Greek chapters boost vax rates at LSU, anti-maskers derail school-safety discussion, prison calls off annual rodeo

The Advocate's Top Headlines

with Jennifer Wadsworth | Assistant metro editor

Welcome back to your morning news roundup. Here's what we've been writing about …

Shots, shots, shots!

LSU may not require students to get the coronavirus vaccine, but it seems to have found an effective way to convince them. Caroline Savoie tells us how.

Anti-maskers derail meeting

A hoped-for discussion about school K-12 campus safety mandates ended abruptly when a vocal group of attendees refused to mask up. Will Sentell covered the chaos, which you can read about here.

A closer look at Formosa

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants a more thorough impact review of a $9.4 billion plastics plant planned in St. James Parish. Officials said the study will take a close look on environmental justice concerns about the Formosa facility, which is proposed for a site near a predominantly Black community on the parish's west bank.

David Mitchell has the story.

Vax exemption upheld

A medical college may have good reason for refusing to admit three aspiring doctors who refused to get the COVID vaccinate. But it should have done more to accommodate their "deeply held religious beliefs."

So said a federal judge in granting the students' temporary restraining order against the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Here's a look at the court order, which called the accommodations offered by VCOM too restrictive.

No more horsing around

One of the latest events added to our running list of pandemic-related cancellations is the Angola Prison Rodeo. The annual fall event, the longest-running prison rodeo in the nation, usually draws thousands of onlookers and raises money for recreational and educational programs for inmates.

Thanks for reading, and have a great morning.