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NYC: Former New York City mayor Ed Koch has passed away this morning at the age of 88. RIP.
Edward I. Koch, 1924-2013: Edward I. Koch, Ex-Mayor of New York, Dies (NYT)The New York Times obituary on Ed Koch reminds what art a newspaper obituary can be.
R.I.P. ... Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch dead at age 88: sources -
Former NYC mayor Ed Koch has died. Story(Today)
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Ed
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Koch Won the Mayor's Race In 1977: In the Summer of Son of Same and the Blackout Riots
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Ed Koch, the Mayor Who Saved New York From Bankruptcy, Dies(NY Mag)
Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch has died at age 88. His funeral has been scheduled for Monday (NBC) *Three-Term New York Mayor Ed Koch Dies(WSJ) * Ed Koch, Former Three-Term Mayor, Dead At 88
* Ed Koch, Former Three-Term Mayor, Dead At 88(NY1)
*Mayor Koch: Rescued New York from threatened bankruptcy. Led NYC’s economic and cultural rebirth. Always had a zinger.
The quotable Ed Koch (Wash Post)
Watch Ed Koch's 1983 Saturday Night Live Monologue, And Other Classic Koch Videos: In 1983, Ed Koch became the first..
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Ed Koch's tombstone quotes journalist Daniel Pearl, who was beheaded in Pakistan on this day in 2002(NYP)
Pataki On Koch Death: ‘Happy To Call Him Friend And Share The Ride’(YNN) * Silver, Skelos Mourn Ed Koch(YNN)
Funeral Arrangements for Koch(NYT)
Remembering Ed Koch(NYT)
Funeral Arrangements for Koch(NYT)
Remembering Ed Koch(NYT)
Reverend Al Sharpton Remembers How Ed Koch Led to His ‘First Arrest’
Why Ed Koch wanted to be buried near the subway by (NYT)
In an interview to the Times in 2007, and released today, Koch said he never forgave the Cuomo family for the 1977 Mayoral campaign when Koch’s sexuality was called into question.
Before his death, Koch also worked with the Times to compile a series of op-ed’s and letters to the editor to remember him.
One of Koch’s biggest critics, Wayne Barrett, gives the former Mayor a “+”.
Why Ed Koch wanted to be buried near the subway by (NYT)
In an interview to the Times in 2007, and released today, Koch said he never forgave the Cuomo family for the 1977 Mayoral campaign when Koch’s sexuality was called into question.
Before his death, Koch also worked with the Times to compile a series of op-ed’s and letters to the editor to remember him.
One of Koch’s biggest critics, Wayne Barrett, gives the former Mayor a “+”.
President Obama Reflects the Passing of Ed Koch(NYO)
Mayor Koch Appeared In Numerous Movies, TV Shows (NYT)
The legacy of Ed Koch's legendary Saturday lunch club | WATCH:
Mayor Koch Appeared In Numerous Movies, TV Shows (NYT)
The legacy of Ed Koch's legendary Saturday lunch club | WATCH:
great
Koch Passed on the 100 Birthday Of A Grand Central Station Institution He Worked Wtih Jacqueline Kennedy to Save From the Wreckers Ball
New York City’s A-list politicians gathered in Manhattan for the premier of “Koch,”
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Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch dies at 88
Video: Former mayor Edward I. Koch in his own words, "Do you miss me?" (NYT Video)
Wow. Ed Koch puts WSJ reporter Daniel Pearl's last words on his gravestone, AP reports via The marker will be inscribed with the last words of journalist Daniel Pearl before he was murdered by terrorists in 2002: “My father is Jewish. My mother is Jewish. I am Jewish.”* "NYC lost an irrepressible icon, our most charismatic cheerleader and champion"--
* UPDATE: Ed Koch's Many Hats:
Mario Cuomo Remembers Sharp, Warm, Combative Koch (NBC)
The Difference Between Koch’s City and Today(NYT)
The Every Changing Life of Ed Koch
1965
Koch: The Night the Nice Guy Finished First
By Jack Newfield
1988
CITY FOR SALE: ED KOCH AND THE BETRAYAL OF NEW YORK makes your head spin! If you lived in New York City during the Koch years this detail-laden gem by journalists Jack Newfield and Wayne Barrett will take you back, towing you through the Parking Violations Bureau scandal, twisting your arm through one extortion after another, and finally dumping you in a Bess mess. Non-Koch years New Yorkers may have to read certain passages if not the whole book more than once to absorb CITY FOR SALE, as Newfield and Barrett cut no corners with this blow-by-blow account of the rise and fall of Edward I. Koch. Review of City for Sale New York Magazine - Jan 9, 1989 - Page 60 - Google Books Result * Koch on Manes: "He's My Friend."(NBC)
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Bloomberg
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What Ass? Who You Going to Believe Me or Your Lying Eyes
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Bloomberg denied admiring a woman’s rear end at a party, as reported in a magazine profile of Christine Quinn, calling it “an outrage” for a reporter to say that it was part of a pattern of sexist remarks by the mayor, The New York Daily News reports: * New York magazine “stands by” its report that Mayor Bloomberg once publicly ogled a woman’s derriere and used lewd language to describe it, which he insists he did not.
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Political Corruption
NYP Says NYT Report That Liu Was Out of Woods in the Fund Rasing Scandal is Wrong
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Fake GOP Political Pac Use A Loophole in state law by disclosing their expenditures as lobbying
A Virginia-based group that spent over $950,000 on campaign mailers and advertising against Democratic state Senate candidates in 2012 exploited a loophole in state law by disclosing their expenditures as lobbying, the Times-Union reports: * Common Sense Principles, a shadowy Virginia-based group that attacked Democratic candidates for the state Senate in last year’s elections, spent over $950,000 on mailers, a new disclosure filing shows.
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Campaign 2013
NY1 Online: Carrion Discusses Possible Run For Mayor(NY1)
Thompson rips anti-Israel gig(NYP)
Human Rights Campaign endorses Christine Quinn in New York:
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NYS Government
CAN CUOMO KEEP DYSFUNCTION OUT OF ALBANY? Susan Del Percio writes that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s commitment to fiscal restraint and lower taxes could be tested by the rise of the Independent Democratic Conference
Gambling
Gov. Cuomo said that he does not want state legislators to “politicize” the process of setting casino policy in the state and that the independent Gaming Commission will try to keep politics out of any decision on casino location, the Times-Union reports: * Cuomo warned he’ll drop his support for expanding casinos in New York if the Legislature insists on a “politicized process” for determining where they’re located.
The president of the International Association of Fire Fighters wrote a letter to Cuomo expressing disappointment in the governor’s plan to limit arbitrator’s ability to increase wages and benefits, which affects police and firefighters, the Times-Union writes
The Post argues that a state-mandated minimum wage hike carries moral implications that can be used to make the case against it:
Early Budget
State Lawmakers Release Plan To Pass Budget By March 21(NY1)
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has approved the Cuomo administration’s contract for new driver’s licenses that will have black-and-white photos produced by the highest bidder, spurring a losing bidder to sue.
Paterson sex dig at love gov(NYP) Former Gov. David Paterson got a rise out of a Manhattan audience yesterday when he turned his old boss, Eliot “Client No. 9” Spitzer, into a punch line. “You know how I became governor . . . Let’s just say it was the best sex I ever had — and I wasn’t even there!” Paterson quipped when he delivered a six-minute speech in Midtown.
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Education
School Bus Strike Legal
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NYP Says $700 Million Will Be Lost if the City Does Not Come to An Agreement With the UFT On Teacher Evaluations, The WSJ Disagrees
Teach-eval talks thaw(NYP)Cuomo’s threat to have Albany impose a new teacher-evaluation system if the city and UFT can’t agree to one on their own is working.Both sides were back at the bargaining table yesterday. Bloomberg was holding his fire and said talks were continuing., a sign that he didn’t want to upset the ongoing talks. The entire state, meanwhile, stands to lose $700 million in federal education grants as well if the two sides can’t come to an agreement, US officials warned. * Race to the Top Funding Appears Safe So Far(WSJ) * New York City’s $700 million in federal Race to the Top funds appear safe – for the moment – despite the Bloomberg administration and UFT failure to reach a teacher evaluation deal.Federal officials say that despite the stalemate between New York City and the United Federation of Teachers over teacher evaluations, the $700 million the city receives as part of the Race To The Top grant program is not in jeopardy, The Wall Street Journal writes:
Medgar Evers College President Resigns(NYT) * The president of Medgar Evers College, the predominantly black public college in central Brooklyn, is resigning.To save NYC’s catholic schools(NYP)
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NYC Government
Yesterday Bloomberg Took Action on Two Problems He Was Attacked in the Last Mayoral Debate
1. Mold In Sandy Damaged Buildings
Bloomberg is expected to pledge today that the Housing Authority’s scandalous backlog of 340,000 apartment repair orders will be history by year’s end. * City Vows Public Unit Repair Push(WSJ) Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged Thursday to eliminate the
"entire" backlog of roughly 420,000 repair orders at NYCHA by year's
end - with the agency responding to
all emergency requests within 24 hours.
If You Can't Solve the City's High Unemployment Rate You Pass A Fake Bill Fight Unemployment Discrimination to Fool the Public
Make them think your solving the Unemployment Problem
In the News, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer explain the merits of a bill that would outlaw employment discrimination
From Crain's A crane operator and a contractor didn't inspect equipment, failed to
take proper precautions and ran the rig unsafely before it collapsed
while building a New York City apartment tower and injured seven
construction workers, officials said Wednesday. Crane operator Paul Geer and contractor Cross Country Construction have
each been cited with five violations stemming from the Jan. 9 collapse,
which occurred as the crane tried to lift more than double its capacity,
the city Buildings Department said. Mr. Geer and the company each face
at least $64,000 in fines; the developer and a site safety manager also
were cited with a violation apiece.
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Postal Going?
City Room: Postal Service Considers Sale of Bronx General Post Office
If You Can't Solve the City's High Unemployment Rate You Pass A Fake Bill Fight Unemployment Discrimination to Fool the Public
Make them think your solving the Unemployment Problem
In the News, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer explain the merits of a bill that would outlaw employment discrimination
Operator and contractor at fault in crane collapse(Queens Crap)
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Postal Going?
City Room: Postal Service Considers Sale of Bronx General Post Office
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Brooklyn College Free Speech and the Middle East
Appearance by Group Advocating Boycott of Israel Roils Brooklyn College(NYT)
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Sandy Update
Higher Flood-Zone Rebuilding Is Allowed(NYT)* Boardwalk Work Set in Sea Girt(WSJ) * Mayor Provides Zoning Relief To Homeowners Rebuilding After Sandy(NY1) * State Senate Task Force Offers Recommendations To Address Sandy Issues(NY1) * State To Offer Free Health And Safety Inspections To Sandy-Impacted Businesses(NY1) * Bloomberg has signed an emergency executive order to suspend height and other restrictions so substantially (Sandy) damaged buildings and new construction can meet the new flood elevation standards. More here.* Geraldo May Lead 'A New Vitalization Of The Republican Party' As NJ Senate Candidate http://www.mediaite.com/tv/geraldo-may-lead-a-new-vitalization-of-the-republican-party-as-nj-senate-candidate/ … (VIDEO)
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Gun Control
Myths About Gun Regulation(NYT Ed) The gun lobby propaganda is convincing lawmakers that the 10-year ban on assault weapons was ineffective.* More proof New Yorkers remain up in arms over the SAFE Act: 724 comments (and counting) on a Post-Standard story about an information meeting on the new law.* In their fervor to take action against gun violence after the shooting in Newtown, Conn., a growing number of state and national politicians are promoting a focus on mental illness that advocates say is unfair.*Armed guard disarmed teen in Atlanta school shooting, says police chief
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Grand Central At 100
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Grand Central Terminal At 100: Legal Battle Nearly Led To Station's Demolition Fifty years after first opening, Grand Central Terminal earned landmark status. The designation should have ensured its prosperity and longevity, but in 1970s it came dangerously close to being leveled. NY1's Jon Weinstein describes the protracted battle over the terminal's fate that lead all the way to the Supreme Court.
As NYC marks iconic station's centennial, Grand Central's grand secrets revealed by the longtimers who know it best(NYDN) * Grand Central Terminal: 100 years of rich history (CBS) * One Day Until Grand Central Terminal’s 100th Birthday(WCBS)* Grand Central Bar Serves Up Cocktail for Terminal's Centennial(DNAINFO) * Grand Central Terminal turns 100! Take a look back at these STUNNING photos of the landmark transit hub through the years * 100 Years Later, a Railroad Landmark Is Revived(NYT) * Video: Below Grand Central, Digging for the Future (WSJ)* Grand Central Terminal opened a century ago and the Times heralded the opening in its usual comprehensive way:
Developers and Unions Seek Eased Limits on Midtown Projects(NYT)Prominent New York City real estate developers have forged an alliance with labor and the construction industry to lobby the Bloomberg administration for rule changes allowing skyscraper development around Grand Central Terminal,
100 Years Later, Rail Landmark Is Revived(NYT) In the Bronx, the East 180th Street station has celebrated its centenary with a major renovation. Above, the lobby.
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Local Newspaper Sale
Interesting that Both Media Chains Formerly Owned by Jerry Finkelstein is Sold Right After His Death
Tribune Under New Ownership
Tribco, LLC, the parent company of several newspapers in the Metropolitan area, including the Queens Tribune and the Long Islander, announced last week...
Manhattan Media sells NYC weekly papers(NYP) The buyer is Straus News, headed by President Jeanne Straus, a publisher of nine weekly papers on the New York-Pennsylvania-New Jersey borders. In contrast, Straus’s ties to the New York City media scene are deep. Her grandfather, Nathan Straus, acquired the WMCA-570AM radio station in 1943. Jeanne’s father, Peter Straus and his wife, Ellen Sulzberger Straus. who has ties to the Sulzberger clan that controls the New York Times Co., turned WMCA into a Top 40 rock ‘n’ roll station built around “the Good Guys.” While Isis is selling off its Manhattan titles, it is keeping its other media properties, including Dan’s Papers in the Hamptons as well as Avenue magazine, New York Family, New York Baby Show, and City & State. Tom Allon, the longtime publisher of the Manhattan Newspaper Group and a declared Republican candidate for City Hall, will remain president of Manhattan Media.* New Owner for Manhattan's Small Papers(WSJ)
How Can the Ownership of A Political Newspaper Have Nothing to Do With A Run for Mayor?
Mr. Allon, who is running for mayor, said the sale has nothing to do with his political ambitions.
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Washington
A Confirmation Ordeal(NYT Ed) Republicans did their best to disparage Chuck Hagel at his hearing, but the full Senate should confirm him as defense secretary.* The Many Sad Faces of Chuck Hagel(NY Mag)
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12.3 million people remain unemployed.
Obama Realigns, the GOP Declines - Robert Shrum, The Daily Beast
Someone Should Tell Obama It's Still the Economy - Ed Morrissey, FT
The President Replants the Goal Posts - Jonathan Alter, Bloomberg
ObamaCare's Broken Promises - Daniel Kessler, Wall Street Journal
Gun Control's Complicated History - Carl Cannon, RealClearPolitics
Chuck Hagel's Credibility Left in Shreds - Jonathan Tobin, Commentary
Hagel Will Be the Next Sec. of Defense - Chris Cillizza, Washington Post
Major Obstacles Loom on Immigration Reform - Caitlin Huey-Burns, RCP
Immigration: Getting It Right - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Looking for Mister Goodpain - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Spending Sequester Will Grow the Economy - Larry Kudlow, NRO
Time Is Money and Money May Be Running Out Of Time - Bill Gross, Pimco
Here Come the Skeet Shooting Truthers - Bob Cesca, Huffington Post
Ben Nelson Cashes In on ObamaCare Vote - Timothy Carney, DC Examiner
What I Learned Covering Hillary Clinton - Ron Fournier, National Journal
How the South Will Rise to Power Again - Joel Kotkin, Forbes
Edward Koch: 1924-2013 - Robert McFadden, New York Times
Hillary Clinton’s last day on the job as secretary of state is today.
Confirm Chuck Hagel to the Pentagon - USA Today
Obama Blames GOP for His Economic Failures - Washington Examiner
NRA Rejects Constructive Conversation - Miami Herald
The Bob Menendez "Standard" - New York Post
Veteran reporter Ron Fournier on what he learned while covering Clinton: “(I)f you don’t think she wants to be president, you don’t know her.”
Obama’s defense secretary nominee, former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, was grilled hard – and stumbled several times – during his Senate confirmation hearing yesterday.
Romney campaign donated nearly 90K to the Red Cross a month after the election and Hurricane Sandy. (Buzz Feed)
Job Growth Is Steady Amid Snags Holding Back Economy(NYT)
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Brown Decides Against Senate Bid in Massachusetts(NYT)
Hillary Clinton received a warm send off on her last day as Secretary of State.
In Senate Hearing, Hagel Muddled the Message on Iran(NYT)
Anti-Hagel Groups Emboldened After Senate Hearing(NYT)
Secret Service director to step down
Energy Secretary Steven Chu is the latest cabinet member to announce that he is leaving the White House.
Former Massachusetts US Senator Scott Brown has decided not to run for the seat vacated by new Secretary of State John Kerry.
Americans to Washington: Don't Tread on Me - Aaron Blake, Wash Post
Gun Extremists' Alternate Reality - Paul Waldman, CNN
Why Obama Doesn't Want to Talk About Jobs - James Pethokoukis, AEI
Obama's Bad Cop Act Is Working - Jill Lawrence, National Journal
Liberals' Austerity Lie: Spending Is Still Climbing - John Merline, IBD
Immigration Reform Within Reach - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
Smart GOP Policies Will Keep Texas Red - Norquist & Gleason, Reuters
How Ed Koch Remade Liberalism - Matthew Cooper, National Journal
My Valuable, Cheap College Degree - Arthur Brooks, New York Times
Is NY Times Hacking Just the Beginning? - Sam Schlinkert, The Daily Beast
Al Gore Dreams of Electric Jeeps - Glenn Reynolds, Wall Street Journal
Obama reopens rift with religious groups,
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Media
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MarketWatch Gets In on Unfortunate Media Layoff Trend(NY Mag)
NBC News president resigns after presiding over floundering 'Today' show's ratings implosion as Matt Lauer became loathed anchor
Tomorrow every news station in the country will report if a large rodent saw its shadow while ignoring the unemployed, hospital closing and the flight of the Middle Class Out of New York
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Stewart Mocks Obama Skeet Shooting: Why Won’t Black Man Half Of U.S. Fears Release Picture Of Himself Holding Gun?
Glenn Beck Taunts Piers Morgan For Rating Lower Than RuPaul’s Drag Race
Sylvester Stallone supports assault weapon ban (CBS)
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Wall Street
Doubt Is Cast on Consultants Hired to Fix Banks’ Abuses(NYT)
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Law and Order
City DNA botch(NYP)* Mishandling of DNA Evidence Is Found in Over 50 Cases at Crime Lab(NYT) * The NYC medical examiner’s office has discovered more than 50 cases in which it failed to upload critical DNA evidence samples from crime scenes to the state’s DNA database, preventing those samples from being compared to genetic material from convicted offenders.
Brooklyn Rabbi Charged With Sexual Abuse of Boys(NYT) * Yeshiva Teacher Denies Sex Abuse(WSJ)
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Mother of Slain 16-Year-Old Speaks Out at March Against LES Shootings(DNAINFO)
Closing Arguments Given in Shaken-Baby Murder Case(NYT)
Police sgt. has fatal heart attack during Brooklyn 'buy-and-bust'(NYP)
Career crook held on bail; allegedly targeted Asians(NYP)
Jurors View Interrogation Footage In Brooklyn Officer's Shooting(NY1)
Guilty Verdict in Queens Shaken-Baby Trial(NYT)
Queens child luring suspect arrested: The man wanted for trying to lure two Queens girls into his car las...
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Terrorism
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Gitmo Judge Orders Gov't To End 9/11 Pre-Trial Censorship(NY1)
Suspected Suicide Bombing At U.S. Embassy In Turkey(Huff Post)
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