LA. AT THE DERBY: BERNHARDS HAVE TWO HORSES RUNNING 1C THE
ACADIANA
ADVOCATE
T H E A C A D I A N A A D V O C AT E.C O M
|
S at u r d ay, M ay 2, 2026
Early voting opens amid uncertainty
$2.00X
Kolluru to ask for $15M from Legislature UL president seeking ‘strategic investment’
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
Early voting for the May 16 election runs through May 9, excluding Sunday.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By TRAVIS SPRADLING
Ballot includes contentious U.S. Senate election, constitutional amendments but no U.S. House races INSIDE
BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT Staff writer
A seismic U.S. Supreme Court ruling has pushed Louisiana to cancel its congressional races, but early voting begins as scheduled Saturday for many other elections on the May 16 ballot. It’s the first major vote to be held under the state’s new semiclosed party primary system, and the stakes are significant. Sen. Bill Cassidy is in a bare-knuckle fight to win reelection against two fellow Republicans — U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement, and state Treasurer John Fleming, who served in Trump’s White House during his first term. Five constitutional amendments are on the ballot that would make
When and where do I vote?
ä Landry’s order halting elections faces barrage of lawsuits. Page 5A ä Amendment 1 would change Civil Service protections for state workers. Page 1B ä What’s on the ballot. Page 2B
Election Day is May 16, but you can vote early between this Saturday and next Saturday, May 9, excluding Sunday. To find your polling place, what’s on your specific ballot and other information, go to the Secretary of State’s voter portal at geauxvote. com and enter your name, ZIP code changes ranging from a teacher pay and birthday. raise to the mandatory retirement How do primary elections work? age for judges. And, in some parts of the state, votThis is the first major election ers will decide who represents them since 2010 in which Louisiana is voton the state Supreme Court, the ing in semiclosed party primaries, Board of Elementary and Secondary and elections officials are trying to Education, and the Public Service stave off voter confusion. Commission, which regulates utiliIf you are a registered member of a political party, you will only be able ties across Louisiana. Here’s what you need to know beä See VOTING, page 4A fore you head to the polls.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Ramesh Kolluru told faculty, staff and other stakeholders during a town hall this week that he plans to ask the Louisiana Legislature for a $15 million “strategic investment.” The request was announced Tuesday while Kolluru updated attendees on the school’s $50 million deficit, with $25 million of that being a recurring structural deficit. The deficit was first reported last year and led to layoffs and other cost-cutting measures at the school, mostly led by the Kolluru former interim president. He told stakeholders in his email after the town hall that he was proud of them and the work they’ve completed. But the university’s “current reality remains serious,” and it is expected to end the fiscal year on June 30 with a $12 million deficit, he said. Kolluru reiterated that no furloughs or layoffs were planned. “As we approach July 1, our goal is to enter the new fiscal year with clearer budgets, stronger alignment and improved visibility so units can plan more effectively,” he wrote in an email to stakeholders after the town hall. “We discussed the importance of improving faculty and staff compensation as resources permit, along with
ä See KOLLURU, page 6A
Appeals court blocks mailing abortion pills BY GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press
A federal appeals court has restricted access to one of the most common means of abortion in the U.S. by blocking mailing of prescriptions of mifepristone. A panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is requiring that the abortion pill be distributed only in person at clinics. “Every abortion facilitated by FDA’s action cancels Louisiana’s ban on medical abortions and undermines its policy that ‘every unborn child is
ä See ABORTION, page 4A
Trump says he’s ‘not satisfied’ with Iran’s plan to end war BY TOQA EZZIDIN, MUNIR AHMED and COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press
ISLAMABAD — President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the war between the countries, saying Friday he still was not satisfied while blaming Iran’s “fractured” leadership. Trump turned back the latest proposal almost as soon as it was delivered. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that Iran handed over its plan to media-
WEATHER HIGH 72 LOW 49 PAGE 6A
CONFLIC CT IN THE
MIDDLE EAST
ä Trump: Deadline for Congress to approve Iran war doesn’t apply. PAGE 3A
between the U.S. and Iran appears to still be holding though both tors in Pakistan on Thursday night. countries have traded accusations “They want to make a deal, I’m of violations. While the ceasefire has largely not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump told re- halted fighting in Iran, the U.S. porters Friday at the White House, and Iran are locked in a standoff without elaborating on what he over the Strait of Hormuz, through saw as its shortcomings. ä See TRUMP, page 6A The shaky three-week ceasefire
Business ......................3B Deaths .........................2B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................2B Living............................5C Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One in Ocala, Fla., on Friday after speaking at an event in The Villages. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT ROURKE
101ST yEAR, NO. 306