| By DREW BROACH | Deputy metro editor |
RISING: Most public schools in the New Orleans area showed slight improvements on their spring LEAP tests, after plunging earlier in the 2½-year coronavirus pandemic, according to new scores released Wednesday. But even with the small gains, this year’s scores illustrate the long road that school systems from New Orleans to St. Tammany to St. John the Baptist Parish face to make up for pandemic-related learning losses. FALLING: The good news about the Gulf of Mexico dead zone this summer is that it measures only 3,275 square miles, less than half its size last year. The bad news? Well, there are two bits. (For more environment news, sign up for The Catch Basin, our free weekly newsletter.) FUMING: About 100 people packed a public meeting in New Orleans on Wednesday night to express their frustrations over skyrocketing home insurance rates and lob questions at Louisiana’s top official tasked with regulating an industry that is overwhelmed with claims after two years of major storms.(Want more business news? Subscribe to the NOLA Business Insider, our free newsletter, emailed every weekday morning.) Thanks for starting your day with Morning Headlines. You can catch the latest news all day on NOLA.com. D.B. | 