A once-powerful sheriff goes to jail. And assessing the Saints at mid-season

The Lunch Line: A once-powerful sheriff goes to jail. And assessing the Saints at mid-season

By Bob Warren

Jack Strain in jail: Moments after he was convicted of a series of shocking sex crimes against boys Monday night, former St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain took off his necktie, said goodbye to his family and was escorted by deputies to the St. Tammany jail. But he spent little time in place he ran for two decades as sheriff. Marie Fazio reports this morning Strain was moved to another institution for his own safety and to avoid any appearance of special treatment.

Here’s the scene from the courtroom Monday night. And here’s Sara Pagones’ deep backgrounder on how we got to this point.

Deputy injured: We're tracking a story about a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputy being injured in some type of altercation this morning on the West Bank. Details are still emerging so please check back with NOLA.com for more as this story develops.

Can Grand Isle recover? Grand Isle took the worst Hurricane Ida had to offer. The tiny barrier island endured an hours-long pounding that left it in absolute tatters. More than two months later, the island’s full-time residents are slowly returning, Halle Parker reports.

Streaking: Did you catch a glimpse of the SpaceX capsule streaking across the nighttime sky? Check out this story, which has some video of how it looked as it sped over New Orleans on its way to splashdown near Pensacola.

Saints at halftime: Finally, we're at about the halfway point of the Saints season. Whatcha think? Happy? Satisfied? Our Saints coverage team huddled recently and went over some of the highs and lows after the first eight games of the season.

Hope you enjoyed the Lunch Line. Thanks for taking a break with us today.