The COVID emergency is ending

with Matthew Albright | Assistant metro editor

Good morning! We had a busy news day yesterday. Here are some of the highlights.

The COVID emergency is ending

After two years of unprecedented disruptions to life in Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards said in his annual "State of the State" address that he will allow his order declaring COVID a public health emergency to expire. While the virus isn't gone, Edwards says cases have plunged enough to allow things to return mostly back to normal.

Check out this story to see what Edwards said about COVID and his priorities for the legislative session that started yesterday.

A violent weekend

We got a lot more grim news Monday about a wave of violence that struck Baton Rouge over the weekend:

• Police found the bodies of a mother and her two-year-old son who had been reported missing, and arrested the woman's boyfriend. 
• We got more details on the death of a Southern University student who was killed in what police believe was a random carjacking just off campus.
• Two men were arrested, accused of being accomplices to a fatal shooting in the Gardere area on Sunday. Police say the shooter is still at large. 

Retired teachers to the rescue?

Louisiana is having a harder and harder time finding enough teachers. Some state lawmakers think one solution could be luring former teachers out of retirement: And to do it, they want to give them a financial incentive. 

Thanks for reading, and have a great day.