Sunday, June 2, 2013

True News Sunday Update

On Tuesday Lopez is Expected To Start Petitioning for Council

The City Council and Albany Still funds Vito Lopez's None Profit Government Political Machine. Which He Will Us Starting Tuesday to Win A City Council Seat
Council grants $600G in earmarks to group caught in Vito Lopez federal corruption investigation(NYDN)
Ridgewood-Bushwick Racks Up $846K In Grants | New York Daily ...

None Profit Still Lopez's Power Base
Angela Battaglia, Lopez’s girlfriend, who is still the associate executive director at Ridgewood Bushwick. 10 of its employees, including Battaglia, contributed $1,700 to his council campaign.

Gropez gal’s $alary bloat(NYP)
In the years when ex-Assemblyman Vito Lopez was still a kingmaker in New York, his campaign treasurer ran the government-funded Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council and her annual salary at one point topped $685,000. The line handed out at the time was that Christiana Fisher had long been underpaid to run the social-services empire, an operation with more than 500 employees and 30,000 clients, and deserved Wall Street-level compensation to, well, compensate her. All this sparked the interest of probers, who eventually determined that documents had been doctored to justify wildly inflated paychecks. On Nov. 15, Fisher pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of criminal contempt. She later forfeited about $170,000. Tax returns filed by the organization last month indicate Fisher made out like a bandit. IRS filings show Fisher received $685,975 in 2008 and $607,624 in 2009 before settling at $383,491 in 2010 and $353,475 in 2011. The Department of Investigation put her 2009 take even higher at $782,000. She got the ax in January 2012. * Silence speaks volumes in Silver scandal

7h
Asmblywmn Schimel is “satisified" Asmblywmn Solages found the Speaker responsive.”So much for speaking truth to power.

In 1993 the NY Times wrote:
Growth of a New-Age Political Machine
More on Vito Lopez's Government Funded Machine (True News)

Angela's out at City Planning(Queens Crap)


From Crains:
While the giant nonprofit and alleged patronage mill founded by former Assemblyman Vito Lopez figures to survive his political demise, the same cannot be said of Angela Battaglia's post on the City Planning Commission. She is likely to be replaced before the end of the year, an insider said. The longtime girlfriend of the disgraced politician has been a "holdover" on the commission for 11 months since her last term expired. She had been reappointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in February 2008 to the five-year term that began July 1, 2007. At the time, Mr. Lopez, who resigned May 20 because of a sexual harassment scandal, still had plenty of political currency. He generally supported Mr. Bloomberg's mayoralty and backed his controversial extension of term limits in 2008, even though Mr. Bloomberg had always run on the Republican line and Mr. Lopez was chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic organization.
 Smith the Public Finance Ripper

Your money is corrupting(NYP Ed)
“I don’t think any of these [state legislator scandals] had anything to do with public financing,” Bloomberg said. “What is clear is that they have a lot of corruption. Most of the things that have been in the paper would not be cured by that.”One allegation is that Halloran helped negotiate bribes aimed at allowing state Sen. Malcolm Smith, a Democrat, to run for mayor of New York City on the Republican line. Another allegation is that the councilmember agreed to do favors for a man in return for $80,000 in cash — which Halloran would use to qualify for a six-to-one match from public funds.


FALLING OUT: Anthony Weiner and former mentor Sen. Chuck Schumer are at odds over disgraced Congressman's mayoral run(NYDN)








 2nd Avenue Subway Mess
EXCLUSIVE: The Second Avenue subway — a $4.4B MTA project — is a mess with safety violations that are jeopardizing lives(NYDN)

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Social Media Problems


3 Mayoral Candidates Have Had Social Media Problems . . .  Weiner, de Blasio and Now Quinn
Online twits hack Quinn(NYP)
Anthony Weiner isn’t the only mayoral candidate with a Twitter issue.
The campaign account of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn mysteriously added 20,000 followers yesterday to the 3,400 or so she had Thursday. Turns out they weren’t real.
Spokesman Mike Morey blamed mischievous hackers for the Twitter snafu. * Ex-De Blasio Campaign Staffer Exposed For Offensive Tweets (CBS) * Was Quinn campaign Romnied?



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A Mayoral Campaign About Nothing

 Real Problem Issues Ignored
Last Night an 11 Year Old Girl Was Shot in the Middle of A Gang Fight and None of the Mayoral Candidates Said A Word On How to Stop These Ongoing Horrors.  One of these bums will become the next mayor and the shot girl may never walk again.

11 Child Shot May Never Walk Again
'I can't feel my body': 11-year-old girl shot outside her Bedford-Stuyvesant home just weeks before her fifth-grade graduation may never walk again, family fears  (NYDN) * Vigil for shot girl, 11 (NYP) Paralyzed after B’klyn violence

Girl shot in the neck during Brooklyn shootout  (NYP) A young girl was shot in the neck after gangbangers turned a Brooklyn street into a battleground tonight, cops said. Taylani Mazyck, 11, was hit by the stray bullet as she walked with her mom near her home on Gates Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant at...* Brooklyn girl, 11, shot in neck; suspect arrested(WSJ) * Girl, 11, Wounded In Brooklyn Shooting(NY1) * Last Week 14-year-old girl shot dead while riding on bus in Queens(NYDN) * Eight people shot, two fatally, in seven separate incidents across the city   * Update: 17-Year-Old In Custody In Connection With Shooting Of 11-Year-Old Girl In Brooklyn (NY1) * Girl caught in crossfire has stray bullet wedged against spine, may be paralyzed(NYP) * 11-year-old girl shot in Bedford-Stuyvesant fears she will never walk again ... - New York Daily News
56s
So how many more crippled, maimed & killed kids b4 anti- crowd puts same energy into getting gun thugs as do in getting cops?

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Empty Mayoral Promises . . . Where is the Money?
Mayoral Candidates Promise New Services But Do Not Explain How They Will Even Pay for Existing Services
If unions want raises, we would have to cut services and lay off 15% of the city workforce: Bloomberg Bloomberg says looming retroactive raises present the next administration with a stark choice



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The Bull Shit Campaign and Their Enabling Journalist

 Campaign By Picking Off Constituencies and Flip-Flop
Thompson Flipped His Opposition to A Trash Dump to An Issue That Will At Least Solidify His Support in the Black Community

Thompson wants apology for 'environmental racism' jab
Dem mayoral foes in ‘race’ to the slop (NYP)  The mayor’s race turned unexpectedly ugly yesterday when Bill Thompson said he was personally offended by the “environmental racism” charge he claimed was hurled by rival Christine Quinn. “I have to tell you, as a black man, to be accused of racism...  * Thompson, Quinn Recycle Trash Fight(WSJ)

Marching with today!
* Thompson Alleges Quinn Accused Him Of "Environmental Racism" (NY1) * Quinn Battles Backlash Over 'Environmental Racism' Comment (DNAINFO) * Bill Thompson 1st mayoral candidate w/a statement on the new teacher eval plan. Critics blasted role of Regents chair as his campaign mgr.

Albanese: Thompson Muslim Flip-Flop
Albanese: Thompson flip-flopped on Muslim monitoring(Brooklyn Paper)
Politics: Tempers flared when former Bay Ridge Councilman Sal Albanese accused former Comptroller Bill Thompson of flip-flopping on the NYPD’s policy of planting informants in mosques.

Nevermind on Tearing Out the Fucking Bike Lanes


Weiner on roll in mayoral fight (NYP) He turned a Citi Bike into a “Weinermobile.”  Mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner — who once told Mayor Bloomberg that, if elected, he’d “have a bunch of ribbon cuttings tearing out your f--king bike lanes” — cruised on one of the new cycles near Chelsea...

 NY1 ItCH: Anthony Weiner Isn't Using Training Wheels * Anthony Weiner Apology Letter To Adele Cohen From 1991 Race Revealed (PHOTO)* Anthony Weiner's dilemma with black voters, including the "Jesse Jackson incident" * How Anthony Weiner won the first time(MSNBC) * Rep Greg Meeks on Anthony Weiner : "Unfortunately you won't see what kind of mayor he will be...That will never happen."* Can Anthony Weiner win? (Salon)
Anthony Weiner sure asks some baffling questions of prospective interns (NYDN Ed)
Application wants to know what sort of animal they'd be Welcome back. won the news cycle. *
Anthony Weiner gets mixed reaction from crowd at Celebrate Israel parade

Weiner is the only Jewish candidate in the mayor’s race, but the former congressman was booed and taunted at Sunday’s parade (NYDN)— some of the first open hostility he’s encountered on the campaign trail.

TWEET CHEAT OR DIRTY TRICK? Christine Quinn's camp denies buying mystery flood of Twitter followers(NYDN)


 Team Quinn Writes A Book and the Media Treats It As News
Quinn's Memoir Focuses On Personal Struggles(NY1)








Affording Bill de Blasio(NYP Ed)
The candidate in question is Bill de Blasio. On Tuesday, The Post’s David Seifman reported that, in contrast to every other Democratic hopeful, de Blasio was refusing to call on the Rent Guidelines Board to freeze stabilized rents at their current level. A spokesman said de Blasio was “concerned that small landlords will have a harder time making ends meet” without some increase. Alas, no sooner did the story appear than de Blasio put out a statement saying his spokesman had “mischaracterized” his position.


3m
Busy day today: breakfast, Day Parade, Queens Parade and Co-op City fair. Thx goodness for great weather!


12m
I applaud the decision of State Ed Csmr King on teacher evaluation. He understands the complexity and diversity of NYC. THE CHILDREN WON!

Mayoral Candidates Work For Votes From City's Jewish Community(NY1)

 

 


 Mayoral Candidates Wrestle Over Waste Removal


  After assuming mayoral control of schools back in 2002, Bloomberg’s education legacy is an issue in the 2013 race to succeed him.

Huntley Tape Gate Fallout

Peralta Drops Out Of Queens BP Race(NY1)


Peralta Drops Out of Queens BP Race After FBI Investigation(DNAINFO)


Rep. Yvette Clarke is scheduled to endorse DA Hynes Sunday at the same time that Ken Thompson is formally kicking off his campaign.

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The Asshole

Ex-state Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. wants a new trial - and says he has new evidence (NYP)  Disgraced ex-state Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. just won’t quit. Just days before his sentencing on a slew of federal corruption charges, the Bronx Democrat said yesterday he wants a new trial — claiming he has uncovered new evidence that will clear him...

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Education

NY Post puts teacher story on front - along w/bad teacher-type stock photo.
.: "The mayor didn't win and the union didn't win. Today, the students won. Finally."
New evaluations finally hold New York City teachers accountable(NYP)
State Releases Plan For City Teacher Evaluation System(NY1)
Teacher, principal evaluation plan released for NYC schools (WABC) Chalk up a win for students (NYP) New evals finally hold teachers accountable *  NY imposes teacher evaluation plan for NYC(SF Chronicle)
* New York to Evaluate Teachers With New System(NYT) *  City’s new evaluation system makes firing underperforming teachers easier(NYDN) * NYC teacher eval plan can now be viewed in detail at this site with all other NY districts' plans  A union demand we cannot afford (NYDN)
Mayor Bloomberg argues that retroactive raises for municipal workers ought to be off the table * Schools Chancellor Walcott, UFT President Mulgrew Both Back State Plan For City Teacher Evaluations(NY1)
CUNY on war 'Path'(NYP) CUNY’s professors have given an overwhelming thumbs-down to the controversial Pathways program set to start this fall.



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The $2 Billion 911 Scandal


3rd day of 911 ‘call waiting’ amid glitches The city’s brand-new 911 system went down yesterday for a half hour — the third day in a row it was riddled with glitches. The failure brought down the EMS computer system, as well as the terminals in the ambulances, a source
EMS Dispatch System Went Down for 20 Minutes Friday, FDNY Says(DNAINFO)
 said. “What happens if...  * Problems With New Software For NYPD's 911 System Stress Out Operators, Dispatchers * Gonzalez: For third-straight day, city's new 911 system continues to FAIL as records show developer has history of problems(NYDN) * Who does 911 call? (NYDN Ed)
Police Commissioner Kelly must fix bugs in the city's emergency phone system

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No NYPD IG
Rangel nix on NYPD oversight (NYP) Even one of New York’s most prominent black leaders thinks having an independent inspector general probing the NYPD is a bad idea. Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel, the dean of the New York congressional delegation, says such oversight is unnecessary....

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Give the Beach to Developers

Beach bill pulled(Queens Crap)

From the Brooklyn Daily: Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz claimed on Thursday that he will pull back a controversial bill he quietly introduced this month that would remove an important check on the city’s power to develop — or overdevelop — its public beaches. Right now, for the city to build anything on beaches in places such as Coney Island and Manhattan Beach, it needs to first check with the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, which would make sure what goes up doesn’t interfere with the public’s ability to freely enjoy the waterfront. But the bill Cymbrowitz (D–Brighton Beach) introduced would give the city the right to do whatever it wants on the land that the parks department would control — which could allow the city to build whatever it wants there. That, along with the fear that an underfunded Parks Department would let the beaches fall apart, scared some beach advocates worried about its repercussions on the beaches in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

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Cuomo No Text





Andy’s message to drivers: Txt & ur out(NYP)
Motorists nabbed for texting and driving can tap this message after getting pulled over for a summons: OMG!  Thanks to Gov. Cuomo, starting today, the penalty for doing both at the same time will cost New York drivers 5 points on their license — up...  * Cuomo Directs DMV To Increase Texting While Driving Penalty(NY1)

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Hospitals for Developers

Parkway Hospital for sale(Queens Crap)

From The Real Deal:A Queens building which housed the defunct Parkway Hospital is set to hit the foreclosure auction block next month with an outstanding lien of $14.86 million, according to data from PropertyShark.The 70,000-square-foot property, at 70-35 113th Street in Forest Hills, was home to the city’s only privately owned hospital until 2008, when the New York State Commission of Healthcare Facilities mandated its closure. The building has been vacant since.
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Bike Share


Woman gets $475 in parking fines dismissed after city moves her car for bike-share rack(NYP)
Better peddle faster to sell bike share(NYDN Ed)

Early numbers don't show much hope of turning a profit

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Gentification

Brooklyn hipsters vs. Brooklyn Puerto Ricans?(NY Talking)

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Cheap Buses


Intercity Buses Drive Complaints in New York City(WSJ)









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Toxic Mail?

Texas suspect in ricin mailings fingers actress wife to authorities: sources(NYP)
The Texas man questioned by the feds in connection with ricin-laced letters sent to Mayor Bloomberg and President Obama was let go yesterday — after he wildly claimed his actress wife sent the..* Gun pol returns fire over Mike ads(NYP) WASHINGTON — Mayor Bloomberg has hit a nerve in Arkansas. A $350...  * Inquiry Into Obama and Bloomberg Ricin Letters Leads to Search of a Texas House(NYT)
Ricin Suspect Claims Small-Time Actress Wife Set Him Up(NY Mag)

Woman who ratted out hubby suspect in ricin-mailing probe says she wants a divorce(NYP)


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Park Size Counts

How Big Is That Park? City Now Has the Answer(NYT)
Over the last three years, the city has been resurveying its parks, relying on satellites instead of 19th century cartographers. There were both winners and losers.

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Tech in the City

Techs and the City(NYT)
Why high-tech “solutions” can’t solve many of our most pressing urban problems.





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Media

Why in the World Would Anyone Buy Newsweek?(NY Mag)

Who Needs Reporters?(NYT)
You do. No matter how awful we’ve been. But more politicians are finding self-flattering ways around us
Mark Thompson’s exit as the BBC’s director-general helped him avoid entanglement in the sordid Jimmy Savile scandal and the row over the loss of nearly £100million on a ‘Digital Media Initiative’. Now Tory MP Rob Wilson wants Thompson to shed light on these matters, saying in a letter: ‘As someone who remains on the public payroll via your BBC pension, you will appreciate the need for you to attend to both of these matters urgently.’ As £4million CEO of The New York Times, I wonder  if this request is high on Thompson’s list of priorities. (Daily Mail)


A Port Authority Commissioner Resigns(NYT)
James P. Rubin is moving to London with his wife, the CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour, to work on several projects.

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Washington

Sunday Update
Economy Needs More Than a Tech Sector - Joel Kotkin, OC Register
In Defense of Reporters - Frank Bruni, New York Times
Why Old Government Is Failing in New World - Alex Castellanos, Harvard
President Obama Gets Terror Policy Right - Albert Hunt, Bloomberg
Immigration Questions House GOP Should Ask Rubio - James Antle, DC
For Obama's Ex-Aides, It's Time to Cash In - Eilperin & Hamburger, WP
Bachmann and the GOP's Woe - Michael Smerconish, Philadelphia Inquirer
Bobby Rush's Racial Slur - Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune
Breadwinning Wives and Nervous Husbands - Richard Thaler, NY Times
Troubling Rise of Single-Parent Households - Mona Charen, Natl Review
Can Rap Moguls Repair a Culture They Created? - James Lawrence, USAT
The Myth of Gatsby's Suffering Middle Class - Amity Shlaes, NY Times
Sunday Panels: Face the Nation | This Week | MTP | FOX News Sunday
In Congress, Legislation and Scandals Vie for Attention(NYT)
is doubling down in defense of Eric Holder, says no perjury because there was no prosecution of a journalist
A Runaway Train of Regulations - George Will, Washington Post
Tea Party Tempest Could Cost GOP - Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times
Why This Scandal Is Different - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
Could GOP Focus on Scandals Backfire? - Caitlin Huey-Burns, RCP
Drip, Drip, Drip. And Then the Deluge - Wesley Pruden, Washington Times
The Dangers of the Sequester - Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Washington Post
How Cities Cook Their Bond Books - Steven Malanga, Wall Street Journal
The Keystone Pipeline Is the Real Scandal - Van Jones, CNN
Why Did Apple Hire Lisa Jackson? - Seth Mandel, Commentary
China's Economic Empire - Araujo & Cardenal, New York Times
Weak U.S. Policy Has Bankrolled China's Rise - Scott Paul, RealClearPolitics
Shocking Truth About ObamaCare's Rate Shock - Ezra Klein, Wash Post
Democrats' California Captivity - Matthew Continetti, DC Free Beacon
Did IRS Chief Actually Visit WH 157 Times? - Garance Franke-Ruta, Atlantic
Obama Woos the Press Back on the Bus - Michael Goodwin, New York Post
Are We at the Electric Car's Tipping Point? - Daniel Gross, The Daily Beast
Taking a Wrecking Ball to the Ivory Tower - Kyle Peterson, RealClearPolitics
The $2.7 Trillion Medical Bill(NYT)

Editorials

Why the DC Circuit Needs Judges - New York Times
The IRS Knock on the Door - Boston Herald
Your Money Is Corrupting - New York Post
Where U.S., Russia & Iran Find Common Ground - Boston Globe
Mike’s visit all ‘fore’ nothing (NYP) While he was on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard in August 2010, Obama invited Mayor Bloomberg to play golf. A self-made billionaire, Bloomberg had been touted as a possible replacement for Timothy Geithner as secretary of the Treasury. Bloomberg flew...

New book: Obama was pushed by Clintons into endorsement of Hillary in 2016(NYP)






New York Tenure Shaped F.B.I. Nominee’s Security Views(NYT)
James B. Comey’s handling of terrorism and insider trading cases in New York, which shaped his view of national security and law enforcement, provide clues to how he might lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Amid Scandals, Obama Tries to Change the Subject - Tom Cohen, CNN
The Lois Lerner Defense - Mark Steyn, National Review
Blind to the Past - and the Future - Charles Blow, New York Times
Rand Paul Lays Out Vision for Bigger GOP - Maeve Reston, LA Times
Tax Reform Is the IRS Fix - Lawrence Kudlow, Investor's Business Daily
Did Obama Cry Wolf on the Sequester? - Abby Phillip, ABC News
Washington Booms as New Gilded Age Takes Root - E. Williamson, WSJ
Megyn Kelly Dominates on FOX - Amy Davidson, The New Yorker
Father Is the New "F-Word" - Kathleen Parker, Washington Post
How Obama's Data Team Schooled Gallup - Joshua Green, Bloomberg BW
When Do Americans Get Answers? - Reince Priebus, RealClearPolitics
Will Ted Cruz's Sharp Elbows Hurt Him? - Jonathan Bernstein, Salon
Syria: John McCain's Next Libya - Andrew McCarthy, National Review
Blame Media for Public's Ignorance About Climate - Eric Alterman, CAP
Global Warming: Making an Ass Out of "U" & "Me" - Steve Tobak, FOX Biz
Rob Ford Must Resign Now - Christopher MacDonald, Globe & Mail
How to Blow a $1.8 Billion Fortune in 5 Years - McCarty & Levy, Bloomberg
Latest Polls: Obama Job Approval | 2016 General | Virginia Governor
Darrell Issa Hopes to Have Proof of IRS Conspiracy Theory Soon(NY Mag)

Editorials

Troubling Stories About IRS Continue to Mount - The Oklahoman
The Right Way to Investigate the IRS - Los Angeles Times
Obama's Student-Loan Props - Wall Street Journal
A Welcome Choice for FBI Director - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Law and Order


NYU nut’s a ‘bloody menace’(NYP) A former NYU instructor went on a bizarre rampage in Brooklyn — yelling at a pooch and splashing a woman with a liquid he claimed was blood, sources said yesterday. Hans Shmidheiser, 30, approached a man walking his dog in Williamsburg around 8 a.m....
Man shot in head, killed in Bronx: police
A 39-year-old man was killed in a double shooting in Brooklyn early Saturday morning, police said.


Mugging victim shoved onto subway tracks, got up before train arrived(NYP)
Suicide is leading cause of subway-passenger deaths: MTA data(NYP)

Mental health experts outline flaws in N.Y. gun law via


For Bloomberg, Gun Control Fight Shifts to State Capitals
Police Seek Suspects In Two More Alleged Anti-Gay Attacks(NY1)
 


Girl shot in the neck during Brooklyn shootout  (NYP) A young girl was shot in the neck after gangbangers turned a Brooklyn street into a battleground tonight, cops said. Taylani Mazyck, 11, was hit by the stray bullet as she walked with her mom near her home on Gates Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant at...* Brooklyn girl, 11, shot in neck; suspect arrested(WSJ) * Girl, 11, Wounded In Brooklyn Shooting(NY1)
Police hunt suspect in Brooklyn bias attack
 Bonanno wiseguy survives attempted hit in East Harlem(NYP)
An admitted Mafia soldier survived an attempted hit on an East Harlem street that cops suspect was ordered by rival wiseguys, law-enforcement sources told The Post yesterday.  Enzo “The Baker” Stagno, 47, of Whitestone, Queens — who told cops he was...
Bronx DJ electrocutes himself, hit by train after jumping onto subway tracks to retrieve iPhone
Stray Gunfire Claims the Life of a 23-Year-Old Man on Myrtle Ave(DNAINFO)

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS »  slideshow

Police Looking For Four Suspects in Washington Heights Home Robbery
Cops are looking for four men wanted in a robbery of an apartment Friday night in Washington Heights.

Suspect Punched Man in Alleged Anti-Gay Attack on J Train, Police Say(DNAINFO)