Election Day is upon us. Jeff Palermo has a preview.
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and there is a place you can call or text if you need someone to talk with. Michelle Southern has more.
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Election Day is upon us. Those who didn’t take advantage of early voting have one more chance to go to the polls Saturday to weigh in on the U.S. Senate race and five constitutional amendments. Jeremy Alford, the publisher of LaPolitics-dot-com, says the Republican Senate primary could be the last stand for incumbent Bill Cassidy.
There are also three people vying for the Democratic nomination, but Alford points out that unlike on the Republican side, none of them are particularly known throughout the state.
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In early voting, according to updated numbers from the Secretary of State’s office, Democrats outnumbered Republicans at the polls statewide by more than eight-thousand – and Alford says that could spell doom for the constitutional amendments.
The legislature has said if Amendment Three does not pass, it will not grant teachers another stipend, meaning they stand to suffer a two-thousand-dollar pay cut in the next fiscal year.
Polls are open Saturday from seven a-m until eight p-m.
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The 2026 Louisiana turkey hunting season produced a record harvest, as more than four-thousand birds were harvested. LDWF Turkey Program Manager Cody Cedotal (SED-uh-tul) says 4,024 turkeys were harvested during the season that ran from April 3rd to May 3rd.
The 2026 harvest is more than 12-percent higher than the 2025 season. The previous turkey season harvest record was 3,695 birds in 2024. Ten years ago, hunters were harvesting less than two-thousand birds. But Cedotal says in 2018, a decision was made to push back the start of the season, and it has paid off.
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Cedotal says many hunters again reported increased encounters with jakes, which is an indicator of good reproduction in some areas.
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Cedotal says it’s important that we see drier weather, as this is a time when turkey eggs hatch.
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May is Mental Health Awareness month; and if you’re feeling depressed, overwhelmed or experiencing any mental health-related distress, you can call or text 9-8-8. Sherrard Crespo with VIA LINK says Louisiana 9-8-8 is a help line and callers don’t necessarily need to be suicidal to reach out.
Crespo says callers to Louisiana’s 9-8-8 helpline are connected with real, trained crisis specialists who provide confidential, judgment-free support and help individuals navigate tough moments.
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Crespo says they also always offer a follow-up call the next day. She says they average about five-thousand calls a month.
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For more information, go to louisiana988.org. There’s also a chat option on the website. Crespo says an overwhelming majority of callers report feeling better after speaking to someone at 9-8-8.
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The 2026 Saints schedule is out, and New Orleans will open the season September 13th against the Lions. WWL Radio sports talk show host Mike Detillier says that the Lions will be a tough matchup.
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The Saints first two games are on the road against Detroit and Baltimore. New Orleans hosts Las Vegas in week three for the home opener, and then it’s a big Monday night matchup against the Falcons. Detillier says it will be important for the Saints offense, with its new additions, get on the same page early.
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Detillier says the Saints also have a tough stretch of games in late November.