Results tagged “maristcollege”

The Queens sniper has been revealed to be Matthew Colletta, a Woodhaven bricklayer, with a history of mental illness and drug dealing, and one of the victims from his Friday shooting spree has died. He apparently was high on "a cocktail of vodka and cocaine" that made him think he was being followed by the Bloods. While it seems that Colletta was shooting at random, five of the seven cars were red. Six people were injured, and Todd Upton, a UPS driver, was died from his injuries. And Colletta told police he thought the dog of Andrzej Leonik, who was simply walking in Maspeth, was injuring a mother and baby, so he tried to shoot at the dog, but hit Leonik instead. An ex-girlfriend told the Daily News that Colletta was a nice guy, but the News points out that he tried to strangle her last Sunday - and chased her with a hammer - requiring an emergency protection order. A friend told the NY Times that Colletta had been taking lithium for paranoid schizophrenia and his defense attorney said, "Mental capacity will play a significant role in his defense." Watch out for the Mayor and Police Commissioner to use this tragic case as an example of why gun control is important.

A survey says more than half of New Yorkers are ready to deal with an emergency, such as a terrorist attack or big natural disaster. Marist College's poll found 55% of people polled have a bag ready, and half have a plan for what to do. And when we read that, Gothamist started to freak out that we didn't have a plan or a Go Bag! We plan to use our wiles, grab our water and Mag-Lite and live like the rats and roaches in case of an emergency. Although those Dahon folding bikes look pretty sweet.

If you see a slight spring in Mayor Bloomberg's step, it might be due to the latest poll from Marist College which puts him, for the first time this year (we think), ahead of any Democratic candidates in a hypothetical Mayoral matchup. The Mayor had been trailing behind former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer earlier this year, but it seems like the tide has turned for now, with the Mayor leading Ferrer 51% to 38%, up from Bloomberg's 42% to Ferrer's 49% last month. It's unclear what exactly caused the Mayor's bump, but it could be the Mayor's seemingly endless supply of campaign money or Ferrer's Amadou Diallo remarks, which the press has helped keep front of mind. And Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields looks like she's gaining steam, with 30% of Democrats supporting her, 34% supporting Ferrer.

And, unsurprisingly, the City Council is overriding that Mayor's veto to allow more public funds to be spent by candidates running against wealthy opponents. But, in the good news column for Mayor B, the Marist poll showed his approval rating was up to 46% from 42% and the Independent Budget Office said the city's deficit was about $800 million less than expected, thanks to the strength of the real estate market and Wall Street.

It seems like New Yorkers would like the Olympics: 77% say the 2012 Olympics in NYC would be a good idea. Other things gleaned from this Marist College survey: Republican Convention, 59% say it's good; 64% support the Nets moving to Brooklyn; people are divided between whether or not a Jets stadium is good for the West Side (48% against, 45% for).