As Mardi Gras crowds gather, New Orleans is grappling with a budget crisis fueled by pandemic aid running out, ballooning costs and decisions that pushed the city closer to junk status. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-15/mardi-gras-meets-austerity-as-new-orleans-confronts-deep-budget-shortfall?taid=6991d8e7c242da00013a0176&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter