[StBernard] Judge Orders Permits, Power For St. Bernard Apartment Complex

[Westley Annis]

I don't *think* the permits got issued.  

Maybe Craig gave the permits dept and extra day of holiday leave for a long
weekend.

JY



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	Judge Orders Permits, Power For St. Bernard Apartment Complex
	
	Fines Promised If Officials Fail To Comply
	
	POSTED: 7:30 pm CDT June 30, 2011
	
	UPDATED: 10:41 pm CDT June 30, 2011
	
	NEW ORLEANS -- A federal judge has given St. Bernard Parish until 3
p.m.
	Friday to provide electricity to the site of a mixed income
apartment
	complex that parish officials and some neighbors have fought
against.
	
	In a ruling issued on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan
ordered
	that permitting of the property happen immediately, and warned
failure to
	comply "without extraordinarily good cause" would lead to fines of
$10,000
	per day against St. Bernard Parish.
	
	Berrigan noted that parish officials failed to comply with a June 20
ruling
	from the court that favored the Providence Realty project.
	
	Parish leaders have said they would not authorize power to the
properties
	because the sites did not have valid building permits. They have
vigorously
	denied allegations that their opposition has been racially
motivated.
	
	The Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center has taken a lead
position
	in legal challenges to advance the construction of the apartment
complexes.
	The advocacy group is listed as the plaintiff party in the most
recent court
	matter.
	
	A special session of the St. Bernard Parish Council was held
Thursday night
	in Chalmette. Following the emergency meeting, parish President
Craig
	Taffaro said he believed Berrigan's orders conflict with Louisiana
law.
	
	"Our situation really hasn't changed -- our position hasn't
changed," he
	told WDSU. "The judge has made an order that we find to be
inconsistent with
	what state law requires us to do.
	
	"We're in a pretty precarious situation. Do we violate the law
that's been
	clearly established, that we've been trying to follow all along...
(to)
	follow a federal court order that is contrary to the state law?"
	
	
	
	
	
	Read more:
http://www.wdsu.com/news/28414009/detail.html#ixzz1QrGepfKt