New Orleans houses turn into Mardi Gras floats

House floats are giving out-of-work artists big projects to work on, and lifting spirits in the Big Easy.

• Feb 15, 2021

The Dish: Inside the Commander’s Palace

Along with jazz, the French Quarter and Mardi Gras, amazing food has always been a hallmark of New Orleans. It’s found in both local cafes and in famed restaurants known the world over. At one of the most renowned — Commander’s Palace — there’s someone new in charge of the kitchen. Jamie Wax speaks with Chef Meg Bickford, the first woman executive chef in the restaurant’s long history, about caring on a tradition while making a mark of her own.

• Jan 30, 2021
• 6:54

New Orleans announces new restrictions for Mardi Gras

The restrictions will last from February 12 to February 16.

• Feb 5, 2021

New Orleans houses become Mardi Gras floats

Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans have been canceled for this year – but that's not stopping residents from celebrating in a big way. Thousands of houses have been transformed into floats.

• Jan 29, 2021
• 1:09

"The Whole Gritty City" has some unusual cinematographers. Filmmakers Richard Barber and Andre Lambertson gave digital cameras to some of their young subjects and the result is an intimate look at a dangerous world from a child's point of view.

"The Whole Gritty City" filmmakers gave digital cameras to some of their young subjects. The result is an intimate look at a dangerous world from a child's point of view. One boy narrates his walk to school, "This is the street I don't like, 'cause it has guns." For more: "48 Hours Presents: the Whole Gritty City"

• Feb 6, 2014
• 1:40

"The Whole Gritty City", airing Saturday, Feb. 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, follows three New Orleans marching bands. The bands' directors do more than prepare students to march in Mardi Gras parades

"The Whole Gritty City", airing Saturday, Feb. 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, follows three New Orleans marching bands. The bands' directors do more than prepare students to march in Mardi Gras parades: they battle for their lives and souls against the lures and dangers of the streets.

• Feb 6, 2014
• 1:51

New Orleans P.D. Officer Shelita Haynes responds to shootings nearly every night. Many of the victims are around the same age as her teenage sons. But Haynes finds comfort knowing her sons are in the L.E. Rabouin H.S. Marching Band.

Officer Shelita Haynes with the New Orleans P.D. Crime Scene Unit responds to shootings nearly every night. Many of the victims are around the same age as her teenage sons, Jerome and Jamal. But Officer Haynes finds comfort knowing her sons are in the L.E. Rabouin High School Marching Band. Within the walls of the band room there is safety from the streets. More: "48 Hours Presents: the Whole Gritty City"

• Feb 6, 2014
• 1:52

Go behind the scenes as the L.E. Rabouin H.S. Marching Band rehearses before a parade. Director Lonzie Jackson demands excellence from the band, flag team and cheerleaders.

Go behind the scenes as the L.E. Rabouin High School Marching Band rehearses before a Mardi Gras parade. Director Lonzie Jackson demands excellence from the band, flag team and cheerleaders. For more: "48 Hours Presents: the Whole Gritty City"

• Feb 6, 2014
• 1:48

Four months before The Roots of Music Marching Band started it's very first Mardi Gras parade season, students didn't even have all their instruments. But that didn't stop band founder Derrick Tabb from teaching his young musicians how to play drums.

Four months before The Roots of Music Marching Band started it's very first Mardi Gras parade season, students didn't even have all their instruments. But that didn't stop band founder Derrick Tabb from teaching his young musicians how to play drums. For more: "48 Hours Presents: the Whole Gritty City"

• Feb 6, 2014
• 1:36

Family is oldest creator of Mardi Gras floats

Mardi Gras floats have long been part of the big day’s Pre-Lenten celebration. One family has been building them for four generations. Jamie Wax reports.

• Feb 22, 2020
• 6:07

2nd person killed by Mardi Gras float

New Orleans has banned all tandem floats after another deadly Mardi Gras accident. Both people were killed after being trapped between the linked floats.

• Feb 23, 2020
• 0:14

Mardi Gras Indians give special performance

A New Orleans woman has photographed and documented the stories of the Mardi Gras Indians for years. But she was diagnosed with brain cancer in Spring 2019 and hasn't been able to cover their work.

• Feb 27, 2020
• 0:34

Racial disparities of COVID-19 in New Orleans

Shortly after the iconic Zulu Club showcased their annual Mardi Gras celebration, dozens of members fell ill with the coronavirus. New York Times Magazine contributor Linda Villarosa joins CBSN to explain why the death of Cornell Charles highlights the racial disparities of coronavirus in New Orleans and across the U.S.

• May 11, 2020
• 12:20

Rats swarm New Orleans' streets as coronavirus precautions leave them empty

With restaurants closed save for take-out service, far less food waste is being discarded in the city's alleyways, driving the local rodent population out into the open to search for scraps.

• Mar 29, 2020

New Orleans could run out of ventilators in early April, governor warns

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said that a 17-year-old is now among the dead.

• Mar 26, 2020

Mardi Gras Indians sing to woman battling brain cancer

"I can't walk with them this year so this was the biggest treat, the biggest treat," New Orleans resident Wendy Good said.

• Feb 27, 2020

Man hit and killed by float in New Orleans Mardi Gras parade

Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Saturday night that tandem floats, multiple floats connected together and pulled by a tractor, would be banned.

• Feb 23, 2020

One family has built Mardi Gras floats for four generations

The Kern family holds a key role in innovating and preserving Mardi Gras parade traditions.

• Feb 22, 2020

2 dead after driver plows into crowd

Police suspect the driver, Tashonty Toney, 32, was impaired when he killed two people and injured seven others Saturday in New Orleans. Most of the victims were riding bikes on a busy thoroughfare as large crowds gathered in the city for Mardi Gras.

• Mar 3, 2019
• 0:24

Police: Driver in New Orleans crash that killed 2 was likely impaired

Tashonty Toney, 32, was arrested at the scene of the crash where people had been gathering for Mardi Gras

• Mar 3, 2019

Calendar: Week of March 4

From a Monkee's birthday to the 60th anniversary of Barbie, "Sunday Morning" takes a look at some notable events of the week ahead

• Mar 3, 2019

3 shot dead, 5 wounded amid Mardi Gras celebrations

Police are seeking multiple suspects in three separate shootings that broke out during Tuesday's Mardi Gras festivities

• Feb 14, 2018

Mardi Gras parade-goers disturbed by blackface figurines

"I thought maybe they were salt shakers or something like that. ... But the more I thought about it, the more upset I became about it."

• Feb 13, 2018

Calendar: Week of February 12

From Fat Tuesday to Random Acts of Kindness Day, "Sunday Morning" takes a look at some notable events of the week ahead

• Feb 11, 2018

Car drives into marching band at Mardi Gras parade in Alabama

12 high school and middle school students injured, several critically, when elderly man's car hits marching band in Gulf Shores, Ala.

• Feb 28, 2017

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