News: May 2009 Archives

To no one's surprise, Rep. Charles Rangel's "advice" to President Obama (a Daily News reporter asked what Obama should do during his NYC visit)—"Make certain he doesn't run around in East Harlem unidentified," a reference to the fatal shooting of police officer Omar Edwards by another cop—made some waves. Mayor Bloomberg said today, "I have a lot of respect for Charlie Rangel, but in this case, he’s just plain wrong...This was a tragedy. Our Police Department is diverse and they train; sometimes things happen and they’re inexplicable. There’s no reason to suspect this had any racial overtones." And the Post, no fan of Rangel, called it a "sick joke" and got a quote from an unnamed police union official: "If Congressman Rangel said ... 'and waving a gun' he might be correct" (Edwards, who was off-duty, had his gun drawn when he was shot; he was pursing a man suspected of breaking into his car).

Last week's Page Six item about the rats of Morton Street terrorizing Greenwich Village residents (including Gisele Bundchen!) prompted this Fox 5 report. Aside from choice quotes like "They are ruling the streets," "One night, I saw a rat come across the street, catch a mouse and eat it. It was disgusting. There are rats coming across the street, they're having parties in the street," and "They are like the big, giant disgusting Secret of NIMH rats," neighbors also tells Fox 5, the rats are headquartered at 42 Morton Street: "Acting on complaints, the city Health Department sent out the rat patrol in full force. Inspectors found rat droppings inside the building and told the owner to clean it up or else." Ew (and video is after the jump). Also, per the city, property owners are responsible for keeping rat-free environments while tenants are required to store their garbage properly.

With federal judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, much has been made of her rise from the Bronxdale Houses public housing project in the South Bronx. The NY Times has map showing the housing projects where some other successful New Yorkers grew up—and an article speaking to some of them. Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar grew up in the Dyckman Houses (back then, he was Lew Alcindor). His family moved to an apartment in Building 3 there in 1950, from a shared apartment in Harlem, "[It] was really considered a step up. We had two bedrooms — for us. We didn’t have to share the kitchen or the bathroom." Writer Richard Price lived in the Parkside Houses in the Bronx and incoming Xerox CEO Ursula Burns lived at the Baruch Houses on the Lower East Side ("There were lots of Jewish immigrants, fewer Hispanics and African-Americans but the common denominator and great equalizer was poverty"). And Whoopi Goldberg described life at the Elliott-Chelsea Houses, "People were from Latvia, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Africa., From everywhere. So you had to be able to say things like, ‘Hello, I’m so and so,’ and ‘May I use the bathroom?’ in every language."

A year ago yesterday, a crane collapsed at an Upper East Side construction site at 91st Street and First Avenue. Two people were killed and it turned out the crane had been damaged from a 2007 lightning strike (the New York Crane Company had it fixed with welding). Now the Daily News reports that the Chinese company that did the welding wasn't confident of its abilities "but relented after New York Crane coughed up more money." RTR Bearings told New York Crane its welding technique "is not good" and a testing firm found (a month before the crane collapse) that RTR's work on another piece of New York Crane equipment was "unacceptable." The News also found memos showing an Ohio firm saying it could weld the crane in 28 weeks for $120,000, while "RTR said it could do the work in 80 to 90 days for just $21,710." RTR ultimately "repaired" the crane and New York Crane apparently didn't re-inspect it, simply put it to work at the UES site.

Less than a week before President Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia, the Justice Department has filed a brief before the Supreme Court urging justices not to hear a lawsuit brought by families of some of the 9/11 victims against the Saudi royal family. The lawsuit, which was formally filed by the families' insurance companies, contends that members of the House of Saud helped finance Al Qaeda preceding the 9/11 attacks. A district court threw out the lawsuit, finding that the Saudi royal family has legal protection under the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act. The Justice Department says their filing had nothing to do with the President's upcoming visit, and was just "coincidental." (A spokesperson explains that the brief had to be filed soon because the Supreme Court is deciding whether to hear the case before their June recess.) Kristen Breitweiser, a leader of the families, tells the Times, "I find this reprehensible. One would have hoped that the Obama administration would have taken a different stance than the Bush administration, and you wonder what message this sends to victims of terrorism around the world."

The NY Post is hearing from some state lawmakers that Brooklyn Diocese Bishop allegedly "threatened [them] by vowing to close churches in their districts -- and blame them for the closures -- if they dared support a bill making it easier for people who were sexually assaulted as kids to sue." The Child Victims Act, sponsored by Assembly Member Margaret Markey (D-Queens), is headed to the Assembly for debate soon "seeks to extend the statute of limitations for lawsuits involving the rape or molesting of youngsters. It could cost the Church hundreds of millions in payouts to victimized parishioners." Apparently DiMarzio confronted lawmakers about the bill last fall; one Assembly member described, "He said, 'If it passes, we will close a parish in each of your districts and we will tell your constituents that it was your fault.'" DiMarzio's spokesman denies the charges of blackmail, but did note, "The consequences for our community would be profound," adding, "We're dealing with an anti-Catholic bias that's pervading the New York state Assembly."

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's Friday announcement that the NY State pension fund dropped 26% in the first quarter of 2009 (it's lost more $44 billion since a year ago—it's now at $109 billion) has irked Governor Paterson. That's because DiNapoli said local governments (with the exception of NYC) will have to raise their contributions to the pension fund. Paterson criticized the suggestion, noting the "already overburdened local property taxpayers," and said, "I am asking the Comptroller to go back and identify other alternatives that won't impose additional burdens to taxpayers." The NY Times reports, "Tensions have been festering between the two men since Mr. DiNapoli criticized increased spending in the state budget that was passed last month. Mr. DiNapoli has also not embraced a proposal by the governor to move future state workers from traditional pensions to a 401(k)-style plan." Also, Paterson has also proposed a new tier for the pension system, which would require public service workers to put in 25 years (vs. 20 years) and eliminate overtime in pension calculations. For fun, here's a list of the top state pensions.

Early yesterday morning, the driver of a minivan was killed when a drunk driver crashed into him near in lower Manhattan. The Daily News has details on the terrible crash: Around 4:41 a.m., Long Island resident Brandon Connelly's "2005 Audi hit a Chevy Tahoe on the southbound lanes of the FDR Drive on the lower East Side. As the SUV smashed into a concrete barrier, the Audi bounced off - only to crash into a minivan near the Brooklyn Bridge exit." The minivan's 50-something driver died at Bellevue and four of his passengers had minor injuries. Connelly was charged with vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and DWI.

At today's rally for Omar Edwards, the off-duty police officer who was killed by another cop in East Harlem, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Harlem) was asked if he had advice to give President Obama, who is visiting NYC this evening. The Daily News reports that Rangel delivered a "snide" answer, "Make certain he doesn't run around in East Harlem unidentified." Edwards, who was black, had been chasing a man suspected of breaking into his car; he was out of uniform with his gun drawn when he was fatally shot by a white officer. Rangel, who wants a federal investigation of the shooting, also said, "If you become an officer and you have a pistol and you are of color, in or out of uniform, your chances of getting shot down by a police officer are a lot heavier than if you were not of color." Photo: jschumacher on Flickr

Owing $158,000 in back rent to a formidable landlord—Columbia University—independent book store Morningside Bookshop will close tomorrow. Owner Peter Soter, who opened the bookshop on Broadway & West 114th five years ago, told the Columbia Spectator earlier this month that while Columbia was "very supportive, and very helpful," he just couldn't make enough money to stay open. Soter put up a letter to the community in the window: "We wanted to be the little bookstore that could. We couldn't." The NY Times chronicles the farewells the bookshop has been receiving, plus some of the economic realities. Some residents feel Columbia could have done more, some have offered a total of $68,000 in "unsolicited donations" to keep the store open. One teacher said, "One of the reasons I lived on the Upper West Side is that it has a sense of being a vital neighborhood. A neighborhood bookstore becomes part of you. I love that bookstore. It’s not like losing a finger. It’s like losing an arm."

Mayor Bloomberg says those down-market beach chairs in the new car-free sections of Broadway have got to go. Speaking about the new pedestrian plazas on his weekly radio show, Bloomberg revealed his disdain for the inexpensive chairs, which have been subjected to savage criticism from the likes of cranky Post columnist Andrea Peyser, who derided them as "flimsy furniture that littered the streets like a going-out-of-business sale." Hizzoner has sided with the haters, and wants everyone to know that once work on the pedestrian plazas is complete, "there will not be those kinds of lounges." Street furniture controversy aside, the mayor declared the experiment, which reroutes southbound traffic to Seventh Avenue in an attempt to reduce congestion, an overwhelming success: "So far, it is working exactly as the computer modeling says it will." Of course, not even the most powerful computer in the world can accurately gauge New Yorkers' capacity for complaining.

State Senator Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), who was arrested three weeks ago for allegedly assaulting a NY Post photographer, was indicted yesterday. The Daily News detailed the charges: "Second- and third-degree assault, third- and fourth-degree criminal mischief, third-degree menacing and second-degree harassment." Naturally, the Post reminds us how photog William Lopez, who was waiting to take a picture for a story about foreclosure proceedings on Parker's home, got injured: "Parker chased after Lopez, who jumped into his car in an attempt to flee. Parker allegedly forced his way inside the car and managed to sprain the photographer's finger and break a camera flash." Parker's lawyer Lonnie Hart previously said that Parker is "eager to defend himself" (and sort of compared Parker to Kiefer Sutherland) but had no comment about the indictment,

Almost 1,000 patients will need new blood tests after Bronx-Lebanon Hospital found that six patients' blood samples were mislabeled. The NY Times reports that "six patients being treated by outpatient clinics at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center had received inaccurate test results last year." While the hospital calls the mixed-up results "isolated incidents" for six patients on six different days, the hospital "decided to retest every patient tested on those six days, plus all the patients tested the day before and the day after." And that encompasses 920 patients—including children—who were at the hospital's clinics on 18 days between April and December 2008. Spokesman Errol Schneer told the Times, "We regret any inconvenience that’s been caused to any of our patients, and we will be addressing the matter through retesting and also through providing them with round-trip MetroCards." He added, "It’s not just a New York City issue; the issue of medical errors is one that’s being addressed throughout the country."

Melissa Weber, the Queens social studies affair accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old student (in her classroom), is being held on $100,000 bail. Her lawyer Donald Vogelman had tried to argue for her release, since Weber, 27, doesn't have a criminal history and that "the alleged crime amounted to a statutory rape charge that would likely result in probation," while prosecutors were asking for $200,000 bail. Of the $100,000 amount, Vogelman told the Post, "She doesn't have money, and her family doesn't have the money to make bail. With what she looks like, she is going to have a difficult time in jail." The Daily News reports that Weber denied any sort of inappropriate relationship with the boy; Weber allegedly told the police he grabbed her butt a few times, "The only thing I did wrong was not reporting it." The boy's mother, who heard rumors of her son's and Weber's alleged closeness apparently found hundreds of text messages between the two.

First Lady Michelle Obama has made two visits to NYC since the inauguration, but the Big Apple will finally get to welcome President Barack Obama today. The First Couple will be making a "personal visit" to the city; the Caucus reports they will go to the 8 p.m. performance of the critically acclaimed and Tony-nominated play Joe Turner's Come and Gone, written by August Wilson. It's unclear whether there will be street closures in Midtown (expect at least some flashing lights and a motorcade). No other details of their plans have been leaked. The Daily News adds, "The First Couple will be traveling on one of the smaller planes in the Air Force VIP fleet instead of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet," which might be because it's a "personal visit" or maybe because the last time the Boeing 747 was here...well, you know.

After months of speculation, the MTA announced that the Long Island Rail Road improvements proposed at the Atlantic Yards development will be less grand than planned. Instead of nine rails, there will be seven, and the MTA is also expecting less money from developer Bruce Ratner. The Post reports that the MTA "allowed Ratner to renegotiate because the national credit crunch was making it difficult to finance the 22-acre plan to build an NBA arena and 16 office and residential towers in Prospect Heights." To refresh your memory, back in 2005, Ratner won the MTA's land—called the Vanderbilt Rail Yard—after bidding $100 million, which was $50 million less than a rival bid (the land is appraised at over $200 million). It's unclear how much Ratner will end up paying the MTA (rumor is $50 million!); Atlantic Yards Report has details of the State Senate meeting where MTA interim CEO Helena Williams spoke. And Ratner, who hopes to break ground later this year, is downsizing other parts of his plan.

Some residents on Broadway will finally see the light! The NY Times reports that after several years of illegal wrap-around billboards that have covered windows in the19th-century Cushman Building at 174 Broadway, the Dept. of Building has finally removed the ads. The agency told the paper, “This is the first time the Department of Buildings has physically removed an illegal sign from a building." The OTR Media Group, who put up the sign, was repeatedly sent violation notices that have been ignored; "The department said that 517 violation notices had been issued to OTR-controlled locations citywide." Now, what about that illegal Snickers storefront ad?

Some follow-up to Mayor Bloomberg's exchange with Observer (and PolitickerNY) reporter Azi Paybarah. The NY Times described that the mayor "seemed to reach new heights of peevishness, calling a reporter who posed a question he did not like 'a disgrace.'" (The question was whether the mayor, who spoke of an economic turnaround, oversold his pitch for overturning term limits.) CBS 2 reported, "Many would say the reporter's question was relevant, especially since the city's failing economy is one of the reasons Bloomberg sought an exemption from term limits." Paybarah's editor Josh Benson told the Daily News, "It was a reasonable question. We're comfortable leaving it to everyone else to judge the quality of the response." A spokewoman for City Comptroller and mayoral hopeful Bill Thompson said, "What’s disgraceful is the Mayor’s refusal to answer the tough questions. Calling people names, having staff block cameras and bullying the press aren’t going to stop people from asking the mayor to explain his term limits bait and switch." The Mayor apologized, though indirectly; according to Paybarah, Bloomberg's press secretary Stu Loeser "called to relay an apology from the mayor."

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced today that the NY State pension fund fell 26.3%, with its value now $109.9 billion. The global economic crisis contributed to the decline, and Crain's New York reports, "It isn’t clear what percentage of the decline is due to souring private equity investments, but the fund had about $11 billion worth of such investments and $4.5 billion of “absolute return” investments—also known as hedge funds—according to the previous fiscal year’s annual report. That’s about double the amount held in 2005." However, DiNapoli also said the pension fund is "built to survive even the most challenging investing environments. For example, the Fund saw the value of its assets decline by about $30 billion in the markets that followed the dot-com bust and the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, only to see steady recovery in the subsequent years." However, in order to meet future retirement obligations, employers and taxpayers will give greater contributions.

With federal judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, everyone is predicting how things will turn out during the Senate confirmation hearings. Newsday looks at how Sotomayor actually has many similarities with Justice Samuel Alito, who was appointed by President Bush in 2005: "Both grew up Roman Catholic in modest homes wanting to be judges, attended the same Ivy League schools, became prosecutors in their first full-time jobs and served more than a decade on the circuit court. And both have remained closely tied to their ethnic roots and the communities where they grew up: Alito, 59, as an Italian American in New Jersey, and Sotomayor, 54, as a Puerto Rican in the Bronx." And, as Sotomayor's impartiality gets the once over, keep in mind that Alito said during his confirmation hearings, "When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic background or because of religion or because of gender. And I do take that into account."

Last week, the players with stakes in Ground Zero development—the Port Authority, developer Larry Silverstein, Mayor Bloomberg, NY Governor Paterson, NJ Governor Corzine, Assembly Speaker Silver among them—met at Gracie Mansion to discuss the stalemate (and bickering) over the World Trade Center rebuilding progress. What they agreed on was, the Post reported, "to order their aides to come up with an agreement by the next summit on June 11." Um, great. The NY Times had an editorial yesterday about the stalemate, declaring that instead of helping Silverstein build (aka fund) two towers, "The authority should instead be focusing on what it has already committed to: building the substructure for the 16-acre site, the Calatrava PATH terminal and the tallest tower. The authority’s designers have also come up with an interim proposal to build multistory bases for some of Mr. Silverstein’s towers. Those could house retail shops until the market needs more skyscrapers."

Michael Mineo didn't hold back outside Brooklyn Federal Court yesterday, where he appeared to file a $220 million civil rights lawsuit against the city, the NYPD, and the officer accused of sodomizing him with a retractable baton last October in a Brooklyn subway station. Mineo, a body piercer employed in a tattoo parlor, explained, "It's humiliating. This is considered a rape. I'm a man. I was raped by 4 guys holding me down... putting a baton in my rectum. How am I supposed to feel? There is no forgiveness... There's no way I could've lied and made this up. They've tried to slander my name from the beginning...This is going to be in history. My kids are going to know about this when I have a kid." Mineo says he still experiences "enormous pain," including bowel problems, and is seeing a therapist. And his attorney says $220 million would send a message to the city that "we will no longer tolerate these kinds of egregious incidents of brutality." In response, Patrolmen's Benevolent Association lawyer Stuart London tells the Daily News, "The lawsuit is consistent with my feeling that this was always about money, not a search for the truth."

State Senator Hiram Monserrate's claim that one of the grand jurors who voted to indict him for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend is a police officer who works at the very precinct that investigated the Queens Democrat. According to the Daily News, a 105th Precinct cop "recognized one of his colleagues sitting in the jury box" while testifying in front of the grand jury. The cop allegedly told prosecutors, who then told him "not to worry about it"; the cop also told a private investigator working for Monserrate. The state senator's lawyer Joseph Tacopina said, "It was incumbent upon the [prosecutors,] who were aware of the relationship ... to ensure that the grand juror not hear testimony from his fellow officer or participate in the proceedings." Tacopina also says the prosecution's case is flawed beyond this grand juror, suggesting the surveillance video that shows Monserrate "violently" jerking around his girlfriend after the alleged assault was edited together to look damning. Monserrate, in the meantime, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and maintains his innocence.

Yesterday Al Roker was called out for Twittering too much during his jury duty duties, even posting photos of potential jurors for the case, which common sense will tell you isn't a good idea. Today the NY Post reports that Roker acknowledged making "a mistake" but said it was "inadvertent." Fellow weatherman Sam Champion showed his support on Twitter, and he wasn't the only one. David Bookstaver, a spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration, seems to be happy that Al became a poster boy for civic duty, albeit only for one day (Roker wasn't picked for the panel). Bookstaver told the paper, "What's more important is this shows Al came to do his civic duty, and we're happy about that. It's a good example that nobody's exempt." The Daily News points out that he also claimed that Roker's actions weren't illegal, "despite a sign which says in no uncertain terms that taking photographs 'anywhere in the courthouse is strictly prohibited.'" Looks like some people are exempt from that one, eh Bookstaver?

CityRoom has posted the U.S. Marshals' Form 531B, which shows the "nine questions that law enforcement agencies want answered in the event of a bomb threat over the phone." Sure, not all bomb threats at called in, but, in case they are, these questions may be useful. The questions include things like "Did you place the bomb?" and "Why?" and also asks the person fielding the call to notice the caller's voice and manner (stutter? slurred? disguised? accent?) and noises in the caller's environment (P.A. system? animal noises? music?—yes, just like in The Fugitive). Initially the U.S. Marshals' spokesman William Dundon suggested that animals noises could eliminate NYC as being a caller's location, but then revised himself, "There are roosters in the city. I have heard them in the morning."

During the latest day in the trial of Anthony Marshall, the late philanthropist Brooke Astor's son, a lawyer who represented both son and mother testified that Marshall diligently crunched the numbers to calculate what his wife would get, in the case of his death. Because Astor despised daughter-in-law Charlene Marshall that she explicitly told lawyer-turned-witness Henry Christensen that she didn't want to leave anything to her. Christensen said that Anthony Marshall gave him a 2001 memo, titled, "Concern: My ability to provide sufficient financial assistance to Charlene upon my death after distributions and expenses, including taxes." But Christensen said that in spite that Charlene owned their $2 million apartment plus had a $1 million trust fund (that would earn $115,000/year in interest) set up by her husband, Marshall was "concerned she wasn't going to have anything." Marshall is accused of forging his mother's signature on a will and asking her to sign another will—while she was in mental decline—to give him $60 million meant for charitable groups.

Back in March, the economy forced developer Bruce Ratner to scale back plans for a 76-story Frank Gehry-designed building called Beekman Tower to just a 38- (or 40-) story structure. Now, the NY Times reports that a deal between Ratner's company and labor unions will help save "as much as 20 percent on labor costs" and allow construction to resume at Beekman Tower. Forest City Ratner executive MaryAnne Gilmartin said, "We’re thrilled to be going back to work. It’s a great project and a great building." Beekman Tower, which will be the tallest residential building in the city at 867 feet, was originally planned as a condominium, but FCR made it a rental (given the economy). Gilmartin also said, The savings we achieved go a long way toward insulating the project from any dip in rents or any protracted period of time required to lease up the building. We’re really bullish on this building."

The city is closing six additional schools after a numerous cases of "influenza-like illness" among students. Four of the schools (in a total of two buildings) are in East Harlem while two schools (in one building) are in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood. In the meantime, parents at schools which have yet to close are anxious. At PS 96 in Queens and at PS 180 in Brooklyn, parents protested. A PS 96 mom told the Daily News, "These are 4- and 5-year-olds coming down with 102-degree fevers and infecting their siblings. There is no logical explanation why our school is not closed." And PS 180 is in the same building as a school that did close. However, in spite of the absentee rates, the Health Department says, "High absenteeism by itself is not a reason for closing schools," noting no students at PS 96 and PS 180 went to the nurse with symptoms or had flu-like symptoms. (What is they were already at home!?) The city is now reporting 388 swine flu cases.

This post-Memorial Day weather stinks! Yesterday's high of 61 degrees was 15 degrees below normal, and WCBS 2 reports, "Friday will be a changeable day. There could be some rain in the morning, then possibly some sun will poke through the clouds during the afternoon. The more sun we see, the better chance for strong thunderstorms later in the day as a cold front approaches the area." Yes, more sun=more thunderstorm possibility! WCBS 2 meteorologist Mike Latella explains, "Add sunshine to an unstable atmosphere and an approaching cold front. That is the recipe for thunderstorms." Today's weather will vary—low to mid 70s in the city but in the 60s along the coast. But keep the faith: Saturday will be sunny, with highs in the upper 70s (there is a small threat of a shower late in the afternoon or evening) while Sunday will be partly cloudy, highs in the mid 70s. Photo of Tibor Kalman's Sky Umbrella, available at the MoMA

Hey, just because the bomb that was set off outside an Upper East Side Starbucks on Monday morning was homemade—"fashioned from a water bottle and the same explosive powder used in fireworks," the Daily News reports—doesn't mean it wasn't a threat to the public. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said,"Had someone been walking by, this could have caused serious injury, if not death." The police also revealed that a "metal bottle cap inscribed with the capital letters VET that was found amid the bomb remnants"— investigators are looking at whether "there's a manufacturer that makes metal bottle caps that contain those letters"—and that the two teens seen fleeing from the scene that morning are described as blond teen in a red shirt and a brown-haired teen in a gray shirt. John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor Eugene O'Donnell tells WCBS 2, "Bombings are not easy to solve, sometimes because the forensic evidence is so deteriorated."

Two 26-year-old men from the Bronx are accused of orchestrating a wide-ranging counterfeit check scheme. According to the NY Times, "Jasper Grayson and James Malloy...hired bank tellers to photocopy paychecks they were handling, and pass the copies to the two men, who created likenesses using nothing more than laptop computers, paper and printers... Next, the men hired people to deposit the counterfeit checks into their bank accounts and then take out the money, in withdrawals that averaged $2,000 apiece." The Daily News reports the laptops "contained check-making software, stolen bank account info and logos used on counterfeit checks, officials said." And the employers included city agencies (like the NYPD), Bed Bath & Beyond, Diane von Furstenberg, Madison Square Garden, and Montefiore Medical Center. Besides Grayson and Malloy, 16 other people were also charged in the 227-count indictment, but many others could be named later—the pair allegedly hired 950 people to cash the checks. And the Post adds, "Investigators think the men used most of the proceeds to finance a high-flying lifestyle of club-going, Cristal champagne and expensive meals."

The BQE is back up and running after a massive accident left 59 people injured and closed off eastbound lanes for a good portion of the morning following rush hour. A school bus, a casino bus and a tractor trailed were involved with what the Daily News calls a chain reaction accident just before the Kosciuszko Bridge connecting Brooklyn and Queens near the McGuinness Blvd. exit and not far from the Midtown Tunnel. A large majority of the victims were treated at the scene for bumps and bruises. Six people were taken to local hospitals. Newsday says that two went to the Wyckhoff and Woodhull Hospitals in Brooklyn and the other four "were taken to an unknown medical facility by a Hatzolah ambulance, which is operated by Jewish volunteers." Newsmap also shows what appears to be a second accident on nearby westbound lanes, where an overturned chicken truck shut down the highway while waiting for sanitation to clean up.

It sounds like one bad apple really spoiled the barrel at Duane Reade...to the tune of $240,000! City Room reports that the company today settled a lawsuit brought on by the federal Equal Employment Commission for "a pattern of sexual harassment and retaliation," but it sounds like it all stems from actions taking place at one Bronx location. The commission released a statement saying, “The store manager, Madiaw Diaw, frequently made vulgar remarks about women’s private parts, sexually propositioned female employees, made lewd comments about their pregnancies and bodies, assigned unfavorable job duties to pregnant employees and repeatedly grabbed female employees, including grabbing their buttocks." Duane Reade said that they will instill new training policies, possibly starting with the trick question, "Aren't pregnant women just the laziest?" All of this begs the question if this whole mess could have been avoided if the drug chain was a little more careful about stocking up on some of their OTC offerings.

Maurice Parks, who killed a man he thought mugged him—but was actually just a bystander—was found guilty of second-degree murder. Over a year ago, Parks, a martial arts expert, had been mugged and stabbed by a group of men on his way home; shortly after the attack, he ran into a man he thought was one of the muggers—so he stabbed him as he was on the phone with 911. Bystander Flonarza Byas died; the NY Times reports Byas "had 15 wounds, including 7 in the back." Parks's lawyer told the Daily News, "You take one piece away, none of this would have happened. It's a tragedy all around... His whole stabbing of Mr. Byas is a reaction to what happened to him." Parks will be sentenced next month and faces a minimum of 15 years in prison. The Times also brings up how Parks applied (and was rejected) to the NYPD three times and that in 1994 he was previously charged with attempted murder, for shooting and wounding a man who tried to rob him (a grand jury decided not to indict him).

Watching her daughter be nominated to the Supreme Court by President Obama brought Celina Sotomayor Lopez to tears on Tuesday. Obama noted her commitment to her children during his introduction of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, "Her mother worked six days a week as a nurse to provide for Sonia and her brother -- who is also here today, is a doctor and a terrific success in his own right. But Sonia's mom bought the only set of encyclopedias in the neighborhood, sent her children to a Catholic school called Cardinal Spellman out of the belief that with a good education here in America all things are possible." Now the 82-year-old is all smiles, too, telling reporters, "Words cannot tell you how proud I am...I never told them [Sonia and her brother] to do anything for a living. I didn't tell them to be this or be that. I just said be the best you can always be. Be honest. If you have to clean toilets, that's fine." She added, "I am feeling great, but very tired...I guess the best word is overwhelmed."

Seems a lot of folks are looking to runaway with the circus, or at least make the current financial climate less harsh with a new job at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The NY Times reports back from the job fair held yesterday for the 150 positions open for their new set-up on Coney Island. Over 500 applicants turned up (alongside some animal rights activists) even though the job would only be temporary, lasting around 3 months. The circus wasn't looking for carnival barkers or occupants for the clown car, rather "ticket takers, ushers and custodians" who will work for minimum wage. Lynn B. Kelly, president of the Coney Island Development Corporation said of the turnout, “It may be a function of the market. Or it may be that, how often in life do you get a chance to say you’ve worked at the circus?” We're guessing it's the former. One 16-year-old local told the paper, “A lot of jobs don’t hire teens. But I’m not like everybody else. I’m mature, plus I have a child. I need a job.”

Zany teens, what will they think of next? The NY Times has a front page article about how today's teens greet each other with hugs. A Montvale NJ high school junior says, "We’re not afraid, we just get in and hug. The guy friends, we don’t care. You just get right in there and jump in," while a San Francisco alternative middle schooler puts it, "We like to get cozy. The high-five is, like, boring.” And if you don't hug? Pffft-a freshman at Laguardia High in Manhattan explains, "If somebody were to not hug someone, to never hug anybody, people might be just a little wary of them and think they are weird or peculiar." Question: Do the goth kids hug? Apparently some sociologists think this is a result of "growing up in an era of organized play dates and close parental supervision," but one warns, "Without question, the boundaries of touch have changed in American culture. We display bodies more readily, there are fewer rules governing body touch and a lot more permissible access to other people’s bodies." Which is why some high schools, like Hillsdale High in NJ, ban hugs. Related: The Today show on the scourge of high school hugging.

Back in 2005, Glenn Storman, a guidance counselor at P.S. 212 in Gravesend, entered a special education classroom in which a fifth-grader was kneeling on his chair cursing at the teacher. What happened next is a matter of debate: Storman says he happened to be holding a rolled up piece of paper when he told the boy to "zip it." But according to the Times, the student says Storman "brushed the paper against his lips and embarrassed him." After an investigation, Storman got an unsatisfactory rating in his annual review, which is a big deal because it prohibits him from getting extra work as a summer school teacher and a tutor. But after a long legal battle, it looks like the alleged paper punisher will be vindicated: A judge ruled earlier this month that Storman's actions did not constitute corporal punishment, and said the unsatisfactory rating "shocks the conscience, was arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion." The Department of Education is reviewing the decision while defending another lawsuit brought by Storman in federal court. And it's unclear if the student has yet to recover from his brush with rolled up paper.

Toys R Us has announced its purchase of FAO Schwarz. According to the AP, "Toys R Us will operate FAO Schwarz's flagship store in New York City and a second store at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. FAO Schwarz's Web site and catalog will continue to use the company's name." Toys R Us chairman and CEO Jerry Storch said, "We will work tirelessly to preserve the distinctiveness and integrity of the FAO Schwarz stores and brand as we grow the business and, indeed, take the brand to even greater heights." However, Storch did not details the financial agreement. FAO Schwarz has filed for bankruptcy protection twice and last year announced it would sell toys in Macy's stores.

The 24-year-old Brooklyn tattoo artist (pictured) who says three police officers beat and sodomized him in the Prospect Park subway station last October will be suing the city. Michael Mineo's lawyer tells the Post his client will seek $220 million in damages for the "physical pain, suffering and mental anguish, along with punitive damages suffered." In December, a grand jury indicted the three officers, and a criminal trial is expected to begin this fall. Mineo says the brutality took place after he ran from cops who accused him of smoking marijuana as he approached the station around noon on October 15th, 2008. After they apprehended him near the token booth, Mineo says Officer Richard Kern sodomized him with a baton. A transit cop who was in the station is expected to testify that he saw Kern put his baton on Mineo's buttocks. The damages sought in his civil lawsuit dwarf the money sought in other police brutality lawsuits—by comparison, Abner Louima, who was Mineo's predecessor in the annals of NYPD sodomy victims, sued the city for $155 million back in 2001, but got $8.6 million in a settlement.

With another school—this time, in Manhattan's Morningside Heights—closing due to high student absentee rates, worries about the swine flu continue. The NY Times tries to delve into what "underlying conditions"—something that the four swine flu victims who died had in common—actually are. Conditions like "diabetes, asthma, heart disease, lung disease, a weakened immune system and, possibly, obesity... could aggravate the effects of swine flu." The widow of Mitch Wiener, an assistant principal in Queens who was the first New Yorker to die from the H1N1 virus, told the Times, "Many, many people share the same underlying causes that my husband had, and if he’s at risk, many people are at risk," and was skeptical of the conditions playing a part in his death, "He was overweight and he was taking medicine for high blood pressure. How many people 50 and above don’t?"

With Rep. Anthony Weiner officially deciding not to run for mayor this year, that leaves NYC Comptroller William Thompson as the leading candidate in the Democratic primary. City Council member Tony Avella (D-Queens) is still running; a NY1 poll shows Thompson would beat Avella by 30 points. Thompson said of challenging Mayor Bloomberg, "This race isn't over. If anything, this race is just beginning. I think the mayor, in spending $20 million this early, is trying to create a distorted sense of reality. He's trying to let you believe that he can't be beat. The truth is, talk to New Yorkers, they want somebody new. They want someone who will stand up and fight for them." Bloomberg, naturally, disagrees, telling reporters, "If you have a good message, people are going to be responsive. It’s not money. It’s whether or not you have something to say. It’s the substance." And a Daily News editorial says the city's Democrats don't seem to have a message against Bloomberg.

Yesterday around 7 p.m., a drive-by gunman fired at three people on Lenox Road near Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn (here's video of the area after the shooting). One of the victims was a sanitation worker, in a street sweeper, who had taken a break to get a drink from a bodega. The Daily News reports that san worker Anthony Pollard "told cops he had parked his sweeper to say hello to a cousin and buy a soda at the ND Food Market, his usual spot for a nightly break." He had been standing outside the store with two other men when a car drove by and someone fired more than a dozen times at the store from inside the vehicle. Pollard was shot in the stomach while the other men were hit in the leg and elbow; their injuries are not life-threatening. Police are asking people with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS or send a text message to "CRIMES," (274637), then enter "TIP577".

John McCluskey pleaded not guilty today to second-degree harassment charges for his Hamptons altercation with Rudy Giuliani this weekend, but did go ahead and sign an order of protection saying that he would leave Giuliani and wife Judith Nathan alone. McCluskey did not bring a lawyer to court today, telling reporters, "Why would I dignify this with a lawyer? I think it's so frivolous." Both sides accuse the other of elevating the spat into physical threats—police reports say that when McCluskey was being taken away as he said to cops, "I didn't know that scumbag still has so much power out here...I have the right to speak my mind and tell him how evil he is...You all will regret this." McCluskey might have to think about dignifying the incident with a lawyer pretty soon—he'll need one to show up in his place at the next court date in June. He told a judge that he won't be there since he's leaving the country to film a documentary.

Evan Potts was in court today for a routine conference on his upcoming manslaughter trial for fatally running over Ian Sharinn after a road rage confrontation in Long Beach a couple weeks back. Sharinn's family was there to meet face-to-face with the 22-year-old Potts, who claims that he panicked and drove into Sharinn when the victim was yelling at him and banging on his vehicle while Potts was stopped at a red light. WCBS 2 says that a witness believes it was an accident, "Someone else in our building gave the same account of the story." Potts has been out of jail for a week after posting $500,000 bond. Speculation is that parents of the Queens College student had to mortgage their home in order to raise the money. Outside court Evan Potts told a reporter, "All I have to say is I'm glad to be out to defend myself against these charges." A "Free Evan Potts" Facebook group has almost 700 members an is discussing a possible benefit concert.

Former NYPD Sergeant John Galtieri may spend the rest of his life in prison after being sentenced today in Staten Island for the 2007 murder of his ex-wife. Galtieri was convicted of shooting Jeanne Kane in a Staten Island park-and-ride after becoming enraged over the divorce settlement handed out to his once-battered ex-wife. Justice Stephen Rooney said, "What's particularly chilling here is the calculated and premeditated nature of this murder...A truly cold-blooded murder such as this requires severe sentencing." Kane had once appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show as a member of the '60s trio, The Kane Triplets. Her two sisters were in court at the sentencing along with Kane and Galtieri's daughter, Patricia. She said to her father, "John Galtieri, I should have said this a long time ago: You are a coward ... Only a coward hides behind a gun ... As he sits in his cold, lonely cell for the remainder of his days, he will be tortured by this for eternity: 'Jeanne beat me.'" (Her full remarks are here.) Galtieri's lawyer called the outcome of the trial "a conviction by character assassination."

Three pedestrians were killed by drivers in three separate accidents in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan yesterday, but there's one thing that ties the incidents together: As usual, none of the drivers were charged. In Harlem, 73-year-old great-grandmother Vivian Long, a retired teacher's aide, was crossing Amsterdam Avenue with her granddaughter when she was fatally struck by an Access-A-Ride vehicle. (For the record, Access-A-Ride drivers are the worst.) She died at St. Luke's Hospital. In Borough Park, 25-year-old Matvey Smolovich, who according to his relatives had mental problems, was run over by a mini school bus around 10 a.m. after stepping out from between parked cars 100 feet from the crosswalk. His father tells the Daily News, "He left the house without my permission... After this I don't care about anything. My life is ruined." The 55-year-old bus driver stayed at the scene, and the NYPD is investigating, but hasn't arrested anyone. Then in Flushing, Queens, the 19-year-old driver of a Nissan Altima killed a jogger who also stepped into the street from between parked cars. He was rushed to New York Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A Staten Island teenager is in custody after beating his father within an inch of his life over the weekend. James DeLeo, Jr. was charged with attempted murder after attacking his father so severely that it put James DeLeo, Sr. into a coma and included bashing his father's head in with a shovel. Police say that the son was sent into a rage when his father confronted him about staying out too late (the victim was found by police following the fight at 8:30 a.m. Sunday). The teenager first threatened his father with a knife, knocked him down with a punch to the face, stomped and kicked him until he lost consciousness and finally went outside to get a shovel that he would then bash his father's head in with. A roommate who lived with the two DeLeos in Willowbrook called 911 and the son was quickly arrested after an initial unsubstantiated claim that someone else carried out the attack. The elder DeLeo is currently listed in critical but stable condition. A public defender for the son requested his client receive a psychological evaluation before his next court appearance.

You know what the Hamptons really need? A more efficient way to throw money away. That's why the Shinnecock tribe on Long Island is hoping to get federal recognition and open a casino out there. (They've been recognized by the state for ages.) The Shinnecocks filed a petition with the Interior Department for federal recognition back in 1978, but you can't rush the Grandfather in Washington. The tribe finally sued the agency in 2006, and on Tuesday the Interior Department finally agreed to a time frame to answer the tribe's petition. John A. Strong, a retired professor who's an expert on Long Island tribes, tells the Times recognition is pretty much a lock, and once that happens, the Shinnecocks will be allowed to open a Class II casino (just video slot machines, no table games). They'd sure love it if they could get out of poverty by attracting gambling swells from the Hamptons, but because Suffolk County is worried about the traffic, the tribe may cut a deal with the state to open a Class I casino in Queens, perhaps at the Aqueduct racetrack!

The case of the mugging victim who killed a man he thought mugged him—but was actually just a bystander—is now with the jury. In January 2008, Maurice Parks was mugged by a group of attackers, who also stabbed him. Parks, experienced in martial arts, managed to chase them off but then ran into a man he thought was part of the attack and plunged his own knife into him; Flonarza Byas, who was stabbed 15 times, died. During closing arguments, the Daily News reports that prosecutors described Parks as a "judge, jury and executioner," bent on seeking revenge, while defense lawyer Anthony Ricco said Byas tragically walked into "a very dangerous situation." Ricco also claimed Parks didn't intend to kill, especially since he was on the phone with 911 (audio); Ricco mocked, "I'm gonna commit intentional murder, but let me get the police on the phone first. Hello, 911 ... hold on, let me commit this intentional murder."

The first day of summer session at SUNY Farmingdale saw a tragic accident where a 19-year-old girl was killed and a fellow student left in critical condition after they were backed over by a garbage truck while on campus. The victim, Kaeli Sarah Kramer of Huntington, was beginning a class she was taking over the summer after just finishing her first year at a college in New Jersey. Kramer had graduated as valedictorian in 2008 form Knox School in St. James. Police are still investigating, but a spokesperson for the truck's company said that the alarm that rings while the front-loading truck backs up was working and had gone off—police returned the truck to the company after inspecting it following the accident. The second victim was 21-year-old Aresh Saqib, a third year student in construction management, who is in critical but stable condition with a broken pelvis. The driver of the truck finally stopped after spotting Saqib in the side view mirror on his hands and knees screaming. He did not face any charges and was treated for emotional distress.

According to the Daily News, Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver "unveiled a proposal to renew mayoral control over the schools before a largely skeptical group of fellow Democrats." The Legislature is set to decide whether Mayor Bloomberg can continue mayoral oversight of the public school system, which is the country's largest. Many lawmakers are skeptical because mayoral control leaves little opportunity for parents and community members to offer their insights. The News explains Silver's plan still gives the mayor "control of the 13-member Panel for Educational Policy, but at least two of his eight appointments would have to be parents of city schoolchildren... The schools chancellor would no longer be chairman of the body and would be required to visit each school district every two years. The chairman would be voted on by panel members. The panel, which would be required to meet once a month and in each borough at least once a year, would vote on all policy decisions, capital spending plans and budgets," according to sources. Previously, PolitickerNY has suggested that Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, who supports mayoral control, could side with Republicans in order to pass it.

Yikes! The Brooklyn Paper's police blotter details a kidnapping/mugging in Williamsburg. They report that on May 22 two perps armed with a semi-automatic pistol snatched up a Brooklyn man on Kent and North 9th around 10:30 p.m. While he was in the car (a white four-door sedan with tinted windows), they covered his eyes and emptied his pockets, taking his wallet and cellphone. They then drove to a bank on Broadway and forced the PIN number out of their victim, withdrawing around $200 from his account. Once they were done with him, about a half hour after first picking him up, they dropped him at South 11th Street between Berry and Wythe, leaving him 5 bucks for a cab. The victim managed to flag down a cop on Bedford to report the crime, which the paper says mirrors a similar incident from earlier in the month. In general, it's probably not a good idea to walk alone down the deserted Kent Avenue at night.

The Post reports that investigators doubt Monday's explosion outside an Upper East Side Starbucks is related to the bombings outside the British and Mexican Consulates as well as the Times Square recruiting station. Apparently the "make-up of the bomb -- flash powder stuffed inside a jumbo pill jar -- was not similar to the ones used for the earlier bombings," and the description of the teens seen fleeing the area doesn't match the others bombings' lone bicyclist. The Post adds police are investigating whether the incident is linked to a small explosion at a Starbucks in Providence, RI, but the Seattle coffee company sent us a statement, "We are confident that these two explosions were not linked. Further, though the investigation continues, we actually have no reason to believe that Starbucks specifically was a target for this incident." (Apparently there had been a series of small explosions in plastic bottles in different parts of Providence last year.)

With Governor Paterson's sinking poll numbers, many suspect Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will run for governor in 2010. Which means the Attorney General position will be up for grabs. The NY Times counts nine possible candidates—three Republicans and six Democrats. What might hurt Paterson the most is that two of the Democrats are are in his cabinet! Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Queens), who ran against Cuomo in 2006 but dropped out before the primary, is apparently going to throw his hat in the ring again; he tells the Times, "Andrew Cuomo has been one of the best attorneys general in the state’s history, and I was honored to support his election in 2006. That said, whenever he moves on to better things, I would certainly be interested in following in his very large footsteps."

Bernard Kerik, BFF of Rudy Giuliani and former NYPD commissioner, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington D.C. The indictment relates to statements he made while being vetted to head the Department of Homeland Security in 2004—prosecutors say he was lying while Kerik's lawyer says he's being "overzealously" pursued. Kerik is accused of numerous misdoings—such as not claiming more than $500,000 in income on his tax returns, taking money from a contractor who had been angling for a city contract, taking a free Upper East Side apartment from a developer, claiming $80,000 in charitable deductions he never made—and will be tried in NY for those. Kerik's lawyer told WCBS 2, "Mr. Kerik looks forward to finally clearing his name of these corruption charges at his federal trial in New York set for October...However many trials it takes, Mr. Kerik will vigorously defend himself against these unfounded accusations and is confident that he will be completely vindicated." In 2007, Giuliani called hiring Kerik "a mistake."

Yesterday, a woman described a rape and attack very similar to how John Jay College student Imette St. Guillen was attacked. St. Guillen was found dead in 2006, and a bouncer at the bar she was last seen, Darryl Littlejohn, is on trial for her murder. While the woman was unable to pick out Littlejohn in a lineup, a judge allowed her to testify because the attack was so similar to St. Guillen's and another woman's. The Daily News reports that the woman described being "snatched off" Queens Boulevard, and then "the attacker handcuffed her and bundled her into a car," threatening her with a gun. "Warning her to shut up, the attacker drove her to a bedroom that sounded similar to Littlejohn's basement apartment in his mother's Jamaica home. The attacker taped a knit cap over her eyes - a key detail because Littlejohn allegedly taped over St. Guillen's eyes." After raping her, her attacker "forced her to clean up and change into shorts and a T-shirt," which had LIttlejohn's mother's DNA on it.

Radio host Rush Limbaugh had plenty to say about Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court: "Here you have a racist — you might want to soften that, and you might want to say a reverse racist... [Liberals] of course, say that minorities cannot be racists because they don't have the power to implement their racism. Well, those days are gone, because reverse racists certainly do have the power. ... Obama is the greatest living example of a reverse racist, and now he's appointed one.” Limbaugh was referring to to Sotomayor's past statement during a speech (read it here), "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,"—and then noted how "wise men like Oliver Wendell Holmes and Justice Cardozo voted on cases which upheld both sex and race discrimination in our society." Politico reports that Limbaugh also complained about moderate Republicans (of course!), "I'm the one doing the heavy lifting. Colin Powell panders to moderate Republicans. If the moderates in the Republican Party offer no way to address this danger, then they are useless.”

A 25-year-old photographer was killed by a mini-school bus in Borough Park earlier today. 1010WINS reports, "[Police] say he was attempting to cross the street in Brooklyn just before 10 a.m. Tuesday. He was about 100 feet from the crosswalk when he was struck." The Daily News, which identifies the man as Matthew Smolovich, reports that he was taking pictures on 44th Street near 14th Avenue with a "Canon 5D with a 16X35 lens" and "was looking down when he crossed the street near 14th Ave.," according to sources. The bus driver stayed at the scene and was not issued a summons; none of the children aboard the bus were injured.

The State Senate is still mulling over gay marriage legislation—maybe NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson's report showing that NY State "could gain over $200 million in the three years immediately following the legalization of marriage for same-sex couples" will help the senators make up their mind. The report is an update of his 2007 study, Love Counts: The Economic Benefits of Marriage Equality for New York. If the recession doesn't reduce the number of out-of-state guest, NY State could expect a $210 million gay marriage boom ($178 million is the recession is a factor) while NYC would expect $149 million ($120 million if the recession affects guest count). There would be higher insurance costs—$69 million, $37 million paid by employers. Thompson said, "Legalizing marriage for same-sex couples is not only good for the couples, but also for our economy. And while other states across our nation have legalized marriage for same-sex couples since my last report, I expect New York to still stand as a prime destination for many couples because it will stand as a welcoming beacon of diversity and acceptance." He is also "disappointed" the California Supreme Court upheld Prop 8.

There have been two more confirmed deaths from swine flu in New York City, health commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden confirmed during a press conference today. A 41-year-old Queens woman and a 34-year-old Brooklyn man have died since Friday; both had underlying medical conditions. The fatalities bring the NYC death toll to four; earlier this month Mitchell Wiener, an 55-year-old assistant principal at a Queens middle school, and a Queens woman in her 50s both died from swine flu. (The two recent victims are notably younger than the others.) During the press conference, Frieden also announced the closure of another school in Queens, a 42-student special-education program where children have flu-like symptoms. Frieden, who is President Obama's choice to lead the C.D.C., said that city emergency rooms are getting more than 2,000 visitors per day—the typical number of visits is usually under two hundred a day per E.R. But he also stressed that although swine flu is more contagious than seasonal flu, it is not more deadly (so far). According to City Room, roughly 1,000 city residents die each year die from complications of seasonal flu. Mayor Bloomberg even says swine flu victims should consider themselves lucky.

After suspending his mayoral campaign in March, representative Anthony Weiner has decided to drop out of the race for the Democratic nomination, according to a scoop in City Hall News. Democratic Party officials have been increasingly throwing their support behind Controller William Thompson—with the notable exception of Long Island Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, a Democrat, who today announced her endorsement of Mayor Bloomberg. Weiner spent Memorial Day weekend attending three parades, a burst of activity that could have been interpreted as campaign appearances, but a source tells City Hall News that Weiner will formally announce his withdrawal tomorrow. His exact reasons for dropping out are not yet known, but Bloomberg's God-like affluence certainly played a factor. Though the Post had been gleefully attacking the six-term congressman in recent months, it's doubtful their smears broke his will to run; as the Daily News puts it, Weiner "wakes up in the morning looking for a fight." His withdrawal leaves just Thompson and Council Member Tony Avella to fight over the Democratic nomination.

The Harvard senior who was barred from graduating next month and banned from campus—due to an alleged connection with the fatal shooting of a drug dealer at the school— has spoken out. According to the Post, sources say Chanequa Campbell helped swipe murder victim Justin Cosby into the dorm to sell drugs, but Campbell denies knowing him. She admits to knowing suspect shooter Jabrai Jordan Copney of New York—but only through Copney's girlfriend, Harvard senior Brittany Smith (who is allowed to graduate next month). Campbell, a Packer College Institute graduate who earned many scholarships, tells the Post, "I'm hurt and I'm confused. For me not to be graduating is frustrating. Harvard is doing this to me because I'm black, I'm poor and I'm from Brooklyn...I'm feeling I'm being scapegoated and I can't defend myself." Her lawyer adds that Harvard hasn't given a reason for banning his client from campus, "I've been practicing law for almost 17 years and have rarely come across someone as highly educated and articulate as Chanequa... What [Harvard has] done to Chanequa is equivalent to having your house foreclosed and losing your job on the same day."

After funneling $3.1 billion of clients' money to Bernard Madoff's "investment" fund, Spanish bank Banco Santander will pay just $235 million to the trustee who is liquidating Madoff's assets. Bloomberg News reports that Spain's largest bank "made the out-of-court deal to avoid being sued by trustee Irving Picard, who has been suing the conman’s biggest investors seeking the return of years’ worth of Madoff-related profits." Picard said the $235 million is 85% of what he sought, "We hope that other entities against which we have claims will likewise come forward to settle those claims for the benefit of all of Madoff’s victims." Santander, which invested in Madoff through a Geneva-based hedge fund, has offered to compensate some of its clients, but the bank still faces other lawsuits. Dealbook adds, "Spanish prosecutors have said they are investigating Santander’s relationship with Mr. Madoff’s firm and are looking into into a trip made by one of the bank’s executives to visit Mr. Madoff a few weeks before he confessed to running a worldwide, multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme."

After news that a woman claimed she was raped in the Morristown, NJ home of Jets safety Kerry Rhodes, the press—namely the tabloids—is staked out by Rhodes' fancy condominium. Rhodes is not suspected in the rape, but the media invasion was too much for Rhodes' neighbors. According to the Daily Record, when Rhodes drove away from his home, "The photographers sprang to action, snapping photos of Rhodes, who wore a baseball cap slung low as he sped down MacCulloch toward Route 202. A neighbor, however, was incensed by their actions and chased photographers down MacCulloch, screaming expletives and threats." The police eventually arrived and asked photographers from the NY Post and Daily News "to keep their distance," noting that the Morristown police "[doesn't] have the resources to keep a car out here." The police are investigating whether a friend of Rhodes is involved.

Finally, the Nobel Prize winner in economics has weighed in on the city's Greenlight for Midtown plan. Paul Krugman writes on his NY Times blog, "I’m definitely in favor of making part of Broadway a traffic-free area. But you have to wonder — who’s this for? As far as I know, nobody goes to that part of Manhattan anyway — it’s too crowded." Of course, a few of his commenters noticed the Yogi Berra-homage, with some even demanding he acknowledge the legendary Yankees catcher-philosopher.

An elderly bartender who spent 27 seasons behind the bar at the Yankees' Stadium Club says he was rejected for a job at the team's new home because he's just too old. 73-year-old John Vendikos—who has served legends like Joe DiMaggio—says that when the Yankees' food service company began hiring for the new stadium, he was instructed to re-interview for his old job. He tells the Post, in an article headlined Boo-ze for the Yanks, "I had to wait in line for three hours, and when I got in, the guy said to me, 'Why should I hire you? You're an old man.' At first, I was sure he was being a wisenheimer. But then I realized he was dead serious." Vendikos is filing a complaint against the Yankees with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and says, "This never would have happened before Mr. [George] Steinbrenner became sick."

Though there's been a surge in assaults in some downtown neighborhoods like Greenwich Village, the NYPD says New York's fifteen year decline in crime continues unabated, with an overall drop of 12% so far this year. But some New Yorkers, like Harlem's Kone Mahamadou, tell a different story: "If you walk these streets, especially at night, you know crime is definitely not down. It's not safe. I don't know where they get these statistics." Some say the NYPD's stats are skewed because officers have been known to discourage crime victims from filling out police reports, but David Kennedy, director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College, says the bad economy is just messing with everyone's heads: "All objective information says things are no worse, and maybe a little better, but residents think things are going in a ditch." Tell that to 20-year-old East New York resident Tianna Sanchez; the NYPD says robberies and grand larcenies are down by double digits in the area, but she tells the News, "You can't sit on a bench because you are scared there will be shootings. They were shooting on my baby's birthday. It was 90 degrees out, and we had to go in the house."

Four intoxicated revelers tried to stay out of harm's way by taking a taxi home from the Southampton nightclub Pink Elephant early Monday morning, but their cab's collision with a teenage drunk driver landed them all in the hospital anyway—two of them in critical condition. Police say the cab driver took an illegal left turn into a convenience store parking lot around 4:20 a.m., and was struck on the passenger side by 18-year-old Ryan Rozynski, who survived the crash with minor injuries and is being charged with DWI. Not so lucky is 33-year-old Brian Cano of Jersey City; the impact threw him from the taxi and he wound up with a 12-inch gash on his head. Phil Ward of Manhattan and another unidentified passenger are both still in critical condition at Stony Brook hospital. According to Newsday, one woman was thrown through the windshield. And the Post reports that it was quite a dangerous Memorial Day weekend out in the Hamptons, with two drug overdoses, 5-10 alcohol poisonings, and a fatal stabbing during a brawl at a Hampton Bays diner.