SUPER BOWL SET: PATRIOTS, SEAHAWKS TO FACE OFF 1C SEATTLE QB DARNOLD GETS SHOT AT TITLE 1C
N O L A.C O M
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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
$2.00X
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. Some federal agents were expected to leave as soon as Tuesday. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he spoke by phone with Trump, who praised the discussion 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 publicly discuss details of the operation and
ä See MINNESOTA, page 4A
Purple reigns at the 2025 Washington Mardi Gras celebration.
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N.O. council to rescind strip club rules
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
Ban on new establishments on Bourbon draws backlash
BY BEN MYERS and SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writers
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 New Orleans City Council on Tuesday is expected to reverse course and abandon new restrictions for Bourbon Street strip clubs, weeks after members quietly passed a temporary ban on new clubs that drew backlash from industry workers. On Jan. 8, the council passed rules to restrict new clubs from opening unless they met caseby-case requirements set by the council. The ban would have been in place for as long as two years, while city planners studied the clubs and considered whether to extend the restrictions permanently. But council member Freddie King, who
N.O. targeting unpaid parking tickets BY JONI HESS Staff writer
New Orleans officials are cracking down on a costly backlog of unpaid parking tickets to help thwart an expected multimillion dollar budget deficit this year. Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration plans to hire 50 new parking enforcement officers to handle
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violations and attack $100 million in unpaid fines and fees, Chief Administrative Officer Joe Giarrusso said last week at the first City Council Budget Committee meeting under the new administration. The city has already begun tackling violations. Treme resident Jolie Gautreau woke up earlier this month to find a boot on her car parked outside her home, and a
notice saying she owned $1,400 in tickets. Her car was later towed, and an Orleans Parish Civil District Court worker told her it was largely school zone camera tickets that triggered the boot. “I think with the amnesty program ending, they’re booting people and saying, ‘You have to pay
ä See STRIP, page 4A
A police officer boots a car in the French Quarter. STAFF FILE PHOTO By MATTHEW PERSCHALL
ä See PARKING, page 4A
Business ......................6A Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
13TH yEAR, NO. 168