statNYland

SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - CSI graduation: Pomp and circumstance, boos and hisses

2005-06-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

I remember thinking Jong was a fairly useless choice as speaker.... it's nice to see a fair number of the grads at CSI have a higher standard for public speaking than the dolts who invited the oh so charming Ms. Jong.

SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - CSI graduation: Pomp and circumstance, boos and hisses:

Ms. Jong's remarks were met with some vehement disapproval.
'She gave a political speech when she was supposed to be doing a pep talk,' said the father of a CSI graduate who declined to give his name. 'Some graduates wanted to throw stuff at her. Whoever heard of a commencement speaker talking about body bags?'
Dorothy, a 48-year-old mother of a CSI graduate, categorized Ms. Jong's speech as 'all-around bashing.
'It was disgusting, despicable,' said the Fort Wadsworth woman, who would not give her surname. 'She called politicians liars, called us all liars. She trashed America. Mostly, she just wanted to talk. It was personal spewing. There was nothing about graduation.'

Staten Island Supports Service Members During Fleet Week New York

2005-06-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

Staten Island Supports Service Members During Fleet Week New York:

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (NNS) -- Manhattan may be the hub of Fleet Week, but Staten Island, N.Y., was full of activity as well May 29.
Sailors participating in the 'Adopt-a-Sailor' program waited at the former naval homeport on Staten Island for their 'adopter' to arrive.
A local firefighter and former Sailor adopted a group May 28 and took them to his home for a cookout that included the usual hamburgers, hotdogs and steaks. He had a bit of a surprise planned for the Sailors, though.
The firefighter invited friends and family to join the festivities and thank the Sailors for their service.
'It made me feel prouder to be in the service,' Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Bentley said.
Bentley, assigned to USS Carr (FFG 52), said that support from the American people has really increased since Sept. 11, 2001. He said he sees it in the number of flags flying and especially in the 'Support the Troops' magnets found on many vehicles.
'Thank you for all your support,' he said. 'It doesn't go unnoticed.'

AppleInsider | New Apple stores coming to Staten Island, Cali, and Mass

2005-05-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

AppleInsider | New Apple stores coming to Staten Island, Cali, and Mass:

Apple Store Staten Island, New York City
Arguably the most anticipated of the four new store locations is one planned for the Staten Island Mall in Staten Island, New York. It will mark New York City's fourth Apple store, joining three other Manhattan locations, including an existing flagship store in SoHo and upcoming locations in Midtown and the Flatiron district.
However, as is the case with the Brea Mall location, sources say a lease for the Staten Island store has been drawn but is not yet inked. Although the store is expected to launch in time for the holiday shopping season, no further details are available.
The Staten Island Mall is the islands only regional mall and is anchored by JCPenny, Macy's, and Sears. It's also home to over 180 other retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch, Ann Taylor, GUESS, New York & Company, and Nike.

Retail Hell - Interior Design Department

2005-05-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

There's a special place in retail hell for business owners who skip in the night. Nothing demonstrates the contempt a business has for its customers like taking their money, promising to perform a service and suddenly disappearing without the slightest warning. Bridal salons, catering halls, and now apparently interior decorators, are prone to pull up stakes without any thought to the hardship it's bound to cause some of their customers.

Randall Decorators of New Dorp Lane are the latest Island business to show themselves to be selfish, classless parasites. After 50 years doing business you would have thought they'd have had enough respect for their clients and the community at large to stop taking deposits and material for jobs when it was clear the shop was going to close - not so. One day the shop's open and happily soliciting work, the next it's shuttered and not even the cub reporters at the Advance can get a hold of them.

It's hard enough to get decent service when shopping on the Island - that's why everyone goes to Jersey after all - but closing up shop in the middle of the night with deposits in hand and customers property locked away behind your closed doors is low even by the Island's diminished standards.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church - Cemetery for All God's Creatures

2005-04-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

U.S. Newswire : Releases : "St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Staten Island, to...":

Continuing in the Episcopal tradition of honoring all of God's creatures, the Episcopal Church of St. Andrew on Staten Island will consecrate a special cemetery for pets on Earth Day, Friday, April 22. Named The Cemetery for All God's Creatures, all are invited to join the service at 11 a.m., which will include the interment of various pets.
The Cemetery is located at the church, 40 Old Mill Rd. in Richmondtown on Staten Island.
Joining the Rev. Michael Delaney, rector, will be Bishop Catherine Roskam and Bishop E. Don Taylor. Elected officials and government representatives, veterinarians, parishioners, neighbors and pet-lovers will also attend.
Prayers and readings will include those from We Thank You, God, for These, Blessings and Prayers for Family Pets by Episcopal Priest the Rev. Rayner W. Hesse, Jr, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in New Rochelle, and Anthony F. Chiffolo.
Among the ashes of pets to be interred during the service:
-- Gizmo, one of St. Andrew's own church 'mouser' cats.
-- Merlin, Gizmo's litter mate
-- Fluffy and Rusty, dogs owned by a parishioner.
-- Truth, the dog owned by the late Bishop Walter Dennis of the Episcopal Diocese of New York.
There are 850 plots in the cemetery; each plot can hold the cremains of four pets.

NTSB Report on Ferry Crash

2005-04-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

NTSB Abstract MAR-05/01:

Executive Summary
About 1520 on October 15, 2003, the Staten Island Ferry Andrew J. Barberi, owned and operated by the New York City Department of Transportation, was near the end of a regularly scheduled trip from Manhattan to Staten Island when it allided with a maintenance pier at the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Fifteen crewmembers and an estimated 1,500 passengers were on board. Ten passengers died in the accident and 70 were injured. An eleventh passenger died 2 months later as a result of injuries sustained in the accident.
Hundreds of emergency personnel and dozens of emergency vehicles, including several vessels, responded to the accident, dispatched by the New York City Police Department, the New York City Fire Department (including emergency medical services), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Damages totaled more than $8 million, with repair costs of $6.9 million for the Andrew J. Barberi and $1.4 million for the pier.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the assistant captain’s unexplained incapacitation and the failure of the New York City Department of Transportation to implement and oversee safe, effective operating procedures for its ferries. Contributing to the cause of the accident was the failure of the captain to exercise his command responsibility over the vessel by ensuring the safety of its operations.

Staten Island Zoo celebrates Earth Day - Staten Island Advance -

2005-04-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - Staten Island Zoo celebrates Earth Day:

Neither cockroaches nor red worms have ever swallowed a small child, but for some reason both species haven't exactly endeared themselves to the public in the same unabashed manner as say, kittens or puppies. Saturday, the cold-blooded creatures shed their bad raps at the Staten Island Zoo's Earth Day fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Curtis High School 2005 Hall of Fame Inductees

2005-04-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

Curtis has announced this year's inductees into it's Hall of Fame. It's quite a distinguished group - honorees include a General, a Bishop , a pair of distinguished doctors, a high powered businesswoman and an author.

Gen. Herbert L. Altshuler, Class of 1963
Episcopal Bishop Robert Marshall Anderson, Class of 1952;
Albert E. Davenport, Class of 1938
Gwendolyn Fleming, Class of 1942 (posthumous)
Emily Genauer, Class of 1927 (posthumous)
Pamela Liebman, Class of 1980;
Robert J. O'Connor, Class of 1938
Timothy Turvey, Class of 1963.

SILive has more information on this years inductees.

The Curtis School Newspaper is online, though I couldn't find any mention of the Hall of Fame ceremony.

At Staten Island Academy, a dream realized

2005-04-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

At my Alma Mater a ball field is dedicated to to a victim of the terrorist attacks if 9-11...

SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - At Staten Island Academy, a dream realized:

Alexander Robbins Steinman's memorial 'field of dreams' opened yesterday at Staten Island Academy in Dongan Hills, and the friends and family members who brought it to fruition are certain his spirit will imbue it.
Paraphrasing another of her brother's favorite movies, Rachel Steinman Kelleher told family, fellow alumni and athletes at the opening ceremony that the chance to watch students enjoy the nearly eight acres of newly renovated baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse fields would be 'an offer [his spirit] couldn't refuse.'

Errors of Omission at the S.I. Advance?

2005-04-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, in response to a reader's query, I disclosed that I had nothing to disclose - that I had no relationship with the oft-linked to Staten Island Advance (other than that of subscriber). I mentioned that the Advance website got the majority of linkage because they offered the most complete coverage of local news. That may be true of the slightly odd and offbeat stories I like to cover here - but when it comes to hard news there sometimes seems to be a reluctance to tell the whole story.

Over the years I've noticed odd details being left out of news stories - descriptions of criminal suspects, causes of death, identities of important players and places in a particular story. It only seems to be certain items that lack full coverage - other times the reporters go out of their way to get every last detail - though it seems most local car accidents and small scale drug busts get better coverage than some robberies, assaults and murders (not to mention the Advance's curious apathy towards organized crime stories - but that's a rant for another day). I've often wondered if these incomplete reports were due to deadline pressures, lazy reporting or purposeful suppression of information. A comparison of today's Advance and the New York Times raises the question again - though I'm not sure it does anything to help answer the question.

The Story: A young man is tragically killed, likely murdered, outside a local tavern.

The Headlines:

Staten Island Advance
Mariners Harbor teen killed on Port Richmond street

New York Times
S.I. Man Is Stabbed to Death in a Dispute at a Bar
(note: this is the headline that appeared in the print edition - the online version simply states "Staten Island Man, 18, Is Stabbed To Death"

Notice the difference. The New York Times - most people's paper of record (at least on actual news items as opposed to the generally hard left op-ed pages) - considers the tavern to be a major part of the story. The Advance mentions the bar in passing a few times but never identifies it. The Advance does mention a couple of nearby shops - a hair salon and pizzeria - but fails time and again to refer by name to the bar where the altercation is thought to have started.

The Times, on the other hand, identifies the bar, identifies and gets a "no-comment" from the bar's owner and interviews the occupant of an apartment above the bar. They also mention the same pizzeria.

So, why doesn't the local beat reporter at the Advance supply the same information? Are the Times reporters simply better at their job? Does someone at the Advance want to protect - if only temporarily - the tavern or someone associated with the tavern? I have no idea why it happened and I only suggest the idea of a "cover-up" hypothetically because the omission of that readily available information instantly makes the reader wonder why? Like an obit for a young person that simply states "died at home" the lack of information leads to speculation - often totally off the mark.

Do I think the Advance is covering up something in this story? No, not really - nothing important to the average reader at any rate. Is the Advance still the best source for local news? Yes, if only because of the general indifference of the other papers. Does it still bother me that they were out reported on a story that happened in their, and my, backyard. A little bit.

TTS - It's All About the St. Benjamins, We are the X-commuters

2005-03-31T13:39:00.000-08:00

Today's Top Stories

It's All About the St. Benjamins
It's not only "greedy" builders who are contributing to the over-building of Staten Island - someone has to sell the developers the land to develop. It's a tough call but in the end I suppose most sellers simply want, expect and perhaps deserve, to get every penny they can for their property. I can't really blame them any more than I can blame contracters for wanting to do their job and build.

The latest high profile land sale involves a 15 acre plot owner by the Presentation Sisters - an order of nuns. The numbers being thrown around in the Advance are $20M for the land and 80 houses, and a new convent, being put up by the new owners.
More on this story at SILive

We are the X-commuters
In news that will come as no surprise to Islanders the Advance reports on US Census figures that place us at the forefront of the Extreme Commuting craze. Yay! We Win!

It seems nearly 12% of Island commuters need more than an houre and a half to trvel to work. No wonder we're such a cranky bunch.
More on this story at SILive

A sense of disclosure...
Frequent visitors will notice that most of the news stories posted here end up being linked back to an article on SILive.com, the online home of the Staten Island Advance. The reason is simply that very few Island stories get any meaningful coverage anywhere else. Those that are covered by the other NYC papers are still usually better served by the Advance's local reporters.

I have no connection to the Advance, other than being a lifelong subscriber.

TTS - Quaker Gift Shop up for bids on eBay

2005-03-30T19:23:00.000-08:00

The venerable Quaker Gift Shop, a Staten Island institution for nearly 90 years, is up for sale and anyone (well, anyone with deep pockets) can snap it up with a winning bid on eBay. Click here to bid, or maybe just window shop since the opening bid is 1.1 million!

More on this story at SILive

News updates - Dragon 1 - St. George 0, graffiti builder pleads poverty, Jody's final 140

2005-03-30T19:13:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update on some stories we've been following here at StatNYland...

The Tottenville builder who defaced his own property to protest attempts to give it landmark status - and thus thwart his plans of razing it to put up multiple townhouses - now claims he'll go broke if the landmark activists get their way. More on this story...

The St. George Theater lost it's bid to become exempt to a number of fire and building code violations. More on this story...

The NCAA tourney pool at Jody's Tavern has come down to only 140 potential winners out of the initial pool of 120,000. More on this story...

TTS - Les Amants du Bayonne Bridge

2005-03-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

Today's Top Story

Bridges can be romantic - no question about it - Venice is full of the things, my sister in-law's brother proposed to his beloved on the Brooklyn Bridge and that seemed fairly cool- but when I think of the Glory of Love the words "Bayonne" and "Bridge" don't instantly spring to mind. But that just me...

SILive: Betrothed on the Bayonne: An interstate engagement

"With a little help from Borough President James Molinaro, Bayonne Bridge Security and Port Authority officers, Laline, the son of Advance Editor Brian Laline, sought to arrange his Easter Sunday surprise.

He had hoped to stop traffic for 15 minutes in one Island-bound lane so he could pop the question in front of the sign marking the NY/NJ divide.

But such schemes never go exactly as planned."

I feel for the guy - what says "I Love You Baby" more than mobilizing multiple city services, calling in a bunch of favors and inconveniencing your fellow Staten Islanders for a quarter of an hour or so. But bureaucracies have no heart...

"Minutes before he was to pick up Ms. Nowicki in Bayonne and drive back to Staten Island for Easter Sunday dinner with his family, Laline was told that safety precautions only allowed him to use the bridge's walkway, which cannot be accessed from the center of the bridge, and spans about a half-mile walk...

... Soon the day was saved by quick-thinking police, who pulled over Laline's black Chevy Tahoe near the center of the Bayonne Bridge.

An awaiting inspector hoisted Ms. Nowicki safely over the railing, where she was seated as planned in a silver chair bedecked in shimmering balloons and two dozen roses."

Not only did our soon to be groom have to settle for the bridge's walkway instead of stopping traffic for his true love but the Advance (which his dad is editor of!) couldn't even take a decent picture of the event for it's prime spot on A3.

New York's Staten Island Stripers

2005-03-25T13:40:00.000-08:00

Say what you will about Staten Island but our striper fishing can't be beat - at least in the spring - I assume that's a good thing....

New York's Staten Island Stripers: New York Game & Fish

Some of the best spring striper fishing in the Northeast takes place off New York's Staten Island. Local striper experts explain how you can get in on this unsung May fishery."

TTS - The St. George and the Dragon

2005-03-24T13:28:00.000-08:00

Today's Top Story:

In the "no good deed goes unpunished" department we have the continuing saga of the newly renovated St. George Theater and it's fight to stay open despite various building and fire code violations - the most serious of which they beleive they are exempt from. I won't recap the months long struggle - you can get the whole story at SILive - I'll only say that it's a shame that when someone finally brings a first class familily entertainment venue to the Island that it faces nothing but obstacles as it tries to get up to speed.

Fault for the problems can be laid on both sides - why the owners can't get the place up to code I don't know - perhaps they tried to run before they could walk - on the other hand it appears that the main issue - involving the placement of re-movable chairs and tables - has not been an issue in the past, the previous owner claims to have been granted a permanentexemption .

Hopefully both sides can work this thing out so we can permanently add the St. George to the fairly short list of first rate Island venues.

SI Advance Story at SILive.com

St George Theater Website

Cinema Treasures, a site dedicated to preserving great old movie houses, has a page on the St. George. Scroll down to the comments for an informal history of the building's last couple of years (though the current kefuffle is not covered)

YTS: Franco cuts loose with a high hard one...

2005-03-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's Top Story

Former Met, and current Astro, John Franco has put his Todt Hill home up for sale and is asking for some Carols Beltran sized cash to take it off his hands. 8.3M gets you his tarted up hilltop mansion complete with Ice Cream Parlour and Indoor Basketball Court.

Franco, one of baseballs greatest firemen - though the last few years it's been more in a "Fahrenheit 451" sense - has lived on "the Hill" for years and become fairly active in the community. The 8.3M price tag makes stately Franco manor the most expensive house on the Island's market. So I expect some builder will snatch it up to build a few dozen shoddily constructed luxery townhouses or McMansions .

Prospectivie buyers can get all the info at SILive

SILive also has an update on the builder who defaced his own house....

TTS Criteria

2005-03-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

In case anyone's wondering why today's TTS was Frank Morano's record breaking marathon talk show broadcast (see previous entry) and not the rather more newsworthy stories occuring on the Island - The massive Paper Mill fire, the tragic death of a young boy killed when a TV set toppled on him, yet another senseless teen suicide, or any of the political stories gaining local ink (Nascar and the rest) - I've decided TTS (Today's Top Story) posts will focus on slightly more eccentric news items - hopefully events that are in some way uniquely Staten Island.

Larger and less amusing stories may well appear on occasion but I'll be making an effort to avoid most "hard" news.

TTS : Record Breaking CTV Yakfest

2005-03-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

Community TV talk show host Frank Marano, a 20 year old Island resident, has joined that elite group of obsessed attention seekers who are officially recognized as Guinness World Record holders. Marano made his Guinness bones by broadcasting his local chat show for a record, and attention span, busting 33 hours and 5 minutes.

SILive has all the facinating details...

News Update - Tottenville House of Horrors

2005-03-20T22:27:00.000-08:00

Well everyone can relax and breathe again - the story of the graffiti defaced Victorian house has had a happy ending - for the moment at least. The owner, a real estate mogul looking to knock the old house down to make way for yet more freekin' townhouses, has reconsidered and repainted the house he himself defaced in protest over comminity activist plans to have the abode declared a landmark. He's made his point, and an ass out of himself in the bargain, though I'm sure the house's future is still fairly grim.

Read all about it at SILive - CONTRITE BUILDER REPAINTS HOUSE

Staten Island Yankees tix now on sale

2005-03-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

Individual tickets for "our" Yankees went on sale this weekend - head over to the official team site to get yours...ducats for games against the arch rival Brooklyn Cyclones are always in high demand so don't wait to long to get yours.

The recent appearence of one of the teams execs on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was fun - if only to listen to the 'fab five" tear apart the mark's snarky internet girlfriend.

Anyway - Go Yanks!

TTS - Joy for Commuters and Bettors

2005-03-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

Today's Top Stories

The Advance leads with a pair of stories that will appeal to the heart of any real Staten Islander:

Subway-ferry link opens - chronicles the newly opened indoor portal linking the Whitehall Ferry Terminal with the heavily transited subway station beneath it. As a former ferry commuter I can attest to the joy of not having to venture outdoors an any/all weather just to catch a train uptown.

Everybody into the Pool - continues the heartwarming tale of the massive NCAA tourney pool hosted by Jody's - a local tavern. For nearly three decades this Forest Ave grog palace has been THE place to enter your picks for the annual college championships. Upwards of 90, 000 entries are expected. 90,000. Unreal.

TTS - Tottenville Builder throws a paint tantrum

2005-03-18T15:03:00.000-08:00

Today's Top Story

Another colorful episode in the long waged war between developers trying to do their best to increase the Island's already swelled population, and archetecturally literate and history aware neighbohood activists trying desparatly to save their communities soul. Gee, I wonder who will win in the end...

SILive.com - Staten Island Advance - Builder throws a paint tantrum:

Builder throws a paint tantrum
Stymied by Landmarks process, he defaces his Tottenville Victorian house with graffiti

Frustrated by an attempt to landmark his property, builder John Grossi yesterday spray-painted the 19th-century house he recently purchased in Tottenville with bursts of neon orange, green and pink polka dots, graffiti scrawl and some not-so-nice messages.

Vandalizing his own Amboy Road house was a bold move that highlighted the growing tension these days between builders who argue their property rights are being trampled and foes who say they have a right to preserve the communities and towns they live in from rampant demolition.

Most people who passed by the formerly cream-colored clapboard house just shook their heads in disbelief and stopped to ask the builder, "Who did that?"

"I did," replied Grossi. "That's how I like it. That's my idea of a Victorian-style house. It's my right."

The SILive Tottenville Forum is having a lively discussion on this pathetic circus act...

Port of Marseilles - Restaurant Review

2004-07-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Just returned from a lovely afternoon at Port of Marseilles, the most recent addition to the local restaurant empire of Island theatrical legend Jim Stayoch. Jim's the man behind such Island culinary institutions as Adobe Blues and Killmeyers, and his newest venture may be the most satisfying of all, at least from a foodie's standpoint.

Though some have, if not derided certainly chided, Port of Marseilles for its strong sense of themeing...

via chowhound

"Was nervous when we walked in as there is a kind of Disney-esque quality to the atmosphere, and a few guys wearing shorts hanging at the bar. A faux cobblestone floor, murals of a French town along the walls, almost like being on a stage set."

... Port of Marseilles is to be commended for going beyond the bog standard usually applied to Staten Island restaurants interior design. There's something to be said for establishing the proper atmosphere for a dining experience and as Disneyesque as PoM's decor may seem, it's head and shoulders above what Staten Island diners have become used to.

The food at PoM, and that's what's really important, is well above Island average - okay, that's not saying much, but if your trapped on this little slice of heaven we call home then you'll certainly appreciate the extra degree of care and attention the kitchen at PoM pays to their finished product. As a rule of thumb - the more "French" a menu selection, the more likely you're expectations will be exceeded. Something as universal as the Filet Mignon or Breast of Chicken are merely good - basically no better or worse than they should be (especially when the Fois Gras "crown" on the Beef is so badly overcooked). However there are some more common dishes that transcend their familiarity including a wonderful Sea Bass. In fact all the fish dishes here are superb - as are a number of the starters - you must get the Pate - best on Staten Island, no contest.

The service was decidedly uneven- there were a number of times where little things were asked for - sugar, drink orders, extra fork - but were unforthcoming until further requests were made - on a busy night a couple of these episodes can be forgiven but a meal full of them on a slow Sunday afternoon? We also asked for a dollop of mashed potatoes, purreed veggies or some other smooth food for a baby not yet into chewing and the best they could offer was salad dressing - apparently they couldn't spare a couple of tablespoons of anything for us. Instead of exceeding expectations the wait staff, and whoever sent them back from the kitchen empty handed, barely met them.

Other than the occasionally lackluster service the meal proceeded flawlessly and left everyone busily planning their next trip to Stayoch's gallic theme park.

While I'm no fan of the current French political scene and the truly disgraceful way they have handled the war against terror, a visit to Port of Marseilles lets us concentrate on the food that helps define the culture of a still great and compelling nation.

Port of Marseilles Website