| BY BOB WARREN | Staff writer |
Essence COVID policy: An errant tweet sparked some confusion this morning about the Essence Festival's COVID vaccination policy. Keith Spera has the lowdown. Speaking of Essence, a lot of people are very happy the festival is back in New Orleans after a two-year break due to the pandemic. Zion's contract: Looks like some really big news could be coming from the Pelicans soon. Reports are floating around that Zion Williamson is close to signing a huge contract extension with the team. See how much and how long here. (Meanwhile, this story about Pels rookie Dyson Daniels is still getting lots of attention.) For all the latest Pelicans coverage, please sign up for our Pelicans Insider newsletter. Statewide slump: If it seems like the state’s economy is in a slump, well, that’s because it is in a slump. Some new data out shows the Pelican State’s economy has shrunk big time in 2022. “ . . . Hard to imagine a report that’s worse right now,” one economist says. For more business coverage, please sign up for our NOLA Business Insider newsletter. Sixth wave: Nobody wants to hear this, but COVID cases are climbing again. A sixth wave? Looks like it, some medical folks say. But there are few differences this time around, they say. For health care news, sign up for The Louisiana Checkup newsletter.) Zoey's new foot: Finally, a sweet pooch named Zoey recently received a prosthetic foot -- and lots of TLC -- courtesy of some Willow School students and a 3D printer. Terrific feel-good story from Eva Jacob Barkoff. Hope you enjoyed today’s Lunch Line. Thanks for reading – and remember, you can keep up with the news all day at NOLA.com. BW | 