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T u e s d ay, J a n u a ry 27, 2026
CAPITAL CARNIVAL
Weather concerns aside, Washington Mardi Gras ready to roll
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Trump eases off Minnesota crackdown
Some federal agents prepare to leave, including Border Patrol commander Bovino BY STEVE KARNOWSKI and MIKE BALSAMO Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — President Donald Trump softened his tone Monday on the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, touting productive conversations with the governor and Minneapolis mayor as he sent the border czar to take charge of much of the enforcement effort. ä Shootings Some federal agents were expect- upending ed to leave as soon as Tuesday. politics of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey immigration. said he spoke by phone with Trump, who praised the discus- PAGE 3A sion and declared that “lots of progress is being made.” Frey said he asked Trump in a phone call to end the immigration enforcement surge and that Trump agreed the present situation cannot continue. The mayor said some agents would soon leave and that he would keep pushing for others involved in Operation Metro Surge to go. Among those who are expected to depart was senior Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to
ä See MINNESOTA, page 4A
Purple reigns at the 2025 Washington Mardi Gras celebration.
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St. George forming chamber of commerce
BY MARK BALLARD
Staff writer
WASHINGTON — Washington, D.C., was digging out Monday from a major snowstorm — up to 14 inches in some parts — but the hundreds of Louisiana movers and shakers headed here for the 77th Washington Mardi Gras were hopeful that the show will go on. The four-day Carnival extravaganza brings business moguls, university presidents, charity leaders and other influential people together to mingle with state and federal politicians, casually mingling and talking commerce. “It just continues the focus on improving the brand of the state and leveraging the opportunity to get so many of our state’s business leaders, civic leaders, political leaders, investors — whether they are Louisiana-based investors or they’re investors that are putting their capital to work here — and getting them all in one place,” said W. Gray Stream, a Lake Charles investor and philanthropist who is king of Washington Mardi Gras this year. Paid for by dues, tickets and donations, public access to Washington Mardi Gras is restricted and media coverage is limited to foster unguarded conversations that gets business done, participants say. Though most attendees arrive on Wednesday, historically many come in Monday or Tuesday to
BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer
Louisiana festival queens gather with, front row from left, Gov. Jeff Landry, first lady Sharon Landry and 2026 Washington ä See CARNIVAL, page 5A Mardi Gras Queen Sarah Heebe and King W. Gray Stream.
The city of St. George is taking business into its own hands. St. George business leaders are developing a chamber of commerce in hopes of enriching the local economy, which they say is the next step in the city’s overall growth. Travis Thornton, the chamber’s chairman, said the chamber will mobilize and em- Thornton power the city’s strong business foundation. Without an organization dedicated to the city, St. George’s business community has a “fractured set of voices,” he said, which he hopes the
ä See ST. GEORGE, page 5A
BR police using ‘bait car’ program to address break-ins BY QUINN COFFMAN
The program involves policeowned “trackable vehicles,” more commonly known as “bait cars.” These look like any other car in When Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas Morse took office in ear- a parking lot, but they are actually ly 2024, he restarted a program outfitted with sensors, cameras, meant to cut down on car bur- trackers and remote controls, all glaries and thefts. Now, he wants ready to capture evidence of any would-be thieves to know their attempt to break into the vehicle, next target could be high-tech bait. steal it or strip it for parts. Staff writer
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And like bait for a fish, these cars are left unlocked, cast out onto residential Baton Rouge streets, positioned outside gas stations and left in department store parking lots. But according to Morse, his department uses bait cars more as a targeted response when break-ins spike in specific neighborhoods, rather than just leaving them
around to troll for thieves. “Once a week, we have our staff meeting, and we talk about everything from filing crimes and shootings, but then also property crime. ‘Hey, where are we seeing an uptick in vehicle burglaries and vehicle thefts?’ ” Morse said. He used an example arrest from late 2025 to demonstrate how a re-
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port of vehicle break-ins leads to the deployment of a bait car. The Baton Rouge Police Department had received reports of vehicle break-ins around Marlbrook Drive in Sherwood Forest on Dec. 26. “So Saturday night, we deploy
ä See BAIT, page 4A
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