Everything's coming up rosé on Staten Island: on the heels of the new aquarium unveiling in the ferry terminal, plans for the island’s first vineyard are coming into focus. Borough President James Molinaro (pictured, right) has pledged $2 million for the project, which will establish a 2 acre vineyard and demonstration winery at the Staten Island Botanical Garden. The organic vineyard will yield its first wine about four years from now; it’s the brain-child of......

Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, and some young constituents, unveiled two new 10-ton fish tanks at the St. George ferry terminal. Molinaro said the tanks will liven up people's commutes; in July, he told the Advance, "It's very soothing because we live on an Island and it's very pleasant, so it fits perfectly." Project cost $750,000 and features hundreds of individually picked fish from the Caribbean. Some argue that the tanks will be vandalized......

Brooklyn is all "Fuhgeddaboutit," but Staten Island can be "Hey, what about us!" at times. Take, for instance, a recent angry letter from the Richmond County Young Republicans who have asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to recognize the borough in its software. You can read the entire letter here (PDF), but check out this excerpt:We often send out event invitations to members of The Richmond County Young Republicans' Gacebook group, but we have come across......

Brushing aside the Staten Island Borough President's repeated criticism and endorsement of his opponent, Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan won re-election in a landslide over Democratic challenger Michael Ryan. Donovan, whose 51st birthday was also yesterday, said during the celebration, "Tonight, you guys made me real happy." The SI DA's race became unexpectedly contentious when SI Borough President James Molinaro, who Donovan worked under as a Deputy Beep and considered a friend, attacked Donovan's......

It's Election Day, which means it's time for people to go to the polls. City offices and public schools are closed, and alternate side of the street parking is suspended, as are garbage and recycling pick-up. It's an optional state holiday; federal offices are open and there is mail delivery. While there aren't many big races, there are a few notable ones, namely the Staten Island District Attorney's race which pits incumbent Daniel Donovan (R)......

Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro placed a full page ad in the Staten Island Advance blasting Staten Island D.A. Daniel Donovan. Molinaro called the trial and the sentencing of his 18-year-old grandson Steven to 5 years in jail a "miscarriage of justice." In 2006, Steven was arrested for beating up a 14-year-old Staten Island Advance paper boy and, this year, Molinaro was accused of violating an order of protection and driving down the paper......

Eighteen-year-old Steven Molinaro, grandson of Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, was found guilty of criminal contempt of violating an order of protection. His family says that the jury made a bad decision and James Molinaro said, "I think being my grandson hurt him." Maybe so, but Steven Molinaro has been getting into trouble on his own. Last year, Steven Molinaro was arrested after beating up a 14-year-old Staten Island Advance newspaper boy Mark Veras,......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: A hazmat situation at 56th Avenue and Peck in Queens, a suspicious package at 110th and 5th Avenue in Manhattan, and lots of storm damage in Brooklyn Four NYPD traffic agents faked tickets to look busy; supervisors became suspicious when noticing a large number of tickets to out-of-town cars (city resident-owned cars get barcode tickets, but out-of-town tickers are handwritten). Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro had a heart......

With The Sopranos gone, those wishing for a slice of gangster life and a free John Gotti poster can watch out for Mob Candy magazine. Back in May, Radar explained how the magazine came to be during a conversation between editor in chief Tyrone Christopher and publisher Frank DiMatteo and that the first issue would feature "articles on Don Carlo Gambino's legacy, 50 years of rats, FBI vs. Italian Americans, along with current mobster......

John D'Amato, a prominent Staten Island attorney, died of a heart attack yesterday; the 52-year-old had been jogging near his Dongan Hills home. D'Amato, a lawyer and lobbyist, had been appointed as the NYC campaign manager for Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign. (He had hosted a fund-raiser for Governor Spitzer's campaign last year, though.) The Staten Island Advance writes:John D'Amato was a titan on Staten Island -- one of the most ambitious, aggressive and influential of......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a large snake was reported on West 118th St. in Manhattan, an assault in transit on the Brighton Line in Brooklyn, and an armed robbery on Whittier St. and Lafayette Ave. in the Bronx. The Splasher's identity is revealed! Scroll down to the bottom of our post on the anti-street art vandal for his name and picture. Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro wants security cameras installed at a......

After Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro recommended that the 5 Boroughs ice cream flavor "Staten Island Landfill" be boycotted, sales of the swirly mix of brownies, fudge, crunchies, and cherries in a vanilla ice cream base have been so hot, it's hard to find it anywhere. Which makes the owners of 5 Boroughs happy - Kim Myles, who founded 5 Boroughs with her husband Scott, said, "We have one thing to say to Mr.......

Five families are homeless after a 50 foot by 50 foot part of a retaining wall collapsed late Monday in the Dongan Hills section of Staten Island It turns out that the wall, which is 200 feet long, was built without a permit and that the owner of the wall happens to be John D'Amato, lobbying partner of Guy Molinari and the head of Rudy Giuliani's NYC campaign. Nice one, D'Amato! It's believed that the......

Staten Island may not be the only borough worried about its future, but it might be the only one to have commissioned a study to understand the next 13 years. Earlier this week, the Center for an Urban Future presented Staten Island 2020 plans. The Advance noted that Mayor Bloomberg had PlaNYC 2030 while SI had 2020, "The study...lays out an ambitious series of recommendations aimed at promoting sensible growth, boosting tourism and protecting......

There were hopes that the Department of Environmental Protection would be able to figure out the very gaseous smell that plagued Staten Island on Tuesday. But DEP testing cannot determine the origin of the stink, which the Staten Island Advance described as "though everyone had left their stoves on" and "similar to that of the chemical artificially added to natural gas to allow people to smell a leak." Hmm, no traces of a big spill......

The Daily News had a short story about the 18 year old grandson of Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro getting arrested. Not only was it Steve Molinaro's third arrest, it was for beating up a newspaper delivery boy. The boy, 14 year old Mark Veras, was delivering papers for the Staten Island Advance, and naturally the Advance has the most thorough coverage. And it's a doozy. These seem to be the chain of events,......

With all the criticism swirling around Mayor Bloomberg about the terror threat last week, former mayor Rudy Giuliani is defending Bloomberg. Guiliani, at a fundraiser for Staten Island's borough president, James Molinaro, said, "Mayor Bloomberg did exactly the right thing about putting the information out to the public, as did Commissioner Kelly. I think they have handled the whole situation about terrorism very well." Love him or hate him, Guiliani probably got it right when......

Mayor Bloomberg is proposing that the 2,200 Fresh Kills landfill be transformed into a Olympic park as the City finalizes its Olympic bid. Wow - the Mayor and his cronies never run out of ways to turn straw into gold! The Mayor, joined by Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden and Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, presided over a demonstration of "Mountain Biking and BMX, the Olympic Games' newest, exciting sport,"......

Mayor Bloomberg announced the city's plans to turn the closed Fresh Kills landkill into a park. The Times points out that the landfill is "a garbage dump site that is so large it can be seen from space," which is why it's a sensitive and important issue for Staten Islanders...especially Staten Islanders who can vote. Reporter Michel Cooper describes the city's renderings of a Fresh Kills Park as "Monet using Photoshop" or Andrew Wyeth-like. Staten......