🌱 Stay Well Baton Rouge Fair + East BR Stormwater Division Funds

Good morning, Baton Rouge! Here's everything you need to know to get this Monday started off right. Here's everything you need to know today in town.

First, today's weather:

Thunderstorms, severe early. High: 75 Low: 48.

Here are the top stories today in Baton Rouge:

1. A day after Louisiana detected its first case of the omicron coronavirus variant, healthcare workers and local organizations celebrated a small victory: more than 200 adults and children got their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a wellness fair that also aimed to quell misinformation about the pandemic. Free for anyone who walked through the doors of Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church Saturday, the Stay Well Baton Rouge Community Health Fair and Vaccine Event offered COVID-19 vaccines, cancer screenings, and a panel discussion led by Black healthcare providers about the coronavirus and its emerging variants. (The Advocate)
2. East Baton Rouge city-parish leaders plan to budget $15 million from next year’s spending plan to create a stormwater division that would fight flooding and pollution across the parish.
   The division is key to Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome’s efforts to better control stormwater in the wake of a series of devastating floods in recent years. However, it would be funded entirely with American Rescue Plan Act grant money in 2022. Thus, the division may only exist for a year unless the Metro Council can come to a consensus on a renewable source of funding. (The Advocate)
3. With nearly 1,600 children in need still waiting for adoption through the Angel Tree program, the Salvation Army is relying on donors in the community to help make Christmas bright for countless families in the greater Baton Rouge area. (WAFB)
4. The impending retirement of Paul Arrigo, longtime head of Visit Baton Rouge, leaves three key leadership positions in flux. What does it mean for the city's tourism? (Greater Baton Rouge Business Report)

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Today in Baton Rouge:

• Pom-Pom Tree Ornament Craft - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (4:00 AM)
• Grab & Geaux: DIY Mini Books - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (9:00 AM)
• Crochet Basics - Delmont Gardens Branch Library (4:00 PM)
• Holiday Cheer Story & Geaux - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (4:00 PM)
• LYRC Read-Along Book Club - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (6:30 PM)
• The Vinyl Underground - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (6:30 PM)

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You're all caught up for today! See you tomorrow for your next update. If you're loving these newsletters, consider bringing some friends and neighbors along for the ride. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Kayla Harrison

About me: Kayla Harrison is a Writing Arts professor, as well as a freelance writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners. She holds a Master's Degree in Writing Arts and is grateful to incorporate writing into everything she does. In her free time, you can find her listening to podcasts, writing poetry, and visiting local coffee shops.