I just found out that there was a tornado in Moreno Valley (where I work and use to live). You gotta understand that out here, that's news. I wouldn't have known (how weird that I didn't go to work today), if my daughter hadn't just called.

Anyway, I'm guessing that's the talk in my workplace today. Thankfully no major injuries and no deaths.

I told my daughter that the thing to do in a tornado is go to a basement, only there are no basements here in CA (for the most part) due to earthquakes. I told her, "well, if I recall when I lived in MI, they advised that if you are nowhere near shelter to find a ditch or a land downgrade or something and lay in it". She says, "you mean I'd have to lay in the mud?" She may have been born in MI but she is so California.

TIS

Tornado in California

Weird, TIS.

There are no basements in Florida either, due to hurricanes and floods. It's one thing I can't get used to when I'm down there. I don't know why.

I heard about that on the news, TIS, but didn't realize it was Moreno Valley.

I immediately thought of the movie, "The Day After" (with the rare Cali tornadoes).

BY JOE CARLSON
jcarlson@nwitimes.com
219.933.3364 | Friday, May 23, 2008 | 6 comment(s)

EAST CHICAGO | State lawyers have begun offering out-of-court settlements to whittle down the number of defendants in the long-running federal racketeering lawsuit against the old East Chicago political machine.

EAST CHICAGO | State lawyers have begun offering out-of-court settlements to whittle down the number of defendants in the long-running federal racketeering lawsuit against the old East Chicago political machine.

The complex case once featured a list of 27 city officials and contractors, but recent court filings say lawyers for Attorney General Steve Carter's office expect to bring perhaps three or four people to court when the case finally goes to trial.

Only 10 defendants remain today. Just this week, three former city officials and a city contractor took settlements to get out of the case. Several sources said the settlements contain agreements of future cooperation in the case.

Former city Finance Director George Weems and former Public Works Board Vice President Frank Miskowski have agreed to pay $10,000 each to get out of the case, while former City Councilman Adrian Santos will be banned from public office for life in exchange for his settlement. TRI Inc. will pay $2,500.

"We've resolved matters with a few of the defendants," Carter said Thursday. "While there could be fewer defendants, there could also be more defendants, and we're prepared to go to trial with all the remaining defendants."

Essentially, prosecutors said city officials under former Mayor Robert Pastrick conspired to use public funds to curry favor with voters and hold on to political power in such a nefarious fashion that it mimicked organized crime.

Attorneys for the state have said it's the first time racketeering laws have been used to classify an entire city government as a "corrupt enterprise."

Since it's a civil lawsuit, the most that could happen to any of the defendants is to be ordered to pay large fines. Prosecutors say the 1999 sidewalks-for-votes scheme drained more than $24 million from city coffers and nearly bankrupted East Chicago.

But as the case nears the four-year mark, it still has no trial date.

U.S. District Judge James Moody -- who was just appointed to oversee the complex case in January -- has refused to set a trial date as he pores over thousands of pages of motions and supporting records.

Moody did approve the requests to dismiss Weems, Miskowski and Santos, who helped engineer or cover up the scheme in which concrete was poured and trees were trimmed on private land by city-funded workers in exchange for votes in the 1999 mayoral primary.

In a separate case, Santos pleaded guilty to criminal charges for his role and was sentenced to serve 33 months in federal prison. He was released in August, but still owes a substantial amount of restitution.

Also dismissed from the racketeering lawsuit this week was TRI Inc., one of the numerous contractors that performed the work without having valid contracts.

A motion filed by lawyers from Carter's office said many of the remaining defendants are expected to settle out of the case, leaving probably three for trial: Pastrick and his two former special assistants, Timothy Raykovich and James Fife III.

Michael Bosch, the attorney for Pastrick, stood by comments in his legal motions that the government's case has no merit.

"For there to be a conspiracy, there has to be evidence of an agreement between two conspirators. That simply doesn't exist," Bosch said.

Bosch once criticized the case as a political stunt by Carter, who was presumed to be seeking re-election this year. Now that Carter has announced he is not seeking election, Bosch said the case is a face-saving maneuver.

"I think the case has to go on because they have to justify the money they've spent in attorneys' fees," Bosch said.

Racketeering settlements
Of the 27 original defendants in the state's civil racketeering lawsuit against East Chicago officials, seven have signed out-of-court settlements to get out of the litigation. Following are terms of their settlements:
-- Frank Miskowski will pay $10,000
-- George Weems will pay $10,000
-- Adrian Santos is banned from ever holding public office
-- TRI Inc. will pay $2,500
-- Rogers and Sons Inc. paid $10,000
-- A-1 Dave's Tree Service paid $2,500
-- Rieth-Riley paid $625,000
-- In addition, St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co. paid a claim of $614,275 to cover public official bonds on Weems, Miskowski and Edwardo Maldonado.

From Coney Island (Brooklyn):

A guy had his boat tied up in the ocean near the Coney Island beach. Apparently the boat got untied and the owner tried to "save" the boat from floating away and he ended up in the water. The boat was drifting away from him and he quickly got too tired to continue swimming. He resigned himself to his fate and felt himself going under the water (he thought he would drown). The next thing he knew, someone was grabbing him, bringing him back up and taking him ashore. The rescuer stayed with him until he was sure the boater was OK, and then the rescuer disappeared (leaving his surfboard behind).

It turns out the boater was a family member of the owners of Jordan's Lobster Dock (the real life locale used in the movie "Brooklyn Lobster") and they're looking for the rescuer (to apparently reward him).

Here's a link to the story in The Daily News: CLICK HERE

I saw that, SC. I thought of you and BROOKLYN LOBSTER right away.

Breaking news from Manhattan:

Another construction crane collapsed in the City (one did about two months ago, killing a few people). This time, it happened about an hour ago and the destruction caused is pretty severe to a lrage apartment building. One of the apartments at the top of the building was COMPLETELY demolished, and it looks like the side of the building going down was structurally hurt as well.

This accident happened about 8:00 a.m. at 91st Street and York Avenue. At least one person is known dead. All the local tv stations are carrying live coverage now.

My cousin was close to the last one. He was in the next building and it fell away from his side of the block.

You would think that after the last one the crane people and the city would be extra vigilant. Quality and Safety cost money, but when you don't do it.....the costs are much greater - human life.

News from Atlantic City.

Trump Marina - one of the oldest casinos in AC - has a deal with a company that has partnered with Jimmy Buffett. They are going to make it a Margaritaville-themed hotel. Great News for Parrott Heads!

You would think that.... the City had a crackdown on the way these cranes are inspected. This site (that collapsed today) was inspected twice in the past week. Someone missed something!!

There have been a lot of crane accidents on the news lately. After the 1st one in New York I think we had 2 here in Maryland, plus others nationwide. Is it shitty equipment or just pure negligence?

Dunno. I'm sure they'll be investigations and finger pointing though.

Now they're saying at least 2 killed. I can see the fingers flaring now. It's a shame to play he said/she said with people's lives, but you know everyone's going to blame the other. I think the last time they said it was windy out. That's not the case today is it?

Correct. The weather is not an issue in this collapse (there's very little wind, if any).

Anyone watching Bloomberg's 11:00 News Conference.

Here's a picture of the devastation.

That is a shame. At least 2 people had to die cuz of people's carelessness.

What the the hell is going on? This is the 2nd collapse in NYC in the past 3 months.

Paulie Walnut's responsible.

Very scary. I'm in that neighborhood all the time.

A woman living only a few blocks from me was put into a Hazmat suit and rushed to a hospital to be put into a containment unit. She apparently became infested with bird mites supposedly caught from her apartment.

Her daughter was interviewed on the local tv news and said that her mother had these mites oozing out from EVERYWHERE.

Apparently, these things aren't highly infectuous.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

That was my reaction when I heard about the news.

How the heck did she get them? I get the heebie jeebez just thinking about it.

SUPPOSEDLY there was a bird nest in an air vent in the house. Published reports are now stating that there was an eviction proceeding just being started against the woman (an illegal tenant), so who knows what the truth is?

Well, as a landlord, I've never had anyone go that far. But you never know.

OK, Shirley Bird has GOT to go, now that I read that. You are freaking me out right now.

Shirley he doesn't have cooties!

OK, I'll be honest. I just hate that damn bird and am looking for an excuse to get rid of it.

Thats just plain cold, SB.

Further to the crane accident in NYC last week... the assistant commissioner of cranes (I didn't know there was such a position) was arrested for taking bribes.

I don't know any of the details (there was just a crawl on the bottom of the tv screen) but it looks like they have at least one scapegoat now.

Well, you know that if they looked hard enough, they'd find one.

I wonder what sort of resume one has in order to be assistant commissioner of cranes???