FAULK ERA BEGINS AT SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
NFL Hall of Famer says ‘it means the world to me to be here’
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T u e s d ay, d e c e m b e r 2, 2025
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City Council passes $1.6B budget Plan includes all of Moreno’s recommended measures
BY BEN MYERS and BLAKE PATERSON
Staff writers
The New Orleans City Council on Monday finalized a $1.6 billion municipal spending plan for 2026, capping off a monthslong fiscal crisis that featured a multimilliondollar deficit, a payroll emergency and squabbles between the outgoing and incoming mayoral admin-
istrations. The budget the council backed unanimously includes all of Mayor-elect Helena Moreno’s recommended measures, including $150 million in spending cuts to City Hall departments and once-perpay-period furloughs for 14% of the city’s workforce, roughly 700 employees. It includes $74 million in new revenue from the Sewerage & Wa-
ä Sources: Giarrusso to serve as Moreno’s chief administrative officer. PAGE 4A
ter Board, unspent federal grants and from other sources identified by Moreno’s transition team. Without the cuts and the new measures, the city would have entered 2026 with a $222 million deficit, Moreno, now the council’s vice president,
has said. The final document comes after a two-month budget process revealed months of fiscal mismanagement and missed alarms by city officials and after Moreno and other council members narrowly avoided a state takeover of city finances. “Putting a budget together is kind of like a puzzle,” said council member Joe Giarrusso, the coun-
cil’s budget chair and a Moreno ally. “This year, it was like the picture was ripped off at the very beginning and then we had to figure out how to unscramble the pieces.” Displeased with the document Monday were groups upset at Moreno’s move to pull the federal grants that fund their operations. Another critic: Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who said she barely received any information about the document before it was approved
ä See BUDGET, page 4A
‘SECOND LINE IN THE SKY’ STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU football coach Lane Kiffin gives an opening statement at an introductory news conference on Monday at Tiger Stadium.
Rain falls on Bourbon Street as the ‘Second Line in the Sky’ memorial is lit up on Monday.
STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER
Bourbon Street art installation honors victims of terror attack BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer
For the next seven weeks, visitors to Bourbon Street will look up to find a poignant reminder of the New Year’s Day terror attack — nearly 1,000 handcrafted flags, suspended above the famous street in honor of those who were killed there nearly a year ago. Gov. Jeff Landry, Mayorelect Helena Moreno, other officials and French Quarter leaders gathered on Monday to light the memorial for its first night, commemorate the attack and commit to preventing similar killings in the future. The memorial, which was conceptualized by Katy Cas-
barian, owner of Arnaud’s Restaurant, and designed by Studio West, will be up until Jan. 18. It was paid for through contributions from organizations like the French Quarter Management District, New Orleans & Co. and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Casbarian declined to say how much the installation cost. Spanning the first three blocks of Bourbon Street, the installation, known as “Second Line in the Sky,” features images and the names of many of the 14 people who were killed in the attack, along with photos of brass band musicians and Mardi Gras Indians
‘The best job in football’ New coach Kiffin praises opportunity to win at LSU
BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer
Misty Scallan, Amy Levet and Sophia Faucheaux hold a photo of Bourbon Street attack victim Hubert Gauthreaux during the public ä See SKY, page 7A lighting of the ‘Second Line in the Sky’ memorial on Monday.
As LSU courted Lane Kiffin, athletic director Verge Ausberry sent him a message. Ole Miss had been jumped by Oregon in the College Foot- ä More on ball Playoff rank- Lane Kiffin ings even though at LSU in it had not played a Sports. game, and Ausberry wanted to tease him PAGE 1C a little bit. What he said also encapsulated the way LSU sold Kiffin on the job. “Teams don’t jump LSU,” Ausberry said. Kiffin was introduced as LSU’s head coach Monday afternoon inside the club suites overlooking Tiger Stadium, a day after he left an
ä See KIFFIN, page 5A
Governor intervenes in House GOP leadership race BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
The election to choose the next chair of the Louisiana House Republican Caucus, normally a littlenoticed piece of inside baseball, is roiling the ranks of the 73-member Republican delegation. That’s because Gov. Jeff Landry, in an unprecedented move, is tell-
WEATHER HIGH 53 LOW 41 PAGE 8A
ing lawmakers he wants them to select Rep. Michael Echols, RMonroe, instead of Rep. John Illg, R-Metairie. Numerous House members said Landry’s support for Echols stems from his anger at Illg for taking a stand against the governor’s biggest priority during the 2025 legislative session, a measure that will give Insurance Commissioner
Tim Temple more power to reject car insurance rate increases. The bill would allow Landry to blame Temple if insurance rates continue to rise. Landry has already sought retribution against Republicans who opposed him on that measure. As The Advocate | The TimesPicayune reported in July, 16 of the 17 line-item vetoes issued by
Landry killed spending projects sponsored by Republicans who had voted against him on the bill, including Illg. With nearly half of Republican House members voting against the bill at one point, the defection represented their biggest opposition to the governor. House members and political analysts said they believe Landry also favors Echols because he is
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more likely to focus on shoring up the governor’s support among Republicans during the 2026 legislative session. The 73 House Republicans have begun sending in their secret ballots to pick the next caucus chair, with the counting scheduled to take place in the State Capitol on
ä See LANDRY, page 5A
13TH yEAR, NO. 112