By Drew Broach | Deputy metro editor
REJECTED: The typically Byzantine business of a local government agency that weighs whether to allow modifications to New Orleans' historically significant buildings took a celebrity turn this week when the mother of Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson sought permission to add a third floor to her Garden District mansion. Ultimately, however, the Historic District Landmarks Commission swatted away her request to put a home theater and workout space atop the 160-year-old house she bought last year.
CHAMPION: A Scripps National Spelling Bee contestant made history Thursday night: Zaila Avant-garde, from Harvey, became the first Black American and Louisiana champion with the winning word, "murraya."
CLASSIC: Bud's Broiler, home of the back-to-the-basics classic hamburger, is back in New Orleans. A new Bud's store opened Thursday at 5101 Canal Blvd., just blocks from where the oldest and most familiar Bud's sat for generations.
FLASHBACK: A startling new surge in COVID-19 cases in Louisiana suggests the delta variant is established in the state and that the previously beaten-back corornavirus is once again on the rise. But in a related/unrelated development, the New Orleans public school system says it plans to roll back pandemic restrictions, including those on classroom capacity, indoor dining and face masks.
All this and much more are in today’s Front Page and on NOLA.com. Thanks for starting your day with us. D.B. | 
