We're in Washington, D.C., this week with our Axios colleagues from around the country and figured it was a good time to reintroduce ourselves.

Why it matters: Y'all ask us a lot of questions when we see you around town.

• Local news is personal, and we believe in showing you who's behind the bylines.
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The big picture: Axios is a national media company based in Arlington, Virginia.

• Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz founded it eight years ago. VandeHei also co-founded Politico. (More about the company)
• Our national colleagues are experts in White House politics, Congress, business and tech.
• Axios New Orleans is one of 34 newsrooms that focuses on local news. We cover City Hall, restaurants, potholes and all the things in America's most interesting city (at least in our humble opinion).

Our goal: You're busy. We help you get smarter, faster.

• We go to meetings, talk with leaders and read reports so you don't have to. We then curate the news into this email you can read in under 4 minutes.
• We launched in New Orleans about 2.5 years ago and have been so grateful to the thousands of you who read us every morning.
• We are pro-New Orleans, but aim to be politically neutral.

Who we are: Carlie Kollath Wells and Chelsea Brasted co-write this newsletter.

• We've been journalists in New Orleans for more than a decade.
• Chelsea is a New Orleans native and proud LSU grad. Carlie grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi, and went to Ole Miss.
• We are both raising families here.

How we work: Axios has an office in Arlington, but we work remotely in New Orleans, often from our homes.

• Chelsea likes working in coffee shops, while Carlie often camps out in her car between interviews.

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Our thoughts on AI: This has been your hottest question lately. Axios has a partnership with OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, and we are testing how and where some AI tools might help us do our jobs in a trustworthy manner.

• But, we still talk with sources, attend events, explore our community, take our own photos and write our own stories.
• Read more about our AI usage.

What's next: We love feedback. Reply with your questions and suggestions.

Louisiana has fewer local journalists than the U.S. average, according to an ambitious project aiming to illustrate "the stunning collapse in local reporting" as old business models falter and newsrooms scramble for sustainability.

Why it matters: Many American neighborhoods lack adequate news coverage for everything from school board meetings and elections to local sports and cultural events.

Driving the news: About two-thirds of U.S. counties and parishes have a below-average number of local journalists, according to a new report from Muck Rack and the nonprofit Rebuild Local News.

By the numbers: The U.S. now has 8.2 "local journalist equivalents" (LJEs) for every 100,000 people, down 75% from 2002 on average.

• Louisiana, however, has an average of 7.6 LJEs.

Yes, but: The numbers improve for the metro areas covered by the state's largest newspaper group, Georges Media Group, which operates The Times-Picayune, The Advocate and its subsidiaries.

Between the lines: Low numbers of journalists aren't just spotted in rural areas.

• "If you're in a big city like Los Angeles, which has a mere 3.6 LJEs per 100,000 people, your neighborhood might be covered if there's a serious crime but not much else," per the report.

What we're watching: A possible rebirth of print journalism.

• Axios' Sara Fischer has identified an industrywide print revival in the U.S. as publishers look for more ways to upsell jaded digital advertisers in the AI era. Go deeper.
• Yes, but the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently made waves with its announcement that it will end its print edition after 157 years.

How the report was done

🎃 Ghost Manor is taking a year off, with the creators citing concerns about a nearby construction project making it hard for visitors. (Facebook)

🏈 The Saints lost their season opener yesterday against the Arizona Cardinals. We play the 49ers this weekend in the Dome. (Recap)

🪖 About 100 members of the Louisiana National Guard were mobilized to assist with federal immigration enforcement in the state. (Fox 8)

🪪 The Crescent City ID program launched over the weekend. State leaders slammed the idea, but local leaders say it increases access to city services. (Press release)

✈️ Gov. Jeff Landry paid a fine and disclosed $13,540 in gifted travel in a deal to drop ethics charges from the state. (Louisiana Illuminator)

🛳️ American Cruise Lines got the OK to build a stop in Kenner's Rivertown. It's expected to open in 2027. (The Times-Picayune 🔒)

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We're checking out museums in D.C. before the official start of our company retreat later today.

• Chelsea hung out with her Boston colleague Steph Solis at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. She was fascinated to see an actual guard tower from Angola Prison installed inside.
• Carlie had oysters at Old Ebbitt Grill and visited the National Botanic Garden. Next up: Renwick Gallery.

Zoom in: It's in the mid-70s here. Pure bliss!