🌱 Woman's Hospital Expands GRACE Program + BR HS-College Plan

Good morning, people of Baton Rouge! It's me again, Kayla Harrison, your host of the Baton Rouge Daily.

First, today's weather:

More humid in the afternoon. High: 76 Low: 60.

Here are the top stories in Baton Rouge today:

1. Woman’s Hospital is expanding its GRACE Program to help pregnant women with alcohol and tobacco addictions. The free Guiding Recovery and Creating Empowerment (GRACE) Program launched in 2018 and has helped more than 170 pregnant women. They want to be able to "help even more women through a difficult situation," according to Cheri Johnson, the chief nursing officer. (BRProud.com)
2. Baton Rouge could require almost all high school students to take multiple college classes by the time they graduate. Superintendant Sito Narcisse has a plan to increase "the number of young people who eventually earn a post-secondary degree." (The Advocate)
3. Three Baton Rouge residents who burned buildings after a George Floyd protest in Baton Rouge have received 18 months in prison. (The Advocate)
4. The "All Is Bright" event brought Christmas cheer to a large crowd in downtown Plaquemine. (Post South)
5. Baton Rouge was recognized as a bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists. (Greater Baton Rouge Business Report)

Today's Baton Rouge Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Ring, the home security company. Ring does a lot more than doorbells: check out their full suite of smart home products at Ring.com. And thank you Ring for helping to make local news happen in Baton Rouge!

Today in Baton Rouge:

• Wink Danenberg - Juggler Extraordinaire! (10:00 AM)
• Open Lab - Carver Branch Library (10:00 AM)
• Hugo Kringle - Delmont Gardens Branch Library (10:00 AM)
• Intro to Word - Delmont Gardens Branch Library (10:00 AM)
• Ornament Decoration Station - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (10:30 AM)
• Mystery Lovers Book Club - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (12:00 PM)
• Polar Express Storycraft - East Baton Rouge Parish Library (5:00 PM)

Loving the Baton Rouge Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at batonrouge@patch.com

You're officially in the loop for today. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with your next update!

— 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.