Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Was There Pressure to Lie About CityTime and Seedco Because of the Mayor's Third Term Promises?

The Council Added 4 Years to Bloomberg Term As Mayor Because of His Excellent Management Skills. . .  Now We Are About To Elect Quinn Who Offer Not Checks to Bloomberg Poor Management Style as the Next Mayor

Bloomberg's Phantom Jobs  Program
U.S. Files Suit Against Jobs Agency Used by City(NYT) * Civil Fraud Suit Filed Against Seedco(WSJ) *Federal Prosecutors Investigating Fraud At Seedco(NY1)  Federal prosecutors, claiming that they had found widespread fraud in Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s much-vaunted job placement program, filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Seedco, a nonprofit agency that was once among New York City’s favorite contractors * Seedco, a company once favored by City Hall for job-placement services, is now being sued by federal prosecutors. Trouble with Seedco has been documented by the Times and Department of of Investigation. [Michael Powell] * SEEDCO, Nonprofit Bloomberg Admin Fave, Slapped By Feds With Fraud Lawsuit(Village Voice)

  

 Election 2012

Even When His Latino Roots Might Help Politically, Rangel Keeps Them Buried(NYT) Rangel’s congressional campaign would be helped politically by the candidate highlighting his Latino heritage, a hatred for his Puerto Rico-born father, who hit his mother and left his family, prevents Rangel from doing so. He has been reluctant to talk about it because his Puerto Rican father left his mother when he was young. On Tuesday, he said that if he had had a better relationship with his father * Rangel Opens Up About Hispanic Father(NY1) *Charlie Rangel has secured the key backing of Guillermo Linares.* Big PR move from Rangel (NYDN) * Rangel has also reportedly secured the support of a key Dominican leader, Assemblyman 
 Guillermo Linares, who is running for the seat held by Rangel primary rival, Sen. Adriano Espaillat.  
Rangel's chair is empty at debate tonight
More Political News * NY1 Online: Panel Examines the Role of Social Networking in Politics * Mike Gianaris made a very funny video about independent redistricting * Gounardes Running a Shoe Leather Campaign(Bay Ridge Journal) * Mike Gianaris was fairly noncommittal about backing John Sampson as leader. * Eric Ulrich broke from the Senate GOP on the minimum wage hike. * Document Drop: Updated Primary Contest List(NYDN) * After Lengthy Search, Queens GOP Backs Ex-NYPD Officer to Face Avella (City and State) * That Was Quick: Giuliani Backs Turner(NYO) * Charlie Rangel Respects The Press, Even When They’re Mean(NYO)
* DC 37 Officially Goes With Barron(NYO) * Once a Challenger, Powell Now Endorses Rangel for Congress(WNYC) * Teachers union backs race Meng in contest for open Queens House seat (CD 6) * UFT holds off on reccd endorsements in (Jeffries v Barron) and (Grimm v Murphy). Otherwise, all incumbent NYC Dems & Meng. * DC37 opts for * UFT Backs Meng, Rangel, Stays Out of NY-8
Meet the New Boss
Wright's wrong - New York Daily News(March 11, 2012) * Charlie King Next Top Dem To Move On(NYDN)

 

 

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Fidler Mayor of Mooseport
With The Recount 10% Over, No Net Change in Fidler/Storobin Race(NYO) * Mat Hatter Fidler Throws A Press Tea Party (True News)

 

 "We are going to count all the votes and then the world will finally have the answer to the question that has burned since March 20th....who is the real Mayor of Mooseport?" Fidler
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Kruger Fat Bag Man Eats His Way To A Shorter Jail Term
Kruger bag man gets big fat break(NYP) The feds said the $200,000 from hospital execs that Kalish steered to Kruger’s boyfriend, Dr. Michael Turano, was part of a “quid pro quo” for Kruger hiring Kalish’s son. An overweight “bag man” for convicted ex-State Sen. Carl Kruger was given only a two year sentence – rather than a four-year term – because of his weight problems * Gets 2 yrs. in Kruger bribe plot NYDN) Solomon Kalish was to give Kruger $197,000 from two hospital execs in exchange for help in Albany

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Taxi drivers are skeptical they will see the benefits of a fare increase
Fare increases benefitting New York City taxi drivers almost always come in tandem with increased rates charged by taxi fleet owners. But citing current poor economic conditions for drivers, the Bloomberg administration does not want drivers to be charged a higher rate by fleet owners this time, as it prepares to increase driver rates by 20 percent  Taxi ‘$oar’ point: Everything going up(NYP) * New York Taxi Drivers Unsure They Will See Benefits of a Fare Increase(NYT) * Yellow Cab Fare Hike On The Table, TLC Says(NY1) * The News says that while taxi drivers are due a raise, taxi fleet owners are already doing “superbly” and should not get a hike in the rent they can charge to drivers * Gabby Cabby finally picks up a CUNY degree(NYDN) * The Daily Q: How does the Taxi and Limousine Commission decide to increase the price of a ride? (NY World)*Taxi czar backs fare increase(NYP)
 

NYPD Ticket Fixing Cover Up Continues
Precinct commander Peter Bartoszek, at odds with cops over allegations of quota-based policing, gets transferred (NYDN) Source says move was to clear up toxic working environment at Brooklyn stationhouse







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Only the Corrupt John Liu Cares About the 99% New Yorkers Who Live Here


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Bloomberg and Big Business Want Want More Immigration for Economic Reasons
Mike’s immigrant plan to save cities(NYP) * Bloomberg warned that the city and the nation could lose its competitive edge if its immigration policies aren’t changed.* Report Sees Economic Drag in Immigration Policies New York City's main business group is calling for revamped federal immigration policies to maintain the U.S. role as a global magnet for talented employees. *Mayor bashes Obama, Congress on immigration(CrainsNY) * City IBO Lessens Budget Gap Outlook By Millions(NY1)





Wage hike ain’t passing — Gov. (NYDN) *Business lobbyists earned defeat of minimum wage bill(NY World) * Bloomberg should spend money for ads defending his agenda, since no one else is motivated to defend his record anymore. [Michael Goodwin] * Albany Lawmakers Fight Over Minimum Wage Raise (NY1)







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It is Good to Be King Bloomberg: Helicopter Lands Whenever He Wants It 2
Mike catches heli over post-curfew landings(NYP) Bloomberg is catching flak from angry East Siders for repeatedly ignoring a curfew at the East 34th Street Heliport, using it several times on nights and weekends when it’s supposed to be closed * Michael Bloomberg Breaks Curfew in His Helicopter(NY Mag) *UPDATE: Mayor to stop using heliport on weekends(ABC) * Bloomberg: I'll stop using 34th Street heliport when it's closed(NYP)

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CUNY has raised academic standards, which has shaken the school system’s ethnic mix
At CUNY, Stricter Admissions Bring Ethnic Shift(NYT) Black representation among first-time freshmen at those colleges dropped, to 10 percent last fall from 17 percent in 2001. Over the same period, the Hispanic share rose slightly for several years, then fell once the recession began, to 18 percent, while the white portion fell slightly, to 35 percent. Asians are now entering the top colleges in the greatest numbers, composing 37 percent of those classes, up from 25 percent a decade earlier.* Fewer black and Latino freshman at two top CUNY colleges, new study finds (NYDN) Asian freishman dramatically increase at City and Brooklyn Colleges. Only 13.7% of the freshman class were black at Brooklyn College in 2010 - down from 24.4 in 2001. City College saw even steeper declines with only 14.4% of the freshman class in 2010 - down from 31.2% in 2001.



NYP Says Parents Voting With Their Feet to Charter Schools

NYP writes that a record number of applications to local charter school lotteries this year show that the schools are indeed effective

* Cheating Inquiry Under Way at 2 Top-Rated City Schools(NYT) * Crowded Schools Find Space in Religious Buildings(NYT) * Quiz Making Parents Testy(WSJ) * A coalition of parents are planning to keep their children home on testing day.  * Parents are calling for a boycott of a so-called “field test” for children at more than 4,000 public, charter and private elementary and middle schools next month that screens questions for future exams, but isn’t graded.  * Brooklyn Private School Reinstated as SAT Testing Site(NYT)

 

Who the Serranos Prefer The FreshDirect Bronx Jobs Went to NJ?
How Come the Daily News Reporter Did Not Ask the Serranos What They Are Doing About the Bronx High Unemployment Rate? Bronx Unemployment Rate Hits Highest in Decades : Norwood News

 

 How the Late Tony Seminerio is Still Costing The Taxpayer Millions for State Guaranteed Hospital Loans
Hospital troubles leave taxpayers on hook to pay back state loans (NY World) The program dates back to 1985, when the CEO of Jamaica Hospital, David Rosen, sought support to keep the Queens facility open after a New York City agency recommended its shutdown. In response, State Senator Anthony Seminerio introduced a bill creating the Secured Hospital Financing Program. 


According to the ruling of U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff convicting Rosen last year for subsequently bribing Seminerio and two other state senators, Jamaica Hospital lobbyist George Kalkines helped draft the Senate bill creating the bond program. Seminerio shepherded it through the legislature and persuaded an initially skeptical Gov. Mario Cuomo to sign the measure. Last week, Rosen was sentenced to three years in prison in connection with the bribery scheme. Seminerio died in jail last year after his indictment in the case.


Retiring Queens BOE Employee Used Office Resources To Solicit “Contributions” To Political Club(City and State)

 

Creating the Post-Hipster City: In Conversation With Urbanist Aurash Khawarzad(Huff Post)




 








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The Steamroller Keeps Going Going Going . . . Target Schneiderman
It’s Spitzer vs. Schneiderman(NYP) Angry about a court order forcing him to disclose emails sent during his tenure as attorney general, Ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer unexpectedly questioned current Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s overall legal skills in an interview

 

 

Anonymous Online Speech: Soon To Be Banned by Albany?(Village Voice)

 

There Are Not Against the High Cost They Against the Trash Facility On the Upper Eastside

 

The Coney Island Concrete Walk

Boardwalk war! Rockaway repairs have Coney faithful spitting nails(Brooklyn Paper)

 

 

Sorry, Folks, Park’s Closed (Hours Early) (NYT) Tompkins Square Park, Anticipating Protesters, Is Chained Shut

 

 

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Cuomo Cuts Himself Into the Triple Crown Excitement

The Cuomo stakes(NYP Ed) The Post cheers the Cuomo administration takeover of the New York Racing Association, noting that someone needed to “muck out the stable” of the troubled agency* New York Seizes Control of Horse-Racing Board(NYT) * Cuomo Reins In Horse-Race Agency(WSJ) * NYRA Deal Aims To Revamp State's Horse Racing Industry(NY1) NYRA's 25-member board will be replaced with 17 members. Cuomo will pick seven, and the chair. * The Times Union says the real test lays in what kinds of reforms the Cuomo administration can implement for NYRA * Bettor believe this move can work(NYDN)

 

Giuliani Saves Yankee Stadium Parking Lot
Rudy Giuliani rides in to the rescue in a bid to rework financing for broke Yankee Stadium parking system company (NYDN) Ex-mayor's law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, involved in deal between Bronx Parking Development, owner of high-priced lots, and creditors * Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s law firm has been hired by a group of private bondholders to restructure $237 million in tax-exempt financing for the nearly bankrupt owner of the Yankee Stadium parking system.


VIDEO: New city law brings audible crossing signals to more intersections (NY World)

 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the construction of a natural gas pipeline that would run beneath the Hudson River from New Jersey into the West Village.


 

 

 

Public Library Head Faces Critics of Renovation Plan(NYT)

 

Deal Allows Development in Brooklyn Bridge Park(NYT) * City officials came to a sweeping agreement over a dispute between Brooklyn Bridge Park and a cutting edge theater slated for the site.

 

 

No Problem With Parking At Barclay In This Promotion Picture
  NYDN contributor advocates "smaller players" to develop Willets Point Also criticizes megadevelopment

 

 

A Sorter of Trains in Queens, and a Magnet for Blame(NYT) Most New Yorkers have never heard of the Harold Interlocking, but for train passengers who have experienced delays, chances are the junction played a role.

 

 

City Nails Sex-Based Pricing(WSJ) The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs has been increasingly fining businesses – especially salons and barbershops – for basing prices on the sex of a customer, under a little known gender discrimination law

 

 


A candidate for Mexican congress is looking to kickstart her campaign with a little T&A. Natalia Juarez (c.), a philosophy professor who is running as a member of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, rolled out a billboard recently showing her posing topless with six other female members of the party. The billboards were posted around Guadalajara, the mostly conservative capital of the western state of Jalisco and Mexico's second-largest city.

 


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The Making of A President 2012: Egypt Votes Today
Paul Backers Push Agenda Within Party and in Races(NYT) * Romney Holds Manhattan Fundraiser, Takes Criticism From Local Dems(NY1) * Mitt Romney is 89 delegates from officially clinching the GOP nomination. *  A look at the Obama 2012 team. * Mitt Romney is looking to make inroads with Latinos. * Romny is already winning over independents fairly easily. *George Romney's 1968 Run and Lessons for Mitt(NY Mag) *Quinnipiac in Florida The poll:47-41 Romney leads Obama in Florida, 49-41 Romney-Rubio over Obama-Biden, 44-36 Romney over Obama among independents, 42-40 Obama over Romney among Hispanics, 59-35 Romney over Obama in households earning more then $100,000 

A 23-Year-Old Romney And His Mother Grace The Cover Of Time Magazine (Time) * Obama vs. Romney: A Debate Over Government - John Harwood, NY Times *  Bain Attacks Reveal Obama's Weakness - Jay Cost, The Weekly Standard *  Mitt's Tall Tales About Private Equity - Steven Rattner, New York Times * The Emerging Democratic Divide - Josh Kraushaar, National Journal * Obama's Primary Struggles Don't Matter - Alec MacGillis, New Republic * Charlotte Convention Could Backfire for Obama - Matt Taylor, Daily Beast * Meet Mitt Romney's Most Trusted Adviser - Noam Scheiber, New Republic * Who Is Valerie Jarrett? - Edward Klein, The Daily Caller * Obama Wants It Both Ways on Private Equity - Washington Post * Will Congress Save America's Crumbling Infrastructure? - New Republic * Ed Koch Defends Obama and Booker on Bain(NYO) * OWS protester avoids jail after missed court appearance(NYP) * Giuliani endorses Turner for GOP Senate nod (NYP) * Powell Criticizes Romney on Foreign Policy(NYT)* Biden's favorability dips (CNN) * Arizona Poll: Romney Up 7 Points, Obama Approval Down (TPM)


Piers Morgan gave me phone hack lesson, Jeremy Paxman tells Leveson Inquiry(Independent) * Piers Morgan "showed journalist how to hack phone," journalist says(Reuters)


Chris Matthews Argues With John King, Rips 'Jackasses' At Cable Conference (VIDEO)(Huff Post)




   Pakistani physician gets 33 years for treason after helping CIA in raid(NYP)

Law and Order 

Brooklyn DA Forming Task Force After Facing Criticism Over Handling Of Child Sex Abuse Cases(WCBS)

 

2 gun makers who oppose bullet microstamping bill got $6M in state grants since 2009  (NYDN) Remington Arms Company threatened to leave New York if state passed measure




‘Wisegal’ ’fesses up(NYP)

 

 

 

NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly issues new rules for cops patrolling apartment buildings (NYDN)  Order: Officers need probable cause to arrest person for trespassing

 

 

 

Thug runs mouth at victim's family before he's dealt 28 1/2 years to life in prison(NYP)

 

Missed court for protest(NYP) * Father whose son was shot in B'klyn shoe store firefight relives horror(NYP) * Petal-push crackdown(NYP) * Blowgun kid blames buddy(NYP) * 10 tossed from LIRR ‘gravy train’(NYP) *More L.I.R.R. Retirees Charged in Disability Fraud(NYT) * ‘Perv’ still teaching (NYP) * Judge Who Will Sentence Jamaican Drug Lord Hears Testimony of Ghastly Killings(NYT) * Criticism on Both Sides for Judge in Rutgers Spying Case(NYT) * Driver hurt, hit by cop in DWI wreck (NYDN) * Shoe store shoot-out leaves 12-year-old wounded(NYDN) * Up-and-coming rapper 2 Chainz arrested(NYDN) * Trader Joe's Customers Preyed on by Thieves in Cobble Hill, Cops Say(DNAINFO) * Brooklyn Man Gets Over 28 Years In NYPD Officer’s Fatal Push(NY1) *One of 2 Suspects Arrested in Pickpocketing of Blind Woman(NYT) * Sources: Second Suspect In Brooklyn Shoe Store Shooting In Custody(NY1) * Queens Man Attacked Wife With Meat Cleaver, Police Say(NY1) * Feds and cops bust prescription drug ring(NYDN) * Prosecutors: Prescription Drug Trafficker Caught With Over(WCBS) * Animal' sentenced to 20 years for raping elderly Brooklyn (NYP) * Second suspect nabbed in blind woman's mugging(NYP) * Cops hunt for groper after woman assaulted in Park Slop(NYP) * Arrest Made in Pickpocketing of Blind Woman(NBC)* Teenage punks spray schoolyard with BB pellets, one arr(NYP) * Depraved sex fiend imprisoned 15 years for attack on 85-year-old(NYP) * Artist released after 'I Love NY' bags cause bomb scare(NYP) * Teens Busted for Weapons Cache: Source(NBC)
* Artist sprung from jail, but still faces mental eval and(NYDN)

* Rats out pal in dart play(NYDN) * Blind Woman Pickpocketed, Suspects Sought(NBC)

Leandra’s Law flaw fix (NYDN) * The state Senate passed a bill to close a loophole in Leandra’s Law that allowed convicted drunken drivers to avoid installing Breathalyzers in their cars.

'Profile' in rage for honor student (NYDN)

 

 

Casino craps out (NYP) Feds raid ‘flashy’ Chinatown bet parlor * 13 Arrested For Illegal Operations In Chinatown Building(NY1) * Gambling den gets shuttered (NYDN) *  Authorities Looking To Seize Chinatown Building Allegedly(WCBS)