🌱 BRG Reports Increase In COVID Patients + New Whataburger In BR

Morning, neighbors! It's me again, Kayla Harrison, your host of the Baton Rouge Daily.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny. High: 66 Low: 55.

Here are the top 3 stories in Baton Rouge today:

1. Baton Rouge General reported an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients from last Monday. There are 73 more patients with COVID-19 than last Monday with 20% being in the ICU and 77% of the patients not vaccinated. The report shows that 4.5% of the COVID-19 patients have been boosted with the average age being 65. (BRProud.com)
2. Whataburger added a new location in Baton Rouge and it's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It will have wall art honoring BR's hometown landmarks, a double drive-thru lane, and digital menu boards. They will also have curbside pickup and delivery for online orders soon. (BRProud.com)
3. Southern University received the ‘high research activity’ designation from Carnegie. It is given to universities that award at least 20 research doctoral degrees in the past year or 30 professional practice doctoral degrees in at least two programs. Southern University intends to build "infrastructure that encourages greater participation by faculty in sponsored and elective research and related activities." (WGNO New Orleans)

Doing a "Dry January" or just looking for a flavorful alternative to regular cocktails? Here's a suggestion: try a non-alcoholic drink from our partners at Betera. Created by an award-winning chef from natural botanicals, Betera’s drinks come in 3 flavors — Ginger-Orange, Elderflower-Lime and Rhubarb-Hibiscus. We tried Ginger-Orange, and it was excellent — lightly effervescent, floral with a hint of bitterness and the sippability of a cocktail.

Betera is offering readers of the Daily a 15% discount on their first order: use PATCH15 at checkout. Highly recommended — you can try Betera here.

Today in Baton Rouge:

• Faux Stained Glass Grab & Geaux - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (12:00 AM)
• Penguin Pompom Keychains Grab-and-Geaux - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (12:00 AM)
• BLS CPR Full Course - East Baton Rouge Parish EMS Public Events (8:00 AM)
• One on One Tech Tutoring - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (9:30 AM)
• Intermediate Excel - Delmont Gardens Branch Library (10:00 AM)
• BINGO - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (10:00 AM)
• Toddler Storytime - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (10:00 AM)
• Preschool Story Time - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (10:00 AM)
• Open Lab - Carver Branch Library (10:00 AM)
• Preschool Storytime - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (10:30 AM)
• Combined Age Storytime - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (10:30 AM)
• Toddler Time - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (10:30 AM)
• Winnie-the-Pooh Day (Story/Craft) - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (10:30 AM)
• Lapsit Storytime - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (10:30 AM)
• A/C EMT skills review - East Baton Rouge Parish EMS Public Events (1:00 PM)
• Teen Gaming Club - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (3:30 PM)
• Writing for Everyday Life - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (4:00 PM)
• Wire Button Tree - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (4:00 PM)
• Women Remembering - The Red Shoes (5:30 PM)
• Geometric Snowflakes STEM Program - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Baton Rouge Police Department gives special thanks to Catherine Blanchard Childers who ran the Louisiana Marathon Monday morning and represented BRPD Sgt. Jason Martin. Sgt. Martin and Ofc. Carboni were struck by an impaired driver while investigating a traffic crash that occurred on I-10 near the I-10/I-12 split. (Facebook)
• Baton Rouge Fire Department would like to congratulate District Chief Kermit Johnson on his retirement today: "Thank you, Chief for your unwavering service to the citizens of Baton Rouge. Enjoy, you will be missed." (Facebook)
• When you visit Surreal Salon 14, in addition to enjoying the work of more than 50 artists from 18 states and 5 countries, you’ll also enjoy this piece from this year’s Special Guest Juror, Carrie Ann Baade! Titled “The Allegory of Bad Government," the 36x48 inch oil painting represents a six-year journey that started by researching the history of the 1338 painting by the same title by Ambrogio Lorenzetti (Italy). (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.