By Bob Warren
Today in COVID: Look for another busy day of COVID coverage. Gov. John Bel Edwards has a 2:30 press conference. Mask mandate on the way? Don't be shocked. Check back with NOLA.com for continuing coverage. More COVID in the news today: - A lawsuit has been filed to block Edwards from cutting off the $300/week federal unemployment boost.
- Some New Orleans restaurants will require proof of vaccination.
- And while Louisiana continues to be a leader in the spread of the virus, Mark Ballard of our Capitol Bureau doesn't know if the political will is there for it to be a leader in vaccine mandates. Columnists Will Sutton and James Gill weigh in.
The bullets were flying: If this weekend’s crime news left your head spinning you’re not alone. One boy was killed and eight other people were injured in shootings on the edge of the CBD and on Bourbon Street early Sunday. New Orleans police will hold forth on those crimes this afternoon. Check back with NOLA.com for coverage. Those shootings came several hours after shooting spree on the elevated I-10 over the Bonnet Carre Spillway that can only be described as bizarre. An hourslong traffic jam erupted in chaos when a man – fresh from his own wedding and apparently thinking his new wife had been stepping out on him -- began firing a gun amid the vehicles. Really. Jessica Williams has this wild story.
Waterfront property 1: A little sliver of land with quite a history will be on the receiving end of millions of dollars in restoration work. West Grand Terre Island was once home to Jean Lafitte (the pirate, not the town) and later a military fort. It’s also among a chain of barrier islands that provide our first line of defense against hurricanes, Halle Parker reports.
Waterfront property 2: Speaking of waterfront property with a little history (sweet segue, eh?), there’s some big plans for a plot of Mandeville land that once was earmarked for fried chicken magnate Al Copeland Sr.’s family compound. The LSU Health Foundation wants to put a $125 retirement community there. Sara Pagones has a deeper look at the proposal.
Some sports today: A Saints defensive end talks about his "horse legs." And it's free agency and the Pelicans have a lot of questions they need to answer. All this and much more in today’s Lunch Line. Thanks for taking a break with us. BW | 
