Earthquake 2011: All-Important Local Angles

Queens Self-Centeredness: “Earthquake strikes Queens”.

Brooklyn Insecurity: “Earthquake: Brooklyn Probably Shook More Than Manhattan”.

Staten Island Remaining Relevant: “45 seconds of panic as quake’s tremors reach Staten Island”.

New York City’s Red State Problem

Staten Island, known for its brisk prescription painkiller business, seems to be the place in the city to procure hillbilly heroin:

Prescription pills were illegally sold for $20 a pop alongside bagels and beer at a Staten Island deli, officials charge as part of a sting that led to 25 arrests.

. . .

Nel Boy Bagels on Amboy Road in Great Kills was targeted as part of an investigation begun last fall dubbed Operation Bitter Pill, officials announced on Saturday.

. . .

Undercover detectives bought 2500 Oxycodone pills, 368 Percocet pills and 245 Xanax pills as part of the sting, along with 300 grams of cocaine and two assault weapons, a Tec-9 and a 9mm gun, officials say.

Which Union Jobs Are They Talking About?

Maybe you found it annoying to hear union members back the Port Authority’s proposed toll hikes, arguing that more toll revenue would lead to more construction jobs on PA capital projects:

The union members, mostly from Labor International Union North America (LiUNA) were in favor of the hike, saying the capital work it will fund will mean safer bridges and good middle-class jobs for the people in their unions.

. . .

The morning meeting was held in a tricky-to-find building at the New York Container Terminal, a spot on a lonely, industrial road marked by a few signs that said “public hearing” and a police car’s flashing lights. The room had about 80 seats, more than half of them taken by union members who had arrived early decked out in bright orange shirts that said “Port Authority = Jobs.”

The last time I remember union members advocating for some controversial plan, it didn’t end so well.

And as for jobs, now there’s this:

APL Limited has opted out of renewing its lease and will vacate the New York Container Terminal in Mariners Harbor next July over space considerations and the prospect of ongoing toll hikes on PA bridges, Terminal CEO Jim Devine said.

. . .

He said current bridge tolls and the threat of hikes were “a contributing factor.” Devine said doing business here, as opposed to in New Jersey, runs an average truck $100 more per trip to Mariners Harbor, depending on the number of axles, which are factored into the toll cost.

Tolls was the sole reason Turkon America Line left NYCT in 2009, Devine said. Turkon, which relocated to New Jersey, “continually brought up the toll,” he added.

311 Finally Begins To Pay For Itself

Putting the eye on the street to good use:

When a city paving contractor caused minor damage this spring to the sidewalk in front of his Great Kills home, [a Staten Island man] and his wife [ . . .], dialed 311 to start the repair process.

What they got was a visit from an inspector — and then a summons and an order to fix it.

To their disbelief, a similar story played out among their East Brandis Avenue neighbors, all of whom say the situation stinks like hot asphalt. “They rammed it with the machine and all of this buckled up,” [the wife] said, pointing to a slightly raised concrete slab in front of her driveway. “The point is that what they’re saying we have to now fix is exactly what they did.”

One Family With A Two-Family Problem

I still don’t get the fascination with dogs, but I guess that says something about me:

[A man] and his wife [. . .] have sued [the man’s] younger sibling [. . .], seeking a court-ordered sale of their jointly-owned house because [the younger sibling’s] two pooches are allegedly defecating all around the property.