quarter with theatrical, immersive production design and a rotating cast of guest bartenders, managing partner John Stubbs tells us.

Why it matters: It'll be one big cultural exchange opportunity, with New Orleans' cocktail culture at the center.

Zoom in: The Cocktail Hour is set to open for 30 weeks only in the massive French Quarter space that formerly housed Margaritaville.

• The first floor of the building will have The Cocktail Hour on one side and a spinoff restaurant from the Turkey and the Wolf team on the other.
• Guests will find full bars on the first and second levels, plus a courtyard and an expansive upstairs balcony.
• Live music will be part of the programming, and the immersive design is scheduled to update throughout the residency in time with five of "New Orleans' cultural seasons," Stubbs says.

What they're saying: The Jewel team set out to improve guest bartending.

• Guest shifts allow for "cultural exchange," Stubbs says, but often fall short of immersing visitors in the city they visit.
• The Cocktail Hour seeks to change that.

If you go: The Cocktail Hour opens Oct. 29 at 1104 Decatur St.

• The first floor restaurant will be open daily.

More details

🏗️ Development news:

• A $78 million VA health care facility is opening in New Orleans East, Councilmember Jason Hughes says. Construction starts next summer. (WWL and Press release)
• Applied Atomics, an advanced nuclear energy company, says it's investing $8.2 million to establish its headquarters and technical operations center in the Bywater. (Press release)

👑 Queen Sofía, the mother of the current king of Spain, is expected at tonight's sold-out opening reception of a new Tulane exhibit about Spain and Spanish America, we're told.

• The free exhibit will be on view through May 2027.

👀 Mitch Landrieu is still thinking about a presidential run. He floated the idea earlier this year and recently told Politico, over dinner at Mosca's, that he'll decide by year's end. (Video)

🍴 Restaurant news:

• Chicken Salad Chick is opening its first New Orleans location on Carrollton Avenue. (Instagram)
• Venezia is opening in Gendusa's former spot in Kenner's Rivertown. Gendusa's recently closed both of its locations. (The Times-Picayune 🔒)
• Koi, the city's first conveyor belt sushi restaurant, opened yesterday on Poydras Street. Other recent openings.

Gov. Jeff Landry told WBOK yesterday that he met in person with Councilmember Eugene Green in Baton Rouge and plans to reach out to Councilmember Lesli Harris.

Why it matters: Green and Harris were the two council members who voted against a motion to hold a special election for a clerk of court.

• The measure, which passed, kicked off a domino effect that eventually led to AG Liz Murrill's indictment.

The big picture: Landry said he and Green focused on issues in Green's district during the hourlong meeting, according to WWL's story about the WBOK interview.

• Landry previously said he would not talk personally with Mayor Helena Moreno while the investigation into the indictment is ongoing.
• He and Murrill allege that Moreno and other officials may have been involved in the grand jury investigation that led to the indictment. The New Orleans officials say they weren't.
• Moreno, five City Council members and District Attorney Jason Williams were issued subpoenas last week as part of a case related to the investigation.

🍿 Chelsea is streaming "The Love Hypothesis."

🍂 Carlie is swapping her watermelon door hanger for a fall wreath.

Tell Queen Sofía to subscribe.

Thanks to our editor Jen Burkett.