Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James Indicted

I went to school in Newark for three years, and this is truly heartening news from the Star Ledger:

The 86-page indictment said James, 71, arranged for the city to sell municipal real estate at a steep discount to a Newark businesswoman, Tamika Riley, then secretly shared in the profits when Riley sold the parcels to developers.

Prosecutors also accused James of using city-issued credit cards to pay for lavish trips he took with eight women, including Riley, to places including Martha's Vineyard, Rio de Janeiro, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The credit card charges - hundreds between 2001 and 2006 totaling more than $58,000 - covered hotel rooms and luxury suites, meals and fine dining, airfare, car rentals, tickets to sporting events and other expenses, prosecutors said.

Check out the picture of the young entrepreneur that James was funneling cash to, and taking purely professional trips with.

Gay Republican Hypocrites: McCain Campaign Edition

If these self-loathing a-holes could come to grips with who they are and find the courage to come out of the closet, the world would be a much better place.

From Talking Points Memo:

Florida state Representative Bob Allen (R), who is co-chairman of McCain's Florida campaign, was arrested in a Titusville park restroom on charges of solicitation after he approached a plain clothes police officer and offered to perform oral sex on the officer for $20.

UPDATE: Innocent until proven guilty, of course, but in this case, it's basically his word against the officer's. And here's a photo lifted from Local 6 News:

Clemen's Taco & Burrito Bar

Two Sunday's ago we took a nice walk from Carroll Gardens to Boro Park by way of Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Kensington. Along the way we stopped and had some dynamite burritos at Clemen's Taco & Burrito Bar.

hey had a wide assortment of fillings. I had a bellybusting carnitas and pinto bean burrito with assorted fixins, while the Missus enjoyed some vegetarian fare. We washed it down with a refreshing Tamarind soda. The place is a bit on the gloomy side, which was actually a welcome respite from the hot sunny day outside.

If you're in the area, it's worth checking out. I'd definitely eat there again.
Clemen's Taco & Burrito Bar
Windsor Terrace
252 Prospect Park W
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 768-0909

Trader Joe's Coming to the Hood?

All right, not exactly to MY neck of the woods, but close enough.

Two-buck Chuck comes to Brooklyn!

A short history of Trader Joe's can be found on the ever-popular wikipedia. I imagine they'll be forced to keep the signage tasteful, and I'm glad they're finding a solid tenant for that beautiful bank building.

Some have expressed concerns about Sahadi's; I think they'll be OK. We bought most of our wedding snacks there, and with all the new residential cropping up in that stretch I think they'll keep a solid client base.

Red Hook Piers: Industrial Use May Survive After All

Via the Observer, we learn that the Bloomberg administration is reconsidering its efforts to replace a part of the working waterfront with more condos and cruise ships.

The Bloomberg administration, which has long advocated phasing out the container port in Brooklyn to make way for more residential-friendly development, may decide to keep the shipping facility there after all.
. . . .

ONE OF THE INEFFICIENCIES OF the port is that, while Red Hook is the only container port on the east side of New York Harbor, cargo is sometimes sent back over to New Jersey or Staten Island by barge because there are better distribution channels on that side.

In the past, both the Bloomberg administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the piers, played down the idea that Red Hook would ever amount to anything. The container port there is much smaller than the region’s other ports on Staten Island and in New Jersey, and it lacks any rail connection or much upland storage space, necessitating the use of barges.

Urban renewal projects, adaptive reuse, and brownfields redevelopment are all good things . . . when you're renewing, adapting, or redeveloping unused, abandoned, or derelict properties.

Forcing out active businesses with solid working class jobs to shoehorn in more condos and beer gardens is shortsighted (and I love a good beer garden).

Daily News Has A Story on Councilmen Demanding F Express

Article quotes Councilmen de Blasio, Felder, and Recchia.

F/V Petition Hits The Big Time: NYT's Jake Mooney Reports

Had a great, relaxing weekend upstate, but was anxious to get back and crack into Sunday's New York Times. Jake Mooney put together a terrific little piece on our terrific little F&V petition.

Since Jake was good enough to include a link in the article, the signatures have jumped to 3,064 as of this writing. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that our friends at SecondAvenueSagas and KensingtonBrooklyn continue to highlight this important issue as well.

Councilman Simcha Felder's office continues to support the effort as well. The Councilman wrote a letter to the MTA last week advocating for the cause.