| Good Morning, Kindergarten-through-12th grade public schools are starting classes across the state. Colleges and universities begin in two weeks, for the most part. All this activity is taking place as Louisiana lingers at the top of the nation’s list for the most COVID infections. Over the past two weeks, about 1% of Louisiana’s entire population – or 46,410 people – have become infected with COVID-19. Overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, 50 hospitals have asked the state for help with staffing shortages, warning that they can no longer provide adequate care for patients. Louisiana continues to lead the nation in its rate of new infections, with thousands of new cases reported daily. Florida, whose Republican governor refuses to reinstate a mask mandate or push vaccinations, is poised the displace Louisiana for the number one spot either today or tomorrow, according to the federal government projections. Classes, for the most part, will be in person. Louisiana students did poorly in accountability testing last year when classes were held remotely. Schools are going to be requiring all students to wear masks this year upon their return. But there will be no mandated vaccinations for students – at least not until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration upgrades its emergency authorization of the COVID vaccines to full authorization. Though not actually stated in Louisiana law, the legal consensus, at least among government lawyers, is that once fully authorized by the FDA, the Louisiana Department of Health can add the COVID medicine to the list of vaccines that students are required to have to enroll in school. Those official blessings should provide cover enough from the threat of lawsuits by those who are against requiring vaccinations. Most East Baton Rouge Parish public schools open for students Wednesday and Thursday for Lafayette Parish's K-12 students. Orleans Parish public and charter schools started reopening last week and will continue through this week. Undergraduates LSU, the University of New Orleans and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette are set to return to class on Aug. 23rd. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate Tuesday morning approved legislation that provides $1.2 trillion to upgrade roads, bridges, and other infrastructure around the nation. Though former President Donald Trump opposed the package for political reasons, Louisiana’s senior U.S. Senator, Baton Rouge’s Bill Cassidy, was among the few Republican renegades to join the handful of Democratic senators that muscled through the legislation. U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by a vote of 69-30 on Tuesday morning. As always, check throughout the day for the latest Louisiana political news at theadvocate.com/politics or NOLA.com/politics and on Twitter at @MarkBallardCNB, @tegbridges, @samkarlin, @blakepater, @WillSentell. Here are a dozen articles, commentaries and editorials that will catch you up for the week to come. One last item: Thank you to our subscribers. Your support means a great deal to us. If you're not yet a subscriber, we’ve got a special offer you can check out here. – Mark Ballard | 
