Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:24:09 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss New York :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us GRACE RAUH http://www.nysun.com/new-york/a-surge-of-support-for-the-sun-voiced-by-leaders/85268/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The city's political, cultural, labor, and religious leaders, reacting to news that The New York Sun may have to cease publication if it is not successful in raising significant new capital, rushed to praise the paper yesterday and expressed hope that it will continue publishing. The reaction followed the publication by the paper of a letter to the Sun's readers from its editor, Seth Lipsky, explaining the newspaper's financial situation and reporting that new capital would have to be secured... Bari Weiss http://www.nysun.com/new-york/19-columbia-freshmen-jump-to-the-ivy-league-from/85270/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST It is freshman Stephen D'Alessio's first week of classes at Columbia University, and he can't find his Spanish class. The maze of buildings is a far cry from the battlefields of Iraq, where the 31-year-old spent a large part of the past eight years as a sergeant in the Marines. Mr. D'Alessio is one of 19 incoming freshmen who have served in the Armed Forces. Ten years ago, he says he couldn't have imagined that one day he'd be in the Ivy League. "I did so poorly in high school. I just scratched... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/2-arrested-for-running-prostitution-ring/85252/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A Manhattan attorney was indicted yesterday on charges that he and his wife ran a prostitution ring out of an unlicensed strip club. Louis Posner, 52, and his wife, Betty Posner, 57, face 20 charges from the Manhattan district attorney's office. According to the indictment, the Posners operated an exotic dancing club called the Hot Lap Dance Club, located in an illegally sublet loft at the corner of 38th Street and Eighth Avenue. For prices between $200 and $5,000, customers could have sex with... PETER KIEFER http://www.nysun.com/new-york/community-organizers-appalled-by-their-portrayal/85253/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A number of New York-based community organizers are furious with the way their profession is being depicted by Governor Palin and a number of other top Republicans at the party's national convention. "Everyone I have talked to is absolutely appalled," the organizing director for the Brooklyn-based organization Make the Road New York, Irene Tung, said. "It is both naive and offensive. Community organizing has been crucial to progress in this country and to the civil and women's rights movement."... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/city-teacher-charged-with-section-8-fraud/85254/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A New York City teacher was arrested yesterday and faces charges that she stole almost $40,000 in illegal housing subsidies. Monique Ellis, 39, is a special education teacher at P.S. 180 in Brooklyn. According to the city's Department of Investigation, she lied about her annual income between 2003 and 2007, allowing her to steal $39,968 from the New York City Housing Development Corp. During that period, Ms. Ellis was living in a building affiliated with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban... ELIZABETH GREEN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/more-school-construction-is-urged-for-manhattan/85255/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The building boom that has fed Manhattan parents' ramped-up demand for increased school options has gained steam in 2008, widening the gap the city would have to plug to make school supply meet the estimated need, according to a report scheduled for release Friday by the president of Manhattan. Scott Stringer will release the report with the support of the city teachers union, the speaker of the City Council, and the city comptroller. They are making the announcement at P.S. 191, a West Side... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/construction-worker-falls-40-stories-to-his-death/85214/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A construction worker fell about 40 stories to his death yesterday at a midtown Manhattan skyscraper being built by the developer of the World Trade Center, authorities said. The victim, identified as Anthony Esposito, a rigger on a crew dismantling a crane, fell either from the crane or a 20-foot, moveable walkway linking it to the glass-walled skyscraper, the deputy fire chief, Anthony DeVita, said. An impromptu memorial service was held inside the fenced construction lot where Esposito... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/at-869-a-pair-shea-seats-sell-briskly/85215/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST As a season-ticket holder, Darrell Buono spent 13 years rooting for the New York Mets in blue, loge-level seats at Shea Stadium. So he bought them. The seats cost $869 for a pair and will have a place of honor in Mr. Buono's basement in New Hyde Park when they are shipped, sometime after the last game is played at Shea this fall and the Mets begin dismantling the stadium. "My wife kind of gave me a strange look when I told her I was doing it," Mr. Buono admitted. "But she was okay with it." The... BENJAMIN SARLIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/diversity-day-in-brooklyn-is-reaction-to-hate/85257/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Brooklyn residents of all races and genders — and even species — are invited this weekend to Celebrate our Diversity Day, an event organized by state Senator Eric Adams. The day is designed to "observe and honor the multiplicity of ethnicities, cultures, religions, and lifestyles that make up our great borough," Mr. Adams said. It will bring together residents for a community dog run in Prospect Park on Saturday morning and a bike ride later through several neighborhoods, including... ABRAHAM RIESMAN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/two-arrested-for-torah-theft/85258/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Two men were arrested yesterday and face charges of stealing eight Torahs from a Queens synagogue. According to members of the synagogue, one of the men is a janitor there. Eric Giraldo, 23, has worked in maintenance at the Jewish Center of Kew Garden Hills for the past three years, according to a woman who works for the temple, Marilyn Bagley. Mr. Giraldo and Alan Lozano, 28, both Queens residents, were arraigned yesterday and charged with criminal possession of stolen property, police said... GRACE RAUH http://www.nysun.com/new-york/upstart-challenges-connor-in-democratic-primary/85259/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Daniel Squadron, the lean 28-year-old candidate for the state Senate introducing himself to voters outside a Brooklyn subway stop on a recent morning, had not been born when the incumbent he is trying to oust, Martin Connor, was first elected. But in this hard-fought race, age and experience don't seem to be stalling Mr. Squadron, a low-talking, bearded graduate of Yale University who is mounting a fierce campaign against his opponent and running on the line that he is best equipped to fix the... BENJAMIN SARLIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/report-tallies-attack-related-health-problems/85275/ Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Thousands of New Yorkers have suffered from asthma, respiratory problems, and post-traumatic stress disorder related to the collapse of the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, according to a report released by city officials yesterday. The report comes from the WTC Medical Working Group, which was appointed by Mayor Bloomberg in 2007 to provide an annual assessment of the city's September 11-related health services. Among its findings are that 25% of... RICHARD PYLE http://www.nysun.com/new-york/construction-worker-falls-48-stories-to-his-death/85202/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 11:22:58 EST A worker fell about 48 stories to his death today at a midtown Manhattan skyscraper being built by the developer of the World Trade Center, authorities said. The man, who was on a crew dismantling a crane, apparently fell from a walkway between the crane and the glass-walled skyscraper around 9:30 a.m., according to fire officials at the scene. He landed in a construction lot that is surrounded by a fence; his body was being removed by ambulance. The accident happened at 600 W. 42nd St., where... http://www.nysun.com/new-york/the-future-of-the-sun/85129/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Dear Readers of the Sun: This morning I write to you about the future of The New York Sun, which is in circumstances that may require us to cease publication at the end of September unless we succeed in our efforts to find additional financial backing. The managing editor, Ira Stoll, who is one of the founding partners in the paper, and I have shared this news with our colleagues, and we would like our readers as well to be aware of the situation. When we launched this business in October 2001... ELIZABETH GREEN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/group-of-eight-works-to-boost-klein-for-mayor/85188/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A group of eight political consultants, activists, and philanthropists is urging Schools Chancellor Joel Klein to jump into the 2009 mayor's race, and they have not yet received a definitive "no" from Mr. Klein saying he is not interested, an organizer of the group told The New York Sun. The group has been meeting for at least three months to discuss a possible campaign, and a political consultant who is leading the discussions said the conclusion is that Mr. Klein's prospects are "robust." The... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/robbery-victim-arraigned-on-murder-charges/85158/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A robbery victim was arraigned today on charges that he killed a man whom he apparently mistook for one of his attackers. A 40-year-old Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker, Maurice Parks, was robbed and stabbed by four men in Harlem in January, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Minutes later, he allegedly came across Flonarza Byas and stabbed him to death after misidentifying him as one of the robbers. While previous reports indicated that Byas had actually tried... GRACE RAUH http://www.nysun.com/new-york/top-city-officials-report-assets-liabilities/85159/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The city comptroller carries thousands of dollars in credit card debt, the speaker of the City Council owns a four-bedroom home in Ocean Grove, N.J., that cost at least half a million dollars, and the public advocate is the city's second-most-wealthy top public official, coming in behind Mayor Bloomberg, a multibillionaire. Financial information about the city's top four officeholders was disclosed yesterday by the Conflicts of Interest Board, giving New Yorkers insight into the investments... ELIZABETH GREEN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/more-financial-oversight-of-education-dept-may-be/85160/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The first major report on the way the city's public schools are run — by a commission put together by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum in response to a request by Democrats in the state Assembly — is expected to be released today. People who have been briefed on the report's contents said it supports the principle of mayoral control while recommending some changes, including more financial oversight of the city Department of Education and more parental input. The report is based on many hours of... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/state-agency-approves-iberdrola-energy-east-plan/85132/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST ALBANY — New York utility regulators have given the global energy company Iberdrola the go-ahead to buy Energy East. The 4-0 vote by New York's Public Service Commission yesterday clears the way for the $4.6 billion deal, which includes Energy East subsidiaries Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. and New York State Electric and Gas. Energy East also owns power companies in Maine, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, where regulators have already approved the takeover. But New York's approval comes with... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/top-court-hears-jaggers-rent-case/85133/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST ALBANY — Saying that globe-trotting human rights activist Bianca Jagger wants her longtime Manhattan apartment back, her lawyer urged New York's top court yesterday to reverse Jagger's December eviction. Roger Olson said Ms. Jagger — often found in Darfur, Iraq, New Orleans, or other troubled places — hadn't been staying recently at the Upper East Side apartment she rented for 20 years because of asbestos and fungus, the subjects of a separate lawsuit against her landlord. He also said the... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/state-will-begin-tracking-obesity-levels-in-some/85134/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST ALBANY — As New York students return to public schools this year, some will find themselves asked to step up to the scale. Legislation passed in 2007 goes into effect this month, requiring public schools outside of New York City to collect and report a summary of students' weights and body mass indexes as part of an effort to combat childhood obesity. "Whatever you can measure, you can improve," the state health commissioner, Dr. Richard Daines, said. "By requiring the measurement of body mass... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/homeless-man-held-without-bail-in-student-death/85135/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A homeless man who prosecutors say admitted he suffocated a college student in his New York City apartment has been held without bail after his arraignment on a charge of first-degree murder. A felony complaint says Jeromie Cancel admitted he killed 19-year-old Kevin Pravia in the victim's Manhattan apartment on Saturday by stuffing a plastic bag in his mouth while holding his nose and choking him with a cord around his neck. The complaint says Mr. Cancel was leaving the apartment but returned... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/government-must-produce-waterboarding-memos-judge/85136/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A Manhattan judge has ruled that the American government must either produce memos on waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods used by the CIA or explain why they should be kept secret. A U.S. District Judge, Alvin Hellerstein, says the documents are "clearly responsive" to a lawsuit brought in October 2003 by the ACLU and other civil rights groups seeking records on the treatment of prisoners in American custody abroad. The New York Times last year disclosed the existence of some of... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/man-gets-life-sentence-for-graffiti-killing/85137/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A New York City gangster has been sentenced to life in prison for killing an 18-year-old who drew graffiti on his turf. A Bloods gang member, Bernard Small, received the maximum penalty yesterday after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder. Prosecutors say Small and three other Bloods members beat Humberto Carol in March 2007 after they found him vandalizing their Brooklyn turf. Carol wasn't a gang member. After the beating in the Brownsville neighborhood, the 26-year-old Small shot... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/kennedy-airport-baggage-handlers-accused-of-jewel/85138/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Two baggage handlers at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport are charged with stealing $280,000 in jewelry from a suitcase. The Queens district attorney, Richard Brown, said yesterday that the victim, a jewelry dealer, discovered about 925 items missing after his flight arrived in Los Angeles. Mr. Brown says one of the baggage handlers kept some of the stolen jewelry at home on top of his microwave, and the other stashed rings and earrings under his bathroom sink. The defendants... PETER KIEFER http://www.nysun.com/new-york/lower-manhattan-fares-poorly-in-job-trends-report/85161/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Despite being home to Wall Street and some of the city's priciest real estate, Lower Manhattan limps along behind neighborhoods such as Morningside Heights, downtown Brooklyn, and Astoria, Queens, when it comes to job growth. Since 1997, four of the five city ZIP codes with the largest employment losses were in Lower Manhattan, according to a report published by the Center for an Urban Future yesterday. The director of the Center for an Urban Future, Jonathan Bowles, said it is a neighborhood... Staff Reporter of the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/auction-of-newark-airport-slot-is-grounded/85162/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The first auction of an airport takeoff and landing slot, an idea that has pitted the Bush administration against the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has been delayed. The Department of Transportation planned to hold an auction today for one takeoff and landing slot at Newark airport to test the waters for the idea, but the Federal Aviation Administration's dispute resolution office instructed it to hold off on the auction to allow for further deliberation. "Our general sense is that... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-york-shows-improvement-in-infant-mortality/85163/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The city's infant mortality rate — a barometer of its overall health — dropped to a record low in 2007, health officials are reporting. The officials said there were 5.4 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births in 2007, down from 5.9 in 2006. The rate was lower than the national infant mortality rate of 6.7 deaths for every 1,000 live births in 2006, the most recent year for which data are available. The decline in the city's infant mortality rate also coincided with an uptick in the birth... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obama-mccain-will-appear-at-9-11-forum/85164/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Organizers say Columbia University will host a September 11 community service forum featuring senators McCain and Obama. The presidential candidates have said they will participate in the New York City event, which will launch a pro-volunteering coalition called ServiceNation. The location was announced yesterday. Organizers say Messrs. Obama and McCain will appear separately to discuss their views on community service and civic engagement. An organization called MyGoodDeed.org has asked the... GRACE RAUH http://www.nysun.com/new-york/citys-top-officials-make-annual-financial/85120/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 13:48:50 EST The City Comptroller owes up to $35,000 in credit card debt, the Speaker of the City Council owns a 4-bedroom home in Ocean Grove, N.J., that cost at least half a million dollars, and the Public Advocate is the second-most wealthy top public official, coming in behind Mayor Bloomberg. Financial information about the city's top four office holders was disclosed this morning by the city's Conflicts of Interest Board, an annual report that gives New Yorkers insight into the investments... BARI WEISS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/cost-of-tuition-at-colleges-breasts-50000-a-year/85107/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST More than 5,000 New York University and Columbia freshmen arriving for their first days of school yesterday seemed to be having a good time, and they should be — some parents are paying more than $50,000 a year for their children to enjoy the privilege. NYU now costs $50,182, including room and board, up 5.9% from last year. Columbia is slightly more expensive at $51,866. Crossing the $50,000 a year threshold, both universities are keeping with the upward tuition trend at nearly all... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/police-say-stranger-killed-pace-student/85043/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A college honors student found dead with an electrical cord wrapped around his neck apparently was suffocated with a pillow during a robbery by a stranger he invited to his apartment, police said yesterday. Kevin Pravia, 19, was found in his bed Sunday night by his Manhattan roommate. He was last seen being helped into a taxi early Saturday after a party in Brooklyn and was reportedly drunk at the time. Investigators said yesterday a 22-year-old man, being questioned in an unrelated case... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/diplomat-who-helped-serb-student-flee-is-detained/85044/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia's police yesterday detained a diplomat who allegedly helped a Serbian student wanted in the United States flee to his home country. A former Serbian deputy consul in New York, Igor Milosevic, was detained for questioning, police said. Mr. Milosevic is accused of providing Miladin Kovacevic, who faces assault charges in America for allegedly severely beating schoolmate Bryan Steinhauer during a May 4 bar fight, with emergency travel documents that helped him flee... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/state-strengthens-law-on-layoff-notices/85045/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST ALBANY — New York's labor commissioner, M. Patricia Smith, said many workers around the state will be guaranteed at least three months notice before mass layoffs. The State Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires private employers with 50 or more workers to notify employees and the labor department at least 90 days before a plant closing or layoff. Businesses that don't will be subject to penalties up to $500 daily for each violation. Ms. Smith says the law also gives her... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/paterson-wins-on-recognizing-gay-rites/85093/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST New York State will soon recognize same-sex marriages performed out of state, as a judge has decided to uphold Governor Paterson's new gay rights policy. In May, Mr. Paterson ordered government agencies to change thousands of regulations to accommodate gay couples who were married in states such as Massachusetts and California. While New York does not recognize same-sex marriages performed within its own borders, gay rights groups hailed the decision yesterday as a major victory. A state... BENJAMIN SARLIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/lawsuits-against-cigarette-sellers-will-go-forward/85094/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A set of city lawsuits against online vendors who sell tax-free cigarettes will move forward after a federal court yesterday reversed earlier decisions by lower courts to dismiss them. The city filed the four lawsuits in 2003 that argue that the owners of a group of Web sites that sell cigarettes violated the Jenkins Act, which requires that businesses report out-of-state tobacco sales to state tax authorities, by marketing their product as tax-free. In a 2-1 opinion, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court... GRACE RAUH http://www.nysun.com/new-york/mailing-attacks-silver-over-handling-of-rape/85095/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The race to unseat the speaker of the Assembly is heating up with the release of a mailer attacking Sheldon Silver for his handling of an allegation of rape against one of his top political aides. The mailer was sent out yesterday to more than 35,000 residents in the Lower Manhattan district where Mr. Silver is facing a primary challenge from two political opponents. It includes a letter from Elizabeth Crothers, a former legislative aide who accused the speaker's former chief counsel of raping... ELIZABETH GREEN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/mayor-met-palin-cant-recall-conversation/85096/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday that he met once with Senator McCain's pick for vice president, Governor Palin, at City Hall last year. But he could not recall what he and Mrs. Palin talked about. "I don't remember what we talked about," Mr. Bloomberg said. "But she is somebody with experience." The mayor said he has also met with Senator Biden, the Democratic party's vice presidential nominee. He said that Mrs. Palin is an "interesting" choice who "brings something to the party." "We here in... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/indian-points-license-renewal-delayed/85046/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST BUCHANAN — Federal regulators are delaying a decision on renewing New York's Indian Point nuclear power plant to allow for more time to evaluate safety and environmental issues. Indian Point in Buchanan wants to operate until 2035. If an extension is not granted, the plant will be required to shut down in 2015. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the decision will be announced in the summer of 2010, about four months later than originally planned. Last week, the plant's long-delayed... BENJAMIN SARLIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/a-climber-supports-effort-to-ground-daredevils/85097/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A bill that would land daredevils who climb or jump off city buildings in jail has gained an unlikely supporter: David Malone, who scaled the New York Times building in July, says he backs the legislation proposed by Council Member Peter Vallone Jr. "I think certainly it's a dangerous activity to climb most buildings and could be deterred by having a law in place that specifies the exact penalties," Mr. Malone, 29, said in an interview yesterday. "I think that's a very good idea." Three people... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/preppie-killer-chambers-gets-19-year-sentence/85098/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Robert Chambers, the so-called preppie killer who spent 15 years in prison for strangling a woman during what he called rough sex, has been sentenced to 19 years on a drug charge. Chambers was sentenced yesterday after reaching a plea deal last month on charges of illegal sale of a controlled substance and assaulting a police officer. He would have faced life in prison if he had been convicted after trial. The 41-year-old Chambers and his 39-year-old girlfriend, Shawn Kovell, were arrested in... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/hearing-to-focus-on-effects-of-upstate-drilling/85099/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The City Council will hold an emergency public hearing next week to address concerns that plans for natural gas drilling in the city's upstate watershed could contaminate local drinking water. Environmental groups have warned that a bill signed by Governor Paterson in July allowing for more drilling activity authorizes a technique known as "hydraulic fracturing" that they say has caused toxic chemical leaks at sites in New Mexico and Colorado. Earlier this month, Senator Clinton wrote a letter... ELIZABETH GREEN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/schools-open-with-talk-of-mayoral-control/85100/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST "Remember, it's Bloomberg," a mother said early yesterday morning as she dropped off her son at his Bronx elementary school. "The mayor of New York City is Bloomberg." Wanda Torres's son, Noah, is a newly minted fourth-grader at P.S. 62. He had learned that Mayor Bloomberg would be visiting his school yesterday, but he was having trouble remembering the important name. On a day marked by praise for Mr. Bloomberg's efforts at improving the schools, Noah may have been the only one to suffer such... PETER KIEFER http://www.nysun.com/new-york/columbia-chief-presses-for-expansion/85101/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Facing the prospect of a drawn-out legal battle with at least one private landowner, the president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, is seeking conciliation in the final stages of the approval process for Columbia's $6 billion expansion plan. Citing an explosion in "knowledge" over the past century, Mr. Bollinger in testimony said Columbia could no longer maintain its status as one of the world's pre-eminent universities if it is unable to expand. "Over the past two to three decades... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/preppie-killer-gets-19-years-on-drug-plea/85029/ Tue, 2 Sep 2008 14:47:20 EST New York "preppie killer" Robert Chambers is heading back to prison: He's been sentenced to 19 years after pleading guilty to a drug charge. Chambers already was imprisoned 15 years for strangling a young woman in Central Park during what he called rough sex. He was sentenced today at Manhattan after reaching a plea deal last month on criminal sale of a controlled substance and assault on a police officer. He would have faced life in prison if he had been convicted after trial. The 41-year-old... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/judge-rejects-challenge-to-ny-recognition-of-gay/85032/ Tue, 2 Sep 2008 16:51:58 EST A Bronx judge has thrown out the first direct legal challenge to Governor Paterson's move to recognize out-of-state gay marriages. In a ruling today, a state Supreme Court Judge, Lucy Billings, said the policy is a "permissible, if not mandated, step toward the objective of equality" for gays. Her finding comes as thousands of gay New Yorkers are expected to take advantage of a new Massachusetts law letting them wed there. Mr. Paterson's counsel told state agencies in May that a recent... GRACE RAUH http://www.nysun.com/new-york/state-officials-hide-what-those-in-city-must/85011/ Tue, 2 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST As the city's top lawmakers prepare to disclose their personal finances tomorrow, calls are mounting for the same disclosure requirements — at the very least — to be placed on holders of statewide office. Unlike city officials, who each year give New Yorkers insight into the amount of money they earn from outside jobs or have placed in investments, state officials have managed to find a way to ensure that their annual financial disclosure statements contain virtually no financial information... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/ Tue, 2 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Senator Obama's life story, from his humble roots, to his rise to Harvard Law School, to his passion as a community organizer in Chicago, has been at the center of his presidential campaign. But one chapter of the tale remains a blank — his education at Columbia College, a place he rarely speaks about and where few people seem to remember him. Contributing to the mystery is the fact that nobody knows just how well Mr. Obama, unlike Senator McCain and most other major candidates for the past two... ELIZABETH GREEN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/mayoral-control-at-stake-as-school-begins/85016/ Tue, 2 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST After six years of putting pressure on teachers and principals to show better results, Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein are entering their seventh, and possibly final, school year today with the pressure somewhere else — on them. One reason is that this is the school year in which the law that granted the mayor control of the schools is set to expire. By June 30, lawmakers in Albany will have to decide whether to renew the law as is, scrap it, or revise it in some way. Messrs... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/ny-beaches-get-high-tides-from-hanna/85000/ Tue, 2 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Tropical Storm Hanna is making waves on Long Island — big ones. New York State parks officials say Robert Moses beach reopened for swimming around 11:30 a.m. yesterday after being closed for hours because large waves were breaking too close to shore. Excessive high tides have flooded some of the beach at Robert Moses and neighboring Jones Beach. As a result, there was some restricted parking and a smaller space open for Labor Day revelers to unload their picnic baskets. Parks officials were...