Morning Headlines

POLITICS
Democrats May Say No Dice to NYC Casinos (NY Daily News)
Kenneth Lovett reports: “Gov. Cuomo has said he will call on the Legislature in 2012 to make the first of two needed approvals of a constitutional amendment to legalize casino gambling, which would then require a referendum, no earlier than 2013, before it becomes law. “The last time it came up in the late 1990s, it was a close vote in the conference,” Silver recalled. In particular, the speaker said he does not know if there is support in his New York City-dominated conference for a casino specifically within the five boroughs.”

POLITICS
As inquiry Widens, Comptroller is Busy Showing All is Calm (NYT)
Raymond Hernandez and David W. Chen report: “In recent weeks, as the investigation has expanded, Mr. Liu, the New York City comptroller, has struck a defiant tone, apparently determined to demonstrate that he has not lost his political balance. Indeed, as Mr. Liu gathered with a small group of associates at a memorial service in Queens recently, he remarked that he was unconcerned about the investigation, and believed that the authorities would come up short if they were trying to implicate him, according to three people in attendance, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be seen as betraying him.”
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TRANSPORTATION
Security Breach at Newark Results in TSA Employee’s Suspension (Star-Ledger)
Steve Strunsky reports: “The TSA said the security breach on Thursday at Newark Liberty International Airport was detected and the bags were not screened before being loaded onto the two aircraft, which took off on schedule. But TSA said the incident remains under investigation. Under TSA personnel rules, the screener will remain unidentified pending the outcome of the investigation.”

ENVIRONMENT
N.J. Coyote Hunt Begins in Effort to Stem Canine Encroachment (Star-Ledger)
Lisa Rose reports: “Through March 15, an estimated 2,000 permit holders will scout the woods with shotguns and crossbows, seeking out rogue canines after dark. If state counts are correct, there might be more coyotes in New Jersey than black bears. New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife biologist Andrew Burnett estimates that the population could be north of 5,000. In comparison, the bear tally before the December hunt was estimated at 3,400. Both animals feast on small critters and consumer waste.”

BUSINESS
N.J. Winemakers Hope to Win Approval to Ship Products Out of State (Star-Ledger)
The Associated Press reports: “New Jersey winemakers are hoping their long crusade to be able to ship to out-of-state consumers will be approved by lawmakers in January.
The small but growing industry has been pushing for years but has been met by opposition from liquor store owners.”

TRAGEDY
Yule Log May Be Behind Stamford Fire (NY Daily News)
Matthew Lysiak, Henrick Karolyszin and Larry McShane report: “The embers of a late-night Yule log likely ignited the Christmas inferno that killed three small girls and their grandparents -- despite a flurry of futile rescue attempts, sources said. ... [Madonna] Badger and her boyfriend were up doing last-minute holiday prep until about 3 a.m., according to the emergency worker. They loaded the embers into a container and placed the still-smoldering remains inside a foyer before heading to bed.”

BUSINESS
100 Sears & Kmart Stores Set to Close (CBS News)
The Associated Press reports: “The company is moving away from its practice of propping up "marginally performing" stores in hopes of improving their performance. Sears said it will now concentrate on cash-generating stores. ...Sears would not discuss how many, if any, jobs would be cut.”

REAL ESTATE
Crown Heights Building Tops Public Advocate’s List of Worst Buildings (NY Daily News)
Kevin Deutsch and Reuven Blau report: “  Urine-soaked hallways. Leaky roofs. Holes in walls. No hot water or heat for weeks. Those are some of the many conditions trying the patience of tenants living in bad-news buildings that made Public Advocate Bill de Blasio’s third annual list of nightmare rentals and landlords. The watch list includes 358 buildings owned by a total of 317 landlords.

INTERNATIONAL
Obama Administration Might Allow Yemini President Entry to NYC for Treatment (NY Daily News)
Alison Gendar reports: “The Obama administration is considering granting a visa to the embattled president of Yemen to come to New York for medical treatment, White House officials said Monday. President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s office contacted the U.S. Embassy in Yemen to request the visa, according to a statement from an administration official, Bloomberg News reported.”

REAL ESTATE
Rep. Carolyn Maloney: A Member of the House Who Rents Out Rooms (NY Times)
Raymond Hernandez reports: “Slightly more than six years ago, Ms. Maloney, a Democrat from the Upper East Side, bought for $1.5 million a newly constructed town house in Southeast Washington near the Capitol and across the street from a small park. Ever since, Ms. Maloney has been renting out rooms in the three-story, red-brick house to her colleagues on the Hill, where there is frequently a need for affordable living space among lawmakers, who must split their time between Washington and their districts.”

CULTURE
DSK Inspires Film on Political Sex Scandals (The Guardian)
Ben Child reports: “Abel Ferrara, the iconoclastic director of Bad Lieutenant and The King of New York, is working on a film about political sex scandals partly inspired by the one that engulfed Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former International Monetary Fund chief and one-time French presidential hopeful.
According to website Deadline, Ferrara, who was worked intermittently in recent years but maintains a powerful reputation as a film-maker with a unique vision, is in talks with Gérard Depardieu and Isabelle Adjani to star in the project, which is still in the early stages of development.”

INFRASTRUCTURE
Ship’s Espresso-Fueled Mission: Laying Cables Beneath the Hudson (NY Times)
Patrick McGeehan reports: “The cables on the ship were designed to carry as much as 660 megawatts of electricity — about 5 percent of the power consumed in New York City on the hottest summer days — to Midtown Manhattan from the main power grid west of the Hudson. The power could replace some of the supply that would be lost if Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo succeeds in his quest to shut down the Indian Point nuclear plant, 35 miles north of Midtown.”

EDUCATION
25% of Students at Bronx School are Teen Parents (NY Post)
Yoav Gonen reports: “That startling statistic is buried in thousands of pages of documents the city Department of Education submitted to the state earlier this year when it initially sought funds to fix the long-struggling Grace Dodge HS in Belmont. It has since proposed shuttering the school — with, critics charge, no regard to the parenting teens. In its plea for more than $3 million over three years to help turn the school around, the DOE in May highlighted the school’s challenges to explain years of poor performance.”