| BY BOB WARREN | Staff writer |
It's Thursday, friends. We're almost there. Today's menu: The insurance crisis, City Park and the life of a well-known artist. And be sure to check out the full slate news, features and sports at NOLA.com Coastal investigation: Across coastal Louisiana, small communities face a new peril. It’s not the hurricanes that will run everyone off, some residents say, it’s the cost of insurance. Reporter Sam Karlin and photographer Chris Granger take a deep dive into the crisis in a new series out today. Walk in the park: What would you like to see at City Park in New Orleans? Six months after putting their initial effort on hold due to complaints, park officials have restarted the process of creating a 20-year masterplan for the huge park, Stephanie Riegel reports. Questions, questions: A growing corruption investigation has cast new questions about the state’s effort to clean up the thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells across Louisiana. State politics writer Meghan Friedmann has the details. And in case you missed it, the investigation apparently is looking into a state official who got $780,000 and jobs for his kids, Patrick Sloan-Turner reports. An artist and his dog: Louisiana artist George Rodrigue and his Blue Dog get the documentary treatment in a new film set to debut at the upcoming New Orleans Film Festival. But “Blue: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue” takes a deep look at the artist’s life, even before the Blue Dog brought him new fame, Leslie Carde writes. Did you get this newsletter forwarded from someone else? Sign up here. And if you're interested in becoming a NOLA.com subscriber, here's a sensational offer. Be awesome today, Bob | 