| BY BOB WARREN | Staff writer |
Karen Carter Peterson charged: Federal prosecutors charged former state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson with one count of wire fraud this morning, a move that reporters Gordon Russell and Tyler Bridges first reported last night. Peterson, also the former chair of the state Democratic Party, is accused of illegally taking tens of thousands of dollars of campaign and party funds. Here's the latest. And for more politics news, please sign up for our Political Rundown newsletter. Fevered pitch: A professional soccer league is eyeing New Orleans as a landing spot and the Crescent City could have a United Soccer team on a pitch by 2025. Next up? Coming up with a team name, colors – and a place to play. Curbed: You’ve no doubt seen the brightly-painted utility boxes gracing medians across the city, featuring scenes of flowers, palm trees and famous locals. But the boxes belong to the city, and there are some new rules in place. Not everyone is happy. New gig for Brees? The broadcasting door at NBC closed a couple months back on Drew Brees. But it looks like a door at Amazon is opening for the Saints legend . . . and the new gig doesn’t involve driving a truck. Loving our Saints coverage? Sign up for our Saints Insider newsletter. (Not so)Happy birthday: It's as ubiquitous around these parts as po-boys and afternoon thunderstorms. Hard to believe the dreaded "cone of uncertainty" is only 20 years old, a birthday it's observing today, The Weather Channel said in a tweet. Today is the 20th anniversary of the very first "Cone of Uncertainty" in the Atlantic Basin!On July 14th, 2002, @NHC_Atlantic issued the cone for Tropical Depression One (which eventually became Tropical Storm #Arthur). @DrRickKnabb will go in depth TODAY on @wunderground. pic.twitter.com/cz2tgjIbJV — The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) July 14, 2022Which reminds me to put in a plug for our Hurricane Center newsletter. All the info you need this time of year. Hope you enjoyed today’s Lunch Line. Thanks for reading – and remember, you can keep up all day long on NOLA.com. BW | 