I still believe that Judge Ward knows that this thing is very close to a settlement.  As Ron pointed out, they probably asked for 30 days knowing they really needed much less than that to settle.  That could be the reason why Judge Ward is taking his time.  So far he has given them four extra days out of the 30 they asked for.  Nice way to squeeze more time without actually getting the official go ahead.

Good to hear from Ron again. 

 Laurie