CITYWIDE

Man Taking Harvard Club To Court

A man alleging that intoxicated Harvard Club patrons “bent upon violence” attacked him in September 2004 is now suing the Midtown establishment for unspecified damages. Lawrence Doherty claims in court papers filed yesterday that the Harvard Club of New York City staff didn’t protect him and continued to serve the assailants alcohol even though they were apparently intoxicated. Some of Mr. Doherty’s injuries to his “head, body, limbs, and nervous system” are permanent and have prevented him from earning a living, the lawsuit alleges. Representatives of the Harvard Club could not be reached for comment last night, and Mr. Doherty’s lawyer, Harlan Budin, declined to comment. The Harvard Club, which charges some members up to $1,416 in dues, isn’t owned by the university.

— Special to the Sun

School Shooting Won’t Change Mayor’s Mind On Cell Phone Ban

The killing of five young girls in a shooting spree at an Amish school yesterday in Pennsylvania is not likely to prompt the city to revisit its ban on cell phones in schools. Mayor Bloomberg dismissed the suggestion that cell phones would have had any effect on the tragedy. “If you’ve got somebody shooting away, a phone doesn’t exactly do you any good,” the mayor said yesterday. He said that on the contrary, cell phones have been shown to increase gang activity. Five girls died and five others were wounded when a man lined them up against a wall and shot them in a one-room school in Bart Township, Pa.

-Staff Reporter of the Sun

Street Vendors Pay 5% To City in Fines

Many of New York’s street vendors live in poverty, and they pay an average of 5% of their earnings back to the city in fines, a new report has found.The Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center conducted the study of 100 vendors in Lower Manhattan, which it says is the first extensive survey of street vendors in 80 years. The report found that the median annual income for street vendors was $7,500, and they pay an average of $433 in fines every year. The study was conducted before the city raised fines for vending violations earlier this year. Mayor Bloomberg was dismissive of the complaint about fines. “I’d say first and foremost, don’t break the law, and then you won’t have that problem,” he told reporters.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

Poll: Voters Want Giuliani To Run for President

A majority of registered voters would like to see Mayor Giuliani try to become President Giuliani, a new poll from WNBC-TV/Channel 4 and Marist College released yesterday has found. Slightly more than half of respondents, both Democrats and Republicans, said yes when asked directly whether they want Mr. Giuliani to run in 2008. But 23% of right-leaning voters said they would support him, with Secretary of State Rice and Senator McCain closely behind. Mayor Bloomberg received 8% of a hypothetical vote in a match-up among Mr. Giuliani, Senator Clinton and Mr. Bloomberg. In that race, Mr. Giuliani received 44% and Mrs. Clinton 39%.

— Special to the Sun

‘Cocaine’ Drink Causing Outrage

Mayor Bloomberg yesterday joined a chorus of politicians who have denounced a soft drink named “Cocaine,” saying its bottlers “ought to have their heads examined.” The highly caffeinated drink is made by Redux Beverages and has appeared in a handful of stores in the city. “To try to glorify something that is so destructive just is an outrage,” Mr. Bloomberg told reporters yesterday. “They may have a first amendment right to do it, but that doesn’t make it right, and I wish they would reconsider. It’s about as inappropriate a thing as you could do in naming a product. “The company’s Web site bills the drink as “the legal alternative.” The site also includes a post dated yesterday that appears to respond to criticism from city politicians. The posting says the company is “provocative” and “irreverent” but that “we are not and never will be responsible to for the choice of an individual to abuse drugs.”

-Staff Reporter of the Sun

Pace Investigates After Koran Found in Toilet

The finding of a copy of the Koran in a public toilet this week at Pace University was the impetus for today’s townhall meeting at the school’s Manhattan campus. The Council on American Islamic Relations, which announced yesterday it would participate in the meeting, said in a statement that the incident is indicative of the growth of Islamophobia nationwide. Although a spokesman for Pace, Christopher Cory, could not confirm CAIR’s presence at the meeting, he said that administrators and students discussed how to strengthen the school’s culture of tolerance and support. The latest incident comes on the heels of two vandalism episodes that occurred at Pace over the past two weeks. Mr. Cory denied that the three incidents, which are under investigation, are evidence of rising Islamophobia on the Pace campus.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

STATEWIDE

Pataki Signs Legislation Limiting Eminent Domain

Governor Pataki signed legislation yesterday to limit the use of eminent domain by gas and electric companies. The legislation would create a major hurdle for the Albany-based New York Regional Interconnect Inc., which has proposed a $1.6 billion power line that would run power from upstate to the five boroughs. Mayor Bloomberg immediately criticized the governor and said the bill would “effectively pre-empt the state through the Public Service Commission from evaluating the pros and cons of the proposal. “The issue of eminent domain has become something of a flashpoint locally and nationally. Mr. Bloomberg has argued that the city should have the right to seize private property if it is “blighted.” But many upstate residents are against having the power line run through their neighborhoods.”These new restrictions help to clarify the rights of a community and residents,” Mr. Pataki said.

— Staff Reporter of the Sun

POLICE BLOTTER

Motorcycle Accident Kills Driver in Coney Island

A motorcyclist died after crashing into two parked cars in an early morning accident yesterday in Coney Island, police said. Michael Rebuffi, 52, of Afton, N.Y., was traveling on Shell Road near Neptune Boulevard just after 7 a.m.when he hit two unoccupied vehicles, they said. Police said Rebuffi was taken to Coney Island Hospital, where he later died.

— Special to the Sun

Bus Crushes Queens Biker

A Queens cyclist was crushed underneath a city bus yesterday after he fell off his dirt bike and under the bus, authorities said. Authorities said the accident occurred at 4:05 p.m., when Jason Tyson, 23, of Inwood Street in Queens was riding a dirt bike on 115th Avenue in South Jamaica. The man, who was not immediately identified, died at the scene. There is no criminality suspected, police reported.

— Special to the Sun