.

2008_12_yankeeslogo.jpg

  • Yankees 6, Twins 4: Alfredo Aceves gave up four runs in 3 1/3 innings. Then the bullpen came to his rescue. David Robertson walked in two of the Aceves runs, but the relievers combined to throw 5 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball. Jonathan Albaladejo, Phil Coke, Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera did the honors. The Yankees got some pop from Mark Teixeira, who ended the longest homerless drought of his career (96 at-bats and 23 games). Now it's on to Los Angeles of Anaheim for a three-game set with the Angels before the All-Star break. With Boston's loss to Kansas City, the Yankees are tied for first place.

  • Dodgers 11, Mets 2: All that good will created by Wednesday's win and Daniel Murphy's play went up in smoke early. Livan Hernandez gave eight runs and four walks in four innings of work. His ERA is now 5.10. It has risen by 1.06 in his last two starts. With Tim Redding out of the rotation already, Oliver Perez still demonstrating no ability to throw strikes and Fernando Nieve hardly a sure thing, the Mets have some serious starting pitching problems. They get the Reds at home before a much-needed break.

  • Sparks 69, Liberty 60: Janel McCarville had 18 points, but they weren't enough to down the visiting team from Los Angels. New York is 3-7 on the year.

Extra, Extra

  • From the Gothamist Newsmap: an escaped EDP at 35th St and 2nd Ave, a bank robbery on Jackson Ave in Queens and a person under a train at Jay and Willoughby Sts in Brooklyn.
  • A 3-year-old special needs child was left on a school bus unattended for five hours.
  • A Hoboken garbage truck ran a red light and struck a NJ Transit train this morning.

Ravitch Was Secretly Sworn In At Peter Luger's

2009_07_ravitchstanding.jpg It's unclear whether Governor Paterson's appointment of Richard Ravitch will ever hold up as being legal, but at least the pair can rest knowing this—they pulled it off like pimps. Soon after Paterson went on television and made his announcement yesterday and before the GOP could mount a court challenge to block it (way back when they were allied with Sen. Pedro Espada), Ravitch was secretly sworn in while having dinner at Peter Luger Steak House in Williamsburg. When Ravitch's 7:45 reservation for four added a mysterious fifth person, the group explained what was going on and said they were in a hurry. The president of Peter Luger's told the Times, "They drew out some documents, and they were very excited and everything. Mr. Ravitch said, ‘This is my favorite restaurant, and I wouldn’t take the oath of office anywhere else.’ People around them were trying to figure out what was going on.” While there's no word on what Ravitch ordered, he did pose for a picture as he signed his oath, hopefully with the blood of an $85 steak.

O'Reilly Has Rep. King, Rev. Sharpton Discuss Michael Jackson

Last night, Bill O'Reilly had two very vocal figures discuss Michael Jackson on his show last night—Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island), who blasted the media attention devoted to a "pedophile" "lowlife", and Rev. Al Sharpton, who told Jackson's children that there was "nothing strange" about their father. First, O'Reilly had King on; O'Reilly pointed out that Jackson was acquitted of molestation charges and that settling the other case "doesn't mean you're admitting anything" (which the talk show knows about first hand). King responded:

Bill, I would say an adult male who sleeps with young boys is a child molester. If nothing else, he's molesting and abusing their psyche. How are those children going to possibly grow up normal after spending nights in bed with Michael Jackson? So — and I would say also there's not a daycare center in the United States that would be allowed to hire him...

City Schools Local Fishermen To Be Wary Of Deadliest Catch

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Photo taken by Matt Semel on flickr
People, throw the fish back in the water. That is what the city is making sure to remind New Yorkers of with new signage going up at fishing spots around town. This comes after the Daily News discovered that old signs had worn away or were non-existent while fishing for food among lower-income New Yorkers is on the rise. The signs warning of high levels of carcinogens such as PCBs and mercury don't sound likely to deter the fishermen though—they tell the paper that contaminated fish beats an empty dinner plate. While Senator Schumer is asking the federal government to update its guidelines on what fish is safe, the mayor has basically said pish posh to all this, that people should "use common sense" when dealing with city waters. Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum is taking him to task for that, calling the mayor "out of touch" with the low-income fishermen, whom she says "we need to protect." A spokesman from the mayor shot back, "There are actually still a lot of people in government who work on solutions instead of just calling people names."

New Restaurants on the Radar: Cellar 58, The Mott, André

Cellar 58: The wine bars are coming for you; they're coming for us all! The latest vino dispenser to descend upon the East Village is Cellar 58; but this one has a lot going for it. One, it's run by real Italians who run around talking at each other in their glorious native tongue. Two, there's a really cute back room, seen here, that fills with diffused, late afternoon light and feels sort of other-worldly. Three, during the opening party last night, we heard the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Radiohead, and not a single Andrea Bocelli torch song. Fourth, besides the 120+ international wine selection, they're doing a pretty extensive small plates menu (flatbread pizzas, pastas, bruschetta, etc.) which doesn't set them apart from other wine bars (like the one right across the street) but we felt great amore for everything we tried. 58 Second Avenue; (212) 420-1300

H1N1 Vaccine On the Way As Nine More Flu Deaths Reported

Swine flu relief might be coming soon in the form of a shot. NY1 says that White House officials are laying plans for distribution of an H1N1 vaccine by as early as October, with priority going to at-risk groups like pregnant women. That, of course, assumes no hitches in vaccine production or testing, which Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius confirms will soon be underway: "We're moving towards the likelihood of a specific vaccine for H1N1...What we need to do is make sure we have a safe vaccine." That likelihood is particularly welcome news following today's Health Department announcement of nine more New York City deaths linked to the H1N1 virus. But, as Newsday reports, the city's new swine flu death toll of 47 could get much worse if the virus mutates in time for the fall flu season, a possibility that Mayor Bloomberg says alarms him: "We're certainly worried about what happens in the fall and we're making sure that we have, to the extent we can, facilities to treat people." The latest H1N1 victims were not identified by the Health Department, but they range in ages from 25 to 65.

Flashback: Remember New York Airways?

As noted in our newsletter this morning, on this day in 1953, the first commuter passenger service by helicopter began. New York Airways provided a lift for busy folks who wanted to avoid traffic.

No Pooper Scooper Laws for Horses

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Photo via f.trainer
Uh oh, seems both dogs and horses are marking their territory in Brooklyn... but only one animal's owners are obligated by law to pick up their pet's mess. The Brooklyn Paper reports that a common sight in Kensington and Park Slope is that of horse waste. Yuck. The paper note that "the decades-old city law mandating pet owners to remove excrement from sidewalks applies to dogs and dogs alone, according to the Sanitation Department." Do the main culprits at the Kensington Stables feel any pangs of guilt for not cleaning up after their horses? Apparently it falls on the city, but they do say, “Generally, the barn hands pick up around the neighborhood. I have made it a general policy to handle this. We don’t make a stink out of it.” Time is off the essence, however, and reportedly it takes hours or more for a volunteer to come and scoop the poop—one resident told the paper, “It smells like a toilet" in Prospect Park.

Stalled Condos Will Become Affordable Housing in City Plan

Bad news for squatters and survivalists: Instead of just letting abandoned condo developments turn into illegal havens for trespassers, the city is starting a $20 million pilot program to turn unsold condominiums, unrented apartments and stalled construction sites into affordable housing for middle-income families. Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced the plan, called the Housing Asset Renewal Program (HARP), in which the city will negotiate with developers and banks to turn the unoccupied units into affordable housing.

NYC Now Has 200 More Miles of Bike Lanes!

070909bikelane.jpg City officials and cycling advocates gathered in The Bronx yesterday to celebrate meeting the goal of adding 200 bike-lane miles in all five boroughs in three years. Dr. Thomas Farley, city health commissioner, was on hand to trumpet the health benefits of cycling; Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe praised the bike lanes connecting the city's parks and waterfronts; and DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan declared New York "the bicycling capital of the United States." The bike lane network is now the equivalent length of a bike lane running from New York City to Boston! The 200-mile initiative was launched after a 2006 report [pdf] determined that cyclists were safest in bike lanes and wearing helmets. The project cost $8.8 million, and included installing 6,100 bike racks and 1,000 guide signs. According to the DOT [pdf], there are now 70.9 miles of bike lanes in The Bronx, 138.9 miles in Brooklyn, 90.4 miles in Manhattan, 96.7 miles in Queens, and 27.6 in Staten Island. And besides helping cyclists, they make for great parking spots, too!

New Mural Replaces Haring Tribute on Houston

So the Keith Haring tribute mural has been buffed, and currently the Brazilian street art duo (and twin brothers) Os Gemeos (real names Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo) are creating their own mural in its place (Animal has photos of the work in progress).

NJ Gov Hopeful Christie: No Palin, But Maybe Rudy

2009_07_christiegiu.jpg NJ gubernatorial Chris Christie reassured NJ voters that he's not interested in having soon-to-be former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin stump for him this fall. The Republican challenger did offer one familiar name—the Star-Ledger reports that Christie told 101.5 FM, "This is about New Jersey issues and New Jersey, and I don't think having Governor Palin here would do me, or frankly the state, a whole lot of good in the sense that we need to talk and focus on what the New Jersey issues are. I hope Mayor Giuliani will continue to be supportive and be here and work with me, but other than that, I think the people of New Jersey have to hear from me and that's the person they'll be electing. I'll be sitting in the chair, and I want them to spend most of their time getting to know me." Giuliani endorsed Christie back in February. Governor Jon Corzine, who trails Christie in the polls, is optimistic about his chances, "We have a national recession, we have a global recession. The public understands that President Obama and the Democratic policies are not how we got into this mess."

Coney Wants More Neverland Rides

Coney Island already has Michael Jackson’s Dragon Wagon Kiddie Coaster (albeit only temporarily), but now they want another piece of the King of Pop! Don't stop til you get enough, etc. ATZ reports there's an opportunity to snag a Neverland ride on a permanent basis, as the bumper cars designed for and by Michael Jackson are up on the auction block at eBay. The man behind the auction is carnival owner Earl “Butch” Butler, who brought the aforementioned Dragon Wagon to town. The bidding is currently at $46,100.00 (and has not met the reserve price), and the Coney folks are suggesting Mayor Bloomberg buy it as a gift for the City of New York. Should Coney Island consider a new design plan: Neverland II?

How Valuable Is It To Be Friends Of Friends Of The High Line?

2009_07_bloomberghighline.jpg A city committee has paved the way for the Parks Department to come to terms with the Friends of the High Line on a ten-year, noncompetitive deal for the group to get exclusive rights to sell food and merchandise at the newly-opened park. And now City Controller and mayoral candidate Bill Thompson is crying foul, saying, "It almost appears to be some sort of back-room deal." Founders of the Friends of the High Line have already given endorsements to Mayor Bloomberg and board members have contributed over $100,000 to Speaker Christine Quinn. Thompson added, "We should not let the beauty of the park overshadow our obligation to ensure transparency and accountability regarding the operation and use of a public park.” A spokesman for the mayor calls Thompson's comments "politically transparent," noting that he has backed similar deals at other parks and that unlike Bloomberg, Thompson has taken contributions from private groups that conduct business with the city.

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