Yesterday's One Liners...

Forgot to post these yesterday, sorry everyone...

07/24/08

Supermarkets in underserved communities in Michigan can qualify for tax exemptions under a new law passed last week by the state Legislature . The law — aimed at eliminating "food deserts," where access to fresh foods is usually more limited — amends the state's Commercial Rehabilitation Act to include "retail food establishments" as rehabilitated commercial properties that would be eligible to receive reductions in property taxes for periods of one to 10 years as determined by local government units.

Long Island's largest supermarkets, including Waldbaum's, A&P, Pathmark, have agreed to buy and sell more local produce.

Riverhead's local paper covered the story also.: "If you walked into a Waldbaum's last week, you didn't really know where the squash you we're buying came from. Now you're going to know that," he said. "Once you have that in the store, and this is what King Kullen found, the demand in their case actually went up. People wanted to buy local."

The Queens Ledger writes: "No Gristides for Myrtle Ave"

Ahold USA grocery chains Stop & Shop, Giant Food and Giant Food Stores yesterday announced their support of the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions' Common Vision, a program focused on protecting the health of the oceans, and the long-term seafood supply, by working with companies to develop and implement sustainable seafood policies.
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A garment factory in Long Island City, Queens, was busted Wednesday by the state Department of Labor for underpaying its workers and deliberately concealing sweatshop conditions.

NY Times Steven Greenhouse writes more: It was one of the worst sweatshops that state inspectors have visited in years, they said, sometimes requiring its 100 employees to work seven days a week, sometimes for months in a row.

About 1.8 million New Yorkers use food stamps to pay for groceries, which is 30,000 more than two years ago and 500,000 more than seven years ago.

Costco Wholesale Corp. here yesterday saw its stock plummet more than 12% after it issued a warning that its net income for the current quarter will fall short of expectations, in part due to its effort to keep prices down amid rising product costs.
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Mayoral hopeful and Representative Anthony Weiner had a lot to say regarding Wal-Mart Tuesday.

• Weiner to spur jobs in outer boroughs [Crain's (N.Y.)]
  He noted that private developers are betting that they will, and said non-union discounters like Wal-Mart were not welcome here. “What is the value of having a Wal-Mart on Queens Boulevard that wipes out the rest of Queens Boulevard?” he asked. “The big-box store undercuts local development.”
  

• Bloomberg Critic Becoming a Champion for Mayoral Run [The Sun (N.Y.)]
  He argued against opening low-cost stores, such as Wal-Mart, in the city, saying that neighborhood shopping streets should be valued and protected.
  

• Weiner as a Middle-Class-Friendly Bloomberg [New York Observer]
  The crux of Weiner’s speech, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan, focused on job development. He did not rule out raising taxes, but did say that high taxes stymie job development. He defended the policy that prevents Wal-Mart (but not other big box stores), from coming into the city because it does not pay adequate wages.
  

• As Mayor, Anthony Weiner Won't Open NYC to Wal-Mart [Gothamist Blog]
  At a breakfast forum this morning, Representative Anthony Weiner - a likely mayoral candidate - handed out a 5,000 word manifesto about how he would keep the city affordable for the middle class. The Sun has it that Weiner also used his half-hour speech to criticize the proliferation of big-box chains in New York, wondering, "What is the value of having a Wal-Mart on Queens Boulevard that wipes out economic development on the rest of Queens Boulevard. What is the value of saving 15 or 20% on that pair of jeans, in terms of creating jobs for the rest of Queens?"

Politics/Policy/Development

Checking off another box for his carefully scripted mayoral campaign, Rep. Anthony Weiner Tuesday laid out a five-point plan for “keeping New York the capital of the middle class” by encouraging job growth in the boroughs outside Manhattan.

Under Governor David Paterson's bill, a proposed property tax cap would not apply to New York City, Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Yonkers. The Republican-led Senate has agreed to pass the bill when it returns to Albany for a special session. The bill would bar school districts from hiking taxes more than 4 percent per year, or 120 percent of inflation. Property taxes have grown by an average of 6 percent a year over the past decade. Read it here.

Gov. David A. Paterson plans to sign a bill into law on Wednesday that will significantly alter New York State’s program to encourage the redevelopment of polluted building sites, known as brownfields.

Here's more Newsday (Stacey Altherr): Focus on cleanup efforts

WASHINGTON — It started as a routine conference call. But at some point during the call, Representative Anthony D. Weiner became furious, convinced that his scheduler had not given him a crucial piece of information. His scheduler, John J. Graff, who was in the next room, suddenly heard the congressman yelling at him through the wall. Then, Mr. Graff recalled, Mr. Weiner started pounding his fists on his desk, kicked a chair and unleashed a string of expletives.Two weeks later, Mr. Graff, a Navy veteran, became the latest of a sizable number of staff members who have resigned after an abbreviated stint with Mr. Weiner, a Democrat who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Read it here.

Other

Attention to Mets fans, get ready to pay double for ticket prices.