Tuesday, December 25, 2012

True News Tuesday Update 24/7

Yes Virginia  . . .  "If You See It In the NY Sun It is So"
On Sept. 21, 1897, The NY Sun published what was to become the most widely read letter to a newspaper. It was sent by 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, who lived with her parents in Manhattan. (Letter and Editorial) . Virginia asked the editors of the Sun if there is a Santa * Yes, Virginia(NYDN Ed) A newspaper letter to the editor is now part of NY's history. Most importantly it showed how New Yorkers a centry ago looked at Newspaper as trought tellers. Recent polls indicate that only 1/2 of Americans believe the media



Yes Virginia 2012 Message
Sorry to have to tell you, Virginia… There is a Santa Claus, but this year he’s been outnumbered by Grinches and gun nuts (NYDN) Mass shootings have tainted 2012. Just as the nation is recovering from the Newtown school massacre, another shooting occured on Christmas Eve in Webster, N.Y. killing two firefighters.*
NY Cares Warms Up The Holiday For City's Homeless (NY1)
* Touching: Newtown Boy Calls NORAD Asking Santa To Bring Extra Presents For 'The Families That Lost Kids'


 
Juan Gonzales 25 Years Of Breaking Stories
From Crown Heights brutality to $500M CityTime fraud, Juan Gonzalez recalls 25 years of his greatest scandalous scoops(NYDN) To mark his 25th anniversary as a columnist, Juan Gonzales relives bombshell stories over the years.

! RT : NY Post story based on chat w Ryan Lanza imposter was “unfortunate result of a poor editorial process”




Now Boyland Will Have To Use His Campaign Funds to Defend Himself the Government Tit Has Dried Up for Him
‘Poor me’ pol is denied legal aid  (NYP) Taxpayers just received a holiday gift from a federal judge, while an embattled city politician was left with a lump of coal. Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. (D-Brooklyn) had been asking for taxpayers to pick up the tab for his legal defense. “Anybody who owns property valued at $460,000 and who is receiving the salary of an assemblyman and who is receiving $960 a month in rental income is capable of financing his defense,” the judge said from the bench.

 The Lhota Factor
The Attack on Lhota Will Be His Criticism of Others Not his Management Ability or Accomplishments
Outgoing MTA chief Lhota is riding the straight-talk express (NYP) The “H” is silent. Joe Lhota is not.  The MTA chairman’s biggest challenge in running for mayor won’t be controlling what people say about him, but what he says about them.

Some of Quinn's Consultants Think Lhota Has Stopped the Fat Lady From Singing 

In the last year alone, Lhota said Mayor Bloomberg acted “like an idiot’’during the storm; accused Manhattan state Sen. Bill Perkins of doing “nothing but talk’’; and challenged MTA board member Charles Moerdler to “be a man” during a debate about public-hearing schedules. He once flipped off a New York Times reporter who pushed him for comment, and doesn’t hesitate to call people out on Twitter.* Aides To Gov. Cuomo Shoot Down Talk Larry Schwartz Will Be Next MTA Head * A Republican Mayoral Possibility Unsettles Democrats(Powell, NYT)




 High Court for Outer Borough Cabs
Outer borough metered cabs head to NY's highest court(NYP) This cab fight is going straight to the top. The city has received permission to bypass the Appellate Division and go directly to the state's highest court -- the Court of Appeals -- to try to overturn a lower court ruling blocking a new class of 18...* Taxi tiff is in the fast lane(NYP)




F.B.I. Counterterrorism Agents Monitored Occupy Movement, Records Show(NYT)








NYC murders down 18.5% from last year(NYDN) *
NYPD Reports Record Low Murder Numbers In NYC(NY1)







NRA Contributes to New York Candidates
Gun Industry Pumps $121,900 Into New York Campaigns The Past Two Years (NYDN)

 

 Glick Left EDC Meeting Becuase She Refused to Sign A Secret Government Agreement
NYC Economic Development Corporation Demands Secrecy Pacts With Public Officials And Their Staff In her holiday newsletter, Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick reveals that the New York City Economic Development Corporation asked her office to leave the Civic Center Taskforce, because the Hon. Assemblymember and her staff refused to sign "secrecy pacts."

 

EDC encourages developer to use loophole(Queens Crap)

From the Times Ledger: A Bayside developer was selected Monday to breathe new life into a downtown Flushing eyesore. A company called Success 88, headed by Betsy Mak, won a bidding process to develop a vacant building on 40th Road that had once housed city offices, according to the city Economic Development Corp. Mak paid $1.5 million for the property. “Today’s announcement will lead to the complete revitalization of this currently vacant site, creating new retail and commercial space, as well as space that will be specifically developed for community use,” said Seth Pinsky, president of EDC. “In this way, the project will ensure the continued growth and success of this critical Queens neighborhood and the borough as a whole.” The new building, which will replace the current one at 135-15 40th Road, is set to contain retail on the ground floor and commercial uses above. Those uses typically require parking spaces, but Mak will likely apply for a waiver to bend at least some of those regulations, according to EDC.

 People "see" the arena, and the events there. They don't see the tax breaks and the subsidies behind it all.
The gingerbread arena and the hidden subsidies and tax breaks behind it (Atlantic Yard Report)







Alan Flack Report
A Political Insider Who Knows His Way Around the Holiday Buffet Table NYDN) Alan Flacks is politically obsessed year-round, and during the holiday season his connections also lead to free food at the many holiday parties hosted by political clubs.

 

 

Pension Double Dipper Lawmakers 
Two More State Lawmakers Become Pension Double-Dippers

 

 

 

 

 New York, new year, new laws(NYP)New state laws banning the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and giving businesses new tax exemptions for installing solar-energy systems are set to take effect next week.

 

 

 

Manhattan hospitals expanding, Queens hospitals providing housing (Queens Crap)


From the NY Observer: The city’s aging population, a drive for state-of-the-art facilities and strong hiring across the health care industry prompted unprecedented growth in leasing activity in the health care sector across the five boroughs in 2012. Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Mt. Sinai, Montefiore Hospital and Inventa Health were among the dozens of hospitals and medical companies to announce bold new initiatives to expand their footprints in the city in 2012, and those developments are only a sign of what’s to come, brokers and analysts predict.

From the Queens Courier:  Civic groups in Hillcrest are worried that a proposed mixed housing unit set to lodge individuals with chronic conditions will draw a “questionable population” next door. Queens Hospital Center (QHC) is in talks with Comunilife, a nonprofit human services agency, to develop a deteriorated 10-story building on the hospital’s campus into 251 units of affordable, permanent supportive housing for individuals with chronic physical and mental health conditions, The Courier has learned.


The Hill Newspaper Which Reported on a Congressional Resolution Against Porn in the Village Voice Prints Porn in Local Newspapers It Owns in NYC
Congressman Gary Ackerman or his wife are one of the owners of News Communications which has changed hands on paper more times than jets' sanchez has thrown an interception this year for reasons on known to their stock broker and tax man.  Ackerman partner in News Communication over the years has been the Mike Schenkler and to a lesser extent Mike Nussbaum the teams political consultant.  The ring master in this whole ownership dance was the late media mogal Jerry Finkelstein.  The powerful Finkelstein and the fact that Queens Tribune is the right arm of the Queens' machine explains why the pols, other media and women's group don't go after the Queens Tribune which published weekly over 40 ads for massage parlors a week.  True News: A Takeover Of Journalism by Lobbyist and Politicians * Financers and Sex Trafficking - NYTimes.com

Sex Ads Protest Really Depends Who the Publishers Are
This is What Acker's Paper the Hill Wrote About the Village Voice Porn
Senate resolution tells Village Voice to take down 'adult entertainment' section (The Hill)

This is What Another Community Weekly Wrote About Ackerman's Paper in Queens




Inside Vito Lopez Adult Only Holiday Party

 Hush Magazine, Albany, NY- Deck the halls and hide your daughters: Assemblyman Vito Lopez is throwing an “adults only” holiday bash next week.  It’s just as well that kiddies aren’t welcome at Lopez’s Dec. 27 Brooklyn shindig — the serial sexual harasser is virtually barred from contact with young women per the terms of his legislative censure. Lopez was humiliated by the Assembly in August when it was publicly revealed that he groped, forcibly kissed and verbally harassed several staffers. He’s no longer allowed to hire interns or women under 21.Coal in Vito’s stocking(NYP)

It’s been a tough a year for the former king of Kings County:
He lost control of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, was stripped of his chairmanship of the Assembly’s housing committee and faced calls from all directions for his resignation.Vito Lopez And Lopez got even more coal in his stocking when The Post’s Sally Goldenberg uncovered a plan to redraw city maps and slide his house into a favorable City Council district, which would have aided him in a possible run next year for an open seat.That forced Council Speaker Chris Quinn to intervene and demand new district maps

Albany Hush Fund Cover Up, Press Containment Timeline(True News)

 The Media continues the hunt of Vito Lopez but ignores other involved in the hush fund scandal . . .  If the big three gets rid of Vito the scandal dies with no media coverage

NY Post Source: New CNN Chief Jeff Zucker Looking To Hollywood For New Reporter Talent





The Dysfunctional Road to City Hall Runs Though Oligopoly Power Brokers Not the People . . .  Spending Government $$$ for Campaign Trips
Sharpton: "They're not only wining and dining me, they’re wining and dining members of my staff."
New York mayoral hopefuls going to great lengths...and distances...to win City Hall(NYDN) For example, hoping to gain favor with the teachers union, New York’s four Democratic hopefuls flew to the Ohio city at the request of the union president, Michael Mulgrew. They also took time to sit down with Rev. Al Sharpton in New York. Two of them - city Controller John Liu and Council Speaker Christine Quinn - had the city pick up the tab, maintaining that what they learned was relevant to their work as city officials. The other Democrats, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and former Controller Bill Thompson paid for the trip with campaign funds.*
The road to New York City Hall leads through Cincinnati, Celeste Katz writes, as Democratic hopefuls travel there to kiss the ring of United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew. (DN)


Only A Flack Could Write This BS Reply for Mulgrew to the Mayoral Candidates Trip to Ohio to Kiss His Ass Ring
The journey was a chance to spend more time talking about the future of education with Mulgrew, who said he was also impressed that the candidates reached out to him after Superstorm Sandy and stood with him in cleaning up the wreckage.


 Media Host and Activist Sharpton to Take On the NRA
Sharpton vows to mount gun protests (NYDN)Sharpton said he will organize a protest against the NRA and gun manufacturers that will kick off with a rally at the influential lobbying group’s Washington headquarters next month.





25 Years After Tawana Brawley, Sharpton Who?
25 years after her rape claims sparked a firestorm, Tawana Brawley avoids the spotlight(NYP) Twenty-five years after the spotlight first glared on Tawana Brawley — a black woman who as a teen claimed she was raped by a gang of white men, smeared with feces and stuffed in a garbage bag — she’s desperately struggling to stay hidden from public view.“I don’t want to talk to anyone about that,” Brawley, 40, said recently after The Post found her in Hopewell, Va




Now pay up, Tawana(NYP) ’87 smear victim is looking to collect Twenty-five years after a teenage Tawana Brawley falsely dragged his name through the mud as a gang-raping, kidnapping racist, it’s payback time for Steven Pagones, a former Dutchess County prosecutor whom she still owes $429,000, including interest, on a 1998 defamation judgment.


Campaign 2013 Lhota Faces Potentially Crowded GOP Field In Mayor's Race(NY1)

  Clinton DEM John Catsimatidis WON'T run for GOP nomination for Mayor of NYC- needs to stop the horseshit *

 
Corrupt Queens (NY) GOP Chairman Phil Ragusa seeks pay-off -

A Three-WayRace in the 24th CD? (Barkan Report)* 15 years later, ex-Ridge councilman running for mayor(Brooklyn Paper) * Briarwood activist running for Council

Lhota Tweets

 
Lhota's 1st tweet in 3 wks is about guns RT Thank you GEOFFREY CANADA. This is war; a war worth fighting.  


Stewart-Cousins: “It is an incredible opportunity at a very complex time."
New State Senate Leader Plans
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, new Senate Democratic chief, aims to lead and to listen(LoHud) *
George Soros' son spent $260K boosting Dem Cece Tkaczyk —

George Soros' son spent $260,000 in a local state Senate race, hoping a Democratic victory would help bring about taxpayer financed campaigns.roughly what Tkaczyk's campaign spent on its own.  * It’s unclear how the coalition will deal with any upcoming tightening of gun laws. (Newsday)

A judge pushed ex-Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno’s trial date to May to accommodate an expected double jeopardy appeal. (TU)  

Could 2013 be the year…New York in the Next Year
With a new year on the horizon, New York World reporters share a big story they each expect to be covering:
…Indian Point begins to power down?
…Campaign finance reform comes to Albany?
…Young criminal defendants stay out of adult jails and courts?
…1 million New Yorkers sign up for health care coverage?
…the New York City primary election moves from September to June?
 




NYP Says Shame for the House is Still Being Investigated By the FBI . . .  Ahmad Pleas Guilty $50 Million Mortage Scheme
No victory for Greg Meeks(NYP Ed) The clueless House Ethics Committee decided Thursday to let Rep. Greg Meeks (D-Queens) off the hook regarding a dubious “loan” he took from an even more dubious felon. The Meeks murk began when he bought a $1.2 million mansion in Jamaica at a fishily deflated price (just $830,000) but still couldn’t pay off all he owed on the house. So he took a $40,000 check from Queens businessman Edul Ahmad, who has since been convicted of running a $50 million mortgage-fraud scheme. The Ethics Committee chose not to subpoena Ahmad and decided that the missing testimony spelled the end of its investigation.
Businessman's $82 million in bad checks... in just two (NYDN) A Staten Island business owner known for throwing lavish fund-raisers for political candidates was charged with writing $82 million in bad checks — in just two weeks.


Record Drop in City Crime - 20% Drop of Murder Rate
In this season of miracles, it’s time to celebrate one that benefits all New Yorkers. That would be the city’s astounding record of crime reduction — and crime prevention. It’s an old story that’s news again because the miracle has been repeated and actually improved upon in 2012. The city is on pace to have about 100 fewer murders than last year’s total of 515 — a decline of 20 percent.It’s no fluke. Through Dec. 9, the murder rate has fallen 78 percent in the 19-year combined tenure of Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg. In hindsight, the bad old days were even worse than we remember. Consider that in 1990, the city had 2,262 murders as part of a crime tsunami that made our town the Rotten Apple. The tally of seven major crimes, including rape, robbery, burglary and auto theft, hit 527,000.


N.Y.U. and Other Medical Schools Offer Shorter Course in Training, for Less Tuition(NYT)
NY covers hospital bills for patients who can't pay - but whether you get relief depends on where you're treated. (NY World)

NYC families face growing threat of homelessness(NYDN)


Sandy Aid Washington Problems
A $60.4 billion bill to pay for recovery efforts in states pummeled by Hurricane Sandy still faces great uncertainty in the Republican-controlled House.
The Sandy pork storm(NYP) Many items stuffed in are basic pork; they have nothing to do with rebuilding or, for that matter, Sandy. To wit:* $150 million for Alaskan fisheries. * $8 million for cars for the Homeland Security and Justice departments. * $2 million for the Smithsonian to repair roofs damaged before Sandy. * Hurricane Relief Bill Clears Hurdle in the Senate(NYT) * It’s a ‘cliff’ hanger for Sandy vics(NYDN) * Storm surge(NYDN Ed) The DN congratulates the local senators for doing their job

NYP Senate/ House Mistake: The Paper says Senate Republicans Are Looking at Smaller Amounts of Sandy Aid.  The Senate has passed the $60 Billion bill, It the House GOP that is looking at the smaller amount
Recoiling at President Obama’s $60 billion request for Superstorm Sandy aid, Senate Republicans are coalescing around a much smaller package of $24 billion. Under this proposal, Congress would take a second look at the recovery effort in a few months to assess how much more federal aid would flow to the Northeast. Understandably, the many people suffering from Sandy’s impact don’t want relief handed out on the installment plan.  But the fact is that the country’s broke and this may be the best way to get money to those who need it with minimum waste.


Sandy Updates
Brooklyn do-gooder delivers toys to children hit hard by Hurricane Sandy(NYP)
* On Coastline, It’s Rebuild Carefully or Rebuild Now(NYT)* Hurricane Sandy Responders United In Symbolic Breezy Point (WCBS)* Christmas gifts for children on the Rockaways(Fox 5) *
Donations roll in for Staten Islanders who suffered losses(SI Advance)  

Housing Authority Says All Buildings Back On Power Grid(NY1) * Hurricane Sandy Responders United In Symbolic Breezy Point Wedding(WCBS) * Staten Island Sandy Relief Camp to be Shut Down Because of Cold  Weather(Brooklyn Paper) * Final funerals for children killed in Newtown massacre; 3 more laid to rest(NYP) * 90% of Sandy’s mess cleared out(NYDN)* As Christmas Approaches Volunteers Reach Out To Sandy Victims(WCBS) * PBA provides toys for kids in Far Rockaway(Fox 5) * Mayor's office denies plan to close Staten Island tent (SI Advance) * Brooklyn Rec Center Opens For First Time Since Sandy(NBC) *Cash Coming to Sandy-Stricken Businesses Below Canal Street(DNAINFO) * Mayor’s Office Calls Reports That ‘Tent City Must Be Taken Down By Jan 1′ Unfounded(WCBS) * Recent Rains Worsen Queens Apartments' Damage From Sandy (NY1) 

 NY's idea of thanks? Mass. volunteers come to S.I. to help out post-Sandy. Thieves take their property * Upper West Side Store Is Hurt by Staten Island Flooding  * Housing Authority Denies It Issued Eviction Notices To Sandy Victims(NY1) * Holiday Charities Step Up To Play Santa For Superstorm Sandy(WCBS) * Dylan Smith, hero who rescued six people during superstorm, drowns in Puerto Rico(NYP) * Storm Displaces Traditions(WSJ) * Sandy’s toxic risk(NYP) * Many Residents In City Evacuation Zone A Want To Move To …(NY1) Many Lower Manhattan residents say they are heading to higher ground after Hurricane Sandy rolled through.* Few Tests Done at Toxic Sites after Superstorm(WOR) * Sea water surge hitting wiring behind most serious Sandy (NYDN) *  

PATH Trains To Run Round The Clock For NYE; First Time Since(WCBS) * Family living in bed-and-breakfast after Sandy(WABC) * Volunteers Help Sandy Victims on Staten Island(NBC) * Cause of Breezy Point Fire During Sandy Determined(NBC) * Battered Seaside Haven Recalls Its Trial by Fire(NYT) * Queens cries for Sandy hero(NYP) * Fire Officials Determine Origin Of Breezy Point Fire Caused By Sandy(NY1) * Group Delivers Meals To Sandy Victims On Christmas Eve(NY1) * Sandy-Impacted Stores Go To Great Lengths To Stay Open For Holiday Shoppers(NY1) * Sea water surge hitting wiring behind most serious Sandy (NYDN) * Thanks to Staten Island toy drive, 2,000 presents for our (SI Advance) * Volunteers Santas Help Sandy Victims on Staten Island(NBC) * Cause of Breezy Point Fire During Sandy Determined(NBC) * Battered Breezy Point Recalls Trial by Fire * Americans for Prosperity: $60 Billion Sandy Aid Package 'A Disgrace'  ( Fort Lee Patch) A proposed $60.4 billion Hurricane Sandy disaster bill has its detractors, among then New Jersey's own Americans for Prosperity director.* Despite Devastation, SIers Try To Have A Merry Christmas  * Caterer Brings Christmas Meals to Sandy Families on Staten Island * Belle Harbor Residents Get Gift Of Power In Time For Christmas * Belle Harbor Residents Get Gift Of Power In Time For Ch (WCBS) * Rockaways celebrate Christmas after Sandy(WABC) *Community Devastated by Sandy Celebrates Christmas(NBC)


Con Ed may bury overhead power lines(Queens Crap)
From the Times Newsweekly: As the city embarks on rebuilding from the damage left behind by Hurricane Sandy, Con Edison is reportedly warming up to the idea of burying overhead utility wires into underground ducts.“Putting major overhead power lines underground is ... a consideration and will be examined in greater detail,” said a statement from Con Edison in announcing that it will invest $250 million on “measures that can help protect critical equipment from flood damage.”

Economy
$1B in bonds for NY water, sewer projects(Fox 5) *
NY announces $250M for renewable energy generation(Fox 5)
City’s Law Tracking Energy Use Yields Some Surprises(NYT) New York’s largest buildings — just 2 percent of its roughly one million buildings — account for 45 percent of the energy expended, according to a new government report.
Ohio, not New York, CUTTING income taxes thanks to fracking!! Tale of Two States -Ohio, not New York, CUTTING income taxes thanks to fracking!! Tale of Two States



Cig ban hits home!(NYP)It’s fine to flash the neighbors — just don’t have the indecency to smoke. The condo board for one of Brooklyn’s most prestigious addresses has banned smoking throughout the glass-walled building — including in residents’ private apartments.


Future of Corporate Tower May Hinge on a New Use(NYT)

[image]Betting Big on Harlem (WSJ) Janus Partners has been developing housing in West Harlem since 1988, but in more recent years Janus has switched to converting industrial buildings into office space.


Education
On School Stage, Learning Harlem’s Past and Narrowing a Generational Gulf(NYT)

 Bus Strike?
City plans to put general-ed students on special-ed bus routes starting in 2015(NYP)
* School Bus Drivers’ Union Threatens to Strike in January(NYT) * School bus drivers threaten to strike in New Year(NYDN) * School bus drivers may strike in NYC(WABC) * School Bus Driver Strike May Come After Holidays, Mayor(NY1) * Potential school bus strike threatens ‘poverty quota’(NYDN) * City Officials Blast Mayor Bloomberg’s Removal Of Employee …(WCBS) Former Comptroller Bill Thompson blasted Mayor Bloomberg for removing employee protection provisions from the latest school bus contracts that are being sent out for bids.



NYT Says We Need A Wizard for the MTA

Wanted: Transit Wizard(NYT Ed) Gov. Andrew Cuomo should quickly find one talented person to take over the most important public transit job in the nation.



'A' train derails on Upper West Side(NYP) * Express Train Derails on Upper West Side(NYT)




Data breach rocks NYS(NYP) State investigators have opened a sweeping probe into the security of sensitive personal information in the wake of a shocking breach at the Office of Children and Family Services


 Ed Norton: Heeey, Ralphie Boy!
For the Holidays, a Nostalgia Trip on a Bus Like Ralph Kramden's(NYT)  The No. 2969 bus, like the one Jackie Gleason drove in "The Honeymooners," is one of several vintage buses that have come out of retirement as part of a holiday promotion by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.





\Christmas pageant goes on, minus 2(NYP)There were two children missing from last night’s gathering.They were first-graders who were supposed to be in the pageant, before they were slain. One was a little boy who had been set to play a shepherd. The other was beautiful little Olivia Engel, 6, who was going to be an angel in the play.* Alone together: Grieving dad at Jesse’s grave(NYP)  * Police get Day off as fellow officers from around Connecticut volunteer to cover for them * Grieving Newtown residents cope on Christmas Day(Fox 5) *Why, God?(Dowd, NYT)
 

Comfort and joy in Newtown (NYP) Christmas pageant goes on, minus 2 * Three of his friends are dead. He had to reconsider asking Santa for a Nerf gun. (Wash Post) * 'Brave principal saved me': Newtown survivor opens up (Huff Post)    Tuesday Gun Update  
NY's biggest gun lobby takes aim at gun control push(NYDN) * Ex-NRA fave Gilly in switch(NYP) * Firearms Real and Virtual Nurture a Marketing Link(NYT) *  Israel rejects U.S. gun lobby's claims that Jewish state proves U.S. needs more guns(Wash Post) * Report: Kirsten Gillibrand shifts on guns: (Politico) The Democratic lawmaker, who as a congresswoman had received an “A” grade from the NRA, has become a vocal advocate of tighter gun control in the wake of the mass killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School earlier this month, the New York Post noted. *  Intimidation: NY Newspaper Publishes Names, Addresses of Gun Permit Holders. * DC police investigating David Gregory for use of illegal weapons live on Meet the Press Video Games Are Used by Gun Makers as Marketing Tool(NYT) * NY man who murdered two firefighters used a .223 Bushmaster, same as Lanza in Newtown(NYT) * AR-15 gun sales continue to spike after shootings (CBS)


Monday Gun Update
Gun Makers Based in Connecticut Form a Potent Lobby(NYT) *Gun Makers’ Threats to Flee State Are Lobbying Leverage * It will be impractical for New York officials to buy back AR15-style assault rifles because there are over 1 million of them floating around the Empire State, Fred Dicker writes. (NYP)* New York can’t afford assault rifle buyback - it could cost the state $1B(NYP) * Hollow points from NRA nut(NYP)
* Lawmakers look to restrict gun magazine capacity(Fox 5) * UNTRUE': Journalists Refute Wild Claim By NRA Chief(Huff Post) * Child Gun Deaths In U.S. In 1 Year Equal 6 Newtown Massacres(Huff Post) * Another GOP Senator expresses support for gun control (Huff Post) * ABC's This Week Panel Erupts Over Gun Control And NRA's 'Dogmatic' Position (VIDEO) * "It does not compromise, bc it does not fear losing....LaPierre is paving the way 4 his next $-raising solicitation." (Businessweek) *  Israel: NRA Is Lying About Our Gun Laws * On gun control, Obama's record shows an apparent lack of political will - until now(Wash Post) * Petition to deport Piers Morgan gains major traction(Huff Post) * She didn't realize the gun was real until she was shot. (Wash Post) * Gunman kills 2 firefighters, wounds 3 others after luring crews with upstate blaze(NYP)* 2 Firefighters Fatally Shot Near Rochester(NYT)

 
Sunday Talk Show Gun Update
RT : LaPierre on -- "If it's crazy for calling to put armed police in our schools...then call me crazy." RT : NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre: "I know there's a media machine that wants to blame guns..."*RT : NRA CEO LaPierre on says Columbine guards didn't go into the school. .'s Wayne LaPierre on : "You can't legislate morality." if people stay engaged in the issues of mental health awareness, violence in culture, and gun control...that is what matters RT : . holds up a high capacity mag, asks if not having them would save live. LaPierre: Not going to make a diff* LaPierre: "a gun is a tool, the problem is the criminal." NRA CEO LaPierre on says US needs to prosecute more criminals with guns, not pass new gun laws. LaPierre on Feinstein's assault weapons bill: "I think that is a phony piece of legislation." Doesn't believe it will pass. * David Gregory really hammering Wayne LaPierre on Meet. Never seen him so aggressive.

NRA CEO LaPierre on : need police immediately to protect schools, then start program to train armed security. Wayne Lapierre: There is not a gun show loop hole* Armed guards like air marshals, claims NRA program chief -(CNN) * On May 5, 1994, the House NARROWLY passed the assault weapons ban: 216-214* National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre: Members stand behind call for guns in schools(Politico) * on says recent mass shooting will bring debate back to sentiment US had against assault weapons in 94 * Bloomberg, LaPierre and the Void(NYT) *

LaPierre: "If it's crazy to call for putting police in schools to protect our children, then call me crazy." * The NRA's original firing range was in Queens and later became a psychiatric hospital.  * David Gregory hammers NRA chief on Meet the Press. * Yes, 's statement was in keeping with previous stances; what's different: the level of carnage, the tone-deafness of the policy. Lindsey Graham: "People Christmas shopping have come up to me all week saying, 'Please don't let the government take my guns away.'" * NY Post says there's no quick fix to gun violence in editorial attacking Obama for not acting quickly?  * Walmart Sells Assault Weapons But Bans Music With Swear Words * Riled Up David Gregory Hammers Wayne LaPierre Over NRA Position On Gun Laws * New York's Newtown  The epidemic of city children killed by handguns has haunted me throughout my career By (NYDN) * NRA claims public wants armed guards in every school(NYP) * GOP Senator-Designate Tim Scott On CBS: We Shouldn't 'Rush To Judgment' On NRA Plan (VIDEO) * The NRA's CEO is lambasting Mayor Bloomberg in a continuing exchange of criticisms after the Conn. school shootings.  * During an appearance on “Meet the Press,” NRA VP Wayne LaPierre was openly dismissive of a task force led by VP Joe Biden that is examining ways to reduce gun violence.* Gun Control Advocates Join Hands Across The Brooklyn Bridge(WCBS) * World's Largest Firearms Supplier Sells 3.5 Years Worth Of AR-15 Magazines In 3 Days: Gun and ammunition sales... 
* Candlelight vigil on Brooklyn Bridge to denounce gun vi (Fox 5)
 
 
NRA: Blame Video Games, Need More Guns in Schools
NY Tabloids Blast NRA Vice President’s ‘Bizarre Rant’: Wayne LaPierre Is The ‘Craziest Man On Earth’

NY Daily News, competing w NY Post, calls LaPierre "vile NRA nut" and "CRAZIEST MAN ON EARTH."
NYPD Commissioner, Gabby Giffords’ Husband Against NRA’s (NYDN) * New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo On Gun Control: 'Confiscation Could Be An Option' * Chris Christie: Armed Guards In Schools Not An 'Effective' Solution  *Michael Steele Left Speechless By ‘Very Haunting And Very Disturbing’ NRA Press Conference  * O’Donnell Tears Apart NRA Presser: ‘Lobbyist For Mass Murderers’ Wayne LaPierre Is A ‘Desperate, Cornered Rat’ * Bloomberg: NRA Press Conference Was 'Shameful'(Huff Post) * NYPD report analyzes Newtown massacre, other active shooter(NYP) * Can evidence be salvaged from Lanza's computer?(WABC) * Sources say gun shop connected to 2 mass shootings(WABC) * Violent movies, video games and teens(WABC) * Predicting who's at risk for violence isn't easy(Fox 5) *
New details emerge a week after school massacre(Fox 5) 

NRA Blames Violent Video Games for Newtown, But Partnered With Company That Makes Them(Mother Jones)* Staten Island officials react to NRA's call for armed guards (SI Advance) * Lawmakers, Cuomo Discuss Need For Gun Control Legislation(NY1) * Mayors Against Illegal Guns head: This is not my father's NRA; Blasts leadership for defiant stance * Newtown reacts to NRA statement (CBS) *The N.R.A.’s Child Soldiers(New Yorker) * NRA Official Blames Hollywood for Sandy Hook School Shooting(Rolling Stone) * 151 Victims of Mass Shootings in 2012: Here Are Their Stories (Mother Jones) *  NRA spokesman Wayne LaPierre's insane paranoia is more mainstream than you think (Gawker)

NRA Press Conference After Newtown Shows Why Washington Shouldn't Cower In Fear At Gun Lobby | The New Republic * . hammers in editorial: "We were stunned by Mr. LaPierre’s mendacious, delusional, almost deranged rant" * "Community Guns" Make it Harder to Catch Shooters: Cops(WNBC) *From Apocalypse to Dystopia (Dowd, NYT) * Second Amendment Defenders Want CNN's Piers Morgan Deported(NY Mag) * NRA call for armed police in schools draws more criticism: The head of New York City's police union and the foun... (WABC) * Marlboro NJ Schools To Employ Armed Police Officers When Classes Resume In 2013 (WCBS) * More Than 100 Die In U.S. Gun Violence Since Sandy Hook(Huff Post) * Do Democrats Need to Like Gun Lovers? (NY Mag) * Pensions: The Soul of Private Equity?(NY Mag) They discovered their own power by getting Bushmaster whacked.* Ronald Reagan Helped Pass The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban (Outside the Betway) *Brooklyn Bridge vigil aims at tighter gun laws (WABC) * Gun Makers Use Home Leverage in Connecticut(NYT)


  
Ms. Soto's Class




"Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee"

Hear this in heaven, our lost angels(NYP) * Mourning a Boy Who Flapped His Wings, and 25 Other Lives in Newtown(NYT) * Updates on Connecticut Shooting Aftermath(NYT) * Bells Toll In Newtown 26 Times For Victims Of Sandy Hook (WCBS) * Final Funerals for Newtown Victims Held Saturday   *Final funerals held for Newtown victims (WABC) * A Bleak Procession of Funerals for Shooting Victims Ends in Newtown(NYT)



Glaser’s Bake Shop closed after city inspection shows 'severe vermin infestation' (NYP) It’s costing them a lot of dough. Health inspectors have shuttered a beloved century-old German bakery after spotting a “severe vermin infestation” during a surprise visit Friday.* Glaser's Bake Shop closed(NYDN)


The Black Orthodox (NY Mag)Double-consciousness and the pursuit of G-d.

Grimaldi wins court battle to open new pizzeria(NYDN)
 
Big pay, low payoff at NYC nonprofit(NYP)
City Fire Officials Reportedly Want Firefighters' Groups To Pay For Use Of "FDNY" Name (NY1)
"East Meet West" Parade Tries To Improve Sales In Little Italy, Chinatown (NY1)
Bids for Sony Building Give No Hint to Its Future(NYT)

Didn’t get a Christmas card from Marty Markowitz? Don’t worry, we’ll fill you in(Brooklyn Paper)









RIP Oscar Madison

 Jack Klugman, Oscar from The Odd Couple, dies at 90   * Jack Klugman Dies in Los Angeles(NYT)  * "Odd Couple" star Jack Klugman dies at 90 (CBS)
* Jack Klugman’s secret, lifesaving legacy (Wash Post)



R.I.P.
Newsweek's Last Cover Features a Hashtag(NY Mag) *
The fall of Newsweek, and Tina Brown's betrayal by the Zeitgeist:
* From CNN- End of an era: Farewell, Newsweek (CNN) *For the last print issue of Newsweek, Andrew Romano compiles an oral history of the storied magazine.(Daily Beast)  * Sometimes, change isn’t just good, it’s necessary.(Daily Beast) * Newsweek Reporters at the Civil Rights Barricades (Daily Beast)
 
Tribune Co. newspapers dropping AP

 

Tuesday Washington Update
Cliff Talks Take Break(WSJ) * Chuck Hagel And The Trial-Balloon Method(Huff Post) * . rules out Mass. Senate run * The editorial page of the most widely read newspaper in Idaho urges readers to give Sen. Crapo a second chance(Politico)

 
Talk about nailing it. The Media's Ben Affleck Fantasy predicted the whole thing was play-acting
* Boehner facing pressure to allow Democrats to pass fiscal cliff bill (Huff Post) *Tea Party Seen as Weakened Force in G.O.P. After Election(NYT)

Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut.A Political Maverick Moves On to Greater Questions(NYT) As Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut prepares to leave the Senate, he might find himself in the middle of a debate over the role of bipartisanship.
 
Both House and Senate Leaders said they're willing to bring their chambers back on Dec 27 if there's some deal to work on.
Monday Washington Update
Ted Kennedy Jr. Decides Not to Run for Senate in State He Doesn’t Even Live In(NY Mag)
won't run for - celebrity/spectacle. Neither will Teddy Jr. - ?
Ben Affleck Ruins Christmas For Political Fans Who Want Him As A Senator (Buff Feed)
Pols fear cliff dive as deadline nears(NYP) *Search for Way Through Fiscal Impasse Turns to the Senate(NYT) *Tax fight sends GOP into chaos(Wash Post) * Even Tea Partiers Are Tired of Fighting About the Fiscal Cliff(NY Mag) * Chuck Hagel is Still Getting the Susan Rice Treatment(NY Mag)
Washington Post: “Tea Party Staying on Sidelines of ‘Fiscal Cliff’”
Wall Street Journal: “Battle Lines Drawn Over Stricter Gun Laws”
Associated Press: “Lawmakers Look to Restrict Gun Magazine Capacity”
Politico: “Media Finds Fiscal Cliff a Steep Climb”
The Hill: “GOP Lawmakers Show Caution as NRA Rejects Call for Gun Control”
GOP Senator Arrested For Drunk Driving(Huff Post)
Mitt Romney's son: he "wanted to be president less than anyone I've met" 
Sen. Crapo apologizes after DUI arrest for DUI 
Stabilization Won't Save Us - Nassim Nicholas Taleb, New York Times
Here Comes the Cliff - Michael Barone, Washington Examiner
UBS Is a Disgrace and Should Be Shut Down - William Cohan, Bloomberg

Remembering What Matters at Christmas - John Kass, Chicago Tribune
The Freedom of Faith: A Christmas Sermon - Simon Critchley, NY Times
Troubling Questions About Benghazi - Sens. McCain, Graham & Ayotte, WT
NRA's LaPierre Continues Gun Push w/Lies - Mike Lupica, NY Daily News
Gun Restrictions Have Always Bred Black Markets - J.D. Tuccille, Reason
Washington Hits Rock Bottom - Andrew McCarthy, National Review
When Prophecy Fails - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Will 2013 Mark the Beginning of U.S. Decline? - Simon Johnson, Bloomberg
Republicans: The Party of Color-Blind Equality - Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe
The Zombie Republican Party - Robert Kuttner, Huffington Post
Don't Kill the Shale-Gas Boom - Robert Samuelson, Washington Post
Behavioral Economics of Christmas - Loewenstein & Sunstein, New Republic
The Very Troubled State of the GOP - Thomas Friedman, New York Times
Government Status Quo Is Simply Unaffordable - Janet Daley, Telegraph

Clinton Must Answer Questions on Benghazi - New York Daily News
NRA Fires Blank on Gun Violence - Denver Post
Obama's Regulatory Cliff Is the Big Problem - Investor's Business Daily
Chrysler's Comeback - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Sunday Washington Update
"We have seen the future, and everything involves negotiating with loony people."  
If you need evidence that elections are rigged look no further than congresses 10% approval rating measured against its 92% reelection rate 
Search for Way Through Fiscal Impasse Turns to the Senate(NYT)
 -'Fiscal cliff' leaves Boehner a wounded speaker(US News)
Leading POLITICO this morning: Why Obama isn't caving on the fiscal cliff 
to on : Are we going to avoid the fiscal cliff? Schumer: "I hope so." 
How Party of Fiscal Limits Shifted to ‘No New Taxes,’ Ever(NYT)
Lieberman says we're likely to tumble over cliff(CNN)
GOP Senator To Chris Wallace: President Obama Is 'Eager' To Go Over Fiscal Cliff 'For Political Purposes' (VIDEO)
CNN’s Candy Crowley To GOP House Reps: ‘Has The Speaker Lost Control Of The Caucus?
Meet the Last Congressional Republican to Vote for Higher Taxes(NY Mag)
 
Actually hadn't watched Sunday shows in a long time. Am vividly reminded why in seeing Grover Norquist (R-NOWHERE) being taken seriously.
Andrea Mitchell: "If a Democratic Senator is not going to come to Chuck Hagel's defense, I think there are serious problems there." (2/3)
MT@chucktodd: Schumer "won't comment" on Hagel, dodges chance 2 support O potential pick for DoD sec. Did that just end Hagel's chances?
Potential Hagel nomination met with skepticism from senators (CNN)
President Obama offers scaled-down version of fiscal cliff deal(NYP) * John PodhoretzA GOP implosion(NYP) * In Taxes, Guns and State Dept. Pick, Gridlock Grips Capital(NYT) * Obama Presses Stripped-Down Plan(NYT) * Obama Waking Up From Dream of Grand Bargain(NY Mag) * Boehner's Bad Holiday: Lawmakers Go Home Without a Fiscal Cliff Deal(Times)

No Deal, Hello, Hawaii
The NRA's Insulting Response to Newtown - Jonathan Capehart, Wash Post
Obama Uses Clinton Playbook to Exploit Massacre - Byron York, Examiner
With Nomination, Kerry Can Reshape Resume - David Leonhardt, NYT
I'm Not Leaving to Be an Advocate for Republican Party - Sen. Jim DeMint
What's Next in the Budget Talks? - Chaggaris & Montopoli, CBS News
Republicans Choose Chaos - Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine
Why the Republican Rebels Are Right - Avik Roy, Forbes
The Sad Truth About Our Racial Politics - Juan Williams, FOX News
France's Anti-Rich Boomerang - Fabio Rafael Fiallo, RealClearWorld
At the Mercy of the Extremists(New Yorker)

Time to Kerry on in place of Hill(NYP) * With Kerry, a Tighter Foreign Policy Grip(NYP)

Vain Search for Meaning in Massacre - Mark Steyn, Orange County Register
We Wish You a Gun-Free Christmas - Gail Collins, New York Times
The Path to Preventing Mass Violence - Sen. Joe Manchin, Washington Post
Tim Scott: Meet the New Senator From South Carolina - Steve Moore, WSJ
Why Romney and Ryan Didn't Cut It - Mark Hendrickson, Forbes
The Republicans' Animal House - Dana Milbank, Washington Post
Don't Blame Boehner; Obama Will Get His Tax Hikes - Larry Kudlow, IBD
Ambition and Anguish Drive John Kerry - Michael Hirsh, National Journal
Benghazi Failures May Tarnish Clinton's Legacy - Halimah Abdullah, CNN
Running Out the Clock on Benghazi - Wesley Pruden, Washington Times
Big Business Sells Out Small Business - Kimberley Strassel, Wall St. Journal
Boehner Cancels Tax Vote in Face of GOP Revolt - Jonathan Weisman, NYT

 Clinton’s Libya duty (NYDN) The outgoing secretary of state must answer questions on Benghazi, and soon


The Roots of Mass Murder - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
How to Get Better Gun Control - Jonathan Alter, Bloomberg
What 2012 Population Estimates Could Mean in 2020 - Sean Trende, RCP
No End in Sight as Budget Impasse Drags On - Newhauser & Shiner,Roll Call
Republicans Are Lost, Divided, and Weak - Steve Benen, MSNBC
Bob Schieffer on "fiscal cliff" deal: "They are back to ground zero"(CBS)
Today's the Day to Act on Gun Control - Chicago Sun-Times
Cliff Diving: Obama's Failure to Negotiate Seriously - Wall Street Journal
Don't End Jobless Benefits - Philadelphia Inquirer
GM Is Alive and Taxpayers Got Ripped Off - Washington Examiner
A Man of Many Worldsby Philip Gourevitch (New Yorker) John Kerry says he knows foreign policy.
After Newtown, Barack Obama Channels John F. Kennedy After Birmingham(Vanity Fair)
Behind Closed Doors, Obama and Boehner Appear to Have Learned from Their Past Mistakes(Vanity Fair)
Washington Post: “Obama Calls on Congress to Craft at Least a Minimal ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Deal”
Wall Street Journal: “How ‘Cliff’ Talks Hit the Wall”
Associated Press: “Don’t Be Fooled by January Pay — Higher Taxes Loom”

Politico: “Hill GOP Cool to Obama Overtures”
The Hill: “Fearing Primaries, GOP Members Opted to Shun ‘Plan B’”
Enough! Break the GOP Back (Daily Beast)
WATCH: Obama Asks Congress To Drink Egg Nog, Not Tank Economy(Mother Jones)
What the Fight Over Clinton's 1994 Assault Weapons Ban Can Teach Obama(Mother Jones)
President Obama and First Lady bring seasons greetings in weekly address
"John Boehner's Animal House" WashPo's says it seems more like "Jurassic Park" than "Lincoln"
Send in the Clowns(Friedman, NYT)
Obama’s “small deal” could lead to bigger tax increases(Wash Post)
Obama to Attend Inouye Memorial in Hawaii (ABC)
Report: President Obama and John Boehner's Fiscal Cliff Chats Have Been Pretty Unfriendly(NY Mag) 
This week's political news in video(Politico)
President Obama Will Be Back from Hawaii Before You Know It(NY Mag)
25 Reasons Why Lady Bird Johnson was the BEST First Lady ever. (Buzz Feed)
Bam $ucking us job creators dry(NYP)
Family Friends and supporters say Chelsea Clinton is ready to play a larger role in the national debate(Politico)
Obama joins mourners at memorial service for late Sen. Inouye in Hawaii(NYP)
 
 

Bye-Bye to the Big Board?(NYT Ed) Regulators must answer whether the proposed sale of the New York Stock Exchange can be regulated in a way that protects the public interest.
 

 
"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Lewis Carroll, Alice In Wonderland

Could A.I.G. Happen Again? (NYT Ed) Policy makers must quicken the pace of reform to prevent another crisis.


Law and Order

Midtown Shooting Was Over Mexican Cocaine Ripoff(Huff Post)
* Brazen Midtown Murder Was Over Mexican Cocaine Ripoff, Sources Say(DNAINFO)


 

CHRISTMAS HORROR! Maniac sets blaze house in Webster, N.Y., then ambushes four volunteer firemen sniper killing two of them(NYDN)


‘Drunk’ with powerADA fare-beat bust

VIDEO SHOCKER: Brute attacks woman in elevator(NYP) * Woman, 57, robbed, attacked in elevator(NYDN) * 57-Year-Old Bronx Woman Savagely Beaten, Robbed In Building (WCBS)
* Woman attacked in elevator in Bronx building(WABC) * Woman Beaten, Robbed Inside Elevator in the Bronx(NBC) * Police Search For Man Who Beat Up Woman In Elevator And Robbed Her(NY1)


Slain Qns. bodega owner was looking forward to upcoming wedding(NYP)
Update Man Suspected To Be Involved In Shooting Of Queens Deli Owner (NY1) * Slaying Ends Immigrant's Success Story(Wall Street Journal)

My boss fired me for refusing to have rough sex, children's toy store worker claims in shock lawsuit
Model who castrated lover with corkscrew in Times Square hotel gets max sentence(NYP)* Ex-Model Gets 25 Years for Killing His Companion(NYT)


Suspect in ’05 hit-run nabbed in Spain(NYP) * Queens ’05 fatal driver captured in Spain(NYDN)

One of 'Central Park Five' allegedly flings brick at ex (NYDN)

Another Bovis fraudster gets away with it(Queens Crap)

From the Daily News:

A former top executive for one of the city’s biggest construction firms dodged a lengthy prison sentence in a massive overbilling scheme after his lawyer pleaded for leniency in a Brooklyn federal courtroom “he literally built.” John Hyers, Sr., received one year of probation for his role in a scheme by Bovis Lend Lease to submit $19 million in fraudulent bills over the past decade. "In a courtroom which he literally built, I beg you to let him off as leniently as your awesome powers allow," defense lawyer Mark Baker said to Judge Allyne Ross. Hyers had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud — and eventually came forward with information about the scam, prompting federal prosecutors to also urge the judge to go easy on the company exec.Hyers faced more than 10 years in prison under sentencing guidelines, but will pay a mere $15,000 fine. He’s the second Bovis Lend Lease official to be charged yet receive no jail time. Last month, former Bovis executive James Abadie was also sentenced to probation and fined $175,000 for his role in the scam.

Man, 52, Is Convicted as a Juvenile in a 1976 Murder, Creating a Legal Tangle(NYT)
Former Friend Is Convicted Over Kerik’s Home Renovations(NYT) *
Kerik's friend guilty of perjury(NYDN) * Contractor on Kerik home convicted of perjury(Fox 5) *
Ex-Staten Islander convicted of perjury in Kerik case(SI Advance) *  Contractor Convicted In Case Involving Disgraced NYPD Commissioner(NY1)
(WCBS)
Woman Snaps Pic of Alleged Sex Abuser on Train(NBC)
Man Charged With Stabbing Woman To Death In The Bronx (WCBS)
"Community Guns" Make it Harder to Catch Shooters: Cops(WNBC)
Man Exonerated in Central Park Rape Is Charged With Assault(NYT)
Record Number of New Yorkers Arrested During Bloomberg Era, NYPD Stats Show(DNAINFO)
Family demands probe in police crash that killed son (NYDN)
Unlike other cities, we haven't cut crime by locking more people up. NYC's incarceration rate is down 32% since 2001(Bloomberg)
Five men arrested in Jamaica gun bust(Queens Chroncle)
NYC is making a new effort to channel mentally ill defendants into treatment instead of jail if possible.
Arson Suspected in Brooklyn Church Fire(NY Mag)
Many Prisoners With Mental Illness To Get Shorter Sentences Under New City Initiative(NY1)
Shortchanging Ex-Offenders(NYT Ed) Halfway houses that are supposed to rehabilitate released prisoners are not doing their job.
Fatal shooting in Harlem(Fox 5)
Suspicious Fire Chars Part of Brooklyn Church(NYT)
Police Probe Church Fire In Brooklyn(WSJ)
Parole nix in cop’s ’88 slay(NYP)

'Central Park 5' member calls brick-throwing claim 'sha (NYDN)
Thief nabs $10K by threatening to light clerk on fire(NYP)
Ex-neighbor: NY gunman loved mother, hated sister(Fox 5)
Friend of Former Commissioner Is Acquitted of Lying in Inquiry(NYT)


Judge must quickly resolve case of five men wrongly convicted of Central Park Jogger attack(NYDN Ed) Justice has been delayed far too long in their lawsuit against the city
Kerik-case trial shock: One bro guilty, other not(NYP) * Friend of Former Commissioner Is Acquitted of Lying in Inquiry(NYT)
Broom & bust at spa(NYP)
Death mark made capo a mob rat(NYP)

Cops discover suicide note, body in upstate NY fire set to lure firefighters to their doom(NYP)
* Gunman Who Killed 2 Firefighters Left Chilling Note(NYT)

Bronx livery murderer convicted(NYP)
11 more claim sexual abuse at Yeshiva University's high (NYDN)
Video: Pay-O-Matic robbery in Harlem(NYDN)
Man Wanted For Pouring Flammable Liquid, Displaying Lighter …(WCBS)
NY man charged in death of man found in closet(Fox5)
NYPD seeks help to solve theft of volunteers' electronics …(SI Advance)
Fatal Gunfight Erupts Over Damaged Bronx Christmas Decorations, Police Say(DNAINFO)
Man Robs Check Cashing Store With Flammable Liquid(Ny1)
NYPD Reports Record Low Murder Numbers In NYC
Stolen Dog Reunited with Family on Christmas(NBC)


Mario wasn’t the first Times Square groper: NJ tourist(NYP)

Terrorism Three Men Appear in Court in Mysterious Terror Case(NYT)