Dumb or Ass Kissers?
Even Fox 5 Rosanna Scotto could not believe how crazy the reporters at the mayor's snow press conference acted this morning. City Hall reporters were always known to specialize in sucking up to the mayor, but today they acted not as journalist but like bad girls on an episode of Gossip Girl.
As New Yorkers worry about ambulances getting down their streets to save their loved ones life, City Hall reporters after the first three questions were asking the mayor about Glen Beck, Donald Trump the Staten Island Groundhog. Three question about regents test scheduled for today after the mayor answered after the first question that the tests were a state issue and Albany would have to rescheduled.
The two important questions given to the mayor about the failings of the first snow storm were easily ducked by the mayor, because he was not forced to answer a follow up question. The first question the mayor ducked was about what the mayor thought of Councilman Dan Halloran not giving the NYT specifics about his charges of a sanitation slow down. The mayor just bushed aside the question saying it was a City Council matter. All that reporter or any other reporter had to do was ask why the mayor investigators have not interviewed Halloran as part of his promised investigation of why the city failed to clean the streets after the Xmass storm. The second question a reporter asked the mayor was why the city was doing a better job today then during the Xmass storm. The mayor brushed that reporter aside by saying they used what they learned after the failed snow cleanup. What that reporter or any other reporter should have asked was why was today's cleanup was more like the successful snow cleanups the mayor has enjoyed from the time he took office until the Xmass storm.
We did learn the mayor does not believe that Co-Op City was a socialist experiment as Glen Beck has charged. We also found out the mayor thinks Donald Trump is a great New Yorker who should bid for Tavern on the Green if the mayor decides after his one year experiment to end replacing the world famous restaurant with trucks and carts that sell food. The final thing the City Hall reporters taught us today was the mayor thinks the students who missed their regents tests today should use the snow day to study
True News PM UpdateNews After the Morning Papers
Pensions According To PEF (YNN)* Abandoned straphangers commandeer train to stay warm (NYP)* The MTA tells @WNYC that mta.info didn't "crash" this morning but that it was "oversubscribed."* Attorney General to Bolster Anti-Fraud Efforts (NYT) * Cuomo Taps Parks Commish From Private Sector * Cuomo Names Ken Adams to Head ESDC * NY Post Now Simply Publishing Anti-Bike Lane Letters (Gothamist) * Obama picks Jay Carney as new press secretary... * N.Y. Gov. Threatens To Mothball More Prisons *Walder Explains MTA Website Slowdown * Tom DiNapoli: MTA Spends Millions On Bus Inspection -- And Fails To Inspect Buses (DN) * Illinois high court says Rahm Emanuel can run for Chicago mayor, NBC News reports
Mutiny On the Subway
Stranded Subway Riders Refused to Exit Train During Storm
Krueger: Hate Senate Deadlocks? Blame Dean Krueger noted that Skelos had led the last redistricting effort for the Senate GOP in which a decision was made “in dark of night” to add a 62nd senator, “leading us into the situation where we can have a tie.” *A new line of attack is emerging from the minority Senate Democrats when it comes to controversial rules changes that, among other things, undermine the power of the lieutenant governor: GOP lawmakers are anti-upstate. (LoHud)
State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs on the difference between the Independent Democratic Conference and the "amigos" of yesteryear: "I would simply answer that I think the circumstances were different in terms of what the motivations were. I don't think you could put the motivations of this group beside the motivations of Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate." (NYO)
2010 New Yorkers Snow Champs
MSNBC weatherman: "We're on pace to beat the all-time record -- we only need two more feet." * Snow facts: This winter is the 9th snowiest on record. This month is the snowiest Jan. This month is the 2nd snowiest month. 19 Inches in Central Park
Winter Storm Closes New York City Schools (NYT) * Mayor Bloomberg announced all non-emergency government offices will be closed in the city Thursday. * City's buried in lawsuits from Christmas Blizzard bungle (DN) * MTA board calls Christmas blizzard an 'act of God' (DN) * More than a foot of powder halts buses, shuts airports (NYP) * Councilman Dan Halloran must tell everything he knows about Christmas blizzard sanitation slowdown (DN Ed) * NYC Councilman Dan Halloran is standing by his claims of a Christmas blizzard weekend clean-up slowdown even after the NY Times cast doubt on his story.
Serenity on the Second Floor - Gov Office (NYT)
1. Fail Medicaid Reform
Medicaid Fraud Unit Falls Short The state agency in charge of recovering money stolen from the state's $52 billion Medicaid program fell into negative territory in 2009. For the first time, it returned more money in fraud cases to Medicaid providers than it brought back to the state. (WSJ) * Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano questioned the motives of the control board that took over his county’s finances and said he plans to sue over its decision.* Nassau’s big property tax bills are fueled by hefty public salaries and pensions.* The Post blames former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi for leaving Mangano with a fiscal mess, but doesn’t let the Republican exec off the hook, either.
2. Contract Fraud: CityTime
NY attorney general to target contractor fraud(WSJ) * Attorney general Schneiderman to target contractor fraud (NYP)
Just announced in #NYC a new Taxpayer Protection Unit to crack down on fraud. http://plixi.com/p/72828003 (Twitter)
Just announced in #NYC a new Taxpayer Protection Unit to crack down on fraud. http://plixi.com/p/72828003 (Twitter)
3. NY Hospital Critical Condition
NY on critical list in US hosp survey (NYP)
4. Nassau County Bankrupt
New York State Seizes Finances of Nassau County (NYT) * N.Y. Takes Control of County's Finances (WSJ) * State takes over red-faced Na$$au (NYP) * Wealth of problems in this lap of luxury (NYP) * Nassau's comeuppance (NYP Ed)
5. New Tax: Congestion Pricing
New Push for Congestion Pricing? Not From City Hall (WSJ)
Bloomberg: Tort Reform Would Cut Costs Mayor Bloomberg championed tort reform during a speech in midtown Manhattan, declaring the city can't afford to pay nearly half a billion dollars a year in tort claims. (WSJ) * Mike: City ill-$uited (NYP)
6. Silver Vs Cuomo on School Cuts
AQE and Democratic lawmakers are girding for a fight with the governor over school aid cuts.
There are “quiet” discussions at the Capitol on a bill that would require lawmakers to disclose all of their outside income.
Bloomberg Takes Out a New Budget Playbook (Gotham Gazette)
Groundswell against axing young teachers (NYP) * Teaching the UFT a real lesson
Trump On the Green
Trump Saved the Central Park Ice Ring Why Not Tavern on the GreenDonald Trump to ask city if he can run closed Central Park restaurant (NYP) * Trump, Union in Deal to Revive Tavern on the Green(WSJ)
Bloomberg's Left Tavern on the Green To Rot--Steve Cuozzo - NYPOST.com * Michael Bloomberg's deals darken Tavern on the Green--Steve Cuozzo ...
Poor and Minorities Get Screwed Again and Again
A new report quantifies the belief that blacks and Latinos have been disproportionately impacted by the mortgage foreclosure crisis.
A new report shows that there is an education funding gap of $788 million between schools with a high percentage of poor students and the wealthiest districts. Higher income schools also spend $37,664 more per classroom each year, the report said.
Leaving On A Jet Plane?
The New York region’s two largest airports -- JFK and Newark -- may need to be radically reconfigured so they can make way for additional runways that would help accommodate a projected increase of almost 50 million air travelers per year within two or three decades, according to a new study. (NYT)
Guy Velella is dead. http://nydn.us/etSGxC
Guy Velella, Bronx Politician, Dies (NYT)
Former State Sen. Velella dies at 66 (NYP)
Developer Strikes Again(WSJ)
Beck Calls Rockefeller A Socialist: What An Ass
Glenn Beck blasts Bronx, compares Co-Op City to failed socialist state (DN)
Mayor who pushed for increase bike lanes now says we have to listen to people who don't want them?
Mike says city needs to listen to anti-bike lane proponents (DN)
Bloomberg's Plan YC More Bike Lanes, And More Bikers, On City Streets - WNYC
Law and Order 2 Charged With Pimping on Craigslist (NYT) *DA Says Teens Forced Into Sex Trafficking(WSJ) * Stabbed but Alive Man Found in Car Trunk(WSJ) * Grandmother with two black eyes and broken nose recalls horrific attack (DN) * Serial killer who photographed victims indicted for killing two NYC women in 1970s(DN) * Pair charged with forcing girls into prostitution through craigslist (DN) * Queens professor arrested as Internet photo perv(DN) * Two Brooklyn men busted in craigslist underage hooker ring (DN) * Man Found Beaten Inside Car Trunk; Police Seek Driver (NY1) * Dozing granny in bomb attack (NYP) * Ex-trader's threat to US officials revealed (NYP) * After Decades, Charges in 2 Manhattan Murders (NYT) *Pocket knife treated as illegal weapon (DN) * Mob hitman killed man as payback: family (DN) * Attempted sex assault of girl in Chinatown (WABC) * Manhattan DA indict cold-case 'killer' Rodney Alcala (NYP) * Search on for suspect in attack that left mutilated man in BMW trunk (NYP)
Grand Central: Rail Fight Stop The fight brewing between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans over Amtrak funding is heading to New York City, which lies at the heart of the rail service's busiest route. (WSJ)
NY1 Exclusive: Gay Advocates Take Issue With Park51 Imam (NY1)
