News: July 2009 Archives

The Bloomberg camp is hoping some offensive remarks made by a disgruntled restaurateur about Council Speaker Christine Quinn will do some damage to city Comptroller Bill Thompson, a mayoral hopeful. Thompson—not Quinn—was present during an intimate meeting with small business owners at a Village restaurant on Wednesday morning. According to audiotape provided by the Bloomberg campaign to Politicker, Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett, the co-owner of the restaurant Tea and Sympathy, called Quinn "a whore, and you can quote me on that!" Okay! And during the ensuing laughter, Kavanagh-Dowsett added, "I'll drop my trousers, and she can kiss my ass." The tape does not record Thompson saying anything to denounce the remarks, and one witness tells the Post that "Thompson laughed with discomfort and shook his head while looking at an aide, and covered his ears for a brief moment." Kavanagh-Dowsett insists he won't apologize because he thinks Quinn, who works closely with Bloomberg, is anti-small business (and pro-prostitution?). Thompson's campaign issued a statement saying, "Bill has great respect for Speaker Quinn and believes the comments made yesterday—at a forum open to the public—were inappropriate and offensive."

Yesterday, Thomas Paolino admitted to killing his ex-girlfriend—concocting a plan to cover it up in the process—and dumping her body in NJ's Pine Barrens. Paolino, a 20-year-old who lived in Staten Island's Tottenville section, has been in custody since being arrested in April 2008 for the murder of Jessica Tush. Though Tush and Paolino had broken up, police suspected that Paolino lured her into his car by offering to drive her to the site where a friend recently died in a car crash. After killing Tush, Paolino used her phone to text one of her friends with "A black man is following me." However, the friend was suspicious, because the text message addressed her by her full name, not a nickname. The Staten Island Advance says Paolino apparently agreed to a plea deal—23.5 years in prison— because of the weight of the evidence. Tush's mother said, "I'm not happy with the 23 and one-half years. He'll only be 39 years old when he can get out," but appreciated the work of NJ prosecutors. She added, "The outcome doesn't change for us. My daughter is dead, so it didn't matter whether we went to trial or not. I just didn't want to see him walking."

A delivery man for Brooklyn restaurant Sushi Tatsu on Franklin Avenue (in Crown Heights? Prospect Heights? Discuss.) was in the wrong place at the wrong time last night—right outside his restaurant. Police say Lin Jun, 21, was in front of Sushi Tatsu around 7:30 p.m. when he got caught in the crossfire between warring drug dealers. Jun took at least one bullet in the stomach, staggered into the restaurant and collapsed in a pool of blood. Sushi Tatsu manager Helen Wong tells the Daily News, "It took the ambulance 15 minutes to get here, I can't believe it." Jun's currently in critical condition at Kings County Hospital. An unidentified second man, whom police say was the intended target, was shot in the shoulder and is listed in stable condition at the same hospital. And the perpetrators are still at large.

Peter Cammarano, the 32-year-old recently elected to mayor of Hoboken and even more recently accused of taking a $25,000 bribe by the feds, has finally resigned, just days after saying he'd stay in office. Protests, not to mention some prodding from NJ Governor Corzine, apparently wore him down; Cammarano issued a resignation letter today, "I apologize to the residents of Hoboken for the disruption and disappointment this case has caused...Regrettably, it has turned out that the controversy surrounding the charges against me has become a distraction to me and an impediment to the functioning of Hoboken government. I would like to reiterate that I am innocent of any criminal charges and I intend to fight the allegations against me." City Council President Dawn Zimmer succeeds Cammarano.

A Queens man says cops roughed him up in a holding cell at the 103rd precinct earlier this month, following a late night DWI arrest. 21-year-old Imran Ali was intoxicated when police allegedly slammed him into a brick wall and cell bars—which is the last thing he remembers before waking up at Jamaica Hospital handcuffed to a bed, with multiple staples and stitches on his forehead. He was arrested on July 17th around 4:54 a.m. after crashing his vehicle head-on into a parked car in Jamaica. But Ali insists he wasn't even the one driving the car (was it Harvey?) and his attorneys are demanding the Queens DA review video from the holding cell cameras. The NYPD maintains that Ali became combative and either fell or jumped from a cell bench. In a statement, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne says, "Contrary to his lawyer's assertion that Ali was a passenger in a car driven by someone else who was also arrested, Ali was alone and he was the only individual arrested." Well, somebody's fibbing, but regardless, you probably shouldn't click on this link to the 1010 Wins story unless you enjoy close-up photos of stapled skull wounds.

Dun dun dun duuuuun: composer Philip Glass recently came home to find his apartment had been broken in to. While someone took the time to shatter a window to get in, the only thing that was taken was a cell phone. The Villager reports that his 2nd Avenue home is just around the corner from the 3rd Street Men's Shelter, where it's suspected the thief resides. The paper notes a broader issues with the shelter, saying that muggings, car break-ins and drugs are becoming more rampant problems in the area. One community board member, Elinor Tatum, was recently at the Marble Collegiate Cemetery and "was shocked to see all the 40-ounce beer and vodka bottles littering the graveyard, which she is sure were tossed out of the shelter’s windows." She told the paper: “I don’t want to see it going back to the way it was in the late ’80s.”

If you haven't heard of the Rat-Squirrel House in Cobble Hill, Lost City has a complete history of the 149 Kane Street residence, with a brand new update. The home was built in 1901 but lost its grandeur and is now an eyesore for locals—housing "squirrels, pigeons, (maybe rats) and one old woman who would not leave and would not fix the place up" (despite DOB complaints and vacate orders). On Wednesday, authorities busted down the front door to find a squatter amongst mountains of trash; the old woman, Arlene Karlsen, was allegedly living in another building she owns in the neighborhood. According to a witness, she was "given the choice of being arrested or taken to the hospital. She left in an ambulance." Sad, indeed. The future of the building is uncertain, as it's part of the Cobble Hill landmark district which makes it difficult to tear down even though it may be beyond repair. Hey gutter punks, now that the heat's on you in Williamsburg, maybe it's time to head to Brownstone Brooklyn.

New York taxpayers will soon become the first in the nation to pay women to donate their eggs for stem cell research. The plan was approved last month by the Empire State Stem Cell Board, which helps administer the state's $600 million allocation for 11 years of stem-cell studies. Starting next year, donors will be paid at least $5,000 and up to $10,000 for their eggs. And even women with health problems which would normally exclude them from egg donation will get a piece of the action because researchers want to study the genetics of various diseases. The process involves hormone injections, producing more eggs per cycle than would be considered normal and retrieval with anesthesia—all of which makes bioethicists like Debra Mathews uncomfortable. Mathews tells AP, "We don't really have good data on the risks. You're asking women to undergo this unknown risk for unknown benefit." But donors like Hanqi Miao know of one nice benefit; she's being paid $5,000 to donate her eggs at a fertility center and asks, "Who doesn't want money in your hand?"

Now we may have some insight as to why Mayor Bloomberg isn't exactly, um, fond of answering questions on term limits. Throughout the mayor's gradual reversal of his term limits stance last year, he made it clear that he was for the concept, but had begun having doubts on whether the limit should be two or three. Yesterday, when asked whether he would guarantee not running for a fourth term, the mayor gave a standard answer of the law not allowing it...and then responded to a follow-up pushing him this way, "But it does now. It permits only three terms, so I don’t know. Talk to your City Council. Let me point out that I had no intention of running for a (third) term up until near the end, as you know. The City Council changed the law. It’s up to the voters whether they want four more years." Is it time to cue The Price is Right Ciffhangers yodeling music?

According to 1010 WINS, six people, ages 18 to 39, were arrested for trespassing on the ground of the old Essex Country Hospital Center in Cedar Grove, NJ. The building, once a mental hospital, is being razed for parkland; it has also attracted many trespassers and/or ghost hunters, thanks to being mentioned in Weird NJ (here's the entry, plus video). However, Essex County Sherriff Armando Fontoura was adamant in saying there were "no ghosts, goblins or boogeymen [on the site]. What you will find, however, are uniformed officers on patrol and plainclothes detectives conducting surveillance of the property. Trespassers, vandals and mischief makers will be arrested and charged to the fullest extent of the law. We strongly advise individuals to keep off the property as it is being renovated and it can be dangerous."

Rudy Giuliani sure didn't sound like someone on the verge of making a run for governor while speaking at a Crain's New York breakfast this morning. Giuiani joked about the state GOP, “There’s no question that if you have to rely on George Pataki and me, you’re in big trouble." He said that he wasn't paying close attention to state issues and added, "I got elected mayor, I believe, on the theory of — it can't get worse. So if it gets to that point, maybe I'll decide [to go for it]." (But he does NY's got big problems!) Meanwhile Governor Paterson was shrugging off speculation about Democrats this week who gathered and talked about how poor his chances were of getting elected. He said, "A lot of people are voicing concerns when they should be focusing on the fact that this state overspends, that this state has unfortunately paid more attention to personal interests than the interests of the entire group of people that live here in this state." The governor also made a personal appearance in town this morning—partying at the nightclub Taj while Funkmaster Flex Dj'd until 1 a.m. A Gawker tipster spotted the governor said, "He need to get his blind ass home."

On Tuesday the city was not gripped by reports that two drifter goats were wandering along the New England Thruway by the Hutchinson River Parkway junction. The city's Animal Care and Control agency rushed to the scene, but by the time they arrived the goats had mysteriously vanished. But yesterday they appeared again, and the NYPD’s emergency services unit helped take them into custody. But where did they come from? A spokesman for Animal Care and Control tells City Room, "Typically, when you have goats or farm animals, they’ll have a tag on them or there will be a number spray-painted on them." These goats—one male and one female, both about a year old—had no numbers, though they are "pretty friendly and pretty used to people." They're being held at Animal Care and Control’s shelter in Manhattan, and if no one steps forward to claim them (are you listening, Cabrito?), they'll be taken in by Farm Sanctuary's 150-acre shelter in upstate New York. But really, how are they gonna keep 'em down on the farm once they've seen the Hutch?

When will people learn that when they are meet a minor in an online chatroom it might very well be an undercover detective? On the heels of the Monday arrest of a Goldman Sachs compliance lawyer who thought he was chatting with a 15-year-old girl (really a Westchester DA's office investigator), now the Queens DA's office has announced a number of charges—including attempted use of a child in a sexual performance, second-degree attempted rape and second-degree attempted criminal sexual act—against a financial analyst Joseph Sulker. According to the DA's office, a male NYPD Vice detective had posed as a 14-year-old girl while chatting with Sulker, 26, between January and July 28 of this year: "The defendant’s messages allegedly were sexual in nature and expressed a desire to meet for a sexual encounter, and included offers by the defendant to pay the undercover persona to perform oral sex on him and to have sexual intercourse and oral sex with both a male and female while he watched." The Daily News says Sulker, currently a temporary worker at a financial firm, was arrested when he arrived at a Wendy's to meet the "girl" on Tuesday. He was released on $15,000 bail and faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

A report came over the newswire this afternoon that cops in Brooklyn were investigating "multiple animal tongues nailed to various trees" in Prospect Park. Could it be related to some sort of ritual sacrifice going on in the heart of Brooklyn? Last month, a Parks ranger spoke to the Post about areas in Queens such as Forest Park and Highland Park being hotbeds of animal sacrifice performed for reasons such as "devil worship to voodoo to offerings for good luck." A man in Forest Park had recently come upon a rooster and a goat head while walking his dog, but there had been no reports at the time of any activity in Prospect Park. Today's wire said that the tongues were found in the Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue area—seems like no way to christen the park's new giant Dumpster.

The Curse of the Bambino has got nothing on steroids. The New York Times has revealed two more names that appear to be on the 2003 list of 104 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs—David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, both of the Boston Red Sox at the time. The list is the same one that dragged A-Rod's off-season through the mud this February when he was outed as testing positive. While names on it continue to trickle out, its legal status is being fought over in the courts. The Times says multiple lawyers connected to the litigation "spoke anonymously because the testing information is under seal by a court order." There is no word on what specific drugs were tested. When Ramirez tested positive for a banned substance in May, he defended it as a fluke stemming from a recent prescription. Ramirez and Ortiz were at the heart of a Boston lineup that led the team to its first World Series victory in over eighty years in 2004, and then another in 2007.

The Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II, a materialistic multimillionaire evangelist better known as Ike, died Tuesday in Los Angeles at the age of 74. He had been residing there since 2007 following a stroke, but he spent most of his life in New York City, where, in 1969, he paid $600,000 for the massive old Loew’s 175th Street theater and made it his headquarters, calling it the Palace Cathedral. For the past several years, the ornate Washington Heights theater has also been used for rock concerts, featuring such acts as Arcade Fire and Sonic Youth. But the Christ Community United Church continues to worship at the theater, albeit without Reverend's Ike's famous "Blessing of the Cadillacs," nor his exhortations to his flock to "close your eyes and see green. Money up to your armpits, a roomful of money and there you are, just tossing around in it like a swimming pool." We expect to see plenty of swim trunks and inflatable armbands stuffed with dollar bills at the next United Palace concert.

Glenn Beck needs to get his house in order. Only a day after the Fox News Channel host identified President Barack Obama as a white people-hating racist who doesn't not like white people (got that?), he confesses in a YouTube video promoting his latest book that his daughter hopes to attend that august institution of radical Islam and communism, Columbia University. Admits Beck in the video: "My middle daughter, she wants to go to Columbia. Do you have any idea the price of Columbia? Please, buy the book! Buy two! Buy three!" And it gets worse—not only does Beck's daughter want to matriculate at the same school that launched arch-superliberals like Eric Foner, Eric Holder, and Barack Obama, she is also a devoted follower of pagan lit! Says Beck: "My daughter is a huge reader—Harry Potter changed her life." So let this be a lesson to all you parents out there: letting your children read books about godless, spell-casting teen wizards will convert them into snobbish intellectuals with effete Ivy League aspirations. It's almost enough to make you cry. FWIW, one notable Republican's daughter attended Columbia—gay marriage-supporting Meghan McCain.

A second witness has come forward to corroborate claims that a subway train operator on the No. 4 line allowed an 8 or 9-year-old boy into the motorwoman's cab and maybe even let him drive the train a little. And the witness, Nessa Hampton, 53, says that not only was the boy in the cab with the female operator, but he was left to hang out there by himself while the unidentified woman exited the train at Union Square. According to her report, the motorwoman was gone for several minutes as she chatted with a colleague operating a No. 6 train across the platform. Hampton tells the Daily News, "He was right next to the controls. Suppose he touched something and the train started moving. There was no way this woman could have ran back to the train and stopped it." But not to worry—the motorwoman has explained to MTA officials it was physically impossible for the boy to operate the train because it requires 20-pounds of pressure. (Or a cinder block to override the dead man's switch!) Still, as Hampton told her daughter at the time, "somebody's going to get in a lot of trouble for this." Both the motorwoman and the conductor—who is believed to be the boy's relative—are currently suspended without pay.

It's not just the suits looking out for their money in the Financial District these days. The artist behind the Charging Bull sculpture near Wall Street is suing Random House for using an image of his work for the cover art of a book about the fall of Lehman Brothers. 1010Wins reports that Arturo Di Modica was filing the lawsuit in federal court yesterday, and seeking unspecified damages. He is also asking the picture be removed from the book, titled "A Colossal Failure of Common Sense." Indeed, he had the sculpture copyrighted in 1998, 9 years after its creation. Maybe Sad Panda can go on the new cover!

On Tuesday night, Kester La Roc was killed in gunfire near his East Flatbush home. LaRoc has been taking his son Kessai home around 10 p.m.; according to the Daily News, the "2-year-old Brooklyn boy was splattered with his father's blood when the dad was ambushed and killed." LaRoc was hit twice in the chest while a friend was hit in the thigh; apparently the friend was able to bring Kessai inside the house. Police have not found a motive for the shooting; LaRoc did have a criminal record (marijuana possession, disorderly conduct). LaRoc's girlfriend and the child's mother told the News, "He was a good dad. He spent time with his son, picked him up from day care, watched him. A very loving person," while LaRoc's mother said, "He was not perfect, but no one deserves this, to die like he did. He wanted to get his life straight."

Some morning subway commute madness: A downed power line has caused problems with the 4 and 5 subway lines. According to initial reports, a subway entering the Wall Street station hit a low hanging power line. The wires sparked and fell next to the train car. The train's passengers need to be evacuated, but power needs to be cut off first. Additionally, when the wire fell, smoke filled the station, which was also evacuated. Here's the MTA's alert: "Due to hanging cables at the Wall Street Station, there is no 4 and 5 train service between the Nevins Street Station and the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall Station in both directions. Please expect delays in 4 and 5 train service at this time."

You know that ATM scam where four friends from NYU were busted for repeatedly claiming their ATM cards were stolen when they were actually taking in $422,000? Well, the Post reports that it went on for so long (between 2003 and 2008) "because bank officials thought it was easier to just pay up, according to one of the investigators who helped break the case." Former NYPD detective Harry Houck Jr. says that he questioned one of the suspects, John Tluczek, who claimed his ATM card was stolen and account looted—Tluczek's excuse: "I was planning to go on vacation, and I had a piece of paper in my car that had all my PINs written down. I just left it in my car." Houck was suspicious and found out that Tluczek wasn't even on vacation! "But Houck said that when he called other banks to ask them about Tluczek, they had also heard of him, but decided to just pay him off rather than fight. The banks paid because Tluczek and his cohorts were taking advantage of a part of federal banking law that allows people to get money back within 10 days if their ATM cards are stolen and used to make withdrawals." Investigators think Tluczek and his cohorts' haul could tally up to $1 million. Image from NY Post

The FBI is investigating a number of hateful letters sent to the Hispanic owners of business in Washington Heights and Inwood. NY1 reports that the "barrage of hate mail" contains "threats such as 'Stop wrecking my USA,' 'Speak english' and 'We don't want you in our community.'" Jesus Hernandez, who owns Mama Sushi, told WCBS 2, "I don't have just Latin people coming here. I have black, I have white I have all kinds of people as customers so I can't point out anybody who would do such a thing." Hispanics Across America's Fernando Mateo is worried the letter writer may act out, which is why he has given the letters to the FBI, "That somebody may come with a machine gun and shoot-up the area, shoot-up the patrons, you know? We don't want to wait until it escalates into gunfire."

A four-alarm fire at an apartment building on Third Avenue near 68th Street in Brooklyn's Bay Ridge section has left dozens of families homeless. The fire started before midnight in the first floor deli; WABC 7 reports, "Flames spread through all four floors, finally shooting through the roof in an inferno that lit up the night sky. Officials say dozens of residents were forced to flee, many with young children." And according to WCBS 2, "Fire officials say the fire ripped through all 15 apartment, causing significant damage... Deputy Fire Chief James Leonard says the heat and humidity, and a costly delayed call to 911, made for a difficult night fighting the flames." The Red Cross is assisting families with shelter. Additionally, a number of firefighters were injured and the FDNY will be investigating the blaze.

Yankees 6 Tampa Bay 2: Joba Chamberlain pitched another great game and the Yankees hit three homers to back him as they took two-of-three in Tampa. Chamberlain allowed only three hits, while striking out five over eight innings. Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera and Mark Teixeira all went deep, part of a 12-hit attack for the Yankees. The win combined with a Boston loss, puts the Yankees 3-1/2 games into first. Fun fact: Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was at the game; Chamberlain said of the Boss's presence, "It's great he came here. It's definitely good to get a win when he's in the house. I heard stories about when he was here. It was a little nerve-racking. I got a little nervous knowing he was in the house."

After a little speed bump, the City Council has passed Intro. 871, the Bicycle Access Bill, which requires commercial landlords to allow office workers to bring bikes inside office buildings (with freight elevators) as long as their employers have space for the bikes. The bill passed 46-1; Transportation Alternatives' executive director Paul Steely White said, "No other city in the country has a policy like the one City Council passed today. When we open the doors of New York City's workplaces to cyclists, tens of thousands of commuters are going to get on two wheels." Transportation Alternatives also points out that though biking is the fastest growing mode of transportation in the city, many people don't bike to work, due to fear of their bikes may be stolen on the street. Photo: Listen Missy! on Flickr

A wake was held on Long Island today for five victims of Sunday's deadly crash on the Taconic Parkway. Diana Schuler was driving the wrong way before crashing into an SUV; Schuler, her daughter and three nieces died while three people inside the SUV were also killed. Autopsy results yesterday ruled out any signs of alcohol, drugs or a medical condition such as a stroke or an aneurysm, or even just sleepiness for 36-year-old Schuler. But today police say that during the phone call to her brother 30 minutes before the crash—when Schuler said she wasn't feeling well—she revealed that she was disoriented and was having trouble seeing. Schuler's family, who held a wake for their loved ones, issued a statement, "We extend our condolences to the Bastardi and Longo families [of the SUV victims] and regret the grief this tragic accident has caused." They also said that 5-year-old Bryan Schuler, the only survivor of the crash, is expected to make a full recovery. Police now await the results of further blood and toxicology tests, available in 4-6 weeks, saying, "We made sure that they’re going to test for everything because we don’t have an answer.”

The afternoon thunderstorms, which turned the sky above some parts of the city pitch black, have wreaked a bit of havoc: Not only was there flooding that closed certain Staten Island streets, over a thousand Con Ed customers on Staten Island are without power (before, the outage hit 2,500 customers). As for the mass transit commute, PATH service between the World Trade Center and Newark is suspended as is service between Newark and Journal Square, due to signal problems (according to the PATH, "Passengers in New York can take NJ Transit at Penn Station New York. Passengers in Newark Penn Station can take NJ Transit into New York Penn Station NJ Transit is cross honoring"). And for a little more weather fun, check out this video of a funnel cloud; it was taken in Wantage, NJ (according to Wiki, "If a funnel cloud touches the ground it becomes a tornado).

Why is a Bay Ridge man hanging the Confederate flag from his terrace in a dreary 30-story co-op tower at 65th Street? It's NOT because he's racist, y'all, it's to send a message to those "sophisticated snotnoses in the north." You know, the region where he lives. Brooklyn Paper spotted the flag flapping in Union territory recently, and tracked down the rebel yeller, who would only identify himself as Mike. But he was happy to clear up any confusion over why he's displaying the Stars and Bars so far above the Mason-Dixon line: "I do it is because I’m against political correctness. People who are politically correct don’t agree with that flag — it’s my one-man protest. The left likes to say they celebrate diversity. I guess that’s what I’m doing.... [Northerners] make Southerners into bumpkins — and that’s not the case." Absolutely not, but Cletus Mike is kind of scaring the neighbors with that thing, and one nearby resident says, "I want to stay far away from those people [who have Confederate flags]. We’re free to fly any flag we want, but I’m not crazy about it. We won the war." Well, for now, at least.

Earlier this morning, around 8 a.m., a 30-year-old man was hit by a large tree limb in Central Park, near West Drive and 63rd Street. The branch hit the man's head— he was struck unconscious and had severe bleeding. My Upper West adds, "Paramedics and police promptly arrived to the scene, and after about 15 minutes, took him to a hospital, where he seemed to be in serious condition." On Sunday, strong thunderstorms downed numerous trees in the city. Update: The Parks Department tells WCBS 2 "the limb is from a Pin Oak Tree, approximately 4 inches in diameter." Update 2: The man is now in a coma (it's unclear if it was medically induced) at Cornell Medical Center. The Post says first responders found him "unconscious and in cardiac arrest," while WCBS 2 reports, "The scene was such a mess it took nearly two hours for crews to clean up the debris and blood from the pavement." Photo: My Upper West

With the legal battle over the constitutionality of Richard Ravitch's appointment as lieutenant governor heading back into a Brookly court tomorrow, Governor Paterson has filed papers stating just how essential it is to have Ravitch around as all of this is being decided. Paterson says that Ravitch is "needed as a 'credible bridge' to business and labor." He also filed an affidavit from former governor Hugh Carey, who supported the choice of Ravitch as "a stellar and dedicated public servant." PolitickerNY sums up Paterson's position: "The crux of it is: You should uphold Richard Ravitch's appointment because Richard Ravitch is great." Senate Republicans have said that nothing Paterson has put forth addresses his constitutionality in making the appointment, something that has been criticized by everyone from Andrew Cuomo to Donald Trump. After getting secretly sworn in at Peter Luger's, state courts have gone back and forth as to whether Ravitch can stick around.

With sand being a danger to beachgoers this summer, many might be seeking their sun-kissed glow from one of the many tanning beds around the city. But wait, those aren't safe either! 1010WINS warns they are now in the top cancer risk category, "deeming them as deadly as arsenic and mustard gas" and pointing towards a new study that says "the risk of skin cancer jumps by 75 percent when people start using tanning beds before age 30." What's most surprising is that we are hearing this in 2009. Anyway, since experts have now found that all types of ultraviolet radiation are carcinogenic (previously, only one type was thought to be lethal), what will it mean for tanning salons? The new classification places them alongside tobacco, the hepatitis B virus, chimney sweeping, and other things that can definitely cause cancer. Find out what else will likely kill you, tonight at 11.

Because the brouhaha over Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s arrest will never end, it's time for former Secretary of State Colin Powell to weigh in. While on Larry King Live last night, Powell, who said Gates is a longtime friend, said, "When you're faced with an officer trying to do his job and get to the bottom of something, this is not the time to get in an argument with him...I was taught that as a child. You don't argue with a police officer." He did suggest Gates was tired from his flight from China through NY and also wondered about the Cambridge police, "Once they felt they had to bring Dr. Gates out of the house and to handcuff him, I would have thought at that point some adult supervision would have stepped in and said, OK, look, it is his house. Come on. Let's not -- let's not take this any further. Take the handcuffs off. Goodnight, Dr. Gates." [Here's a transcript and video is after the jump.] Powell also discussed being racially profiled a few years ago—"You just suck it up"—and endorsed Mayor Bloomberg—"I think Mike Bloomberg should be given a third term. And yes, I would say, reelect Mike Bloomberg."

A number of Park Slope residents have been up in arms over a developer's plans to build three townhouses in addition to a previously announced project. Brownstoner reported that owner Ashwin Verma's admission that he's "no Donald Trump" and blaming "his inexperience for not knowing there was a Con Ed substation on 580 Carroll's site" sent residents at a rally against his project into a frenzy. Various neighbors' homes have been damaged by the construction work—one said, "My foundation was cracked. My retaining wall was cracked," while another complained about the aesthetics of the future building, telling the Daily News the apartment building by noted architect Enrique Norten "is actually ugly, and what it's going to look like doesn't belong here. It belongs in New Jersey." In the meantime, the Board of Standards and Appeals has delayed its decision on whether to give Verma a variance to build the additional structures.

Jack Shaw, the Jersey City political consultant who was arrested last week in the massive federal corruption probe of NJ elected officials and others, was found dead in his Jersey City apartment yesterday. The Star-Ledger reports an autopsy is pending but "Three officials with knowledge of the investigation said multiple bottles of pills were found near Shaw's body. One of the officials said that while investigators suspect suicide, they did not want to jump to conclusions because Shaw suffers from an unspecified medical condition." Shaw, 61, was accused of taking a $10,000 bribe from a government informant and apparently gave that money to Jersey City mayor Jeremiah Healey. The NY Times says Shaw "was a longtime Democratic operative who cut his teeth working for Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago and later was a campaign aide to Gov. Jim Florio...He also worked on Robert G. Torricelli’s 1996 Senate race, Robert E. Andrews’s 1997 bid for the Democratic nomination for governor, and Jon S. Corzine’s election to the Senate in 2000."

The Queens man whose wife dumped boiling water on his genitals as he slept Monday morning says he doesn't want his spouse of 21 years to be incarcerated, he just wants a divorce. Speaking to CBS2 from the hospital where he's recovering from 2nd and 3rd degree burns, Emmanuel Ojofietimi insisted he hasn't cheated on her... lately: "Maybe 20 years ago, 15 years ago." (He also tells the Post, "She kept nagging and nagging me all the time.") Oyindamola, his wife, is currently being held at Rikers in lieu of $100,000 bail. Yesterday nightly news crews hit the streets to gauge public reaction, and it's interesting how many people couldn't help but laugh a little, while simultaneously condemning this particularly gruesome act of revenge. Bellport resident Jessie Maldanado even admitted to CBS2 that she's considered mutilating her boyfriend's genitals if she caught him cheating. Her boyfriend, who was standing right next to her, sagely added, "I need to get that thought out of her head." What do you think? Is burning, biting, or gluing a man's rod or johnson acceptable punishment for infidelity? And for scorned ladies contemplating vengeance, the Frisky has a thorough roundup of history's most infamous paybacks.

A train operator did indeed allow a boy into the cab at the front of a Lexington Avenue 4 express train on Sunday, NYC Transit has confirmed. The 8 or 9 year old boy was apparently a relative of the conductor, who along with the motorwoman has been suspended without pay, pending further investigation. It's still unclear whether the unidentified motorman actually let the boy drive the train, but the witness who prompted the investigation claims he heard her saying, "It's green, speed up...Yellow, slow down." Speaking to the Daily News, a co-worker described the motorwoman, who's been on the job since 1993, as "cautious and attentive... I don't think the kid was driving the train. I think at most she was just showing him [how to drive]." Oh, that's all! But what if this kid had seen the new Taking of Pelham 123 and decided to pull a Travolta? (Or even a Luis Guzman?) Transit officials are taking this one very seriously, and the motorwoman could very well be fired because letting unauthorized visitors into the cab, regardless of age, is against the rules. And letting them drive the train is kinda frowned upon, too.

It turns out that the Manhattan DA's office, while investigating the 2007 deaths of two firefighters during a 7-alarm blaze at the former Deutsche Bank building (the fire was started by a construction worker's cigarette), found evidence of a huge check cashing scam. The NY Times reports, "Investigators examined the financial records of the John Galt Corporation, a subcontractor hired to remove asbestos from the building and dismantle it... The investigators discovered that Galt"—later charged with manslaughter for the firefighters' deaths— "was one of 389 construction-related companies that had participated in an unlawful check-cashing operation that lasted from October 2006 until July 2008 and involved about $40 million." Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau said, "They could avoid paying taxes and they could use the cash for a number of illegal purposes, and that’s the subject of a continuing investigation. Why did they want to generate this cash and conceal it?" The owners of two of the check cashing companies were charged with falsifying business records. And for more examination of what a mess the former Deutsche Bank building demolition has been, check out Wayne Barrett's Village Voice cover story from last week, "Even Bloomberg's Department of Investigations (DOI) found last month, in a report barely noticed by the press, that it was a case of death by official dereliction."

While smoking is already banned inside hospitals, the NY City Council is considering a bill that would prohibit puffing away outside hospital entrances and on hospital grounds. The AP reports, "The measure seeks to ban smoking on hospital property and within 15 feet of any hospital entrance or exit. It would apply to public and private hospitals, as well as residential health care facilities and diagnostic and treatment centers." However, if the bill passes, those 15 feet from hospital grounds should get some ashtrays ready: When smoking was banned on a Buffalo health facility's campus, the smokers moved across the street—and in front of residential houses. One smoker admitted he was going to throw his cigarette butt in the street; when a TV station reporter asked, "Why can't you throw butt in garbage can?" the smoker answered, "I will. I didn't think of that."

A corporate lawyer for Goldman Sachs thought he was making online overtures to a 15-year-old but it turned out it was just a sting, culminating in the 33-year-old being charged with "trying to disseminate indecent material to a minor" yesterday in a Westchester County court. According to the Daily News, Upper West Side resident—and married father of three— Todd Genger was apparently "caught in a sting operation aimed at perverts who solicit young girls for sex." Genger had allegedly been chatting with a 15-year-old girl—who turned out to be an investigator in the Westchester DA's office—since April and went to Westchester this week, in an attempt to do the deed. The News also reports that the DA's office said that Genger "admitted to participating in the online conversations about the intended tryst, which included 'specific explicit sexual acts.'" Genger was released without bail and faces up between 15 months and four years if convicted.

Eight months after accidentally shooting himself in the leg (with his own gun) at a Manhattan nightclub, Plaxico Burress is going to testify in front of a grand jury tomorrow. According to the Post, his "attorney, Ben Brafman, hopes that his client can convince the grand jury assembled in Manhattan Supreme Court to forgo an indictment." Brafman said, "Mr. Burress is going to ... tell the truth about what happened that night... He's [also] going to ask [the grand jury] to believe that this unfortunate incident should not be used to ruin his life." The Manhattan DA's office, which wants the former Giants player in to go to jail, is also going to seek charges against Burress's teammate Antonio Pierce, because Pierce took Burress's unlicensed gun back to Burress's NJ home. Giants co-owner John Mara called charges against Pierce "unwarranted."

Dennis Elwell, mayor of Secaucus, NJ, announced that he will resign today, after being charged with corruption—he allegedly took a $10,000 bribe from a government informant— in the massive federal probe that netted 44 arrests last week. His lawyer issued a statement, "Effective today, July 28, 2009, Dennis Elwell will resign his position as mayor of the town of Secaucus. After careful deliberation, Dennis determined this action is in the best interest of both his family and the People of Secaucus. Those who perceive this action to be an admission of culpability as to the pending criminal allegations are gravely mistaken." Elwell had been mayor since 1999. Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, who was also arrested and accused of taking $25,000 in bribes, and Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Saurez, arrested and accused of taking $10,000, have refused to resign, in spite of outcry.

A new Quinnipiac poll shows that City Comptroller Bill Thompson, the likely Democratic candidate for mayor, has erased some of the gap between himself and Mayor Bloomberg: PolitickerNY reports, "Thompson trails Bloomberg 47 to 37 among city voters, compared to the 54-to-32 spread in Quinnipiac’s June 16 poll," also noting that Bloomberg was ID'd for the first time as a "Republican and independent." Howard Wolfson, spokesman for Bloomberg's campaign, said, “This shows that when you change the wording of any poll, no matter how good, you get a different result. The fact is NYers know that Mike Bloomberg is an independent who governs in a nonpartisan way, which is why roughly two thirds of New Yorkers consistently approve of his job performance and why he has double digit leads over both of his opponents," while Thompson campaign spokeswoman Carly Lindauer said, "Mike Bloomberg has spent nearly $40 million to see his poll numbers decline. It’s clear that after eight years of a Republican mayor who’s been focused on those at the top, New Yorkers want change in City Hall."

A son of state Senator Pedro Espada Jr. has pleaded guilty to harassment against 76-year-old blogger Rafael Martínez Alequin at a campaign rally last September. According to Martínez Alequin, several people, including Alejandro, began shoving him and trying to grab his camera as he approached Espada. And when he begged Pedro to call off his son, he answered, "He's trying to teach you manners papa. He's trying to teach you manners." (Here's video.) Alejandro, who's the director of one of his father's controversial health clinics, agreed to a restraining order and must pay $432 for the broken camera. But Martínez Alequin wants a stiffer punishment and tells the Daily News, "I was attacked because I was asking questions. I asked [Sen. Espada] to stop [his son]. I said they were hurting me. I was traumatized and I fear for my life." In other Espada dynasty news, our new state Senate Majority Leader is getting "dramatically" larger office space! Espada's spokesman tells the Post, "We have more responsibilities so we'll have more employees and we need more space." As Martinez Alequin can tell you, Espada really needs his space.

Sharks, monsters, and now whales are washing up on shore. This morning in New Jersey (Monmouth Beach, to be exact), a 20 to 30-foot long humpback whale was discovered. WCBS reports that "...the stomach was distended. The smell was not terrific, as you could well imagine." Allegedly the heat had destroyed the whale's insides, so scientists were unable to take samples from it. However, because of bruising they believe it may have suffered injuries after being hit by a boat. Later today it will be cut into pieces for burial somewhere on the beach, until then beachgoers are advised to stay at least 100 yards away. More depressing images here.

Bronx Judge Joseph Dawson is fed up with the overly casual attire worn by defendants in his courtroom, and he's putting lawyers on notice that their clients need to class it up. On Monday he schooled a man for wearing shorts and a T-shirt, explaining, "I'm not saying you have to wear a suit. You don't. Just wear something appropriate." And he berated lawyer Edward McGowan: "Your client comes up in a T-shirt and sweatpants, chewing gum? This court deserves more respect than that." The fashion lesson sent defendant Mirabel Aquino—who was awaiting her drug-case sentencing in purple shorts, a tank top and gold flip-flops—scrambling to the ladies room to swap outfits with her better-dressed sister. After the quick change, she got five years' probation, and her lawyer admits, "In the Bronx, things can get a bit lackadaisical." But is judge Dawson demanding too haute couture from indigent defendants? A lawyer with the nonprofit Bronx Defenders tells the Daily News, "All of our clients are poor. What may be the best clothes they have might be considered by others to be disrespectful to the court."

Guess you can't just win millions upon millions of dollars and expect to keep a secret. The mystery man or woman behind the winning Mega Millions ticket is unveiling him or herself today and picking up the winning July 7th pot. The ticket, purchased in Jamaica, Queens, was the only one to have all 6 matching numbers, giving the winner the entire $133 million payout. The NY Post reports that the winner "will get a lump-sum check for nearly $83 million, before taxes, from New York lottery officials at Grand Central Terminal." The employees at Shiv Convenience, where the winning ticket was printed out, are anxious to find out which of their customers has been keeping their fortune a secret. Store manager Bharat Patel said, "It's going to be a surprise. But I'll know the person as soon as I see them." The store also gets a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket. If this story is giving you lottery fever, tonight's Mega Millions jackpot is $60 million—if you win that's a $2,307,692 annual, or $35,210,000 lump-sum payout. Decisions decisions. UPDATE: The Daily News reports the winner is 49-year-old MTA worker Aubrey Boyce, who works (worked?!) as a collections agent making around $50K a year. He'll take home the lump-sum of $56.7 million after taxes.

The NY Times reports that the Department of Homeless Services is enacting a new policy giving shelters more power to evict homeless families: "Homeless families can be kicked out of city shelters for repeatedly breaking rules like staying out past curfew or for refusing apartments offered to them." While DHS Commissioner Robert Hess claims it'll be used only in "egregious situations," pointing out some families use the shelters as permanent housing, Legal Aid's attorney in chief Steven Banks said, "With all of the problems that the state has and all of the problems that the city has right now, in the midst of this economic downturn, it’s shocking that the state and the city are prepared to invest the resources to put innocent children and their families out of safety-net shelters onto the streets." But one shelter operator said, "There’s not a caseworker alive that wants to realize that threat, and as an agency, we don’t want to move people to the streets. That’s not what we’re in business to do. But if you enter the shelter, if you know there’s a threat of being put out of the shelter, you’ll be more likely to follow the rules."

Yesterday morning a Queens man was awakened by the unenviable sensation of boiling water poured on his genitals by his wife. Emmanuel "Ojo" Ojofeitimi, 67, sustained second and third degree burns over 30% of his body; his wife Oyindamola Ojofeitimi told cops she was motivated by the discovery that her husband of 20 years had been unfaithful. Speaking to the Post from his hospital bed last night, Ojofeitimi explained that "I didn't know what had happened. By the time I woke up, the skin was falling off." A neighbor says, "It sounded like a woman screaming," and tells the Daily News that Ojofeitimi, a Nigerian immigrant and nurse like his wife, was carried out on a stretcher. But he insists he wasn't cheating, telling the Post, "She does not know how to forgive and forget; she doesn't let anything go by. If I come home late from work, she's always assuming that I'm with a woman." His wife was charged with assault and harassment; her lawyer maintains that Ojofeitimi "had a history of abusing her both physically and psychologically." If so, they can probably call it even now.

Perhaps taking a cue from the chicken that was on the loose in Queens, today's weird report over the police wires is that two goats are on the New England Thruway. More specifically, they are on the southbound NE Thruway at the split to the Hutchinson Parkway—there's a highway unit "trying to herd them off the road." Pressing question: Was there a third goat involved and were they looking for a bridge with a troll under it? And last year, a pygmy goat escaped a slaughterhouse and was wandering the Bronx before being taken to Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY.

In the Wakefield section of the Bronx, a homeowner managed to shoot one of the men apparently attempting to rob his house. The suspect was killed (in the doorway), while another was wounded—but two other suspects fled. According to WABC 7, "The four suspects burst into the man's home on Bussing Avenue just before 12:15 a.m. this morning. They held up the occupant of the home, until he grabbed the gun from one of the suspects." Two guns found at the scene are believed to be from the suspects. A neighbor spoke WCBS 2 and said of the neighbor, "Wow. Very brave. He's hard working, quiet, hard working guy."

The NY State Department of Transportation has 511, which gives updates about traffic and transit (plus has a trip planner and ride share info)—and which makes it a natural to put the information on Twitter. You can choose from a number of regions besides NY State— from the Adirondacks to Albany/Saratoga, from Long Island to Catskills/Hudson valley area—and for NYC, you can follow subways: 123, 456, 7, ACE, BDFV, G, JMZ, L/S, and NRGW.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts police released the 911 call that prompted the arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr.. It turns out the caller Lucia Whalen said, "I don't know if they live there or they just had a hard time with their key." You can listen to the tape here, and Whalen was apparently upset she was being depicted as a racist in the media; her attorney said, "She has worked in Cambridge for more than 15 years, about 100 yards from where Mr. Gates resides, and was aware of several recent break-ins in the area." The Boston Globe reports that in the recordings, "The dispatcher asked officers to 'respond to a possible B and E in progress,' saying the caller had reported they 'barged' into the house, but also noting, 'They have suitcases.'" Gates was eventually arrested for disorderly conduct, upset that the police arrived. Cambridge Chief of Police Robert Haas said, "July 16 is a painful moment for all of us. We need to move on. If we focus back on July 16, we are not going to make any progress." The incident became more of a flashpoint when President Obama waded into the discussion—now he has invited Gates and the police officer who arrested Gates, Sergeant James Crowley, for a beer at the White House this week.

The woman who drove a minivan full of her children and nieces the wrong way on the Taconic yesterday was feeling ill, but there is no indication of drugs or alcohol being involved in Westchester's worst accident in 75 years. Diane Schuler of West Babylon was on her way home from a weekend camping trip upstate when she called her brother on Long Island to say that she felt sick—apparently so ill that he offered to come get her if she would pull over. However, she didn't know where she was exactly and two hours later, she veered onto the other side of the highway. Schuler, 36, apparently had been on the wrong side for 2 miles before crashing head first into an SUV, killing all three Yonkers men inside it—father and son Michael and Guy Bastardi and their friend Daniel Longo. Schuler, her two-year-old daughter Erin and her three young nieces—Emma, Alison and Kate Hance— all died in the crash. The only survivor was Schuler's five-year-old son Brian, who is amazingly in stable condition. A secondary collision with a Chevy Tracker left a Freehold couple with minor cuts that they were treated for. Police now await autopsy and toxicology results to learn more details of Schuler's condition.

Even though Mayor Bloomberg struck a deal with the State Senate over mayoral control of schools legislation, the high-fives might have to wait: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said the amendments—which the Senate tacked onto the mayoral control bill the Assembly already passed— weren't a done deal. He told the Post, "The only guarantee that was given was that we will take them up with our conference and let them decide what they want to do with them, probably sometime in September. It's possible all will pass, possible none will pass, or some of them [will] pass with various amendments." According to the Daily News, "The Senate is expected to be back sometime next month to pass the Assembly bill. At that same time, the chamber was expected to separately pass the amendments agreed to with the city," but now that seems in jeopardy. State Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Queens) said, "If the Assembly doesn't vote on our amendments, we're not bringing up the main bill... Why should we?" And it's a reminder again that Albany is a huge clusterf*ck.

Besides his pitiful poll numbers, Democrats are concerned about another 2010 matter of Governor Paterson's—his campaign money. According to the NY Times, they "worry that Mr. Paterson has not shown discipline in managing his campaign spending or his overall strategy"; the governor has just $5.4 million while Attorney General Cuomo has basically double that. The Times lists many expenses, such as the consultants: Entertainment lawyer and friend "Lisa E. Davis...pulls in $5,000 a month. The governor paid $15,000 to Global Strategy, a consulting firm also used by Eliot Spitzer, before severing his ties with the company. He briefly turned to Judy Smith, a Washington consultant, whose firm was paid $30,000; they parted ways after Ms. Smith was linked to the Paterson administration’s smear campaign against Caroline Kennedy following her aborted Senate candidacy, an episode that damaged the governor’s image." Shouldn't Paterson get a refund on that? A recent hire, Tracy Sefl, "whose firm is paid $20,000 a month, said Mr. Paterson’s new team is committed to keeping expenses down." Expenses like "$1,600 for lodging two staff members on two nights at the Beach House Inn on Shelter Island"?

Merce Cunningham, the influential American choreographer, died at age 90 yesterday. The NY Times' Alastair Macaulay writes Cunningham "was among a handful of 20th-century figures to make dance a major art and a major form of theater...Mr. Cunningham ranks with Isadora Duncan, Serge Diaghilev, Martha Graham and George Balanchine in making people rethink the essence of dance and choreography, posing a series of 'But' and 'What if?' questions over a career of nearly seven decades." And the Washington Post notes "he created a body of work that looks like none other -- plotless, spacious and often leisurely paced works, characterized by the clarity, calm and coolness of the dancing" with "an elegant and rigorous dance technique based on ballet's pulled-up stretchiness, the weightedness he absorbed from Martha Graham, with whom he danced before striking out on his own, and his own ways of twisting, folding and releasing the body." His bio on his dance company's website says besides being hailed as the "greatest living choreographer," "earlier in his career he was also one of the greatest American dancers" and "before he was a modern dancer, Merce was a hoofer." Cunningham also collaborated with his life partner, John Cage, until Cage's death in 1992.