| BY JOHN SIMERMAN | Staff writer |
Flights of fancy: Mayor LaToya Cantrell jetted off to Kenya on Wednesday for a United Nations meeting on plastic pollution, and on Thursday the state Board of Ethics slapped her with charges for taking more than a dozen 1st Class flights over two years. The ethics charges came even though Cantrell repaid the city for the flight upcharges, to the tune of nearly $30,000. Sam Karlin has the story. Parental leave for state workers: Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Thursday that roughly 70,000 state employees will be able to take up to six weeks of paid parental leave following the birth, adoption or fostering of a child, beginning Jan. 1. The move to grant up to six weeks of parental leave will apply to all state classified employees and many unclassified state workers, as Louisiana joins a majority of states in offering the benefit. Robert Stewart has the details. Sex workers spared arrest: Almost no one gets arrested anymore for prostitution in New Orleans. The focus of law enforcement has turned instead to traffickers. District Attorney Jason Williams describes a shift in recent years, exemplified by the conviction last month of a pimp on murder and trafficking charges. Missy Wilkinson has the story. Thanks for starting your day with Morning Headlines. Check out all the latest news, sports and entertainment coverage from The Times-Picayune. John | 