The Advocate's Top Headlines

with Matthew Albright | Assistant metro editor

Good afternoon! Let's get you caught up on the biggest news happening in and around Baton Rouge. 

How COVID revealed hearing loss

COVID has forced us to wear masks a lot, and that's had one unexpected result: It's driven a bunch of people to the audiologist.

It turns out these people unconsciously relied on reading lips. Now that mouths are concealed and they have to rely on their ears, they're realizing they're deafer than they thought.

This story includes stories of some of these people and explanations from experts on what happened.

When should insurance cover evacuations?

If a person evacuates because of a hurricane and their house is still livable, insurance companies generally aren't required to help pay the expense of that evacuation — unless local leaders issue a mandatory evacuation. But, after Hurricane Ida, Louisiana's insurance commissioner is requiring insurance companies to pay up even for some places where no such order was issued.

This story explains what's going on. 

Tigers vow to get better

When LSU's football team lost to UCLA on Saturday, many fans felt the same demoralized vibes of last year's disappointing season. But LSU players say they're responding differently this year.

This column by Scott Rabalais includes both a brutally honest look at how bad things went in California and quotes from players about why they still think this season is going to be different.  

Thanks for reading, and have a great evening!