Holy Cross eyeing site in Gentilly
School hopes to open there next month
Thursday, July 06, 2006 - New Orleans, Times-Picayune/NOLA.com
By Bruce Nolan
Staff writer
Holy Cross School, the historic Lower 9th Ward institution damaged by Hurricane Katrina, might remain in New Orleans after all.
The school, which briefly explored a Kenner site among several options for a new campus, has offered instead to buy the land and buildings of Redeemer-Seton High School and nearby St. Frances Cabrini Church and school in Gentilly and hopes to open the new academic year in August at the new location, officials on both sides of the transaction said.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans has not yet agreed to the sale, whose price would not be disclosed. The Rev. William Maestri, Catholic schools superintendent, cautioned that important details remain to be worked out. But Maestri and Bill Chauvin, head of Holy Cross's board of trustees, both said the offer has powerful advantages to both parties.
Deep into the discussions, "I'm not aware of any substantive issues of dispute," Chauvin said.
Holy Cross proposes to buy Cabrini church, the parish elementary school and adjacent Redeemer-Seton High -- all badly damaged by Katrina, Chauvin said.
Members of the parish council told parishioners by e-mail last week that Holy Cross proposed to open the year on the second floor of Redeemer-Seton and begin renovations on the floor below.
But Chauvin said the proposal is to demolish all the buildings as quickly as possible and begin with portable classrooms transferred from the Holy Cross campus.
He said if the deal is approved, Holy Cross plans to build in short order two classroom buildings and a gymnasium, which could double as a new church for Cabrini parishioners.
In a novel arrangement, the school and archdiocese later would share the cost of building a permanent church that would double as a performing arts center for the school, Chauvin said. Although Catholic, Holy Cross is a private, independent school. Its offer to help build a parish church is unusual.
"We're living in post-Katrina times" that call on the archdiocese to be flexible and entertain once unorthodox partnerships, Maestri said.
If successful, the proposal would give Holy Cross a new permanent site.
Katrina flooded Holy Cross' 17-acre campus on the Mississippi River just downriver from the Industrial Canal with up to eight feet of water. The disaster convinced officials that the 127-year-old school's survival depended on moving out of its historic Lower 9th Ward neighborhood, which has grown increasingly impoverished.
Last month, Jefferson Parish School Board members said Holy Cross wanted to begin discussions to buy a 20-acre site owned by the board in Kenner. But the board said then it was uncertain it wanted to sell the site and that the school did not make an offer. Holy Cross reportedly also considered the public John F. Kennedy Senior High School, now vacant at 5700 Wisner Blvd. next to City Park.
Katrina also wrecked Cabrini parish and Redeemer-Seton High School. Cabrini has not reopened for worship since the storm. Its elementary school remains closed, as does Redeemer-Seton.
The proposal would give the archdiocese an economical way to restore Catholic worship in the now-dormant parish. More important, Maestri said, a functioning church and school near Paris and Prentiss avenues could anchor the neighborhood and spark a revitalization there.
For its part, Holy Cross is interested in helping underwrite a new Cabrini church and sustaining the parish as a magnet for returning families who might supply new Holy Cross students in grades five through high school, Chauvin said.
Maestri said he has broached the proposal with City Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell and the local civic association, both of whom, Maestri said, expressed their approval. In addition, Cabrini's parish council of lay leaders unanimously supported the proposal in principle, Maestri said.
Archbishop Alfred Hughes has final say over the deal for the archdiocese, in consultation with school officials and families from Redeemer-Seton and Cabrini, Maestri said.
He said Cabrini parish is incorporated as a separate legal entity, but Hughes retains executive control.
News from Central Gulf Focus: La./Miss (Ala contributors)
Moderator: S2k Moderators
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
HARD KNOCKS
Katrina took most of a 40-year rock 'n' roll collection, but a few pieces find new purpose
Thursday, July 06, 2006 T-P/NOLA.com
By Lynne Jensen
Staff writer
It's usually a solo act when Gabriel Puccio picks apart his ruined rock 'n' roll collection, now a moldy mess tossed throughout his Chalmette home by Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters.
On Friday, Puccio was thrilled to be part of a trio scoring black-and-white photographs, record albums and music posters from his collection that could be included in an 8,000-square-foot exhibit portraying the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana.
The as-yet-untitled exhibit of "artifacts from the storm" is being assembled by the Louisiana State Museum. Greg Lambousy, the museum's director of collections, said music will be "a big part of it because it's a big part of the city."
Puccio, 58, invited Lambousy and museum registrar Ann Woodruff to his house last week to search for items that represent musicians from Louisiana, such as a black and white photograph of Fats Domino and Elvis Presley, sitting together at a Las Vegas casino where Domino was performing, Puccio said. "Elvis went to see him," Puccio said about the photo, autographed by Domino.
Puccio also is donating autographed photos of Baton Rouge native and singer Jimmy Clanton and Ferriday legend Jerry Lee Lewis, and a photo of New Orleans clarinet player Pete Fountain "before the goatee," Puccio said. "As a matter of fact, he even had hair on his head."
The large exhibit will be costly, since conserving damaged items is expensive, Lambousy said. It also is time-consuming; most likely it will open in 2008, he said.
Along with flood-damaged items of musical interest, such as Fats Domino's flood-ravaged Steinway, the display will include a menorah donated by the Beth Israel Congregation in Lakeview, a water-marked public library drop box, a pirogue used for rescue in the Lower 9th Ward and a garage door marked with spray-painted X's "that you see all around," Lambousy said.
The museum is searching for items such as "a hatchet used to break through a roof and a sandbag used to block the breaches," he said.
Before Katrina ruined his music collection, Puccio was working with Kenner officials to create a rock 'n' roll museum in the Rivertown neighborhood. Katrina washed away that dream, but being part of the state museum exhibit is consolation, he said.
"I just wish I could have shown it when it was in mint condition," Puccio said. "Oh gee, it was beautiful."
The main entrance of Puccio's house was a shrine to Elvis Presley. A 1956 brass buckle embossed with a Sun record label and "Best Wishes, Elvis Presley" is among the items Puccio has not found in the muck that fills his house.
"It's hard to go back and know in my mind what I had," he said. "It's heartbreaking to remember things like my old Victrolas that fell apart, and the little record player from 1956 with the Elvis autograph stamped on the Naugahyde."
Puccio barely escaped from his house as floodwater quickly rose to the ceiling. He survived by standing tiptoe on the kitchen window ledge and clinging to the roof gutter for hours before being rescued by boat.
A chef before Katrina, Puccio is working as a courier for Durr Heavy Construction and living with a friend in Metairie.
He will continue his pilgrimage to Chalmette "to get out what I can and put it in storage," Puccio said. "I've been working on my collection for 40 years."
For information or to donate items to the exhibit, call the state museum at (504) 568-6968.
Katrina took most of a 40-year rock 'n' roll collection, but a few pieces find new purpose
Thursday, July 06, 2006 T-P/NOLA.com
By Lynne Jensen
Staff writer
It's usually a solo act when Gabriel Puccio picks apart his ruined rock 'n' roll collection, now a moldy mess tossed throughout his Chalmette home by Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters.
On Friday, Puccio was thrilled to be part of a trio scoring black-and-white photographs, record albums and music posters from his collection that could be included in an 8,000-square-foot exhibit portraying the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana.
The as-yet-untitled exhibit of "artifacts from the storm" is being assembled by the Louisiana State Museum. Greg Lambousy, the museum's director of collections, said music will be "a big part of it because it's a big part of the city."
Puccio, 58, invited Lambousy and museum registrar Ann Woodruff to his house last week to search for items that represent musicians from Louisiana, such as a black and white photograph of Fats Domino and Elvis Presley, sitting together at a Las Vegas casino where Domino was performing, Puccio said. "Elvis went to see him," Puccio said about the photo, autographed by Domino.
Puccio also is donating autographed photos of Baton Rouge native and singer Jimmy Clanton and Ferriday legend Jerry Lee Lewis, and a photo of New Orleans clarinet player Pete Fountain "before the goatee," Puccio said. "As a matter of fact, he even had hair on his head."
The large exhibit will be costly, since conserving damaged items is expensive, Lambousy said. It also is time-consuming; most likely it will open in 2008, he said.
Along with flood-damaged items of musical interest, such as Fats Domino's flood-ravaged Steinway, the display will include a menorah donated by the Beth Israel Congregation in Lakeview, a water-marked public library drop box, a pirogue used for rescue in the Lower 9th Ward and a garage door marked with spray-painted X's "that you see all around," Lambousy said.
The museum is searching for items such as "a hatchet used to break through a roof and a sandbag used to block the breaches," he said.
Before Katrina ruined his music collection, Puccio was working with Kenner officials to create a rock 'n' roll museum in the Rivertown neighborhood. Katrina washed away that dream, but being part of the state museum exhibit is consolation, he said.
"I just wish I could have shown it when it was in mint condition," Puccio said. "Oh gee, it was beautiful."
The main entrance of Puccio's house was a shrine to Elvis Presley. A 1956 brass buckle embossed with a Sun record label and "Best Wishes, Elvis Presley" is among the items Puccio has not found in the muck that fills his house.
"It's hard to go back and know in my mind what I had," he said. "It's heartbreaking to remember things like my old Victrolas that fell apart, and the little record player from 1956 with the Elvis autograph stamped on the Naugahyde."
Puccio barely escaped from his house as floodwater quickly rose to the ceiling. He survived by standing tiptoe on the kitchen window ledge and clinging to the roof gutter for hours before being rescued by boat.
A chef before Katrina, Puccio is working as a courier for Durr Heavy Construction and living with a friend in Metairie.
He will continue his pilgrimage to Chalmette "to get out what I can and put it in storage," Puccio said. "I've been working on my collection for 40 years."
For information or to donate items to the exhibit, call the state museum at (504) 568-6968.
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
Entergy New Orleans seeks 25% rate boost
Council asked to OK $45 a month rise
Thursday, July 06, 2006 T-P/NOLA.com
By Pam Radtke Russell
Business writer
New Orleans residents could see their electric and gas bills rise about $45 a month under a plan Entergy New Orleans has filed with the New Orleans City Council.
The filing is the first time since Hurricane Katrina that Entergy New Orleans has requested a rate increase to help pay for damage it sustained in the hurricane and to adjust rates based on its much-smaller customer base.
The City Council has until Nov. 1 to act on the filing.
City Council President Oliver Thomas said Wednesday that he has not had time to review the rate increase request and couldn't yet comment on the filing.
Clint Vince, an advisor to the City Council on Entergy-related issues, is also reviewing the filing, but said he wouldn't expect the council to rubber stamp the request.
"The council's job is going to be to really dig deep and make sure that any amount that is given to the company is backed up," Vince said.
Entergy New Orleans is proposing a 25 percent increase in monthly bills for a typical electric and gas customer, including a 17 percent increase in electric and gas bills, as well as two additional monthly line item charges to recover storm costs and to build up a storm reserve in the event of future storms.
"This is a major step for our path out of bankruptcy," said Dan Packer, chief executive officer for Entergy New Orleans.
Weeks after Hurricane Katrina, Entergy New Orleans filed bankruptcy. Though it still is operating, and its assets exceed its liabilities, it does not have enough cash to keep the system operating. It's operating with about 40 percent of its 190,000 pre-Katrina electric customers.
The company has requested $718 million in federal aid to help pay for some storm losses and losses in revenue. Without that money or another source of revenue, the company can legally ask its customers to pay for its losses in their monthly bills.
Under the plan, Entergy New Orleans is asking to recoup only the $118 million of storm costs it has paid for so far, or about $9.20 a month from each customer over 10 years. When more costs come due, monthly bills could increase as the company seeks to have more of the storm recovery costs paid by rate payers. It also could be reduced if Entergy New Orleans gets the requested federal money.
The rate increases would apply only to residents of the east bank of New Orleans. The west bank of New Orleans is covered by Entergy Louisiana, a sister company.
Based on a typical home that uses 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity and 5,000 cubic feet of natural gas, customers would see their electric and bills rise from $177.58 a month to $207.12 a month. Entergy New Orleans is also requesting that the typical customer pay about $9.20 a month to help recover the $118 million in storm costs and another $5.85 a month to build up a $150 million storm reserve account, for a total monthly bill of $222.
About $128 of the bill would be for the electric portion, still much lower than Boston, where the typical electric bill is $207.34, the highest in the nation. Electric costs, however, would still be higher than the rest of the state.
Those costs include fuel adjustment charges, a line item on customers bills which varies month by month depending on the cost of fuel.
Gas customers would have rates skyrocket 160 percent, from $15.72 a month to $41.02 a month. That dramatic rise is because of the extensive damage to the gas system and the smaller customer base, Entergy said. There is no available data to compare how that rate compares with the rest of the state or the nation.
The total increase of 25 percent, though, is far short of the 140 percent increase that Entergy has been warning of, if the company doesn't get a portion of the federal money.
If the City Council doesn't agree with Entergy's recommended rate increase, it could affect the company's ability to emerge from bankruptcy, according to Phillip May, vice president of regulatory services for Entergy Corp.
"It would delay our ability to emerge from bankruptcy," May said. "Or worse."
Council asked to OK $45 a month rise
Thursday, July 06, 2006 T-P/NOLA.com
By Pam Radtke Russell
Business writer
New Orleans residents could see their electric and gas bills rise about $45 a month under a plan Entergy New Orleans has filed with the New Orleans City Council.
The filing is the first time since Hurricane Katrina that Entergy New Orleans has requested a rate increase to help pay for damage it sustained in the hurricane and to adjust rates based on its much-smaller customer base.
The City Council has until Nov. 1 to act on the filing.
City Council President Oliver Thomas said Wednesday that he has not had time to review the rate increase request and couldn't yet comment on the filing.
Clint Vince, an advisor to the City Council on Entergy-related issues, is also reviewing the filing, but said he wouldn't expect the council to rubber stamp the request.
"The council's job is going to be to really dig deep and make sure that any amount that is given to the company is backed up," Vince said.
Entergy New Orleans is proposing a 25 percent increase in monthly bills for a typical electric and gas customer, including a 17 percent increase in electric and gas bills, as well as two additional monthly line item charges to recover storm costs and to build up a storm reserve in the event of future storms.
"This is a major step for our path out of bankruptcy," said Dan Packer, chief executive officer for Entergy New Orleans.
Weeks after Hurricane Katrina, Entergy New Orleans filed bankruptcy. Though it still is operating, and its assets exceed its liabilities, it does not have enough cash to keep the system operating. It's operating with about 40 percent of its 190,000 pre-Katrina electric customers.
The company has requested $718 million in federal aid to help pay for some storm losses and losses in revenue. Without that money or another source of revenue, the company can legally ask its customers to pay for its losses in their monthly bills.
Under the plan, Entergy New Orleans is asking to recoup only the $118 million of storm costs it has paid for so far, or about $9.20 a month from each customer over 10 years. When more costs come due, monthly bills could increase as the company seeks to have more of the storm recovery costs paid by rate payers. It also could be reduced if Entergy New Orleans gets the requested federal money.
The rate increases would apply only to residents of the east bank of New Orleans. The west bank of New Orleans is covered by Entergy Louisiana, a sister company.
Based on a typical home that uses 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity and 5,000 cubic feet of natural gas, customers would see their electric and bills rise from $177.58 a month to $207.12 a month. Entergy New Orleans is also requesting that the typical customer pay about $9.20 a month to help recover the $118 million in storm costs and another $5.85 a month to build up a $150 million storm reserve account, for a total monthly bill of $222.
About $128 of the bill would be for the electric portion, still much lower than Boston, where the typical electric bill is $207.34, the highest in the nation. Electric costs, however, would still be higher than the rest of the state.
Those costs include fuel adjustment charges, a line item on customers bills which varies month by month depending on the cost of fuel.
Gas customers would have rates skyrocket 160 percent, from $15.72 a month to $41.02 a month. That dramatic rise is because of the extensive damage to the gas system and the smaller customer base, Entergy said. There is no available data to compare how that rate compares with the rest of the state or the nation.
The total increase of 25 percent, though, is far short of the 140 percent increase that Entergy has been warning of, if the company doesn't get a portion of the federal money.
If the City Council doesn't agree with Entergy's recommended rate increase, it could affect the company's ability to emerge from bankruptcy, according to Phillip May, vice president of regulatory services for Entergy Corp.
"It would delay our ability to emerge from bankruptcy," May said. "Or worse."
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
RTA plans to end free rides
$20.5 million to take agency through fall
Thursday, July 06, 2006 - TP/NOLA.com
By Bruce Eggler
It will take $20.5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency money to keep the Regional Transit Authority's buses and streetcars operating at their current level through November.
The RTA announced June 22 that the federal government had agreed to keep subsidizing the authority's operations past a previous deadline of June 30, but details of the deal, including the amount of money involved in the five-month extension, were not known at that time.
Currently, the RTA operates 28 bus routes, two streetcar lines and a special service for disabled riders. After November, the already-reduced operation is likely to be cut back even further.
The FEMA money is provided to the RTA through the Federal Transit Administration, which said the two federal agencies agreed to extend their subsidy on the understanding that the transit authority will develop plans for paying for its own operations after the federal money runs out Nov. 30.
In addition, the RTA has agreed to resume charging fares by Aug. 6. The system's basic fare was $1.25 before Hurricane Katrina. Because of the previous $47 million FEMA-FTA subsidy, all passengers have ridden for free since the RTA resumed post-Katrina service in early October.
"There is no such thing as business as usual when it comes to dealing with a changed city, which is why we are taking extraordinary steps to keep the trolleys and buses running," said Norman Mineta, secretary of the Department of Transportation, which includes the FTA. "This agreement will give local transit officials the time and resources they need to shore up their revenue, finances and operations."
But Mineta said the local authority must take the steps needed to operate on its own after November.
The RTA's agreement with FEMA and the FTA calls for it to move forward aggressively with plans to slash spending and payroll to account for a significantly smaller customer base. The city's shrunken population has resulted in sharp declines in the fare-box collections and sales-tax revenue that historically have provided the bulk of the system's operating revenue.
Besides helping to provide a direct operating subsidy since October, the FTA said it also has helped the RTA secure buses from other agencies to supplement its reduced fleet, waived a series of requirements to reduce red tape and deferred for five years the normal local match for already-awarded federal grants.
It also has agreed to calculate the amount of aid it will give the local system next year on the basis of pre-Katrina ridership, not current figures. As a result, the federal agency said, the RTA should receive at least $18.8 million in federal money next year. Had the special waiver not been granted, that aid could have been cut nearly in half.
$20.5 million to take agency through fall
Thursday, July 06, 2006 - TP/NOLA.com
By Bruce Eggler
It will take $20.5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency money to keep the Regional Transit Authority's buses and streetcars operating at their current level through November.
The RTA announced June 22 that the federal government had agreed to keep subsidizing the authority's operations past a previous deadline of June 30, but details of the deal, including the amount of money involved in the five-month extension, were not known at that time.
Currently, the RTA operates 28 bus routes, two streetcar lines and a special service for disabled riders. After November, the already-reduced operation is likely to be cut back even further.
The FEMA money is provided to the RTA through the Federal Transit Administration, which said the two federal agencies agreed to extend their subsidy on the understanding that the transit authority will develop plans for paying for its own operations after the federal money runs out Nov. 30.
In addition, the RTA has agreed to resume charging fares by Aug. 6. The system's basic fare was $1.25 before Hurricane Katrina. Because of the previous $47 million FEMA-FTA subsidy, all passengers have ridden for free since the RTA resumed post-Katrina service in early October.
"There is no such thing as business as usual when it comes to dealing with a changed city, which is why we are taking extraordinary steps to keep the trolleys and buses running," said Norman Mineta, secretary of the Department of Transportation, which includes the FTA. "This agreement will give local transit officials the time and resources they need to shore up their revenue, finances and operations."
But Mineta said the local authority must take the steps needed to operate on its own after November.
The RTA's agreement with FEMA and the FTA calls for it to move forward aggressively with plans to slash spending and payroll to account for a significantly smaller customer base. The city's shrunken population has resulted in sharp declines in the fare-box collections and sales-tax revenue that historically have provided the bulk of the system's operating revenue.
Besides helping to provide a direct operating subsidy since October, the FTA said it also has helped the RTA secure buses from other agencies to supplement its reduced fleet, waived a series of requirements to reduce red tape and deferred for five years the normal local match for already-awarded federal grants.
It also has agreed to calculate the amount of aid it will give the local system next year on the basis of pre-Katrina ridership, not current figures. As a result, the federal agency said, the RTA should receive at least $18.8 million in federal money next year. Had the special waiver not been granted, that aid could have been cut nearly in half.
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
Flooded school to reopen Aug. 22
Lynn Oaks enrolling elementary students
Thursday, July 06, 2006 T-P/NOLA.com (St. Bernard/Plaquemines Bureau)
By Karen Turni Bazile
Lynn Oaks School, a private elementary school in St. Bernard Parish that flooded during Hurricane Katrina, plans to reopen Aug. 22.
The school building in Braithwaite had about 3 feet of water and the gym had nearly 5 feet, said Troy Dean, the school's president and operations manager. Dean is the grandson of the school's founder and owner, St. Bernard Parish Council Chairman Lynn Dean.
The school has 187 students registered for the fall and is still enrolling youths for elementary grades, from a prekindergarten program for 3-year-olds through the eighth grade, Troy Dean said. The school office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There were 398 students enrolled when Katrina hit.
The school's new principal, Karen Green, taught kindergarten for more than 20 years at the school.
The Christian Contractors Association, the group that is offering free home demolitions in St. Bernard, is using its volunteers to help gut the school and assist with repairs, Dean said.
Living Cornerstone Church International is using the cleaned gym to distribute furniture, food and building supplies to the public on Saturdays.
For information, call the office at (504) 682-3171 or visit the school's Web site at http://www.lynnoaks.com. The office can be e-mailed at info@lynnoaks.com.
Lynn Oaks enrolling elementary students
Thursday, July 06, 2006 T-P/NOLA.com (St. Bernard/Plaquemines Bureau)
By Karen Turni Bazile
Lynn Oaks School, a private elementary school in St. Bernard Parish that flooded during Hurricane Katrina, plans to reopen Aug. 22.
The school building in Braithwaite had about 3 feet of water and the gym had nearly 5 feet, said Troy Dean, the school's president and operations manager. Dean is the grandson of the school's founder and owner, St. Bernard Parish Council Chairman Lynn Dean.
The school has 187 students registered for the fall and is still enrolling youths for elementary grades, from a prekindergarten program for 3-year-olds through the eighth grade, Troy Dean said. The school office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There were 398 students enrolled when Katrina hit.
The school's new principal, Karen Green, taught kindergarten for more than 20 years at the school.
The Christian Contractors Association, the group that is offering free home demolitions in St. Bernard, is using its volunteers to help gut the school and assist with repairs, Dean said.
Living Cornerstone Church International is using the cleaned gym to distribute furniture, food and building supplies to the public on Saturdays.
For information, call the office at (504) 682-3171 or visit the school's Web site at http://www.lynnoaks.com. The office can be e-mailed at info@lynnoaks.com.
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
St. John schools scoop up tax revenue
Sales tax revenue jumps 33 percent
Thursday, July 06, 2006 TP/NOLA.com
By Sandra Barbier
River Parishes bureau
St. John the Baptist Parish public schools are reaping the benefits of a record year in sales tax collections.
School system Finance Director Felix Boughton said taxes collected as of June 30, the end of the school district's fiscal year, were nearly 33 percent more than for 2004-05.
The School Board received $19,763,511 in sales tax revenue, $4,858,010 more than the previous year, Boughton said. The money comes from the school district's 2.25 percent local sales tax.
"Without a doubt" the total is a record, Boughton said. The increase is partly because of Hurricane Katrina, which boosted sales and the parish's population.
It's also a mixture of the economy doing well in the area and "a lot of industrial activity," he said.
What may be even better to officials is that the upturn is not expected to end.
New businesses and expansions, such as Baumer Foods, Cargill Sugar North America, DuPont Chemicals and Marathon Petroleum, will keep up the momentum.
"At the worst, we should stay where we are right now," Boughton said. "I can remember many years not collecting $20 million for the whole parish."
Overall, sales taxes in the parish have risen 234 percent in the past 10 years, he said.
Parish government, which collects 2.5 percent in sales taxes in combination with the Sheriff's Office and fire departments, earned a similar increase. The parish bases its budget on a calendar year, Boughton said.
The School Board plans to save much of the extra income for a rainy day. Officials want a reserve that is large enough to cover the district for four to six months in the event a hurricane devastates the area and cuts off local revenue, he said.
The money will be invested as part of the Louisiana Asset Management Pool, a type of governmental fund, he said.
Another priority will be to maintain teacher salaries in the top 10 in the state, and to invest in programs that will improve the curriculum and test performance, he said.
Boughton said officials also are watching the growth of new residential subdivisions in the parish. Already projections are that a second new elementary school will be needed in addition to one being planned for 2008, he said.
"We're going to start escrowing money for that" once the emergency reserve is created, he said.
Even with those plans, Boughton said, the School Board plans to lower property tax rates again next year and in 2008.
"We will still have in the neighborhood of $30 million" in bonding capacity, he said. "The future for this school system is the brightest it's ever been."
Sales tax revenue jumps 33 percent
Thursday, July 06, 2006 TP/NOLA.com
By Sandra Barbier
River Parishes bureau
St. John the Baptist Parish public schools are reaping the benefits of a record year in sales tax collections.
School system Finance Director Felix Boughton said taxes collected as of June 30, the end of the school district's fiscal year, were nearly 33 percent more than for 2004-05.
The School Board received $19,763,511 in sales tax revenue, $4,858,010 more than the previous year, Boughton said. The money comes from the school district's 2.25 percent local sales tax.
"Without a doubt" the total is a record, Boughton said. The increase is partly because of Hurricane Katrina, which boosted sales and the parish's population.
It's also a mixture of the economy doing well in the area and "a lot of industrial activity," he said.
What may be even better to officials is that the upturn is not expected to end.
New businesses and expansions, such as Baumer Foods, Cargill Sugar North America, DuPont Chemicals and Marathon Petroleum, will keep up the momentum.
"At the worst, we should stay where we are right now," Boughton said. "I can remember many years not collecting $20 million for the whole parish."
Overall, sales taxes in the parish have risen 234 percent in the past 10 years, he said.
Parish government, which collects 2.5 percent in sales taxes in combination with the Sheriff's Office and fire departments, earned a similar increase. The parish bases its budget on a calendar year, Boughton said.
The School Board plans to save much of the extra income for a rainy day. Officials want a reserve that is large enough to cover the district for four to six months in the event a hurricane devastates the area and cuts off local revenue, he said.
The money will be invested as part of the Louisiana Asset Management Pool, a type of governmental fund, he said.
Another priority will be to maintain teacher salaries in the top 10 in the state, and to invest in programs that will improve the curriculum and test performance, he said.
Boughton said officials also are watching the growth of new residential subdivisions in the parish. Already projections are that a second new elementary school will be needed in addition to one being planned for 2008, he said.
"We're going to start escrowing money for that" once the emergency reserve is created, he said.
Even with those plans, Boughton said, the School Board plans to lower property tax rates again next year and in 2008.
"We will still have in the neighborhood of $30 million" in bonding capacity, he said. "The future for this school system is the brightest it's ever been."
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
Study probes storm's effect on students
Mobility key aspect of Katrina's impact
Thursday, July 06, 2006 - TP/NOLA.com
By Jenny Hurwitz
St. Tammany bureau
For St. Tammany Parish educators, Hurricane Katrina created a series of unprecedented disruptions, fracturing school communities, uprooting thousands of students and transplanting them in unfamiliar terrain.
But the effects of such disruptions on the parish's students, test scores and accountability rankings remain largely unknown.
In an effort to shed light on the district's post-Katrina status, the St. Tammany Parish school system commissioned a study on hurricane-driven student mobility, in attempts to identify those students and sectors that were most affected by the turbulent school year.
Officials assumed that the schools in the hardest-hit areas would suffer the greatest setbacks, but they lacked evidence, as well as a broader sense of student displacement within the parish boundaries, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Margo Guilott said.
"This gave us clarity," she said.
An assessment of student demographic changes will also prove critical when considering state and federal accountability programs that hinge on test scores, particularly 2001's No Child Left Behind, said J.P. Beaudoin, of Research in Action, the Geismar-based consulting company that conducted the study.
"All this hurricane movement turned this whole academic year on its head, making the accountability scoring process very difficult," he said.
Withdrew, switched
Using records from August 2005 to March 2006, consultants tracked movement using computerized records kept by the district, which indicated when students enrolled or withdrew from parish public schools.
During that designated time frame, 37,332 students passed through the school system, the study showed.
Of those, 2,815 -- about 7.5 percent -- withdrew permanently from the district by March.
St. Tammany ended the year with about 35,000 students, slightly under its pre-Katrina count of 35,484, district records show.
More than 28 percent of all students switched schools at least once during that time period, but a breakdown by region shows a geographic disparity.
Predictably, mobility was most common in the hard-hit Slidell area, where approximately 40 percent of students switched schools at least once, the study found.
In Pearl River, 30 percent of students experienced movement, records show, a number that indicates an inflated student population rather than a hurricane-ravaged one.
Pearl River schools posted increases in student enrollment, having absorbed a number of Slidell students, as well as ones from outside the parish, according to the district's latest figures.
The mobility factor
The western side of the parish experienced less mobility; only 21 percent of Covington-area students moved at least once post-Katrina while greater Mandeville sustained the least movement among its students, at 19 percent.
The district's youngest pupils were also more likely to switch schools post-Katrina than older ones, the study revealed.
Nearly 55 percent of 4-year-old special education students moved post-Katrina, followed by those in pre-kindergarten, at 40 percent.
Officials expected higher incidences of movement among younger families, which can pick up and move more easily, Guilott said.
In contrast, St. Tammany seniors recorded the least movement with only 24 percent changing schools.
"To us that was a very good message," Guilott said. "It meant they valued their education and wanted to graduate from their high schools."
That same mindset may have also applied to gifted students, who recorded markedly lower mobility percentages than their regular and special education counterparts, officials said.
While Guilott couldn't offer a definitive explanation for this disparity, she guessed that parents of gifted students were pleased with the district's program and chose to stick with it, despite complications from the hurricane.
Starting over
Minorities, non-English language speakers and lower-income students were more likely to switch schools after Katrina, a trend that mirrored migratory patterns induced by the storm, Beaudoin said.
St. Tammany likely absorbed a number of displaced students from New Orleans, a large proportion of whom received free and reduced lunch, he said.
Likewise, Spanish-speaking immigrants have flocked to the parish post-Katrina, as part of the influx of contractors assisting in the rebuilding process, he said.
Already, the report has helped to guide policy, having served as a factor in deciding which schools would qualify to cast off their prior accountability rankings and start over as new schools.
The five schools chosen -- Abney Elementary, Brock Elementary, St. Tammany Junior High, Salmen High and Florida Avenue Elementary -- fell within the Slidell quadrant, which recorded the highest incidences of demographic shifts.
Administrators intend to use the data to target students that may have suffered the greatest educational disruptions, Guilott said.
"We'll follow up with those students, and we'll be able allocate resources and restore program content," she said.
Mobility key aspect of Katrina's impact
Thursday, July 06, 2006 - TP/NOLA.com
By Jenny Hurwitz
St. Tammany bureau
For St. Tammany Parish educators, Hurricane Katrina created a series of unprecedented disruptions, fracturing school communities, uprooting thousands of students and transplanting them in unfamiliar terrain.
But the effects of such disruptions on the parish's students, test scores and accountability rankings remain largely unknown.
In an effort to shed light on the district's post-Katrina status, the St. Tammany Parish school system commissioned a study on hurricane-driven student mobility, in attempts to identify those students and sectors that were most affected by the turbulent school year.
Officials assumed that the schools in the hardest-hit areas would suffer the greatest setbacks, but they lacked evidence, as well as a broader sense of student displacement within the parish boundaries, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Margo Guilott said.
"This gave us clarity," she said.
An assessment of student demographic changes will also prove critical when considering state and federal accountability programs that hinge on test scores, particularly 2001's No Child Left Behind, said J.P. Beaudoin, of Research in Action, the Geismar-based consulting company that conducted the study.
"All this hurricane movement turned this whole academic year on its head, making the accountability scoring process very difficult," he said.
Withdrew, switched
Using records from August 2005 to March 2006, consultants tracked movement using computerized records kept by the district, which indicated when students enrolled or withdrew from parish public schools.
During that designated time frame, 37,332 students passed through the school system, the study showed.
Of those, 2,815 -- about 7.5 percent -- withdrew permanently from the district by March.
St. Tammany ended the year with about 35,000 students, slightly under its pre-Katrina count of 35,484, district records show.
More than 28 percent of all students switched schools at least once during that time period, but a breakdown by region shows a geographic disparity.
Predictably, mobility was most common in the hard-hit Slidell area, where approximately 40 percent of students switched schools at least once, the study found.
In Pearl River, 30 percent of students experienced movement, records show, a number that indicates an inflated student population rather than a hurricane-ravaged one.
Pearl River schools posted increases in student enrollment, having absorbed a number of Slidell students, as well as ones from outside the parish, according to the district's latest figures.
The mobility factor
The western side of the parish experienced less mobility; only 21 percent of Covington-area students moved at least once post-Katrina while greater Mandeville sustained the least movement among its students, at 19 percent.
The district's youngest pupils were also more likely to switch schools post-Katrina than older ones, the study revealed.
Nearly 55 percent of 4-year-old special education students moved post-Katrina, followed by those in pre-kindergarten, at 40 percent.
Officials expected higher incidences of movement among younger families, which can pick up and move more easily, Guilott said.
In contrast, St. Tammany seniors recorded the least movement with only 24 percent changing schools.
"To us that was a very good message," Guilott said. "It meant they valued their education and wanted to graduate from their high schools."
That same mindset may have also applied to gifted students, who recorded markedly lower mobility percentages than their regular and special education counterparts, officials said.
While Guilott couldn't offer a definitive explanation for this disparity, she guessed that parents of gifted students were pleased with the district's program and chose to stick with it, despite complications from the hurricane.
Starting over
Minorities, non-English language speakers and lower-income students were more likely to switch schools after Katrina, a trend that mirrored migratory patterns induced by the storm, Beaudoin said.
St. Tammany likely absorbed a number of displaced students from New Orleans, a large proportion of whom received free and reduced lunch, he said.
Likewise, Spanish-speaking immigrants have flocked to the parish post-Katrina, as part of the influx of contractors assisting in the rebuilding process, he said.
Already, the report has helped to guide policy, having served as a factor in deciding which schools would qualify to cast off their prior accountability rankings and start over as new schools.
The five schools chosen -- Abney Elementary, Brock Elementary, St. Tammany Junior High, Salmen High and Florida Avenue Elementary -- fell within the Slidell quadrant, which recorded the highest incidences of demographic shifts.
Administrators intend to use the data to target students that may have suffered the greatest educational disruptions, Guilott said.
"We'll follow up with those students, and we'll be able allocate resources and restore program content," she said.
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
Gulf Coast News -- latest Update 7/6/06 GCN
MDOT will close the Ocean Springs Fort Bayou bridge again tonight, July 6, and on Friday, July 7 from 11:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. Work crews are repairing damage that was caused by Katrina and installing drawbridge locks to keep the bridge locked down during a future storm...Some badly needed rain has arrived but burn bans are still in effect along the Coast as the Coast is in a extreme drought. Biloxi currently does not have property insurance. Mayor Holloway has called a special council meeting today to resolve the crisis... A Pass Christian man shot in the stomach Tuesday had his children with him...Gulfport is trying to figure out how to reimburse property owners over excess building permit fees... Ocean Springs is cutting the price of building permits... Rebuilding homes on the Coast is still moving slowly and many residents living in FEMA trailers are beginning to get concerned over the 18-month FEMA deadline for moving out of the trailers... MDOT wants people to stop dumping debris along the Coast's roadways. FEMA reports that more than 102,500 people are housed temporarily in 37,995 FEMA-provided trailers nearly ten months after Katrina. The Coast is still in relief mode not recovery nearly ten months after Hurricane Katrina. 7/6/06 8:40 AM
MDOT will close the Ocean Springs Fort Bayou bridge again tonight, July 6, and on Friday, July 7 from 11:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. Work crews are repairing damage that was caused by Katrina and installing drawbridge locks to keep the bridge locked down during a future storm...Some badly needed rain has arrived but burn bans are still in effect along the Coast as the Coast is in a extreme drought. Biloxi currently does not have property insurance. Mayor Holloway has called a special council meeting today to resolve the crisis... A Pass Christian man shot in the stomach Tuesday had his children with him...Gulfport is trying to figure out how to reimburse property owners over excess building permit fees... Ocean Springs is cutting the price of building permits... Rebuilding homes on the Coast is still moving slowly and many residents living in FEMA trailers are beginning to get concerned over the 18-month FEMA deadline for moving out of the trailers... MDOT wants people to stop dumping debris along the Coast's roadways. FEMA reports that more than 102,500 people are housed temporarily in 37,995 FEMA-provided trailers nearly ten months after Katrina. The Coast is still in relief mode not recovery nearly ten months after Hurricane Katrina. 7/6/06 8:40 AM
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
7/6/2006
Council approves portions of insurance package
Your City at Work... City of Biloxi
Mayor A.J. Holloway said he was pleased that City Council members approved portions of the city’s property insurance package this morning, and he hoped councilmembers will agree to renew the city’s fire insurance policy during a special-called meeting Friday morning.
Councilmembers this morning voted to approve the city’s flood, automobile and equipment policies, and part of the proposed wind policy, but stopped short of approving policies to provide fire insurance and an additional $10 million in coverage for wind and other perils.
Those attending the meeting and voting in favor of the measure were councilmembers David Fayard, Ed Gemmill, Tom Wall and Mike Fitzpatrick.
“This is a good first step,” Holloway said, “but the issue won’t be fully resolved until we follow through on the additional portions of the package, the fire insurance and coverage on other perils.”
The council will discuss the issue during a special meeting Friday morning at 10 at City Hall.
Council approves portions of insurance package
Your City at Work... City of Biloxi
Mayor A.J. Holloway said he was pleased that City Council members approved portions of the city’s property insurance package this morning, and he hoped councilmembers will agree to renew the city’s fire insurance policy during a special-called meeting Friday morning.
Councilmembers this morning voted to approve the city’s flood, automobile and equipment policies, and part of the proposed wind policy, but stopped short of approving policies to provide fire insurance and an additional $10 million in coverage for wind and other perils.
Those attending the meeting and voting in favor of the measure were councilmembers David Fayard, Ed Gemmill, Tom Wall and Mike Fitzpatrick.
“This is a good first step,” Holloway said, “but the issue won’t be fully resolved until we follow through on the additional portions of the package, the fire insurance and coverage on other perils.”
The council will discuss the issue during a special meeting Friday morning at 10 at City Hall.
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
Rains barely make dent in drought
dated: 7/6/06:
Rainfall deficit above 20 inches
By MELISSA M. SCALLAN
sunherald.com
GULFPORT - Thunderstorms over the past few days have eased dry conditions in South Mississippi but haven't made much of a dent in the rainfall deficit.
Much of the Gulf Coast is in a wet weather pattern, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service in New Orleans, and that likely will continue for the next few days.
"It's mitigating the drought conditions because the ground isn't so dry," said Dana Griffin with the weather service. "This is the best thing that could happen for this region. We're getting the residual moisture and some of the rain showers. I wish we could stay in this pattern."
Because of the dry conditions in past months, South Mississippi has seen more and longer-lasting wildfires than normal, and burn bans are in effect in many area counties.
Heavy rain fell in the region late Wednesday afternoon and into the early evening hours. Today, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms for South Mississippi. Tonight, that rain chance drops to 30 percent. On Friday, the chance of rain is 40 percent. The chance of rain will decrease even more throughout the weekend because of a weak cold front moving through the area on Friday that will dry things out somewhat, Griffin said.
"Probably next week we'll get into a more seasonal pattern for this time of year where we see rain showers in the afternoon," he said.
South Mississippi is about 20 inches below normal for this time of year, Griffin said, but he expects the recent rains to help a little bit.
"We're still in a drought, but it's probably not an extreme drought anymore," he said. "We've had some good rainfall totals, and it certainly is helping the situation."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weather stats
Here are temperature and rainfall numbers for South Mississippi for June:
June Actual Normal
High 97 91
Low 62 70
Rainfall 2.56 5.04
Rain YTD 10.32 34.02
- ACCUWEATHER
dated: 7/6/06:
Rainfall deficit above 20 inches
By MELISSA M. SCALLAN
sunherald.com
GULFPORT - Thunderstorms over the past few days have eased dry conditions in South Mississippi but haven't made much of a dent in the rainfall deficit.
Much of the Gulf Coast is in a wet weather pattern, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service in New Orleans, and that likely will continue for the next few days.
"It's mitigating the drought conditions because the ground isn't so dry," said Dana Griffin with the weather service. "This is the best thing that could happen for this region. We're getting the residual moisture and some of the rain showers. I wish we could stay in this pattern."
Because of the dry conditions in past months, South Mississippi has seen more and longer-lasting wildfires than normal, and burn bans are in effect in many area counties.
Heavy rain fell in the region late Wednesday afternoon and into the early evening hours. Today, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms for South Mississippi. Tonight, that rain chance drops to 30 percent. On Friday, the chance of rain is 40 percent. The chance of rain will decrease even more throughout the weekend because of a weak cold front moving through the area on Friday that will dry things out somewhat, Griffin said.
"Probably next week we'll get into a more seasonal pattern for this time of year where we see rain showers in the afternoon," he said.
South Mississippi is about 20 inches below normal for this time of year, Griffin said, but he expects the recent rains to help a little bit.
"We're still in a drought, but it's probably not an extreme drought anymore," he said. "We've had some good rainfall totals, and it certainly is helping the situation."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weather stats
Here are temperature and rainfall numbers for South Mississippi for June:
June Actual Normal
High 97 91
Low 62 70
Rainfall 2.56 5.04
Rain YTD 10.32 34.02
- ACCUWEATHER
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
3 killed in state over 4th
18 injured statewide over holiday weekend
By ROBIN FITZGERALD
sunherald.com
GULFPORT - The Mississippi Highway Patrol confirmed three deaths in two traffic crashes during the holiday weekend, and though none of the fatal crashes occurred in the six southern counties, it's where the highest number of traffic accidents occurred.
Highway Patrol officers of Troop K in Gulfport investigated 11 of the 47 crashes on state highways in the holiday period from 6 p.m. Friday through midnight Tuesday. The crashes in South Mississippi injured four people. A total of 18 injuries were reported statewide.
The fatal crashes occurred Tuesday within a 30-minute period on state highways in the Meridian and Hattiesburg areas.
At least one of the victims was wearing a seat belt, according to Highway Patrol Staff Sgt. Jimmie Dale Thomas.
Jerry Wilson, 62, of Carthage, was buckled up when his vehicle left the road and collided with a building off Mississippi 502. The 5:45 p.m. crash occurred a half-mile north of Madden in Leake County.
Laurinda McDonald, 36, of Petal, and Channing Anderson, 16, of Richton, died when their vehicles collided on Mississippi 42 at 5:19 p.m.
McDonald, who was not wearing a seat belt, was westbound in a 1988 Dodge when she collided with an eastbound 2001 Chevrolet driven by Anderson, according to Thomas. It wasn't clear if Anderson was restrained.
Both accidents remain under investigation.
The Highway Patrol issued 63 seatbelt citations statewide and 25 citations for failing to properly restrain a child.
The Gulfport district issued nine seatbelt citations and five child restraint citations. Troop K also arrested three people on charges of driving under the influence, in comparison with 50 DUI arrests statewide.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By the numbers
The Mississippi Highway Patrol wrote 3,130 citations statewide during the July 4 weekend, with 343 citations written by Troop K of Gulfport. A breakdown of local and state numbers:
• Statewide: Fatal crashes, 2; fatalities, 3; injuries, 18; alcohol-related crashes, 2; hazardous citations, 2,044; non-hazardous, 935; DUI, 50; drug arrests, 7; felony arrests, 5; public drunk, 1; seat belt, 63; child restraint, 25.
• Troop K: Hazardous citations, 240; non-hazardous, 83; DUI, 3; seatbelt, 9; child restraint, 5.
18 injured statewide over holiday weekend
By ROBIN FITZGERALD
sunherald.com
GULFPORT - The Mississippi Highway Patrol confirmed three deaths in two traffic crashes during the holiday weekend, and though none of the fatal crashes occurred in the six southern counties, it's where the highest number of traffic accidents occurred.
Highway Patrol officers of Troop K in Gulfport investigated 11 of the 47 crashes on state highways in the holiday period from 6 p.m. Friday through midnight Tuesday. The crashes in South Mississippi injured four people. A total of 18 injuries were reported statewide.
The fatal crashes occurred Tuesday within a 30-minute period on state highways in the Meridian and Hattiesburg areas.
At least one of the victims was wearing a seat belt, according to Highway Patrol Staff Sgt. Jimmie Dale Thomas.
Jerry Wilson, 62, of Carthage, was buckled up when his vehicle left the road and collided with a building off Mississippi 502. The 5:45 p.m. crash occurred a half-mile north of Madden in Leake County.
Laurinda McDonald, 36, of Petal, and Channing Anderson, 16, of Richton, died when their vehicles collided on Mississippi 42 at 5:19 p.m.
McDonald, who was not wearing a seat belt, was westbound in a 1988 Dodge when she collided with an eastbound 2001 Chevrolet driven by Anderson, according to Thomas. It wasn't clear if Anderson was restrained.
Both accidents remain under investigation.
The Highway Patrol issued 63 seatbelt citations statewide and 25 citations for failing to properly restrain a child.
The Gulfport district issued nine seatbelt citations and five child restraint citations. Troop K also arrested three people on charges of driving under the influence, in comparison with 50 DUI arrests statewide.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By the numbers
The Mississippi Highway Patrol wrote 3,130 citations statewide during the July 4 weekend, with 343 citations written by Troop K of Gulfport. A breakdown of local and state numbers:
• Statewide: Fatal crashes, 2; fatalities, 3; injuries, 18; alcohol-related crashes, 2; hazardous citations, 2,044; non-hazardous, 935; DUI, 50; drug arrests, 7; felony arrests, 5; public drunk, 1; seat belt, 63; child restraint, 25.
• Troop K: Hazardous citations, 240; non-hazardous, 83; DUI, 3; seatbelt, 9; child restraint, 5.
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
Mobile man held on bomb threat charge
Mobile Press Register/AL.com - Thursday, July 6, 2006
Complaining about his court-appointed lawyer and a microchip supposedly implanted in his head, a Mobile man pleaded not guilty today to charges that he threatened to blow up the CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. Appearing at his arraignment before federal Magistrate Judge William Cassady in Mobile, Richard Paul Weaver asked to be allowed to represent himself and to be released from jail pending trial. He also asked the judge to contact two officials in the CIA on his behalf. When Cassady asked for what purpose, Weaver responded, "It's a matter of national security."
Weaver then added that he has a chip in his head. "It's CIA property," he said.
Cassady said Weaver will have to remain in custody until a competency hearing requested by prosecutors. He set the case for the September trial term.
- Brendan Kirby; posted at 3:46 p.m.
Mobile Press Register/AL.com - Thursday, July 6, 2006
Complaining about his court-appointed lawyer and a microchip supposedly implanted in his head, a Mobile man pleaded not guilty today to charges that he threatened to blow up the CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. Appearing at his arraignment before federal Magistrate Judge William Cassady in Mobile, Richard Paul Weaver asked to be allowed to represent himself and to be released from jail pending trial. He also asked the judge to contact two officials in the CIA on his behalf. When Cassady asked for what purpose, Weaver responded, "It's a matter of national security."
Weaver then added that he has a chip in his head. "It's CIA property," he said.
Cassady said Weaver will have to remain in custody until a competency hearing requested by prosecutors. He set the case for the September trial term.
- Brendan Kirby; posted at 3:46 p.m.
0 likes
-
beachbum_al
- Category 5
- Posts: 2163
- Age: 55
- Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:23 pm
- Location: South Alabama Coast
- Contact:
I hope this is okay I posted this from the Mobile Register.
This is the zoo that was badly damage during Ivan.
Little Zoo that Could gets ....
Twenty-five acres along Baldwin County 6 were donated today to the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo for a new zoo site. The tract about 3 miles north of the current zoo was given by the Clyde Weir family, which owns Souvenir City beach specialty stores in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Plans call for a groundbreaking for the new facility in late 2007 or early 2008. The property is east of Alabama 59 in Gulf Shores. The zoo has received national recognition through a reality TV series on the Animal Planet network called "The Little Zoo That Could."
- Ryan Dezember; posted at 11 a.m.[/b]
This is the zoo that was badly damage during Ivan.
Little Zoo that Could gets ....
Twenty-five acres along Baldwin County 6 were donated today to the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo for a new zoo site. The tract about 3 miles north of the current zoo was given by the Clyde Weir family, which owns Souvenir City beach specialty stores in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Plans call for a groundbreaking for the new facility in late 2007 or early 2008. The property is east of Alabama 59 in Gulf Shores. The zoo has received national recognition through a reality TV series on the Animal Planet network called "The Little Zoo That Could."
- Ryan Dezember; posted at 11 a.m.[/b]
Last edited by beachbum_al on Fri Jul 07, 2006 8:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
Beachbum al:
Any time you wish to add an article, by ALL means feel free. On the first page I said that any/all contributors from the central Gulf are more than welcome to post their news... from Vermillion Bay area of Louisiana, East to the Mobile Bay area--- go ahead. I'm only sorry I can't edit that for you, as the headline should be put in big bold print!
I'd read that article about the zoo, as well, and was thinking of adding it when I was afraid my "ditzy" ISP might give out on me, as it has for so many times in the past... I'm glad you posted it. Feel free to do so on any other articles from Mobile, or Baldwin, or whatever area in the region you're from... they're completely welcome on this thread. I only wish we could get more contributors, because I can't get enough from areas like Houma/Thibodeaux, and frankly not enough from Mississippi; but I do what I can, when I can.
Thanks for the contribution!
A2K
Any time you wish to add an article, by ALL means feel free. On the first page I said that any/all contributors from the central Gulf are more than welcome to post their news... from Vermillion Bay area of Louisiana, East to the Mobile Bay area--- go ahead. I'm only sorry I can't edit that for you, as the headline should be put in big bold print!
I'd read that article about the zoo, as well, and was thinking of adding it when I was afraid my "ditzy" ISP might give out on me, as it has for so many times in the past... I'm glad you posted it. Feel free to do so on any other articles from Mobile, or Baldwin, or whatever area in the region you're from... they're completely welcome on this thread. I only wish we could get more contributors, because I can't get enough from areas like Houma/Thibodeaux, and frankly not enough from Mississippi; but I do what I can, when I can.
Thanks for the contribution!
A2K
0 likes
Flossy 56 Audrey 57 Hilda 64* Betsy 65* Camille 69* Edith 71 Carmen 74 Bob 79 Danny 85 Elena 85 Juan 85 Florence 88 Andrew 92*, Opal 95, Danny 97, Georges 98*, Isidore 02, Lili 02, Ivan 04, Cindy 05*, Dennis 05, Katrina 05*, Gustav 08*, Isaac 12*, Nate 17, Barry 19, Cristobal 20, Marco, 20, Sally, 20, Zeta 20*, Claudette 21 IDA* 21 Francine *24
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
St. Bernard begins process to condemn more than 7,800 properties
The St. Bernard Parish Council on Thursday designated more than 7,800 properties damaged by Hurricane Katrina as blighted, beginning a process that will give owners only a few weeks to avoid having their properties condemned and set for demolition, officials said.
The council approved the move saying it wanted to push owners of the properties, spread all over St. Bernard, to indicate whether they intend to repair or demolish the buildings. Owners of most of the parish 45,000 structures, including commercial and residential, have already stated an intention regarding their properties, officials said.
The list of blighted homes will be officially posted in the Parish Courthouse in Chalmette in the near future, the council said. After that, property owners will have 10 days to personally contest the designation at the parish government complex. Owners who do not protest the designation will have their properties condemned and placed in a list of buildings to be demolished.
To View complete list of homes already listed, follow this link:
http://www.nola.com/katrina/stbernard.html
The St. Bernard Parish Council on Thursday designated more than 7,800 properties damaged by Hurricane Katrina as blighted, beginning a process that will give owners only a few weeks to avoid having their properties condemned and set for demolition, officials said.
The council approved the move saying it wanted to push owners of the properties, spread all over St. Bernard, to indicate whether they intend to repair or demolish the buildings. Owners of most of the parish 45,000 structures, including commercial and residential, have already stated an intention regarding their properties, officials said.
The list of blighted homes will be officially posted in the Parish Courthouse in Chalmette in the near future, the council said. After that, property owners will have 10 days to personally contest the designation at the parish government complex. Owners who do not protest the designation will have their properties condemned and placed in a list of buildings to be demolished.
To View complete list of homes already listed, follow this link:
http://www.nola.com/katrina/stbernard.html
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
5 subdivisions halted in St. Tammany
By Charlie Chapple - TP/NOLA.com 7/6/06
St. Tammany bureau
The St. Tammany Parish Zoning Commission, listening to concerns raised by residents, has denied or put on hold rezonings sought by developers for five new subdivisions across the parish.
Residents from Slidell to Bush to Goodbee jammed a commission meeting Wednesday night to protest zoning changes sought for developments they said would be incompatible and too dense for the surrounding areas.
The biggest group of citizens was from Magnolia Forest, northeast of Slidell, who turned out in force to oppose a zoning change for small development of 37 townhouses on 13.5 acres at Morgan Bluff Road and Nottaway Drive next to the subdivision.
Magnolia Forest Homeowners Association President Dawn Orgeron presented the commission a petition signed by more than 400 area residents opposed to the development proposed by Toby Lowe and Fred Goodson.
Orgeron, reading from the petition, said the development is incompatible with the surrounding area with homesites of at least one acre.
“People who do not want greenspace, who do not want to cut their grass and plant gardens, do not seek refuge in rural suburban areas,” Orgeron said. “They want condominiums and town houses in (more) urban areas with walking paths and amenities.” Area residents are vehemently opposed to the development, Orgeron said, “and at some time, what people want in their neighborhood has to count.”
Steve Duvernay, attorney for the developers, said the proposed “Tiger Trace” subdivision would feature upscale homes similar those in the Grand Champions section of Oak Harbor subdivision south of Slidell.
And the small development would have no adverse impact on the surrounding area, Duvernay said.
But commission members agreed with the residents and unanimously denied the rezoning. The proposed development “doesn’t fit the style of Magnolia Forest with larger wooded lots,” commission member James Scroggins said.
Dozens of Bush residents came to the meeting with a petition signed by more than 350 citizens opposed to a zoning change sought by Dave Aymond and Lazy Creek Development for 34 acres along both sides of Williams-Galloway Cemetery Road, just north of Louisiana 40.
Aymond wants to rezone the tract from rural to A-2 residential, a classification that requires homesites of at least one acre. Residents said rezoning the tract would be incompatible with a sparsely-populated area of multi-acre homesteads.
Aymond’s attorney, Paul Mayronne, said Aymond was unaware of residents’ objections to the rezoning and got the commission to table the request. The commission set a community meeting for July 18 at 6 p.m. so Aymond can discuss his plans with neighboring residents.
The commission set another community meeting at 7 p.m. on July 18 to discuss a rezoning request sought by Marilyn Beupre and Fit-Right LLC for an 80-lot subdivision on 25 acres between Little Creek Road and Interstate 12, just east of Louisiana 59 north of Mandeville.
Residents living just to the north of the tract opposed the proposed development, saying it is too dense and would add to traffic problems along the Louisiana 59 corridor around the interstate.
Both community meetings will be held in the Parish Council chambers of the parish government complex north of Mandeville.
The commission, citing density concerns, denied a zoning change sought by Henry Stanga and Gordon Murray for a 28-acre tract along the western side of Louisiana 1077 between Stanga and Joyner-Wymer roads in Goodbee.
Although the developers had not calculated the number of homesites on their development, they estimated that it would have about 3.5 lots per acre.
“That’s just too dense” for the rural area, said commission member Jay de la Houssaye, moving to deny the request.
The commission tabled a zoning change sought by CERP Development and Kyle and Associates for a 140-lot subdivision on 254 acres along the eastern side of Louisiana 1077 and McGee Road in Goodbee.
Although the rezoning was tabled because of a glitch in the legal description of the property, members of the Goodbee Civic Association were ready to argue that the proposed subdivision’s density is too high.
By Charlie Chapple - TP/NOLA.com 7/6/06
St. Tammany bureau
The St. Tammany Parish Zoning Commission, listening to concerns raised by residents, has denied or put on hold rezonings sought by developers for five new subdivisions across the parish.
Residents from Slidell to Bush to Goodbee jammed a commission meeting Wednesday night to protest zoning changes sought for developments they said would be incompatible and too dense for the surrounding areas.
The biggest group of citizens was from Magnolia Forest, northeast of Slidell, who turned out in force to oppose a zoning change for small development of 37 townhouses on 13.5 acres at Morgan Bluff Road and Nottaway Drive next to the subdivision.
Magnolia Forest Homeowners Association President Dawn Orgeron presented the commission a petition signed by more than 400 area residents opposed to the development proposed by Toby Lowe and Fred Goodson.
Orgeron, reading from the petition, said the development is incompatible with the surrounding area with homesites of at least one acre.
“People who do not want greenspace, who do not want to cut their grass and plant gardens, do not seek refuge in rural suburban areas,” Orgeron said. “They want condominiums and town houses in (more) urban areas with walking paths and amenities.” Area residents are vehemently opposed to the development, Orgeron said, “and at some time, what people want in their neighborhood has to count.”
Steve Duvernay, attorney for the developers, said the proposed “Tiger Trace” subdivision would feature upscale homes similar those in the Grand Champions section of Oak Harbor subdivision south of Slidell.
And the small development would have no adverse impact on the surrounding area, Duvernay said.
But commission members agreed with the residents and unanimously denied the rezoning. The proposed development “doesn’t fit the style of Magnolia Forest with larger wooded lots,” commission member James Scroggins said.
Dozens of Bush residents came to the meeting with a petition signed by more than 350 citizens opposed to a zoning change sought by Dave Aymond and Lazy Creek Development for 34 acres along both sides of Williams-Galloway Cemetery Road, just north of Louisiana 40.
Aymond wants to rezone the tract from rural to A-2 residential, a classification that requires homesites of at least one acre. Residents said rezoning the tract would be incompatible with a sparsely-populated area of multi-acre homesteads.
Aymond’s attorney, Paul Mayronne, said Aymond was unaware of residents’ objections to the rezoning and got the commission to table the request. The commission set a community meeting for July 18 at 6 p.m. so Aymond can discuss his plans with neighboring residents.
The commission set another community meeting at 7 p.m. on July 18 to discuss a rezoning request sought by Marilyn Beupre and Fit-Right LLC for an 80-lot subdivision on 25 acres between Little Creek Road and Interstate 12, just east of Louisiana 59 north of Mandeville.
Residents living just to the north of the tract opposed the proposed development, saying it is too dense and would add to traffic problems along the Louisiana 59 corridor around the interstate.
Both community meetings will be held in the Parish Council chambers of the parish government complex north of Mandeville.
The commission, citing density concerns, denied a zoning change sought by Henry Stanga and Gordon Murray for a 28-acre tract along the western side of Louisiana 1077 between Stanga and Joyner-Wymer roads in Goodbee.
Although the developers had not calculated the number of homesites on their development, they estimated that it would have about 3.5 lots per acre.
“That’s just too dense” for the rural area, said commission member Jay de la Houssaye, moving to deny the request.
The commission tabled a zoning change sought by CERP Development and Kyle and Associates for a 140-lot subdivision on 254 acres along the eastern side of Louisiana 1077 and McGee Road in Goodbee.
Although the rezoning was tabled because of a glitch in the legal description of the property, members of the Goodbee Civic Association were ready to argue that the proposed subdivision’s density is too high.
Last edited by Audrey2Katrina on Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
Donated cars were intended for governmental agencies not charities
By Gordon Russell TP/NOLA.com 7/6/06
Staff writer
When carmaker DaimlerChrysler AG donated 40 trucks and sport utility vehicles to Katrina-crushed governments in southeastern Louisiana last September, company officials never imagined some of them would wind up in the hands of private nonprofits.
In fact, the company said Thursday that it made clear to the cities and parishes that received the gifts — collectively valued at more than $1 million — that they were for the exclusive use of public agencies or government units, such as police and fire departments. Dave Elshoff, a DaimlerChrysler spokesman, said those instructions were delivered, both verbally and in writing, to then New Orleans City Councilwoman Renee Gill Pratt, who signed for 20 of the cars when they were delivered to Baton Rouge.
Yet eight months later, Gill Pratt would arrange for the donation of four cars to two nonprofits to which she has close ties — donations that on Thursday, four days after they were disclosed, led City Council members to call for the cars to be returned to the city and the local head of the FBI to announce a criminal probe of the matter.
Jim Bernazzani, special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans office, called Gill Pratt’s dealings “a significant anomaly on the normal way to do business.”
“We have the predicate to look. We’re going to ask very tough questions, and we expect to get answers,” he said.
Indications of the probe come as city documents and interviews show that Gill-Pratt was not the only one to send cars to private nonprofits. Former City Council members Jay Batt, Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson and Eddie Sapir also designated donations of a combined six vehicles to private nonprofits, among them two closely connected to Sapir. Not all the cars were delivered or legally transfered, but all are being asked to be returned now.
The other council members who received cars, Council President Oliver Thomas and members Cynthia Hedge-Morrell and Cynthia Willard-Lewis, did not detail what their combined six vehicles have been used for in recent months. But all three said said in a statement that on Thursday they gave up the keys to the city.
Weeks after the charities received the cars, Gill Pratt was bounced from office — and quickly hired by one of the two nonprofits, Care Unlimited. A perk of the new job: the $30,000 Dodge Durango that she had steered to the charity weeks earlier.
She was chosen to receive the cars on behalf of the city by embattled U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, Gill Pratt’s political mentor and the subject of a wide-ranging federal investigation involving bribery allegations. DaimlerChrysler had used Jefferson and fellow U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Metairie, as liaisons for the donations, allowing each congressman to steer a total of 20 vehicles to public agencies each representative determined most in need. Jindal received similar directions about how the cars were to be used, the company said.
The vehicles Jindal handled, including 20 Dodges and another 15 donated by Ford Motor Co., all appear to have been assigned to government agencies, though some are being used by specific employees, according to the agencies that received them.
DaimlerChrysler officials said they thought they made their goals clear enough to Gill Pratt. But City Council members — each of whom was given use of two cars shortly after the storm — said they were all told to pick out a charity to receive the cars instead of sending them to the city’s fleet. They did not say if those instructions came from Gill Pratt.
“We issued manufacturer certificates of origin and intentionally titled these to the city and to government agencies for their public service,” Elshoff said in an e-mail. “I’m sure we could have easily identified nonprofits if that was our intention. In fact, we donated $50,000 to the Baton Rouge Food Bank that same day (the trucks were donated). If we wanted to give (the food bank) a truck, we would have.”
Gill Pratt did not return phone messages Thursday. She has defended her donations and has said the fact that she ended up using one of the donated cars once out of office was just a coincidence.
“My intention when I donated the car was to be re-elected,” she said last week. “But sometimes God puts things in places for you.”
Public outcry
Gill-Pratt’s actions have caused a public uproar since they were detailed in a story published in The Times-Picayune Sunday that also laid out other transactions that suggested she often benefited groups with which she had close personnal ties— among them, her rental of a “satellite office” from a political and personal ally at an eyebrow-raising price, and her steering of millions of dollars in public money to two nonprofits to which she has long and close ties, including her current employer.
Responding to the outcry on Thursday, Thomas called on all former council members and any nonprofit groups to which they turned over donated vehicles to return the vehicles to the city.
Thomas said the two vehicles he received and the four assigned to Hedge-Morrell and Willard-Lewis have been turned over to the city’s equipment maintenance division and are available for regular city use. He said council members and their staff used the vehicles after the storm for “field operations, emergency rescue and food donation operations” but did not say how they have been used in recent months.
Despite repeated inquiries from The Times-Picayune in recent weeks, officials in the Nagin administration, who are responsible for the city’s car fleet, have been unable to fully account for the use of the donated vehicles.
The council on Thursday also voted 7-0 to ask the city attorney’s office to “review the issues involved in Hurricane Katrina-related donations of motor vehicles and the subsequent disposition of those motor vehicles, and the council’s disposition of city-controlled funds.”
The resolution asked City Attorney Penya Moses-Fields, whose office approved the vehicle transfers to the nonprofits designated by Gill Pratt, to report back to the council at its July 20 meeting.
In the case of Gill Pratt’s donations, the city attorney’s office prepared cooperative endeavor agreements with Care Unlimited and Orleans Metropolitan Housing. The president of the second group is Mose Jefferson, brother of Bill Jefferson. The agreements were all signed by Mayor Ray Nagin.
However, no council ordinances regarding those agreements were passed, and some lawyers familiar with case law in similar episodes say they believe the transfers may be invalid as a result.
“The city has liberty to enter into cooperative agreements as it sees fit,” Moses-Fields said. “I don’t know the basis of that. I think this meets form and legality. But I would certainly like to look at whatever they have.”
Review sought
Thomas said that after the legal questions are resolved, some of the vehicles might be returned to the nonprofit groups that have been using them.
Thomas said he has asked Hedge-Morrell, chairwoman of the council’s Budget Committee, to consider creating a subcommittee to look at all city contracts and all money and other donations the city receives. He said the city is in line to get billions of dollars in federal money for reconstruction projects and must let the nation know the money will be spent wisely and honestly.
The city’s review, however, will not be the only scrutiny on the deals.
Bernazzani, the FBI’s head in New Orleans, said the agency will also probe Gill Pratt’s transactions. While the FBI typically remains silent about investigations, he said the agency occasionally comments on cases that have attracted public interest. But he said that the public should not take that as a sign that crimes were committed.
“Being incredibly selfish,” he said, referring to Gill Pratt, “is not a criminal act unto itself. We have no preconceived notion of criminal activity. We’re launching a probe designed to surface facts. We will follow those facts and wherever they go will dictate our action. In the event they surface criminal activity, we will present our findings to prosecutors.”
Council got 16 cars
Melanie Roussell, Rep. Bill Jefferson’s spokeswoman, said the congressman also understood that the vehicles would ultimately go to nonprofits, but she said the congressman could not recall who told him that.
Roussell said she did not know precisely why Gill Pratt got control of four vehicles, compared to two apiece for the other six members of the council, but said she supposed it was because she agreed to serve as the liaison for the vehicle transfers.
Of the 20 vehicles allotted to Jefferson and Gill Pratt, 16 went to the City Council. The Jefferson Parish municipalities of Gretna, Kenner, Lafitte and Westwego each received one of the remaining four cars.
Officials from Kenner and Lafitte said those trucks are being used by city employees, while the truck that went to Gretna has been used on an off-and-on basis by a charity. It is stationed with the city’s public-works department, Mayor Ronnie Harris said.
The city of Gretna also received three Fords from Jindal’s office, all of which are being used by department heads, Harris said.
The Kenner truck, now being used by new Mayor Ed Muniz’s chief of staff, Mike Yenni, will be retrofitted in the near future so it can be used as an emergency vehicle, Yenni said. “That’s what they were donated for,” Yenni said.
The 35 cars handled by Jindal’s office went to 19 different agencies in seven parishes, including St. Tammany, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines.
Most of the agencies reached Thursday said none of the cars are being donated to other entities and most are assigned to their fleet for government functions, though others are being used by specific officials.
Most notably in St. Tammany, Parish President Kevin Davis has been using a black, 2006 Dodge 1500 donated by DaimlerChrysler, said Parish spokeswoman Suzanne Parsons-Stymiest. She said the vehicle is assigned to Davis’ office and not to the parish president himself.
6 cars transferred
While New Orleans council members were expecting to give away all 16 of the vehicles allotted to them, only six were ever actually fully transferred, the city said, including the four cars assigned to Gill Pratt. Batt was the only other member of the council to complete a successful transfer: He directed one vehicle to the Lakeview Crime Prevention District and the other to the Audubon Nature Institute. Because both are “quasi-public” agencies, the titles remain in the name of the city, while the agencies have permission to use the cars.
The hangups in transferring the cars appeas generally to be due to a bottleneck in the city attorney’s office in getting the legal paperwork done.
Batt, for instance, said he announced his donation of to the Lakeview crime district in November, but the paperwork took almost six months, during which time the car, frustratingly, went unused.
But apart from Gill Pratt, it seems that only former Councilman Eddie Sapir sought to donate a car each to two groups with whom he had close personnal ties: Friends of NORD and Victims and Citizens Against Crime, though neither donation has been completed yet.
Friends of NORD’s executive director is Nancy Broadhurst, who is married to lawyer and Sapir political confidant Bill Broadhurst. In preparation for using the car in her official capacity, Nancy Broadhurst took out insurance on the car, her husband said, but she has been unable to drive it because the city never transferred the title.
Bill Broadhurst said he would have no problem if city officials decide to take the car back.
“If they say no, these go to the city, Eddie will retract the donations,” he said. “He’s not trying to go find places to put trucks. That’s not something he’s worried about. He’ll revoke the donations if they ask him to.”
Former Councilwoman Clarkson was apparently the first council member to give her cars way. But though she did so in the first weeks after the storm, the paperwork never followed, and the vehicles she sent to two churches in her district have been idle as a result.
She gave one each to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Faubourg Marigny and Greater St. Mary Baptist Church in Algiers, each of which was operating food-distribution centers after the storm. Pastor J. Nelson Brown of Greater St. Mary said that he had been pulled over in the donated truck recently because it lacked a valid license plate.
Police recognized him, he said, but told him not to use the truck until the ownership issues were straightened out, and it has since been parked at the church.
The six vehicles that were assigned, two apiece, to Thomas, Hedge-Morrell and Willard-Lewis, have never been donated to nonprofits.
Thomas said Thursday that he had planned to donate one to the Harmony Center, and perhaps another to the Council on Aging, a charity he said Hedge-Morrell was also considering. An aide for Willard-Lewis would not say which charity she had been planning to give her cars to.
Staff writers Bruce Eggler, Meghan Gordon, Bruce Hamilton, Michelle Hunter, Kate Moran, Dennis Persica and Mary Swerczek contributed to this story.
By Gordon Russell TP/NOLA.com 7/6/06
Staff writer
When carmaker DaimlerChrysler AG donated 40 trucks and sport utility vehicles to Katrina-crushed governments in southeastern Louisiana last September, company officials never imagined some of them would wind up in the hands of private nonprofits.
In fact, the company said Thursday that it made clear to the cities and parishes that received the gifts — collectively valued at more than $1 million — that they were for the exclusive use of public agencies or government units, such as police and fire departments. Dave Elshoff, a DaimlerChrysler spokesman, said those instructions were delivered, both verbally and in writing, to then New Orleans City Councilwoman Renee Gill Pratt, who signed for 20 of the cars when they were delivered to Baton Rouge.
Yet eight months later, Gill Pratt would arrange for the donation of four cars to two nonprofits to which she has close ties — donations that on Thursday, four days after they were disclosed, led City Council members to call for the cars to be returned to the city and the local head of the FBI to announce a criminal probe of the matter.
Jim Bernazzani, special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans office, called Gill Pratt’s dealings “a significant anomaly on the normal way to do business.”
“We have the predicate to look. We’re going to ask very tough questions, and we expect to get answers,” he said.
Indications of the probe come as city documents and interviews show that Gill-Pratt was not the only one to send cars to private nonprofits. Former City Council members Jay Batt, Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson and Eddie Sapir also designated donations of a combined six vehicles to private nonprofits, among them two closely connected to Sapir. Not all the cars were delivered or legally transfered, but all are being asked to be returned now.
The other council members who received cars, Council President Oliver Thomas and members Cynthia Hedge-Morrell and Cynthia Willard-Lewis, did not detail what their combined six vehicles have been used for in recent months. But all three said said in a statement that on Thursday they gave up the keys to the city.
Weeks after the charities received the cars, Gill Pratt was bounced from office — and quickly hired by one of the two nonprofits, Care Unlimited. A perk of the new job: the $30,000 Dodge Durango that she had steered to the charity weeks earlier.
She was chosen to receive the cars on behalf of the city by embattled U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, Gill Pratt’s political mentor and the subject of a wide-ranging federal investigation involving bribery allegations. DaimlerChrysler had used Jefferson and fellow U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Metairie, as liaisons for the donations, allowing each congressman to steer a total of 20 vehicles to public agencies each representative determined most in need. Jindal received similar directions about how the cars were to be used, the company said.
The vehicles Jindal handled, including 20 Dodges and another 15 donated by Ford Motor Co., all appear to have been assigned to government agencies, though some are being used by specific employees, according to the agencies that received them.
DaimlerChrysler officials said they thought they made their goals clear enough to Gill Pratt. But City Council members — each of whom was given use of two cars shortly after the storm — said they were all told to pick out a charity to receive the cars instead of sending them to the city’s fleet. They did not say if those instructions came from Gill Pratt.
“We issued manufacturer certificates of origin and intentionally titled these to the city and to government agencies for their public service,” Elshoff said in an e-mail. “I’m sure we could have easily identified nonprofits if that was our intention. In fact, we donated $50,000 to the Baton Rouge Food Bank that same day (the trucks were donated). If we wanted to give (the food bank) a truck, we would have.”
Gill Pratt did not return phone messages Thursday. She has defended her donations and has said the fact that she ended up using one of the donated cars once out of office was just a coincidence.
“My intention when I donated the car was to be re-elected,” she said last week. “But sometimes God puts things in places for you.”
Public outcry
Gill-Pratt’s actions have caused a public uproar since they were detailed in a story published in The Times-Picayune Sunday that also laid out other transactions that suggested she often benefited groups with which she had close personnal ties— among them, her rental of a “satellite office” from a political and personal ally at an eyebrow-raising price, and her steering of millions of dollars in public money to two nonprofits to which she has long and close ties, including her current employer.
Responding to the outcry on Thursday, Thomas called on all former council members and any nonprofit groups to which they turned over donated vehicles to return the vehicles to the city.
Thomas said the two vehicles he received and the four assigned to Hedge-Morrell and Willard-Lewis have been turned over to the city’s equipment maintenance division and are available for regular city use. He said council members and their staff used the vehicles after the storm for “field operations, emergency rescue and food donation operations” but did not say how they have been used in recent months.
Despite repeated inquiries from The Times-Picayune in recent weeks, officials in the Nagin administration, who are responsible for the city’s car fleet, have been unable to fully account for the use of the donated vehicles.
The council on Thursday also voted 7-0 to ask the city attorney’s office to “review the issues involved in Hurricane Katrina-related donations of motor vehicles and the subsequent disposition of those motor vehicles, and the council’s disposition of city-controlled funds.”
The resolution asked City Attorney Penya Moses-Fields, whose office approved the vehicle transfers to the nonprofits designated by Gill Pratt, to report back to the council at its July 20 meeting.
In the case of Gill Pratt’s donations, the city attorney’s office prepared cooperative endeavor agreements with Care Unlimited and Orleans Metropolitan Housing. The president of the second group is Mose Jefferson, brother of Bill Jefferson. The agreements were all signed by Mayor Ray Nagin.
However, no council ordinances regarding those agreements were passed, and some lawyers familiar with case law in similar episodes say they believe the transfers may be invalid as a result.
“The city has liberty to enter into cooperative agreements as it sees fit,” Moses-Fields said. “I don’t know the basis of that. I think this meets form and legality. But I would certainly like to look at whatever they have.”
Review sought
Thomas said that after the legal questions are resolved, some of the vehicles might be returned to the nonprofit groups that have been using them.
Thomas said he has asked Hedge-Morrell, chairwoman of the council’s Budget Committee, to consider creating a subcommittee to look at all city contracts and all money and other donations the city receives. He said the city is in line to get billions of dollars in federal money for reconstruction projects and must let the nation know the money will be spent wisely and honestly.
The city’s review, however, will not be the only scrutiny on the deals.
Bernazzani, the FBI’s head in New Orleans, said the agency will also probe Gill Pratt’s transactions. While the FBI typically remains silent about investigations, he said the agency occasionally comments on cases that have attracted public interest. But he said that the public should not take that as a sign that crimes were committed.
“Being incredibly selfish,” he said, referring to Gill Pratt, “is not a criminal act unto itself. We have no preconceived notion of criminal activity. We’re launching a probe designed to surface facts. We will follow those facts and wherever they go will dictate our action. In the event they surface criminal activity, we will present our findings to prosecutors.”
Council got 16 cars
Melanie Roussell, Rep. Bill Jefferson’s spokeswoman, said the congressman also understood that the vehicles would ultimately go to nonprofits, but she said the congressman could not recall who told him that.
Roussell said she did not know precisely why Gill Pratt got control of four vehicles, compared to two apiece for the other six members of the council, but said she supposed it was because she agreed to serve as the liaison for the vehicle transfers.
Of the 20 vehicles allotted to Jefferson and Gill Pratt, 16 went to the City Council. The Jefferson Parish municipalities of Gretna, Kenner, Lafitte and Westwego each received one of the remaining four cars.
Officials from Kenner and Lafitte said those trucks are being used by city employees, while the truck that went to Gretna has been used on an off-and-on basis by a charity. It is stationed with the city’s public-works department, Mayor Ronnie Harris said.
The city of Gretna also received three Fords from Jindal’s office, all of which are being used by department heads, Harris said.
The Kenner truck, now being used by new Mayor Ed Muniz’s chief of staff, Mike Yenni, will be retrofitted in the near future so it can be used as an emergency vehicle, Yenni said. “That’s what they were donated for,” Yenni said.
The 35 cars handled by Jindal’s office went to 19 different agencies in seven parishes, including St. Tammany, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines.
Most of the agencies reached Thursday said none of the cars are being donated to other entities and most are assigned to their fleet for government functions, though others are being used by specific officials.
Most notably in St. Tammany, Parish President Kevin Davis has been using a black, 2006 Dodge 1500 donated by DaimlerChrysler, said Parish spokeswoman Suzanne Parsons-Stymiest. She said the vehicle is assigned to Davis’ office and not to the parish president himself.
6 cars transferred
While New Orleans council members were expecting to give away all 16 of the vehicles allotted to them, only six were ever actually fully transferred, the city said, including the four cars assigned to Gill Pratt. Batt was the only other member of the council to complete a successful transfer: He directed one vehicle to the Lakeview Crime Prevention District and the other to the Audubon Nature Institute. Because both are “quasi-public” agencies, the titles remain in the name of the city, while the agencies have permission to use the cars.
The hangups in transferring the cars appeas generally to be due to a bottleneck in the city attorney’s office in getting the legal paperwork done.
Batt, for instance, said he announced his donation of to the Lakeview crime district in November, but the paperwork took almost six months, during which time the car, frustratingly, went unused.
But apart from Gill Pratt, it seems that only former Councilman Eddie Sapir sought to donate a car each to two groups with whom he had close personnal ties: Friends of NORD and Victims and Citizens Against Crime, though neither donation has been completed yet.
Friends of NORD’s executive director is Nancy Broadhurst, who is married to lawyer and Sapir political confidant Bill Broadhurst. In preparation for using the car in her official capacity, Nancy Broadhurst took out insurance on the car, her husband said, but she has been unable to drive it because the city never transferred the title.
Bill Broadhurst said he would have no problem if city officials decide to take the car back.
“If they say no, these go to the city, Eddie will retract the donations,” he said. “He’s not trying to go find places to put trucks. That’s not something he’s worried about. He’ll revoke the donations if they ask him to.”
Former Councilwoman Clarkson was apparently the first council member to give her cars way. But though she did so in the first weeks after the storm, the paperwork never followed, and the vehicles she sent to two churches in her district have been idle as a result.
She gave one each to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Faubourg Marigny and Greater St. Mary Baptist Church in Algiers, each of which was operating food-distribution centers after the storm. Pastor J. Nelson Brown of Greater St. Mary said that he had been pulled over in the donated truck recently because it lacked a valid license plate.
Police recognized him, he said, but told him not to use the truck until the ownership issues were straightened out, and it has since been parked at the church.
The six vehicles that were assigned, two apiece, to Thomas, Hedge-Morrell and Willard-Lewis, have never been donated to nonprofits.
Thomas said Thursday that he had planned to donate one to the Harmony Center, and perhaps another to the Council on Aging, a charity he said Hedge-Morrell was also considering. An aide for Willard-Lewis would not say which charity she had been planning to give her cars to.
Staff writers Bruce Eggler, Meghan Gordon, Bruce Hamilton, Michelle Hunter, Kate Moran, Dennis Persica and Mary Swerczek contributed to this story.
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
LRA allocates $500 million to match billions in federal infrastucture grants
By Coleman Warner TP/NOLA.com 7/6/06
Staff writer
The Louisiana Recovery Authority on Thursday allocated $500 million in block grant money to help leverage billions in federal spending on infrastructure torn up by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, along with $171 million for small-business and tourism economic development programs.
The LRA meeting at the Jackson Barracks, at the Orleans-St. Bernard parish line, came against the backdrop of an announcement by Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Louisiana National Guard leaders of plans for a more than $200 million overhaul of the flood-damaged military base, including more public uses of the tract and restoration of antebellum homes.
While LRA members grappled with myriad issues, including the vexing issue of applying new federal flood advisories to redevelopment projects, doses of good news about the Jackson Barracks work and progress in New Orleans neighborhood planning elicited talk of a broad advance in state recovery efforts.
“It’s days like today that the light at the end of the tunnel starts to get bigger,” said LRA Chairman and Xavier University President Norman Francis.
Using the bulk of a e $671 million allocation of storm-recovery block grants to meet the required local matches to Federal Emergency Management Agency repair money, the LRA move will ensure that billions will be spent on repairing water treatment systems, port facilities, airports, highways and, most importantly, public schools. Of the $500 million allocation for infrastructure needs, $200 million was reserved for school repairs.
Specific projects haven’t been targeted and still must win approval in a poll of state lawmakers. If the spending plan moves forward, it will bring to $745 million the total state officials have targeted for recovery projects from block grants they control, said Pat Forbes, the LRA’s infrastructure policy director.
But use of the money faces a hurdle in parishes that have not yet adopted recommended flood-elevation standards advised by FEMA, amounting to a “three feet above grade” standard in New Orleans and other parishes with levee protection. FEMA, which provides 90 percent of the funding for many infrastructure projects, expects strict compliance with the advisories, and LRA officials generally back the standard, said LRA Executive Director Andy Kopplin.
The state authority left open the possibility of allowing a different flood-elevation standard in the use of some recovery money if local officials show the alternative is based in good science and doesn’t risk public safety.
“We have the ability at this board to say, ‘You know what, this (federal rule) just doesn’t make sense,’ ” Kopplin told board members.
But board member Donna Fraiche, a lawyer, said that if allowing an exception may leave the LRA open to a legal challenge.
“My concern is that there may be some (federal) pre-emption issues here,” she said. “I’d like to have some analysis, legally.”
The state board approved use of $171 million for economic development initiatives, including $133 million for loan and grant programs for small businesses, $9.5 million for providing technical assistance to small companies and $28.5 million for tourism marketing. The spending on business support, also requiring approval from state legislators, is founded on reports showing 81,000 businesses in 13 parishes suffered damage or major interruption as a result of Katrina and Rita.
Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, who oversees state tourism programs, said the new spending on marketing is a small slice of what is needed, but will have an impact.
Bemoaning the Essence Festival’s move to Houston this year, Landrieu said, “If you could actually get tourists to come back, they then could start feeding small businesses.”
LRA members said plans for restoring and upgrading Jackson Barracks, the site of training for thousands of Louisiana National Guard members before Katrina, offers a textbook case of using storm-recovery spending to spark rejuvenation of a community. Established before the Civil War, the 100-acre base may ultimately feature a public school, fire station and library in sections devoted to public uses, a mission shift Blanco wanted, officials said.
It will serve the Lower 9th Ward and St. Bernard communities, blurring effects of the parish boundary, St. Bernard Parish President Junior Rodriguez and New Orleans City Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis said during a press briefing.
“Jackson Barracks will no longer be a dividing line between St. Bernard and Orleans,” Rodriguez said. “We need to get rid of that, and this is the beginning.”
Among other LRA meeting developments:
--Board members approved resolutions calling for stronger measures to restore Louisiana’s coast and to obtain more revenue from oil and gas exploration. One resolution supports a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would funnel any new federal Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas revenue received to the state to coastal protection efforts. Another backs efforts in Congress to obtain a greater share of federal income from offshore oil and gas leases for Louisiana and other coastal states.
--The board received copies of “Louisiana Speaks: Pattern Book,” a 92-page reference guide for storm victims rebuilding their homes that highlights south Louisiana designs and materials. The illustrated book was prepared by Ray Gindroz and other consultants to the LRA, and 100,000 are to be distributed at no charge at selected lumber and home improvement stores across south Louisiana. As part of a promotional tour, LRA representatives will discuss the book at 9 a.m. today at Lowe’s Home Improvement on Natchez Drive in Slidell.
By Coleman Warner TP/NOLA.com 7/6/06
Staff writer
The Louisiana Recovery Authority on Thursday allocated $500 million in block grant money to help leverage billions in federal spending on infrastructure torn up by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, along with $171 million for small-business and tourism economic development programs.
The LRA meeting at the Jackson Barracks, at the Orleans-St. Bernard parish line, came against the backdrop of an announcement by Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Louisiana National Guard leaders of plans for a more than $200 million overhaul of the flood-damaged military base, including more public uses of the tract and restoration of antebellum homes.
While LRA members grappled with myriad issues, including the vexing issue of applying new federal flood advisories to redevelopment projects, doses of good news about the Jackson Barracks work and progress in New Orleans neighborhood planning elicited talk of a broad advance in state recovery efforts.
“It’s days like today that the light at the end of the tunnel starts to get bigger,” said LRA Chairman and Xavier University President Norman Francis.
Using the bulk of a e $671 million allocation of storm-recovery block grants to meet the required local matches to Federal Emergency Management Agency repair money, the LRA move will ensure that billions will be spent on repairing water treatment systems, port facilities, airports, highways and, most importantly, public schools. Of the $500 million allocation for infrastructure needs, $200 million was reserved for school repairs.
Specific projects haven’t been targeted and still must win approval in a poll of state lawmakers. If the spending plan moves forward, it will bring to $745 million the total state officials have targeted for recovery projects from block grants they control, said Pat Forbes, the LRA’s infrastructure policy director.
But use of the money faces a hurdle in parishes that have not yet adopted recommended flood-elevation standards advised by FEMA, amounting to a “three feet above grade” standard in New Orleans and other parishes with levee protection. FEMA, which provides 90 percent of the funding for many infrastructure projects, expects strict compliance with the advisories, and LRA officials generally back the standard, said LRA Executive Director Andy Kopplin.
The state authority left open the possibility of allowing a different flood-elevation standard in the use of some recovery money if local officials show the alternative is based in good science and doesn’t risk public safety.
“We have the ability at this board to say, ‘You know what, this (federal rule) just doesn’t make sense,’ ” Kopplin told board members.
But board member Donna Fraiche, a lawyer, said that if allowing an exception may leave the LRA open to a legal challenge.
“My concern is that there may be some (federal) pre-emption issues here,” she said. “I’d like to have some analysis, legally.”
The state board approved use of $171 million for economic development initiatives, including $133 million for loan and grant programs for small businesses, $9.5 million for providing technical assistance to small companies and $28.5 million for tourism marketing. The spending on business support, also requiring approval from state legislators, is founded on reports showing 81,000 businesses in 13 parishes suffered damage or major interruption as a result of Katrina and Rita.
Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, who oversees state tourism programs, said the new spending on marketing is a small slice of what is needed, but will have an impact.
Bemoaning the Essence Festival’s move to Houston this year, Landrieu said, “If you could actually get tourists to come back, they then could start feeding small businesses.”
LRA members said plans for restoring and upgrading Jackson Barracks, the site of training for thousands of Louisiana National Guard members before Katrina, offers a textbook case of using storm-recovery spending to spark rejuvenation of a community. Established before the Civil War, the 100-acre base may ultimately feature a public school, fire station and library in sections devoted to public uses, a mission shift Blanco wanted, officials said.
It will serve the Lower 9th Ward and St. Bernard communities, blurring effects of the parish boundary, St. Bernard Parish President Junior Rodriguez and New Orleans City Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis said during a press briefing.
“Jackson Barracks will no longer be a dividing line between St. Bernard and Orleans,” Rodriguez said. “We need to get rid of that, and this is the beginning.”
Among other LRA meeting developments:
--Board members approved resolutions calling for stronger measures to restore Louisiana’s coast and to obtain more revenue from oil and gas exploration. One resolution supports a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would funnel any new federal Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas revenue received to the state to coastal protection efforts. Another backs efforts in Congress to obtain a greater share of federal income from offshore oil and gas leases for Louisiana and other coastal states.
--The board received copies of “Louisiana Speaks: Pattern Book,” a 92-page reference guide for storm victims rebuilding their homes that highlights south Louisiana designs and materials. The illustrated book was prepared by Ray Gindroz and other consultants to the LRA, and 100,000 are to be distributed at no charge at selected lumber and home improvement stores across south Louisiana. As part of a promotional tour, LRA representatives will discuss the book at 9 a.m. today at Lowe’s Home Improvement on Natchez Drive in Slidell.
0 likes
-
Audrey2Katrina
- Category 5
- Posts: 4252
- Age: 75
- Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:39 pm
- Location: Metaire, La.
Critic proposes raises for St. John administrators
By Allen Powell II TP/NOLA.com 7/6/06
West bank bureau
Typically one of the staunchest critics of the salaries paid to St. John the Baptist Parish government administrators, St. John Parish Councilman Richard “Dale” Wolfe is proposing substantial pay raises for the parish president and chief administrative officer.
Wolfe, famous among parish government watchers for his rants about the “top-heavy” nature of the parish administration, wants the Parish Council to increase the annual salaries of Parish President Nickie Monica and Chief Administrative Officer Natalie Robottom by 42 percent and 31 percent respectively.
Monica makes $81,317 annually, while Robottom receives $70,400. Wolfe’s measure, scheduled to go before the council Tuesday, would raise Monica’s salary to $115,260 and Robottom’s to $92,208.
Wolfe’s measure would make the parish president’s salary equal to the salary of St. John’s sheriff and would allow additional raises every two years with the approval of two-thirds of the Parish Council. The measure also would raise the chief administrative officer’s salary by requiring that it be 80 percent of the parish president’s salary. St. John Sheriff Wayne Jones has a salary of $115,260 per year.
Wolfe said people should look at the pay increase as an increase for the positions, instead of focusing on it as a raise for Monica and Robottom. A similar argument was voiced by several council members when they approved 15 percent and 10 percent raises for Monica and Robottom during budget discussions in December.
“To put everything in proper perspective, I think all our employees should make money,” said Wolfe, who is known for frequently chastising the council and administration for not doing more for the parish’s hourly employees. “But those two positions are worthy of that increase.”
St. John Parish government has a budget of $46 million and more than 300 employees. Wolfe said the parish is poised to grow exponentially in the next decade with recently proposed residential and industrial developments.
The parish needs to attract individuals qualified to handle the enormous job of managing the parish, and Wolfe said it cannot do that with the current salary structure. Wolfe said that during his more than 20 years on the council, he has heard many qualified people say they would consider running for parish president if the money was better.
“Our revenues are up ... This parish is growing,” Wolfe said. “We need quality people to run this operation.”
Robottom said she and Monica have discussed Wolfe’s plan with him but that the idea for the raises came without any prompting from them.
The salaries of Louisiana’s sheriffs are based on the salaries of the district court judges in the state, said Jeffrey Clement, the chief civil deputy for the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriffs in parishes with populations greater than 400,000 residents receive salaries equal to that of district judges, while parishes with populations smaller than 400,000 receive salaries $20,000 less than the judges.
Clement said the sheriff’s salary can be increased only by the state Legislature, and the last raise was 4.9 percent, which took effect at the beginning of this month.
By Allen Powell II TP/NOLA.com 7/6/06
West bank bureau
Typically one of the staunchest critics of the salaries paid to St. John the Baptist Parish government administrators, St. John Parish Councilman Richard “Dale” Wolfe is proposing substantial pay raises for the parish president and chief administrative officer.
Wolfe, famous among parish government watchers for his rants about the “top-heavy” nature of the parish administration, wants the Parish Council to increase the annual salaries of Parish President Nickie Monica and Chief Administrative Officer Natalie Robottom by 42 percent and 31 percent respectively.
Monica makes $81,317 annually, while Robottom receives $70,400. Wolfe’s measure, scheduled to go before the council Tuesday, would raise Monica’s salary to $115,260 and Robottom’s to $92,208.
Wolfe’s measure would make the parish president’s salary equal to the salary of St. John’s sheriff and would allow additional raises every two years with the approval of two-thirds of the Parish Council. The measure also would raise the chief administrative officer’s salary by requiring that it be 80 percent of the parish president’s salary. St. John Sheriff Wayne Jones has a salary of $115,260 per year.
Wolfe said people should look at the pay increase as an increase for the positions, instead of focusing on it as a raise for Monica and Robottom. A similar argument was voiced by several council members when they approved 15 percent and 10 percent raises for Monica and Robottom during budget discussions in December.
“To put everything in proper perspective, I think all our employees should make money,” said Wolfe, who is known for frequently chastising the council and administration for not doing more for the parish’s hourly employees. “But those two positions are worthy of that increase.”
St. John Parish government has a budget of $46 million and more than 300 employees. Wolfe said the parish is poised to grow exponentially in the next decade with recently proposed residential and industrial developments.
The parish needs to attract individuals qualified to handle the enormous job of managing the parish, and Wolfe said it cannot do that with the current salary structure. Wolfe said that during his more than 20 years on the council, he has heard many qualified people say they would consider running for parish president if the money was better.
“Our revenues are up ... This parish is growing,” Wolfe said. “We need quality people to run this operation.”
Robottom said she and Monica have discussed Wolfe’s plan with him but that the idea for the raises came without any prompting from them.
The salaries of Louisiana’s sheriffs are based on the salaries of the district court judges in the state, said Jeffrey Clement, the chief civil deputy for the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriffs in parishes with populations greater than 400,000 residents receive salaries equal to that of district judges, while parishes with populations smaller than 400,000 receive salaries $20,000 less than the judges.
Clement said the sheriff’s salary can be increased only by the state Legislature, and the last raise was 4.9 percent, which took effect at the beginning of this month.
0 likes
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests