CITYWIDE

Nightlife Industry Open To Increasing Legal Age

Nightlife industry leaders said yesterday they were open to discussing a proposal to raise the minimum age of entry for city bars and clubs to 18 or 21 from its current 16. The concession was made during a City Council-led summit on nightlife security that brought representatives of the New York Nightlife Association, top police officials, and lawmakers to the same table at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The council speaker, Christine Quinn, called the meeting to address what she says is a crisis in city nightlife following recent high-profile deaths involving clubs. The industry’s willingness to budge on the minimum age requirement was seen as the most significant progress to come out of the meeting. To curb underage drinking, club owners have pushed for a crack down on fake IDs and the ability to hire off-duty police officers as guards. The police have long opposed paid, off-duty detail on the grounds it could lead to corruption, and other participants said officials refused to move from that position yesterday.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

MTA, City Reach Agreement on Rail Yards

The MTA board unanimously approved a deal yesterday that allows the city to rezone the western portion of the Hudson River rail yards and the MTA to sell the land to the highest bidding developer. The 26-acre tract of land on the Far West Side of Manhattan, currently used by the Long Island Rail Road, will be rezoned for high-rise development. The sale of the property, as well as additional funding from the city, will finance the extension of the no. 7 subway line past its current Times Square terminus to the Javits Convention Center. In addition to the $2 billion requested by the MTA, the city has pledged $100 million to cover potential cost overruns.Transit advocates fear the project will exceed its budget. “Subway and bus riders would be left holding the bag for the inevitable cost overruns,” said Gene Russianoff, a chief spokesman for the Straphangers Campaign. State Comptroller Alan Hevesi announced earlier this week that the MTA is already $2.4 billion over budget on current expansion projects. But MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow said he is confident that the MTA could complete the rail yards project within its budget.

— Special to the Sun

Mayor Confesses Affinity For Fast Foods

Did somebody say McDonald’s in City Hall? Just days after Mayor Bloomberg announced that he hopes to ban trans fat from city restaurants, he confessed at a midday news conference that he’s a fast-food fan. “I love McDonald’s fries!” he said, adding that he “loves” eating oily popcorn too. The mayor was defending his transfat ban campaign, which has attracted the ire of civil libertarians, to make New Yorkers healthier. If Mr. Bloomberg’s effort proves successful, McDonald’s restaurants citywide would be forced to change their recipes. To illustrate that trans fats aren’t necessary to enjoy a good meal, he pointed to a movie star who happened to be standing behind him for an unrelated announcement about the Tribeca Film Festival. “If you look at some of the best restaurants in the city, including Robert DeNiro’s, they do not use trans fats because they don’t need them in their food.” Mr. DeNiro smirked. “I gave you a plug for the restaurant,” the mayor said to laughter.

— Special to the Sun

Columbia Announces $4B Capital Campaign

Although Columbia Univeristy announced its $4 billion capital campaign last week, Columbia’s President, Lee Bollinger is officially kicking off the effort today. Mr. Bollinger wanted to wait until he had a significant chunk of money in hand before announcing the fund raising drive, the university’s press office said, and he’ll do so today with a $1.6 billion chunk of change. Mr. Bollinger will be joined by alumni in New York, London, and Hong Kong, where simultaneous events will be linked via satellite. The late Robert Yik-Fong Tam, a graduate of Columbia’s graduate school of business, is Hong Kong’s link to the event.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

POLICE BLOTTER

Commune Shooter Spotted

The woman suspected of shooting a Staten Island commune leader last May was spotted at a Manhattan bank yesterday, police said. Police said Rebekah Johnson, 43, was taped withdrawing cash from a Commerce Bank at East 42nd Street and Madison Avenue on September 20. She has been on the run since May 29, when she allegedly shot Jeff Gross, the 51-year-old leader of the Ganas commune, after stalking him for two years. Ms. Johnson, a former commune member, has accused Mr. Gross of sexual misconduct. Ganas members deny her claims.

— Special to the Sun