| By Drew Broach | Deputy metro editor
SHOCK THERAPY: Entergy New Orleans said Friday it is applying for a $40 million rate increase that could lead to higher electricity and gas bills come September. If approved, it would mean another $7.62 monthly for the typical residential electricity customer and $2.02 for gas. That’s on top of the $10 increase that the City Council approved last year, and comes at a time when Entergy is pushing for a roughly $4 a month surcharge to cover the cost of past and future storms and could apply for a separate surcharge to cover the cost of repairing damage from Hurricane Ida.
DURABLE DISEASE: A growing body of research shows that "long COVID" - the constellation of symptoms encompassing headaches, fatigue, brain fog, loss of taste or smell, dizziness, shortness of breath and muscle pain - is causing long-lasting changes in the brain. In Louisiana, where many have been infected with the coronavirus, the toll is likely to be significant.
SAY WHAT? Louisiana’s own Laine Hardy, winner of the 2019 “American Idol” television talent search, was arrested Friday on a charge of bugging his ex-girlfriend’s LSU dormitory room to capture "very candid" conversations. Police said Hardy admitted secreting an audio recorder in the room, and that he eavesdropped over a period of months.
AISLE APPEAL: At Jazz Fest, you’re bound to hear some great music, eat delicious food and meet some fascinating characters. Take, for example, the artist-exhibitor Mitch Long, who of late has turned from rendering the French Quarter to reimagining the interior of a Costco store, “like Degas in Walmart.”
SAY HIS NAME: In the fourth quarter of a postseason elimination game, the New Orleans Pelicans played an undrafted rookie at point guard while the Phoenix Suns rode with one of the greatest floor generals of all time. Chris Paul led the Suns to victory, but Jose Alvarado made him work for it. “At the end of the day, he’s going to be in the Hall of Fame,” Alvarado said, “but he knows my name now, too.”
Welcome to the weekend. Check out NOLA.com for more news throughout the day. D.B. | 
