Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:44:18 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Ross Goldberg :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/Ross+Goldberg istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us 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... 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... 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... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/aclu-says-military-prison-photos-confirm/86390/ Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A federal court has ordered the military to release 21 photographs that show mistreatment of prisoners, opening a window into what civil rights advocates call a widespread system of abuse across Iraq and Afghanistan. The photographs provide the clearest evidence yet that detainee abuse was not limited to the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the case. The decision may end a long-standing legal battle in which the government argued... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/nyc-pension-funds-lose-on-lehman-aig/86313/ Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST New York City's pension system appears to have lost about $230 million since June from the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and American International Group, increasing the strain on taxpayers after a year in which the funds already took a $6 billion hit. The city's five pension funds shrank by 5.4% of their total value in the fiscal year that ended June 30, according to data that the comptroller's office provided to The New York Sun. Since that date, the funds' investments in Lehman... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/city-pensions-will-weather-downturn-thompson-says/86053/ Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Comptroller William Thompson Jr. is assuring New Yorkers that the city's pension system will withstand the mayhem that has struck the financial sector. Only about two-tenths of a percent of the pension fund is invested in Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and American International Group, the three powerhouses that were most affected by the mortgage crisis this week. Still, he is warning that the $110 billion pension fund will probably shrink due to dismal economic conditions. "New York City... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/business/money-market-funds-avoid-panic-so-far/86110/ Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The next threat to American finance may involve money market funds, a heretofore stable financial strategy that could now be imperiled. The trouble started on Tuesday, when the country's oldest money market fund, the Reserve Primary Fund, announced it was strained to the point where investors could not recoup all the cash that they had put in. The fund had issued $785 million in short-term loans to Lehman Brothers Holdings, which had gone bankrupt, meaning the money market was unable to recoup... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/business/america-nationalizes-aig-group/86045/ Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The government's plan to nationalize the American International Group came about after the insurance giant's top management rebuffed an offer by its famed founder, Maurice Greenberg, to help save the troubled firm. In a dramatic reversal last night, the Federal Reserve will rescue the firm from collapse by loaning it $85 billion in exchange for an 80% stake in the company. Word of the government's deal with AIG followed the release of a letter from Mr. Greenberg, who stepped down as head of the... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/on-aig-dinallo-goes-against-ex-boss-spitzer/85921/ Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Three years after Eliot Spitzer decapitated the world's largest insurer, his protιgι has stepped in to try to save the company from collapse. New York's insurance superintendent, Eric Dinallo, agreed yesterday to extend a lifeline to American International Group by easing state regulatory restrictions. It is an odd twist in the legacy of Mr. Spitzer, who crusaded against the company's management in his days as the state's top prosecutor. Shortly after he was elected governor, Mr. Spitzer hired... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/trial-could-shed-light-on-afghan-drug-trade/85726/ Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST At the start of a federal trial in Manhattan that may shed light on the inner workings of Afghanistan's drug trade, prosecutors are painting the picture of a warlord who used his clout with the Taliban to smuggle heroin into America. Bashir Noorzai, a tribal leader-cum-Taliban associate-cum-American informant, was arrested on drug charges in 2005 after he provided federal agents with potentially valuable information on a wanted terrorist. To hear prosecutors tell it, Mr. Noorzai tried to woo... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-york-lawmaker-is-indicted/85645/ Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Federal investigators are accusing a state assemblyman of lobbying his own colleagues in exchange for more than $500,000, raising concerns of a potentially wider corruption problem in Albany. Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio of Queens is the eighth state lawmaker from New York City to be indicted or sentenced for abusing his office since 2003. That doesn't include the state comptroller, Alan Hevesi, also of Queens, who resigned after pleading guilty to a felony. Mr. Seminerio is the latest in a... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/business/hip-hop-artist-timbaland-charges-australian/85506/ Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST In an effort to repair his tarnished image in Australia, the popular hip-hop artist Timbaland is suing a company that he accuses of ruining his tour there. The Australian press raked Timbaland over the coals this summer, when his shows were canceled just as they were scheduled to begin. But in a lawsuit filed in New York federal court last week, Timbaland pledged to "set the record straight" with regard to the Australian company that arranged his performances, Showtime Touring Group. "Despite... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-opposition-rises-to-change-in-term-limits/85351/ Mon, 8 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Lawmakers seeking to change the city's term limits law will have to contend with a new voice of opposition. Launched yesterday in front of City Hall, the People Have Spoken Coalition, a collection of politicians and community leaders, is pledging to fight changes to term limits restrictions through rallies and, potentially, legal action. It is the latest sign of organized resistance to a term limits repeal, coming on the heels of a like-minded television ad campaign that ran during the weekend... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/business/brokers-charged-with-baiting-customers-into-high/85180/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Two brokers who worked at Credit Suisse have been indicted on charges that they defrauded clients in a mortgage-backed securities scheme. Julian Tzolov and Eric Butler are accused of running a bait-and-switch operation that boosted their commissions. Separately, Morgan Stanley filed a lawsuit against Mr. Tzolov seeking to recoup $4.45 million it loaned him before it knew of the allegations. According to the indictment, the brokers sold what their clients thought were low-risk securities backed... 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... 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... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/police-department-sued-over-planned-downtown/84906/ Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A group of Chinatown residents is suing the police department over plans to build a new command center in Lower Manhattan. Local residents and business owners have locked horns with the police for years over what they call onerous security measures that strangle their neighborhood. In a suit filed in state court yesterday, they demanded that the city conduct an environmental impact review for a new Joint Operations Command Center slated for construction on Park Row. The plaintiffs, which... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/after-audit-finance-department-promises/84708/ Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The city's Department of Finance is pledging to improve its oversight practices after an audit found it could not account for $14.1 million in court revenues. The audit, released by the state comptroller yesterday, indicated that an antiquated accounting system had resulted in serious discrepancies on the department's books. A bank account for court funds is short $10.8 million, while another account for bail funds has an unexplained surplus of $3.3 million. City courts collect hundreds of... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/suit-claims-asbestos-poisoning-at-hudson-hotel/84592/ Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A tenant at the Hudson Hotel in Midtown is claiming he was poisoned by asbestos after the hotel ignored environmental safety procedures. According to a lawsuit filed in state court yesterday, the hotel knowingly put dozens of permanent tenants at risk when it removed asbestos from apartments it was planning to convert into guest suites. Workers dumped the asbestos in "an eight foot box, in very poor condition, which was OPEN at all times and read 'Danger Asbestos,'" the plaintiff, Thomas... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/national/obama-seen-taking-ny-for-granted/84539/ Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST During Senator Obama's lean yet spirited primary campaign in New York, a small building on 139th Street in the Bronx served as one of his seven offices in the city. Six months later, with the Democratic National Convention kicking off today, the office space is up for rent and crumpled "Obama for America" posters are collecting dust behind grates on the front wall. A peek through a broken window shows all the signs of an abandoned building, with only some stools and paint cans and a box of... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-york-to-lose-nonstop-service-to-25-cities/84529/ Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Nonstop flights to 25 cities from New York City are set to end next month, the latest round of casualties in an industry reeling from high fuel prices and weak economic conditions. Service to 55 other domestic and international cities will be curtailed as well, according to data compiled by FareCompare.com. The analysis was first reported in this week's issue of Crain's New York Business. Leisure destinations will be hardest hit, the CEO of FareCompare, Rick Seaney, told The New York Sun... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/poll-obamas-new-york-advantage-deteriorating/84109/ Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The presidential race is tightening in New York State, where Senator Obama's lead has slipped by 10 points since June. According to a poll released yesterday, the Democrat leads Senator McCain by 47% to 39%, a healthy advantage that has nevertheless deteriorated significantly over the course of the summer. The poll, conducted by the Siena Research Institute, also indicated that Governor Paterson's "call to action" on the state's budget crisis is resonating with voters. Nearly half of them... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/manhattans-stringer-endorses-squadron-for-state/84148/ Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The insurgent candidate for lower Manhattan's State Senate seat, Dan Squadron, picked up an endorsement from the president of Manhattan, Scott Stringer, yesterday. Mr. Stringer's move follows endorsements by Mayor Bloomberg and Senator Schumer, strengthening a candidacy that threatens to topple Martin Connor, who has served in the 25th district for 30 years. Mr. Squadron took the opportunity to roll out an 11-point plan for reforms to "democratize" the state legislature. "You can talk about... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/federal-judge-wants-fewer-capital-cases/83696/ Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A sitting federal judge who is working on a book is calling on the Justice Department to ease off in pursuing the federal death penalty in New York City cases. Speaking at an American Bar Association event yesterday, the judge, Frederic Block of U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, criticized the government for spending millions of dollars in pursuit of death sentences and ignoring what he said were New Yorkers' views on capital punishment. Washington often seeks death sentences when it has... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/verizon-union-hammer-out-contract-averting-strike/83589/ Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Plans to expand New York's television service are back on track after Verizon and 65,000 workers narrowly averted a strike yesterday. A new contract was hammered out hours before a midnight deadline. The company and its two labor unions had been negotiating furiously to avoid potentially delaying a rollout of Verizon's television and Internet products in New York City. The contract, which must be ratified by employees, will raise wages by almost 11% over three years. It also will create about... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bloombergs-tax-returns-give-a-glimpse-at-his/83523/ Fri, 8 Aug 2008 18:50:08 EST Mayor Bloomberg was quite generous with his fortune last year. So generous, in fact, that he was rewarded for it. Mr. Bloomberg took his $1,000 award for philanthropy, given by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and donated it to New York City. Given his many other sources of money — including winnings from horse shows and an acting gig on "Law and Order," not to mention profits from his multibillion-dollar company — the mayor could spare the cash. These and other facts about the mayor's... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/beloved-yale-pizza-parlor-expands-to-new-york/83483/ Fri, 8 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST New Yorkers looking for a taste of Yale won't have to travel all the way to Connecticut anymore. Instead they can take a shorter trip to Yonkers, where Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana is opening its first restaurant in New York State. The expansion of Pepe's, whose signature white clam pies have drawn pizza connoisseurs to New Haven for more than 80 years, should delight its New York fans. "Pepe's could contribute to the New York pizza scene," said Judith Aisen, who discovered the restaurant while... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/illegal-thruway-authority-payments-uncovered/83365/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The New York State Thruway Authority was illegally paying health insurance premiums for its board members up until a few months ago, the state comptroller announced yesterday. The comptroller's criticism recalled a recent scandal involving the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, when board members were found to be inappropriately receiving free subway rides. The Thruway Authority stopped making the payments for its board members, who are supposed to work for free, in March. The Thruway... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/us-somalia-fight-spills-into-city/83393/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A diplomatic row between America and Somalia has spilled out of the United Nations building, and New York property owners are getting caught in the crossfire. The Somali government is refusing to pay for bills or repairs at several properties it has used in the metropolitan area. Its attitude appears to stem, at least in part, from a decades-old dispute with America concerning the sale of a home in Washington. While the two countries quietly fight it out, lenders and neighbors in New York are... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/national/terrorist-suspect-denies-she-tried-to-kill/83263/ Wed, 6 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST An American-educated Pakistani neuroscientist is denying charges that she tried to murder Americans in Afghanistan. Federal prosecutors in a New York court accused the defendant, Aafia Siddiqui, of attempting to shoot a group of Americans after seizing one of their rifles while she was detained at an Afghan police station. Her attorneys said the idea that a 90-pound woman could get the better of six trained soldiers and FBI agents is "ridiculous." Her attorneys also claimed that America has... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/comptroller-seeks-flexibility-in-managing-pension/83200/ Tue, 5 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The state comptroller is calling on legislators to give him more latitude in managing New York's investments in the wake of an announcement that state pension fund growth has slowed to a crawl. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli yesterday said the pension fund grew by 2.6%, to $154 billion, in the fiscal year ended March 31. While some in the field say that performance is reasonably strong given the condition of the economy, it is nowhere near the 12.6% return that New York enjoyed the previous year... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/man-charged-over-youtube-poisoning-videos/83022/ Fri, 1 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A Manhattan resident is facing prison time for posting videos on YouTube in which he claimed to have poisoned baby food, federal prosecutors announced yesterday. Anton Dunn, 42, allegedly described how he and his cohorts killed four children by slipping cyanide into millions of Gerber baby food bottles. There is no evidence that any bottles were actually contaminated, prosecutors said, but they are nevertheless charging him for the threats. Operating under the alias "Trashman" and wearing a ski... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bernard-goetz-vying-for-independence-committee/82837/ Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Bernard Goetz, known as the "subway vigilante" who shot four panhandling teenagers in 1984, is vying for a seat on the Independence Party State Committee. He will be running against Frederick Newman in the 66th Assembly District, according to filings with the New York City Board of Elections. Mr. Goetz exposed a public divide among New Yorkers when he was prosecuted in connection with the shooting. Many condemned him, while others were sympathetic given the crime epidemic sweeping the city. He... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/queens-congressional-candidate-accuses-opponents/82857/ Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST A Republican candidate for Congress in Queens is calling for a criminal investigation into her opponents in the race, saying they committed election fraud. Elizabeth Berney, a lawyer running in the 5th Congressional District, said her fellow Republican candidate, Jun Policarpio, and the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Gary Ackerman, illegally copied or fabricated hundreds of signatures to get on the primary ballot. Mr. Ackerman's campaign has denied the allegations, and late yesterday Mr. Policarpio... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/clinton-lauds-housing-pact-for-starrett-city/82791/ Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Senator Clinton, accompanied by a small army of elected officials, rallied at Starrett City in Brooklyn yesterday to celebrate an agreement that will preserve its "affordable" housing. The press conference was a victory parade of sorts for the officials, who arranged a deal whereby Starrett City — the country's largest federally subsidized housing complex — will remain affordable to poor and middle-class families after it is sold to a real estate developer. Congress added the finishing touch... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/spy-satellite-fight-may-land-in-israeli-court/82628/ Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Israel is set to become the new battleground in a lawsuit targeting ImageSat, a company that has refused to rent its private spy satellites to Venezuela despite what shareholders say was an obligation to do so. A federal judge ruled this week that New York is the wrong venue for the suit, in which investors allege company executives scuttled a deal with Venezuela — an ally of Iran — at the behest of the Israeli government. It now appears likely that the plaintiffs will instead have to file suit... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/unions-decry-a-new-rush-to-fight-fires/82454/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST The fire department's citywide response time has improved significantly since it implemented a new dispatch system a month ago, but union officials are opposing the change, saying the rush to fires is actually jeopardizing public safety. The new program has exposed a sharp division between the fire commissioner and local leaders, who exchanged barbs yesterday following an announcement that average response times have plummeted to their lowest level in years. In the first indication of the... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/national/testing-firm-under-fire-over-delays/82247/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Britain is investigating the American testing company that makes the SAT, saying it bungled the grading of thousands of national tests in what lawmakers are calling a "fiasco." Outrage over the Educational Testing Service's conduct accelerated yesterday, when British press outlets reported that ETS employees were in such a rush to get late exams back to schools that they attempted to recruit hotel bar staff as graders. The company failed to report schoolchildren's scores on time and is accused... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/childrens-services-workers-charged-with-stealing/82085/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Mayor Bloomberg and a key City Council member are defending the leadership of the city's Administration for Children's Services after federal prosecutors announced charges against two city employees and two foster care workers, accusing them of embezzling money intended for the city's neediest children. U.S. attorneys said the defendants — two of them payment officials within the Administration for Children's Services — stole hundreds of thousands of dollars by fabricating invoices and paying... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/business/ny-pension-funds-miss-the-commodities-boat/82062/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Many of the pension funds struggling with this year's steep stock market losses are finding a silver lining in the sharply rising value of their commodities investments. New York is not so lucky. Due to a combination of strategic choices and legal restrictions, New York's city and state pension funds have not directly invested in any commodities, such as oil or gold, which have seen their values skyrocket. The pension funds have sat on the sidelines as other states poured money into commodities... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/arson-rape-killings-a-most-unusual-mortgage-fraud/81874/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST The founder of a Haitian death squad who has resided as a free man in New York for most of the last decade is a defendant in a mortgage fraud case that opened yesterday. The case involving Emmanuel "Toto" Constant has been closely watched by politicians and human rights groups who accuse him of leading a violent campaign against supporters of an exiled Haitian president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide in the early 1990s. Mr. Constant has never served time despite multiple court findings against him... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/schumer-heating-prices-to-rise-25-this-winter/81788/ Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST New Yorkers can expect their heating bills to increase by an average of $720 this winter, courtesy of skyrocketing oil prices, according to a report released today by Senator Schumer. Heating oil prices are projected to be 25% higher than last winter, which translates into an additional cost of about $1.24 billion for the New York City area, Mr. Schumer's office stated in a press release. In response, Mr. Schumer will push for an expansion of the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/pension-fund-double-dipping-is-detailed/81410/ Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST The city has accused 87 retirees of stealing $1 million from its pension system, what may be the latest in a series of pension abuses that have provoked calls for action in Albany. Over the course of seven audits, the city comptroller's office detailed how retirees worked for government agencies and consulting groups while improperly collecting on their pensions. The audits came a week after state legislators passed laws closing pension loopholes and enacting tougher penalties for abusers... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-proposal-would-tow-cars-of-diplomatic-debtors/81311/ Mon, 7 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST A City Council member is opening a new front in the battle concerning the illegal parking habits of diplomats, calling on the police department to tow cars belonging to repeat offenders. Under the plan proposed yesterday by Eric Gioia of Queens, police officers would tow vehicles affiliated with U.N. missions that have more than $5,000 in outstanding fines. Mr. Gioia also is asking the city to shut off utilities to missions that are not paying their property taxes, an issue on which New York... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/citys-film-tv-production-suffers-as-actor-strike/81216/ Thu, 3 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST With the prospect of an actors' strike looming, New York City's film industry is preparing for a serious summer downturn that already appears to have begun. Because a nationwide strike could be called within the next several weeks, much of the city's film and television production has ground to a halt, producers and union leaders said. Filmmakers are reluctant to begin costly shooting schedules when there is a chance they will be interrupted. "Business could be quiet for a while," Douglas... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/columbia-and-a-professor-reach-second-gender/81030/ Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Columbia University and a star professor who accused it of gender discrimination have settled their lawsuit, ending a decade-long dispute that was closely watched by women's rights groups. The economics professor, Graciela Chichilnisky, accused Columbia of continuing to pay her less than her male counterparts even after the two sides reached a $500,000 settlement on similar issues in 1995. Ms. Chichilnisky was not quite as successful this time around, receiving a $200,000 settlement but once... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/business/foreign-reinsurers-may-get-easier-access-to-ny/80826/ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST State officials are expected to submit a proposal to Governor Paterson next week that would make New York more open to foreign-based reinsurers, a step that could pave the way for nationwide changes in a $100 billion-plus industry. Mr. Paterson appears willing to approve the plan, expressing disappointment yesterday that the state has "discriminatory" restrictions on companies based outside America. Reinsurers, which provide insurance to other insurance companies, are currently subjected to a... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/city-pension-funds-lose-billions/80738/ Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST New York City officials are bracing for increased pressure on the budget as the city's pension funds are reeling from the credit crisis and posting billions of dollars in losses. In the nine months leading up to March 31, the city's five pension funds lost a total of nearly $5 billion, or 4.4%, according to data from the city comptroller's office. This is a far cry from projections published as recently as last month, when budget planners assumed the pension system would post no losses. If... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/second-arrest-made-for-brooklyn-wall-collapse/80412/ Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Officials made a second arrest yesterday in connection with a fatal wall collapse in Brooklyn. An engineer, Abraham Hertzberg, is accused of forging the certification of excavation plans he submitted to the city in 2006. The documents pertained to a construction site on Glenmore Avenue where a cave-in killed a worker in March. Mr. Hertzberg's indictment follows the arrest last week of the site's owner, who has been charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and reckless... ROSS GOLDBERG http://www.nysun.com/new-york/deficit-buster-perot-is-found-to-have-old-debts/80308/ Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Ross Perot, who this week unveiled a Web site devoted to criticizing the national budget deficit, appears to have a deficit of his own: more than $15,000 owed to New York State by his former presidential campaign and his company. According to state filings, the New York headquarters of People for Perot owes $6,436.96 stemming from a sales tax that wasn't paid in 1995. Mr. Perot's Texas-based IT services company, Perot Systems, also owes $8,814.55 for an apparent failure to submit required...