Extra, Extra

Interesting fact: it's legal to use campaign money to pay off personal legal debts. Case in point: Hevesi has spent $750,000+ out of his campaign treasury on defense lawyers.
The New York Inquirer takes a bafflingly close look a New York hot dogs-- but still can't figure out exactly where the name comes from.
Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an "all hands" call at 400 West 43rd Street, a School Hazmat situation on Bedford in Brooklyn, and an "explosives in airport" report at Laguardia around 2pm.
Kiko, the prolific Queens graffiti artist, got six months in the clink and a $25,000 fine after pleading guilty to several counts of "criminal mischief."
As if people didn't hate the Atlantic Yards Project enough already, the developers have decided to add "15-story illuminated advertising billboards on either side of the development’s main building." That's 150 vertical feet of advertising-- so huge that the state has to make an exception to local zoning laws governing advertising.
Mindless Friday entertainment: A Beard Grows in Brooklyn.
The lyrics to "Bloomberg's Born to Run", a song performed last night at Gracie Mansion by various deputy mayors, are gag-inducingly corny: "The City Hall team is so great - that Bullpen is the best / With Leg. Affairs and Research, Correspondence, M.I.S. / Operations, Fiscal, too / Security, the drivers, C.A.U. (Whoo!)"

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By Jake Dobkin in Miscellaneous on December 8, 2006 6:49 PM

Comments [rss]

kz

Is there anything with Atlantic Yards that didn't get or doesn't need an exception to local zoning laws?

Barry Popik

I wrote a 300-page page on the origin of the name "Hot Dog." That Wikipedia entry has some of my work (for free). The New York Inquirer still can't figure it out??

Peter

I'd like to know what the "Unusual Incident" at 2nd and E. Houston is. Can we assume that it's even stranger than last week's rampaging squirrel?

liam arbetman

you can't use campaign funds to pay for personal legal debts. if you get busted by the vice squad you can't use your campaign funds to defend you. however, if you can use it to defend yourself if the charges are related to your holding of public office. even if the crime is related to you being corrupt (i'm not saying hevesi was necessarily corrupt, that's for a court to decide).

even more interesting is that even after you leave public office you can continue to raise campaign funds to pay the legal debts AND other associated expenses. see: former senator guy velella.