Results tagged “311”

Last night was the second debate for what might be the sleeper race in the city-wide elections this fall, the four-way contest for public advocate. While the first debate wound up being a Mark Green pile on, this one saw mud being slung in every which direction after the recent momentum and attention gained by the biggest fund raiser and endorsement-getter, Bill de Blasio. The candidates showed they were hungry for the second highest elected position in the city, a job Councilman Simcha Fielder recently suggested should be done away with.

A day after a Bronx teenager drowned after getting caught in a Rockaway riptide, the Parks Department is suspending a lifeguard who was photographed wearing his iPod headphones while working at a nearby beach. Mayor Bloomberg was quick to lash out at the unnamed city employee, telling reporters, "He certainly wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing." The mayor also urged anyone on the beaches who spots something similar to call 311. Beachgoers in Rockaway told the Post headphones on the lifeguards who start out making $13.50 an hour are just the tip of the iceberg—one resident said, "Half the time, they're chatting with people. They're listening to music. They're on their cellphones. They're texting with people." The lifeguard in the photo could be fired if he has been on the job for less than a year; it'll at least be a consideration after a hearing if he's been around longer. A Parks Department spokesman said, "This is an unacceptable violation of our regulations, which is not representative of the dedication and diligence displayed by the vast majority of our over 1,300 lifeguards."

On Friday, Mayor Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Kelly and Fire Commissioner Scoppetta reminded the public that consumer fireworks are illegal and dangerous (watch the ones over the Hudson instead!) and urged them to call 311 to report fireworks. Bloomberg said, "This should be a time to celebrate. Something we look back on with nothing but good memories. How would you feel if one of your family members or friends was really badly injured or worse? The other thing is, how would you like to be arrested?" Staten Island is getting much of the attention, with the cops and fire department busting people who return from buying fireworks in Pennsylvania. S.I. Borough Commander Chief Stephen Paragallo told NY1, "The type of residences in the other boroughs, excluding Staten Island, generally play into not having these large shows, block party-type shows. Not to say they don't happen in the other boroughs, but not to the degree they happen here." Flashback: The 2007 fireworks fracas, which resulted in 19 arrests on Staten Island.

With all the talk of pet cruelty and an otherwise quiet weekend of New Yorkers enjoying the mild weather, the Post checks in on that nagging topic we probably haven't thought enough about lately: animal sacrifices around town. Longtime Parks Ranger Joe Puleo told the paper that Forest Park and Highland Park are the hotbeds for the violent rituals performed for reasons such as "devil worship to voodoo to offerings for good luck." Puleo then put on his creepy voice for the paper and said, "They are never caught, because they are careful, and they never do it during the day. They do it at night when no one is around." A Forest Park man recently discovered a rooster and goat head while walking his dog—he called 311. Then things really start getting fun when the paper talks to NYC Parks Advocate founder Geoffrey Croft, who recounts finding a dog shot and eaten by a man. At least Croft is able to sum up the whole madness quite succinctly by saying, "It's a public-health issue, it's disgusting, and it freaks people out with the whole voodoo thing."

An Upper East Side man's irksome pets have the neighbors above his backyard asking a question most people hoped to never cross their minds again: "Who let the dogs out?" Today's Post looks into a clash between irritated neighbors and the owner of four dogs (a Jack Russell and three Pomeranians) who claims to be the most penalized pet owner under the city's relatively new noise laws. Rob Ryder has been fined three times over the last thirteen months when nearby residents called 311 for the barking dogs they claim Ryder lets out at 7 a.m., if not earlier. A neighbor above his East 72nd Street brownstone says, "In the spring and the summer, there are people who stick their heads out the window screaming at them, 'Shut your dogs up!' You're never free of these yapping dogs." Since loud pets became a punishable violation in the summer of 2007, 13,557 dog-noise complaints have been lodged through 311. Ryder fired back at those aggravated, "Give me a break! Everybody in this city owns dogs. This is Manhattan. Move to Minnesota if you want quietness."

The bedbug policy advocacy group "New York vs Bed Bugs" had to file a Freedom of Information request to get the city to confirm what everyone already suspected: New York's bed bug population is booming! The group says there were more than 9,200 bed bug complaints to the city's 311 line last year, a 34% jump over 2007. The hottest neighborhoods for bed bugs right now are found in central Brooklyn, northern and eastern Bronx, midtown Manhattan, eastern Queens, and the north shore of Staten Island, the Daily News reports. In an attempt to turn the tide, the City Council will consider bills next week that would ban the sale of used mattresses, train exterminators, and force city agencies to develop a united strategy. Last month the Times called for a bed bug task force to focus on the resilient bastards, noting that "there are a lot of agencies that do a little about bed bugs, but nobody that can help with the whole shebang." And a recent study found that NYC bed bugs have developed nerve cell mutations that make them almost impervious to the most toxins used by exterminators.

The city recommends that residents contact 311 for non-emergency services, such as reporting a broken streetlight. However, it doesn't mean a solution will appear in a timely fashion: A long article NY Times features one man's year-plus- one-day quest for the city to repair a streetlight on East 96th in Manhattan.

deserves to have their dreams invaded by the musical stylings of Foghat – but then the bad advice came rolling in: "While the noise is occurring, call 911." A second sage declared that late at night "is no time for you to worry about whether you're being inconsiderate by calling the authorities." That's the path that one local took when going up against Union Hall earlier this year (he lost), so using resources like 911 for complaints like that isn't always advised--hello, Reginald Peterson. Instead call 311 and try talking to the bar owner.

The Department of Buildings suspended Michael Carbone, a senior DOB crane inspector, for "neglect of duty." The Post actually contacted the DOB, noting he "had cleared several complaints last year that claimed unqualified operators were working in the industry and that some of their licenses were fraudulent." In fact, a caller or callers kept complaining about crane operators not having licenses or obtaining them fraudulently. Last month, a top DOB official was arrested for giving crane operator test answers to crane companies in advance.