| BY BOB WARREN | Staff writer |
Travel battle: If New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell won't repay the city for the extra money she spent on first-class and business-class airplane tickets, the City Council might try to get the money another way. Cantrell has defended her expensive air travel, despite a city policy restricting employees to the cheapest airfare. Today, City Council members JP Morrell and Helena Moreno said the council might try to dock her pay next year to cover the difference. Stay tuned on this one, folks. Shopping powerhouse: Among the region’s shopping malls, Lakeside Shopping Center sure is an outlier. As malls in other places hemorrhage tenants and sit empty, the Metairie shopping hub has managed to keep churning with an impressive occupancy rate, business reporter Stephanie Riegel writes. Some new additions are on the way. For more business coverage, please sign up for our NOLA Business Insider newsletter. Bayou mishap: Some eyebrows were raised this morning as Bayou St. John overtopped it banks and began to flood some yards. After all, it’s not like we’ve had flooding rains overnight. Tristan Baurick caught up with the Flood Control Authority-East to see what happened. Tropical weather watch: The hurricane watchers are telling us to keep an eye on a weather system that's moving toward the Caribbean. It's nothing to be alarmed about at this stage -- just bears watching. Fall might arrive tomorrow (with more 90-degree days) but we're still in hurricane season, friends. Thanks for reading Lunch Line today – and remember, you can keep up all day long at NOLA.com. Bob | 