The Advocate's Top Headlines

with Matthew Albright | Assistant metro editor

Hello! There's a bunch of big stories in the works today. Here's what we have so far.

Yes, it's raining harder

Have you recently thought to yourself, "Is it just me, or is it raining harder these days?" If so, no, it's not just you.

These LSU researchers crunched the numbers and found that thunderstorms in South Louisiana are indeed getting shorter but fiercer. That's bad news when it comes to flood prevention.

This story explains it all. 

COVID is unrelenting

Our Lady of the Lake hospital is so slammed with COVID cases that a federal disaster response team has come in to help increase the number of ICU beds. 

The delta variant has caused infections to soar, and it's just a few weeks from the start of school. Some school districts say they're going to rely on frequent testing to keep kids and staff safe, but others have not signed onto that plan yet. 

On Wednesday, we're hosting a town hall with Gov. John Bel Edwards to talk about the surge in COVID cases. What would you ask him? We're taking reader questions here. 

What's next? 

Here are some of the stories we're pursuing today; check back later to see what emerges:

• Gov. Edwards has a press conference at 2:30 p.m. to talk COVID. It's possible he may announce the return of some new rules, like a mask mandate. You can follow it live here. 
• We're trying to find out more about the shocking rampage across South Baton Rouge on Sunday that left one dead and four wounded. 

Thanks for reading, and have a great afternoon.