Week of November 28, 2005
December 02, 2005
City Schools Narrow Racial GapNew York City has narrowed the racial gap in education, according to national test results released yesterday. The gap between white and black students shrunk by 10 percent, while the gap between whites and Hispanics fell seven percent. New York outpaced other urban areas in reducing these disparities, and was also the top scoring urban district among students eligible for free or reduced price lunches. Still, 43 percent of the city's fourth graders read below even basic levels, and only 20 percent of eighth graders read at a proficient level, a drop from 22 percent last year.
Bus Riders Honor Rosa Parks by Standing Up During a Day�s Rides (NY Times)
Kelly Orders Crackdown on Panhandlers at Penn Station (Daily News)
Union Leaders Call MTA Negotiator a Liar as Talks Stall (NY Post)
Detectives Reject Contract that Union Leaders Approved (Newsday)
Improvements at Columbia Presbyterian Highlight Gap Between Community, Academic Hospitals (NY Sun)
Suspect Indicted in Killing of Police Officer (NY 1)
NYC Calendar: Revisiting "Fake Estates", Tour of Flushing's Chinatown, Independent Book Fair, and more ... (Gotham Gazette)
City Schools Update Curriculum on AIDS for First Time in Decade (WNBC)
Democratic lawmakers secure meth funds for NYC community center (Advocate.com)
December 01, 2005
Woman Named Top Deputy MayorMayor Michael Bloomberg has begun to rearrange his administration for a second term, which he said will remain largely unchanged except for the departure of First Deputy Mayor Marc Shaw. Replacing him is Bloomberg�s long time aide Patricia Harris. Under an executive order Bloomberg signed when he took office, the first deputy mayor assumes all functions, powers and duties when the mayor leaves town. "When people say we've never had a woman mayor, when I'm out of town, we'll have a female mayor," Bloomberg said.
Children Under 5 in Manhattan Increased More Than 26 Percent (NY Times)
Union Leaders Rejected A Secret MTA Bid To Avert A Strike (Daily News)
Beth Israel Medical Center To Pay $73 Millions In Medicare Mess (NY Post)
City Takeover Of Bus Lines Nearly Done (Newsday)
City Council Rejects Landmark Status for Brooklyn Warehouse (Gotham Gazette)
Prying Open Backroom Door in Speaker�s Race (Metro)
High Profile Crimes Post Election (Gotham Gazette)
Crime Links In The News (Gotham Gazette)
November 30, 2005
Charges in Police KillingThe man accused of killing police officer Dillon Stewart in East Flatbush Monday morning shot another officer in Brooklyn nine days earlier, police say. Allan Cameron was arraigned yesterday on multiple charges including first degree murder for Stewart�s death and attempted murder for the shooting of off-duty police officer Wiener Philippe during a robber on November 19. Cameron was wanted for assaulting police in Pennsylvania two years ago but was never extradited, apparently because of a bureaucratic mixup. The case has sparked calls by Governor George Pataki and others for New York to reinstate the death penalty.
See Crime Links in the News.
Final Election Results
Only about a third -- 34 percent -- of registered voters -- cast ballots in this year�s mayoral election, according to official results certified by the Board of Elections yesterday. This was the lowest turnout in the last five mayoral contests. In the 2001 race, turnout was 41 percent. And while Mayor Michael Bloomberg beat Fernando Ferrer by a hefty 19.37 percentage point margin, he did not score the biggest win ever for a Republican over a Democrat. That record remains with Fiorello La Guardia, who had a 19.73 percentage-point edge in 1937.
For more, see Voting Links in the News.
Public Gets a Look at New Subway Cars (NY Times)
Few Blacks, Hispanics Get Regents High School Diplomas (NY Times)
Schools to Require After-School Tutoring for Struggling Students (Daily News)
Construction Begins on Goldman Sachs Headquarters Downtown (NY Post)
City Prepares for Possible Transit Strike (Newsday)
Pataki, Bloomberg Disagree on Death Penalty (NY Sun)
EPA to Scale Back Testing Near Ground Zero (Washington Post)
Community Development Television (Gotham Gazette)
November 29, 2005
Cop KilledDillon Stewart, 35, a five-year veteran of the New York Police Department, became the first city officer to be killed in the line of duty this year when he was shot by a man who had run a red light in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. Stewart was wearing a bulletproof vest, but the bullet reportedly entered through a gap in the vest into his left underarm. Seven other officers have been shot (but not killed) in the line of duty this year, and at least seven others have been killed on duty since Sept. 11, 2001. For details of the shooting, see crime links in the news.
Transit Talks
With the transit workers contract set to expire on December 15, there are many articles on the negotiations between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Transport Workers Union, though little is certain. Talks reportedly are stalled, or at least progress is slow. Transit union officials say whether or not there is a strike (the first in 25 years) is up to the MTA; the MTA reportedly is asking for lesser benefits for future employees and more flexibility in work assignments. The authority wants to combine the jobs of the train operator and train conductor into one job, though, the Times reports, the jobs �have been separate since the development of the steam engine in the 19th century.� For details, go to transportation links in the news.
Ferrer Blames Biased Media And Blundering Pollsters For Mayoral Defeat (NY Times)
Mayor And Council Rushing To Toughen Noise Code (Daily News)
High School Grads With Regents Diplomas Drops To 33 Percent (NY Post)
Comptroller Finds Conditions At Salvation Army Homeless Shelter (Now Closed) "Horrendous" (Newsday)
Striking NYU Grad Students Threatened With Penalties (NY Sun)
Pundits Are No More Accurate Than The Rest Of Us (And Usually, They're Worse) (The New Yorker)
New York Civil Liberties Union Files Legal Challenge To Videotaping Of Demonstrators (Associated Press)
Candidates for City Council speaker "donate" their own campaign funds to the people who will end up electing them. Is this naked vote-buying? (New York Magazine)
Arts Education (Gotham Gazette)
Arts Links In The News (Gotham Gazette)
November 28, 2005
Battle Over EmissionsNew York is adopting the most ambitious regulations for automobile emissions since federal fuel economy regulations were enacted in the 1970's. They require a 30 percent reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by the 2016. They will also require a 40 percent improvement in fuel economy for vehicles sold in the state. Environmentalists say the regulations will help curtail global warming and encourage more hybrid automobiles. But automakers, who are moving to block the law, contend that the regulations will limit the availability of sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and vans and increase costs for consumers.
Tourism Slogan Revamp
The state’s successful “I Love New York" campaign is getting an upgrade. The New York State Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus has sent out requests for proposals to a dozen research firms to assess the impact of the brand and come up with ways to make it stronger. Officials say competition among neighboring states has increased in recent years and New York has not kept up with promotional spending.
Dam at a Catskill Reservoir Needs Emergency Repair, City Says (NY Times)
Bed Bug Infestation Hits NYC (NY Times)
City Plans for Potential Transit Strike (Daily News)
Sex Education Gets Makeover (Daily News)
Law Aims to Keep Handbills Off of Cars (NY Post)
Katrina Victims Make Their Way in the City (Newsday)
State GOP Struggles to Pick Candidate for Governor (NY Sun)
Measuring the City Council (Gotham Gazette)
Conversation with Author Jonathan Lethem (Gotham Gazette)
School Choice, School Confusion (Gotham Gazette)
Education Links In The News (Gotham Gazette)