Axios New Orleans

September 14, 2023
Hey, it's Thursday!
On this day in 1874, members of the White League — a militia of mainly Confederate veterans — overthrew Louisiana's governor in New Orleans. President Ulysses S. Grant sent the U.S. Army to end the attempted coup.
- The monument celebrating the coup, called the Battle of Liberty Place, was removed in 2017
Today's weather: Showers and thunderstorms with a high of 89.
🎧 Sounds like: "Get Ready, Ready" by DJ Jubilee
Today's newsletter is 823 words — a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: 🗳️ It's about that time again
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
When Louisianans head to the polls this fall, they'll cast votes in a statewide shuffle as most of the state's top offices are up for election.
Why it matters: Louisiana voters will cast ballots for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer, among other local elections and constitutional amendments.
Driving the news: Louisiana voters with a state driver's license or ID can register online until Sept. 23 to vote in the gubernatorial primary, which is Oct. 13.
- Louisianans can also register in person or by mail, but the deadline to do so for the primary has already passed. However, you'll still be able to vote in the general election on Nov. 18.
Zoom out: Voters will be replacing the term-limited Gov. John Bel Edwards, a rare Democrat in a typically red-leaning state.
- Gubernatorial candidates are already hitting the debate circuit. At the first one, the top five in polls of the 15 qualifiers were invited. But, the frontrunner — current Attorney General Jeff Landry — declined to attend, citing the participation of the Urban League, a nonpartisan civil rights group.
- That left four candidates to battle it out: GOP State Sen. Sharon Hewitt; independent Lake Charles attorney Hunter Lundy; state treasurer John Schroder, a Republican; Republican former LABI head Stephen Waguespack, and a single Democrat, Shawn Wilson, the former Louisiana transportation secretary.
- The first debate held few surprises, but the next, with Landry now involved, promises a few more sparks.
- It's scheduled for tomorrow night in Lafayette, and will air locally on WGNO.
Go deeper for how to access your sample ballot
2. 🎛️ Who Dat? DJ Jubilee
DJ Jubilee performs at Lil Weezyana Fest In 2015. Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images
DJ Jubilee is as much a part of this city as second-lines, poboys and Mardi Gras.
Who dat? Jerome Temple, aka DJ Jubilee, is a bounce music pioneer who performs regularly around the city.
- As a special education teacher and a youth football coach for NORD, he's involved in young New Orleanians' lives beyond their music too.
Where he went to school: Walter L. Cohen High School. By the time he graduated from Grambling, DJ Jubilee was already in high demand for parties and events.
How New Orleans fits into the national hip-hop story: "We planted our own seed. We planted our own New Orleans music. … Doors started opening once we started bounce."
His poboy order: "I'm a regular cheeseburger man. Lettuce, tomato, pickles and I'm good. I don't eat hot sauce. Cheeseburger on French, it's going down."
Go deeper for the last song DJ Jubilee Shazammed
3. Fully Dressed: Jazz Fest gets longer
Trombone Shorty performs during the 2017 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images
🕺 Local Thursday becomes Local Thursdays as Jazz Fest expands to 8 days in 2024. (Axios)
🎤 Olivia Rodrigo heads to New Orleans on March 2 on a newly announced tour. (website)
🎂 The beloved berry chantilly cake from Whole Foods got its start in New Orleans, and someone very smart asked for the recipe. (Washington Post)
🥳 Dakar NOLA and MaMou landed on Bon Appétit's list of the best new restaurants of the year. (Bon Appétit)
A 38-year-old mother and her two young children died in a house fire in St. John the Baptist Parish early yesterday. (WWL)
A student is dead and another was arrested after a school shooting Tuesday in Greensburg in St. Helena Parish. (AP)
4. 🎶 The final vote


There's only one vote left as we ask readers to name their favorite New Orleans hip-hop artist.
Driving the news: As we wrap up our celebration of hip-hop's 50th anniversary, our bracket for the city's best hip-hop artist is nearly full.
- Help us crown the winner by voting now.
5. ⛈️ The most expensive "major peril" event

The single costliest type of natural catastrophe for insurers in 2023 isn't hurricanes or earthquakes — it's thunderstorms.
Why it matters: Population growth, expanding cities in storm-prone regions like the South, and climate change-driven trends in severe weather are all vaulting insurance costs ever higher, write Axios' Felix Salmon and Andrew Freedman.
The big picture: The U.S. is headed for a record year when it comes to insured losses from thunderstorms, according to Steve Bowen, chief science officer with Gallagher Re.
- Thunderstorm damage comes from, among other things, flooding, hail and winds snapping trees onto houses and power lines. The total cost is likely to reach at least $50 billion this year.
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6. 📣 Quote du jour
Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
"I'm not firing anyone. ... I'm supporting a city employee that is a part of a community of city employees that have been disrespected, villainized, discriminated against by prejudices, conscious bias, unconscious bias, sexism — the list goes on and on."— Mayor LaToya Cantrell yesterday in response to the City Council's call for her to fire her communications director after his involvement in sending mailers the council says may have violated state law.
The other side: City Council President JP Morrell pushed back on her claims and says Gregory Joseph can mount a defense at the Oct. 3 hearing on his future.
- If the council votes to fire him and Cantrell doesn't do it, there "will likely be litigation," he told WDSU.
🤧 Carlie is reading this story about how phenylephrine, a popular nasal decongestant labeled as PE on boxes, doesn't actually work. Go for the OG Claritin and Nyquil, y'all.
🦀 Chelsea is remembering the blue crab-laden pain perdu on her own recent trip to MaMou.
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