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9/11 Health Bill Fails In House Vote, Weiner Gets ANGRY

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:10:02 +0000

Responders working at Ground Zero in the days after the 9/11 attacks (AP file) When does the Republican party abandon 9/11? When it’s time to provide $7.4 billion in medical treatment and compensation to first responders and residents sickened by the toxic dust after the September 11, 2001 attacks at the World Trade Center. Yesterday, the House’s 255-159 vote (243 Democrats and 12 Republicans supported the measure; 155 Republicans and 4 Democrats voted nay) fell short of the majority needed to pass the long-debated James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009 . Republicans called it a “slush fund” and an “entitlement program.” Rep. Anthony Weiner (D) slammed the partisanship in this rousing (and LOUD) speech. Rep. Peter King (R-NY) claimed the Democrats were taking “cover” by asking for the high majority. The NY Times explains , “Democrats used rules requiring a wider majority for approval to prevent Republicans from offering amendments on the floor that would embarrass Democrats in an election year”—amendments like denying illegal immigrants sickened during 9/11 benefits—”Republican opponents of the legislation expressed concern over the $7.4 billion cost of the program. But Democrats accused Republicans of being callous and vowed to bring the bill back for another vote in the fall.” Weiner, in response to King, yelled , “The gentleman is wrong! The gentleman is providing cover for his colleagues rather than doing the right thing! It’s Republicans wrapping their arms around Republicans rather than doing the right thing on behalf of the heroes!” Here’s the breakdown of where the money would go, via the Daily News : “The bill would spend $3.2 billion on health care over the next 10 years for people sickened from their exposure to the toxic smoke and debris of the shattered World Trade Center. It would spend another $4.2 billion to compensate victims over that span, and make another $4.2 billion in compensation available for the next 11 years.” Rep. John Shimus (R-Illinois) said it was wasteful because it pays at a higher rate than Medicare, “What this is is enfranchising a bunch of New York City hospitals.” Wait, isn’t Medicare socialist? Mayor Bloomberg said, “It was wrong for the overwhelming majority of Republicans to vote against the bill. and it was wrong for Democrats to bring the bill to the floor under rules that made passage so much more difficult.” However, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), one of the sponsors, tried to remain upbeat; in a statement, she said, “Today’s vote showed that we have the support we need to pass the Zadroga Act, and we look forward to passing the bill with a simple majority when Congress returns from its August recess. We thank our colleagues in the New York delegation for their dedication to those who were harmed by the terrorist attacks on our nation. We will not rest until we finally provide proper care for ailing 9/11 responders and survivors, and fill the last remaining gap in America’s recovery from the attacks. Nine long years after the attacks, the living victims of 9/11 are still suffering. We must pass this bill. It is the least we can do as a grateful nation.”

Chelsea Clinton’s Wedding Means Hudson Valley Lockdown

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:15:18 +0000

Last week, two Norwegian journalists were arrested outside of Astor Courts , the 50-acre estate rumored to be the location of Chelsea Clinton’s wedding to Marc Mezvinsky this Saturday. According to the AP, “Thomas Bjorn Nilsson, 43, of New York, and Kjerste Sortland, 41, of Snorova, Norway, were charged with a [trespassing] violation after they were stopped around 2 p.m. Wednesday on the” sprawling estate’s ground. The journalists’ editor said the fine will be paid, but the police were overreacting and that they were not trespassing, “We did not realize it was forbidden to take the picture of the gate of the house where the Clinton wedding is to be.” Never underestimate the importance of a Clinton-connected gate. Besides security lockdowns, the Clinton-Mezvinsky nuptials are causing second-guessing (maybe the wedding will be in Martha’s Vineyard ?) and teeth-gnashing—whether from other brides or Democrats who thought they would be invited. “I’m good enough to borrow a plane from, but not good enough to be invited to the wedding?” complained one Clinton friend , who remembered the times he handed over his jet and his pilot to take Bill Clinton around the country but had not landed a coveted invitation to Chelsea Clinton’s nuptials.”We’re outer circle, not inner circle,” said Victor Kovner, a prominent New York lawyer who supported Mrs. Clinton’s presidential bid. “We’re very happy for them, we’re very happy for their parents, and mazel tov, as we say in New York.” Those lucky enough to attend will be treated to a mix of modern and classic tunes. TMZ got a sneak peak at the band’s set list , which includes lots of hits from the likes of Diana Ross, Jackie Wilson and Ray Charles. There will also be a ton of Michael Jackson, and some modern hits like “I Got a Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. WABC estimates the music will cost $40,000, which in their breakdown is one of the lowest costs of the $2 million affair. They estimate invitations alone cost $50,000, the reception space up to $200,000, and the flowers a whopping $250,000. Best of all, taxpayers will be footing the bill for the Secret Service outside of the other security costs, all of which will most likely ruin this bride’s special day .

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Chelsea Clinton’s Wedding Means Hudson Valley Lockdown

Rangel Tells Supporters He Won’t Let Them Down

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:35:28 +0000

Photograph of Rep. Rangel speaking to reporters yesterday by Mary Altaffer/AP Rep. Charles Rangel (D) spoke to reporters from the Harlem district he’s served for over 40 years and said he was speaking against the advice of his lawyers. He claimed he was glad for the public House trial next week—he’s accused of numerous ethics violations —because then there will be more facts, “I cannot think of anything that relieves me more than to be able to say to my constituents, ‘This is the result of the investigation’ so that they would know who Charlie Rangel is.’… Those of you who know me know that saying, ‘No comment’ is very, very difficult for me.” Heck, he even apologized to Luke Russert—video below: While the exact charges haven’t been disclosed yet, they are apparently related to his four (!) rent-stabilized apartments , not reporting income and/or taxes on various properties and sales and preserving a tax loophole worth $500 million for an oil executive donating money to a CUNY graduate school named after him . Democratic Congresswoman Betty Sutton of Ohio said yesterday , “It is regrettable, but Charlie Rangel needs to resign from his seat in Congress. This isn’t about being a Democrat or Republican this is about preserving the public trust.” And, in a story about how Rangel and the House were in settlement talks (which broke down), the NY Times reports , “What is most disconcerting to House leaders, according to two senior aides, is their view that Mr. Rangel is more focused on limiting damage to his legacy than on preserving Democratic control of the House.” Still, Rangel said, “To my family, friends and constituents that have been there for me throughout, I can only say without dispute that I won’t let you down.” The Daily News points out , “The schedule for the ethics trial favors Rangel. Only one meeting could be held before his Sept. 14 primary – leaving the bulk of what could be an ugly process to unspool going into November’s elections,” and that Rangel needs to run this fall in order to raise money to pay his huge legal fees .

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Rangel Tells Supporters He Won’t Let Them Down

Quicklisting: West Village, $3.95M

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:30:00 +0000

3 BR, 2.5 BA, Single Family Townhouse Asking: $3,950,000 | Mon, 5:30-7pm 237 West 12th Street, HOUSE [Stribling]

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Quicklisting: West Village, $3.95M

SI Fatal Fire: Possible Murder-Suicide, Teen Son Suspected

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:13:26 +0000

Photograph of mourners at a memorial outside Wee Care where some of the victims attended day care by Swoan Parker/AP The house fire that claimed the lives of a mother and her four children in Staten Island’s Port Richmond section yesterday morning may have been arson—and police suspect it was a murder-suicide committed by the eldest child. The Staten Island Advance reports , “Police believe 14-year-old C.J. Jones slit the throats of his sisters, 7-year-old Melonie and 10-year-old Brittney, torched his family’s apartment on the second floor of 302 Nicholas Ave., then ran a razor across his own throat.” The fire, which eventually went to three alarms, not only burned C.J. and his sisters, but also killed his 2-year-old brother Jermaine and 32-year-old mother Leisa as well (heartbreaking pictures of the children here ). It’s unclear if Jeramine’s or Leisa Jones’ throats were slashed , because they were so badly burned . According to the Advance, during the investigation yesterday, officials, who were examining whether it was arson, found “C.J. was found slumped over a bed in a back bedroom, his throat also slit, Paul Browne, the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information, told reporters yesterday. A straight razor was discovered underneath the boy’s body.” Two police officers who had been on patrol a few blocks away smelled the smoke and knocked on residents’ doors —many residents credit the cops for saving their lives. But the flames were too intense for the cops to reach the Jones home. The Post reports that one neighbor recalled C.J. playing with matches, while another “said CJ was a quiet boy who often was responsible for caring for his siblings by himself. He never had any friends visit his home.” But apparently he had been suspended from school recently for fighting and was kicked out of a public pool for setting a fire there. A family friend told the Daily News , “You’d think only a monster could do this, not a little boy… He was a troublemaker when he was younger but we thought he grew out of that. He was the man of the house. I don’t know why he did this, he must have been going through something no one could see.” Leisa Jones was a cosmetology student, and the admissions director at her school once noticed how C.J. wasn’t smiling, “I said, ‘Hey, why won’t you smile?’ He wouldn’t look at me. He was very quiet. So serious.” But the boy’s grandmother Marcia Anderson told the Post, ” I don’t believe it. We don’t buy that. Nothing about my grandson is a murderer .” Still, another family friend said Leisa Jones was “stressing out” because of his issues .

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SI Fatal Fire: Possible Murder-Suicide, Teen Son Suspected

Extreme Makeovers: Renovated Harlem Townhouse Goes for That Soho Feel

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:05:16 +0000

Click the image above to view the full photogallery. [All new photographs by Amy Berkow.] How to have a loft in Soho without actually buying a loft in Soho: pay $1.4 million for a Harlem brownstone and hire an architect for a $740,000 renovation that will make the brownstone as loft-like as possible. Architect Gregory Merryweather passed along the above before-and-after photos of 225 West 112th Street , a Harlem townhouse that sold for nearly 17 percent above its $1.2 million asking price in 2007. The owners, a sound designer and blogger, wanted an “environmentally conscious” renovation and a house that would mimic the open space of the Soho loft they were leaving behind. How so? In the architect’s words: The solution to this request was to introduce a series of openings between the floors that not only let light come through the house from the skylight above but also to allow views and communication to take place between the floors….Additionally, the stairwell, which in a townhouse is typically strictly for circulation, was fitted with bookshelves and a reading nook to introduce some program to that space, so rather than being just a place to pass through, it is also a destination in itself. The kitchen, for the client the social focus of the house, was placed at the center of the parlor floor, rather than the more typical rear. So, does it look like Soho? · Official Site: Gregory Merryweather [gmarcllc.com] · Sale: 225 West 112th Street [StreetEasy]

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Extreme Makeovers: Renovated Harlem Townhouse Goes for That Soho Feel

Hundreds Arrested as G20 Ends with Deficit Cut Agreement

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:23:35 +0000

Our colleagues at Torontoist provided balls to the wall coverage of the protests surrounding the G20 summit in Toronto over the weekend. Police cars were set on fire , tear gas canisters were shot at demonstrators, and riot police charged into a crowd of protesters singing “Oh, Canada” (though who could blame them?). All in all, more than 600 people were arrested, a number that included protesters, reporters, civil rights monitors , and innocent bystanders. Not exactly NYC RNC arrest numbers , but still impressive for our ostensibly polite brethren in the north. One veterinarian and his wife even awoke at 4 a.m. Saturday to find cops in their bedroom pointing guns at them. “I thought it was a bad dream. Basically I woke up, and there were four police officers in my room,” Dr. John Booth told CBC News . Police were raiding the house in search of anti-G20 protesters (found on the first floor). They dragged Booth outside in handcuffs, telling him they had warrants to search his apartment, which they proceeded to do, despite his insistence that neither he, nor his wife, nor their six-month-old son were involved in any protest activity. Finally the cops realized they were looking for someone else, named Peter, and let him go. Amnesty International, among others, is calling for an inquiry into how police handled the protests and “turned Toronto into an armed camp.” Of course the protests, most of them nonviolent, did not seem to have any effect on the leaders of the world’s biggest economies as they met to agree on ways to reduce debt. At the end of the summit, the nations agreed to a non-binding timetable for cutting government deficits in half by 2013. The final consensus called for deficit reduction “tailored to national circumstances”—an acknowledgment that some economies, like Japan, are dependent on domestic borrowing. At the summit’s conclusion, President Obama said that the G-20 agreement was in line with budget plans already announced, according to the Times . Below, video of the protesters’ “Oh, Canada” segue into police beatdown. G20 – Cops Charge Protesters at Queen and Spadina, After “O Canada” from Torontoist on Vimeo .

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Hundreds Arrested as G20 Ends with Deficit Cut Agreement

Getting Over It: Devonshire House Buyer Makes Peace With Lobby ‘Crime’

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:43:59 +0000

The condo conversion of the pre-war Devonshire House at University Place and East 10th Street has been a huge success, but there was one minor speed bump on the new ownership’s path to unbridled riches and praise: A risky renovation of the building’s classic Emery Roth lobby (“after” shot seen above). Even the Times dedicated space to the controversy, and one remaining renter in the building was pretty vocal about the changes: “The lobby, as it is, is quite beautiful,” said David Mann, the president of MR Architecture and Decor, who has rented a penthouse studio in the building for nearly two decades. “I am fearful about what they might do that may never be changed back. To rip out the floors, to me, is a crime .” Records show Mann just paid $438,750 for his studio, making him one of the building’s first buyers and, we suppose, an accessory to murder. · A New Spin on Emery Roth [NYT] · Devonshire House coverage [Curbed]

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Getting Over It: Devonshire House Buyer Makes Peace With Lobby ‘Crime’

184 Kent Goes Halfsies, Gets Political: Williamsburg luxury waterfront building 184 Kent…

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:25:25 +0000

Williamsburg luxury waterfront building 184 Kent is officially 50 percent leased, according to a press release from the building’s developers. But even as the rental numbers creep up , there are still rumblings of discontent: the movement in support of two 184 Kent workers who were allegedly fired after trying to unionize now has a Facebook page . [CurbedWire Inbox; previously ]

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184 Kent Goes Halfsies, Gets Political: Williamsburg luxury waterfront building 184 Kent…

Cops Allegedly Call Scrabble Fight "Some Gay Thing"

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 13:50:42 +0000

Police Officer Sonya Glover has been awarded $80,000 in a settlement from the city after claiming she was wrongfully brought up on departmental charges. Glover says she was wrongfully accused of attacking a friend during a game of Scrabble, and was forced into relationship counseling because her department assumed she and her friend were romantically involved. Glover and a friend were playing Scrabble one night in February of 2008. The game allegedly turned violent when Glover began mocking her friend’s spelling and accusing her of making up words. A child in the house eventually called 911, saying, “My mom’s friend is beating her.” Cops arrived, and court papers say they described the dispute as “involving lesbians” and “some gay thing.” There was no evidence that either women were hurt or that they were romantically involved. Glover was not arrested. However, she was brought up on departmental charges. She had to attend eight weeks of domestic abuse counseling, and says she was forced to clean men’s bathrooms and that the sergeant mocked her voice as masculine. Her lawyer said, “Although Officer Glover is content with the outcome, she is saddened that the department continues to reject diversity in the ranks to the detriment of the citizens it serves.”

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Cops Allegedly Call Scrabble Fight "Some Gay Thing"