The Advocate's Top Headlines

with Jennifer Wadsworth | Assistant metro editor

Good afternoon. Here's a look at our latest headlines. 

No zones about it

Livingston Parish's lack of zoning laws have made for some strange neighbors over the years. A shooting range eyed a lot near people's backyards. A mining project popped up behind a residential subdivision. A paintball course brought unruly crowds to an otherwise quiet neighborhood. 

"Technically, anybody could build a dynamite factory next to a residential area as long as they meet the ordinance," a planning commissioner said back in 2019.

It looks like that might finally change.

In this story, reporter James Finn writes about new proposal being bandied about by the council, the concerns that inspired it and how it stands to reshape the parish.

Zion City double shooting

A shooting in the north Baton Rouge neighborhood of Zion City left a 26-year-old man dead and another wounded late Monday, BRPD says. Here's what we know so far about the killing, which marks the 101st homicide in East Baton Rouge Parish this year. 

Third dose for some

The CDC's now recommending a third COVID vaccine for medically fragile people, at least those who got the Pfizer or Moderna regimen. Reporter Missy Wilkinson has the details. 

Pollution oversight 

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter is calling for independent oversight of industrial emissions in the Mississippi River corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. As part of his pitch to the Biden Administration, the 2nd Congressional District rep is also asking for federal funding to study the cumulative impact of that pollution on public health — and particularly on the impact borne by communities of color. 

Reporter David Mitchell writes about Carter's proposal, which he outlined in a letter to President Biden arguing that a thriving economy and healthy environment don't have to be mutually exclusive.

"It is a core belief of mine," Carter wrote, "that no one should die for a job and that there are solutions that can provide a clean environment alongside industry."

Balancing act 

To say Jeremy Langlois has his hands full as the executive chef for all three restaurants at Houmas House is a bit of an understatement. But he wouldn't have it any other way. "I love creating," he told us. "I love how I can have an idea for a new dish, make it that day, and serve it and get reactions from guests."

Read what else the chef has to say here.

Thanks for reading, and have a great rest of the day.