With the Trump administration's back-and-forth on tariffs, at least one New Orleans parade organizer is planning to forgo imported throws altogether.

Why it matters: The change could accelerate local efforts to make parade throws friendlier to the planet.

The latest: Krewe of Boo organizer (and newsletter reader!) Brian Kern tells us he's focused exclusively on throws made in the U.S. for this year's Halloween parade.

• "It's long overdue," Kern says.

The big picture: President Trump's trade policies with China directly impact the bottom line for parade organizers, who primarily rely on imports for beads and other common throws.

• Trump administration leaders this week announced a 90-day period of lower tariffs as negotiations continue. Go deeper.
• Mardi Gras parade organizers still have time to wait out those talks, says Dan Kelly, who runs Beads by the Dozens and captains Endymion. "We're putting in orders now," he says, but just not having them shipped from China until things settle. "It's just got to ship by Oct. 1."

Yes, but: With a parade date in the fall, Kern doesn't have that kind of time, so he's already made the decision.

• "I'm moving full-force toward all American-made items this year," he says. "We'll focus as much as we can on Louisiana-made — but the tariffs are affecting things."
• Instead, he says, throws will focus on consumable products like coffee, Elmers' CheeWees, Peeps, MoonPies and Jambalaya Girls' red beans and jambalaya mixes.

Between the lines: "We may not have any light-up beads, and honestly, I don't really care."

• Those in particular become cost-prohibitive with any tariffs, he says. "If I had to sell it per dozen ... it's $5 for a light-up bead. When I can throw five bags of coffee [for the same price], would that be better than one light-up bead?"

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The city is developing a program that would let people pay to choose the colors of the Crescent City Connection's lights.

Why it matters: You'll be able to go big for a special occasion.

The big picture: The mayor's office confirmed to Axios New Orleans that the city is creating a fee schedule for the bridge's new $21 million light system.

• They didn't say what the rates would start at or how the fees would be used, though. The mayor's office declined four additional requests for interviews.
• The light system, which DOTD finished installing last year, was transferred to the city ahead of Super Bowl LIX, the mayor's office said in a statement.
• The city is responsible for maintenance of the lights too, DOTD spokesman Daniel Gitlin tells us. It's unclear if it will be handled internally or put out to bid.

How it works: The lights on the CCC are programmable and dimmable. Each bridge can also be programmed separately, Gitlin says.

• The city ordered the system with several color schemes, he says, including Mardi Gras, rainbow, Saints, Pelicans, patriotic, LSU, Tulane, Black History Month, St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, Christmas and Hannukah.
• Any other color combination is possible too, he said. "There are no limitations."

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🚨 State health officials sounded the alarm on whooping cough in a press conference yesterday as the state's case number hit 170 so far this year. That puts the state on track to hit a record in 2025. The highly contagious illness is preventable with vaccines. Press release.

🦞 "Crawfish King" Al Scramuzza, who died this week, will be remembered with visitation at Lake Lawn Funeral Home on Monday at 9am and a funeral Mass at 11am, we're told. A memorial second-line to Lake Lawn Cemetery will follow.

A nearly four-hour standoff in Terrytown ended Tuesday with the arrest of a 19-year-old who was wanted in connection to the Algiers shooting of a 9-year-old girl. The girl was on her way to protect a sibling when a stray bullet struck her in the head. (The Times-Picayune 🔒)

You lovely readers remain undefeated.

• Y'all have introduced us to your kids, let us use your Jazz Fest tickets, invited us to ride in parades and attend Mardi Gras balls, and now, one of you shared your personal brownie recipe with us.

Why it matters: That's true love, friends.

Chelsea here, and I've been experimenting with a lot of brownie recipes, which I mentioned in a recent newsletter outro.

• I don't have a particularly insightful reason for this experimentation.
• I just like brownies.

Zoom in: Reader Melissa H. saw the note, and sent me her recipe with the note "Gotcha covered girlfriend."

• Naturally, I whipped up a batch ASAP.

The bottom line: Melissa's brownie recipe is outstanding. It's a little bit fudgy, a little bit cakey and definitely worth repeating.

• She said it was OK for us to share, too, so you can try it for yourself.

NFL schedules dropped last night, and with them, New Orleans Saints fans got their first look at what lies ahead for the team this season.

The latest: See the full Saints schedule.

Zoom in: New head coach Kellen Moore will get his regular season introduction at home against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 7.

The intrigue: The Saints won't be playing any primetime ball unless a late-season game flexes into a later time slot.

• It's the first time that's happened since 2000, The Times-Picayune reports.