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Judge: Paterson Showed "Poor Judgement" But No Criminality

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:51:21 +0000

AP Five months have passed since former chief judge Judith S. Kaye took over the investigation into David Paterson’s role in his aide’s alleged assault against a former girlfriend. Today Kaye released her report [ pdf ], concluding that Paterson did not break any laws when he repeatedly contacted the woman, Sherr-una Booker, after his former top adviser , David Johnson, allegedly choked her, tore off her Halloween costume, and threw her against a mirrored dresser last October. There has been widespread speculation that Booker dropped her court case against Booker as a result of pressure from Paterson and the State Police . (She dropped the case the day after a phone call from Paterson.) After the New York Times published a series of incendiary articles detailing the Paterson administration’s response to the alleged altercation, Paterson reached out to Booker again, and instructed his press secretary to draft a statement for Booker declaring that “though our break-up was not friendly, there was nothing acrimonious about our relationship or its ending.” Booker refused to issue the statement. Paterson also left a voicemail message for Booker after the story broke. Here’s the awkward transcript: Sherri, this is David. You should see the way they wrote this story. They’re trying to make it look like I pressured you into dropping this court case. Please help me. Your lawyer — his statement makes it sound the same way. Um, I mean — I was trying to find out about the rumors involving myself. You placed the call to me around ten minutes to four on Sunday, Feb. 7 — it was the day of the Super Bowl. And, um, in the conversation, we just talked about the things that — that — you didn’t say anything about me, and I didn’t say about you. Then we went on to talk about other stuff, but — I hope, uh — you remember that I was not trying to make you do anything, and — I hope your lawyer will do something to help me here, because this, uh, doesn’t look good for me, and I wasn’t in this. Apparently, Booker had plenty of room on her voicemail, because Paterson went on and on like Jon Favreau in Swingers : And this is exactly what they’re after. And I — I was just not in this and didn’t — um, you know — want to play a role in it. And, to be honest with you, I believe you. So — um, anyway, uh — if you can help to clear this up, because it — that portrayal, that conversation — we didn’t talk for one minute, we talked for 10 or 15 minutes. And, um — I did tell you that I was there for you, and you could call me. But I wasn’t doing it to try to trade it for you dropping the ca — I didn’t even know the court date was Monday, to be honest with you. I’ll talk to you later. Paterson later testified that he reached out to Booker because he had heard that she needed help handling press inquiries. Kaye’s report states that “there were numerous telephone contacts between the Governor and Booker, some that he initiated even after he became aware of the serious nature of her accusations, and even just after he referred this matter to the OAG. Regardless of any good faith reasons on the part of the Governor for contacts that he initiated, these were errors of judgment.” But Kaye found no criminality on behalf of the Governor. So we guess this means he’s cleared to run for Governor again! Watch your back, Cuomo. Kaye’s report does say that there is “evidence reviewed warrants consideration of possible charges” against Johnson relating to the alleged altercation with Booker, who last week decided to continue with her legal action against Johnson.

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Judge: Paterson Showed "Poor Judgement" But No Criminality

Photos: Ca Va, Todd English’s Flashy New French Brasserie

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:37:22 +0000

Todd English can’t stop, won’t stop. Having just slapped his celebrated name on the new fancy food court in the Plaza Hotel , the chef/restaurateur is opening Ca Va , a shiny new brasserie adjacent to the new Intercontinental Times Square hotel on West 44th Street. It’s also right by the new Shake Shack , so if you tire of the line you can always pop in here for a $21 sirloin burger. (It opens Monday, which IS ALREADY AUGUST, WTF?!) The sleek establishment, designed by Jeffrey Beers , consists of a dining room seating 80, a private dining room with room for 56 swells, and a swish lounge. Starting next week, Ca Va will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving signature dishes such as Tuna Nicoise with haricots vert, fingerling potatoes, tomato confit, black olives, cucumbers, chopped egg, avocado dressing ($26). For dinner there are options like the Todd’s Cassoulet: duck confit, pork sausage, braised lamb, spring beans, and frisée salad ($29). Or perhaps you’d prefer the Rabbit Wellington: puff pastry wrapped loin, spinach, mushrooms, braised leg, and carrot purée ($26)? According to Zagat Buzz , “the cocktail list is heavy on the French offerings—numerous drinks feature St. Germain and Mathilde’s fruit liqueurs. Libations like the A’labsinthe—a mix of pear vodka, limoncello, Pernod and housemade sweet-and-sour mix—are available for $14.” 310 West 44th Street, (212) 803-4545

Ferry Crash Victim Gets $500K To Make Up For Dating Life

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:25:10 +0000

Flickr user AllWaysNY A federal judge awarded a victim of the 2003 Staten Island ferry crash $500K yesterday because apparently the ladies don’t love men who can eat only pureed food. Though the judge tossed out all of Michael Grynberg’s other claims—depression, post traumatic stress disorder, brain damage and lost wages—his heartstrings tugged at Grynberg’s claim that his engagement ended because of his injuries, and that he stopped dating two years ago because of all the embarrassments. The judge said , “He would actually order ‘liquid stuff like soup’ to avoid jaw discomfort.” Man who eats soup for dinner? Dealbreaker! The city has already paid over $67 million to settle lawsuits stemming from the 2003 Andrew J. Barberi crash , which killed 11 passengers. The same ship was responsible for a crash in May , but returned to the water in late June . However, Grynberg’s tale seems a bit fishy; he has filed five different lawsuits since 1991 over various accidents and claims of job discrimination. All that’s left for him is to cash in by signing a Jared-esque ad deal with Jamba Juice.

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Ferry Crash Victim Gets $500K To Make Up For Dating Life

State Senate To Hold Special Session, Accomplish Nothing

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:34:16 +0000

The state budget was due on April 1 , so the State Senate is headed to Albany tonight for a special session . However, it’s not expected that anything will actually, you know, pass, because the Democrats have a 32-seat majority (the number needed to pass items) and not all Democrats are expected to show up (Malcolm Smith is on vacation). And while the Republicans could help pass something by agreeing to a Dem-backed plan, that seems unlikely to Governor Paterson , “What the Republicans are doing now is voting no on everything, and then quietly behind the scenes going to all of the donors and special interests and telling them, ‘we’re not hurting you.’ Well they’re not hurting them because they’re not saying anything.’”

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State Senate To Hold Special Session, Accomplish Nothing

Obama In NJ, NYC Today

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:15:53 +0000

Barricades set up outside the View studios on West 66th Street (Jen Chung/Gothamist) President Obama is visiting the Garden State and Big Apple today, so everyone should just get ready for the inevitable gridlock headaches. According to the AP/1010 WINS , “Obama was to speak Wednesday at a sandwich shop in Edison, N.J., to tout a lending initiative aimed at small businesses. From there he was to travel to New York to tape an interview with the daytime talk show ‘The View’ and attend two high-dollar fundraisers for the Democratic National Committee.” From what we’ve gleaned: NJ Governor Chris Christie will greet Obama at Newark Liberty International Airport between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Then he’ll head to the Tastee Sub Shop in Edison, NJ . As for exact street closures in Manhattan, the NYPD hasn’t disclosed any but the View tapes on West 66th Street, off West End Avenue, so expect some gridlock in the Lincoln Center/Upper West Side area Also, NYC Transit sent out this advisory: President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Manhattan on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. As a result, based on street closures (frozen zones) instituted by the U.S. Secret Service and the New York City Police Department, many local and express bus routes in Lower and Midtown Manhattan are expected to be either severely delayed or detoured between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m., especially the M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M7, M9, M11, M14/14A/14D, M15, M20, M21, M31, Q32, M50, M66, M72, M98, M101, M102, M103, M104, BxM1, BxM2, BxM3, BxM4, BxM6, BxM7, BxM7a, BxM9, BxM10 and BxM11. In addition, some subway station entrances/exits along the motorcade route may be temporarily closed. If you have photographs of the President, motorcade, gridlock, etc., you can share them by emailing them to photos@gothamist.com or tagging them “gothamist” on Flickr. Update : Of course Gridlock Sam (former NYC Traffic Commissioner Sam Schwartz) has details. He Tweets : “FDR Drive frozen below 71st St. both directions around 3pm, around 6pm, & again around 8pm Wed. for President Obama visit,” “President Obama’s 1st NYC stop is the UWS in the 60s & West End Ave. for taping of ‘The View’,” “President Obama will attend fundraiser on 57th & Park Ave. around 5:30pm. Park Ave. & 57th St. will be frozen in all directions,” and “Prez Obama heads to the W. Village in the evening. Avoid the area btwn W. 3rd St. & Houston St. from LaGuardia Pl. to Sixth Ave.”

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Obama In NJ, NYC Today

Paterson Finally Breaks Silence Over Jersey Shore

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:58:12 +0000

It’s silly enough when civilians spend valuable time talking about Jersey Shore , but when politicians do it, it’s just, well, sigh -worthy. In a recent interview NJ Governor Chris Christie said the show was negative for his state, explaining, “what it does is takes a bunch of New Yorkers—most of the people on Jersey Shore are New Yorkers … [and] drops them at the Jersey Shore, and tries to make Americans feel like this is New Jersey.” Now in response to the comment, Governor Paterson—after pondering how Christie has time to watch MTV’s reality programing— said of the cast , “Well maybe they are better when they’re in New York than they’re in New Jersey.” Not really—but we’ll give the Gov a pass since he hasn’t seen the show (allegedly!). What Christie failed to recognize is that these cast members perfectly represent parts of the Jersey Shore, because while some of them may be New Yorkers, they are the kind of people who are attracted to the Jersey Shore scene—the whole thing is a state of mind , you see. And of course, what Christie should really be worried about (aside from governing his state ) is how the cast members of Jerseylicious , Jersey Couture and ( especially ) Real Housewives of New Jersey are repping the dirty Jerz.

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Paterson Finally Breaks Silence Over Jersey Shore

Man Struck In The Head By Train At Metro-North Station

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:52:19 +0000

A 19-year-old man from Ohio is in critical condition after a freight train on Metro-North tracks hit him at the Ossining station. A ccording to the AP , “Metro-North said Christopher Newman was sitting on the train platform in Ossining, leaning forward with his legs dangling over the tracks on Saturday. He was struck in the head and is at Westchester Medical Center.” Newman suffered severe head and back injuries; the Journal News reports , “he only bruised his legs, thanks to the gap between the train and platform, [Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie] Anders said.” Newman had been in New York City with friends. The friends got out at the Tarrytown station, but then realized Newman wasn’t with them (Ossining is two stops after Tarrytown ). The friends then went from station to station to find him and “happen[ed] upon the accident scene in Ossining.”

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Man Struck In The Head By Train At Metro-North Station

Belgian Artist Jan De Cock Lives Up To His Name On Plane

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:41:26 +0000

Visual and installation artist Jan De Cock—the first living Belgian artist to get an exhibition at MoMA —was detained for unruly behavior after his flight landed at JFK Airport yesterday. According to the Post , during the flight De Cock was rebuked by a flight attendant for “twirling the cord of his headset in the aisle,” which is kind of a dick move. When told that his cord-twirling might injure other passengers, De Cock allegedly gestured with his headset cord as if it were a garrote and replied, “I could kill the pilot with these.” After De (motherfucking) Cock stepped off the (motherfucking) plane, the Joint Terrorism Task Force questioned him, but declined to slap De Cock with any charges.

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Belgian Artist Jan De Cock Lives Up To His Name On Plane

MTA May Cut Fun Pass, Raise Monthly Metrocard $10-15

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:08:55 +0000

The time has come to put away touristy things: tomorrow the full MTA board will propose the elimination of the one day “Fun Pass” MetroCard, which was introduced as a boon for tourists back in 1998. But the passport to fun has been abused by subway scammers, who use it to sell discounted $2 swipes to commuters. The MTA is also expected to scrap the 14-day unlimited MetroCard, which is only used by 2% of commuters. On the plus side, there’s now a chance that the weekly and monthly unlimited MetroCards will survive without limitations , albeit at a higher cost . The MTA is reportedly considering two options for the Unlimited MetroCards: For the weekly, a fare increase from $27 to $28, with a 22-trip limit on rides; or an increase to $29, with no limit. For the monthly, the MTA will consider either a fare increase from $89 to $99 with a 90-trip limit; or a significant increase to $104, with no limit. In addition, the pay-per-ride bonus will be slashed from 15 percent to seven percent. Also on the table: 50 cent increases tolls for major bridges and tunnels, as well as cuts to the “off peak” discounts on the LIRR. Second Avenue Sagas notes that by 2011, the fare hikes will have outstripped inflation by nearly 25 percent since Unlimited MetroCards were introduced in 1998. To push back, Paul Steely White of Transportation Alternatives is leading a “Riders’ Rebellion” campaign to fight the fare hikes in Albany. “We will be asking riders to sign a riders’ bill of rights,” White tells NY1 . “This bill of rights outlines exactly what the state should be doing for the region’s eight million subway and bus riders—affordable fares, clean safe, accessible stations. These are the types of things that riders should be getting for their fare money and they’re not.” “The villain here is not the MTA,” says Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign . “In many ways they are as much the victim as the riders are. They had $143 million cut from their budget and, as a result, their customers were hit with the worst service cuts in decades. So asking the riders to pay more for less is wrong, but it’s not the MTA’s fault.” You can watch tomorrow’s MTA board debate live online here . After laying out the options, the MTA will hold public hearings in September and then make a final decision about the various plans.

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MTA May Cut Fun Pass, Raise Monthly Metrocard $10-15

Rutgers Declines To Grow All Of NJ’s Legal Pot

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:50:41 +0000

Rutgers may be the Garden State ’s state university, but the school has declined Governor Chris Christie’s request that it grow all of New Jersey’s medical marijuana. The idea for Rutgers to be the sole grower —and for hospitals to be distributors—allegedly helped “minimize some of Christie’s concern about the program posing a security and safety threat.” But Rutgers’ School of Environmental and Biological Sciences dean pointed out the Star-Ledger that “almost every aspect of the school’s business – from providing financial aid, to obtaining research grants, to seeking immigration visas for visiting professors and other guests – is tied up in federal funding.” Robert Goodman said, ” Higher education is infinitely tied to the federal government, operating under the presumption we are not violating federal law. ”

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Rutgers Declines To Grow All Of NJ’s Legal Pot