| NYC Under Water? Don't Bet On It
The odds are that Virginia's Cape Henry will be under water by 2015 - 200-to-1 at BetUs .com. Its odds for Cape Hatteras flooding by the same date: 300-to-1. Don't bet on it, says Phil Roehrs, a coastal engineer for Virginia Beach. Roehrs said although sea levels are rising along the East Coast, scientists are not predicting anywhere near the levels and dates provided by the gambling service. That hasn't stopped bettors from taking a chance. About 3,000 bets have been placed, said Reed Richards, a spokesman for BetUs.com. Most gamblers on the site also have put down money that Manhattan will be submerged before New Year's Eve 2011. "Don't ask me why," Richards said. The Associated Press .
Proposed Sonny Carson Ave. Could Prompt a Council Fight
A battle over emblazoning the name of a black activist on a street sign is brewing at City Hall, with Speaker Christine Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg opposed to the measure and at least two City Council members favoring it. Ms. Quinn said she wants Sonny Carson's name pulled from a list of 53 proposed street and intersection names, which includes Alvin Ailey Way and Jerry Orbach Way, to ensure it is not approved when the council votes on the list as a whole, as it is expected to do Monday. Ms. Quinn said Carson's history of "anti-white" statements reflects a divisiveness that doesn't merit government recognition through a street sign. Carson was a radical activist who led racially charged protests, including the boycott of groceries stores owned by Korean-Americans in Brooklyn after one store allegedly mistreated a black customer.
Walmart writes off plan to open store in Manhattan
NEW YORK, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Walmart, the largest retailer in the United States, cancelled a plan to open its first discount store in Manhattan due to strong opposition from labor unions, local media reported on Wednesday. H. Lee Scott Jr., Walmart's chief executive, told The New York Times on Tuesday that conducting business in New York is so expensive and exasperating that "I don't think it's worth the effort." Walmart spokeswoman Mona Williams, however, clarified afterwards that Mr. Scott was referring to Manhattan only, not the entire city. The company has been trying to crack into urban markets and expand beyond its suburban base throughout most of the country, but has encountered stout resistance to its plan to enter America's bigger cities, such as New York, Chicago, Cleveland, and Los Angeles.
Netters avenge loss to Aberdeen
ABERDEEN - The good news for the Govs was that they won their rematch against Aberdeen Central by a score of 6-3. But the bad news was they had to play one of the state's top teams in Aberdeen Roncalli, who beat Pierre 9-0 in Aberdeen Thursday.
"Roncalli's one of the top teams in the state and they came out and showed it," Pierre head coach Jeff Schlekeway said.
Despite getting swept by Roncalli, Schlekeway was pleased that his team won against the Golden Eagles from Central, which beat the Govs in Pierre just one week ago.
"I didn't think we played well the first time (against Aberdeen Central). Today everybody played to their potential," Schlekeway said. "Connor Forney and Stephen Bollinger did a good job by getting revenge wins on guys who had beat them earlier."
The match of the day came from Pierre's No.
Fare hike a fair move by NJ Transit
Daily users of NJ Transit services are less than thrilled with the increase in fares approved on Wednesday by the agency's governing board. As a result, bus, rail, subway and train rates will increase by an average of 10 percent, or by as much as 20 percent in some cases. In real dollars, those percentages work out to $20 or $30 per month for some riders. That's quite a hit, and it comes on the heels of an average 11.5 percent fare hike just two years ago, so it's understandable why patrons are ticked.
If NJ Transit's budget numbers are accurate, on the other hand, and there is no reason to believe they aren't, the fare hike is entirely justified. According to the agency, there is a $60 million shortfall in its $1.5 billion budget. The fare hike scheduled for June 1 is designed to close that gap over 13 months, a winning plan, one by which the only thing transit board members can be accused of is a dose of fiscal responsibility heading forward.
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