Baton Rouge Daily

The Advocate's Top Headlines

with Jennifer Wadsworth | Assistant metro editor

Good morning! Hopefully your holiday weekend is going well. Here's a rundown of some of our latest stories.

Christmas shootings

Baton Rouge has been beset by months of soaring gun violence, and Christmas Day was no exception. The morning brought a fatal shooting by Sherwood Meadows apartments and a non-fatal by OYO Hotel. That means, with over a week left in 2021, homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish have well surpassed the 2020 total. Click here to read about Saturday's homicide and here for details about the other shooting.

FEMA fraud

A man who was twice investigated for impersonating a policeman was indicted on multiple counts of fraud after prosecutors say he bilked a hurricane-battered Louisiana town out of $600,000. Click here to find out how investigators say he pulled off the scheme.

A warm holiday meal

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul hosted its annual holiday meal for the needy — a local tradition for more than a century — and our photographer Travis Spaulding was there to memorialize the event. Click here to check out some of the images he captured.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!

Today's top stories

Contractor lied about FEMA pay to bilk hurricane-battered Louisiana town out of $600K, feds say

A man who scammed a small, hurricane-battered Louisiana town out of $600,000 by pretending FEMA would foot the bill for his recovery work f… Read more

Jeff Duncan: A Christmas miracle? The Saints tried to lure Drew Brees out of retirement to save their season

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Read more

Child, woman badly burned in Gardere duplex fire that displaces 2 families on Christmas Day

A young girl and a woman were badly burned in a duplex fire that displaced two families early Christmas morning, according to the St. Georg… Read more

1 dead in Christmas morning shooting as Baton Rouge gun violence soars: 'Unbelievable'

After months and months of soaring gun violence in Baton Rouge, even Christmas morning brought a deadly shooting as residents of a Sherwood… Read more

After Christmas morning shooting at OYO Hotel, gunshot victim arrives at medical facility

After reports of a shooting at the OYO Hotel on Gwenadele Avenue late Christmas morning, a gunshot victim left the scene and arrived at a m… Read more

Owner of exploding oil tanks sued for February death of teenage girl

Ten months after an oil field tank battery explosion killed their 14-year-old daughter, her family has filed suit in federal court in Lake … Read more

Survivors of gun violence and families, the effects of their ordeal linger: 'They're going to be broken the rest of their lives'

Before a bullet wound took his ability to walk and talk at age 18, Jonathan Gray was known for his energy and sense of humor. Read more

Massive overhaul at Baton Rouge Zoo could help it regain coveted accreditation status

It looks as though some of the first phase to the massive redevelopment of the Baton Rouge Zoo could be done by late summer or mid-fall nex… Read more

Meet me under the mistletoe -- if you're vaccinated. Families deal with Christmas COVID dilemma

For 30 years, Julie Generes has cooked Christmas dinner for her extended family, a tradition that she is bringing back after the pandemic s… Read more