Results tagged “joycepurnick”

Thirty years ago tonight, New York City lost electricity when a Con Ed substation was hit by lightning strikes and a "cascading effect" caused the system to shut down around 9PM. And NYC, as well as parts of Westchester County, were powerless for over a day in the sweltering heart of the summer. Subways were stuck, mobs set fires and stores were looted.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly decided to put a rest to many leaks and give the news himself: Blood found on ties that were in binding the hands of murdered graduate student Imette St. Guillen matches the DNA of Falls bouncer Darryl Littlejohn. The Brooklyn DA's office is going for a grand jury indictment this week, and Littlejohn has been in police custody for almost a week for parole violation, which is why the NYPD hasn't pressed charges against him yet - he's "not going anywhere." St. Guillen's family, though, isn't commenting until Littlejohn is formally charged.

In a move that didn't surprise anyone, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has officially endorsed Mayor Bloomberg. In the news clips, Bloomberg acknowledged (kind of smirkily) that Markowitz made a tough decision in switching sides, but whatever, Marty knew which side his Brooklyn bread was buttered on: The side with the candidate that will mostly likely win. Anyway, suspect it's the Mayor's support of bringing more big business to Brooklyn, but Markowitz, along with other Democratic politicians (State Senator Malcolm Smith, Assemblywoman Barbara Clark and Councilman James Sanders), claim that his crime, education and affordable housing records are what makes him endorsement-worthy. Interestingly enough, NY magazine's political piece questions whether the Mayor's Republican-ness carries too much of a stink for "thinking" Democrats to vote for him. Well, that's not stopping anyone from telling the polls they'll vote for him.

Two days after Fernando Ferrer said, in front of the Sergeants' Benevolent Association, that he didn't think Amadou Diallo's death was a crime, simply a tragedy, politicians and even Diallo's mother have been weighing in. This is a big deal for mayoral hopeful Ferrer because these words seem to be a a change from 1999, when he protested outside Police Headquarters. Diallo's mother, Kadiatou Diallo, has told the media that she's "very hurt" by Ferrer's remarks, given his past support. Some political consultants say Ferrer didn't shoot himself in the foot but, as Hank Sheinkopf put it, "What voters don't like is inconsistency, and his inconsistency is going to hurt him." Though Ferrer is claiming he has been consistent, Steinkopf added that C. Virginia Fields "should send him flowers."

The MTA has installed cameras in certain subway stations, according to the Post, to keep an eye on "suspicious activity." (I'm sure the Straphangers will like that, as it'll be the foundation for a plan to install cameras in all station to catch the crazy people who pee in the stations and make them reek.) Depending on where you are, Operation Atlas may be affecting your daily commute. Walking through Grand Central Terminal this morning, I did see a lot of police officers and military types, but perhaps that's because there were some news remotes happening there, but I really hate Jimmy Breslin for saying that the Times Square subway will be target #1, a fear that I have not wanted to utter aloud. Joyce Purnick points out that New Yorkers have lost some swagger with the start of the war. Not Jimmy Breslin, Joyce, not Jimmy Breslin.