Report Says Mobsters Controlled Bus Union - New York Times

New York Times - Report Says Mobsters Controlled Bus Union...

An independent counsel appointed to investigate the union representing 15,000 New York City school bus drivers has concluded that there is substantial evidence that “organized crime has infiltrated and controlled” it.

The counsel’s report, written in January and made public yesterday by dissident union members, said that top officers of the union, Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, were involved in what it called racketeering activity that included extortion, kickbacks and bribes.

Salvatore Battaglia, the local’s former president, is facing trial on federal charges accusing him of extortion, receiving bribes and hiding Mafia involvement in the union. He has pleaded not guilty. The local’s secretary-treasurer, Julius Bernstein, was forced to resign by federal prosecutors and has pleaded guilty to obstructing justice.

The independent counsel, Richard W. Mark, called on the parent union to bring internal charges against Mr. Battaglia and Mr. Bernstein and to conduct a further investigation “to determine the extent of criminal activity.”

Leo Wetzel, the general counsel of the parent union, said the union had decided against bringing charges against those officials because they had both retired and cannot run again for union office.

“It was the judgment of the union,” Mr. Wetzel said, “that the resources and attention of the international and local union were better directed to putting the local on the right course and to leave those matters to federal prosecutors.” Mr. Wetzel said the parent union assigned auditors to review Local 1181’s books for financial wrongdoing.

At a news conference yesterday, a dozen bus drivers complained that the two trustees whom the parent union had named to oversee the local had hired 11 of the local’s executive board members who had worked under Mr. Battaglia.

The drivers said those people had helped perpetuate an intimidating atmosphere that discourages criticism of union leaders. They also complained that not enough was being done to recoup the more than $2.7 million that federal officials say Mr. Battaglia obtained improperly.

“The international didn’t bring in any new faces,” said Simon Jean-Baptiste, who belongs to a dissident faction called Members for Change. “The same people are there who stopped people from talking. It’s a bad situation.”

Another bus driver, Clifford Magloire, said that in May, when he was distributing leaflets criticizing the local’s leaders, one union official pushed him against a fence and started screaming at him as others surrounded him.

Defending the decision to hire the 11, Mr. Wetzel said: “It is essential that you have experienced personnel to represent the union members. If you sweep house and bring in a bunch of people who have no experience, that is not a good idea.”

Mr. Wetzel said the 11 executive board members were hired for staff positions only after they passed a background check by the parent union. He said one executive board member was not hired because of questions about his integrity.

The independent counsel’s report criticized several officials from the parent union who knew for decades about mob involvement in Local 1181 but did nothing.

Last September, Matthew Ianniello, the acting boss of the Genovese crime family, admitted that he had helped arrange for bus companies to make payoffs to Local 1181 officials. Some payoffs, prosecutors say, went to Mr. Battaglia, who in exchange agreed not to attempt to unionize certain bus companies.

Mr. Ianniello also said he shared kickbacks and extorted money with Local 1181’s leaders. He made those admissions when he pleaded guilty in Federal District Court in Manhattan to obstructing justice.

Mr. Wetzel said that union officials planned to enact a stronger ethics code at their convention this month that would, among other things, require union officials to notify headquarters if they know of any union official mishandling funds or involved in corruption.

###

A few past articles on Ozone Park's own, Local 1181:

Malice's Restaurant - What Rao's and a Gangster-run School Bus Drivers' Union Have in Common by Tom Robbins - April 4th, 2006

Village Voice > Rao's Regulars Serve Bus Drivers Union to the Mob

New York Sun Gangland News - "Feds Spike Mob's Hotdogs"

New York Sun Gangland News - Another Wiseguy Hangs Up The Feds

[ozone park, ny 11417]

YouTube - Keith Olbermann Special Comment...

YouTube - Commentary

The REAL Rudy

The REAL Rudy

"It's just not possible."

That was the sentence we heard over and over from families who had firefighter sons, brothers, husbands and fathers killed on 9/11, from experts on emergency response, and from investigative journalists. It was just not possible that Rudy could so distort what happened on 9/11 and his role on that terrible day.

These experts, these grieving and furious family members, were united only by the fact that this story had to be told. Republicans, Independents, and Democrats could agree on just one thing: the cold hard facts about Rudy's terrible handling of 9/11 and the aftermath.

And so we went to work. We researched, we read, we interviewed. Jason locked himself in a quiet room. Christopher flew across the country at a moment's notice to interview. Lissette went over and over the footage. Leda kept juggling schedules so we could get the film done. Jimmy worked the phones to try and raise some funds.

And here it is... The REAL Rudy: Command Center. The first of a devastating four-part series.

We need your help. We don't have ad budgets, so like all our videos, we are counting on you to spread these to your email list, to your local paper, to blogs, to websites. We are fortunate that today we have the new technology and ability to reach millions, but it only happens when you send the video with notes to as many people as possible.

Queens Shark Sleeps with the Fishes - Daily News and other media...

Queens shark sleeps with the fishes:

The wayward shark that beached itself in the Rockaways - causing a stretch of the Queens shoreline to be closed to swimmers Saturday - died yesterday, city park officials said.

"It is now safe to go back into the water and we invite beachgoers to enjoy a picture-perfect Labor Day weekend at the Rockaway Beach," Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said after the shark washed ashore at 6 a.m.

A group of sunbathers first spotted the shark Saturday morning when it splashed out of the surf near Beach 113th St.

Rather than flee, the beachgoers pushed the shark back into the ocean. For several hours, the 5-foot thresher shark could be seen swimming just off shore.

The sightings led park officials and lifeguards to close more than 10 busy blocks of beach - from 107th to 121st - at the start of the long, Labor Day weekend.

Benepe said city lifeguards acted "appropriately" Saturday when they closed the beach to swimmers. The parks commissioner referred to the shark as "one of the most respected creatures of the deep" yesterday before announcing all the city’s beaches were open for the holiday weekend.

Hans Walters, a shark researcher and supervisor at the New York Aquarium, said he was impressed by the way New Yorkers responded to the shark sighting.

"Sharks get a lot of bad press," he said. "But the public that was at the beach said, 'Hey, we gotta help this animal,' rather than, 'Hey, it's a shark. Let's kill it.'

"It's just sad the shark didn't live."

NY Post - SOCK IN THE JAWS | By Ikimulisa Livingston and Eric Lenkowitz...

New York Times - Shark Lands Again, Dead This Time...

Newsday.com - Rockaway Beach reopens after dead shark washes ashore...

Subway Riders Give a C-Minus to the No. 7 Line...New York Times Blog...

The M.T.A. released a report card today in which riders gave the No. 7 subway line a mediocre rating at best. (Photo: Frank Franklin II/Associated Press)

Take a ride aboard the 7 Train at YouTube courtesy of Brian/nyctoak. To continue the ride go to YouTube...



Here's a copy of the original survey...Click on images to enlarge:

Subway Riders Give a C-Minus to the No. 7 Line - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog:

A C-minus for service but an A for effort?

Most subway riders would probably say that New York City Transit is about as receptive to their complaints as a railroad tie.

So it was a departure from past form this year when the agency’s new president, Howard H. Roberts Jr., said he planned to start asking riders on each subway line to fill out report cards grading service.

Mr. Roberts today revealed the results of the survey, of riders on the No. 7 line, saying that straphangers filled out 16,000 report cards, giving the line an overall grade of C-minus.

In grading individual aspects of service on the line, riders gave the lowest mark, a D-plus, to the announcements made in stations and on trains.

The No. 7 is one of the most crowded lines in the subway system, so it was no surprise that riders gave it a D for “adequate room on board at rush hour.”

They also gave the line a C-minus for cleanliness.

In response, Mr. Roberts said that he will add more trains to the line before and after its peak ridership periods. The line already runs with the maximum number of trains possible during the peak period.

He said that riders will be encouraged to make their trip a little earlier or a little later if they want to find a less crowded train.

The additional trains will begin running in December, he said.

He also said that he would add cleaners to the line and would do regular checks of the public address systems in stations and on trains. Mr. Roberts said he expects to have report cards completed on each of the other subway lines by November.

The REAL Rudy

The REAL Rudy



At a recent debate in Iowa, Rudy Giuliani was asked, "In 30 seconds, what is a defining mistake of your life and why?" He made a joke about how he couldn't possibly list all his mistakes in 30 seconds. Ha!

So we gave it a try. Watch The REAL Rudy in 30 seconds.

What is his biggest mistake? Refusing to get working radios to firefighters before 9/11? Cross dressing? 3 marriages? An estranged daughter who supports Obama for president? Locating the emergency command center in the only place in New York City that had already been attacked by terrorists? The list goes on and on...

Vote for Rudy's biggest mistake at TheRealRudy.org.

Enjoy our funny teaser, but get ready for our very serious The REAL Rudy videos to come. We have some very powerful interviews with experts about his so-called 9/11 expertise, and heartbreaking stories from the families whose sons were killed due to his negligence. We don’t want to give it all away, but we promise you will NEVER look at him the same way again.

The First Day of School - Handelsman Cartoon...

Newsday.com

Discovery Channel: Woodpecker Habitat Plan Hatched by Jill Zeman, Associated Press

Discovery Channel :: Read original...

Aug. 24, 2007 — Federal wildlife officials say spending more than $27 million to research the suspected habitat of the ivory-billed woodpecker is worth the cost, despite conflicting views on whether the elusive bird even exists.

"There's enough out there that we've got to keep searching," said Jeff Fleming, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "It'd be irresponsible not to."

The agency this week released a 185-page draft plan aimed at preventing the extinction of the bird. The draft plan, which is open for public comment until Oct. 22, recommends spending more than $27 million in federal dollars on recovery efforts for the woodpecker.

"The opportunity to recover this icon of the ornithological world cannot and should not be passed over," said Sam Hamilton, regional director for the service's Southeast Region and leader of the recovery team.

Much of the recovery work has been happening in Arkansas, but projects are also under way in Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas, Fleming said.

The plan outlines habitat needs and future conservation efforts aimed at protecting the woodpecker.

The plan was drafted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the University of Georgia, Florida Gulf Coast University, the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Arkansas Natural Heritage Foundation.

The woodpecker was thought to be extinct when Cornell University researchers reported spotting one in 2004 in an eastern Arkansas swamp. Researchers and birders have since converged on the Cache River Wildlife Management Area hoping to spot the bird and hear its distinct double-rapping.

Researchers have also reported spotting an ivory-billed woodpecker in a northwest Florida swamp.

The proposed recovery efforts include research on the bird's status and ecology, developing new surveying techniques, conducting forest inventories in the Cache and White River basins and developing population estimates, among other measures.

The Nation: Travails of the Super-Rich By Barbara Ehrenreich

Travails of the Super-Rich

Go to Original

Travails of the Super-Rich
By Barbara Ehrenreich
The Nation

Friday 31 August 2007

On Labor Day we customarily give a nod to America's underpaid and overworked blue- and pink-collar workers - janitors, flight attendants, forklift operators and the like. But this year let's go a step further and salute the most reviled and despised of the people who make our economy happen, the mere mention of whom causes the average forklift operator to spit on the floor. You are thinking, perhaps, of telemarketers, human traffickers and the fiends who answer the phone when you to try to make a claim on your health insurance. But I'm talking about our CEOs.

Just in time for the holiday, two liberal groups - United for a Fair Economy and the Institute for Policy Studies - have issued a gleefully malicious new attack on our CEO class. They point out that the CEOs of large companies earn an average of $10.8 million a year, which is 362 times as much as the average American worker, and retire with $10.1 million in their exclusive pension funds. The groups further point out that the compensation of US CEOs wildly exceeds that of their European counterparts, who, we are invited to believe, work equally hard.

And, in what they must think is their cleverest point of all, the UFE/IPS folks state: "The 20 highest-paid individuals at publicly traded corporations last year took home, on average, $36.4 million. That's...204 times more than the 20 highest-paid generals in the U.S. military." You know what we're supposed to think here: Wow, but generals have all that responsibility! They're responsible for national security, or at least for conducting the wars that increase the threats to our national security and thus help justify ever greater increases in our national security apparatus!

But someone has to speak up for our beleaguered CEO class, and let me begin with that spurious comparison to the top military brass. Could we put patriotic emotion aside for a moment and look at this in a hardheaded, bottom-line sort of way?

Suppose you are the general responsible for all the service people in Iraq, about 130,000, and suppose you manage to lose every single one of them in some ghastly miscalculation. With the death benefit for the family of one dead soldier running at $100,000, your mistake will cost a total of $13 billion. Sounds like a lot, I know, until you consider that a hedge fund manager or financial company CEO can lose that much in a single afternoon, without anyone even noticing. There is simply no comparison between a general and a CEO.

That's a side issue, though. The real point, which the CEOs and their usual defenders are strangely reticent to make, is that it's damn expensive to be rich, and extravagantly expensive to be super-rich. Before you start playing your air violins, consider the costs of maintaining as many as five different homes, some of them as large as 45,000 square feet, most with swimming pools, tennis courts, guest houses and wine cellars requiring constant supervision.

The poor whine about having no home at all, or maybe a two-bedroom apartment for a family of six. They should just think for one moment of the tribulations involved in running four or more mansions, each with its own full-time staff. There's the problem of getting between them, for example. A friend of mine, of very modest means himself, consults for a billionaire couple who commute between London and Los Angeles by private jet, with their dogs following in a second private jet.

But much of what we know about the extreme costs of wealth comes from Wall Street Journal columnist Robert Frank's recent book Richistan. The ultra-rich, drawn largely from the CEO class, require staffs of about forty to fifty people, including not only cooks, maids and nannies but "lifestyle managers" (to set up the entertainment schedule) and - in a throwback to the original Gilded Age - butlers. It's the butler's job, among other things, to deal with any issues that may arise from the proliferation of homes. For example, if the boss is in Palm Beach, Frank reports, "and wants to send his jet to New York to pick up a Chateau LaTour from his South Hampton cellar, the butler makes it happen, no questions asked."

Nor are the ultra-rich in a position to cut back on their expenses - by, say, running down to the supermarket for a $12 bottle of Chardonnay. If they were to do so, their friends would despise them. As Frank explains, the Richistani word "affluent," meaning someone with less than $10 million in assets, translates into English roughly as "scum."

A mean-spirited critic of the ultra-rich CEO class might grumble that the rich should simply find a new circle of friends. But who exactly might these new friends be? If you were in the $100 million-in-assets set, you could hardly consort with the class of people for whom a pittance like $10,000 might be a transformative sum, possibly allowing Granny to get her insulin and the children to have warm winter clothes. People of that class could not be trusted not to pocket the silverware or rip out the gold fixtures in your powder room. They might even make a lunge for your throat.

NY Daily News: Can't go for walk without stepping in dog poop on these streets

Can't go for walk without stepping in dog poop on these streets:

Welcome to the wasteland.

These are the city streets where pedestrians walk in fear - of stepping in what Fido, Rex and Rover have left behind.

Sedgwick and Aqueduct Aves. in the Bronx, Arion Road in Queens, and 66th St., Brightwater Court, and W. 12th St. in Brooklyn have become odoriferous obstacle courses, thanks to pet owners who don't clean up after their furry friends.

That's according to city officials, who don't rank the foulest streets but asked enforcement agents to help the Daily News compile a list of the worst.

The Department of Sanitation is hoping to crack down on the excrement epidemic on byways like these by raising pooper-scooper fines from $50 to $100.

In the meantime, local residents who want to put their foot down better look twice first.

"People walk their dogs and their dogs defecate in the middle of the sidewalk," said Toya Kelly, 37, walking her 2-year-old German shepherd, Saint, on Sedgwick Ave., next to the Jerome Park Reservoir.

"There's a lot of kids around here and kids need to be able to run around," she said.

Even though she spoke with disgust, Kelly admitted she once got a ticket for leaving Saint's poop on the street.

"I always carry bags," she said. "But you run out of bags if you walk him three times a day."

In a stretch of a few hundred feet, a reporter counted three dung heaps on the Kingsbridge Heights street. On Aqueduct Ave., there were two in a three-block span.

In Ozone Park, residents of Arion Road said their street made the list because of the high concentration of pooches - 10 dogs on 1-1/2 blocks.

Joann Orobello, 49, said her large mixed-breed, Rocky, is part of the problem.

"I don't always [clean up]," she said. "Sometimes he goes twice and I don't have another bag."

On Brightwater Court in Brighton Beach, Alla Sirotova, 59, was raising a stink about the situation. "It's so dirty," she said of the street next to the Boardwalk.

Sirotova has a small terrier mix named Daisy and says she never fails to pick up after her. But her job doesn't end there.

"Sometimes I clean up after other dogs," she complained.

City officials didn't single out any Manhattan streets but said blocks that feed into the parks tend to be the most feculent.

And Geoffrey Croft, president of the nonprofit New York City Park Advocates, said the problem in the parks is widespread.

One cause, he said, is the Sanitation Department doesn't enforce the pooper-scooper law in parks. The other cause is more obvious - and the one the city hopes to tackle with stiffer fines.

"There are many dog owners who believe parks should be used as outdoor toilets for their animals," Croft said.

tconnor@nydailynews.com

SPEAKER, MAYOR ANNOUNCE SERIES OF MIDDLE SCHOOL INITIATIVES

THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

CITY HALL
NEW YORK, NY 10007
(212) 788-7116
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
August 13, 2007

Release # 073-2007

SPEAKER, MAYOR ANNOUNCE SERIES OF MIDDLE SCHOOL INITIATIVES
Council Releases Middle School Task Force Report
DOE to Implement Numerous Recommendations for Coming School Year

New York, August 13, 2007 - Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn today was joined by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, Council Members and members of the Council's Middle School Task Force in announcing a series of initiatives to help improve academic performance in New York City Middle Schools and provide greater resources for students, parents, teachers, and administrators. The Council released the findings and recommendations of its Middle School Task Force, many of which the Department of Education (DOE) is moving to implement for the coming school year.

"When the Council decided to make middle school reform a major priority, we pulled together experts and stakeholders from every facet of the education community," said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. "The recommendations of our Task Force point the way toward a comprehensive, effective approach that will dramatically improve New York City's middle schools and create bright futures for our students. We are proud that the Administration and the DOE have agreed to implement many of these recommendations this year, and we will continue working to move forward with even more of our key proposals city-wide."

"Our City's schools have made enormous progress over the last five years, but we still have a long road ahead," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The new strategies we are announcing today will continue that progress and help more students make the difficult transition from elementary school to middle school to high school. Middle schools are where too many of our students begin to lose their footing, so I want to thank Speaker Quinn, Chancellor Klein, and the task force for coming up with such a sound set of recommendations to help us continue moving forward."

CITY COUNCIL MIDDLE SCHOOL TASK FORCE

The City Council appointed the Middle School Task Force to combat persistently low academic achievement among New York City middle school students, whose performance has consistently lagged behind elementary and high school students. In 2007, less than 50 % of middle grade students met or exceeded the English Language Arts (ELA) standard, and only 45.6% of 8th graders met or exceeded the math standard.

Members of the Middle School Task Force held a series of public forums in all five boroughs, receiving testimony from middle school students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and other concerned members of the community. The Task Force investigated test scores recorded by students in subject areas throughout the middle school curriculum, and considered best practices championed by leading experts and advocates in the education field.

NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL INITIATIVES

The Administration and DOE have agreed to the following steps recommended in the Council's report:

· Identifying at least 50 high-need middle schools that will have access to a $5 Million Fund to implement Middle School Task Force recommendations
· Working to implement Task Force recommendations citywide
· Waiving fees for Professional Development for high-need schools
· Expanding Regents-level courses citywide
· Establishing an ongoing discussion on middle-grade reform with various stakeholders

In addition, Mayor Bloomberg announced the creation of the Director of Middle School Initiatives and the hiring of former Region 8 Local Instructional Superintendent Lori Bennett for the new position. Ms. Bennett, who assumed her new role last week, is reporting to the deputy chancellor for teaching and learning, Marcia Lyles. She has been a Middle School educator for three decades in both the New York City and Newark school districts. Ms. Bennett's new responsibilities include designing middle school professional development programs and implementing task force recommendations. The Director will also maintain an ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders to ensure that middle school reforms continue to evolve throughout the system.

The Department of Education will collaborate with the City Council to identify high-need middle schools to serve as the primary beneficiaries of intensive professional development support. The cost of all centrally offered professional development will be waived for these schools.

Working with the support of the new Director of Middle School Initiatives, the School Leadership Teams of these targeted middle schools will be able to choose from a variety of Task Force recommendations, and to access a $5 million fund to implement the recommendations that best fit with their individual schools.

New City funding may also be used in the following areas: hiring additional guidance counselors and family assistants, offering extended day programs to students, awarding teacher scholarships, creating collaborative communities, and purchasing external professional development or consultation services.

"The middle school years are crucial years for our children. I am confident that the steps we are taking will help us address the needs of this vulnerable student population," Chancellor Klein said. "Thank you to the Middle School Task Force for its valuable input and to Speaker Quinn for her leadership. I'd also like to thank Lori Bennett for taking on this challenge as our new Director of Middle School Initiatives. Lori has worked in middle schools for three decades. She brings both passion and understanding to this position."

"This initiative is an important step in focusing attention and resources on our middle schools, which pose significant educational challenges not only here in New York City but across the nation," said UFT President Randi Weingarten. "We are particularly pleased to see a commitment to provide our middle schools with more guidance counselors and enhanced support services, professional development for teachers and challenging instructional programs for students. The Middle School Task Force's recommendations are so on point that our goal is to have all of them adopted. We also hope this initiative will lead to a real lowering of class size, which will go a long way toward helping to improve these schools."

"In our report, the Task Force has outlined a series of reforms that we believe can lead to significant and measurable improvement across the City's middle schools," said Task Force Chair Dr. Pedro Noguera. "These recommendations are based upon a series of consultations with teachers, students, parents, and administrators from throughout the system. We have done our best to incorporate the ideas and concerns that have been raised and drawn on the best research on proven and effective measures that can lead to improvements in the classroom. We are proud that the DOE has agreed to begin implementing key components of our proposals, and thank Speaker Quinn and the Council for focusing much needed attention on this often forgotten segment of our public schools."

"For years our City's Middle Schools have been trailing elementary and high schools in basic performance, and lacking the resources necessary for improvement," said Council Education Committee Chair Robert Jackson. "Today we begin the process of reversing this trend, giving our middle schools a greater chance for success. I want to thank the Task Force for all their work in identifying core problems and proposing clear and practical solutions, and I commend the DOE for moving quickly to implement many of our proposals."

"This is a hopeful moment for NYC public school children," said Ocynthia Williams of the Coalition for Educational Justice. "CEJ applauds the Speaker of City Council for convening this Task Force, the Task Force for its great work and smart recommendations, and the DOE and the mayor for responding. There is much work ahead but this collaboration is an important first step."

ADDITIONAL PROPOSALS OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL TASK FORCE

The Task Force proposed additional initiatives to improve the quality of New York City middle-grade schools for students, teachers, and administrators. These initiatives, broken into 8 major categories, include:

· Middle Grades Leadership - Establish an effective training model for middle-grade school principals to create stronger instructional leaders.
· Professional Development for Middle-Grades Teachers - Establish ongoing professional development to make middle-grades teachers more effective instructors and help them encourage student development.
· Recruitment and Retention of Quality Teachers - Institute specified training in adolescent development for middle-grade teachers and recruit and retain quality teachers, especially in the areas of ESL and content-specific bilingual study.
· Parental Involvement - Encourage parents to play a larger role in their children's schooling to stimulate academic success and reduce discipline issues.
· Middle Grades Curriculum - Incorporate rigorous coursework, effective recuperative programs for students left behind, and greater enrichment activities to foster achievement and benefit academic development overall.
· Student Support and Counseling - Increase access to guidance counselors, support staff and other counseling services for students to help ease their transition into adolescence, which will result in more attentive, successful students.
· Middle Grades Governance & Organization - Mandate smaller class-sizes and scheduling flexibility to promote healthier learning environments.
· Safety & Discipline - Establish clear and firm disciplinary practices to elicit positive student behavior and create safe and productive learning environments for students and teachers.

The full text of the Council's Middle School Task Force report can be downloaded at www.nyccouncil.info.

###

Contact: Anthony Hogrebe (Council) (212) 788-7157
Stu Loeser/Dawn Walker (Mayor) (212) 788-2958

village voice - Runnin' Scared: A Brooklyn Principal Lost Her Job and Now She Wants Justice by Maria Luisa Tucker...

village voice > news > Runnin' Scared: A Brooklyn Principal Lost Her Job and Now She Wants Justice by Maria Luisa Tucker:

When asked what she does for a living, Joyce Saly tells people that she took an early retirement from her 39-year career in the New York City school system. The reality, however, was that she was forced out abruptly after a cheating controversy.

Saly was principal of P.S. 58, a thriving elementary school in Carroll Gardens, when she was blamed for a testing scandal and cut loose in April 2006. For a year and half, the energetic 60-year-old has been doggedly trying to prove her innocence and simultaneously take down her former assistant principal, who she says is the real culprit of a test day gone bad.

"I knew a grave injustice was done, and that was my whole purpose here—to discover what they had done and expose it," says Saly.

Largely because of Saly's determination, what started as a cheating scandal over a fifth-grade test has snowballed into multiple investigations of alleged favoritism, scapegoating, and cover-ups. More than a year and half later, two of the investigations that sprouted from a simple testing issue still have no conclusion. All this despite the fact that P.S. 58's fifth graders (now in seventh grade) were never asked to retake the test at the origin of the controversy. As usual, the kids' education (isn't that still the mission of the education department?) has been overshadowed by the bureaucratic quagmire of personnel disputes.

Flash back to December 2005: Saly was out on medical leave. Filling in was assistant principal Patricia Peterson, who was also the test coordinator for the school. An important state exam was a month away, and parents were getting anxious. A teacher would later testify that she got Peterson's approval to send home copies of an old test as part of a fourth-grade practice exam. When Saly returned from medical leave in January, she claims she found a stack of similar fifth-grade practice tests on her desk. She distributed the copies dutifully, she says, not thinking that anything was amiss. By this time, Peterson, the assistant principal and test coordinator, had jumped ship—she left P.S. 58 for a pay raise as coordinator of the region's Gifted and Talented program.

When the big test day arrived in January 2006, students and teachers realized the questions on the exam were suspiciously familiar. As it turned out, the practice test that Saly had passed out, as well as the fourth-grade practice test given out weeks earlier, contained some of the exact same questions as the current exam. At best, it was a careless mistake during a chaotic time at the school; at worst, someone had attempted to artificially inflate the kids' grades by giving them a sneak peek at the test questions. The education department investigated and issued a report that blamed Saly. Despite a significant outcry from parents, Saly was forced to leave. The education department then declared the case closed.

In the year and a half since her ouster, Saly has dug up documentation that, she says, proves her innocence. She has also tracked down records damning her second-in-command, Peterson, who was never investigated or punished for her role in the test snafu.

"They allowed [Peterson] to be above the law" because she was connected with higher-ups at the education department, says Saly. In fact, education-department records do suggest a pattern of preferential treatment. For example, Peterson was ushered into her new job in the Gifted and Talented program apparently without being technically qualified or even applying for the job. The education department has no record of Peterson's job application, and her appointment to the position was announced before the application period had ended, suggesting that she was allowed to bypass the selection process completely. Further, an e-mail from Human Resources explicitly stated that Peterson did not have the proper licensing for the job at the time of her appointment. Peterson did not return calls to her office seeking comment. (Since the regions were dissolved this summer, Peterson is now in a position at a Brooklyn learning center.)

Saly and a handful of her supporters repeatedly complained to the education department about these discoveries, as well as the inequity of the testing investigation, prompting two new investigations. According to an education-department spokesperson, investigators are looking into several claims: that the original investigation was done improperly; that Peterson did not have the proper licensing while she was an assistant principal; and that administrators allowed Peterson to bypass the regular selection process when they promoted her to a new job.

Saly says she expects to be exonerated next month, when she's been told that one of the investigations will finally conclude. The education department, however, won't confirm that time frame or comment on any of the allegations because they are, of course, part of an ongoing investigation. In the meantime, there's only one thing that the test-taking children of P.S. 58 could have possibly learned from all of this: school sucks.

Shark Disrupts Rockaway Beach - NY Times and other Local Media...

A harmless Thresher Shark was sighted at Rockaway Beach and sent many bathers into a "JAWS" frenzy...

Shark Disrupts Rockaway Beach - New York Times:

Beachgoers were driven out of the water for several hours yesterday when a shark washed up on Rockaway Beach.

The six-foot shark turned up about 11 a.m. near Beach 109th Street, said Warner Johnson, a Parks Department spokesman. Those nearby seemed unfazed; some of them pushed the shark back into the surf. Over the next few hours, the department closed parts of the beach between Beach 107th and Beach 121st Streets, Mr. Johnson said. Rumors spread that there were two sharks, but he said there was only one.

The beaches will be open today, he said.

Watch video - NY1 News - Shark Washes Ashore On A Rockaways Beach

Rockaway Beach Open After Shark Visit - News Story - WNBC | New York

Rockaway Beach between 107th and 121st streets was shut down Saturday after a shark washed ashore, but the creature did not reappear and the beach was open again Sunday.Swimmers were told to get out of the water about 11 a.m., after a shark was spotted in the ocean near 108th Street. The shark, about six feet long, appeared to be beaching itself, witnesses said.A person on the beach pushed the shark back into the water with her foot. People reported seeing the shark swimming near the shore for about an hour afterward.

But New York park officials decided to keep people out of the water in case the shark is ill or disoriented and decides to return.Parks officials said they don't know what type of shark it was.Shark sightings are rare in New York. Last year, a dead shark washed ashore in Coney Island, park officials said.

Newsday Shark forces closure of Rockaway Beach -- Newsday.com:

"A 6-foot shark washed up on Rockaway Beach Saturday morning and was pushed back into the water by beachgoers, a city park official said. The shark was spotted at Beach 109th Street about 11 a.m. and immediately forced the closure of the beach from Beach 107th Street to Beach 121st Street, said Warner Johnston, spokesman for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. 'Shark sightings are very infrequent,' he said. 'They are not native to the waters of New York City.' The shark, he said, likely got caught up in the net of a fishing boat and brought closer to the city, Johnston said. It is not known what kind of shark it was nor the condition it was in. After swimming around close to shore for a few hours, the shark disappeared about 3:30 p.m., Johnston said. If the shark is not seen again, the beach will reopen Sunday at 10 a.m., he said. 'We advise beachgoers that if they see a shark, to immediately exit the water and inform the park's personnel,' Johnston said. Last year, a dead shark washed up at Coney Island Beach with a hook in its mouth."


Daily News - Shark washes up at Rockaway Beach in Queens:

A wayward shark splashed in the surf off the Rockaways today - and rather than flee, unflinching New Yorkers pushed the creature back into the ocean.

Swimmers were beached for the rest of the afternoon as onlookers reported several more sightings of the shark, believed to be a thresher because of its long tail.

"It was like freaking out. Its tail was flopping everywhere," said 10-year-old McKenzie Pontieri. "Maybe it got separated from its family. It looked sick."

The "Jaws"-dropping drama began at 10:56 a.m. near Beach 109th St. when swimmers alerted lifeguards that the creature was wiggling near the shore.

"I saw the fin, and I was like, 'Oh my God!'" said Keith DiLorenzo, 12, who was boogieboarding.

Several brave beachgoers mustered up the nerve to push the six-foot-long shark back in the water - a decision that could save the creature's life, said Hans Walters of the New York Aquarium.

"They gave him a shot," Walters said. "I'm not saying he's not going to wash up again - he might. But that's really the best thing to do for him."

The shark may have been drawn to the beach because it was disoriented or sick, Walters said, like a shark that washed up in Madrid last week after swallowing a fishing hook.

For the rest of the day, swimmers were ordered out of the water between Beach 107th and Beach 121st Sts. by the Parks Department. Officials hadn't decided whether to lift the ban for the remainder of Labor Day weekend - the unofficial last weekend of summer, as city beaches and pools close Tuesday.

Some swimmers were a little too eager to jump back in.

"It was like 'Jaws.' I was a little scared, but I dove in anyway and I got yelled at," said 13-year-old Thomas Hourigan of Woodside.

The shark was last spotted about 1 p.m. swimming near Beach 113th St. A few sunbathers were grateful it didn't rear its fin earlier in the season.

"If this had happened on Memorial Day," said Dot DiLorenzo, 47, "it would have ruined the summer."

cmelago@nydailynews.com

Gifted Students Lost in Shuffle by Angela Montefinise...

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September 2, 2007 -- The math just doesn't add up at the city's schools for the gifted and talented.

Despite a record 13,266 applications for the coveted seats, more than 1,000 slots will go unfilled this semester, frustrating parents who went through a new, centralized admissions process.

Of the 4,460 seats available in the five boroughs, only 3,350 were filled as of last week, and the Department of Education does not expect the number to change dramatically.

That leaves about 1,110 seats vacant.

The reason, according to the DOE, is supply and demand.

On the gifted and talented application, parents list their desired schools in order of preference. They choose among schools in their own districts and three citywide programs.

Parents are only entitled to one offer. So if they're placed on the waiting list of their first choice, and a second or third-choice school makes an offer, they are automatically removed from the waiting list of their first choice.

To get around this winner-take-all approach, many parents will list only their first choice, hoping they aren't shuffled to another school.

"You don't have the option of saying, no, I'd rather stay on the wait list of my first choice," said one Upper West Side parent, who is still trying to get her 7-year-old son into a gifted program. "So putting only one school seems to help your chances. But if you don't get in, you get nothing. That's where I am."

"If there are still open seats, I wish I could apply now," she said.

Ideally, parents said, the city would approach parents who did not get offers at the end of the process and let them know which programs have available seats.

But that would be unfair, according to the DOE.

"It's not fair to those parents who put several options and maybe got their second choice to reopen the process and give other parents a second shot," said DOE spokesman Andrew Jacob. "Our goal is to make the process transparent and fair."

He emphasized that the DOE "made plenty of offers" - 5,900 in multiple rounds - but said, "If parents didn't choose specific schools or rejected offers at those schools, then those programs weren't filled. It really is supply and demand."

angela.montefinise@nypost.com

Get Out of the Water By C.J. Sullivan, James Fanelli and JenniferI Fermino...

GET OUT OF THE WATER! | By C.J. SULLIVAN, JAMES FANELLI and JENNIFER FERMINO | New York News | New York City News | NY News:

September 2, 2007 -- This shark sparked a near-panic when it was spotted in the surf at Rockaway Beach yesterday.

Hundreds of splish-splashers enjoying the beautiful weather went scrambling for shore when the toothy fish showed up. Swimming was banned for hours along a 14-block stretch of beach as the shark swam nearby.

Click Here For The Photo Gallery

“I didn’t want to get eaten,” one frightened teen cried.

Rockaway Beach looked like Amity Island yesterday as hundreds of screaming swimmers scrambled out of the surf after a 6-foot shark - and its ominous dorsal fin - was spotted close to the shore.

"It was scary," said Julio Lento, 15, of Brooklyn.

"I didn't want to get eaten."

Experts believe it was a relatively harmless thresher shark - but during the mad dash for land, the killer great white "Jaws" was on everyone's mind.

Sunbathers shouted, "Shark!" and "Get out of the water!" while lifeguards frantically blew their whistles to warn people.

Those who dared look behind could see a fin circling about 20 feet from the shoreline.

The beach was shut down immediately from Beach 107th Street to Beach 121st Street, said a Parks Department spokesman.

It reopened some five hours later.

Emergency responders from the FDNY and NYPD rushed to the scene, and a helicopter hovered over the water searching for the menacing-looking creature.

The shark was first spotted around 10:30 a.m. near Beach 109th Street by a couple of eagle-eyed beachgoers about 15 feet off the shore.

"They were saying, 'What's that?' And I looked up and I said, 'What is that?' " said the lifeguard on duty, who only gave his first name, Justin.

At the time, few people were in the water.

They watched incredulously as the tail flapped in and out of the ocean.

Moments later, the big fish - alive but clearly suffering - washed up on shore near Beach 109th Street.

"This thing was sick or lost its mother," said Justin.

"It was flipping around. He had a big, floppy tail like an eel."

Three do-gooders took matters into their own hands and dragged it by its tail into the water, he said.

Once back in the surf, the shark seemed to swim away. He was spotted going out about 50 feet.

But an hour later, when the water was full of swimmers, the shark returned - scaring the daylights out of people and prompting officials to keep swimmers out of the water until about 3:30 p.m.

The fright put a serious damper on the holiday weekend.

"It's been tough on the kids," said Eileen Quinn. "Three or four days and they're going back to school."

"I came here with my kids to swim, and now they can't go in the water," said another frustrated mother, Janice Darby, 28.

"What's the sense of coming to the beach if you can't go in? And this is the last weekend to do it."

Still, it's not every day there's a shark in the Big Apple, and scores of thwarted bathing beauties enjoyed checking out the big fish.

For hours, the landlubber shark circled the water, creeping close to shore.

"It was incredible," said José Saavedra, 35.

"I've never seen anything like it. The shark was dark gray, and it was pretty big. It kept coming in and out of the shore."

He added, "I'm from South Beach, in Miami, and I've never seen anything like this."

Keith DiLorenzo was so thrilled to see the rare sea dweller that he didn't want to leave the water when the frenzied mob came rushing out.

While his relatives yelled to him - "Get out! Get out!" - the 12-year-old marine buff tried to get closer to the action.

"I wanted the shark to get close to the shore, so I found a sharp clam and I cut my finger and put drops of blood in the water," said DiLorenzo, of Floral Park, L.I.

His grandmother, Pat DiLorenzo, said afterward, "When he got on the shore, all I thought was, 'Thank God summer's over.' "

She probably had nothing to fear, said Hans Walters, the New York Aquarium's animal department supervisor and resident shark expert.

After looking at a photo of the shark that was beached, he said it was a thresher shark.

"These are deep-water fish," he said. "It makes me believe someone caught him and released him."

"I'm just surprised he's this close."

Telltale signs of thresher sharks include a tail that's about half as long as their body, as well as weak teeth and jaws.

"These shark are not dangerous," said Walters.

"The fact that he kept swimming toward shore leads me to believe that he's dying."

Larry Penny, Hampton Natural Resources director, said swimmers should be cautious around all types of sharks.

Threshers are "not very dangerous," he said in a 2005 interview with The Post.

"But all sharks when they're hungry, even the blue shark, have been known to attack."

He spoke after a thresher shark - which, on occasion, have been known to injure divers with accidental swipes of their long tails - was spotted at Tiana Beach in Southampton.

Additional reporting by Erika Martinez

jennifer.fermino@nypost.com