It’s Fat Tuesday, and a report by WalletHub finds more and more people are letting the good times roll in Louisiana. Analyst Jill Gonzales says Mardi Gras is growing every year as people actually save up to visit the Big Easy for the Carnival season…:
Cut 13 (10) “higher numbers”
She says Mardi Gras has an economic impact of $465 million for New Orleans alone.

But parades and celebrations that are centuries old take place throughout the state. New Roads native Brian Cosetllo recently wrote a new book called “Carnival in Louisiana: Celebrating Mardi Gras from the French Quarter to the Red River.” He says everyone is familiar with the large Krewe parades in cities like Lafayette and New Orleans, but small towns also get in on the fun…:
Cut 4 (11) “community participation”

Forecasters say that this Mardi Gras in southeast Louisiana could be the warmest in more than 70 years, with highs expected to reach the low to mid 80s.

It looks like there’s no shortage of crawfish for today’s Fat Tuesday celebrations and the upcoming Lenten season. Jeff Palermo has more:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Jeff Palermo”