News: June 2009 Archives

A number of people were injured when a police cruiser crashed into a car and then headed into people on a sidewalk in the East Village. The incident occurred on Avenue D: According to WCBS 2, "the police car was traveling at a high rate of speed northbound." The Post reports the "cop car, which was traveling in the wrong lane while apparently on a chase, smashed into a white Cadillac making a right turn at Avenue D and Fifth street. Then the cruiser went on the sidewalk and hit a building—and some people. The cruiser was also traveling very fast, perhaps chasing another vehicle—one witness told the Post that three people plus a baby were sent flying by the impact, "The baby was in the stroller and it flew up in the air. The baby landed under the police car. The mother was panicking holding the baby. She was in shock." Another witness said he didn't hear a siren while a third said, "The problem is they were going so damn fast. These guys were going 55 miles an hour."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that a new, drug-resistant strain of the H1N1 virus has been discovered in a patient in Denmark. Apparently the patient is not responding to Tamiflu, but Tamiflu manufacturer Roche's Pandemic Taskforce leader David Reddy said today, "Such a development had to be expected and is no surprise from a scientific point of view," noting that the patient was taking the drug as a preventative measure. Dow Jones reports that Reddy suggested "was probably already infected with the virus, and resistance to the drug emerged because he was given the lower preventative dose." While drug-induced resistance is rare, it happened 0.4% in adults during clinical trials. Danish health officials have also asserted that the strain has been isolated and has not spread to other patients. This comes alongside news that Swedish musician Jens Lekman also contracted the virus while on tour in South America, which he discovered while on an airplane home—which did not endear him to his fellow passengers. The city's Health Department is expected to make another swine flu update tomorrow.

The bottlenose dolphins that have surrounded New York City in the past week are definitely a welcomed visitor. Not just because they are adorable and probably don't want to kill us (unlike some aquatic guests), but it means that our water could be cleaner than we thought (not to mention stocked with plenty of herring). Newsday reports that "fishermen and scientists said it has been 30 or more years since they'd seen bottlenose dolphins in the Sound in the summertime, and experts agree that the marine mammals came here following food. Experts say the real test will be next year if the dolphins return. If they do, there is a chance the Sound waters are clean enough to sustain a population of the animals." Dolphins used to be a common sight in the Sound, until the post-WWII development boom that helped pollute our waters, but maybe this is the first step in getting them back. Now, can we add some puppies to this story?

Former mayor Rudy Giuliani finally 'fessed up and told us what we all suspected: He is totally thinking about running for governor next year. On CNN's American Morning, Rudy at first said, "I don't know if I am or if I'm not" running for governor but then said, yes, he was "thinking about it." But Giuliani added, "I don't know if I'm at the point of seriously considering it. It's a little too early." In recent polls, Giuliani does well, winning over Governor David Paterson (but those same polls show him losing to Attorney Andrew Cuomo) and last week he suggested that we call a Constitutional Convention since we're in this State Senate mess—and had some not terrible ideas. Well, if Giuliani brings his 2008 campaign team to the table next year, it should be fun! Especially if people take him to task for his past weirdness (unlike Morning Joe's Mika Brzezinski).

After fending off a legal battle from dissenting congregants who sought to block his installation, Riverside Church pastor Dr. Brad Braxton has decided to step down after all. His critics had objected to what they perceived as an extravagant $600,000 compensation package and worried that Braxton was moving the church away from its traditionally progressive agenda to a more conservative religious attitude. Braxton, a Baptist minister and former Rhodes scholar, had sought to style himself as "progressive evangelical," but in the end seemed unable to unite the congregation. In his resignation letter, obtained by the Times, he wrote that "the congregation has struggled publicly for decades about the kind of church that it should be and the kind of pastor who should be its voice. In recent months, these struggles have created a level of antagonism within the congregation that undermines the community’s efforts to embody harmony in the name of Jesus Christ. The consistent discord has made it virtually impossible to establish a fruitful covenant between the congregation and me."

Cops who arrested three people—two women and one man—for assaulting a woman in Mastic Beach say that the trio "made numerous anti-gay remarks about the victim's sexual orientation." According to Newsday, Nora Mitzner (pictured), Lindsay McBeth, and Selwyn Icangelo repeatedly kicked, hit and pushed the female victim last night; the victim's injuries did not require hospitalization. The three were charged with aggravated harassment and the incident was reported to the U.S. Department of Criminal Justice. Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said, "In Suffolk County, we stand united in denouncing violent and abusive acts against a person because of their race, creed, ethnicity or sexual orientation." Last year, a Ecuadorian immigrant was killed in Suffolk County during an apparent hate crime spree by teens.

We're getting preliminary reports about an "aircraft emergency" this morning at LaGuardia airport, where an incoming American Airlines flight was hit by a bird strike when coming in for a landing. No injuries are being reported, but paramedics were called to meet the plane at gate 10, apparently as a precaution. The pilot also reported a "hydraulic leak in the nose gear." The incident comes as the city moves to euthanize 2,000 geese within 5 miles of airports during their molting season, in an effort to prevent another crash like the one that befell Flight 1549.

After testing positive for cocaine use nine times while out on bail, former preschool director Andy Lewis has finally exhausted the patience of a Federal judge. Lewis, whose Brooklyn Children's Academy was shut down last year after parents discovered exposed wires, unpainted walls and noxious fumes in the building, is charged with stealing more than $500,000 in government funding intended for free meals for poor youths at his Better Brooklyn Community Center. But where, pray tell, could all that money have gone?! According to court papers from April obtained by the Daily News, Lewis blamed the test results on a cocaine-laced cigarette someone gave him. But Judge Kiyo Matsumoto wouldn't be fooled again, and said she felt "ridiculous" for giving Lewis so many chances. (His lawyer unsuccessfully argued that his client should remain free because he had passed nearly twice as many tests as he had failed.) When Judge Matsumoto told Lewis he would be incarcerated, the defendent reportedly cried, "Oh, my God, I can't go to jail! I beg of you! God Almighty! Please, your honor, reconsider!"

Easygoing banks like TD Bank try to cultivate a customer-friendly atmosphere by cheerfully greeting customers, handing out lollipops, and making sure there's no oppressive bulletproof glass harshing the vibe. But now the City Council, acting like a bunch of squares telling the hippies to put their clothes on, is considering a law to force banks to use the "bandit barriers." At a Public Safety Committee hearing yesterday, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly testified in support of the legislation, arguing that 47% of robberies in NYC in 2008 occurred at banks with bandit barriers, while 53% went down at banks without them. (The NYPD says there were 444 bank robbery attempts in 2008 — both failed and successful — up 57 percent from 2007.) But Gregory Braca, TD Bank’s president of operations, begged the Council to drop the bill, citing "evidence that if we had to install barriers, it could increase the risk of hostage-taking and injury to our customers." One TD Bank customer explained the appeal to the Times: "With that glass, you feel like you're in a government office, where the lady just talks to you through the little window." (And never offers you a lolly.)

Early Tuesday morning, a Yemeni jet carrying 153 people (142 passengers, 11 crew members) crashed into the Indian Ocean (here's a map and timeline). Rescuers found a toddler; CNN reports, "The child is the only known survivor from the downed Yemenia Airways flight, which was carrying 153 people en route to the island nation of Comoros from Yemen's capital, Sanaa. The child was found in the waters and taken to a hospital." According to the NY Times, "The flight, IY 626, originated in Paris and stopped in Marseille before continuing to Yemen, where the passengers and crew changed planes." Yemeni authorities say the plane, which was an Airbus 310 (the fatal Air France flight was an Airbus 330), was headed to the Comoros airport in heavy winds. And BBC News says that EU has been concerned about Yemenia's safety and suggests that the a worldwide blacklist of unsafe airlines be created.

Brewers 10, Mets 6: In his first three starts, Fernando Nieve allowed 10 hits and three runs in 18 2/3 innings. Start No. 4 didn't go quite as well as he allowed three runs on 11 hits in 3 1/3 innings. The Mets were able to close a 3-0 gap to 3-2, but a Casey McGhee grand slam off Brian Stokes blew the game wide open. Down by seven in the ninth, the Mets tried to rally behind a David Wright RBI double and a Gary Sheffield homer, but Brian Schneider hit into a game-ending double play. The Mets sit below .500 for the first time since May 5, but they are only three games behind Phillies. The National League may just be bad enough for the Mets to stay in it.

Three workers at a private recycling facility in Jamaica, Queens died while trapped in a sewage hole earlier this afternoon. According to NY1, "The men were subcontractors pumping three to four feet of water out of the hole, which was about 18-feet deep. One worker fell into the hole and the two others fell in while trying to help him." And CityRoom reports that two of the workers were a father and a son. The hole was full of hydrogen sulfide and fire officials said there was twice the lethal amount of the colorless gas, which the CDC says "can also result from bacterial breakdown of organic matter. It is also produced by human and animal wastes." Queens Borough Commander John Sudnik said, "It's toxic. At 50 parts per million, it's lethal in 10 minutes." Initially, the FDNY had called Con Ed to bring vacuum trucks, which helps suck debris from manholes, to Regal Recycling Co. but then cancelled the request because the victims were dead.

A former Village Voice staffer in town for the weekend, was jumped, badly beaten and called a faggot by a group of young men on the Upper East Side in the wee hours of Saturday morning. 36-year-old Joe Holladay of Boston was smoking outside the friend's apartment on East 85th near York around 4 a.m. Saturday when the group of five or six men came up to him and hit him with an object, possibly the butt of a gun. Holladay told the Voice, "It's very blurry. But yeah, they said 'faggot.' And the next thing I know I'm in the hospital." A neighbor said they spotted a group of young white men with crewcuts, wearing wife beaters and smoking pot nearby before the attack. It's believed that they hopped in a gold Subaru older model station wagon after the attack. Upon reading about the incident, State Senator Thomas Duane got involved with the possibility of pursuing it as a hate crime and said, "Hate and prejudice of any kind are unacceptable in New York City or anywhere and there is a heightened injustice that this apparently anti-gay incident occurred during Pride Week."

Since the city's tax revenue has plummeted, with the stock market and the fortunes of Wall Street, the Staten Island Advance notices, "The city plans to collect a record $900 million in fines during the upcoming fiscal year, which begins next week, according to budget estimates," thanks to fines like "A $25 fine from Sanitation for failing to comply with the city's recycling regulations. A $250 summons from Parks for not stopping to 'scoop the poop' from your pet. A $200 fine from Consumer Affairs for leaving your shop store open while the air conditioning is running, and a $250 ticket from a traffic agent for leaving your engine running while you run into that store." Restaurant violations are up from $27 million last year to $38 million this coming budget year, but the big money maker is parking fines, which may rack up $600 million this year. Sari Kingsley, a recent victim of the ticket blitz, said she got her ticket minutes after parking outside her office, with the traffic agent claiming it had been there for over two hours; Kingsley said, "It's beyond just enforcement. It's harassment."

Forget stickball and midnight basketball: Cricket is the new sport keeping the city's youth out of trouble this summer. The NY Times reports the NYPD is expanding an effort begun last summer to sponsor a citywide youth league for cricket, a sport that is even less popular in the U.S. than, say, arena football but has major followings within the city's neighborhoods of recent immigrants. Ten teams with names like the Pak Brighton and West Indies Kings are now competing to play in the city championship game Aug. 27, and it's already winning friends for the police. Team captain Azurdeen Mohammed, 18, says, "It shows the police are interested in bringing the youths away from street life...My guys, when they see the cops, they know they help us out." The police, meanwhile, are banking on these ties to help build stronger connections in communities of Caribbean and South Asian families. Standings and schedules are posted on the league's official blog, and you can see videos of gameplay on the league's YouTube channel.

As of last Friday, school's out for summer. But if legislators in Albany don't get together before tomorrow's deadline, Mayor Bloomberg's school control could be out forever. Bloomberg has been seething at the possibility that the turmoil in Albany might mean that the State Senate will not convene in time to pass an extension for the mayoral control bill that has already gone through the Assembly. Today Bloomberg suggested giving out personal information to get legislators to listen saying, "We'll give you the numbers of the senators assuming everybody promises to call them at 3 in the morning. I can do one better. We should give you their addresses so you can stand outside their houses. That would really make a dent." Bloomberg said that he used to have his number listed and would get a 3 a.m. call once a month, usually someone calling with a problem he would have them call back with in the morning. "Most did, and we were able to solve their problem."

Earlier this month it was announced that naming rights to certain locations around the city would be up for grabs to anyone with a few million bucks. Of course the city needs money, but is it right to strip away the history behind certain places? The Brooklyn Paper reports that there's some uproar over the re-naming of McCarren Park Pool, which might go on the block for $3 million, originally named for Senator Henry Patrick McCarren (D-Greenpoint). The Pool Aid folks have set up a petition, currently holding about 165 signatures, and the founder told the paper, “This is not a rootless community that just sprang up. We have a history, and we are seeing it just torn down before our eyes everyday. He is an important guy, he is a benefactor to this community, and he deserves to have his name on the institutions he worked to create." McCarren died in 1909, and you can learn more about his life and death in his New York Times obituary, as well as this Bowery Boys profile.

The couple arrested over the weekend for stashing drugs inside the daycare center they ran was arraigned inside a Brooklyn courtroom yesterday. Police first came to Special Moments Day Care after it was robbed at gunpoint Friday morning, leading to a shootout between cops and one of the burglars, who ended up shot twice as a dozen young children napped peacefully below. But something about the robbery didn't add up to police, who returned to find ten pounds of marijuana and $100,000 cash hidden in the basement of East Flatbush's Special Moments, run by Donna and Sherwin Rogers. The robbers knew that it was weed delivery day and came into the daycare posing as parents. Yesterday a judge set bail at $50,000 for the owner Donna and 25k for her husband, but cops wanted stiffer penalties. A police source told the News, "It put kids at risk. The shooting happened right exactly where the kids were sleeping."

The NY Post reports that a woman who was walking into her Upper East Side building (exact location not specified) was attacked last week: The 32-year-old woman said the thug grabbed her from behind at 2:20 a.m. Friday." The suspect, Marco Marine, 26, also "tore off the top of her dress and fondled her before knocking her to the ground and fleeing." The woman said, "My immediate reaction was to fight back. I gave chase and was screaming at the top of my lungs." Thankfully, a neighboring doorman appeared and called the police, who then drove the victim around. She was able to identify the suspect, who was arrested for burglary and sex abuse.

Early Sunday morning, an off-duty state correction officer was killed after being shot multiple times on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights. The NY Times reports that the victim, Jeremie Kane, had "left Millie’s Head 2 Toes barbershop... just before 1 a.m., the police said. Mr. Kane stepped outside the barbershop to make a call on his cellphone when he got into a dispute with another man, who then shot him." According to the Daily News, Kane was shot twice in the head and four times in the chest—"Investigators were not certain what prompted the deadly shooting and have not ruled out that it was a robbery attempt." Kane, 30, was assigned to Ossining "Sing Sing" Prison, but was released on workers comp leave last month and had been staying with his mother in Brooklyn. The Times saw his aunt visit the site where Kane was killed and a small memorial had been placed; she sobbed, "Oh, my God, the blood’s still here."

Yesterday wasn't just unusual because the sun actually came out—on the Upper East Side, residents saw 8,000-10,000 bees emerge (video) from a hive on Lexington between 80th and 81st Streets! The Post claims that the bees "had surreptitiously moved into the neighborhood sometime in the past month and managed to build a giant hive in a tree... without anyone noticing." Gasp—Upper East Siders, your nosy neighbor quotient is slipping! Anyway, the swarm got moving because the queen bee went out for a flight around 4 p.m., and naturally her loyal "subjects" followed her. An onlooker said, "It was a three foot column of bees." Enter the NYPD's resident beekeeper (who knew?) Police Officer Anthony Planakis who declared it "one of the biggest swarms I've ever seen" and promised to take them "to a farm in Connecticut to pollinate." Last month, a swarm of bees were the main attraction in Union Square.

The older brother of the Connecticut woman who was severely mauled by her friend's 200-pound chimpanzee in February told the Daily News, "When she gets knocked down, she gets back up...Her psychiatrist asked her if she wanted to know anything about the event. She said, 'Nope. That's in the past.'" Charla Nash has been at the Cleveland Clinic for treatment; older brother Stephen and twin brother Michael have been taking turns being with her in Ohio and caring for her daughter in Connecticut. Michael Nash said, "Her acceptance [of her injuries] just shows her courage and fortitude. She's not concerned about what happened, she just wants to get fixed," adding that the letters and cards from people wishing for her recovery have helped her. The brothers also spoke to the AP over the weekend, saying that their sister was scared of the chimp owned by Nash's friend and employer Sondra Herold, noting that Nash had welded the chimp's cage a few times. However, Herold's lawyer wonders why Nash would willing come to Herold's house if she was scared; the brothers filed a $50 million lawsuit against Herold.

This weekend rainbows have been spotted in the skies over Brooklyn, shunned from the fire escapes of the West Village and now are being fought over on the corner of The Bronx. These particular rainbows are ones that come in a frozen form known as "helados," sold from carts and better known in their Latino neighborhoods as 'Rembo.' The Times looks into the fierce competition emerging this season as the respect given to some longtime vendors' dibs on certain corners is getting trumped by new vendors who have patiently held out through long waiting lists. They're all fighting, legally or not, to make make ends meet through what's already been a tough stretch of inclement weather, not to mention the recession. While it sounds like a relatively cold war going on in Park Versailles for now, the elements are certainly in place for a Scarface equivalent the Goodfellas-esque ice cream tuck wars taking place in Queens.

Just in case you were wondering, the Reverend Al Sharpton is headed to California to be with Michael Jackson's family—his spokesperson said, "Reverend Sharpton is on his way to Los Angeles to meet with Michael's parents and siblings and to talk about the needs to preserve and protect Michael's legacy." Sharpton, who spoke outside the Apollo right after Jackson's death was announced, will lead a moment of silence and read a eulogy for the pop singer during the Apollo's tribute to Jackson, planned on Tuesday. Between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., 600 mourners per 45-minute interval are invited to leave memorabilia and flowers and remember Jackson's life. And on Wednesday, the Apollo's Amateur Night will feature a moonwalking competition. Apollo Theater Foundation President Jonelle Procope said, "We at the Apollo thought it was important to put these events together to give Michael's fans the chance to remember him as the consummate entertainer that he was."

Thousands (possibly hundreds of thousands) of people gathered for today's Gay Pride March, and it seems that the NYPD is serious about revelers on Christopher Street not watching the parade from fire escapes. While the Sixth Precinct's letter to Christopher Street residents simply "recommended" that fire escapes not be used for march viewing due to concerns about the escapes' structural integrity and for the public, we hear that cops are taking their suggestion seriously—a tipster says, "They just made a party of folks leave their fire escape (I think at 100 Christopher)."

We've all heard nightmare tales reminding us of why you shouldn't date your boss, but a Long Island woman learned an even tougher lesson when things went sour with her boyfriend, who also happened to be her landlord. Kim Hookey wanted a full 30 days notice when things went sour with boyfriend Robert Drost—because what's better than living together with your ex for the first month after everything goes haywire? Drost insisted that he wasn't trying to play Hookey; he merely was following the letter of the law which said he only had to give her ten days to pack up her things and leave his Northport house. A judge agreed with Drost that she did not have rights as a "tenant-at-will." Drost's lawyer believed the case could be summed up succinctly by saying, "He owns the house. He asked her to leave. She said she wouldn't." The Suffolk judge said the it's the first time an appellate court "has directly addressed the paramour licensee issue." A Hofstra law professor told Newsday, "It doesn't mean that when all relationships go sour that a boyfriend can evict his partner lickety-split."

On Friday, the Coast Guard noticed a hole in the hull of a cruise ship, plus some other deficiencies, during a routine inspection of the Oceanic cruise ship—aka the Peace Boat, a non-profit and NGO which started its journey in Japan. While it was initially believed the ship could be repaired in time to set sail for Venezuela today, the hole (which was letting in about one gallon of water an hour and was temporarily sealed with epoxy) needs further repairs, requiring the boat to go into dry dock in NJ and its passengers to stay in New York for a little bit. Peace Boat volunteer Yuth Hiramatsu told the Daily News, "Everybody's really happy to be stuck in New York. It's a lot like Tokyo. I thought America was supposed to be laid back but not in New York." The 848 passengers will also spend time in Atlantic City; one said, "I'm happy about staying in New York so long as we don't cut anymore ports."

From the wires: A marine unit has reported seeing a pod of dolphins off the south end of City Island!! (Maybe they heard how much Remy Ma likes Sammy's?) About 150-200 dolphins were seen in the Long Island Sound yesterday; the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation told Newsday they were "acting normally"—and chasing herring—but reminded people to stay 150 feet (or more) away from them. Update: The marine unit says the dolphins appear to be "confused" in the Long Island Sound—poor dolphins!

After several days of headlines in which an infamous South American tryst lasted longer than expected, David Goldman must have felt like salt was being rubbed in his wounds this week. Now a Brazilian court has once again ruled against Godman in his battle to get custody of his 8-year-old son Sean, who was brought there 5 years ago from Goldman's now late ex-wife and currently in the custody of the Brazilian man she remarried. A federal judge overturned an earlier ruling that will put Sean into the hands of his stepdad six days a week until the ultimate custody ruling comes down—whenever that may be. While reports have surfaced that his son wishes to remain in Brazil, Goldman claims that the stepfather and his son's maternal grandparents are "brainwashing to boy" and "wreaking untold psychological damage on him." Goldman continues to be assisted by his local Congressman in Tinton Falls, Chris Smith, in fighting for the over 70 American children that Goldman claims are being illegally kept in Brazil alone.

According to the Daily News, the worker who was seriously injured during a flash fire at a Columbia-Presbyterian building is "clinging to life." Manuel Culcay suffered burned on 85% of his body; he is in critical condition at Harlem Hospital (which has a burn unit), breathing with the help of a ventilator. On Friday, Culcay, who works for Yonkers-based Acid Waste Management, had been cleaning out a water tank when the vapors of the alcohol cleaning solution ignited when someone turned on a halogen lamp. One of the paramedics who tended to Culcay, Mark Caplan, told the News that he and his partner had just dropped off a patient at Columbia-Presbyterian, "We were done with our shift. I guess we were at the right place at the right time," and added that they were praying for him.

Governor Paterson called for another special State Senate session today, because the Democrats and Republicans have been stalemated with a 31 votes each, which is one short of a quorum to get work done. But if today's session is anything like yesterday, PolitickerNY explains what we can expect: "Most of the 62 state senators fighting over their chamber's leadership showed up for an extraordinary session this [Saturday] afternoon—as did the nine people whose nominations were the ostensible purpose of the session—but once again, a bi-partisan gaveling in and out lasted just over five minutes." In the meantime, Democrats and Republicans are meeting behind the scenes, ostensibly to work out some sort of a deal to get work done (they haven't done anything except bicker for the past three weeks!); Sen. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) told PolitickerNY, "The positive things, I think is that both sides are meeting. Talking is always good, but so far there hasn't been anything that has been agreed upon."

Keep those quarters handy. Starting at midnight Sunday, the base fare on New York City subways and buses is going up for the first time since 2003—from $2.00 to $2.25. Unlimiteds are also rising in price across the board, with monthly Metrocards going from $81 to $89. If you're on a weekly card or have a longer one about to expire, you might want to make a trip to your nearest subway station this evening to pick a card up the old rates. But don't think about stockpiling them—the grace period to use start using cards purchased at the old rate is Monday July 6th. Funny that the fare hikes have fallen so close to Independence Day without using the holiday for the changeover. Fourth of July was the date that both the free transfer from subways to buses (and vice-versa) debuted and unlimited Metrocards were introduced, in 1997 and 1998 respectively. Signs of this most recent change have been appearing underground this week—sometimes as seen here in as many as five languages at once.

While the city's Health Department has emphasized that cases of swine flu are declining, the Daily News reports that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data suggests "half a million New Yorkers have been infected by swine flu." The CDC thinks there are actually 50 times more cases of swine flu than what's been reported to health authorities: "The CDC study was not based on laboratory evidence. Instead, researchers relied on mathematical modelling of surveys conducted in areas, like New York City, that have had high levels of H1N1 infections." Hmm. The Health Department had no comment; so far, the city has had 32 deaths and 804 hospitalizations due to swine flu. The next Health Department update will be on July 1.

The Department of Education announced that it would be discontinuing the gifted program at the Clinton Hill public school where the principal was arrested for beating a teacher during a meeting last month. The removal of the program is the result of tensions that had been boiling over for some time before the incident between Principal Sean Keaton and many parents at the school. The Times has an in-depth look at the history of the conflict where they note: "Mr. Keaton is black, as are three-quarters of the students, while many of the families who said they found him hard to work with are white." The paper says that despite the cancellation of the program and the fight allegations (including the teacher having a stomp mark on his face), many of the parents at PS 20 stand by him. At the 5th grade graduation ceremonies this week, one parent said, “He’s straightforward and he pulls no punches. He gives it to you in the raw, and I respect that.” Keaton has been transferred to administrative duties elsewhere while an investigation is underway.

Mayor Bloomberg and a group of school children heralded the start of the city's outdoor pool season by jumping into the Jackie Robinson Recreational Pool. Besides paying tribute to Michael Jackson, Bloomberg said, "By mayoral order, I am for now declaring school's out, pool's in." (The music? "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough.") WCBS 880 spoke to 9-year-old Celia Rodriguez about the mayor's swimming techniques; she was surprised he was a good swimmer, "Yes. He can float on top." Keeping with his tradition, the mayor kept a t-shirt on while in the pool. For more details on the city's outdoor pools, here's information from the Parks Department. Photo: WCBS880

School's out—here comes trouble. Two teenagers have been arrested after they went on "an anti-Semitic spree" on Thursday afternoon in Manhattan. Two boys, 15 and 16 respectively, drew swastikas in black Sharpie on walls at both the Bialystoker Synagogue and the United Hebrew Center on the Lower East Side. At the Hebrew Center, they also lit off smoke bombs; at the synagogue, they hurled eggs and also wrote an anti-Semitic slur on the wall. The synagogue happens to be the East Broadway temple where Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has worshiped since he was four years old. Silver told NY1, "This is a crime, not against the synagogue; this is a crime against society. When people choose to desecrate a house of worship, it doesn't matter whether it's a church, a synagogue. It is just a despicable act that really should tug at the heartstrings of all of us." It's believed that a nearby surveillance camera led police to the two teens.

After revelations that State Senator Pedro Espada Jr.'s non-profit Soundview Health Clinic owed about $347,000 in back taxes, the State Comptroller's office revoked a $3 million payment to Soundview. The Times Union reports that Espada, as the group's CEO, claimed there were no liens, claims or judgments over $15,000 in a document he signed; the Times Union notes, "The document warns those who sign it that an intentionally false statement may be a crime or lead to cancellation of state funding." The company has "two open [NY State] claims from this year, totaling $73,842 for employee withholding taxes, and one open warrant from last June for $88,476 for unemployment taxes" and a $185,000 IRS debt filed in April. Espada was paid over $400,000 for his work as recently as 2007. Related: The NY Times looks at how Espada's lawyer during State Senate negotiations is also a lobbyist.

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a bill "intended to address global warming and transform the way the nation produces and uses energy," the NY Times reports. However, it was not an easy victory for President Obama: Forty-four Democrats voted against it, while eight Republicans voted for it, with the final vote at 219-212. In his weekly address, Obama noted that the bill will "finally create a set of incentives that will spark a clean energy transformation in our economy...spur the development of low carbon sources of energy - everything from wind, solar, and geothermal power to safer nuclear energy and cleaner coal....new energy savings. And most importantly, it will make possible the creation of millions of new jobs." However, the bill now heads to the Senate, where, the Washington Post warns, "passing climate legislation could prove more difficult."

When Tony Bennett's non-profit helped found your school, you can bet the famous crooner will show up at graduation. Bennett sang at the commencement of the Frank Sinatra High School for the Arts in Astoria, Queens—his hometown (he grew up on 32nd Street by Ditmars)—and Bruce Willis was the commencement speaker, telling students, "I don't think you should listen to anybody else. Just be brave and go out there and do whatever you want." The ceremony was held at the high school's sleek new building, which Bennett visited with the NY Times recently. Bennett brought his sound man to make sure the acoustics of the school's concert hall were perfect and said of his Manhattan high school, the High School of Industrial Arts, "We went to lunch and the ceiling fell down on the desks. We would have been smashed — that’s how terrible the building was." The Times has a charming video of Bennett walking around Astoria, "I come back here and I like this better than any place I’ve ever lived."

On Thursday night, the FBI raided six locations in Queens and on Long Island that the agency believes supplies drugs to street gangs on Long Island. Newsday reports, "The arrests were the first phase in a long-term operation aimed at breaking up gangs, such as the Bloods and the Crips, by eventually charging members with drug offenses that carry long-term prison sentences." An FBI agent explained that the suspects would use a code—which was originally developed by the Five-Percenters (the suspects were not Five-Percenters)—that substituted numbers with words: "In the code, the number three, for example, stood for the word 'understanding' and the number six for 'equality.' So when the suspects said 'understanding' and 'equality' together, they were saying a kilo of cocaine cost $36,000," according to the agent. Four people were arrested, all pleaded not guilty to drug distribution charges and all were held without bail.

You know who's not on board with the Health Department's plan to make tobacco retailers display graphic anti-smoking posters? The New York Post, that's who. The tabloid is sick of the government telling us what's bad for us all the time, and someone in Murdoch's stable has penned a cranky editorial about it, darkly wondering how far this health-nut meddling go: "What's next? Mandatory autopsy attendance?" There's also a rockin' allusion to The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again": "Meet the new Tom—same as the old Tom." That's a reference to Tom Farley, Mayor Bloomberg's replacement for ex-city Health Commissioner Tom Frieden, who recently joined the Obama administration. Farley's assistant promises that with this new anti-smoking campaign, "You're going to see what a blackened lung looks like. You're going to see what mouth cancer looks like. You're going to see what it looks like when you have throat cancer." Awesome, right? But to the Post, this is just a blatant power grab: "Mayor Mike and his new health commisar mean to festoon food stores with massive, disgustingly graphic images because they can, not because they should." Basically, it's 1939 all over again! First they came for the smokers...

Governor Paterson is still irritated at the State Senate for holding special sessions for only a few minutes. Here's how the AP described the Senate's dealings: "In brief, separate, back-to-back sessions, Democrats and their Republican-led opponents complied again with Gov. David Paterson's order to convene. But they conducted no state business and only the Democrats decided to hold a moment of silence for Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett." Paterson said today, "This morning, the New York State Senate clocked in and clocked right back out. That’s not work. That’s dereliction of duty... We are no longer paying any member items to senators." Oh, snap—he's referring to the $85 million in pork barrel projects Senators get each year! While there have been some reports that Democrats and Republicans are near a deal, Paterson was skeptical, "They’re telling you they’re very close to an agreement. No. They’re very close to the weekend. If they’re close to an agreement, why couldn’t they go into the chamber today and start passing some of the legislation?"

Nassau County police and prosecutor offered grim details behind a 24-year-old woman's abandonment of her days old baby. According to Newsday, Xiomara Gamez "has six other children, ages 8 and younger, and admitted to being addicted to cocaine during her latest pregnancy." Detective Lt. Ray Cote said that Gamez gave birth to the baby girl in the basement of an abandoned building, cared for her for two days, and then decided to leave the baby—wrapped in a blanket and tucked into a shoebox— in a Hempstead apartment building because she knew other Hispanic families lived there. He added, "She was down on her luck. She supported herself by selling herself." A relative called the police with a tip about Gamez, an illegal immigrant, who previously worked in a factory; her lawyer said the other children with her with ex-husband. A judge ordered her held on $250,000 cash bail/$500,000 bond on "first-degree reckless endangerment, abandonment of a child and endangering the welfare of a child."

A freaky flash fire in a mechanical room of a building on the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital campus left a maintenance worker with burns over 70 percent of his body this morning. A little before 10 a.m. workers were cleaning a domestic hot water tank in a 22nd-floor room, when, suddenly, there was "a little bit of an explosion and a flash fire," according to an FDNY spokesman. City Room reports that vapors from the cleaning solution were ignited after someone turned on a halogen lamp inside the drained tank. Accidents are not uncommon with halogen bulbs, which can reach temperatures as high as 1000 degrees and easily ignite any combustible material nearby. While they are more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs, some have called for them to be banned; two years ago a rash of fires in Australia prompted one firefighter to call halogens "a bloody nightmare." All three workers injured in today's blaze were rushed to Harlem Hospital. One worker injured his arms and hands when he tried to pull the first man out of the tank, and the third suffered respiratory injuries.

Officials in Babylon have announced that the town will become the first on the Atlantic seaboard to offer free WiFi at beaches, parks and pools. The Suffolk County town will be opening four separate internet cafes at its various beaches over the next few weeks, the first one debuting this weekend at Overlook Beach. The cafes will also offer three free laptops as loaners and the signal will be strong enough to reach nearby boaters. Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone told the Post, "For the first time you'll be able to surf the Internet. It is very cool. We're very excited. You can take it down to the water, you can go into the water, if you want to." Less cool news recently came out of nearby Robert Moses State Park, where the only signal beach goers were getting was from Park officials telling them to head elsewhere since large portions of the shore had to be closed off due to erosion.

After school principals howled over a new deal between the city and teachers union that allowed teachers to return to school on the same day as students, the city has announced that the 2009-2010 will start on September 9 (a Wednesday), instead of September 8, the Tuesday after Labor Day. The school year will also end a day later. Mayor Bloomberg said, "This agreement will allow us keep the school year intact with kids in the classroom for the same number of days, while providing teachers and principals an administrative day to prepare for the arrival of students." Principals, who had complained teachers were missing the chance to organize their classrooms and that the first day of school would be chaotic, are pleased, though there previously were two administrative days before school's start. Ernest Logan, president of the principals union, said, "Common sense prevails."

A $4 million study released by the Department of Buildings finds that the department isn't that great! The study was prompted by last year's numerous construction fatalities and, according to the Daily News, the study found that "Buildings Department inspectors are poorly trained, inspections are frequently slipshod and fines are routinely laughed off as 'the cost of doing business.'" Other ringing endorsements: "Inspectors are currently not uniformly equipped to judge the acceptability of common unsafe conditions" and there is "no current method to confirm that crane repairs restore [a damaged] crane to proper working condition." The study made dozens of recommendations to the DOB, which has already started incorporating them.

Newsday reports, "A Woodmere woman poured lighter fluid on her estranged husband's baby and throughout his Hewlett Bay Park home in a failed attempt to kill him, his fiancee and the baby because she was angry over money and custodial issues." Esther Hershko was arrested on Wednesday, after neighbors noticed a strange car (her SUV) backed into another driveway. According to the Post, "Esther Hershko, who suffers from cancer and has been separated from her husband for six years," had poured Kingsford charcoal lighter fluid all over her husband's bedroom floor and "then calmly walked outside, possibly to retrieve more lighter fluid and matches or a lighter, all of which were found nearby." Apparently the fumes from the lighter fluid caused her estranged husband Itzhak Hershko's dog to go into seizures, which also alerted Itzhak Hershko. It's unclear whether Esther Hershko knew her son was also in the house, as well as the son's cousin. She was charged with five counts of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree burglary, second-degree attempted arson and fourth-degree. Itzhak Hershko said his baby is fine; the dog is also expected to recover.

Drug Enforcement Agency agents arrested two bounty hunters in Washington Heights last night, charging them with possession of over 6 pounds of cocaine (street value: $300,000). NY1 reports that the two suspects, Chris Morel and Rensy Adrover, were arrested after being spotted as they put on "ballistics vests and police tactical gear. Investigators say they also had a stun gun, a dagger, bullet proof vests and handcuffs." DEA Officer Wilbert Plummer surmised, "I think they were using it as a cover. This way it would be a little more safe for them to travel through the city with drugs in the car. They didn't have it in a trap or compartment. They had it out actually inside a bag in plain view. [If stopped by cops] They could be en route to somewhere and law enforcement would just believe they were other law enforcement agents driving off somewhere." Morel and Adrover work for a bail enforcement firm in the Bronx; they will be arraigned on drug possession charges, which could bring up to 24 years in prison.

Rick Lazio's most famous political race, running for Senate against Hillary Clinton in 2000, may have been doomed from the get-go after being relegated to a position on catch-up after a later exit by expected GOP candidate Rudy Giuliani. Almost ten years later, it appears that Lazio won't let Rudy's potential waffling cost him again as he appears to be throwing his hat in the ring as the first serious challenger to Governor Paterson's 2010 election bid. Lazio's spokesman said that he fully intends to run after people began buzzing about his new website seemingly announcing a run. On the site, Lazio said, "This campaign will be about the future of New York and what kind of New York we want our children and grandchildren to inherit." Today Lazio also followed Giuliani's lead in calling for change in Albany, calling for doing away with the Senate and Assembly altogether and replacing it with "a new legislative branch comprised of a single body." In a recent fundraising pitch, he also called Albany a "national embarrassment."

The Nets have made a bold move hours before the NBA draft, agreeing to trade Vince Carter to Orlando for three players. The move sets the Nets up to be a major force in the 2010 free agent frenzy. In addition to Carter, the Magic will receive Ryan Anderson. In return the Nets receive Rafer Alston (a Jamaica, Queens native), Tony Battie and Courtney Lee. Alston, who is known as "Skip to My Lou" for his streetball skills, and Battie are free agents after the upcoming season; meaning New Jersey has cleared about $18 million of their cap after 2010. Combine this trade with the approval by the MTA of the revised Atlantic Yards deal and it is clear the Nets will be doing everything they can to get LeBron James to come and join them in Brooklyn.

Rapper Tru Life has been arrested for last week's stabbing death of a teenager in Manhattan. The Daily News reports that the rapper—whose real name is Roberto Guzman Rosado Jr.—surrendered to police Wednesday night along with his brother, who also faces murder charges. Police say the pair were looking to avenge a drug dealer's death when they chased the victim into an East 26th Street apartment lobby before fatally stabbing him in the face and chest on June 15; another man, Jason Black, was also stabbed but survived. Sources say that the fatal shooting of a drug dealer just hours before the stabbing may have been due to an ongoing dispute between Black and Tru-Life's brother. Tru Life had been recently working on an album for release this year under Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records label. He also appeared in 2003's film Beef, a documentary of hip-hop rivalries that included Tru Life's feuds with other New York rappers.

A bill to raise New York's unemployment benefits, which allow a maximum payout of $430/week ($150 less than states like NJ and Connecticut), has died on the vine. Despite support from Governor Paterson, labor leaders and many lawmakers, the highly dysfunctional Senate seems incapable of passing the bill, which would have raised maximum weekly jobless benefits on July 1st to $625, and close the gap in the state’s unemployment trust fund. According to the Times, it's as good as dead, because apparently the Assembly is not currently scheduled to convene until January. Meanwhile, the state’s Labor Department reports that more New Yorkers were out of work than at any time in more than 30 years; last month the jobless rate hit 7.8% (in NYC, the rate is 8.1%). Advocate for the unemployed Andrew Stettner says, "It’s a big problem that we’ve fallen so short in terms of not doing this. What was nice about this legislation was it got the benefits out during the recession and it had a plan for paying back the fund over several years. It was a smart approach." Ah, but Albany doesn't really do smart approaches.

Two nightclub bigshots have settled their lawsuit over their failed partnership opening a location of the legendary Laugh Factory inside Times Square's once X-rated Show World building. In the suit, Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada (pictured) had claimed that Show World head Richard Basciano was hiding millions from him, threatened him with a gun and told him that "somebody could be killed if a certain comic was booked again. Basciano, an associate of the Gambino and Bonnano crime families, told the News that he was regretful for the "misunderstandings." Masada said, "We are pleased we were able to reach an amicable settlement" and that he "wishes Mr. Basciano all the best in his future endeavors." There was no word still on which comic could have really ended up killing if they had come back to the Big Apple—any hopes as to who it might be?

Television icon and '70s sex symbol Farrah Fawcett passed away today in a hospital in Santa Monica, California. According to Newsday, the anal cancer she had been suffering from since 2005 had recently spread to her liver. A documentary TV program about her rounds of treatments for the disease, "A Wing and a Prayer," aired last month, and her death comes just days after actor Ryan O'Neal revealed plans to marry Fawcett. Aaron Spelling, who cast her in "Charlie's Angels," wrote in his memoir, "We were looking for a California beach girl type and Farrah was perfect for that. She was drop-dead gorgeous and the living image of the beautiful blonde in tennis shorts or a bathing suit." Recalling her work on the series, Fawcett once said, "When the show was number three, I figured it was our acting. When it got to be number one, I decided it could only be because none of us wears a bra." And Robert Greenwald, the producer who cast her in her most respected TV role, in "The Burning Bed," says Fawcett "went places that a beautiful star like her had not gone and that will have a lasting mark."

Nigerian heroin smuggler Rex Eguridu was just trying to be nice by complimenting correction officer Krystal Mack one fateful day back in April 2007, while he was being held at the Queens Private Correctional facility. But instead of a smile, all he got was a humiliating beating from Mack's supervisor for his remark, "Hello, baby. You look beautiful today." Eguridu appeared in Brooklyn Federal Court yesterday to testify against Lt. Marvin Wells, who he says overheard the compliment and proceeded to march him into the bathroom shower, ordered him to strip naked, and punched him three times in the chest and neck. Wells then allegedly forced Eguridu to kneel in front of Mack and apologize; he told a jury yesterday that "[Wells] said if I ever call an officer 'baby' again ... he's going to kill me." Eguridu sustained permanent injuries to his throat after the incident, and, according to the Daily News, received an $80,000 settlement from the GEO Group, which operates the jail under a contract with the U.S. Marshal's Service. Wells is now charged with violating Eguridu's civil rights, while Mack and two other guards are accused of conspiring to cover up the attack.

As Ponzi-schemer Bernie Madoff anxiously awaits his Monday sentencing, his wife Ruth has really been making an effort to counter the impression that she's still living large off her husband's victims. Just look at her here, riding one of those underground locomotives, wearing her working class dungarees, and contemplating a sweet 99-cent cellphone offer! But just don't expect her to be happy about her humiliating new commute in steerage—when the Post photographer tried to help publicize her modest lifestyle, she asked, "Are you having fun embarrassing me—and ruining my life?" You see, if only the tabloids had just minded their own business, she never would have lost her Florida mansion, the chateau on the French Riviera, and the yachts. But the Post's article is just, uh, ruthless in its demagoguery, even gleefully pointing out that besides her déclassé "oversized jacket and unfashionable flats," Ruth "was also having another bad-hair day. Since her upscale hairstylist, Pierre Michel, banned her from his salon, it's been streaked with gray instead of highlights." Ouch. Ruth, who's also been spotted buying the Post at newsstands, might want the Daily News today instead. (Or not!)

Two former aides of City Councilman Kendall Stewart will plead guilty to fraud charges related to embezzling nearly $200,000 of Council funds. Asquith Reid, Stewart's former chief of staff, and Joycinth Anderson, a former staffer, were indicted after an investigation revealed that money, which Stewart directed to three community groups (controlled by Reid and Anderson), was being used for cash or wired to relatives; the scheme was discovered during a probe of the Council's slush fund practices. Councilman Stewart (pictured) told the Times, "I hope they will not be serving any time. With all honesty, I don’t think they have done anything wrong. I think they are being punished for not keeping correct paperwork." But Jumaane Williams, who is challenging Stewart for his Council seat, said Stewart should resign, "At the worst, Mr. Stewart had to have been complicit and known what was going on. At the minimum, he signed off on things without reading it and wasn’t paying attention to what was going on in his office. Either one is very bad."

Yesterday, tens of thousands of Jews visited the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, who led the Lubavitch movement until his death in 1994. While Schneerson died on June 12, 1994, NY1 explains that last night "marked the 15th anniversary of his death on the Jewish calendar." According to WCBS 2, "The wait times lasted up to four hours as groups of 80 filed in to a small space to feel close to the late Schneerson"; a visitor from Miami Beach said, "It's inspirational. It's dynamic. You feel the energy of the rebbe there and it just feels amazing." Another person traveled from Paris with his 13-year-old son; Levy Daniel told the Daily News that they "spent the night there in his rental car. 'I said to my family, I don't need a place to stay,' Daniel, 43, said. 'I just need to be near the grave.'"