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W e d n e s d ay, M ay 6, 2026
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Comeaux High lawsuit escalates
School Board seeks appeals court review BY CLAIRE TAYLOR
ing the 15th Judicial District Court that it plans to ask the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal to overturn a deciThe Lafayette Parish School sion by Judge Valerie Gotch-GarBoard is asking an appeals court to rett in the case. intervene in a lawsuit filed against Attorney Robert Hammons said it over a vote to close Comeaux Gotch-Garrett rejected the school High School next school year. system’s argument that the lawsuit The board’s legal team on Tues- is moot because the School Board day morning filed a notice advis- voted on April 15 to rescind its Staff writer
legal team, before the April 15 vote, was well aware of her injunction ordering the board to take no action until the hearing on the lawMarch 12 vote to close the school. suit that began last week. The lawsuit alleges the board did If the appeals court agrees the not follow its own rules and state lawsuit is moot, Hammons said, law during the March 12 meeting. the lawsuit is essentially over. Board President Hannah Mason An announcement about the testified last week that the board request to the appeals court was thought it was doing the right thing made during a hearing on the case by reversing its decision to close Tuesday morning after the board the school. on Monday rejected a proposed Gotch-Garrett said the board’s settlement.
E LEC T ION 2026 U.S. SENATE
Letlow, Fleming have sharp words
The board met in executive session for nearly 21/ 2 hours Monday evening to discuss a settlement proposed by the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that alleges the board violated its own rules and the state open meetings law at the March 12 meeting. Following the executive session Monday, board attorney Hammons said the plaintiffs presented the board with “certain terms and
ä See COMEAUX, page 6A
Race to redraw map poses problems La. Republicans in uncharted legal waters BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
Ronald Reagan made famous in a 1980 nationwide, televised debate with thenPresident Jimmy Carter. Letlow said Fleming distorted her opposition to vaccine mandates and to diversity, equity and inclusion policies and didn’t acknowledge that she self-reported her failure to report stock trades on a timely basis as a member of Congress. “That’s another desperate claim you make,” she said at one point to Fleming. Letlow also said Fleming hit her with a “low blow” by noting that her fiance, Kevin Ainsworth, promotes carbon capture sequestration companies as a lawyer/lob-
As Louisiana Republicans scramble to redraw the state’s congressional map by month’s end, they are grappling with whether to draw a map with one majorityBlack, Democratic district — or one with none at all. A thorny question com- ä Supreme plicates that Court decision: Un- fast-tracks der the SuLouisiana’s preme Court’s new interpre- congressional tation of the map redraw. Voting Rights PAGE 4A Act, in which it’s nearly always unconstitutional to use race to draw district lines, is creating a majority-Black district still legal? “The Legislature should pass a map that is defensible,” Gov. Jeff Landry said Tuesday. “Defensible means that once we go to court, that we will win and we don’t have to go into this continuous legal vicious legal cycle that we’ve been in.” Any map the Legislature passes will need Landry’s blessing to take effect. Louisiana has six congressional districts. Currently, four are held by White Republicans and two are held by Black Democrats from Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The GOP-controlled Legislature is planning to eliminate either one or
ä See DEBATE, page 6A
ä See MAP, page 4A
PHOTO By ROBIN MAy
Republican Senate candidates U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming square off Tuesday in a debate hosted by conservative talk radio host Moon Griffon in the KPEL studios in Lafayette.
Cassidy skips event because host disparages him
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
One thing became clear Tuesday, partway into the only debate in the Republican Senate primary: U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming both want to knock each other out of the race during the first round of voting on May 16. Letlow and Fleming clashed repeatedly during the 90-minute debate, with each claiming to be the most conservative candidate in the election. The two Republicans barely mentioned the man they want to unseat — U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy — and had to be prodded to
criticize him by conservative talk radio show host Moon Griffon, who organized and moderated the debate at his station on KPEL-96.5 in Lafayette. Cassidy skipped the event because Griffon regularly lambastes him as “Psycho Bill.” Fleming accused Letlow of distorting his opposition to illegal immigration and carbon cap- Cassidy ture sequestration and downplaying his ties to President Donald Trump. “There you go again, Julia,” Fleming said several times, reprising a line that
10 hospitalized after gas leak in Duson Incident triggered by valve malfunction
Troopers with the agency’s Emergency Services Unit responded shortly after 7 a.m. to a hazardous materials incident. InBY KRISTIN ASKELSON vestigators said a valve malfuncStaff writeri tion involving boron trifluoride caused the leak at FIBA TechnoloTen people were taken to hospi- gies. Duson Police Chief Kip Judice tals after a chemical leak Tuesday morning at a business on Lexing- said it took about an hour to close ton Drive in Lafayette Parish, ac- the valve and stop the leak, which cording to Louisiana State Police. was successfully contained by
WEATHER HIGH 86 LOW 69 PAGE 8A
around 8 a.m. During the response, multiple locations were evacuated, including FIBA Technologies, Race Connections and two additional businesses in the immediate area. Hazardous materials crews later contained the leak, and all evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were lifted. Officials said there
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
State and local law enforcement gather near the site of a hazardous ä See LEAK, page 4A chemical gas leak on Tuesday in Duson.
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