wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

PUBLIC SAFETY
The Feds Have the Real Firepower in Manhattan — Stinger Missiles (DNAinfo)
Murray Weiss writes: “Forget about Police Commissioner Ray Kelly's claims that the NYPD has a high-powered gun that might take down a plane. The real power is in the hands of the FBI.
The feds keep shoulder-launched Stinger missiles, capable of bringing down a hijacked jet, in the city. That’s right: Heat-seeking firepower with the ability to strike a jet traveling in excess of 400 mph and up to 11,000 feet in the air is stashed right here in Manhattan.”

PUBLIC SAFETY
9/11 Memorial Gun Ban Outrages First Responders, Retired Cops (DNAinfo)
Julie Shapiro reports: “The 9/11 Memorial referred questions about the firearm policy to the NYPD, which did not respond to requests for comment. The mayor's office did not immediately return a call for comment. But a source familiar with the policy said that retired or off-duty law-enforcement officers are not allowed to bring guns into the 9/11 Memorial, except on seven dedicated first responder days this fall.”

CRIME
Grand Jury Begins to Vote in Bronx Ticket Fixing Scandal (NYT)
William Rashbaum reports: “This week, the panel is expected to finish voting (or come close to it) on charges related to ticket-fixing against about 10 officials of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, including as many as seven Bronx precinct delegates and three higher-ranking union officials from the Bronx, known as trustees, several of the people said.”

POLITICS
Ed Koch Back on the “Obama Re-election Express” (NYT)
President Obama’s speech criticizing the Palestinians’ bid for UN statehood apparently cinched it for Koch. Kate Taylor reports: “Mr. Koch, a Democrat, had just a few months ago been so unhappy with Mr. Obama’s posture toward Israel that he endorsed the Republican candidate, Bob Turner, over the Democrat, Assemblyman David I. Weprin, in the Sept. 13 special election to replace Anthony D. Weiner in Congress. Mr. Turner won the race, in part thanks to votes from a sizable Orthodox Jewish community....
But now that’s all over, Mr. Koch said Tuesday.”

TRANSPORTATION
MTA to Sell or Rent Out Former Headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn (NY Daily News)
Erin Durkin reports: “The building, which is wrapped in scaffolding and dotted with graffiti, is owned by the city and leased to the MTA for a nominal fee. The city and state plan to launch a joint search for a developer to rehab 370 Jay, most likely for office space.”

CULTURE
Bob Dylan Paintings in Upper East Side Gallery Draw Scrutiny (NYT)
David Itzkoff reports that several of Dylan’s paintings appear to be copies of famous photographs, despite the fact that Dylan has said they are based on his personal experiences.

OPINION
A Burst of Pepper Spray Like a Punch in the Face (NYT)
Columnist Jim Dwyer writes about an incident in which an NYPD deputy inspector used pepper spray on several Wall Street protesters: “If a nightstick were substituted for pepper spray, a conventional weapon instead of an exotic one, the events on 12th Street would bear a strong resemblance to simple assault.
‘I have respect for police officers, but that man assaulted me,’ Ms. Elliott said. ‘Bizarrely. Stupidly. Needlessly.’”

OPINION
Editorial: Governor Christie Versus Jersey Shore (NYT)
The New York Times editorial board: “New Jersey, like other states, is under no obligation to offer tax breaks to film and TV projects. But having made the decision to provide such subsidies, it must award them based on neutral criteria. It cannot withhold support based on Mr. Christie’s dislike of the subject matter — understandable though that may be with ‘Jersey Shore.’”

OPINION
Editorial: Pray for Snow to Dislodge Pesky Wall Street Protesters (NY Daily News)
The Daily News editorial board writes: “And for sleet and torrential rains - anything that might convince the precious insufferables who have taken over Wall Street that they have had enough of exercising their First Amendment rights to the inconvenience of tens of thousands of people who actually have to work for a living.”

OPINION
Editorial: NJ Must Improve Sewage Systems, Monitor Water Quality (Star-Ledger)
The Star-Ledger editorial board writes: “At about 200 locations in New Jersey, outdated sewer systems pour a total of more than 23 billion — that’s billion — gallons of foul excrement into our rivers and streams every year, The Star-Ledger’s Christopher Baxter reported on Sunday. And New Jerseyans are none the wiser. They continue to boat, kayak and fish because there are no warning signs posted.”