SLA

Charges of racism are flying over the State Liquor Authority's decision to suspend for two years the liquor license for the Chelsea building that houses Club Mumbai. It's racked up dozens of violations in the last four years for underage drinking, excessive noise and blocked exits, the New York Post reports.

But owner Brahm Prasad thinks the SLA's cracking down on the club mostly because of its African-American clientele:

"We got shut down because of racism, that's the bottom line," said Prasad, who said he's considering a civil suit against the city and has met with the Rev. Al Sharpton recently to discuss further action.

- Tom Acitelli

As the fifth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, almost a third of New Yorkers remain "very concerned" about another attack, (others say it's even higher) while the rest of the country pretty much feels that life has for the most part returned to normal. Besides the fact that New Yorkers witnessed the attacks first hand, the gap in confidence over security and the government's ability to provide it has surely been made worse by revelations about the extent of the impact of conmtaminated air on 9/11 workers.

The Post, writing off of a 2001 Health Department memo, reports the city was prematurely subjected to that foul air because Mayor Rudy Giuliani was under pressure by businesses to reopen portions of the affected downtown area.

Andrew Cuomo and Mark Green sure did mix it up at the Bar Association debate. And while Cuomo perhaps handed in the weakest performance of the morning, his one zinger, that Green would "go down in the history books for the most negative campaigns," was getting a lot of play here and here.

The debate was, of course, a Spitzer love fest. So you didn't hear any reference to the news that he has dropped some of the civil charges against former American International Group Chief Executive Maurice Greenberg. And there was not a word about his drinking problems. At a campaign event in Syracuse last week, the State Liquor Authority actually closed the thing down because "an unlimited" number of drinks were being offered, perhaps by underage servers. (Volunteer for Spitzer!) The Spitzer camp denies everything, countering that the SLA is controlled by Pataki and that this is nothing more than dirty politics.

After the Bloomberg administration made history by wrestling control of the city's schools from the Board of Ed, city lawyers are now arguing against a demand from parents and teachers that Bloomberg lower class sizes by contending that the mayor actually can't make policy decisions and fund the schools on his own.

Looking outside of New York, the Times wonders if the heated Senate race between US Senator Bob Menendez and State Senator Thomas H. Kean Jr. has soured the beautiful friendship between ex-presidents Bush and Clinton, while the News writes about Connecticut's Democratic candidate Ned Lamont (Tasini with money, a party, a campaign, and a political platform) showing some love to Hillary.

-- Jason Horowitz

Jonathan Hoo had big plans for the abandoned storefront at Second Avenue and East 46th Street, site of the former Hsin Yu restaurant.

The presently empty, single-story structure sits on the corner, with its whited-out windows and stripped, skeletal awning, and informative signs like "CLOSED BY ORDER OF THE COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGENE."

Hoo envisioned an "upscale restaurant-lounge," serving "American-Continental cuisine" and, of course, liquor. Plus, a post-dinnertime DJ and dancing til 4 a.m. on weekends.  read more »

In a nod to the neighboring United Nations workforce, Hoo planned to call the place "Embassy." But a lot of Hoo's neighbors would rather just keep the existing eyesore. At least it's quiet. Noise is, after all, a big deal to residents of Turtle Bay.