ALL RIGHT. FIRST AT FIVE, CARNIVAL CREWS WILL BE ABLE TO RETURN TO THEIR TRADITIONAL LONGER PARADE ROUTES THIS YEAR. THE MAYOR JUST MAKING THAT ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY WHEN SHE SPOKE, TALKED TO MARDI GRAS. SAFETY AND SECURITY. AND WITH JUST 26 DAYS UNTIL FAT TUESDAY AND THE CARNIVAL SEASON ABOUT TO KICK INTO HIGH GEAR, THIS IS REALLY EXCITING NEWS FOR SO MANY CREWS. WDSU REPORTER ELIZABETH CUBA LIVE ON THE PARADE ROUTE, SAINT CHARLES AVENUE WITH WHAT LED TO THIS DECISION AND HOW CREWS ARE REACTING TO THIS BIG NEWS. ELIZABETH. EXACTLY RIGHT. YEAH. MAYBE THIS IS WHERE YOU OR YOUR FAMILY WATCH SOME OF THOSE PARADES. BUT FOR EXCITED CARNIVAL CRUISE FOR THEM THIS DECISION AT ONE TIME SEEMED UNCERTAIN. MARDI GRAS, 2023 CREWS WILL RETURN TO THEIR TRADITIONAL ROUTES IN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. SO WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. THE MAYOR ANNOUNCING AT A WEDNESDAY BRIEFING THAT CARNIVAL CRUISE WILL PARADE ON THEIR TRADITIONAL ROUTES. REMEMBER, AT THE START OF THE SEASON, THE CITY CHARGED CREWS WITH SECURING ADDITIONAL MANPOWER TO ROLL ON THE EXTEND IT ORIGINAL ROUTES DUE TO AN ONGOING OFFICER SHORTAGE. BASED ON THE WORK THAT HAS GONE FORWARD, BASED ON THE RESPONSES THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED IN TERMS OF COMMITMENTS WORKING IN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND DEPLOYMENT STRATEGIES THAT HAVE BEEN WORKED OUT. OUT OF THAT, WE WILL BE IN A POSITION FOR OUR CREWS TO RETURN TO THEIR TRADITIONAL ROUTES IN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. IT IS GREAT NEWS FOR THE CREWS GETTING READY TO ROLL, NOT JUST FOR THEMSELVES, BUT FOR THE BUSINESSES ALONG THE ROUTE AND FOR ALL OF YOU WHO’VE MADE WATCHING YOUR TRADITION. WE WORKED SO HARD FOR THIS DAY, AND I KNOW THAT THE BUSINESSES WORK HARD AND THEY LOOK FORWARD TO IT. AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE THEIR FAVORITE BUSINESSES THAT THEY LIKE TO GO TO FOR THE PARTICULAR PARADES AND PERHAPS BY THE CRUISE BEING SHORTENED. THAT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE PUT A DAMPER ON THOSE EVENTS. IT’S AN EXCITING LOOK. WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME AND MONEY, YOU KNOW, PUTTING THIS SHOW TOGETHER AND WE WANT TO BE OUT THERE AS LONG AS WE CAN. AND IT’S ALSO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE SPOTS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, THEY’RE PART OF PEOPLE’S FAMILY. THEY’RE PART OF TRADITION. YOU KNOW, THEY WATCH THESE PARADES FOR GENERATIONS IN THE SAME SPOT. AND SO IT MATTERS TO PEOPLE. IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT. AND YOU KNOW, WE’RE JUST HAPPY THAT IT’S BACK AND WE CAN PUT THIS ALL BEHIND US. AND THE MAYOR SAID THERE WILL BE AN EVEN BIGGER, MORE ELABORATE ANNOUNCEMENT SOMETIME SOON. REPORTING LIVE ON SAINT CHARLES, I’M ELIZABETH CUEBALL, WDSU NEWS. ELIZABETH, THANK YOU.