| By Jerry DiColo | Metro editor
PAYTON'S OUT: Saints head coach Sean Payton is positive for COVID, which means he won't be on the sidelines for this Sunday's game against the Buccaneers. It's the second time Payton has contracted COVID, and the Saints are hoping more positive tests aren't to come, because he was in meetings Thursday. Luke Johnson has all the details and what it means for the Saints.
THE PINE BOX: In the second part of The Times-Picayune's series on life imprisonment, reporter John Simerman looks at the elderly lifers currently serving out their last days in Louisiana prisons. The series, in partnership with The Marshall Project, looks at the impact of the state's harsh sentencing laws and their unintended consequences. Read the first part of the series here, and if you're able, please support our investigative team through a tax-deductible contribution to the Louisiana Investigative Journalism Fund.
DRUNK DRIVING: Another senior New Orleans City Hall official has been arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Peter Bowen, who is in charge of short-term rental regulation, was booked on five counts related to a crash in the French Quarter early Friday morning. It's the third time a high-ranking official has been arrested for a DUI in the past year.
Thanks for reading, and check out more of our coverage on NOLA.com. JD. | 
