Mayor Criticized on Judicial Stance by Michael Howard Sau l- WSJ.com

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg, vowing to keep fighting to shutter 19 failing city schools, suggested Friday that judges should take a more activist role when deciding cases.

The mayor's remarks—denouncing a unanimous appellate court ruling that prevents his administration from closing the schools—offer a provocative glimpse at Mr. Bloomberg's perspective on the role of the judiciary and would undoubtedly be a lightning rod if he launched a bid for president.

Mr. Bloomberg, 68 years old, contemplated a White House bid in 2008 and there is widespread speculation that he still harbors such ambitions.

On his weekly radio show, the mayor conceded it's "probably true" that his administration "didn't comply" with the procedures required under law to close the schools, but he suggested the five-judge panel on the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court should have looked at the bigger picture.

"We're playing with children's lives, not whether the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed," Mr. Bloomberg said. "They should look at the context of it, and for them to think, 'Well, you know, I'm just here to interpret the law,' that's not true. They are part of society."

Mr. Bloomberg said the judges "made a terrible mistake, and...should have found a ways to interpret the law—and they have plenty of discretion, it's ridiculous to say they don't—to accomplish what's good for society."

Roger Clegg, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative think tank based in Virginia, called the mayor's remarks "disturbing."
"The definition of judicial activism is a judge ignoring what the text of a law says—whether it's the Constitution, or a statute, or a regulation—and instead substituting his own view of what is the greater societal good," he said.

Mr. Clegg said the mayor's remarks "would come back to haunt him" if he decides to pursue a White House bid. Mr. Bloomberg has repeatedly said he has no plans to run for president.

Doug Muzzio, a professor of public affairs at Baruch College, said Mr. Bloomberg's remarks reflect his "hubris and arrogance."

"He's telling the judges that 'I am so right on the issue that your interpretation of the law doesn't matter. It's Bloomberg law. I am the philosopher king. I know best,'" Mr. Muzzio said. "It's outrageous, but characteristic of the mayor and his attitude."

Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, which brought the suit along with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the mayor's administration was instrumental in crafting the very law it violated.

"You support a law, you help draft a law, then, your agency goes out of its way to make sure they don't follow it," he said. "It's ridiculous."

He said judges should make decisions based on the facts and the law. "We're in a lot of trouble if the facts be damned," he said.

An aide to Mr. Bloomberg declined Friday to respond to the criticism that the mayor's comments elicited.

NYPD Digging In Queens In Search Of Missing Student - Gothamist

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Cold-case investigators are ripping up the basement of a Queens plumbing-supply store in hopes of finding the remains of a Baruch College student who disappeared 12 years ago after her married chemistry professor got her pregnant. Cops received a tip a decade ago that Kristine Kupka might be buried beneath the Jamaica shop, but the man who managed the property—a cousin of professor and "prime suspect" Darshanad Persaud—wouldn't allow them to search. But according to the Post, after the building was leased to a new business, cops got permission and a "cadaver-sniffing dog" indicated the presence of human remains.

The tabloid reports that investigators also noticed one section of the concrete floor didn't match the rest of the flooring in the basement. They dug six feet yesterday and are expected to continue searching today. Police have not found enough evidence to arrest Persaud, who has since moved to Tampa, Florida, where he is a dentist. "No comment, I can't help you out," the 41-year-old said. Kupka was a 28-year-old undergraduate student at the time of her disappearance.

Baruch Professors Study NYC Harbor by Hsi Chan - The Ticker

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Baruch professors Timothy Hoellein and Chester Zarnoch had one question: what role do oysters play in the New York City’s ecosystem?

Their research, titled “Oyster restoration and nitrogen cycling: an ecosystem approach,” examines how the restoration of oysters can help increase water quality in Jamaica Bay. According to Hoellein, who holds a doctorate in aquatic ecology, the water quality issues in Jamaica Bay are common in urban estuaries like the N.Y. harbor.

“There are multiple waste water treatment plants and combined sewer overflows which, in addition to runoff from streets and parking lots, contribute to high levels of nutrients in the water,” said Hoellein. “Excess nutrients cause lots of algae to grow, which can cause other problems for the aquatic environment.“

Nitrogen is one of the most common and destructive pollutants. According to the International Nitrogen Initiative, humans have disrupted the nitrogen balance and drastically increased re-active forms of nitrogen into the environment. Organisms like algae bloom, which can result in oxygen depletion from the water.

However, bivalves, which include oysters, can remove problematic algae by filter-feeding particulate matter in the water. Hoellein specializes in measuring water quality and nutrient cycling in response to human and environmental change, while Zarnoch specializes in shellfish biology.

“In my last year of college, I worked with the East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery, which produced clams, oysters and scallops to restock the local waters,” said Zarnoch. “This work led to my research interest in shellfish biology, aquaculture and restoration.”

Both Professor Hoellein and Zarnoch are members of the Baruch College Environmental Biology and Sustainability Research Group (EBSRG), an organization that seeks to demonstrate the biological significance, economic importance, and ecological complexity of local and global ecosystems.

Students who are interested in the environmental sciences can volunteer with the EBSRG or Baruch College’s Sustainability Task Force.