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A protestor at the 'Walk Don't Destroy' fundraiser in Brooklyn this weekend

NARAL Pro-Choice New York issues an ultimatum: 'If you don't remove Monserrate, we will.'

A slew of local politicians agree.

As does the Times Union.

Neither party seems to know what to do with him.

But Ruben Diaz stands his ground.

The fifth Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn fundraiser took place on Saturday. 

After the DDDB walk, The Daily Gotham decides that everyone just needs to calm down.

Colgan Air, the airline that operated the fatal crash in Buffalo this February, is leaving LaGuardia.

Thompson promises to re-open Park Row if elected.

City cracks down on cell phone use for taxi drivers; drivers are none too pleased.

Eleven children died from swine flu this week across the country, causing anxiety about vaccine shortage.

New York City wants to create a high school for recovering teenage addicts.

Nate Silver defends Rush Limbaugh. 

Emanuel and Axelrod agree with Dunn that Fox is 'not really news.'

The national deficit is growing.

David Paterson says legislators need to "grow up."

A judge ruled you can't force health workers to get vaccinated.

Firemonserrate.com

Joe Crowley, the Queens Party boss, said his conduct is "not befitting a public official."

An audit by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli says stimulus money for highways is being properly spent.

But the state overspent on drugs for infants.

Frank Padavan supports Phil Ragusa for Queens GOP chairman; Eric Ulrich supports Bart Haggerty.
Nicole Gelinas thinks Atlantic Yards would set a bad eminent domain precedent.

Bill Kristol worries Dede Scozzafava

ALBANY—David Paterson's post-deficit package media blitz will continue this evening.

At 6 p.m., he'll be on four stations at once. In many appearances this morning, Paterson has criticzed legislators.

Here's a copy of the schedule Paterson's press shop put out, and below, a clip that will air tonight on public television's New York NOW.

4:40 PM Taped Interview on NPR's All Things Considered

6:00 PM Taped Interview with WABC TV's Diana Williams

Taped Interview with WNBC-TV's Melissa Russo

Taped Interview with WCBS-TV's Marcia Kramer

Taped Interview with Telemundo's Raymond Zayas

7:00 PM Taped Interview with WNBC-HD's Gabe Pressman

7:30 PM Taped Interview on WMHT-TV, New York NOW

8:30 PM Taped Interview with WXXI Need to Know

ALBANY—Who will speak for Hiram Monserrate? His amigos.

There are now five Democratic state senators either publicly calling Monserrate to resign or for the chamber to take what action it can to rebuke him: Liz Krueger (who was the first to call for Monserrate to resign) David Valesky, Darrel Aubertine, Brian Foley and Neil Breslin. More are grumbling expletives on background.

But, Senators have told me privately, there are those in the conference who support him staying. I called State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., who like Monserrate is part of the "four amigos" faction in the chamber, and asked him for his thoughts.

ALBANY—Assemblyman Jim Tedisco's Congressional campaign committee—which was just terminated after his failed bid against Scott Murphy this spring—failed to report more than $110,000 worth of contributions in its quarterly filing just after the special election. The filings have since been amended.

Officials at the Federal Elections Commission sent two letters to Tedisco's committee—one in April, one in July—asking for clarification of why the number of disclosed receipts jumped from $395,856 in the original report to $510,298 in the amended report.

"Your Amended Quarterly Report, received 4/30/09, discloses a substantial increase in the amount of receipts from those disclosed on your original," Amanda Iovino of the FEC

ALBANY—One of Hiram Monserrate's Democratic colleagues in the State Senate is now calling for his resignation in the wake of an assault conviction yesterday.

Liz Krueger, who represents the Upper East Side, just issued a press release saying Monserrate "should resign immediately based on the seriousness of his violent crime." Leaders in the Democratic conference have taken a more hedged position, and some Democrats are defending Monserrate.

Krueger's release iterates that as the chamber explores "our institutional legal options," she does not believe Monserrate should remain.

Here's the full release from Krueger:

"I believe Hiram Monserrate should not remain in the Senate, and for the sake of his constituents, the institution of the Senate and the Democratic party he should resign immediately based on the seriousness of his violent crime.

David Paterson proposed $3 billion in mid-year cuts, including cuts to schools in the middle of the year.

"This is a painful plan, but we will share the burden. All of us are going to have to sacrifice to save our state," Paterson said.

He then sat for an interview with Josh Robin.

New York City was hit hard in the cuts.

Wealthier school districts will be hit harder by the cuts.

There are no planned layoffs or tax increases.

The Post says it "surely offers a good starting point. Too bad the endpoint is nowhere in sight.

Jimmy Vielkind

David Paterson and his top advisors.

ALBANY—About 60 percent of David Paterson's proposal to bridge $3 billion of a growing budget imbalance consists of spending cuts; the rest are "one-shot" revenue deals, some of which are estimated.

Paterson also relies on $400 million from tax amnesty and Medicaid fraud reduction, numbers that are somewhat tenuous. Paterson is also now budgeting $200 million from a contract to develop video slot machines at Aqueduct Race track; a contract that has been on the verge of approval for years. Elizabeth Lynam of the Citizens Budget Commission told me these figures are "estimates right now, and at best they're one shots.

Spencer Tucker/nyc.gov

Mihcael Bloomberg and David Dinkins at the Carnegie Foundation event today.

David Paterson on the budget: “pain.”

To save the state, sacrifice.

His plan for the budget deficit involves "pain that is indescribable. ... But it is the only way to keep this state afloat."

He’s proposing a 4.5 percent cut to schools.

The mayor of Gloversville got indicted for fraud.

Bill Thompson takes back his answer on Obama’s LGBT record, and calls the lightning round format “dumb.”

Senators could, technically, expel Hiram Monserrate.

Monserrate: “A terrible accident occurred to my girlfriend, Karla Giraldo, a person that I love. I will forever live with that.”

ALBANY—State Senator Hiram Monserrate is guilty--but not guilty enough to automatically lose his seat or throw the already-unstable chamber into complete disarray.

Already there are rumblings in the chamber to have a committee review the matter; under the Legislative Law, senators could then approve Monserrate's expulsion.

"Hopefully he would step aside on his own and not have to go through the committee process," State Senator Marty Golden, a Republican who has criticized Monserrate repeatedly, said.

"There's a whole series of issues here that would leave one to believe that he acted improperly. Nobody should be above the law, least of all a man that is going to be drafting legislation to protect women when he is an individual convicted of assaulting a woman her in the city.