 | BY BOB WARREN | Staff writer |
Happy Friday, friends. Lots on tap today: City Hall blame game, festivals galore and some Saints and Pels news. Oh, and if you haven't read Sam Karlin's series on coastal Louisiana's insurance crisis, you should. It's eye-opening. And be sure to check out the full slate news, features and sports at NOLA.com
Blame game: The fallout from a recent indictment shaking City Hall continued Thursday, with officials in Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration trading barbs with a former city permit director. Ben Myers has all the details. (Read about the indictment here.)
Fried chicken, great tunes: Two of the region’s larger festivals hit this weekend, part of a huge “things-to-do” schedule. - On the West Bank, the annual Gretna Heritage will be dialing up the music today, Saturday and Sunday. The acts are varied: Kermit Ruffins, Sonny Landreth, Morris Day and the Time, Foghat. Rock on!
- On the lakefront in New Orleans, meanwhile, the National Fried Chicken Festival returns Saturday and Sunday. Ian McNulty has the lowdown on all the fried bird. Eat up!
And you can find even more festivals and things to do here, courtesy of Victor Andrews and his weekend planner.
A once mighty oak: The massive live oak that collapsed in Audubon Park this week is estimated to have been around two centuries old. The process to remove the tree will take a few days, Josie Abugov reports.
After further review: Four games into the season, how do you like what you’ve seen from the Saints? Columnist Jeff Duncan offers his evaluation.
Pels on the air: The Pelicans open the NBA season later this month and will have their games televised on the new Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network. Christian Clark tells us more about the network and team’s plans.
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 | 
