Axios New Orleans

December 04, 2024
Bonjour! It's Wednesday.
🎭 On this day in 1919, the French Opera House burned down at the corner of Bourbon and Toulouse streets. New Orleans was one of the first American cities to regularly offer opera.
- The fire spurred residents to push for historic preservation protection in the French Quarter. Go deeper.
Today's weather: Highs in the mid-60s. Rain possible overnight and tomorrow.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios New Orleans member Patricia Kitchen!
🎧 Sounds like: "Thompson's Old Gray Mule" by Louis Vasnier. NPR reports the newly-reissued track is the oldest known music recorded in New Orleans, and "the oldest country record in existence."
Today's newsletter is 889 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: 🗳️ Yay! Another election!
Louisiana voters head to the polls Saturday to make selections on four constitutional amendments.
State of play: Some Orleans Parish voters will also decide between two School Board candidates — Gabriela Biro and Eric J. Jones — in the District 2 runoff. Go deeper.
- In Jefferson Parish, voters will say yes or no to a property tax that would fund teacher pay raises. Go deeper.
- The city of Harahan also has two local propositions, and Jefferson Parish's Fire Protection District 3 has a millage increase up for consideration.
Here's a closer look at the four amendments.
Amendment 1 would expand the state's Judiciary Commission, which oversees all judges in the state, from nine to 14 members. If the amendment passes, the new members would be appointed by elected leaders for the first time.
- It would also give the Louisiana Supreme Court authority to direct it to investigate judicial misconduct allegations.
Amendment 2 would require state lawmakers to wait at least 48 hours between a proposed state budget change and when a final vote gets taken on it in the Legislature.
Amendment 3 would let lawmakers extend a regular legislative session by up to six days so they can address state budget bills.
Amendment 4 would change Louisiana's unusual and heavily litigated system for how local governments handle property seizures when an owner hasn't paid their taxes.
Go deeper: PAR Louisiana has detailed explanations of each amendment, including arguments for and against. They start here on page 4.
What's next: Polls are open from 7am to 8pm Saturday.
2. 🤑 Tipping point


Tips are making up more of New Orleans restaurant workers' pay, according to new data from payments company Square.
Why it matters: Much of the city's hospitality industry relies on tips to bolster hourly wages.
By the numbers: In October, tips made up 23% of restaurant worker pay nationally — up from 14% in 2019, according to Square's report examining payroll data.
- But in New Orleans, tips made up more than 30% of restaurant worker pay. That's nearly double what it was at the start of 2019, when tips were around 16% of their pay here.
Reality check: Relying more on tips leaves workers in a precarious position.
- "If you're a restaurant worker who's already in an industry subject to a lot of ups and downs, a large component of your income coming from tips isn't gonna simplify that," says Ara Kharazian, research lead at Square.
Between the lines: One of President-elect Trump's more popular campaign proposals was to eliminate taxes on tips, though ideas like that are typically tough to turn into reality.
3. Fully Dressed: 🪳 World's largest cockroach
🪳 A giant metal cockroach was sunk in the Gulf of Mexico off Mississippi's coast to serve as a fishing reef. (More photos and details)
👀 New Orleans is at the top of the list of unsafe places due to climate change, a New Orleanian writes for the New York Times.
- But, the city has a competitive advantage. "It knows that every hurricane season poses an existential threat." (Full story)
🤩 Acamaya made more "best of" lists, including Esquire's best new restaurants in America, and Eater New Orleans' best new one in the city.
- Hot Stuff won Esquire's "Bathroom of the Year." DYK it has a button to play music and a disco strobe light?!
🏨 Le Pavillon completed a $19 million renovation and added a new lobby bar. The hotel is under the Marriott flag now. (Details)
🎶 Post Malone will perform at the Fillmore ahead of the Super Bowl in February. Tickets are free, but you've got to win them from Bud Light. (Details and more Super Bowl fan events.)
4. ✊ NOMA joins national effort to fight AIDS
The New Orleans Museum of Art has new art and programming for AIDS Awareness Month.
Why it matters: Louisiana ranks 4th in the country for new HIV diagnoses, based on 2022 numbers, the state Health Department says.
- HIV is a virus that can cause AIDS.
The big picture: Today is Day With(out) Art, a national project through nonprofit Visuals AIDS that uses art to fight AIDS.
- NOMA will show seven short films on a loop from noon to 5pm. The films reflect the spectrum of living with HIV, the museum said.
Zoom in: The museum also has a new sculpture called "Craig's closet" that was part of the New York City AIDS Memorial.
- It's to the right of the museum's entrance on Collins C. Diboll Circle and will be on display through June 2025.
Between the lines: Museum admission is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday, thanks to the Helis Foundation.
5. 🍴Best thing we ate: Dinner at Étoile
👋 Maddy Johnston here. I'm a behind-the-scenes Axios employee in New Orleans.
The big picture: I recently visited Étoile, the new tasting menu-style restaurant in the former Cavan space on Magazine Street.
The fine print: They seat 25 people per night, and the prix fixe menu rotates frequently.
- Dinner is $150 per person. Ours was seven courses, plus a few surprises along the way.
My favorite bite was a dish with Kaluga caviar served atop a buckwheat blini that floated in a moat of beurre blanc.
- A close second was a roasted Wagyu beef paired with chanterelle mushrooms, Swiss chard and sweet corn.
Pro tip: Arrive early for a small welcome drink and a tour of the property.
💸 Carlie's sister is an excellent server and bartender. Here's hoping she gets healthcare and PTO one day.
🚽 Chelsea is sad she did not use to use the restroom when she visited Hot stuff.
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Thanks to our editor Michael Graff, who can share his Venmo if you'd like to leave a tip.
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