IN the 50 years he has lived in Montclair , N.J. , Rob Bianco has seen his share of monsoon-like downpours , blizzards , ice storms , even the remnants of hurricanes .

But Mr. Bianco , the superintendent of public works for Montclair , had never seen anything like the storm that ravaged the leafy landscape of his hometown on July 18 .

`` We literally had trees and telephone poles , some as high as 20 to 30 feet in the air , that were sheared and cut off , '' he said .

`` It was a treetop tornado , meaning it never hit the ground , but it still caused a great amount of destruction . ''

The storm , which hit the northeast corner of Verona , N.J. , before blowing with a vengeance -- about a mile wide -- through a swath of Montclair for roughly a half-hour , destroyed about 200 trees on public property in Montclair , an Essex County township of about six square miles .

The most heavily damaged areas , Mr. Bianco said , were Brookdale Park , which covers 121 acres in Montclair and Bloomfield , and the township 's Edgemont Park .

`` We had some cars smashed and a lot of people running for cover , '' he said .

`` It was a miracle that no one got hurt . ''

But what about all of those damaged oak and pine trees , some of which Mr. Bianco said were 250 years old .

`` Cleaning it all up was quite a daunting task , '' said Matthew A . Vastano , the executive vice president of Nature 's Choice Corporation , a yard-waste recycling company in Union , N.J. , hired by Montclair to clear the debris caused by the storm .

`` Montclair is not your normal town where vegetative waste is concerned , '' Mr. Vastano said .

`` The town , which has huge , huge trees , is very environmentally conscious , and it wants to keep all the trees it can . ''

The trees it could not keep were hauled away by Nature 's Choice to a temporary storage site .

Any piece of wood 16 to 18 inches long was put onto chipper trucks and into machines that turned it into chips .

Anything larger was cut into logs .

Some 25 truckloads of those logs were placed into 40-foot containers on trucks -- at a cost of $ 350 per container -- for eventual mulching .

In the end , about 600 cubic yards of mulch and topsoil , or 300 tons , were produced -- enough to cover about 100,000 square feet , according to Mr. Vastano .

Mr. Bianco said that Nature 's Choice would give Montclair some of the mulch or topsoil for free if the town needed it for a special project , but that the company was free to sell it to landscapers and other businesses .

`` We are a business , not a charity , '' Mr. Vastano said .

`` We 'll take most of that mulch and turn it into hardwood mulch or dye it either black or a shade of red before selling it . ``

Dianne Marus , the director of Montclair 's Department of Finance , said that the cost of the storm cleanup came to $ 366,950 but that the price , tallied by the Department of Community Services , did not include overtime costs for the Police -LRB- $ 74,983 -RRB- and Fire Departments -LRB- $ 4,650 -RRB- .

All told , Montclair has spent $ 446,583 on storm-related services , and the job is not yet finished .

`` There are still a number of stumps to be removed and lots of re-planting to do , '' Mr. Bianco said .

`` By the time all is said and done , this entire project is going to cost us more money and continue for at least another month . ''

STORM CLEANUP .

Summary: Photo .


DEEP into suburbia , on a sound barrier that runs along the Taconic State Parkway here , a graffiti artist announces his presence with a single word painted in yellow and black : `` Me . ''

Officials said that graffiti had reached new heights this summer .

And in a town that bills itself as a retreat from more urban locales , politicians and police officers are taking the problem seriously .

`` Whether you grew up here all your life , or whether you moved here from the Bronx or Yonkers or Long Island , you do n't want to see that , `` said Linda G . Cooper , the town supervisor .

`` And so we 're trying to take a very firm position . ``

In June , the Yorktown police began graffiti patrols as a deterrent .

They also began photographing graffiti they found to create a catalog of the work of local vandals for use in investigations , Lt . Donald Schuck said .

Since July , Lieutenant Schuck said , the police have arrested nine boys on graffiti-related charges .

The most recent came on Aug . 28 , with the arrest of a 14-year-old from Mohegan Lake , a hamlet of Yorktown .

The police said he had sprayed a wall at a town-owned sports club , causing about $ 400 in damage .

The boy , charged with making graffiti and possession of graffiti instruments , both misdemeanors , was released to his mother and was scheduled to appear on Friday in Westchester County Family Court in White Plains .

The town , which has seen stop signs , park buildings , businesses and even a police radar unit defaced this summer , is also considering new legislation .

One proposed law would require vandals to pay restitution .

Another would mandate that residents who discover graffiti on their property clean it within 72 hours .

Ms. Cooper said that rapid removal discouraged vandals .

Town officials and youth advocates said there were a number of reasons for the surge in graffiti .

Lieutenant Schuck said increased access to the tools of graffiti had played a role .

Young people , previously stymied by a county law forbidding the sale of spray paint to anyone under 18 , have begun ordering the paint over the Internet , he said .

Joan Valenstein , chairwoman of the advisory board for the Yorktown Teen Center , a branch of the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester , said the increase might be the byproduct of boredom in a town that she said did not provide enough youth activities .

Ms. Cooper said some of the graffiti included gang insignia previously seen in the southern , more urban part of the county .

Whatever the source of the graffiti , the town seems determined to stamp it out .

But out on the Taconic State Parkway , high above the cars rushing by , defiance is etched in yellow and black .

VANDALISM .

Summary: Officials in Yorktown , NY , say graffiti has reached new heights this summer .

Summary: Police have begun graffiti patrols as deterrent and have arrested nine boys on graffiti-related charges since July .

Summary: Photo .


HE sits in his wheelchair as the family rushes around him .

He can not move much , or say more than hello .

He can not participate in the summer activities that everyone pursues with great vigor day after day .

If it 's warm enough , he goes out onto the deck and snoozes in the sun with the dogs .

Unlike them , however , he does n't jump up and make excited noises when people come .

At most , he slowly turns his head and smiles .

Everyone speaks to him politely , but not for long .

What 's the point .

He ca n't say more than a couple of words , and it 's hard to tell how much he understands .

He is my stepfather , Peter , an 88-year-old man who in the last decade has been transformed from a lively and dynamic person into not much more than a body occupying space .

He has post-polio syndrome , a condition that seeps the strength from his upper body as steadily as it weakened his legs when he was a teenager .

A couple of strokes have further debilitated him .

As my son , Asher , said to my mother one day , it 's as if he 's hardly a person anymore .

And yet this is n't how Asher , 14 , behaves toward him .

He constantly monitors Peter 's feet to see if they 've slipped off the footrests of his wheelchair .

He always asks if Peter wants something to drink .

His recognition of the full extent of what it means to be a person goes beyond his frustration at Peter 's limitations .

Asher is concerned with Peter 's comfort , his feeling of inclusion .

Peter 's situation brings out Asher 's own humanity .

Peter is certainly a person to my mother , Addy , though she has no illusions about his abilities .

He is her third husband , the one who was finally her friend .

She does what she can to make him comfortable and to replicate his old habits .

Since his only real pleasure is food , she makes him good meals for lunch and dinner .

At night they listen to Amy Goodman on NPR and then watch Chris Matthews and a couple of episodes of `` Seinfeld '' or `` Curb Your Enthusiasm . ''

On Tuesdays , Peter 's longtime men 's lunch group comes over to eat with him and discuss books and politics .

Peter does n't participate , but he enjoys the routine .

Last summer he could still join them at the local restaurant .

He would motor up the street in his Jazzy wheelchair with an orange pennant waving above his head to warn cars away .

He is far from being able to do anything like that now .

Peter needs to be cared for at the most basic custodial level .

When my friend Anne visited , her 9-year-old son , Nick , was interested in what this entailed .

Over the course of a five-day stay , Nick asked many questions of Stacey , the woman who comes in to get Peter out of bed in the morning -- the very practical questions that most adults prefer not to think about .

Several times Stacey saw Nick looking in the window when it was changing time .

He was n't fazed by what he saw .

He accepted Peter 's condition and presence in the house as natural .

He was right about that .

My mother and Peter live on the lip of a harbor in Maine .

All summer , family members passed through , usually for a week or so .

I stayed the longest -- six weeks .

On some days there were enough people staying to fulfill my old fantasy of a big house full of people , bursting with robust togetherness .

This was a new phenomenon here .

For many years we were only welcome to stay for a short time .

The stepparents had limited tolerance for each other 's children , especially the noisy grandchildren .

I often rented nearby to make visits to my mother less stressful .

Other sons and daughters did the same .

We rarely overlapped or had the sense of a beloved summer house , full of traditions passed down through generations .

We each had a private relationship with Maine , and with Peter and my mother .

But an unexpected side effect of Peter 's deterioration has been a lessening of the feeling that anyone beyond my mother and stepfather creates a crowd .

Now Peter seems to enjoy the bustle that my mother used to believe was an imposition on him .

He is no longer an aging intellectual who requires quiet for reading and writing .

The grandchildren are older , and he is younger , babylike .

After breakfast , he sleeps for a couple of hours in the kitchen , no matter the amount of dish washing or screen-door banging .

So family life swirled around him this summer .

We spent the kind of easy time together that I like best , quantity rather than quality .

Just hanging out .

Siblings , nieces and nephews trooped through with significant others in tow .

They each had a relationship with Peter while they were there .

Some spent time talking to him even if he could n't reply .

Others made sure he was comfortable at the table during meals .

Though it was easy to forget he was in the room , everyone was delighted when he broke into a conversation with a responsive remark .

The old Peter ! It was good to see him again , if only for a moment .

Starting the last week of July , my mother began to say fall was in the air .

I bridled against this , though I knew what she meant .

I felt it too , a change in the light from white to yellow , a softening of the wind , a resignation of the leaves on certain trees .

But I did n't want to skip ahead , so I pretended not to notice .

It 's summer , I insisted .

This is what summer is like in Maine .

It is tempting to make this whisper of fall a metaphor for Peter 's diminishing presence .

September brings up memories of how the end of summer felt during childhood , a loss .

Yet I find myself resisting the comparison .

Peter is alive , and summer does n't officially end for 10 more days .

I 'm still wearing white .

GENERATIONS .

Summary: Alice Elliott Dark Generations essay on summer spent in Maine with her family and her stepfather , Peter , 88 , who is debilitated with post-polio syndrome and effects of strokes .

Summary: Drawing .


WHEN Natalie Wells bought a home in Englewood , N.J. , a year ago , she was unaware that her American pit bull terrier was illegal to own in the city .

Shortly after moving in , she was told by one of her daughters about a city law that banned the breed , commonly called pit bulls , along with several similar breeds and Rottweilers .

Under the 1999 law , even this year 's best-in-show winner at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show , Rufus , a colored bull terrier from Holmdel , N.J. , would be banned in Englewood .

`` I pretty much knew in my gut it was n't right , `` Ms. Wells said .

In July , Ms. Wells filed a challenge to the law in Bergen County Superior Court along with Mia Rodriguez , a neighbor who also owns a pit bull , and the American Dog Owner 's Association of Castleton , N.Y.

Last month , Superior Court Judge Jonathan N . Harris agreed with Ms. Wells and ordered the city to stop enforcing the law because it was in conflict with a New Jersey statute that prohibits restricting dogs by breed .

`` Cities do n't have the right to make laws that violate state law , `` said Flora Edwards , the lawyer who represented the plaintiffs .

`` If the legal drinking age is 21 under state law , the City of Englewood or Montclair ca n't say it 's 25 or 18 . ``

According to a Centers for Disease Control study , the pit bull breed was responsible for more dog-bite fatalities than any other breed from 1979 to 1998 , the latest year for which figures were available .

The breed was responsible for 66 of 238 dog-bite fatalities during that period .

Rottweilers were next , with 39 .

The New Jersey Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dog Act sets out criteria for dealing with aggressive dogs , but prohibits breed discrimination .

New York has a similar statute .

Connecticut 's law does not ban breed discrimination .

Despite such laws , some communities still have restrictions on specific breeds .

They range from outright bans to requiring property insurance coverage and the use of shorter leashes and muzzles in public .

Tanya Ford , village clerk in Hempstead , N.Y. , said she was aware of no challenges to its law , which categorizes American pit bull terriers and several related breeds as vicious dogs , requiring that they be muzzled when walked and kept on a chain with a minimum strength of 300 pounds and not exceeding three feet in length .

Owners must also have liability insurance of $ 100,000 .

Mahlon Goer , a pit bull owner who tracks legislation in New York for the American Dog Owner 's Association , said the state still allowed insurance companies to drop customers or deny property insurance to prospective customers based on the breed of dog they own .

Underwriting policies vary , according to the group , but beyond pit bulls and related breeds , the list includes Siberian huskies , Great Danes , German shepherds , St . Bernards and Dalmatians .

Opponents of breed-specific laws say it is difficult to know how many communities have such laws because keeping tabs at the local level can be difficult unless laws are highly publicized .

According to the American Kennel Club , last year it tracked 105 communities around the nation where breed-specific legislation was pending , enacted or defeated .

The group had tracked another 76 through July .

Among the municipalities in the region that have breed-specific laws are Larchmont , Sands Point and Hempstead in New York and Millville and Atlantic City in New Jersey .

Numerous communities across the United States have such laws .

One of the most controversial is in Denver , where authorities have euthanized more than 1,000 pit bulls since the reinstatement of a ban on the breed in May 2005 .

The city 's animal control division had suspended enforcement of the ban in 2004 after the governor signed a bill restricting local governments from outlawing certain breeds .

But the city successfully sued , arguing that the bill violated its home-rule authority .

In Englewood , Douglas Bern , a lawyer who served on the City Council when the law was passed , said the council was responding to incidents in a public park where the dogs were being used to intimidate people .

He said the police had also felt threatened by pit bulls when responding to a call at a home .

The city argued that the municipal law complemented state statute , which was designed to address situations where `` existing local laws inadequately address the problem '' of aggressive dogs .

`` The city of Englewood 's ordinance in this regard actually furthers and is consistent with the legislative intent , which is to address a void where local governments have not addressed the area of vicious or potentially dangerous dogs , `` the city said in a court brief .

Under the ordinance , bull terriers , Staffordshire bull terriers , American pit bull terriers , American Staffordshire terriers , Rottweilers or `` any dogs of mixed breed which has the appearance or characteristics of being predominantly of the breeds , '' were banned from the city .

Some summonses had been issued under the law , but city officials did not know how many .

`` It 's like there 's a stigma for having one of these kinds of dog , `` said Ms. Rodriguez , who owns an ailing 8-year-old pit bull named Cyrus .

The Englewood City Council will discuss the law at its Sept . 19 meeting , said Scott Reddin , the council president .

He said he did not expect the council to challenge the court 's decision .

`` We were profiling certain breeds and that was found to be unconstitutional , '' he said .

`` I do n't think the council will have any problem rescinding that . ``

Numerous national dog owner and veterinarian associations have come out against breed-specific laws , saying they are unfair and do not address the problem of aggressive and dangerous dogs .

`` As we like to say , punish the deed , not the breed , '' said Lisa Peterson , a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club .

`` We think breed-specific laws are unfair to responsible dog owners . ''

Barbara Bishop , who owns Rufus , the top dog at the Westminster show , said she was trying to use the dog 's success to highlight the unfairness of breed-specific bans .

`` We want to let people know that every dog has teeth and every dog can bite , whether it 's a Chihuahua or a bull mastiff , `` Ms. Bishop said .

`` Every dog will be a product of what it 's brought up to do . ``

Ms. Bishop attributed much of the image problem of the pit bull breeds to people who train them to be vicious , including drug dealers who use them as guard dogs .

`` We have Rufus , who 's the top winning colored terrier of all time , and we still have people stop in the street and say , ` There 's a pit bull , ' `` she said .

For Ms. Wells , the law seemed even more absurd because her 12-year-old pit bull , Sentry , has cataracts and has had cancer , heart surgery and a hysterectomy .

`` She is a member of the family , '' said Ms. Wells , who has two daughters , ages 34 and 32 .

`` My kids tease me all the time and say she 's my favorite daughter . `` .

Summary: Article on legal challenges pit bull owners have been making against local laws in New York City metropolitan area that ban or restrict certain dog breeds .

Summary: Opponents of breed-specific laws say it is difficult to know how many communities have such laws .

Summary: Numerous national dog owner and veterinarian associations oppose breed-specific laws , saying they are unfair and do not address problem of aggressive and dangerous dogs .

Summary: Photos .


A selection of New Jersey events scheduled in honor of the victims of Sept . 11 : Bernards Township -- Memorial service .

Monday at 7 p.m. Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church , 45 Church Street .

-LRB- 908 -RRB- 647-0340 .

Camden -- `` For the Healing of the Nations '' concert , featuring Nnenna Freelon , Andy Bey , Mark Johnson , Sandra-Turner Barnes , the Afro Blue Vocal Ensemble of Howard University and others .

Sunday at 3 p.m. $ 25 .

Walter K . Gordon Theater , Camden Center for the Arts , Rutgers University , Third and Pearl Streets .

-LRB- 856 -RRB- 225-2700 .

Hamilton -- Free admission to sculpture park for Sept . 11 .

Monday , from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Grounds for Sculpture , 18 Fairgrounds Road .

-LRB- 609 -RRB- 586-0616 .

Manalapan -- The Heart of New Jersey Chorus , a chapter of Sweet Adelines International , will perform .

Monday at 7:30 p.m. Monmouth County Library , 125 Symmes Drive .

-LRB- 732 -RRB- 431-7242 .

Montville -- `` George Washington 's Indispensable Men : The 32 Aides-de-Camp Who Helped Win American Independence , `` memorial program presented by the author Arthur Lefkowitz .

Monday at 7:30 p.m.

Senior House , 356 Main Street .

-LRB- 973 -RRB- 394-0554 .

New Brunswick -- Evensong : works by Walmisley , Handl , Williams and Bainton .

Sunday at 6 p.m. Christ Church Episcopal , 5 Paterson Street .

-LRB- 732 -RRB- 545-6262 .

Oradell -- `` The Guys , '' a 9/11-inspired drama by Anne Nelson , free for survivors of Sept . 11 and members of victims ' families .

Sept . 16 and 17 .

Bergen County Players , 298 Kinderkamack Road .

-LRB- 201 -RRB- 261-4200 .

West Orange -- Remembrance ceremony , at the Essex County Sept . 11 memorial .

Monday at 8 a.m.

Eagle Rock Reservation , Eagle Rock Avenue .

-LRB- 973 -RRB- 621-4404 .

West Windsor -- `` Remembering 9/11 Through Dance , '' choreographic tribute to West Windsor victims .

Sunday at 6 p.m. Ron R . Rogers Arboretum , Route 571 and Clarksville Road .

-LRB- 609 -RRB- 799-6141 .

RECALLING SEPT . 11 .

Summary: Selection of New Jersey events scheduled to honor victims of September 11 .

Summary: Photo .


AS Jamaica station came into view , Joe Singh of Deer Park stood by the train door and looked out the window .

What he and other commuters on the Long Island Rail Road see these days is much different from what they saw before a $ 300 million renovation of the station that began more than five and a half years ago .

`` It 's much better than it was before , `` Mr. Singh said .

`` There is a better covering from the rain .

The platforms were covered before , but it was n't as good . ``

Mr. Singh , who was about to step off the 7:47 a.m. train from Deer Park , said he takes the Long Island Rail Road to Jamaica and then takes the E subway to his job in Forest Hills , Queens , where he is a sales representative for Quest Diagnostics .

As part of the renovation , a new walkway was built to connect the railroad station to the E , J and Z lines .

Mr. Singh said that he liked the walkway and had always found it clean but that the front entrance of the railroad station was `` very , very dirty . ''

`` They never clean it , '' he said .

`` Now they 're fixing the first-floor bathrooms behind the ticket booth .

Let 's see how they do . ``

Another commuter , Monte Colbert of Merrick , a certified public accountant with Marcum & Kliegman in Melville , said the station `` feels more modern . ''

Mr. Merrick , who was waiting for a train to Pennsylvania Station , added , `` It lends itself to commuting . ''

An estimated 98,000 Long Islanders travel through Jamaica station during the morning rush , said Susan McGowan , a spokeswoman for the L.I.R.R.

She said that about 14 percent of the riders switch trains at Jamaica for either Brooklyn or Hunters Point Avenue trains .

The renovation was `` substantially completed '' in April , said Richard C . Oakley , director of capital program management at the railroad , although some odds and ends must still be wrapped up , like the reconstruction of Sutphin Boulevard .

That work , which involves installing catch basins , is being overseen by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey , Mr. Oakley said .

The Port Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , the parent of the railroad , shared in the cost of the Jamaica station renovation .

It included the AirTrain , an 8.1-mile light rail system that opened in December 2003 to connect the station to Kennedy International Airport .

Mr. Oakley said a key feature of the newly renovated Jamaica station was the replacement of wooden beams , waiting rooms and mezzanines with steel beams and laminated glass .

The result is a more open feel .

The mezzanines , for example , are no longer enclosed , and the east-end mezzanine , formerly 16 feet wide , is now 80 feet wide .

UPDATE .

Summary: Update on $ 300 million renovation to Long Island Rail Road 's Jamaica Station .

Summary: Photo .


What was supposed to have been summer 's last hurrah instead became another quest for any available stretch of sand and surf .

Many Suffolk County residents found themselves warned off their neighborhood beaches over the Labor Day weekend , just as Long Islanders had been periodically throughout the rainy summer .

Downpours and the elevated bacterial levels in the water that resulted led Suffolk and Nassau County health officials to close or issue warnings against swimming at a patchwork of beaches and parks for days at a stretch in June , July and August .

Most recently in Nassau , 23 beaches were shut down on Aug . 25 .

They reopened six days later .

Suffolk authorities issued an advisory covering 62 beaches on Aug . 28 .

Two days later , two beaches were closed but the advisory was lifted for 57 beaches and their waters again cleared for swimming .

The fun was short-lived .

On Sept . 1 , the Friday of the long holiday weekend , the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto struck .

The arrival of Ernesto , which had been downgraded to a tropical storm before it hit Long Island , prompted Suffolk to issue a new advisory that covered 52 beaches .

According to Suffolk 's beach hot line , that advisory was lifted Monday at 24 beaches but remained in effect at 28 -- in Centerport , Cold Spring Harbor , the Great South Bay , Huntington , Long Island Sound and Northport -- for an additional 24 hours .

Although Nassau shut down beaches on its North and South Shores four times over the summer , Ernesto dropped too little rain there to raise bacteria counts beyond acceptable levels , said Cynthia Brown , a Nassau health department spokeswoman .

That , however , does not mean Nassau residents can make up for lost time by spending this weekend or next at a county beach .

`` The beaches are now officially closed until next year , '' said Ms. Brown , noting that residents ' user permits expired on Tuesday , the day after Labor Day .

First Plant to Turn Grease Into Fuel Opens The Northeast 's first plant to convert restaurant grease into biofuel has officially opened .

The pilot plant , which is in Bohemia , is expected at first to produce up to 1,000 gallons a day of biofuel that could be used in diesel-powered cars and trucks , as well as home-heating systems .

North American Biofuels , founded last year by C . David Butler II and Alan Ellenbogen , opened the plant on Aug . 29 .

By December , its output should reach about 4,000 gallons a day , the company said .

Suffolk County 's sewage-treatment plant stopped accepting restaurant grease in 2002 after its system clogged up , and Nassau 's plant accepts grease only from restaurants inside the county .

For the past four years , Suffolk restaurant owners have had to pay to ship their grease to New Jersey , where plants have developed their own problems , or dump it illegally down the drain .

`` This facility takes a costly problem -- the disposal of waste grease -- and turns it into an energy solution by producing a clean , renewal energy product , which will reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere , '' Steve Levy , the Suffolk County executive , said in a statement .

Mr. Butler , an engineer , developed the processing system and its computerized operating technology .

Russell Reid , a New Jersey-based waste management firm , will transport the used grease to the plant .

Island Biofuel , based in Center Moriches , will be the major distributor of the end product , Mr. Ellenbogen said .

Producers of biodiesel and other forms of renewable energy can be eligible for federal , state and local tax incentives .

But North American Biofuels was not because it relies on a technology that is cheaper to build than plants that process `` virgin '' sources , like soy oil -- about $ 7 million compared with $ 20 million to $ 30 million .

But the company will pass along a 50-cent-a-gallon federal subsidy to its customers , Mr. Ellenbogen said .

That would lower the wholesale price per gallon to less than $ 1.90 , compared with about $ 2.25 for home-heating fuel and about $ 3.10 for biodiesel made from soy , he said .

Bill to Penalize Inmates For Spitting at Guards Under a year-old state law , a jail inmate who throws blood , semen , urine or feces at a corrections officer can be charged with a felony .

Now a bill , sponsored in the State Assembly by Thomas P . DiNapoli , a Democrat from Great Neck , would add saliva and phlegm to that list .

Corrections officials in Nassau and Suffolk said inmates know that the law established tougher penalties for throwing certain bodily fluids at guards but also know that it did not include saliva , so they have spit at guards more .

The bill , which passed the Senate in June , would make that a Class E felony punishable by one and a third to four years in state prison , not in a county jail .

The sister bill in the Assembly , sponsored by Mr. DiNapoli , is in committee .

The unions representing corrections officers in Nassau and Suffolk support its passage .

`` One hundred percent , '' said Vito Dagnello , the president of the Suffolk County Correction Officers Association .

`` It 's become part of the job that you go home at night not knowing what you 've contracted . ``

Saliva or phlegm , particularly if it contains blood , can carry infectious pathogens , including those that cause hepatitis , tuberculosis or H.I.V. , the unions said .

Mr. Dagnello said it was difficult to get worker 's compensation or disability payments for illnesses that guards believe were contracted from inmates , `` because the government 's position is that you could have contracted it somewhere else . ``

John Duer , the president of the Nassau County Sheriff Officers Association , said the same compensation battle exists for corrections officers statewide .

He said that one of his members was recently spit at by an inmate whose saliva landed in the officer 's mouth .

`` Now he 's being tested for a whole list of contagions , `` Mr. Duer said of the officer .

THE WEEK .

Summary: The Week column .

Summary: Remnants of Hurricane Ernesto and elevated bacterial levels in water prompt Nassau and Suffolk County health officials to close or issue warnings against swimming at several beaches and parks .

Summary: C David Butler and Alan Ellenbogen open American Biofuels , Northeast 's first plant that converts restaurant grease into biofuel , in Bohemia , NY . State Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli sponsors bill that would establish tougher penalties against prison inmates who spit at guards .

Summary: Photo .


The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts in Long Branch has unveiled its big fall exhibition titled `` Stuff It ! '' -- a riotous ensemble of artworks employing stuffed objects .

It is a victory of a kind for this plucky institution , for in May it nearly closed for lack of funds .

But it was saved by an anonymous donation of $ 20,000 from a famous Shore rock musician .

It has also just received a grant of $ 22,000 from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts .

The exhibition was organized by Doug Ferrari , an artist who founded the institute and mortgaged his home two years ago to open the nonprofit space .

For this exhibition he has chosen artists from all over the country , drawing on submissions through an informal national open call , along with recommendations from friends and other artists .

Most of the artists are women , and all of the contributors seem to make art that involves filling , stuffing , inflating , upholstering or padding of one kind or another .

Stuffed sculpture goes back to the 1960 's , when pop artist Claes Oldenburg began to make oversized everyday objects -- a floor fan , a hamburger , a sofa -- with woven and sometimes painted fabric left flaccid or stuffed with soft materials .

Some of the art here is in that vein , but there are also pieces that defy categorization -- a collection of antique sock monkeys , say , or a video by Matt Barton that shows one of his kinetic art installations with stuffed animals .

Not surprisingly , much sewing , needlepoint , darning and embroidery is evident throughout this sweeping survey of nearly 50 works , including everything from upholstered abstract geometric canvases by Suzanne Brady of Manalapan to arch , titillating sculptures made from discarded socks by Tracey Featherstone from Hamilton , Ohio .

There are also all kinds of stylish orchestrations of fabric and stuffing by Bethany Jean Fancher , Audrey Chibbaro and Joan Wheeler .

Nothing is what it seems on Orly Cogan 's table of confections , for her edible-looking cakes , doughnuts , flans , slices , muffins , tarts and other treats are actually hand-sewn and crocheted from pieces of old socks , clothes and blankets .

The subterfuge is far from obvious , but I guess that is the point behind much of this kind of trompe l' oeil sculpture .

It is also what makes it incredibly popular with viewers , who can appreciate an act of craftsmanship that fools the eye .

Rebeca Raney from New York City has contributed a wonderfully eccentric installation -- a tripped-out tableau of messy psychedelic wall drawings and radioactive-looking rocks encased in fake fur along with a stuffed , life-size cartoon figure in a space helmet and shimmering gold jumpsuit .

It looks likes Versace crossed with the Wiggles crossed with `` Star Trek . ''

Gaping in disbelief , I stood in front of the work for several minutes .

The eccentricity of the tableau is ingratiating , but it would n't count for much if the pieces themselves were n't well made .

Happily , they have been constructed with the utmost care , especially the central figure , whose face and hands are delineated by a jumble of colorful miniature embroidery .

This formal detail makes for a lovely , unexpected surprise , representing hours of long , hard work by the artist .

Not all contemporary art is as junky as it sometimes looks .

The aim of the Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts is to increase public access to , and awareness of , the contemporary arts in central New Jersey -- visual art , music , theater and dance .

This exhibition is another example of how the institution is meeting its mission .

I know of no other nonprofit art center in New Jersey that does so much with so little .

`` Stuff It ! '' is at the Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts , 20 Third Avenue , Long Branch , through Oct . 6 .

-LRB- 732 -RRB- 263-1121 or www.sica.org.

ART REVIEW .

Summary: Benjamin Genocchio reviews Stuff It -RSB- , exhibition of artworks employing stuffed objects on view at Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts in Long Branch , NJ . Photo .


SEAN O'CASEY 'S one-act play `` The Cooing of Doves , '' typed and marked up by the playwright , lay on a reading table at Princeton University 's Firestone Library .

Neither yellowed by history 's aura nor piously unblemished , the unbound stack of 18 pages looked more like a term paper than a century-old artifact in the university 's new Leonard L . Milberg Irish Theater Collection .

In fact , the manuscript , which became the second act of O'Casey 's seminal work `` The Plough and the Stars , '' looked so ordinary that Paul Muldoon , the poet and Princeton professor , at first overlooked it while perusing other samples of the collection , which was donated in his honor .

The university announced the gift Aug . 29 .

`` Fantastic , '' Mr. Muldoon , 55 , murmured with hushed excitement , leafing through the manuscript .

`` Fantastic . ''

The collection will be on public display at the library from Oct . 13 to April 22 .

The opening of the exhibition will be observed with a series of events , including a production of Brian Friel 's `` Translations '' at the McCarter Theater .

A symposium including the Irish actors Stephen Rea and Gabriel Byrne .

And a lecture by Joe Dowling , the former artistic director of the Abbey Theater in Dublin , Ireland 's national theater , where many of the collection 's works were first staged .

Irish drama provides `` a case study in the inextricability of literature and politics , '' said Prof . Michael Cadden , who teaches Irish theater at Princeton , because so many plays articulated the desire for independence from Britain .

The collection 's 1,200 works include playbills from `` The Hostage '' and `` The Quare Fellow , '' by Brendan Behan , and a yellowed 1952 first edition of Samuel Beckett 's `` En Attendant Godot , '' in the original French , which he later translated as `` Waiting for Godot . ''

The collection is named for its donor , the financier Leonard L . Milberg , a member of Princeton 's class of 1953 who lives in Rye , N.Y.

Mr. Milberg had already given the university three collections of works by American poets , Irish poets and Jewish-American writers , before he was inspired by Mr. Muldoon to add Irish drama to the list .

`` Paul is a friend , a wonderful man , '' Mr. Milberg said in a telephone interview .

`` I 'm a fan of his poetry , and I 'm a fan of Paul Muldoon . ``

Mr. Milberg acquired the collection over the past five years , he said , through dealers and at auction in New York , Ireland and England , with the help of a dealer , J . Howard Woolmer .

Being in the presence of such manuscripts is a thrill and an inspiration , said Mr. Muldoon , who was born in County Armagh , Northern Ireland , and who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for his collection of poems `` Moy Sand and Gravel . ''

`` It 's quite touching , really , to be in the presence of O'Casey 's DNA , `` he said .

`` It does help to be reminded that these plays in this case -- like poems , novels -- are indeed written by , in some profound sense , ordinary people -- people with a particular gift , of course . ''

The manuscripts can also be insightful .

For example , in a scene in `` The Cooing of Doves , '' O'Casey crossed out some characters ' proper names and identified them by occupation : `` Mrs. Macineely '' became `` The Orange Seller . ''

The change stripped her of the personality or the geographic associations the name might carry , Mr. Muldoon suggested , and transformed her into a `` type . ''

He added : `` It 's almost as if one is engaged , in some sense , in a bit of detective work , you know -- if not the scene of the crime , at least some evidence that an event has taken place here .

In this case , the making of the play . `` .

Summary: Article on Princeton University 's newly acquired Leonard L Milberg Irish Theater Collection , donated by Leonard Milberg , member of class of 1953 who lives in Rye , NY . Collection was donated in honor of poet and Princeton Prof Paul Muldoon .

Summary: Photo .


THE Bridgeport Police Department has joined a handful of other departments around the state in putting officers on Segways , the futuristic-looking battery-powered upright scooters .

Police Chief Bryan T . Norwood said the department bought four Segways last month for $ 5,500 each to use on regular patrols and at events like concerts .

He said officers from the bicycle unit were trained to ride the Segways first .

Chief Norwood said that besides giving officers better mobility , the scooters were good public relations .

`` It 's phenomenal , `` he said .

`` I 've seen officers who are normally quite reserved become animated when they 're on this vehicle .

And the people just flock to them out of curiosity . ``

Officer Caleb E . Lopez , a spokesman for the South Windsor Police , said the department began using its only Segway earlier this year as a test .

If the Segway proves useful , Officer Lopez said , the department will consider buying more .

`` The officer on it is not as physically taxed as he or she would be on a bicycle , '' he said .

`` And anytime you have a conversation piece , it 's a great way of getting to know the public . ``

A spokeswoman for Segway Inc . of Bedford , N.H. , said the police in Hartford and the state police at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks have Segways .

Mayor John M . Fabrizi of Bridgeport tried one and said they were easy to ride .

`` After about 10 minutes of practice , I was able to handle it , '' he said .

Carla M . Vallone , a spokeswoman for Segway , said about 20 percent of the vehicle 's sales were to police departments and security agencies .

She said they liked the scooters for a variety of reasons .

`` They can cover twice the amount of ground that they could walking , '' she said .

`` They 're also eight inches off the ground when they 're on the scooters , so they have a sight line that 's above a crowd .

And when they 're working in an area with a dense population , they can move as fast or as slow as the people around them . ``

Ms. Vallone said the model Bridgeport bought , a police edition with a front cargo bag and extra reflectors , has a top speed of 12.5 miles per hour and can travel about 24 miles on 6 to 8 hours of charging .

Chief Norwood said he hoped to buy four new Segways , with wider tires designed for off-road use , in the next few weeks .

NOTICED .

Summary: Police Department in Bridgeport joins handful of others around state in putting officers on Segways .

Summary: Four battery-powered upright scooters will be used on regular patrols and at events like concerts .

Summary: Photo .


The remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto hit Fairfield County last weekend , bringing winds that downed trees and knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes .

The storm had been downgraded to a tropical depression , and its center had already veered toward Pennsylvania by the time it struck Connecticut last Saturday , but winds in some areas in the state were gusting at nearly 60 miles per hour , said Todd Miner , a meteorologist at Pennsylvania State University .

The storm also dropped nearly three inches of rain on some parts of southwestern Connecticut , Mr. Miner said .

More than 20,000 United Illuminating customers lost power during the storm , 5,800 of them in Fairfield .

By Tuesday morning , power had been restored , said Al Carbone , a company spokesman .

Last Saturday night , a peak of about 54,400 Connecticut Light and Power customers were without power , the vast majority of them in Fairfield County .

Stamford was hit hardest , with 14,300 people losing power on Saturday .

In Greenwich , 11,100 lost power , according to Mitch Gross , a spokesman for the company .

On Sunday morning , 10,250 customers in Norwalk had no power .

More than 100 crews went out over the weekend to make repairs , including outside contractors and workers from other states , Mr. Gross said .

About two dozen poles had been snapped , he said .

All power was restored by Tuesday night .

Mayor Dannel P . Malloy of Stamford said he was concerned that Connecticut Light and Power has had to scramble the past few months to restore power after the failures .

`` I think they were overwhelmed again , '' he said .

`` They have a staffing problem in lower Fairfield County .

I think they 're going to be overwhelmed a lot unless they place more resources here . ``

Last month , Gov . M . Jodi Rell ordered the Department of Public Utility Control to examine the power supply in the state and review plans by power companies for handling failures .

THE WEEK .

Summary: Remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto hit Fairfield County , downing trees , knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and bringing heavy rains to some parts of southwestern Connecticut .

Summary: Photo .


Steve Lonegan , the mayor of Bogota -LRB- the one in New Jersey , not Colombia -RRB- , began the summer on an ugly note by demanding that McDonald 's remove a billboard that is printed in Spanish .

The fast-food giant stood by its guns -- or maybe its hamburgers -- and the billboard still stands .

But Mr. Lonegan is not to be deterred .

He is ending the summer season with an effort to allow local voters to say whether they want English to be the town 's official language .

Wisely , the Bergen County clerk , Kathleen Donovan , whose office has the final say over what goes on ballots , asked for a legal opinion on whether the nonbinding referendum question was allowable under the law .

The answer was no .

A lawyer , John Carbone , wrote that questions on municipal ballots must pertain to a matter a town can act on .

State law does not authorize Bogota or any other municipality to declare an official language .

Mr. Lonegan predicts he will win when he appeals the ruling to the courts .

Judges , he says , are reluctant `` to take away the right '' of voters to express themselves .

He also says he will raise money privately to pay for the appeals .

That is consistent with his belief as a conservative Republican that government spending should be kept as low as possible .

But the entire effort , which seems like a slap in the face to Hispanics , is also consistent with his practice of seeking widespread approval from ultraconservatives whose opposition to illegal immigrants is at a fevered high .

As Mr. Lonegan admits , even a successful referendum would change nothing in Bogota .

The town would still be required to abide by state and federal law stipulating that some documents be printed in more than one language .

What is likely to change is Mr. Lonegan 's reputation : he may grow in stature among bigots , while losing credibility among minorities and fair-minded citizens .

The choice is his .

New Jersey .

Summary: Editorial opposes effort by Mayor Steve Lonegan of Bogota , NJ , to introduce referendum on making English town 's official language .


PROCLAIMING the beginning of a new era in Atlantic City gaming , Pinnacle Entertainment Inc . has agreed to buy the Sands Casino Hotel , the smallest of the 12 casinos in the city , for $ 250 million , with the intention of tearing it down and building an upscale casino-hotel complex .

`` It 's the right thing for Atlantic City , `` said George Toth , the president of the Sands .

`` I just think to try to run the small type of gaming house we were running no longer fits the model in a destination city .

We did n't have shopping or a swimming pool , so we were just limited .

Today in the gaming field , you have to offer a lot more things . ``

Pending regulatory approvals , the deal should close by November , with demolition of the existing buildings starting then and construction taking as long as three or four years .

The deal was announced Tuesday .

The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa , the most recent casino to open in Atlantic City , in 2003 , cost $ 1.1 billion to build .

Estimates for the new Pinnacle operation , which will be on 18 acres adjacent to the Boardwalk , have run as high as $ 1.5 billion .

`` What it does is take an afterthought of a property and suddenly makes it the talk of the town , '' said Joe Weinert of the Spectrum Gaming Group , a casino consultant that also publishes The Gaming Industry Observer .

`` This is terrific news for Atlantic City , for it takes a property which has no impact on Atlantic City and will transform it into the next great casino here . ''

The Sands was built 26 years ago but ran into severe debt problems before being bought by Carl Icahn in 2000 .

After a series of transfers into holding companies , the Sands went into bankruptcy in 2005 .

The case is in bankruptcy court in Camden .

The Sands has 2,100 employees , and they will be out of work if the plans for demolition are completed .

Given a statement by Daniel R . Lee , Pinnacle 's chairman and chief executive , that appears likely .

`` The success of recent Atlantic City developments has proven that customers in the Northeast respond positively to state-of-the-art gaming resort design and amenities , '' Mr. Lee said .

`` While we regret the necessity of closing the Sands to create an exciting new resort , we look forward to working with gaming regulators , state and local authorities on this project to create more jobs , tax revenues and other lasting benefits for the region . ''

Pinnacle owns casinos in Nevada , Louisiana , Indiana , Argentina and the Bahamas , but not in the top two American casino cities , Atlantic City and Las Vegas .

Mr. Lee , though , worked for Steven Wynn when he was considering opening a casino in Atlantic City in the late 1990 's , so he is familiar with that landscape , Mr. Weinert said .

`` This is the beginning of an arms race , '' said Mr. Weinert , noting that three other potential operators are looking at sites around Atlantic City .

`` It is only a question of which of these four groups will make the standard for the next-generation concept in Atlantic City . ''

Jeff Vasser , the executive director of the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority , which works to bring conventions to town , said he was not ecstatic about losing the 600 rooms at the Sands as the prime convention season comes around , but was happy to look at the future , with as many as 2,000 rooms planned for the new hotel .

`` It 's a giant game of leapfrog here right now , and it is the time for Sands and Pinnacle to do the leaping , `` Mr. Vasser said .

`` This is the Sands ' reaction to the Borgata , and now the other casino companies like Harrah 's and Trump will respond . `` .

Summary: Pinnacle Entertainment Inc agrees to buy Sands Casino Hotel in Atlantic City , NJ , for $ 250 million .

Summary: Plans to tear it down and build upscale casino-hotel complex .


IF you were an employee of a company and were disgruntled with its performance , who would you want to hold accountable .

The chief executive , who is popular with key constituents and wields clout over your financial well-being .

Or at least one , if not two , of the chief executive 's top lieutenants , both unpopular , and presumably easy to scapegoat .

That , essentially , is the question that faces State Senator Thomas H . Kean Jr . as he grapples with the biggest political issue in his race to unseat United States Senator Robert Menendez : the war in Iraq .

Mr. Kean is a Republican -- and a fairly moderate one at that , in contrast to the conservatives who run Washington .

And as a member of the New Jersey Legislature , he had no role in any decisions related to Iraq .

But he does say that he would have voted for the initial resolution authorizing the use of force , just as Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Joseph I . Lieberman , both Democrats , did .

But because of his party affiliation , Mr. Kean has been flayed by Mr. Menendez and other Democrats -- and the polls show that Iraq is a problem for Republicans .

Yet Mr. Kean ca n't join Democrats in pummeling President Bush , because he ca n't win without the backing of the national Republican Party in a traditionally Democratic state and with only a third of the money that his opponent has raised .

So he has tried , with varying success , to distance himself from the chief executive , President Bush , without directly criticizing him , while taking issue with two key underlings , Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H . Rumsfeld .

A few months ago , Mr. Kean experienced one of the low points of his campaign , when Mr. Cheney came to New Jersey for a fund-raiser on his behalf .

Rather than show up at the event , where photos of the two would have been instantly transformed into Democratic red meat , Mr. Kean appeared after Mr. Cheney had left -- blaming traffic between Trenton and Newark .

But many people wondered whether he had calculated his late arrival by traveling on Route 1 , known for its horrific traffic , rather than the New Jersey Turnpike .

Then , a week ago , Mr. Kean became one of the highest profile Republicans to call for Mr. Rumsfeld 's resignation .

He said that it was detrimental that Mr. Rumsfeld had `` politicized the war through some of his comments , '' including a recent speech touching on those who advocated appeasing Nazi Germany in the 1930 's -- a speech that some people interpreted -LRB- incorrectly , according to the Pentagon -RRB- to be a veiled criticism of the war 's detractors .

But throughout a one-hour-plus interview , Mr. Kean declined to criticize Mr. Bush .

`` I just do n't think that the president is very well served by Secretary Rumsfeld staying in that position , `` he said .

`` I think that the president needs a constant flow of information if he 's going to have his best ability possible to make the decisions that he needs to make . ``

Democrats have derided Mr. Kean 's attempts to blame everyone but Mr. Bush .

It is analogous , they say , to criticizing everyone at Enron other than Kenneth L . Lay , or attributing the famines in China in the 1950 's and 1960 's to someone other than Mao Zedong .

Indeed , in a news conference this past week , Mr. Menendez likened it to `` throwing the first mate of the Titanic overboard while standing side by side with the captain as he steers straight toward the iceberg . ''

It is hard to tell whether people will find Mr. Kean 's balancing act credible or whether they may find him disingenuous .

But suffice it to say , the more undecided people are about his intentions , the better it is for Mr. Kean .

`` I think it 's very smart , I think it 's very tricky , and I think that there 's no alternative , `` said Peter J . Woolley , a professor of politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University .

Mr. Woolley is also executive director of the university 's PublicMind poll .

It recently found that Mr. Kean had a small lead among registered voters that widened to 11 percentage points if Iraq were not a factor .

And while many believe that Mr. Menendez should still be considered a slight favorite because of New Jersey 's Democratic tendencies , Mr. Woolley said that Mr. Kean should be encouraged that his favorability ratings have been higher than most Republicans ' in recent statewide races and that Mr. Menendez 's ratings have been a bit lower than most Democrats ' .

Still , Mr. Woolley says he does n't think that Mr. Kean will invite Mr. Bush to New Jersey anytime soon .

But the Bush family is another matter .

On Wednesday , Mr. Bush 's father , former President George H . W . Bush , stumped for Mr. Kean in Bridgewater .

So , too , did the first lady , Laura Bush , a couple of months ago .

So maybe Mr. Bush 's mother and twin daughters will come next .

POLITICAL MEMO David W . Chen is Trenton bureau chief of The New York Times .

Summary: David Chen Political Memo column on issue of war in Iraq as it applies to New Jersey State Sen Thomas Kean Jr , moderate Republican who is seeking to unseat Democratic US Sen Robert Menendez .

Summary: Notes Kean has tried , with varying success , to distance himself from Pres Bush without directly criticizing him , while taking issue with Vice Pres Dick Cheney and Defense Sec Donald Rumsfeld .

Summary: Photos .


The vibrant restaurant scene along Hudson Street , which includes longtime crowd pleasers like Nobu and Chanterelle , has continued to grow in the past year , with these five newcomers .

DANI * -LSB- Rating : One Star -RSB- -LRB- 212 -RRB- 633-9333 .

333 Hudson Street -LRB- Charlton Street -RRB- .

Review : 4/12/06 .

Dani aims for a bit of distinction in a crowded New York marketplace of Italian restaurants by taking a few steps toward an often unexplored area of Italy : Sicily .

That region 's fruits , nuts and proximity to northern Africa are reflected in a menu that also hedges its bets with the kind of fare found at many other New York restaurants , Italian and otherwise .

The best dishes , like bucatini with sardines , and the desserts are very good indeed , and the noisy room is visually appealing .

FATTY CRAB -LRB- 212 -RRB- 352-3590 .

643 Hudson Street -LRB- Horatio Street -RRB- .

$ 25 and Under : 10/26/05 .

Zak Pelaccio 's rollicking Malaysian roadhouse is done up in dark woods and reds .

Ornately carved chairs with stiff backs are crammed around small tables that fill the tiny dining room .

The signature chili crab consists of a Dungeness crab served in a delicious pool of spicy , crab-drenched sauce with broiled white bread to sop it up .

MR . CHOW TRIBECA -LRB- 212 -RRB- 965-9500 .

121 Hudson Street -LRB- North Moore Street -RRB- .

Review : 6/28/06 .

Mr. Chow Tribeca opened more than a quarter-century after the Mr. Chow on East 57th Street , but it stays true to its predecessor 's formula : a mixture of familiar and less familiar Chinese food in a slick setting with formally attired servers and an aura of clubby exclusivity .

It can be expensive , if amusing , but a few dishes , like the Peking duck , are terrific .

NOVO -LRB- 212 -RRB- 989-6410 .

290 Hudson Street -LRB- Spring Street -RRB- .

Article : 2/1/06 .

This Latino place has Alex Garcia as chef and partner .

The dinner menu is divided into categories like ceviches , grilled meats and fish , hot and cold tapas plates , and salads .

The lunch menu offers sandwiches including a Cuban pressed sandwich with chicken croquettes and crispy mariquitas , and colorful limeades , smoothies and aqua fresca -- water infused with fresh fruit like melon , papaya and guava .

SETACCI -LRB- 212 -RRB- 675-0810 .

420 Hudson Street -LRB- Leroy Street -RRB- .

Article : 5/3/06 .

Lisa Cannistraci , who owns Henrietta Hudson , and Joey D' Angelo , a chef , formerly of Union Square Café and Esca , own this stylish Italian place in the West Village .

The name is Italian for sift .

The menu has crudo like oysters or clams on the half-shell , antipasti like grilled baby octopus , or house cured sardines , and entree selections that include grilled whole branzino and brick-roasted baby chicken .

GOOD EATING / HUDSON STREET E-mail : eating@nytimes.com .

Summary: Excerpts from previously published reviews of restaurants along Manhattan 's Hudson Street -LRB- Good Eating column -RRB- .


That 's Mr. Gettys to You Q . `` Citizen Kane '' is my absolute favorite movie .

I know that the Charles Foster Kane character , who builds an empire around a New York newspaper , is modeled after William Randolph Hearst , and that Susan Alexander resembled Hearst 's companion , Marion Davies .

But which politician was Boss Jim Gettys supposed to be .

A . That one 's not quite as obvious .

Jim Gettys , played by Ray Collins , could have been a composite of figures from Tammany Hall and New York City politics in the early 20th century .

There were plenty to choose from , with names like Johnny Oakley and Big Tim Sullivan .

But one clue is the scene in which Gettys chews out Kane for printing a cartoon showing him in prison stripes .

That really happened to Charles F . Murphy , a Tammany leader who started as a horsecar driver and owned several bars while building political power .

Hearst , a Tammany opponent who twice ran for mayor himself , had his papers regularly denouncing Murphy as a latter-day Boss Tweed .

One Hearst cartoon in 1903 showed Murphy dressed in striped prison clothes .

A caption , referring to the restaurant where the Boss and his sachems often huddled , read : `` Look out , Murphy .

It 's a short lock-step from Delmonico 's to Sing Sing . ``

Politics has a way of uniting enemies , though , and three years later , the ever-calculating Murphy helped Hearst get the Democratic nomination for governor .

He lost to Charles Evans Hughes .

Sparrow Snatching Q .

While traveling to Yankee Stadium on the D train , a friend and I noticed a woman carrying a live sparrow in a plastic shopping bag .

The next day , in Union Square , I saw a young couple carrying a transparent take-out container with a live sparrow .

Is there something going on that involves the sacrifice of a small bird .

And is it legal to capture sparrows .

A .

We asked people at the Bronx Zoo and the New York Companion Bird Club about this , and they ruled out a cult or ritual .

Your sightings seem to be a coincidence .

One club member noted that while the birds may have been unprotected English sparrows , there are also dozens of sparrow species protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act , many of them in New York , and capturing them is illegal .

One respondent added that the housing described in the note was awful .

Another animal advocate wrote : `` I think the people were just picking up fledglings thinking they were injured or orphaned . ''

New York City Audubon offers guidelines on how to handle injured birds and baby birds on its Web site , www.nycaudubon.org.

Look for Project Safe Flight under Programs .

Double Digits Down There Q . Am I misremembering , or did there use to be subway trains with names like CC , AA , BB , etc.

What happened to them .

A . You 're not imagining things .

Double-letter designations survived until 1986 , when they were phased out .

Double letters once identified local routes , and single letters meant express , but as routes and designations changed over the years , that distinction became almost meaningless .

Unless you 're an optometrist , this all may be too much information , but in 1986 , the CC became the C , the GG became the G , the LL became the L , the QB became the Q , the RR became the R , and the AA became the K , which was absorbed two years later by the B and C .

There also used to be a KK train on the J line , an HH train -LRB- Rockaway shuttle -RRB- , a T and TT -LRB- West End express and local -RRB- and a QT -LRB- Brighton Beach local -RRB- .

MICHAEL POLLAK F . Y .

I . E-mail : fyi@nytimes.com .

Summary: FYI column answers questions about which politician Boss Jim Gettys was modeled after in movie Citizen Kane , why people are seen in city with live sparrows in shopping bags and take-out containers and whether there used to be subway trains with double letters .

Summary: Drawing .


WHEN we first met in 2003 , Eve , to me , epitomized TriBeCa loftiness .

I was making a hasty move from Washington to Manhattan , where I had grown up on the Upper West Side .

All the remaining parts of my immediate family still resided there , my sister and cousins , nearly all within talking-out-the-window distance from one another , exactly like our parents ' and grandparents ' generation .

I desperately wanted to try something new and to see if , at nearly 50 , I could become a downtown girl .

I found a great loft to sublet in TriBeCa .

But before I could move into the small loft building on Hubert Street near Greenwich Street , I had to pass muster with the six other people who already lived there .

Some of them , like Eve , had been in the building for decades , when the neighborhood was filled with artists , struggling writers and illegal squatters instead of brokers with bonuses .

For my co-op sublet interview , I was prepared to answer all manner of questions about my personal probity and financial condition , none of which got asked that night .

Instead , Eve , a birdlike , somewhat frail-looking woman in her 60 's , had some sharp questions for me about coverage of culture and politics at The New York Times , where I work .

I learned that she was on the faculty at Hunter College and was a teacher of poetry .

I found I loved the old , low industrial architecture and cultural edginess of TriBeCa , even with borrowed belongings .

It made me feel as if I were coming to live in a new city , not returning to a familiar one .

My landlord 's library , I found , was superior to my own .

I loved the big open space , especially the windows that faced out onto the Hudson River .

I loved taking walks on the river with Buddy , my 13-year-old dog , whose adjustment to Manhattan life , after years spent running around our suburban yard , was immediate and joyous .

And of course some things took getting used to , like having no front door , just an elevator that opened directly into my place .

The elevator , in fact , played a big part in my fateful encounter with the professor , her poetry and , later , her painting .

One winter Sunday , when I decided to run out for a manicure , Buddy became outraged that I was going for a walk without him .

He growled as I put on my coat and boots .

Then , suddenly , the elevator opened without warning .

-LRB- The elevator generally came to our floor only when I summoned it , or when it was opened by a special key .

Its opening this time is still a mystery . -RRB-

Buddy , a sweet-tempered Westie , went into guard-dog mode and , before I realized what was happening , flew into the elevator , sensing an intruder muscling onto our turf .

I heard a ruckus and , horrified , saw that Eve was in the elevator , barefoot and in her cotton nightgown .

Buddy had nipped her on the knee .

I had instant visions of lawsuits and eviction letters .

Instead , when I followed Eve up to her loft on the top floor to help her clean the bite , I found a serene woman who felt worse about the situation than I did .

Her loft was crammed with books and brightly colored canvases she had painted .

Her place was a bit of a mess , and completely unrenovated .

The floors were not buffed and gleaming the way mine were .

Eve 's place was utterly unchic , unlike so many of the lofts I had seen elsewhere in TriBeCa , which sometimes had the look of sleek boutique hotels , stylish but coldly anodyne .

She did , however , have stunning views of the river .

I kept vigil over Eve , bringing her fresh Band-Aids and antibiotic ointment .

I urged her to let me take her to a doctor .

She reluctantly agreed , and we went uptown to see an internist friend .

In our Town Car ride , we chatted about books and our neighbors .

She was n't partial to the new restaurants that were constantly opening -LRB- and usually soon closing -RRB- in our neighborhood .

She loved the graceful dowager , Capsouto Frères .

`` It 's wonderful in the spring when they open all the doors , `` she told me .

Although the bite turned out to be harmless , I found that I enjoyed checking in on Eve .

I learned that she had grown up near Boston and gone to the University of Chicago and grad school at Columbia .

Romantic poetry was her love , and she had a wonderful library .

She painted .

She alluded to a husband , but since she was always alone when I saw her , I assumed the husband was an ex .

COME spring , Eve invited me to her retirement party .

Some of her graduate students showed up , and so did her husband , who appeared to be much younger and was a good-looking English teacher at a military school out west .

In fact , the two of them were heading west for the summer and intended to sublet Eve 's loft .

By this time , the owner of my sublet had plans to return to New York , and although the prices were insane , I bought a loft two blocks from my sublet .

After I moved , I lost track of my neighbor .

Then , a few weeks ago , strolling with Buddy , I spotted Eve and her husband entering their building .

She was in a wheelchair , hobbled by bad knees .

`` I 'm having knee replacement surgery , `` Eve happily announced .

Her husband told me they had sold the loft and were under pressure to clean out all of Eve 's belongings over the weekend .

The next time I passed the building , there were cartons of books by the curb , including a Modern Library edition of Plutarch 's `` Lives , '' Samuel Pepys 's diaries , and a hardcover edition of Yeats 's collected poems , many with Eve 's jottings from her grad school days .

An old paperback of Damon Runyon 's `` Guys and Dolls '' especially beckoned me .

Eve 's name was written on the title page in fountain pen ink , with the notation `` London July , 1960 . ''

When her husband appeared , I asked him if it was O.K. to take some of the books .

He said that was what they were there for .

I also told him I would love to have one of Eve 's paintings if she was n't moving them all .

`` She would love that , '' he said in a noncommittal voice .

Then one Saturday my cell rang .

`` Jill , it 's Eve . ``

She was calling from out west .

She told me that the new owner of her loft was moving in and that she had left three of her paintings in the hallway for me to choose from .

Two nights later , I went back and rode up to her place in the elevator in which Buddy had committed his crime .

The loft was empty , and I imagined it would soon be completely renovated and buffed to Architectural Digest standard .

I agonized over the canvases , all of which were large and extremely colorful oil paintings , all abstract and beautiful .

I picked one that was heavy with sapphire and orange .

I carried the painting over my head down Greenwich Street , past the spanking new Wolfgang 's Steakhouse filled with brokers ordering $ 50 hangers and strips .

I went past the new Robert De Niro boutique hotel going up on the corner of North Moore .

I thought about that scene in `` An Unmarried Woman '' in which Jill Clayburgh , at the end of the film , is carrying Alan Bates 's painting through the streets of SoHo .

Eve 's painting has a home on one of my brick walls , not far from the bookcase with her books and Buddy 's dog bed .

But , sadly , TriBeCa has lost one of its truly original loft girls .

NEW YORK OBSERVED .

Summary: Jill Abramson New York Observed essay on her former TriBeCa loft neighbor , Eve , somewhat frail-looking woman in her 60 's , who had wonderful library and is a painter .

Summary: Photo .


JULIAN MONTAGUE has spent seven years spotting shopping carts buried in undergrowth or pond muck .

An artist who lives in Buffalo , he has also taken thousands of photographs of carts that ended up far from their original homes .

Mr. Montague , utterly deadpan , classifies the artifacts by location type and likely cause of demise for a Web site -LRB- www.strayshoppingcart.com -RRB- and in his new book , `` The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America : A Guide to Field Identification '' -LRB- Abrams Image -RRB- .

His categories can be self-explanatory -LRB- `` bus stop discard , '' `` plow crush '' -RRB- or cryptic : `` open true '' -LRB- abandoned on pavement or lawn -RRB- , `` gap marginalization '' -LRB- between buildings -RRB- .

Happier subtypes , like `` alternative usage '' and `` structurally modified , '' are for carts adapted as things like souvenir stands or driveway barriers .

`` This language of scientific classification can be very powerful , '' Mr. Montague said .

`` It affects your perceptions .

It brings this peripheral stuff into focus .

And I like to speculate on what happened to the carts .

How many people were involved , and is it in a permanent or ephemeral state .

`` Through Oct . 14 , 40 of Mr. Montague 's photos , taken in five cities , will be shown at the Black and White Gallery , 636 West 28th Street , near 11th Avenue .

The two New York examples , spotted in Dumpsters in Coney Island and Brighton Beach , fall into the `` in / as refuse '' category .

EVE M . KAHN NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT : NEW YORK IN FOCUS .

Summary: Selection of photographs by Julian Montague of abandoned shopping carts .

Summary: Exhibition of Montague 's photos will be shown at Black and White Gallery in Manhattan .


In New York , even monks face the vagaries of hectic schedules and urban congestion .

Case in point , Pema Wangdak , a Tibetan Buddhist monk , who the other day could be found sitting in traffic that crept along the Cross Bronx Expressway at 10 miles an hour .

A police car cruised shot by , its alarms screaming .

Drivers glared .

Pema Wangdak remained unrattled , smiling as if he were sitting at the edge of a mountain stream .

`` When I 'm in the car , somehow it has a soothing effect on me , `` he said .

`` It 's comforting . ``

Pema Wangdak , 52 , who came to the United States from Dharamsala , India , in 1982 , drives to the city from his home half an hour away in Cresskill , N.J. , several days a week .

His appointments are as far-flung as the city 's largely decentralized Tibetan community .

Recently , he gave talks at Tibet House near Union Square in Manhattan and at the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art in Richmond on Staten Island , offered spiritual counseling to Tibetan friends in Sunnyside and Jackson Heights in Queens , and visited a Tibetan nun recovering from surgery in Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan .

Between appointments , he has encountered people puzzled by the sight of a small , reedy monk in burgundy robes smiling his way through city traffic , often with a cellphone earpiece in place .

`` I usually tell them that we lamas do n't have enough money to hire a driver , `` he said , '' so I have to drive myself . ``

His serenity in the face of everyday frustrations has inspired some of his fellow commuters .

`` I used to resist driving in the city , '' said Peter Arcese , an adjunct professor of literature at New York University and a student of Pema Wangdak 's .

`` You do n't feel that enlightened on a bad day dealing with traffic .

`` Then I saw that the lama is constantly driving .

Driving can be its own meditation . ``

On a recent Monday afternoon , Pema Wangdak traveled to Calvary Hospital in Pelham Bay , the Bronx , where a 32-year-old Tibetan woman had died of liver cancer that morning .

A dozen of her relatives greeted him in the waiting room .

By the time Pema Wangdak had finished praying for the dead woman to be reborn in the Buddha realm , it was 2:59 p.m.

His next appointment , with a student on the Upper West Side , was at 3 .

He got back into his car , resigned to being late .

`` You always think , ' I have to do this or that , ' '' he said .

`` But we forget that the process of getting there is equally important .

Everything is a dharma teaching . ``

JENNIFER BLEYER NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT : ON THE ROAD .

Summary: Tibetan Buddhist monk Pema Wangdak comments on soothing effect he experiences while driving in New York City .

Summary: Photo .


AT midnight on the evening of Thursday , Aug . 31 , WLIB-AM , one of the city 's most storied radio stations and one that for years broadcast from the fabled Hotel Theresa in Harlem , ushered in a new era .

A staff member cued up a rousing hymn called `` High Praise , '' and with the push of a button , WLIB was now `` Your praise and inspiration station , '' playing gospel music round the clock .

Until that moment , and for the previous two and a half years , the station had been the home of Air America , the liberal talk-radio network .

For the previous decade , the station had broadcast Caribbean music .

Radio stations switch formats all the time .

But for a station like WLIB , long regarded as the `` Voice of Harlem , '' moving forward takes place in the shadow of a long and illustrious past .

With its lively call-in shows that gave voice to the concerns of the Harlem community , WLIB spoke to and for black New Yorkers .

The format change , first reported by The Amsterdam News , has made many avid listeners remember what this heartbeat of black life once was .

`` Switching to gospel , I ca n't be against that , of course , `` said the Rev . Herbert Daughtry , a veteran civil rights advocate and preacher at the House of the Lord Church in Boerum Hill , Brooklyn , who used to telephone WLIB to report news of interest to the station 's listeners , like reports of police brutality .

`` We surely need the Gospel .

But knowing how vital it was , I feel we are missing something . ``

In 1971 , WLIB became the city 's first black-owned radio station , and the crown jewel of Inner City Broadcasting Corporation .

A co-founder of Inner City was Percy Sutton , a former Manhattan borough president and long one of the city 's most powerful black leaders .

Perhaps paradoxically , the new gospel format is in keeping with the station 's history .

WLIB played gospel in the 1950 's and 60 's .

Even so , the new format has received a tepid response from community leaders who , like Mr. Daughtry , say that the community needs a black-talk format .

`` We do n't really have a format right now for information on social , political and economic change in Harlem , `` said Councilwoman Inez Dickens , who represents Harlem .

According to Deon Levingston , the station 's general manager , and Vinny Brown , the operations manager , the station will reintroduce talk shows at some point but will remain music-intensive .

The station , which now operates out of an office at Park Avenue and 34th Street , broke ties with Air America when WLIB could not reach an agreement on the terms of a renewal of Air America 's lease , according to representatives of the station and Air America .

`` We saw the move to gospel as a way to keep viable programming , '' Mr. Levingston said .

`` Our goal is to serve the community , and you ca n't do that if you ca n't keep your lights on . ``

The gospel format , he said , was in keeping with WLIB 's history and meshed well with the soul format of its sister station , WBLS-FM .

A return to the old talk show format , he added , would not have been financially viable , especially in what is one of the nation 's most competitive radio markets .

WLIB has an average audience of 24,900 listeners at any given 15-minute period , according to the station 's ratings report for the spring of this year .

When WLIB was broadcasting Air America , a popular talk show , `` Mindflight , '' whose host was a D.J. , Gary Byrd , was broadcast in the wee hours .

And on weekends , the station broadcast boisterous public affairs shows , like the Rev . Al Sharpton 's `` Sharp Talk . ''

With the switch to all gospel , both programs are off the air , at least temporarily .

At its peak , WLIB represented , as Mr. Daughtry put it , `` the heartbeat and the drumbeat '' of New York 's black community .

Its era began in 1949 , when two brothers , Morris and Harry Novik , purchased the station from The New York Post .

As general manager , Harry Novik jettisoned the station 's classical-music format , replacing it with rhythm-and-blues and gospel music and community affairs programs aimed at black audiences .

It was during this period that the station moved to the Hotel Theresa .

In the following years , WLIB broadcast live from conferences of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and staged music festivals at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem .

By 1967 , the station dedicated seven and a half hours each weekday to gospel and rhythm and blues .

The most popular program was a call-in show , `` Community Opinion , '' moderated by Leon Lewis , the station 's program director .

During the turbulent 60 's , the station 's airwaves crackled as black listeners shared heated opinions on subjects like the civil rights struggle , the Vietnam War and the crushing poverty in the nation 's ghettos , Harlem chief among them .

When the Rev . Dr. Martin Luther King Jr . was assassinated in April 1968 , WLIB interrupted its regular programming and served as a public bereavement forum for grieving callers .

ITS political role continued into the 1980 's and the early 90 's .

`` I may get up in the morning and get a call that someone in the community had been killed , '' Mr. Daughtry said .

`` I could pick up the phone to WLIB , and the word went out . ''

Other radio programs focus on local issues and have a call-in segment , but to WLIB fans , the station offered something more .

`` Folks want to hear a concentrated discussion of what 's going on in the hood , `` said Bill Perkins , a lifelong Harlemite , former councilman and now a Democratic candidate for the State Senate .

`` What 's going on in the City Council as it relates to the hood .

How do we look at Iraq from the view of the hood .

On these other shows , you might hear that incidentally , but it 's not the mission . ``

On the streets of Harlem the other day , the consensus among WLIB listeners seemed to favor gospel over talk .

`` Gospel is good every day , all day long , '' said a white-haired man named Alfred Solomon , who was standing on 125th Street .

Was he worried about the absence from the airwaves of a black talk station .

`` What are they going to talk about .

`` Mr. Solomon replied .

`` That 's been going on for years and it has n't accomplished anything .

We need gospel music that can do something for the spirit . ``

Radio Days November 1926 The predecessor of WLIB , called WBKN , signs on from a studio on Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville , Brooklyn , the fi rst of several homes throughout the city .

1930 's - 1940 's The station has varied and changing offerings , including the city 's fi rst program in Chinese .

Eventually , it becomes known as `` The Voice of the Negro Community . ''

April 1968 When the Rev . Dr. Martin Luther King Jr . is assassinated , WLIB opens the airwaves to angry and bereaved callers , helping , in the opinion of many , to prevent rioting in the city .

1969 As the black power movement gains strength , the Black Panthers are the host of their own program , `` The People 's Information Slot . ``

October 1970 WLIB goes off the air for several days during a labor dispute that involves the fi ring of an employee and picketing by station workers .

July 1971 WLIB becomes the city 's fi rst black-owned radio station when it is bought by a consortium that includes Percy Sutton , the former Manhattan borough president .

URBAN TACTICS .

Summary: Article traces history of WLIB-AM , radio station that has broadcast for years from fabled Hotel Theresa in Harlem and recently switched from call-in shows to playing gospel music round the clock .

Summary: Timeline .

Summary: Photos .


Slashing diagonally across Manhattan 's street grid , Broadway is responsible for memorable irregularities like Times Square , Union Square and of course the Flatiron Building , one of the city 's best-known and most-photographed structures .

In Brooklyn , Flatbush Avenue follows a similar wayward course , though the lower-slung buildings on the irregular lots that line the street are more likely to be gas stations , garages and warehouses than works of architectural distinction .

But now , in a borough where comparisons with Manhattan remain a fact of life , some optimists are saying that a building planned for a triangular lot near the Manhattan Bridge could be a flatiron building of Brooklyn 's own .

The project 's architect , Ismael Leyva , does not shy away from the comparisons .

`` To me , when I saw this site being triangular-shaped , the first thing that came to my mind was that this is going to be similar to the Flatiron Building , '' he said on Thursday , adding that his team had rounded off the front of the planned building in an homage to the famous skyscraper .

Construction of Brooklyn 's flatiron building , a project of the developer Isaac Hager , is scheduled to begin in a few weeks and to be completed in the summer of 2008 .

The differences between the buildings are considerable .

The 22-story Flatiron Building , at 23rd Street , Broadway and Fifth Avenue , has a limestone and terra-cotta facade , while the new building , a 21-story structure at 85 Flatbush Avenue Extension , on Tillary Street , will be glass .

Moreover , the Flatiron Building is commercial , while the new building will hold luxury condominiums .

-LRB- Mount Hope Court , a 10-story 1914 structure on the Grand Concourse that is known as the Bronx 's Flatiron Building , is also home to apartments . -RRB-

Most significant , the Flatiron Building of 1902 is a revered architectural icon , while the Brooklyn building , even optimistically speaking , has an uphill climb to reach such status .

Still , the comparisons have come , beginning with those in The Brooklyn Papers , a weekly , which described the structure as looking `` like the lovechild of the Flatiron Building and a spaceship . ''

Mr. Leyva said he was gratified that people saw similarities between the buildings but demurred .

`` Most of the shape is dictated by the site and the zoning requirements , '' he said of his project .

One way in which the two buildings really could be similar has to do with their role as a catalyst to development .

The Flatiron Building helped open a heady era of construction , and in Downtown Brooklyn , Mr. Leyva 's project is one of several buildings to emerge from zoning changes made in recent years .

A few other tall buildings are planned for the immediate neighborhood .

Two of them , on Gold Street , are from Mr. Leyva 's designs , and a third , at Flatbush and Myrtle Avenues , will sit on a similar triangular lot that could spawn another high-rise wedge .

In the opinion of Simeon Bankoff , executive director of the Historic Districts Council , an advocacy group , the planned building at 85 Flatbush Extension appears to be out of context with what is in the area now .

But he added , tongue only partly in cheek , `` Maybe it 's in context with the new Brooklyn . ``

JAKE MOONEY NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT : DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN .

Summary: Article on plans by developer Isaac Hager to build luxury condominium building on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn designed to emulate Flatiron Building in Manhattan .

Summary: Drawing .


Over the last decade , when it came to choosing who would represent Staten Island and southwest Brooklyn in Congress , Anita Lerman has been the unchallenged standard-bearer of the Independence Party , a small but growing group with 6,703 members on the island .

But in the primary elections on Tuesday , Ms. Lerman will face a rival for her party 's mantle , an opponent who is better known to voters : Vito Fossella , the Republican who has held the House seat in the 13th District since 1997 .

Mr. Fossella and Ms. Lerman , the 62-year-old former host of a public access television show called `` Anita Lerman Presents News and Views for Staten Island , '' are squaring off for a line on the ballot that in the general election typically attracts 1,000 to 2,000 votes , just 1 or 2 percent of the total .

But local officials of the Independence Party of New York -- there are others in Florida , Michigan and elsewhere -- say they are not surprised that Mr. Fossella is seeking their party 's nomination .

`` There are going to be more and more primaries on the Independence line , '' said Sarah Lyons , chairwoman of the party 's Staten Island chapter .

`` The party has grown , and it 's become recognized as a thing of great value .

We 've been working at the grass roots to build a voting base underneath it . ``

Mr. Fossella , 41 , who will run unopposed on the Republican line in November and in the past has won election by tens of thousands of votes , said he was seeking the Independence nomination because of his personal beliefs .

`` I pride myself on being an independent fighter for people I represent , '' Mr. Fossella said last week .

`` The core of the word ' independence ' is to step up and do what 's right , regardless of the fact that sometimes it means going against your own party . ``

Mr. Fossella cited the examples of his battles against the Bush administration to increase homeland security funds for New York and to preserve deductions for home mortgage interest and for state and local taxes on federal income taxes .

Ms. Lerman , who is the vice chairwoman of the local party , said her top issue was to make energy policy more environmentally friendly and to reduce consumers ' energy costs .

As for her chances in the primary , Ms. Lerman said she did not see her campaigns in terms of winning and losing .

Rather , she said , her campaigns are about meeting the people of Staten Island as she goes door to door and talks to them about their views .

`` People say , ' When I was in the big party , nobody ever came to my door with a petition for a candidate , ' '' Ms. Lerman said .

`` Every person who feels more involved and is heard , and says , ' Wait , this political process can have something to do with me ' -- that 's a victory . ``

JEFF VANDAM NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT : STATEN ISLAND UP CLOSE Correction : September 17 , 2006 , Sunday Because of an editing error , an article last Sunday about the Congressional race for the seat that represents Staten Island and southwest Brooklyn referred incorrectly to the general election in November .

Representative Vito Fossella will face Stephen A . Harrison .

He will not run unopposed .

Summary: Article on New York City 's Independence Party primary election that will pit party standard-bearer Anita Lerman against Republican Vito Fossella , who has held House seat in 13th District since 1997 .

Summary: Photos .


SHELDON GRUBER never met his grandfather Joseph Punn , a ceiling man from an era when pressed-tin ceilings could be found all over New York .

But he has heard the stories .

Too poor to afford a truck in the 1920 's , Mr. Punn used to hang panels of decorative tin around his waist on ropes and travel by subway across the city to install them .

`` I think eventually he might have gotten a horse and wagon , '' Mr. Gruber said .

A result of the labors of Mr. Punn and others in his industry was an array of baroque ceilings around the city .

It was possible to glance upward in countless barrooms , parlors and factories and see a textured latticework of flowers , torches or other flourishes .

Although pressed-tin ceilings are sold by stores like Home Depot , Mr. Gruber says he believes that his company , AA-Abbingdon Affiliates , is the city 's last remaining business that sells them exclusively .

Even as recently as the 1950 's , he says , a handful of other tin-ceiling specialists could be found in New York , but no longer .

Mr. Gruber , a ruddy 48-year-old with slick black hair , fills his orders from a small showroom and warehouse on an industrial stretch of Utica Avenue in East Flatbush , Brooklyn .

He recently shipped pressed-tin ceiling panels to South Korea for a hotel , to the Western United States for a chain of billiard halls , and to Mexico and Ireland for restaurants .

Pressed-tin ceilings in New York date to the 1860 's , when thin iron sheets coated with tin were used in buildings for fire protection .

According to some accounts , immigrants from Europe began having the sheets stamped with repeating ornamental patterns to recreate the look of molded plaster ceilings popular in their native lands .

With metal , they could do so at a fraction of the cost , using a material more durable than plaster and less likely to crack .

The appetite for stamped metal has only increased in recent years as deteriorating pieces from the 19th century need to be restored or replaced , according to Richard Pieper , director of preservation for Jan Hird Pokorny Associates , a Manhattan-based architecture firm .

`` There are certainly other manufacturers of metal ceilings and cornices , '' Mr. Pieper said , `` but as far as I know , Abbingdon is the only one still in New York . ''

Though commonly described simply as tin ceilings , they are now usually panels made of steel , chrome , brass or copper , which are specially manufactured for Abbingdon outside the city .

The ceilings come in great variety .

Abbingdon , for instance , offers 41 ceiling designs at up to $ 12.50 a square foot , along with 15 cornice designs .

Some make use of the same vintage patterns that Mr. Gruber 's grandfather sold 80 years ago .

While the company ships around the world , about 15 percent of its sales are in New York , Mr. Gruber says , a proportion that may reflect New Yorkers ' appetite for decorative touches evoking the city 's past .

Walking through his warehouse one morning recently , Mr. Gruber lifted the tops of large cardboard boxes to inspect goods being readied for shipping .

Inside one box was a pile of shiny chrome panels decorated with concentric squares .

The panels in the next box bore a quaint Victorian pattern .

A third shipment featured a diamond pattern emitting sunburst rays .

`` The main factor , '' Mr. Gruber said , `` is that what 's old is new . ``

NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT : EAST FLATBUSH .

Summary: Article on AA-Abbingdon Affiliates in East Flatbush , Brooklyn , which may be New York City 's last remaining business that sells press-tin ceilings exclusively .

Summary: Photos .


WHEN the planes hit the twin towers , I was on the last day of a weeklong fishing trip in that part of the country where Montana , Wyoming and Idaho come together in a kind of north-woods wonderland , a patch of the West that is home to Yellowstone National Park , the Tetons , gleaming rivers and herds of elk .

It is hard to imagine a place more removed from the successive horrors of that day .

Early the next morning , the woman at the check-in counter at the small airport in Butte seemed genuinely sorry for me when she saw the Bronx address on my driver 's license .

`` Well , you 're going right back into it , are n't you .

`` she said , her '' it `` heavy with portent .

I sensed that what she was really saying was : `` You poor thing .

I sure am glad I live out here and not in that East Coast hellhole of yours . ``

Of course , it turned out I was going nowhere that day , at least not on a plane .

But the thought of remaining in Montana while my hometown bled was unacceptable .

The previous day , watching those horrific images on television in the lounge of a motel just outside Yellowstone , I had felt absurdly out of place .

I 'm not sure I had fully appreciated until that morning what a deep-dyed New Yorker I had become over the years .

Those were my neighbors in those buildings , the people I sat with on the subway and exchanged glares with after bumping shoulders in Times Square .

I might even have known some of them .

It was essential to get home .

Like many travelers stranded around the country that week , I rented a car .

In my haste to get to New York I did n't pay much attention to the speed limits on the interstate , but every once in a while another car would leave me in the dust and I 'd wonder if it was another New Yorker hurrying home , perhaps having learned bad news .

I wondered how many hundreds or thousands of us there were , all racing across the continent in rental cars toward the wounded city .

So it was east through brown and yellow Montana , then south through the Crow Indian Reservation into Wyoming , then east again through the spectacular reddish emptiness of northeastern Wyoming and into endless South Dakota , where walls of rain came down in the night and lightning bolts provided eerie glimpses of the Plains .

Then the farms of Iowa and Illinois , then Chicago and night again , the relentlessly heavy traffic of Interstate 80 in Indiana and Ohio .

Then morning again and the most beautiful landscape since Wyoming , the densely green hills of western Pennsylvania , a green so deep in some places as to be almost black .

Finally , that Friday afternoon , Sept . 14 , the short sprint across New Jersey and then , 2,400 miles and 49 hours after I left Butte , the smoldering hole in the skyline , the smoke and dust still rising from the rubble .

Trifling thoughts occur even at solemn moments , and I could not help thinking how , after many years of regarding the towers as brutish and ugly , I had only recently developed a grudging fondness for them and was going to miss them .

Some New Yorkers like to ridicule the tourists who stand gawking at the big buildings .

But here 's a little secret : There are New Yorkers who , despite a lifelong familiarity with the city , sometimes find themselves standing in the middle of the sidewalk and staring up , momentarily whacked by the amazingness of Manhattan .

More than once , a sidewalk hustler , observing my skyward gaze , has taken me for a rube easily separated from his money .

As I looked at the skyline that afternoon , having driven most of the length of the country , one of the first things that came to mind was the Tetons , in whose blue-skied grandeur I had just spent a couple of days .

The association seemed entirely natural .

One was made by man and the other by nature , but both reached high into the sky , and both were powerful symbols of the country .

As I look back , that seems to have been a particularly good time to drive across the United States , a chance to see the American flags breaking out on lampposts and front porches from region to region , and to listen on the car radio as people with continually changing accents struggled to understand what had happened .

For me , Sept . 11 will always evoke certain place names along the American highway -- Billings , Rapid City , Davenport , Toledo -- and a long , fast drive from one extreme to another , from the simple joys of Yellowstone to the smoldering epicenter of the real world .

FIVE YEARS ON : LANDSCAPE .

Summary: Mitch Keller essay recalls his trip across country from fishing trip out West to return to New York City after September 11 , 2001 .

Summary: Photo .