Copyright 2009 The New York Sun Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:17:09 -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 RUSSELL BERMAN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/september-11-health-bill-stalls-one-backer-blames/86852/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A leading backer of the push to secure nearly $11 billion for survivors of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is blaming the Bloomberg administration for opposing a federal bill that stalled in the House of Representatives. The mayor's office had lobbied Congress aggressively for the $10.9 billion bill but balked when Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill insisted that city taxpayers pay $500 million over 10 years to fund a share of a health care program to treat rescue workers who came... ELIZABETH GREEN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/low-price-laptops-tested-at-city-schools/86861/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The $100 laptop that was marketed as a saving grace for starving children in Africa is on its way to the New York City public schools. Two elementary schools are already testing the laptops, and the city Department of Education is accelerating a plan that would make low-cost laptops available to all principals for purchase by the end of this year. The department now has a relationship with only one computer contractor, Dell, which offers laptops that cost about $1,000. Maintenance and service... JACOB GERSHMAN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-policy-is-sought-in-albany-after-report/86862/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Government watchdog groups are calling on the state Legislature to tighten a transportation policy that allows lawmakers to commute to Albany by plane, bank frequent flier miles, and send the bill to taxpayers. The demand for stricter standards follows a report in yesterday's New York Sun that the Democratic speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, frequently takes indirect flights to Albany with layovers in Washington, D.C., racking up large expenses without saving any time. "The current... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bed-bug-boom-is-a-boost-to-one-sector/86850/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The bedbug boom has brought many people pain, but it does have at least one upside: Exterminators are profiting. The president of PestAway, Jeffrey Eisenberg, who has a loyal following on the Upper West Side, said he receives between 600 and 700 bedbug calls each week, up from about a dozen calls each month five years ago. The former accountant, who launched his business from his Upper West Side apartment in 1991, now has 30 employees and while he refused to discuss profit margins, he said... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/solons-busy-outside-office-new-income-report-shows/86854/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST In addition to practicing politics, City Council members and borough officials have also been busy in the private sector this year, receiving paychecks for their work as lawyers, real estate owners, and even as an unofficial ambassador to Turkey. The ambassador was none other than the president of Brooklyn, Marty Markowitz, who was reimbursed somewhere between $1,000 and $5,000 by the Turkish government for his trip. "At invitation of the Republic of Turkey, traveled for purposes of fostering a... PETER KIEFER http://www.nysun.com/new-york/atlantic-yard-project-suffers-a-setback/86851/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Forest City Ratner's $4 billion Atlantic Yards development project will be delayed by an additional six months or more in the wake of a ruling by a state Appellate Court. The court rejected a motion put forth by the Empire State Development Corp. to dismiss the lawsuit filed by nine property owners in the footprint of the project challenging the use of eminent domain. The ruling has forced the developer, Bruce Ratner, to reverse a pledge that ground for the project would be broken by the end of... JOSH GERSTEIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/st-hope-board-member-is-suspended/86846/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A new charter school in Harlem, the St. Hope Leadership Academy, has lost a member of its board who has been suspended from doing business with the federal government. On Wednesday, the board member, Dana Gonzalez, was placed on a government-wide list of people ineligible for federal grants and contracts. The action followed an investigation into alleged misuse of federally funded AmeriCorps members assigned to a Sacramento, Calif.-based organization, St. Hope Academy, which helped set up the... MICHAEL VIRTANEN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/comptroller-meltdown-may-cost-ny-35b-in-revenue/86845/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST ALBANY — State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli estimated yesterday that turmoil on Wall Street could cost New York up to $3.5 billion in tax revenues over the next year and a half while knocking out 40,000 financial sector jobs. "The preliminary September numbers show the fallout from the Wall Street crisis is starting to hit the state hard," Mr. DiNapoli said. "We've been in trouble for a while and a day like today tells us our troubles are continuing." While it's already difficult to predict tax... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/captain-fined-for-having-officers-remodel-home/86853/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A police captain who ordered six of his subordinates to remodel his house is being ordered to pay $5,000 in fines by the city's Conflict of Interest Board. According to the board, the officer, Michael Byrne, has agreed to pay the fine after he recruited several officers under his command to help with remodeling and landscaping work around his house. While Mr. Byrne compensated some of the employees for their work, city law prevents officers from using their position for financial gain or... JACOB GERSHMAN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/silver-racks-up-air-miles-at-taxpayers-expense/86793/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST How do you get from New York City to Albany? For most state lawmakers, the fastest and cheapest way is either by train or by car. For the Democratic speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, the answer is a drive to La Guardia, a shuttle to Washington, D.C., an hour of waiting, a flight to Albany, and then a drive from the airport to the Statehouse. Mr. Silver is one of the few state lawmakers from New York City to commute to Albany by air. His itinerary is probably the most circuitous. The... BENJAMIN SARLIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/quinn-touts-the-benefits-of-tenants-protection-law/86770/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Battling opposition to a new city law giving tenants the power to sue landlords on grounds of harassment, the City Council speaker, Christine Quinn, is pointing to a group of Brooklyn tenants who are among the first to file suit. The tenants of 64 Troutman St. in Bushwick claim in the suit that their landlord, Heskel 1 LLC, tore up the stairwells, left trash throughout the halls, and even dropped a sack of dead cats in a vacant apartment to rot for weeks. All, they claim, was an attempt to... ELIZABETH GREEN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/city-schools-crimped-by-budget-restrictions/86771/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A much-touted plan that city officials said would fully insulate public schools from budget cuts this school year appears to have fallen short, especially for some of the neediest schools. Mayor Bloomberg proposed a budget last spring that would have sent the city Department of Education $428 million less than was scheduled for this school year, but the blow was softened by cuts from the department's central office and an influx of $129 million from the City Council speaker, Christine Quinn... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-york-lags-in-regulating-bed-bugs/86754/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST In response to a growing bed bug epidemic, a number of cities across the nation have adopted new measures to identify and eradicate bed bug infestations — and others, including New York, are exploring such moves. In Boston and in San Francisco, regulations imposed in the past few years outline strict protocols for exterminating bed bugs and for disposing of infested mattresses and belongings. "I do not think New Yorkers have a place to go now," a City Council member who has been a vocal... BARI WEISS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/dont-ask-dont-tell-cited-in-bollingers-opposition/86755/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST With a student survey to gauge sentiment on Columbia University's ban on the Reserve Officers' Training Corps nearing, President Lee Bollinger is standing against the military program's possible return to campus. Mr. Bollinger cites the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy toward gays as the primary reason why Columbia should continue to prohibit ROTC. "Under the current 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy of the Defense Department, openly gay and lesbian students could or would be excluded... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/two-shooting-suspects-are-sought/86756/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Police are investigating the murder of a man in Morningside Heights who was found dead yesterday morning. Police say they discovered Roy Huntley Jr., 24, behind 261 W. 112th St., suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Emergency medical workers pronounced him dead on the scene. No arrests have been made yet in the case and police say a homicide investigation is ongoing. In a separate incident, police are searching for suspects in the shooting death of a 20-year-old man in font... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bloomberg-congress-must-approve-bailout/86713/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:53:36 EST Mayor Bloombergr says Congress has to approve a bailout of the financial industry. The alternative, he says, would be "inconceivable." Asked about the issue today on his weekly radio show, Mr. Bloomberg envisioned a scenario in which "the world is shutting down. You would literally have the banks closing their doors." Adds the businessman-turned-politician: "If you work in the automobile business ... nobody's going to buy a car if they can't finance it. Your kid's not going to be able to have a... BENJAMIN SARLIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/budget-woes-beget-talk-of-commuter-tax/86696/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST City and state lawmakers, on the hunt for new revenue sources to balance an increasingly tight budget, are calling for a revival of the commuter tax. Mayor Bloomberg issued a full-throated call for the tax to be reinstated yesterday, after the speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, reportedly said he was open to reviving the measure, which some supporters estimated could bring the city $500 million a year. Several City Council members also are pushing for a return to the commuter tax, saying... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/paterson-calls-public-meeting-on-economy/86683/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST ALBANY — Governor Paterson plans to meet with legislative leaders next week in a public session to deal with losses of tax revenue and jobs from Wall Street's meltdown. The public leaders' meeting October 3 in Manhattan will be days after the administration receives the second quarter fiscal report that is expected to show steep declines in revenues from a string of failures in the financial sector. Wall Street revenues — business taxes and income taxes — account for about a fifth of state... ELIZABETH GREEN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/union-city-dig-in-heels-over-fate-of-reserve/86684/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST There appears to be no easy agreement in sight in a battle between the city teachers union and the Department of Education over what to do with teachers who are on the city payroll but not in full-time teaching spots. The debate kicked off this spring when a nonprofit group reported that the teachers cost the city $81 million between 2006 and 2007. A second round launched this week when the same group, The New Teacher Project, projected that the teachers will cost the city $74 million this year... PETER KIEFER http://www.nysun.com/new-york/port-authority-may-miss-deadline-for-tower-2-site/86685/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is expected to miss the September deadline it set to turn over land for Tower 2, to be built by the developer Larry Silverstein at the World Trade Center site. The Port Authority was supposed to turn over the site to Silverstein Properties on June 30 and since then has incurred a $300,000-a-day penalty, which it must pay the developer. Earlier this month, the Port Authority said it would turn the site over by the end of September, but according to a... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bedbugs-emerge-as-new-area-of-housing-law/86658/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Lawyers who visited Brooklyn housing court were abuzz recently, when bed bugs were reportedly spotted inside a courtroom on Livingston Street. A spokeswoman for the courts insists the courts are insect-free, but the claim came as attorneys for landlords and tenants said bed bug disputes are filling the docket in New York City courts. At stake are thousands of dollars, including the cost of extermination, destroyed property, and rent for infested apartments. The cases are also setting new... BARI WEISS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/columbia-provost-brinkley-says-he-is-stepping-down/86659/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Columbia University's provost, Alan Brinkley, is stepping down after five years on the job, leaving vacant a third major academic post for the university's president, Lee Bollinger, to fill. Mr. Bollinger already is searching for deans for both of Columbia's undergraduate schools — Columbia College and the School of Engineering — and is forming a search committee to find a replacement for Mr. Brinkley. The next provost will oversee the university during its ambitious plan to expand into West... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/manhattan-institute-honors-entrepreneurs/86660/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Five individuals have received $25,000 from the Manhattan Institute for their work as social entrepreneurs. The winners of the award are leading programs aimed at helping Americans, including the elderly, disadvantaged teenagers, and the homeless. The winners were selected from a list of two hundred nominees. One winner, Rachel Lloyd, works to end sexual exploitation and violence through her organization, Girls Educational and Mentoring Services in New York City. Another New York winner, Robert... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/hundreds-protest-a-dinner-with-ahmadinejad/86661/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Hundreds of protesters rallied on 42nd Street last night as the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, dined with a group of religious leaders at the Hyatt Hotel. The dinner, billed as an international dialogue, was sponsored by a collection of pacifist religious organizations including Quaker and Mennonite groups. The broad coalition of protesters outside said the event lended legitimacy to a dictator who supports terrorism and denies the Holocaust. "How can you dine with a tyrant?" one of... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/presidents-roosevelt-honored-with-posthumous/86666/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt received posthumous degrees from Columbia Law School yesterday evening at a ceremony held at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The two Roosevelts each attended the law school, though neither graduated. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th American president, began Columbia Law School in 1880 after graduating from Harvard, but left in 1882 to fill a seat in the state Assembly. The 32nd president, Theodore's fifth cousin, entered Columbia in 1905 and left in 1907 to... BENJAMIN SARLIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/president-clinton-calls-bloomberg-one-of-citys/86667/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST President Clinton heaped praise on Mayor Bloomberg yesterday, calling him an exceptional candidate for any job in the nation. Mr. Clinton's support boosts the mayor's résumé at a time when observers have discussed him as a potential Cabinet choice for either Senator McCain or Senator Obama. At the 2008 annual meeting of the former president's humanitarian foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative, Mr. Clinton described Mr. Bloomberg as "one of the greatest mayors that this city or any city ever... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/officials-expected-to-announce-new-tappan-zee/86686/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST WHITE PLAINS — Officials are expected to announce that New York's Tappan Zee Bridge will be replaced rather than repaired. The state's transportation department, which has led a years-long study on what to do about the aging bridge, has scheduled a "major announcement" today about the span, which links suburban Westchester and Rockland counties. In recent years, officials have hinted that it would cost no more to replace the 53-year-old Hudson River bridge than to refurbish it and keep it safe... PETER KIEFER http://www.nysun.com/new-york/manhattanites-may-soon-have-less-to-bank/86586/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The era in which Manhattanites could find two, three, sometimes even four retail banking outlets on the same city block could be ending, according to a number of retail brokers who are readying themselves for a shedding of banking outlets caused by the crisis in the financial sector. Hundreds of thousands of square feet of available commercial space could be hitting the market once the dust settles on Wall Street. "We are going to have some excess bank space, and we have known this for a few... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/police-search-for-a-serial-bank-robber/86587/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Police are asking for the public's help in identifying a bank robber who has stolen money from at least eight banks around Manhattan. The spree of robberies began in March, police said, when the unidentified man entered a Sovereign Bank on East 63rd Street and Third Avenue, demanded cash from a teller, and fled after receiving the money. Since then, the man has robbed seven more locations in Manhattan — four Capitol One banks, a Key Bank, a Washington Mutual bank, and another Sovereign Bank... BENJAMIN SARLIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/council-bill-would-urge-days-off-for-two-muslim/86577/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST City Council members are calling on the state to give New York City children the day off from school on two Muslim holidays. On Friday, the council will debate a resolution urging the state Legislature to pass a law declaring the Muslim holidays of Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha to be observed holidays in the city's public school system. According to the resolution's sponsor, Council Member Robert Jackson of Manhattan, the issue is a matter of fairness, as Muslim students make up a significant... PETER KIEFER http://www.nysun.com/new-york/willets-point-plan-gets-planning-approval/86578/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The city Planning Commission's approval of Mayor Bloomberg's $3 billion plan to redevelop Willets Point sets the stage for a final vote by the City Council. The proposal for the 62-acre Queens site has now been approved by the local community board, the president of Queens, Helen Marshall, and the Planning Commission, but the council vote will be its biggest hurdle. A majority of City Council members oppose the plan to build a mixed-use development, which would include a convention center... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/poll-senate-gop-majority-hinges-on-two-tight-races/86579/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST ALBANY — A Siena College poll released yesterday showed the Senate's Republican majority may hinge on two veteran Republican senators who are deadlocked with Democratic challengers in the districts they've represented for decades. Republican Senator Caesar Trunzo, who has represented the 3rd Senate District in Suffolk County since 1972, led Democrat Brian Foley 46% to 40%. That's a dead heat in the poll that has a margin of error of plus or minus over 4%. Republican Senator Serph Maltese, who... ELIZABETH GREEN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fewer-blacks-more-whites-are-hired-as-city/86580/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The percentage of new teachers in New York City public schools who are black has fallen substantially since 2002, dropping to 13% in the last school year from 27% in 2001-02, city figures show. The change has dramatically altered the racial makeup of the new teacher workforce, which last year included about 400 more white teachers than it did in 2002 and more than 1,000 fewer black teachers. The overall teaching force has been less affected: Black teachers made up 20% of the workforce in fiscal... GRACE RAUH http://www.nysun.com/new-york/mayor-gives-20m-in-discretionary-funding/86581/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A City Council member endorsed by the mayor in the Democratic Senate primary, Simcha Felder, pulled in more money from the mayor for pet projects over the last six years than any other elected official. Mr. Felder, who represents parts of Brooklyn, collected $5.66 million in discretionary funding from the mayor, according to a memo released by City Hall yesterday. Over the past six years, Mr. Bloomberg has doled out about $20 million to council members for their member items, spending the most... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/streets-to-be-renamed-in-honor-of-new-yorkers/86582/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Dozens of city streets will be renamed to honor great New Yorkers under a bill passed by the City Council yesterday. The list of new names includes tributes to several fallen police officers, firefighters, and soldiers, as well as local civil rights leaders. In the West Village, the corner of Sullivan and Bleecker streets is being co-named after Nicholas Pekearo and Yevgeniy Marshalik, two auxiliary police officers who were killed trying to stop a gunman who had fatally shot a bartender. In... BARI WEISS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/ahmadinejad-gets-a-warm-reception/86589/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Booed by Columbia University students a year ago, President Ahmadinejad of Iran early yesterday received a much warmer reception from 400 American students and professors at the Hyatt hotel in Midtown Manhattan. "Especially at a time when our leaders and policymakers aren't meeting with this man, it was refreshing to hear from him," a senior at North Central College of Naperville, James Nebl, said. Mr. Nebl flew from Chicago with seven other students from the college to hear the Iranian leader... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/assemblys-ethics-committee-holds-secret-meeting/86517/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:09:18 EST ALBANY — The New York Assembly ethics committee is holding a private meeting to consider a disciplinary case against a fellow lawmaker. The meeting for Assembly members to consider sanctions against one of their own wasn't announced on the chamber's Web site as Chairman William Magnarelli of Onondaga County had promised. The committee refused to identify the subject of the session. There are several possibilities. Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio of Queens is facing federal charges he... Staff Reporter of the Sun http://www.nysun.com/new-york/poll-republican-majority-in-state-senate-at-risk/86518/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:26:41 EST Republicans in the state Senate are in danger of losing their grip on the majority, according to a new poll, which found that Democratic challengers are closing in on veteran Republican incumbents in two key races. The Siena College poll released today found that a Republican senator of Queens, Serphin Maltese, who won re-election by a small margin two years ago, is tied with Joseph Addabbo, who is a New York City Council member, in the 15th Senate District race. Meanwhile in Suffolk County... BENJAMIN SARLIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/five-charged-in-gun-sting/86522/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:22:33 EST Five men are being charged with illegally selling dozens of firearms to undercover police officers in Brooklyn and Queens, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly announced today. Four of the five men – Thomas Suarez, 26, Ali Hassan, 42, Scott Kwaak, 21, and his brother, Clinton Kwaak, 24 – have been apprehended by city police. A fifth individual, Ali Kabeer, 25, has been located in Florida and is expected to be extradited or to return to the city voluntarily to face charges. According to police, the... JIM ABRAMS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/house-ethics-committee-launches-investigation/86525/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:34:13 EST WASHINGTON — The House ethics committee said today it was establishing an investigative panel to determine whether Rep. Charles Rangel, the influential chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, had broken House rules as a result of several reported lapses in his personal affairs. Mr. Rangel has urged the ethics committee to look into questions surrounding his finances while rejecting Republican demands that he step down as head of the tax-writing committee. The House Republican leader, John... GRACE RAUH http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bloomberg-orders-15b-in-budget-cuts-over-next-two/86424/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Bracing for steep declines in revenues and an economy hamstrung by upheaval on Wall Street, Mayor Bloomberg is ordering city agencies to come up with another $1.5 billion in budget cuts. If the City Council approves the plan, no city agency would be spared from the budget ax: Each would have to cut 2.5% from its budget this year and an additional 5% next year. To comply with the directive, the Department of Education would need to cut more than $580 million and the Police Department more than... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/former-afghan-leader-convicted-of-drug-smuggling/86489/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A former powerful Afghan tribal leader who had high-level links to the Taliban was convicted yesterday of smuggling $50 million worth of heroin into America. Bashir Noorzai, 45, could face life in prison when he is sentenced January 7 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on his narcotics conspiracy conviction. Prosecutors had said Noorzai was so influential in his homeland that he formed his own army and teamed up with the Taliban. They said Noorzai was one of Afghanistan's most powerful men... BARI WEISS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/columbia-professor-commits-suicide/86490/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST An art history professor at Columbia University jumped to his death from his Morningside Heights apartment. Petrus Schaesberg, an adjunct professor, was found yesterday morning in the courtyard shared by 450 and 452 Riverside Drive. According to the medical examiner's office, which completed the autopsy yesterday afternoon, Schaesberg committed suicide, and died of blunt impact injuries to his head and body. Schaesberg began teaching in the art history department in 2005 but was not teaching... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/landmarks-ruling-caps-long-east-side-tenements/86491/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A real estate company is being blocked from redeveloping two Upper East Side tenements by a state court's ruling that they are historic landmarks. The decision caps a two-decade tug-of-war in which the buildings were granted landmark status, lost it, got it back with the City Council's help, and most recently faced the prospect of losing it again. The tenements were built in 1915 as part of a model complex that aimed to improve the quality of "affordable" housing. The 15-structure development... BENJAMIN SARLIN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/google-says-its-new-program-may-boost-transit/86492/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A new Google program detailing the city's public transportation system could increase ridership and help New York's economy, one of the search engine's co-founders, Larry Page, said yesterday. Google Transit, which is powered by data supplied by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, allows Google Maps browsers to click on subway and bus stops to get detailed information on routes and schedules. Users can also search for the best way to get from location to location using public... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/google-phone-is-unveiled-set-to-debut-october-22/86493/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The first phone that harnesses Google Inc.'s ambition to make the Internet easy to use on the go was unveiled yesterday, and it looks a lot like an iPhone. T-Mobile USA showed off the G1, a phone that, like Apple Inc.'s iPhone, has a large touch screen. But it also packs a trackball, a slide-out keyboard, and easy access to Google's e-mail and mapping programs. T-Mobile said it will begin selling the G1 for $179 with a two-year contract. The device hits American stores October 22 and heads to... Associated Press http://www.nysun.com/new-york/artist-installs-tree-houses-in-madison-square-park/86494/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A Manhattan park is getting a dozen tree houses perched high in its trees, courtesy of a Japanese artist known for his site-specific sculptural installations. Tadashi Kawamata arrived at Madison Square Park yesterday to begin constructing the tree huts. Forklifts, boom lifts, table saws, power drills, and wood were spread around the 6.2-acre park just north of East 23rd Street between Fifth and Madison avenues. Each of the huts, resembling a child's tree house, will be unique — and installed... KATE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/new-york/whitney-nears-approval-for-expansion-but-funding/86495/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The Whitney Museum of American Art is expected to get final city approval today for its downtown expansion plan, just as the economic turmoil has made the museum's $680 million fund-raising goal more daunting than ever. The City Council is set to vote today to approve the Whitney's plan to construct an 185,000-square-foot building, designed by Renzo Piano, on Gansevoort Street next to the High Line. The design has already been approved by the council's Land Use Committee; the city Planning... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/queens-hospital-makes-last-ditch-effort-to-save/86496/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST In a last-ditch effort to stay in business, Parkway Hospital in Queens has filed an injunction to prevent state health officials from closing down the hospital next week. A hearing is set to take place in Queens Supreme Court tomorrow. The hospital, situated in the Forest Hills section of Queens, was one of five hospitals in New York City slated for closure in 2006 by a state-appointed health commission, the Berger Commission. The hospital is set to lose its operating license on September 30... BARI WEISS http://www.nysun.com/new-york/universities-disclose-foreign-gifts/86497/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST New York University has received an unrestricted gift of $20 million from the government of the United Arab Emirates, while Columbia University received $20.5 million earmarked for its public health school from the late Ronald Lauterstein, a Canadian who made his fortune in private nursing and home care services. The two gifts dwarf all other foreign donations received by each school in the past two years, according to disclosure records filed with the state of New York and obtained by The New...