Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Tonight, in "As the NOAH Turns"
Posted by Kevin Allman on Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 4:16 AM
Sorry, Jon Stewart; I've got a new Daily Show.
I've become addicted to Lee Zurik's reports on WWL's 10 p.m. news about the ongoing NOAH saga. Tonight's episode was typically excellent.
Clancy is hip-deep in hip waders in a beautiful Montana stream with his son, catching fish and thinking about better things, but this latest installment of As the NOAH Turns made me wonder just what the legal ramifications could be (hypothetically speaking, of course) about any or all of what Zurik was reporting.
...Clancy? You in range of a WiFi signal up there? Care to opine?
Also of note, to me, was the way Mike Hoss closed the report:
In addition, on July 29, Eyewitness News filed a public records request with the city, to view all of the invoices paid to contractors for the NOAH home remediation program. State law allows the city three days to hand over or provide access to those documents. The city attorney's office has not said when WWL-TV can view those requested materials.
This all seems relevant to last weekend's discussion of whether the Times-Pic should throw down in court over the public documents law. It also seems like a warning shot across the City Hall bow.
Interesting. In the meantime, at 10 p.m., I'll be tuning in for The Daily Show With Lee Zurik.
Comments (3)
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Hilarious. I confess to grabbing my virtual popcorn bucket myself as the 10 pm hour approaches. Lee Zurik is also hip-deep in hip waders, mind, it just isn't a beautiful stream which flows out of City Hall.
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Just saw this post -- thanks, Kevin, for the heads-up. Wow! Yet another great story by Lee Zurik. He should win a Peabody for his work on NOAH. Our own David Winkler-Schmit has also done some fine work (pardon the shameless plug). As for legal ramifications, the FBI is already looking at NOAH, according to many news reports, but no one knows which of the many threads they may be trying to unravel. Right now all threads seem to lead to Stacey Jackson. Some have speculated that Team Nagin has already put up a wall around itself and is attempting to serve up Ms. Jackson as the fall-person. That's a dangerous tactic. The first person under the federal gun is often the first one to flip. What might she reveal if she were to turn state's evidence? Or, does the thread stop at Jackson and whatever business relationships, if any, she may have had with various contractors and NOAH personnel? It's early in the game to even speculate on that. Everyone should bear in mind that the feds tend to move very methodically in public corruption cases. What we're seeing is just the beginning. On another front, I hope WWL makes the city toe the line on the station's public records request. The Louisiana Public Records Law is crystal clear and expressly states that it is to be interpreted "liberally" in favor of the requester. It also calls for the award of attorneys' fees and even includes criminal penalties. In my own limited experience litigating this law, I have found that the judges at CDC know the law and apply it as written. One thing to watch for: if the station or anyone else takes a public official to court and wins — and gets attorneys' fees awarded — they should make sure the public official does NOT use public funds to pay the fine and fees. Public officials and public employees who are custodians of public records are personally liable for fines, fees and attorneys' fees under the law. With I could offer more, but gotta get some rest. My son and I have a full day on the Stillwater tomorrow with a local guide. I do have DSL now, Kevin, so I will be checking in late Tuesday. Can't wait to see/read Lee Zurik's next installment. Thanks again for calling Lee's fine report to everyone's attention.
"The Louisiana Public Records Law is crystal clear and expressly states that it is to be interpreted “liberally” in favor of the requester. It also calls for the award of attorneys’ fees and even includes criminal penalties." Wow. If only there were such a system in place here in Oregon.
