Alan Ehrenhalt

Stimulating Architecture
If we're going to rely on public works to turn the economy around, build well.

New York City

City Gives Up Bid for Luxury Yankee Stadium Suite

New York Times

After intense criticism, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration has given up a perk it worked fervently to secure: a free luxury suite at the new Yankee Stadium. The city will relinquish use of the 12-seat box in exchange for whatever revenue the Yankees generate by selling the seats, minus the cost of marketing them. Similar suites at the new stadium are being sold for as much as $600,000 a year.

Pittsburgh

Homicides Up 28 Percent

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An unofficial tally of 79 homicides in 2008 represents a 28 percent increase from 2007, when the city recorded 57 homicides. The increase comes as some major cities are seeing sharp drops in their homicide rates. Baltimore finished the year with its lowest number in two decades, while Cleveland had a 24 percent decrease.

The Nation

Most Coal Ash Dumps Unregulated, Unmonitored

New York Times

The coal ash pond that ruptured and sent a billion gallons of toxic sludge across 300 acres of Roane County in east Tennessee last month was only one of more than 1,300 similar dumps across the United States—most of them unregulated and unmonitored—that contain billions more gallons of fly ash and other byproducts of burning coal. Experts say federal regulation say could have prevented the spill.

California Sues over San Francisco Bay Oil Spill San Francisco Chronicle

California Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a lawsuit seeking millions of dollars to recover the clean-up cost of the massive November 2007 oil spill resulting from the collision of a ship with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in heavy fog.

Philadelphia

City Shuts Down Seven Firehouses

Philadelphia Inquirer

Seven city fire companies ceased operations as part of Mayor Michael Nutter's budget-cutting plan, with the head of the firefighters' union claiming that "people will die" because of the closures. Nutter said that his fiscal-austerity plan will not endanger public safety and will keep response times within national standards.

Detroit

Ex-Mayor’s Aide to Be Jailed

Detroit Free Press

Christine Beatty, former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's onetime top aide and lover, is scheduled to enter jail today for her role in the scandal that brought down her boss. A Wayne County circuit judge is to sentence Beatty, who admitted lying under oath, to 120 days in jail in a plea deal that also calls for her to pay $100,000 in restitution.

Chicago

Federal Court Backs Red-Light Cameras

Chicago Sun-Times

A federal appeals court has given the green light to red-light cameras that have pumped out more than a million Chicago tickets and generated $100 million in revenue since 2003. The ruling by the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, rejecting the so-called "innocent owner's defense," clears the way for a major expansion that will install cameras at more than 330 accident-prone Chicago intersections by 2012.

Clayton County, Ga.

New Sheriff Fires 14 Deputies

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Sheriff Kem Kimbrough fired 14 deputies on his first day in office—a move similar to the one that cost the former sheriff $7 million in lawsuits. The difference: All of the deputies Kimbrough fired were on probation, and many had criminal records. Kimbrough defeated Sheriff Victor Hill in August, promising voters he would restore integrity in the department and rid it of corruption.

Ohio Sheriff Lays Off 21, Rewards Others Cleveland Plain Dealer

On the same day that Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Sheriff Gerald McFaul told 21 people that they were being laid off, he handed out big raises to seven people, including his niece, his son's best friend and a good friend from a VFW post.

Allegheny County, Pa.

Judge: Excess Tax Take Must Go to Mass Transit

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In what county officials said was a massive blow to this year's budget, a county judge ruled that excess receipts from the county's drink and car rental taxes can be spent only on Port Authority mass transit and not on roads and bridges. In their first year, the drink and car rental taxes netted about $44 million for the county, well more than the $27.5 million needed as matching funds for the Port Authority.

New York City

Workers to Give Up 700 City-Owned Cars

New York Times

Economic hard times are about to hit New York City’s employees where it hurts: in their driveways. As Mayor Michael Bloomberg administration scrambles to cut spending, it is ordering city agencies to give up nearly 700 city-owned cars, a cherished perk for their workers. The move would save $20 million over the next two years, according to a copy of the memorandum sent to city agencies.

Aspen, Colo.

Bombing Suspect Kills Himself

Rocky Mountain News

A longtime Aspen resident known for his quarrels with public officials shot himself to death after allegedly delivering a series of crude gasoline bombs to two banks and bringing life in the ski town to a virtual halt. Police found the body of Jim Banning in his Jeep parked east of town, the final act in a strange sequence of events that led to the evacuation of central Aspen on New Year's Eve.

Seattle

Mayor Reverses Ban on Salt to Clear Streets

Seattle Times

The snow that buried Seattle has melted, but Mayor Greg Nickels is still trudging through the political aftermath. Acknowledging "mistakes" in the city's response, Nickels reversed one of the city's most controversial policies and said road crews will now use salt during major storms, something barred for a decade because of environmental concerns.

From Governing: A big-city mayor can't afford to mishandle snow removal.

Montgomery County, Md.

State Budget Error Shortchanged Schools $24 Million

Washington Post

An accounting error in Maryland's budgeting process cost the Montgomery County school system $24 million in lost revenue in the current fiscal year, and some of the money was mistakenly distributed among the state's 23 other school systems. Gov. Martin O'Malley said that he would give the funds back to the county and that school systems that were overpaid can keep the money.

Phoenix to Cut 1,200 Jobs Arizona Republic

Phoenix plans to eliminate more than 1,200 positions and limit or end dozens of programs and services as it looks to carve nearly $270 million from its budget and balance its $1.2 billion general fund over 16 months.

Galveston Police OK 3 Percent Pay Cut Houston Chronicle

Unionized Galveston, Texas, police and firefighters have agreed to take a 3 percent pay cut to help city coffers that have been strained since Hurricane Ike destroyed parts of the Gulf Coast in September.

Tennessee

Governor: Coal-Ash Regs Inadequate

Knoxville News Sentinel

Gov. Phil Bredesen said the state's environmental regulations, mostly written in the 1970s, don't take into account a "disaster" such as the Dec. 22 coal ash spill as a Tennessee Valley Authority steam plant, where more than 1 billion gallons of ash burst through the wall of a retention pond, and need a "top to bottom review."

TVA: Plant’s Ash-Pond Problems Known for Years Knoxville News Sentinel

Leaks, seepage and water-logged walls plagued the fly-ash retention pond at the TVA's Kingston coal-fired power plant for years before the structure's Dec. 22 catastrophic failure, according to a February 2008 inspection report.