| By Chad Calder
RURAL WAVE: The first three waves of the coronavirus pandemic hit Louisiana's urban areas the hardest. The fourth, which was led by the highly contagious delta variant, hit rural parishes. Nearly two-thirds of the deaths in this wave have been in parishes with fewer than 200,000 residents, and three-quarters of the deaths were among the unvaccinated.
SAINTS WIN: The weather was ugly and the game wasn't pretty. But big games from Alvin Kamara and Demario Davis, along with no turnovers by Jameis Winston and clutch kicking by Brian Johnson in his NFL dubut all added up to a 13-10 win over the Seahawks in Seattle. You'll find all our coverage of the game here.
STRAIN ON TRIAL: Jury selection is underway in the highest-profile criminal trial on the north shore in decades, with former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain accused of sex crimes against underage boys, including four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated incest and one count each of indecent behavior with juveniles and sexual battery. If convicted, Strain faces life in prison.
In other news, we've got the latest on the shooting of a suspected burglar by a homeowner on Paris Avenue; new life for the former One Eyed Jacks club in the French Quarter and a new emergency room for children opening in Metairie. Thanks for starting your day with us today. CC | 
