The Advocate's Top Headlines

with Jennifer Wadsworth | Assistant metro editor

Good morning and welcome back. Here's what we've been reporting on …

'I took a risk'

At a time when police misconduct makes frequent headlines, here's a story about a young officer who — in a decisive moment with life-or-death stakes — made the right call. 

"You have to think so fast, and you can make the wrong decision," BRPD Officer Antonio Williams told our reporter Lea Skene. "Let's face it — this is a risky job. I took a risk."

Grief delayed

Scores of families who had to forgo funerals because of the pandemic's restrictions on crowd size found some closure Saturday at a memorial Mass hosted by St. John the Baptist Parish in Zachary

Father Jeffery Bayhi, who led the hour-long service, read the names of 68 people being memorialized. "Our grief process has been interrupted," he told mourners. "When we lose a loved one, what we’re used to is having people come by, tell stories, cry with us. It doesn’t change anything, but it helps us a great deal."

Elyse Carmosino was there to cover the service, which you can read about here.

'We need to stop this beast'

COVID-sick patients have been pushing Baton Rouge hospitals to the limit, filling up ICUs and forcing doctors to suspend routine procedures. Our reporter Blake Paterson visited Baton Rouge General, where coronavirus-infected wards linked to oxygen machines expressed regret about not getting inoculated when they had the chance. 

"I tell everyone now and I ain’t going to quit saying it: go get your shot," one of them told our reporter Blake Paterson. "We need to stop this beast."

That story's here.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the rest of the day!