| BY CHAD CALDER | Staff writer |
Precious cargo: When a U.S. Coast Guard cutter arrived to aid a boat that had run out of fuel off the coast of South Louisiana, the rescuers weren't likely prepared for what they found aboard the stranded vessel. Reporter Kasey Bubnash has the story of an alleged human smuggling operation run by a twice-bankrupt Pittsburgh business owner. Rough weather ahead: It should surprise no one but the most unfettered optimists to hear that the upcoming hurricane season is expected to be a tough one. And as Mike Smith writes, the prospect of numerous, powerful storms is especially difficult to swallow given the number of people who still haven't fully recovered from seasons past. Also, it's not expected to become a tropical storm, but the national weather service has already flagged a disturbance in the gulf. Check with nola.com for the latest on this one. Preventable deaths: It seems the campaign against coronavirus vaccinations that has raged for most of the last year has quieted down a bit, at least in terms of our political bandwidth. But a recent analysis of COVID-19 deaths has found that more than 5,000 in Louisiana — half of the state's total since vaccines became available — were preventable. Thanks for starting your week with us. Check out NOLA.com for more news throughout the day. CC | 