By Drew Broach | Deputy metro editor WE’RE JAZZED: For the first time in more than 1,000 days, welcome to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Check out the first weekend’s highlights, and see how a new Jazz Fest dish points to a revival for Treme Creole restaurant Li’l Dizzy’s. SHOWDOWN: Wednesday’s showdown over the “smart cities” controversy at New Orleans City Hall illustrated the sharp breakdown in relations between Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the City Council. Cantrell deputy Jonathan Rhodes acknowledged that his private company was raising money for smart cities ventures elsewhere while he was working for the administration to bring just such a program to New Orleans. The council grilled Rhodes for hours, using its investigative powers for the first time in 34 years, while Cantrell called the inquiry and other recent challenges to mayoral authority a "spectacle" that was dividing the city. Thanks for starting your Thursday with us. Check NOLA.com for more news throughout the day. D.B. |