NYC Primary System Violates One Man One Vote

Even After the BOE Screw Ups Election Day, A Slow Count That Still Might Not Be Over, They Still Are Importing From the Bronx an Executive Director Who Will Lead By the Text Messages She Recieves by Carl Heastie and Its Lobbyist Stanley Schlein  

Only The Daily News Says No More BOE Puppet Directors

Vote of no confidence(NYDN Ed) A fter repeatedly and spectacularly failing to accomplish its mission of facilitating the vote, New York City’s Board of Elections is on the verge of hiring a new executive director. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Only by bringing in a top-flight manager can the board hope to end the incompetence that has made it a national laughingstock — in the process gaining the ability to count votes accurately and quickly, as well as, oh, properly staff polling sites. When the panel fired its last executive director in 2010 — for manipulating the placement of names on a City Council special election ballot — the board announced that it would conduct a nationwide search for a replacement.


The BOE Last Director Who Was Kicked Out Was Also From the Bronx Machine . . .  Looks Like He Go Away With Attempted Ballot Fix

When the panel fired its last executive director in 2010 — for manipulating the placement of names on a City Council special election ballot — the board announced that it would conduct a nationwide search for a replacement.

WNYC Radio and Others Reported Last Executive Director Gonzalez Was Fired 26 Months Ago Attempted Ballot Fixing

Head of Board of Elections Fired One Week Before Election (WNYC) Sources at the Board of Elections say Gonzalez was fired over irregularities that initially appeared on the ballot of a special election in Queens for the City Council seat in the 28th district. His lawyer is Stanley Schlein who runs the Bronx county and helped Bronx DA Johnson win and residency case against him the first time he ran for district attorney.  Schlein is also represented the losing bidder for new voting machines that the BOE brought last year and is now being investigated by the feds.* George Gonzalez was a total, if mercifully brief, disaster as head of the city Board of Elections(NYDN) The Daily News blamed the commissions who voted for Gonzalez including Naomi Barrera.

It is All About Loyality to the Machine, Not Qualification

Wonder of wonders — that search, now in its 27th month, has found a leading contender for the $172,753 job on the Grand Concourse, in the the board’s Bronx offices, in the person of Naomi Barrera, who sits on the board itself as a member of the Bronx Democratic organization. Barrera resume: She’s a solo-practitioner lawyer who handles mostly real estate closings. Saying that she has not officially applied for the post, Barrera declined an interview that would have pressed her for the slightest indication that she is qualified not only to run a $100 million operation but to modernize and professionalize it. Naomi Barrera law firm Rivera and Colon does very well with minority contracts according to Comptroller Liu Report Card  Maybe she has political friends who owe her favors?


Commission Barrera's Bronx Board Screw Ups Go Un Investigative 

1.  Board of Elections does nothing as hundreds of Bronx votes go missing(NYDN Ed) Ignores warnings of busted ballot scanner  VOTE COUNTING in the fierce congressional battle between incumbent Charlie Rangel and his insurgent challenger Adriano Espaillat is no longer a matter of the usual incompetence of the Board of Elections. Batista, and the whole of Espaillat’s camp, was even more astonished by what they found in the Bronx — 170 disqualified ballots on which poll workers failed to write down the Election and Assembly District in which the vote was cast. That’s something state law requires poll workers to do, board spokeswoman Valerie Vazquez confirmed.  On 67 of those Bronx ballots, a Board of Elections notation claimed the person was disqualified for being in the wrong Election or Assembly District. n“How can you be in the wrong E.D. when they didn’t even list where you voted?” Batista said. We were told that once Democratic County Leader Carl Heastie delivered the Bronx to keep Charlie Rangel in Congress, Manhattan Dem County Leader Keith Wright was supposed to keep his end of the bargain and pave the way by okaying for Barrera. So what happened?
Well, for one thing, Carl failed to deliver the Bronx, though he came close.(Bronx Times) * BOE takes no blame for botched election (Bronx Times) * At one point, it was "chatter", that Greg Soumas(Man. Dem Commish) was interested in the ED position.

2. Naomi Barrera responsible for the administration of the Bronx County Democratic Board of Elections office, which has a staff of 40 employees (Rivera and Colon)

The Brennen Center tallies from the electronic scanning machines at Public School 65 included high proportions of invalidated votes. The board did nothing. Actually, the board did worse than nothing. It refused to check — even when asked to do so by state election officials. A Daily News investigation found that in the In the September 2010 primary, the scanner processed 103 ballots and made errors on 69 of them, a failure rate approaching 70%.  In the November 2010 general election, the scanner handled 289 ballots and misread votes on 156 of them, a 54% failure rate. Board of Elections does nothing as hundreds of Bronx votes go missing(NYDN Ed) Ignores warnings of busted ballot scanner 

Brewer Threw Her Hearing on the BOE Screw Up on Election Day

Instead of question what went why thousands of voters were disenfranchised and inconvenienced on Election Day Chairwoman Brewer became Kellner’s and everyone else’s puppet as she allows them to testify only asking gentle questions which only enforced points to improve procedures at the board. She never asked why are bad system or policy was in place.  

The Media Other Than the Daily News Has Done Not One Story on BOE Screw Up On Election Day . . .  Do They Want the Board to Stay In the Machines Hands?

 Tammany Hall Board of Election Control Goes On and On (True News)
To understand what’s happening, you need to know that the 10-member board is composed of five Democratic and five Republican loyalists. All staff positions, the people who do the work, are allocated to party organizations as patronage hires. This includes the executive director slot.*  Secret Mission Cover the BOE Ass Without Real Change (True News) * A Failed Opportunity to Dump the Board of Election(True News) * The Electoral College is meeting — and the Board of Elections still hasn't finished counting(True News) * How the Media is Playing the Board of Elections Melt Down vs LIPA Melt Down(True News) * True News Reported That The NYC Board of Election Would Suppress New Yorkers Right To Vote and We Were Right(True News  *  Manhattan Illegally Elected Gang (True News) * Update: Our Right to Vote Is In Danger (True News) * A Tammany Hall Fixer Tries to Save the BOE for the Bad Guys(True News) *
True News: The Media Let the BOE Get Away With It Again *The City Council Is Responsible for the Corruption At the BOE and Can Reform the Place If It Wanted Too(True News) * Electorial College Vote Update Noting About the BOE Unfinished Count (True News) * Media Cover Up: Pay to Play BOE Connected to Queens GOP and Politically Connected Lobbyists(True News) Daily News Says: The city’s not-so-new electronic vote scanners are forcing a wholesale revamp of the way New Yorkers will choose their next mayor. This is nuts.(True News) * Today's Fairy Tale: The BOE Will Fix Itself(True News) * When It Comes to New Yorkers Voting Rights the Pols and Press Have Amnesia(True News)
 


NYP Got A Husband and Wife Contract Killed of Fired OEM Chief Who Used Government Workers at His Home
Wife of OEM chief fired during Sandy keeps $415G state contract He was axed by Gov. Cuomo over broken branches but still raked in the green.   Steven Kuhr was fired as chief of the state Office of Emergency Management on Nov. 7 amid the Hurricane Sandy disaster when Gov. Cuomo learned that Kuhr had diverted a...

With Transit Chairmanship, a Familiar Face Slips Back Onstage(NYT)Fernando Ferrer’s unexpected re-emergence as acting chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority prompted curiosity about second acts in New York public life.

Risk-zone redraw to cost homeowners

Getting $oaked (NYP) For the last six weeks, federal officials have been working with the city to redraw maps and expand flood zones that haven’t been changed since 1983. It’s not hard to figure out where the new boundaries are headed: farther inland. Mayor Bloomberg made that clear last month by disclosing that two-thirds of the homes battered by Sandy were beyond evacuation zones.

400-pound woman who plunged through UES sidewalk says size saved her life(NYP)

Woman plunges through E. Side sidewalk(NYP) * Woman Falls Through Sidewalk Grate On Upper East Side(WCBS) * Woman falls through sidewalk on Upper East Side(WABC) * Woman Rescued in UES Sidewalk Collapse(NBC) 




The City to Say It is A Real Hard-Knock Life for Many (Not All) Children Raised By Single Parents

Bloomberg Takes On Politically Incorrect Subject
Finally! City to tackle unwed-mom epidemic(Goodwin, NYP) Seven out of 10 babies born in The Bronx in 2010 were born to unmarried parents. The state recorded 22,386 live births in the borough that year, with 15,539 born to single mothers. More than 2,100 of those mothers were teens, some as young as 15.  That world-weary cynicism illustrates the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s meaning of “defining deviancy down.” His point was that a declining society accepts as normal bad things that are not normal. Numbness leads to inertia. So it is with out-of-wedlock birth. As the proportion climbed and climbed, from single digits to 41 percent nationally, and 45 percent in the city, our political leaders responded with . . . silence. Even Mayor Bloomberg once said to me that “you know it’s something we can’t touch,” presumably because of the racial implications. Nationally, 73 percent of black children are born to single mothers.

Miss America 2013 Lives in Brooklyn(NY Mag)*
Miss America: Brooklyn girl set to start media blitz 
The new Miss America is from Park Slope. Very exciting [CHB]






Cuomo seeks 3 upstate NY casinos in crowded field(Fox 5)

NYC Political Parties vs the 
14th Amendment

A gang of five, four or three who run the Republican, Working Families, Independent and Liberal Parties will have the same power as the 3,154,426 voters who belong to the democratic Party.  This year It is very possible that every party in city will have their own candidate for mayor. If one of the candidates from a party other then the democrats who hold real primaries wins who will they own their election to, the voters or the gang of 5 who gave them their party line?

Controlling Minor Parties in NYC Eliminates the Need to Stuff the Ballot Boxes Like Tammany Hall Did

Ray Harding and Fred Newman knew the answer to that question. If the cult leaders who late anti-Semite Fred Newman put together, including Lenora Fulani give a Wilson-Pakula authorization to Adolfo Carrion to run on the Independence Party line and he managers to win the mayors race in a 5 or 6 way race he will owe the cults as much as Bloomberg who paid them million of dollars for providing him with the winning margins in his 2001 and 2009 race. It is clear that the 5 voters of the Independent Party leaders equalling the votes of 3 million democrats is a violation of the 14th Amendment clause.   

Soviet Elections Also Violated the 14th Amendment

The same election debt could be owed to the Dan Canter gang at the Working Families Party if that party give de Blasio permission to run on their line and he will the mayor's race running on their line only. It is against the 14th Amendment to give Fulani or Kanter who's working family only has 13,566 member in the city the same power to make a mayor as the over 3 millions voters in the democratic party.  It is already proven that the 5 GOP county leaders who give Bloomberg their endowments after he paid them 100,000 had the same power as the 3 milliion democratic primary voters. New York's election system where some party leaders voters are worth so much more than other person's votes is a denial of equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. A couple of octogenarians from the Alex Rose have agreed to give publisher Tom Allon the party nomination if he help them revive the party by helping them get on the ballot through the opportunity process. 

The Cult Led Independence Party Has A Shot At Electing Carrion As Mayor With New York's Growing Latino Vote

Lhota’s supporters envision a race where Council Speaker Christine Quinn or former City Comptroller Bill Thompson is the Democratic nominee, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is the choice of the Working Families Party, former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión winds up the Independence Party’s pick, and Lhota, of course, gets the GOP’s nod and likely the Conservative Party’s support as well. In such a case, they argue, Lhota could defy the massive voter registration advantage of the Democratic Party and squeeze through a divided electorate to win. Though the possibility was not mentioned by Lhota’s supporters, if everything else they postulate comes to pass, the general election could actually wind up a five-way, the fifth candidate being Tom Allon, the CEO of Manhattan Media, who was selected last year by the Liberal Party as its mayoral nominee.

NYC Board of Estimate Was Dumped When It Was Proven It Violated the 14th Amendment

In 1989, the Supreme Court of the United States, in Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris declared the New York City Board of Estimate unconstitutional on the grounds that the city's most populous borough (Brooklyn) had no greater effective representation on the board than the city's least populous borough (Staten Island), this arrangement being a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause pursuant to the high court's 1964 "one man, one vote" decision (Reynolds v. Sims). ^[2]


State Senate Pork Dreams

 Back to the trough(NYP Ed) Monday will be the first day of the state Senate’s 2013 legislative session — but senators were already hard at work this week tackling what they apparently consider one of New York’s most pressing issues: how to divvy up the annual taxpayer-paid pork.Some priorities, huh? And get this: At the moment, there isn’t even any pork to divvy. That’s right: Then-Gov. David Paterson removed the Legislature’s “member items” from the budget three years ago — and so far (mercifully) they haven’t returned.


The Growing List of Member Items Piggy Pols Convicted

It’s no surprise, of course, that lawmakers consider this issue critical: The cash is used as taxpayer-funded bribes, handed out to local groups to buy friends and votes. While such perversity is technically legal — and, until three years ago, funded to the tune of $200 million a year — lawmakers have managed to find ways to use it for illegal purposes as well. The names of ex-pols like Hiram Monserrate, Carl Kruger and Pedro Espada — all of whom were convicted of diverting taxpayer funds for their own benefit — leap to mind. And just this week, ex-City Councilman Larry Seabrook drew a five-year sentence for similar hanky-panky at the local level.

Jury Selection Question: Do You Think John Liu is Corrupt?

Liu’s in‘jury’ous rep(NYP)Embattled city Comptroller John Liu’s tarnished reputation could play a role in jury selection at the campaign-finance trial of his former treasurer and a key fund-raiser.Court papers say Jia “Jenny” Hou and Xing Wu “Oliver” Pan want prospective jurors asked, “Have you heard or read anything that leads you to think John Liu is corrupt?” "Friends of John Liu today announced that 2,052 contributions for a total of $522,000 were received"

  Roger Stone ‏@RogerJStoneJr  No Jewish candidate for mayor in NYC Dem primary- Run, Spitzer, run.

Rule Changes In New Power Sharing Senate Draw Criticism From Good Government Groups(NY1)

John Catsimatidis Shares The (Political) Wealth; Joe Lhota Takes The Stage

 






Goo Goos Protect Council to Limit Campaign Contribution Disclousers As They Did When She Dumped Member Items Slush Fund Reform in 2008

Only in NY can good government groups give cover to the city council to elimate disclosure for mass mailings and other member communications of candidates who recieve public funding.  The Campaign Finance Board who is the good guy in this case says the current rules do not prohibit groups from comunicating with members which the council says it the reason for the bill. “It’s disclosure. It’s not a limitation. It’s simply disclosure,” a CFB spokesman said.  In an good piece by Columbia journalism student Beth Morrissey other then the fact she did not ask the goo goos how they can support less disclose explained the conflict.  Campaign Finance Board Fires Back at the City Council (NY World).

No Slush Fund Reform By Quinn and Goo Goos Silence in 2008 Led to Seabrook Corruption 2012

If Morrissey did some research she would have discovered that both Russianoff and the Citizen Union have a history of protecting Quinn against Corruption.  When Quinn was in the middle of the slush fund scandle she came up with forms to the slush fund member items system that she later dump when faced with opposition from her members.  Both Russianoff and Citizen Union who were at the speaker side for the announcement of the reforms never criticized Quinn for dumping the reforms. The slush fund watchdog that Quinn replaced these reforms with never discoverd that fact that Larry Seabrook was stealing millions in slush funds.

Gene Russianoff, Senior Attorney New York Public Interest Research Group, says he will also be supporting the amended legislation. “It doesn’t seem to serve a strong purpose to have them disclose what they’re communicating to their members,” he said. The Campaign Finance Board, however, still opposes the legislation. “We do not support this bill,” said Campaign Finance Board spokesman Matthew Sollars. “It eliminates disclosure for mass mailing and other member communications.” Sollars notes that the board’s current rules do not prohibit groups from communicating with members. “It’s disclosure. It’s not a limitation. It’s simply disclosure,” he said.Debate Over Campaign Finance Reform Continues(NY1) * Quinn Never Filled Slush Watch Dog Position Green Lighting Slush Abuse! (Troy)

What Ever Happen to the City Council Slush Fund Investigation?(True News)

Brooklyn Civil War Russians Vs Orthodox

Russians and Orthodox Jews Clash at Brooklyn Redistricting Hearing(NYO)It was the multicultural American Dream, the only hope of ambitious Russian immigrants and the possible death knell of Orthodox Jewish communities, all at once, at least according to some of those testifying at the redistricting hearing last night in Brooklyn.

Ed Koch called Cuomo 'schmuck' after being turned away from victory party in 2010

Ed Koch's slur at Gov. Cuomo captured by documentary film crew(NYP) “He’s a schmuck!” That was sharp-tongued Ed Koch’s assessment of Andrew Cuomo, captured by a crew filming a documentary on the three-term former mayor that will debut this weekend at a Jewish film festival. The former mayor hurled the epithet in 2010, when he was turned away from the door at Cuomo’s election-night headquarters, where he traveled to congratulate the governor-elect on his big win.* Spokesman for Cuomo to Become Chief of Staff


A Bit of Brooklyn Past is Going

Not again! Hinsch’s to close March 1, and this time it’s forever!(Brooklyn Paper) Hinsch’s, Bay Ridge’s beloved ’50s-era soda fountain, ice cream parlor, and greasy spoon, is closing for good. “The area no longer supports this kind of establishment,” said the owner. “Bay Ridge is more of a fast food kind of place now. Hinsch’s is passé, I guess.”







Yoko Handlers Get Her to Prase Cuomo As She Attacks Flacking
Yoko, Sean back Andy(NYP) Murdered Beatle John Lennon’s son and widow gave thumbs up to Gov. Cuomo’s push for tougher gun control

Yoko Ono Says Get the Frack Out of New York

A marathon Assembly hearing on fracking was dominated by opponents of the controversial natural gas drilling process. * Anti-fracking activist Yoko Ono paid a visit to the state Capitol with her son, Sean Lennon.* The WFP has launched an on-line campaign to send Cuomo to see the anti-fracking movie “Promised Land.”* Lennon’s Widow Takes Fight Against Gas Drilling to Albany(NYT) *  Yoko Ono Takes Fight Against Gas Drilling to Albany(NYT)


Update on the Gun Control Debate

Armed Janitors Approved By Montpelier, Ohio, School Board To Stop School Shootings(Huff Post) * Team O shoots down NRA’s ‘no-ban’ push(NYP) * Democrats Urge Christie to Back New Gun Laws(NYT) * Senator Reid Takes Fresh Aim(NYT Ed) The Senate majority leader, a gun enthusiast, is now calling for better protections.* Scarborough Tears Into NRA For Making Millions Over Slaughter Of 20 Innocents * Gun-rights groups: Our 'backs are against the wall'(NBC) * Sales of Guns Soar in U.S. as Nation Weighs Tougher Limits(NYT) * Video Game Industry Braces for Regulations(NYT)* The Video-Game Industry Has Already Lost Out in the Gun-Control Debate(The Atlantic) * Despite Protests, Upstate New York Gun Show Goes On(NYT) * Senator Reid Takes Fresh Aim(NYT Ed)\* Gun-rights supporters, protesters square off in NY(Fox 5) *

Newtown openseyes to other gun violence against young people (CNN) * Long Islanders overwhelmingly favor banning assault weapons, high-capacity ammunition magazines and armor-piercing bullets in the wake of the Newtown massacre, according to a Newsday/Siena poll.* Fox News host Jeanine Pirro called out The Journal News for revealing she’s a gun owner.* A history of how the NRA came to be.* Gun Permit List To Blame For White Plains Burglary? * Newtown Considers Whether to Demolish Sandy Hook Elementary(NY Mag) * How the NRA gained its power: ‘No compromise’(Washington Post)

Bronx parks system created before New York City was cha (NYDN)



Lautenberg Out

Lautenberg Has Decided Not to Run Again: Sources(WNBC)







Education
Passing the Trash(NYP Ed)Warning to schools outside the five boroughs: Don’t believe teacher records you get from the New York City Department of Education — because they might not be telling you the truth. As The Post’s Susan Edelman reported, DOE has a secret when it comes to kicking unqualified teachers out of the classroom: It offers to erase their bad marks and send them on their way — if they agree to resign. Union Leaders Meet as Teacher-Evaluation Deadline Nears (WSJ) * Mayor, Union Back In Talks Over New Teacher Evaluation System(NY1) * Report: Poorly Rated Teachers Adding To Struggling Students' Battle(NY1) * Deadline looms for NYC deal on teacher evaluations(Fox 5)

Charter school founder admits to tax cheat(NYDN)

Gifted, Talented and Separated(NYT)

Update: Bus Owners Strike Wednesday?
Mayor Announces Plans for 'Strong Possibility' of Bus Strike(DNAINFO)

First the Bus Owners Threaten A Strike . . .  When That Did Not Get The A Contract . . .  Now They are Saying AIG Ripped Them Off . . .  The Bus Companies  Have Great Abilities to Get Their Bargaining Position in the Press* Bus strike looms for schools(NYP)
School-bus firm: AIG bilked us for big $$ (NYP) The largest school-bus company in New York City is warning that it could go belly-up because a subsidiary of the insurance giant AIG has allegedly bilked it out of Hurricane Sandy coverage.* Everybody off! City school bus strike is likely to happen Wednesday(NYP) * School Bus Drivers May Go On Strike Wednesday(NY1) * Public school bus strike could hit NYC as early as next (NYDN) * City Official: School Bus Strike ‘Likely’ This Week(WCBS) * Chancellor Walcott Announces New Measures to Help Families in Event of Yellow Bus Strike *Schools Chancellor On Bus Strike: "It Is Not A Matter Of If, But When"

High Bridge Restoration Effort To Revive Landmark Span(NY1)

Being Brooklyn, Aided by Cheesecake(NYT)

 

 

 

DiNapoli's efforts on political spending disclosure
New York’s Pension Muscle(NYT Ed) New York State’s comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, wants to use his financial clout to get a major company to disclose its political contributions.

Reddit co-founder, activist Aaron Swartz had long struggled with depression(NYP) * From MSNBC Aaron Swartz's family blasts government over death: In the 24 hours since Aaron Swartz, a prodigy pro...   *Reddit founder Aaron Swartz found dead in suicide at Brooklyn apartment(NYP)

 

Coming to the Streets of New York "The Wild Ones"

Bike to the future(NYP)  A two-wheeled tsunami is about to hit New York — and Mayor Bloomberg couldn’t be more pleased.

Bloomie admits to caller: "We don’t enforce the bicycle laws as much as we should" in NYC


 

No pants subway ride(Fox 5) In an attempt to bring some laughter to commuters' lives, the comedy troupe Improv Everywhere/ We Cause Scenes has organized No Pants Subway Ride 2013.

 

Flu Update Cuomo Declares Public Health Emergency 

* Flu outbreak leads NY to declare public health emergency(NYP)
* Hell's Kitchen is the city's most flu-infected neighborhood, Web app shows
* Flu Prompts Cuomo to Declare Public Health Emergency(NYT)
NY's declaration of a public health emergency allows pharmacists to give flu shots to children.
* Executive Order Temporarily Increases Access To Flu Shots

New York City Ties Doctors’ Income to Quality of Care(NYT) The proposal, affecting physicians in public hospitals, represents a push away from the traditional model of rewarding doctors for the volume of the services they order.* Gov. Cuomo declares state of emergency amid deadly flu outbreak(NYP) *  Flu Shot Supply Dwindling As New York Faces Public Health (WCBS) * Pharmacies, doctors RUN OUT of flu shots just one day after Gov. Cuomo declares statewide public health emergency(NYDN)


Rejected Disability Claims in Queens May Be Reheard(NYT)


Sandy:  King Says He Count Votes And Bill Will Pass Congress
House to Take Up Storm Bill Amid Battle Over Spending(NYT)
Peter King: New York and New Jersey have locked up 'more …than enough" Republican votes to pass $51 billion in desperately needed disaster aid for Hurricane Sandy, a key lawmaker revealed Fri (NYDN) * Victims Hit Hard By Sandy March To Show Congress They Need Aid(NY1)
* Critics of Superstorm Sandy aid package say billions are bound for non-Sandy projects:(AP)
Sandy Spurs Call to Buy Up Homes (WSJ) Many shorefront communities are determined to rebuild after superstorm Sandy. But residents of Staten Island's Oakwood Beach want to pick up and leave instead * Legal Fights Loom for Sandy Victims(WSJ) * NY storm commission urges flood walls for subways(WSJ)

'Nothing rapid about Mayor Bloomberg’s so-called Rapid Repairs program': Daily News photographer whose home was ravaged by Sandy is still waiting for help(NYDN)

Cuomo commission releases Sandy report for NY(WSJ) * FEMA Has Approved $500 Million In Aid For City Sandy Victims Since Storm(NY1) * New Bill Seeks To Protect Homeowners From Insurance Companies(NY1) * Store Owner Donates Kitchen To Storm-Stricken Breezy Point (NYDN) * Foster homes needed for Sandy pet victims(WABC) * Cuomo commission releases Sandy report for NY(Fox 5) * Owners of Sandy-wrecked homes on Staten Island await bulldozers(SI Advanmce) * "Scavengers" Look to Pick Up Sandy-Ravaged Homes(NBC) * Moreland Commission to continue to meet to investigate  * Billions in Sandy aid package headed elsewhere (CBS) * #ny1sandy Commission Calls For Infrastructure Upgrades To Prepare For Future Storms (NY1) * Rockaways Residents Ask Congress To See Destruction For Themselves: Frustrated residents of the Rockaways, sick of... * Congressman's Speech Inspires Appeal For Aid In Area Hard Hit By Sandy(NY1) *Dried Out and Title-Scrubbed, Flooded Cars Lure the Unwary(NYT) * Ellis Island Collection Moved(WCBS) 

MTA Sandy $5 Billion Ouch
MTA Estimates Sandy Took $5 Billion Swipe At Budget(NY1)

City helps legalize illegal contractors(Queens Crap)

From Crains: For immigrant contractors working in Flushing, Queens, many of whom speak broken English at best, jobs have most often come from within their own Chinese community: remodeling one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments in the neighborhood, improving basements, perhaps adding patios or terraces to stand-alone homes. Many of the Mandarin-speaking craftsmen work without city licenses, risking fines of up to $250,000 if they're caught by city inspectors. Since last year, the city's grant program has had the effect of helping to rein in the off-the-books workforce and encourage so-called micro-entrepreneurs—who work for themselves or employ up to five people full-time—to play by the rules.

On Subway Platforms, More Warnings for Riders(NYT) Weeks after two people were killed after being pushed into the paths of trains, officials have added more messages telling passengers to stand clear of the platform edge. * 'I can't believe he survived': Homeless man jumps in front Q Train(NYDN) * Subway Riders Will Be Reminded to 'Stand Away from the Platform Edge' More Often(NY Mag)

Data for Ferry Probers(WSJ)

Sergey Semonov's Aerial Panorama Of NYC Wins Epson International Photographic Pano Award, Is Amazing (PHOTO)

Changes loom for 100-year-old Grand Central [CNY]
 

NYC police: Cannon found loaded with powder, ball(CBS)

They served the nation, but now ailing veterans face misery if Congress nixes funds to repair Manhattan's VA hospital










Washington Sunday
Hawks on Iraq Prepare for War Again, Against Hagel(NYT)
We Offer More Than Ankles, Gentlemen(Dowd,NYT)
Paul Krugman: GOP Debt Ceiling Strategy Is 'Hostage Taking'
The Promised Land of Fracking - Ronald Bailey, Reason
Collaborate vs. Collaborate - Thomas Friedman, New York Times
Setting Expectations for Obama's 2nd Term - Philip Klein, DC Examiner
We Need a Ban on "Assault Magazines" - George Gascon, Politico

Hagel to Meet Schumer to Discuss Policy Issues(NYT)

TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads(Huff Post)
Our Interrogation Legacy - George Will, Washington Post
The Three Biggest Races of 2013 - Juan Williams, FOX News
Republican Establishment Declares War on GOP Voters - Scott Rasmussen
Ted Cruz and the 47 Percent - Erica Grieder, Texas Monthly
Sonia Sotomayor: A Justice's Journey - Dahlia Lithwick, Washington Post
Have We Lost the Drug Wars? - William Murchison, Townhall
There's More to Life Than Being Happy - Emily Esfahani Smith, Atlantic
Our Economic Pickle - Steven Greenhouse, New York Times
There's No Sin at This Inauguration - Ben Domenech, The Transom
The Draft Barney Frank for Senate Campaign - Ruth Conniff, Progressive
From Al Gore to Al Jazeera - Clifford May, National Review
Hillary Clinton's Next Drama - Meghan Daum, Chicago Tribune
The Obama Synthesis on Foreign Policy - Ross Douthat, New York Times
Colin Powell is bucking his own party, again -(CNN)
College Tuition Is Too High - Philadelphia Inquirer
"Lower the Debt Ceiling" - New York Sun
Gun Mania - Los Angeles Times
Gun Task Force Must Avoid Trampling Rights - Detroit News
Obama Will Seek Overhaul of Immigration in One Push(NYT)
Colin Powell Accuses GOP Of Racism On Meet The Press: They 'Still Look Down On Minorities'
Senators gear up for Hagel's confirmation, many with questions -
Colin Powell Strongly Endorses Hagel For Defense Secretary
Candy Crowley Asks Panel About The Lack Of Diversity In Obama's Cabinet: 'Does It Matter?' (VIDEO)
Powell Defends Obama’s Pick for Defense Secretary(NYT)
Potential 2016 rivals Cuomo and NJ Gov. Chris Christie have developed an unexpectedly warm working relationship over the past 18 months, marked by occasional dinners and more frequent cell phone contact.

Washington
Veterans and Senate Buddies, Until Iraq War Split Them(NYT)* Obama Says U.S. to Speed Afghan Exit(WSJ) * WATCH: Obama Talks Timetable For End Of Afghanistan War(Huff Post)
President Has Already Cemented Legacy - Jill Lawrence, National Journal
ObamaCare's Other Shoe - Mark Steyn, National Review
GOP Isn't Serious on the Debt Ceiling - Jamelle Bouie, American Prospect
Obama's Phony Default Drama - Caroline Baum, New York Post
 
 
Rock Out

West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller's retirement brings curtain down on an American political dynasty(NYDN)* Jay Rockefeller, likely the last of a political dynasty(NYT)

Yes, Your Paycheck Just Shrank - Neil Irwin, Washington Post
Marco Rubio: Riding to the Immigration Rescue - Matthew Kaminski, WSJ
Rockefeller's Retirement Isn't Bad for Dems - The New Republic
Defeating Christie a Tall Order for N.J. Democrats - Scott Conroy, RCP
 

Lew Had Major Role at Citi When It Nearly Imploded - Jia Lynn Yang, WP
Ruling Class Remains Wedded to Euro Folly - Peter Oborne, Telegraph
Coin Idea Wouldn't Have Been Goofy to FDR - Jonathan Alter, Bloomberg
What Happened to All of That Money? - Jeffrey Snider, RealClearMarkets
Right-Wing Paranoia and Gun Control - Charles Blow, New York Times
Joe Biden's Political Posturing on Guns - J.D. Tuccille, Reason
Report: Climate Change Is Really Scary - Tim McDonnell, Mother Jones
GOP's Lone Star Rock Star - Ruben Navarrette, San Diego Union-Tribune
The Afghanistan Con Job - Jed Babbin, The American Spectator

The Afghan War's Last Chapter? - New York Times
Gun Mania After Newtown - Los Angeles Times
Benghazi Terrorists, Skating Free - New York Post
Did Politics Play a Role in Bigelow's Oscar Snub? - Wall Street Journal
Chuck Hagel's fate rests largely on what Chuck Schumer decides to do
How Politicians Have Shifted with Polls on Gay Rights
Treasury Dismisses Trillion-Dollar Platinum Coin Solution(NY Mag)
Get to know Jack Lew's revolving door past:(Opens Secrets)

  howard wolfson ‏@howiewolf

Finally saw Lincoln last night. Every generation gets the Lincoln we need, here the legislative mechanic who gets things done w/congress.

Richard Nixon at 100 Richard Nixon would have turned 100 last week, but there were no...  (NYP)


NYT Layoffs

Layoffs Approaching At NY Times(Huff Post)* Media rattled by possible @nytimes layoffs: http://politi.co/VveCq0 * The New York Times public editor: Keeping environmental reporting strong won't be easy without a team dedicated to it. http://nyti.ms/VUY5ZH * InThe New York Times is dismantling its environmental desk…and that’s not all that’s on the chopping block. *Time Inc. Reportedly Planning Major Layoffs(Huff Post) * NY Times Layoffs Looming; Jill Abramson 'Begging' Top Editors To Take Buyouts: NY Mag(Huff Post)

 

British Sex Abuse Report Details Decades of Claims(NYT) * Report Details Savile Abuse Allegations(WSJ) * BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile committed more than 200 sex crimes against children: report (NYDN) * BBC’s Jimmy Savile sexually abused children for more than 50 YEARS, police report finds(NYP)

Law and Order
Jealous rage of fire dad (NYP)* After Deadly Fire, a Man Is Charged With Murder(NYT) * Man Charged In Deadly SoHo Fire(WSJ)


Livery cab driver shot in the #Bronx. http://bit.ly/V4tFZF

Ex-con who killed over dog leashes get 30 years to life(NYDN)
 

Defense lawyers plan to take advantage of DNA techician's(NYDN)
Ex-Technician Denies Faulty DNA Work(NYT) The former New York City lab worker said she had been unaware there were questions regarding her handling of DNA evidence in hundreds of rape cases. * Hundreds of Rape Cases Under Review(WSJ)

Cooking-show staffer robbery slay (NYP) A former Brooklyn café owner who worked on the set of ABC’s “The Chew” was shot dead on a Bedford-Stuyvesant street in an apparent robbery attempt* Daytime Talk Show Staffer Killed During Robbery Attemp(WABC)

Officer Held in Plot to Kidnap Women Balks at Jail Transfer(NYT)
No Jail Time for Ex-Doctor, 85, Convicted of Drug Charge(NYT)
Lawyers Say Police Confused Bomb Suspect's 'Doodle' With Nazi Symbol(NYT)
Rapist beast gets 25 years(NYP)
Suspect In Custody After 29-Year-Old Man Knifed In Bushwick: A suspect was taken into custody after a..
Bronx Man Faces Murder Charges In Death Of Man Found In …(WCBS)

Man In Custody After Police Find Body In Bronx Building Fire(NY1)

Cell damage: Rikers in ruins after years of neglect(NYP)

Mob lawyer Gerald McMahon targets rat(NYP)

sDrunk man hit by three cars in Brooklyn and left bleeding in the street(NYP)

Woman burned alive in elevator gets justice(NYDN)Evil B'klyn arsonist will spend the rest of his life behind bars(NYP) * 50-Year Term for Burning a Woman to Death in an Elevator(NYT) * Torch Killer Gets 50 Years(WSJ)

Man In Custody After Police Find Body In Bronx Building Fire(NY1)

Rabid slayer gets 30 years (NYP) The ex-con who brutally stabbed a popular Brooklyn bartender to...