The Advocate's Top Headlines

with Matthew Albright | Assistant metro editor

Good morning! He's a hand-picked selection of some of our most interesting stories over the weekend:

Going medieval on insurance companies?

How mad at insurance companies are some people in Louisiana? One candidate for state senate proposed boiling them in peanut oil (with some nice Cajun seasoning).

Two awful hurricane seasons in a row have left thousands of people filing claims. And many say the companies are slow-walking them or trying to pressure them to take less money than they deserve.

This story explains how that bubbling anger could lead lawmakers to drop the hammer — and also how it might not be as simple as just handing out punishments.

Where deadly overdoses happen in Baton Rouge

This year, Baton Rouge broke the record for fatal drug overdoses with months still left on the calendar. To try and tackle the problem, the district attorney's office started mapping where the deaths have been happening.

Some of the "hotspots" aren't shocking, like gas stations and motels. But one alarming trend the DA's office found: An unsettling number of deaths were happening at treatment centers, halfway houses and other places that are supposed to be helping get people out of addiction.

This story contains maps and stories that help explain what's going on.

Tigers were thiiiiiiiiis close

With seemingly half the team injured and Coach Ed Orgeron on his way out the door, everybody thought LSU would crumple under the Alabama football juggernaut. But the undermanned Tigers — particularly the defense — played their hearts out and came just a play or two from an unimaginable upset.

Our columnist writes about what the almost-earthquake means for LSU in its time of transition.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!