Baton Rouge braces for heavy rains, high winds

with Jennifer Wadsworth | Assistant metro editor

Good afternoon! Here's a look at some of our top headlines today. 

Storms approach

South Louisiana is bracing for severe weather as a cold front potentially bring heavy rains, dangerously high winds and strong tornadoes to the region. Click here to see where forecasters expect the inclement weather to hit hardest, and check out this post for the latest list of storm-related closures. 

$1.3B windfall

Louisiana is getting a surprise windfall in federal hurricane relief dollars, as Mike Smith reports, with the major infusion of funds for long-term recovery expected to total nearly $1.3 billion.

More teens dying from gun violence in BR

As a two-year stretch of rampant gun violence in Louisiana’s capital persists into 2022, the city’s youth have been acutely affected, with 10 people younger than 20 killed since January — compared to three by this point last year, according to data maintained by The Advocate. James Finn spoke to a bereaved mother about her own loss and how it reflects a broader trend, which prosecutors and law enforcement attribute to years of faltering social services and mental health care. Here's the story.

Thanks for reading. Stay safe, stay dry and check theadvocate.com for updates throughout the day.