CITYWIDE

Council Member Puts Foie Gras Ban Aside For Now

On the verge of introducing legislation tomorrow that would ban foie gras from city restaurants and food markets, a city council member decided to pull in the reins and investigate the matter further. “I’m generally sympathetic to humane issues,” the city council member who was proposing the ban, Alan Gerson, said, “but there are a lot of people on both sides of the issue.” Mr. Gerson said that a phone call he received from a constituent aided in his decision not to introduce the legislation. The proposal for the ban was submitted to Mr. Gerson by the League of Humane Voters of New York City. The Humane Society of the United States filed a lawsuit on November 15 in Albany to ban the production of foie gras on the grounds that the process, where ducks are force fed so that their livers expand, results in diseased animals that are a health hazard.

— Special to the Sun

Lawmakers Oppose ‘Parade’ Law

Lawmakers and community activists criticized the police department’s proposals to regulate parade permits yesterday at a rally and public hearing at Police Headquarters. One day after the New York City Bar Association opposed the proposed regulation, which it said would present a “serious and unwarranted infringement on associational freedom,” some opponents to the law argued that legislative changes should be made by the city council, not the police department. Under the new regulation, groups of 10 or more pedestrians or bicyclists who plan to travel more than two city blocks without obeying traffic laws would need a permit to do so. Processions of 30 vehicles or more would also need permits. At the hearing, Councilwoman Letitia James argued that the rules are “inherently unconstitutional,” adding, “It’s my understanding that the City Council writes laws,” while police enforce them. In a statement, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn did not take a position on who should decide permit procedure, stating instead that while the revised regulations strike a better balance of public safety and civil liberties, the police department should continue to hear suggestions and amend the law as appropriate.

— Special to the Sun

STATEWIDE

Commuter Finds Dead Baby in Train Station

HICKSVILLE — A commuter waiting for a train to Manhattan yesterday morning made a gruesome discovery after looking in a plastic bag: a dead newborn. The baby boy was found at the Hicksville station of the Long Island Rail Road just before 9:30 a.m., said Kevin McConville, police chief of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the rail system. Mr. McConville said the baby had no visible signs of injury and had been born alive. An autopsy revealed the baby had probably been born in the 12 hours before being found. The curious commuter told police he noticed the untied white plastic bag on a garbage can near the waiting room and peered inside. After finding the baby, he notified station employees, who called police. Mr. McConville said he didn’t know who dumped the baby. He said the busy station would have provided plenty of cover to leave the baby and make a swift getaway. The MTA police and the Nassau County Police Department were investigating.

— Associated Press

IN THE COURTS

Queens Father Pleads Guilty in Daughter’s Beating Death

A father pleaded guilty yesterday to beating his 7-year-old daughter on two successive nights last year and then failing to get her to a hospital in time to save her life. Prosecutors said Russell Roberts repeatedly slammed his knee into his daughter Sierra’s abdomen on October 23, 2005, and pummeled her with belt a day later. where she was pronounced dead.

— Associated Press