| By DREW BROACH | Deputy metro editor |
WATER BILLS UP? The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board is considering asking for rate increases in the next two months, a proposal that is likely to stir controversy amid the utility’s notoriously unreliable billing practices and could widen the political gulf between Mayor LaToya Cantrell and City Council members. The City Council last approved rate increases in 2012, with annual 10% increases through 2020. HOMELESS COUNT DOWN: Despite a perception of a spike in people living on the streets of New Orleans, the number is down 34% since 2020, officials said Wednesday. But City Council members report an increasing number of complaints about homeless camps, and some worry that as shelters fill up and property insurance premiums rise, more people will be looking to live on public rights of way. GAMER STUDIO: West Coast gaming guru Jeff Strain, who set up shop in New Orleans last year with plans to bring dozens of high-paying jobs, has opened a second studio under parent company Prytania Media with $25 million backing from a venture capital fund. But he has scaled back plans that originally called for hiring 75 people locally. Here’s why. (Get more business stories by subscribing to our free NOLA Business Insider newsletter, emailed weekday mornings.) Thanks for starting your Thursday with Morning Headlines. Catch the latest news all day on NOLA.com. D.B. | 