On the brief side...
Wins Promise Of Air Controller Study

Following recent disclosures of a near collision on a La Guardia Airport runway, Congressmember Joseph Crowley (D- Queens/The Bronx) announced he has secured a commitment for a study as to whether there is a need to train more air traffic controllers.

Crowley, citing safety concerns, said the July 5 incident underscores the need to evaluate whether there is a shortage of qualified air traffic controllers in our nation.

Crowley lauded the recent approval of a federal grant of $15.8 million for hiring and training new air traffic controllers, and also noted that the number of fully certified controllers has fallen by 1,100 since the Sept. 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack.

At the same time, he said, the volume of flights at La Guardia has increased appreciably and the study of the controller situation is necessary to determine whether New York City area airports have the technological resources and staffing levels to avoid safety risks on runways and in the skies. Vallone's Anti-Graffiti Bill OK'd

Continuing his effort to control the city's graffiti problem, City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr.'s bill to crack down on young graffiti vandals has been passed by the City Council.

The bill makes it illegal for persons under 21 years of age to carry graffiti instruments unless they follow specific provisions. The new measure makes carrying spray paint, broad tipped markers or etching acid a misdemeanor unless these items are in a locked container.

Vallone noted that opponents of the bill had argued that young people under 21 need immediate, unfettered access to graffiti tools at all times.

This, he responded, is "simply ridiculous". Appeal For After-School Programs

Six congressmembers from Queens were among 25 from New York state who recently appealed to Governor Eliot Spitzer to allocate $30 million in emergency funds to save 207 afterschool programs that are being dropped by the state Education Department.

The endangered programs include 118 in New York City. In all, 34,000 children and 3,400 jobs are affected statewide. Without help from the state, the lawmakers said, there's no hope for the programs.

The local lawmakers backing the appeal to Spitzer are Congressmembers Gary Ackerman, Joseph Crowley, Carolyn Maloney, Gregory Meeks, Anthony Weiner and Nydia Velazquez, all Democrats.

The letter to Spitzer said, in part, "If the programs are forced to shut down for a year, the damage will be crippling to our neighborhoods and schools." Liu: MTA Must Prove Need For Fare Hike

Before the MTA raises fares, it must do a "thorough top-to-bottom review of potential cost-saving measures", City Councilmember John Liu (D- Flushing) said in a news release.

Liu, chair of the council Transportation Committee, pointed out, "There has still not been a full accounting of hundreds in millions of dollars earmarked for projects such as the abortive La Guardia Airport extension."

Liu added, "A serious effort must be made to reverse the decade-long cut in state subsidies for mass transit- a trend that has led to deferred maintenance and service cuts, even as fares have increased."

Besides, he said, the fare hike proposal comes as a contradiction to the goals of congestion pricing, which would get millions of motorists out of their cars and onto mass transit.