🌱 BR River Cruises Still On + BR Woman Shares Weight Loss Story

Morning, people of Baton Rouge! Kayla Harrison here with your brand-new copy of the Baton Rouge Daily.

First, today's weather:

Low clouds and warmer. High: 71 Low: 64.

Here are the top three stories today in Baton Rouge:

1. River cruises are still planning to call on Baton Rouge in 2022. There are 150 cruise ships scheduled to dock in BR throughout the year beginning on Feb. 20. According to Visit Baton Rouge President and CEO, it's too early to know if ships will cancel or passenger numbers will drop due to the CDC's new guidelines. (Greater Baton Rouge Business Report)
2. A Baton Rouge woman shared the story of her 155-lb weight journey two years after surgery. She focuses on routine and switching up meal preps, something that was difficult to maintain before her vertical sleeve gaastrectomy and mindset shift. Through all of her journey she has leaned on family and friends for support, and she hopes one day to become a registered dietician. (WAFB)
3. Some capital area schools have moved to virtual learning over COVID concerns. East Baton Rouge Parish and St. Helena Parish districts will be virtual for different periods of time. The St. Helena Parish district will require students to provide a negative COVID test or sign up for one through the school in order to return back after their virtual period. (WBRZ)

Today in Baton Rouge:

• Red Stick Farmers Market - Main Street Market (8:00 AM)
• Saturday Stargazing - Louisiana Art & Science Museum (10:00 AM)
• Teen Pop Up & UnPlug - Zachary Community Park (11:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• Friends of the Animals Baton Rouge will be holding "The “Betty White Challenge,” a virtual event that will be held on Jan. 17 (which would have been the actress’ 100th birthday). The event asks fans to donate to animal rescues or shelters in her name. (Facebook)
• 8th-12th graders will have the opportunity to sharpen their marketing and financial management skills as they compete in teams to build and manage their own cooperative business at the 2022 Cooperative Enterprise Teen Leadership Conference. The conference will be at the Wesley Center in Woodworth from March 24-26. (Instagram)
• Visit the Baton Rouge Gallery this month and experience the work of more than 50 artists from across the US and three different continents during Surreal Salon 14. Preview all the works at batonrougegallery.org/surreal-salon. (Facebook)

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That's it for today. I'll see you around!

— Kayla Harrison

About me: Kayla Harrison is a Writing Arts professor, as well as a freelance writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners. In her free time, you can find her listening to podcasts, writing poetry, and visiting local coffee shops.