| By DREW BROACH | Deputy metro editor |
HOME STRETCH: Term-limited Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is heading into his final year in office riding high, popular with voters, preparing to spend plenty of money on roads, schools and universities and facing none of the crises that have undone other governors as they headed out of office. But he’s not too fond of state Attorney General Jeff Landry. HALT HOTEL: A group of Warehouse District residents is pushing back against a Massachusetts investor’s plans to convert a 190-year-old building at 604 Julia St. in New Orleans into a six-unit boutique hotel. They say the plan skirts New Orleans’ current ban on short-term rentals. For more stories like this, subscribe to our free NOLA Business Insider newsletter, emailed weekday mornings. A HOWL SILENCED: Walter “Wolfman” Washington, whose soulful voice, crisp guitar lines and toothy smile lit up New Orleans nightlife for 60 years, has died of cancer at age 79. The sharp-dressed Washington often flashed a wolfish grin as he and his Roadmasters, the quintessential New Orleans bar band, delivered a sophisticated, air-tight synthesis of blues, funk, R&B and soul, punctuated by Washington’s trademark howl. Welcome to the weekend. Catch the latest news all day on NOLA.com. D.B. | 