As Smash Mouth famously prophesized, “the years start comin’ and they don’t stop comin,’” and this latest chapter wrought an exceptionally high volume of historic moments, so much so that we didn’t even get to the jailbreak in May or the handful of monumental local elections. This breakneck pace of outlandish antics, crushing disappointment, and outright tragedy leaves us all a bit fried and limping towards the finish line, somehow randomly shouting “6 7!” Our annual Top 5 will help put a pin in this lap around the sun—and don’t worry, there are some laughs as well. To easy LoL!
Top 5 Quotable Moments from the Cantrell Indictment
2025 was a big year for the 62nd mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell. On August 15, Cantrell was indicted by a federal grand jury for alleged wire fraud, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. The charges centered on her affair with Jeffrey Paul Vappie II (not illegal) while he was on her security team with the NOPD and collecting pay and overtime (illegal) and the ways in which the two used his role as a bodyguard as a pretext for them to take lavish vacations on the taxpayers’ dime, racking up over $70,000 in costs for Vappie’s travel over the course of at least 14 trips. Then they allegedly lied about it to the FBI and a federal grand jury. While some, my most Dionysian friend among them, have argued that they too would have used the office of the mayor as one of seduction and travel-related graft, others have argued that this is a truly callow act of self-interest from a mayor who has failed to deliver reliable City services to her constituents or mitigate a cost of living crisis in the last few years. Ultimately, you, dear reader, can be the judge—along with the eventual judge who will hear this case.
Gatekeep, Gaslight
While falling in love, travelling the world, and tending to the somewhat more staid business of serving as mayor of New Orleans, Cantrell began bringing members of her security team with her on her mayoral excursions. She justified this by saying it was “a matter of safety… [a]s all women know, our health and safety are often disregarded.” And to this, we say: hell yeah. Ladies (as a political class), if the injustices of the patriarchy aren’t enough, you should always feel empowered to make up a few of your own.
Daiquiri Diplomacy
Astute politics-watchers may remember that in 2023 the Mayor’s Office nominated Anne Kirkpatrick to serve as NOPD superintendent, rather than the interim superintendent, Michelle Woodfork. According to the indictment, Woodfork resisted pressure from Cantrell to drop her investigation into impropriety between Cantrell and Vappie. Cantrell then retaliated by telling Woodfork that she would not be nominated for NOPD superintendent. Vappie, who was allegedly present for this meeting, then invited Woodfork out for daiquiris to “mitigate the Interim Superintendent’s disappointment.” After all, nothing eases the pangs of professional dismay quite like a technicolor booze slushie.
The Internet Searches
The street-smart readers of our esteemed magazine probably know this, but when you are watching the screen, the screen watches back. On various occasions in the indictment, Vappie searched “female defense attorney near me,” “[W]hat was Whitney Houston’s character name in The Bodyguard[?]” (helpfully footnoted in the indictment to explain this is a movie where Houston plays a celebrity who falls for her bodyguard) and “nashville mayor affair.” What affair? More on this in a moment!
The Call-Out
In an attempt to save these two star-crossed lovers from themselves, another member of Cantrell’s security team apparently texted the rest of the team “anyone having an affair with Cantrell should stop because of the detrimental consequences it could have on Cantrell and the EPU [Executive Protection Unit] team.” We love this attempt to keep from finger-pointing! Not to mention the idea that a forbidden affair of the body and soul could be stopped in its tracks with a thoughtful reminder from a colleague.
Cantrell’s Path
It probably isn’t surprising, considering the many counts of shenanigans in the indictment, that certain goings-on were fairly obvious to those in the mayor’s orbit. In particular, one “associate” left anonymous in the indictment attempted to warn Cantrell, reminding her that the former mayor of Nashville, Megan Barry, was also discovered to have been having an affair with her bodyguard, also taking trips bankrolled by the city where her lover was on company (city) time, before pleading guilty to theft and resigning in disgrace. The associate warned Cantrell over text: “It is a FELONY to have your lover be paid to work and have his travel paid for by the city. That Nashville mayor had to pay back like 50k AND serve 3 yrs probation. She is done! Please don’t let this be your path, LaToya!!!” To which Cantrell coolly replied: “Please don’t accuse me.” —Jesse Lu Baum
Top 5 Events that Didn’t Save Us from Financial Ruin
Much like a pothole, the City’s budget deficit didn’t appear overnight. It was ground down by a variety of factors, including court-ordered legal settlements, funding Mayor Cantrell’s travel influencer aspirations, and cops collecting millions in overtime—sometimes working remotely, clocking in from home. The City was also banking on big events to balance the books, and the returns didn’t match the projections the City used to plan its budget. And now, we’re in the hole for about $160 million. While we’re down here, we might as well take a look back at some of the bigger failures.
Sugar Bowl
Not the city’s biggest event, but the first to see increased security measures following the horrific New Year’s terror attack on Bourbon Street. The game between undergraduates at Georgia and Notre Dame kicked off before all of the bodies were identified and their families notified—and the beefed-up security left the City holding the bill.
Snow
It’s fair to say nobody expected almost a foot of snow in New Orleans. But in late January, that’s what happened. The City didn’t get a federal disaster declaration, meaning no FEMA money. At the same time, officials were banking on $120 million in post-Katrina FEMA funding that never showed after languishing at the national level, waiting for approval. With those gaps and delays, the City is struggling to pay its basic bills—including payroll for thousands of workers.
Super Bowl
The city gussied itself up for the NFL’s championship game, spending about $60 million on French Quarter sidewalks, CBD murals, and new lights on the Crescent City Connection as part of the glow up. Normally, extra security is reimbursable by the feds—not this time. The City projected nearly $15 million in tax revenue; the Super Bowl delivered barely half that. Even an appearance from Taylor Swift couldn’t prevent the City from being in the Red (Taylor’s Version).
Mardi Gras
By all estimates, this year’s Carnival season was a success—hotels packed, parades smooth, a million tourists in town. But “the Biggest Free Party on Earth” isn’t free for the people hosting it. Security costs surged, hitting smaller krewes especially hard. The economic gains just didn’t come close to plugging the budget hole.
Resident Shakedowns
And finally, you—yes, you—didn’t cough up enough. The City didn’t hit its projected take from fines, taxes, and fees. They were counting on you, and they included your protection money as part of the budget. Sure, folks like Gayle Benson and the Catholic Church don’t have to pay taxes or rent, but you do. And you let the City down. —Drew Hawkins
Top 5 Public Health Issues to Follow Into 2026
Measles
In November, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) made the announcement that Canada—and all of the Americas region by extension—lost its hard-won measles elimination status, with over 5,000 cases across the country in the past year. The United States, at the time of this writing, is also rapidly on the verge of losing its elimination status. There were over 1,700 confirmed cases and 45 outbreaks in 2025, with over 87% of these cases due to outbreaks. Unfortunately (and not surprisingly), 92% of reported U.S. measles patients this year have been either unvaccinated or of an unknown vaccine status. This rise in cases in the U.S. and elsewhere can be attributed, at least in part, to increased skepticism of the measles vaccine and vaccines in general. As a reminder, the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and effective while the highly contagious measles virus can lead to serious complications, including hospitalization, erasure of immune system memory, and death.
The Anti-Vaxx Movement
In January, The Lancet published a correspondence outlining how the appointment of noted anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) could have detrimental effects on public health. In yet another unfortunate and unsurprising turn of events, these concerns have been affirmed as Kennedy and his allies—including within the Louisiana Department of Health—have, in less than a year, spread misinformation, further eroded trust in vaccines and science, and dismantled large swaths of our vital public health infrastructure. The resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and pertussis (whooping cough)—which led to the deaths of two infants in Louisiana in the past year—is the inevitable conclusion.
H5N1
There’s been a lot of talk this year about the cost of eggs and not enough discussion of why the price has changed: the seasonal culling of commercial poultry flocks due to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as H5N1 or bird flu. The virus has spilled over to infect other mammalian species, including dairy cows and domestic cats. While human-to-human transmission of H5N1 has not yet been reported, there have been 70 human cases and one death since the current outbreak began in 2024. Most of those human cases were in people who worked in poultry and dairy farms and were exposed to infected animals. There is currently no human vaccine against H5N1, and reductions in federal response and immigration raids on farms could greatly impair any response.
Attacks on Harm Reduction
On July 24, the Trump administration issued an executive order on “ending crime and disorder on America’s streets,” which is a call for a punitive approach to homelessness and drug use, including involuntary institutionalization. Included in this EO is language that directly targets harm reduction. Though executive orders have less force than laws passed by Congress, and though harm reduction is no stranger to attacks, the language should not be taken lightly. Just a couple of years ago, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was promoting harm reduction; now, they are issuing statements that attempt to rewrite reality and separate overdose prevention from the harm reduction movement. Advocates are concerned that these attacks on harm reduction will, among other things, lead to more overdose-related deaths.
The Continued Dismantling of Public Health Infrastructure
The defunding and dismantling of U.S. public health, science, and medical infrastructure over the past year has been devastating, and will continue to have harmful effects for years to come. Many states across the country are now forming their own health alliances, and some City health departments—such as New Orleans—are doing what they can to ensure that their communities have access to vaccines. We will also need to look to collaborations outside of U.S. borders. And of course, political pressure on current leadership and people running for office will continue to be imperative. —Mary Beth Campbell
Top 5 Mayor vs. Council City Beefs
With a thoughtfully-chosen parting gift of the ever-worsening budget disaster, Mayor Cantrell is leaving the city behind in smoldering ruins as she faces an uncertain future of her own that may well include some jail time (see above). But while her signature blend of political pyrotechnics may keep the spotlight on her, let’s not overlook the ensemble performance on which the mayor and the City Council have been so closely collaborating. As much as our new mayor likes to clutch her pearls about the previous mayor’s behavior, look closer and you’ll see bloody knuckles on Helena Moreno’s hands from the ongoing cage match that she and fellow Councilmember-At-Large JP Morrell have undertaken against Mayor Cantrell. If the lives of everyone in the city weren’t at stake, this would all be rather entertaining. So let’s take a moment to enjoy the spectacle—a years-long process that came to a head this year—before we inevitably have to pay the price for all their bad decisions.
The Opening Shots
In this corner, we have JP Morrell, pumped up and full of political ambition (not to mention a severe case of superhero-itis—see his Captain America office decor and campaign materials). On the other side of the ring, we have the mayoral office’s power over government contracts, political appointments, and a taxpayer-funded sex palace overlooking Jackson Square. Kapow! Morrell introduced a ballot measure to approve the Council’s new checks on mayoral power, and with tensions already running high for months thanks to the Council’s splashy investigation into the mayor’s “Smart City” initiative, things quickly escalated from there.
The Pontalba
Say what you will about mayoral perks, but for those doing the job, a few well-placed positive incentives must help offset the taste of the shit bowls a New Orleans mayor stays eating. Lord only knows how long New Orleans mayors have been duly enjoying forbidden pleasures in the Pontalba pad, but nevermore, suckers! The Council declared that party officially over. When the long hours Cantrell was spending there with her bodyguard caught the public’s attention, Council gave her walking papers. Cantrell dug in her heels and refused to give back the keys, so the Council ordered the landlord to evict her. Eugene Green wondered aloud if City Council even had the power to do that, and JP Morrell assured him that they did, thanks to a measure they passed that very August. Faced with the very real prospect of mayoral furniture littering the streets, she turned in the keys.
The Shade
Politicalspeak runs pretty damn dull—stuffed with honorifics and pretensions to virtue, speeches seem written to make audiences yawn. Well, the boring buck stopped here. In dueling press conferences, Cantrell accused the City Council of fostering a “toxic environment” that “has been damaging to people’s soul,” accusing Morrell and Helena Moreno by name of “dangerous behavior.” Moreno blithely denied all participation in the drama, and Morrell hit back by denouncing her for the “cult of personality that revolves around the Mayor’s Office,” and her “complete and utter disregard, if not outward contempt, to being told that she must stay within the bounds.” Spicy.
The Bickering Over Mayoral Appointments
One of the Council’s new powers after the 2022 ballot measure was to check mayoral appointments, and they weren’t afraid to flex it. Appointee-related tensions reached peak awkwardness around New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick’s hearing, when Kirkpatrick realized that her appointment was the latest object of the tug-of-war between the Council and the Mayor’s office. As she sat for questions, Helena Moreno asked pointedly why they weren’t questioning the “obvious choice,” interim chief Michelle Woodfork. A dig at the Mayor’s surprise appointee right in front of her was a rare demonstration of ire from Moreno, who usually leaves the jabs to Morrell, but during the hearing he was busy all but coming to blows with Oliver Thomas a few hours before.
The Trash Wars
Trash pickup might seem like an unusual hill to die on, but no issue is too pungent for these municipal brawlers. It all started when Mayor Cantrell set out to snatch an emergency contract from Sidney Torres’ IV Waste, a waste management firm beloved in the French Quarter (see residents’ show of support in a proliferation of pro-IV Waste signage), in favor of her own choice for the contract, Troy Henry’s Henry Consulting. The legality of this move snowballed through City Hall and grew increasingly acrimonious. At one point, the showdown had gotten so extreme that it looked likely that both companies would be picking up trash in the French Quarter—with taxpayers footing the bill. A way out of the pickle proved elusive, or as Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montaño put it, “I don’t know with all the dynamics swirling here if anybody can be successful without having a fresh start.” As of last month, the “Trash King” Torres finally won back his kingdom, leaving nothing of the battle but the memories. —Holly Devon
Top 5 Local Music Releases
As passionate as people can be about music in New Orleans, I must preface this by saying that this is my Top 5 and that these “rankings” will change in my rotation, as I’m sure yours will as well. Inevitably, a list like this will piss someone off, but my rationale for these picks is simple: If someone new to town asked me, “What is some cool, new music being made in New Orleans?” I would pitch one of these records.
Portia
Malimo Session
The more I’ve listened to these songs (and seen them performed live), the more I’ve come to recognize this release as my favorite within the whole of New Orleans heavy music this year. Portia writes sharp, jagged post-hardcore that takes cues from skramz of old like Saetia or Orchid. It’s melancholic and noisy in all the ways this kind of music should be, but the occasional gentle melody demonstrates their capability as songwriters, not just pandemonium peddlers.
Sick Thoughts
Another Piece of Plastic
Probably the best-sounding guitars I’ve heard on a local release all year, Sick Thoughts delivered a tight, five-track “mini-album” which I’d point to as a high-water mark for New Orleans rock’n’roll in 2025. It’s got everything: the riffs, the divebombs, the punk rock snotiness, but it’s also an evolution in Drew Owen’s sound towards something with a little more melody and pop sensibility.
Sabine McCalla
Don’t Call Me Baby
For the fans of traditional New Orleans R&B as well those who enjoy the old hat sounds of doo-wop and blues, Don’t Call Me Baby is the debut album from Sabine McCalla. She’s a gifted vocalist and has a unique perspective as the daughter of first-generation Haitian immigrants, which manifests in various genres contained in this record. At its core, Don’t Call Me Baby is the soulful, heartbreak record people scour the city in search of, but so rarely find.
La Reezy
Welcome To La Reezyana Vol 1.
A hyped up-and-comer in the New Orleans hip-hop world, La Reezy has released a few different projects this year, but this mixtape most demonstrates his potential as a solo act. Combining influences from old-school boom-bap to pop acts like Tyler, The Creator, La Reezy is the kind of triple-threat—he can produce, he has flow, and he’s got lyricism—that is often destined for greatness.
loucey
participation trophy wife
A Portishead-esque trip-hop record that tackles the broad human experience of parenthood and marriage, this is the kind of cerebral indie record that holds up under the microscope but also works just as chill beats. In addition to her lyricism, singer Cherie McCabe is a commanding vocalist with a pop sensibility that makes her comparable to greats like Fiona Apple or Björk. —Dalton Spangler
Top 5 Reasons for Optimism in Scary Political Times
The GOP is Scared of Midterms
The Trump administration has been frantically pushing red states to further gerrymander their congressional maps in the middle of a 10-year redistricting cycle. This is a sign of fear. Public perception has not been on the GOP’s side, and the Democrats are expected to take back the U.S. House. The redistricting effort may not go the way the GOP thinks. At least one gerrymandered map has been struck down by a judge already. Plus, blue states are proposing gerrymandered maps of their own. But what exactly does the GOP have to fear? At the very least, losing the House. But in a speech given by Steve Bannon in November, he warned a crowd that if the Democrats ever got back in power, he and some audience members would likely go to prison. One can only hope.
Pushback from the Judicial Branch
Federal judges have pushed back against the administration in several instances. For example, federal district courts between May 1 and June 23 ruled against the Trump administration in over 90% of cases. This pushback has come from a bipartisan coalition of judges. These rulings have led to research funding being restored to institutions, blocking Trump’s attempts to remove DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs from schools and universities, forcing the administration to reverse course on terminating student visas, and more. It’s true that the judiciary is at war with itself. The six conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court have given Trump an assist 90% of the time. But the tug-of-war has seemed to slow down the administration’s more extreme policies.
People Keep Choosing Democracy at the Polls
When people have shown up to the polls this year, things have not gone well for the GOP, leading to shocking overperformance by the Democrats. For example: In Iowa, a Democrat flipped a state senate seat in a district that Trump won by 11%. There have been Democratic overperformances in special elections, and the elections on November 5 were abysmal for the GOP and anyone tied to them. These votes are statements, but not in support of Democrats. People hate them. But voters, according to polling, dislike the GOP much more, meaning these votes are a repudiation of Trump and the GOP broadly.
Grand Juries Have Acted as a Check on the DOJ
As the Trump administration has tried to make examples out of political enemies, including the guy that threw a sandwich at a federal officer, grand juries have returned several of what’s called “no true bills.” Meaning, they’ve been refusing to indict defendants that the DOJ have brought before them. Grand juries refusing to indict someone is rare, and in just one instance, where the DOJ brought charges against a woman for interfering with ICE operations, the indictment was twice rejected. In just a short time, the DOJ under Pam Bondi has broken the record for the most no true bills. This has made it hard for the administration to weaponize the courts against the public.
We Have One Another’s Backs
The most important reason to be hesitantly optimistic? People have risen to the occasion and shown up in huge numbers to demonstrate we aren’t on board with this administration. The second No Kings rally in October was the largest single day protest in history. Mutual aid groups have sprung up to fill gaps, and across the nation, you have people running ICE out of their neighborhoods. In one instance, in the U.S. border czar’s hometown of Sackets Harbor, New York, ICE kidnapped three children and the town succeeded in pressuring the government to give them back. Things are bad, but as long as people continue to resist, we may survive these next three years (hopefully not more). We just need to do it together. —Danny Cherry Jr.
Illustrations by Anneliese DePano
