HUD Threatens to Cut Funding

In a long-running dispute with a New Orleans suburb, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development threatens to cut Louisiana's money unless the state makes St. Bernard Parish comply with civil rights laws involving housing.The dispute began in 2005, when St. Bernard Parish halted apartment construction after Hurricane Katrina. It revoked that and other ordinances under federal pressure. But HUD, in letters dated Thursday, said ordinances enacted since then — and administrative actions — violate the Fair Housing Act because African-Americans are more likely than whites to rent.

Parish President Craig Taffaro could not be immediately reached for comment. Kyle Plotkin, spokesman for Gov. Bobby Jindal, said he would ask Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater to comment