NYC briefs

'Shop Healthy NYC'

debuts in Bronx

The city is pushing supermarkets and grocery stores to help New Yorkers eat healthier by placing fruit and veggies right at their front doors.

The Department of Health Wednesday unveiled a pilot program in 80 food stores in Fordham and West Farms sections of the Bronx.

As part of "Shop Healthy NYC," store owners will voluntarily agree to stock cheaper fruits and vegetables in entryways of the stores to encourage families to buy healthier foods. "We believe if we are going to battle obesity, we need to tackle it at different fronts," Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs said.

Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said he had chosen the two communities for the pilot because surveys show that 70 percent of the 136,000 residents there are overweight.

Farley and Gibbs said they aim to expand the program, which gives store owners marketing tools such as shelf hangers and free-standing baskets to hold fruits and vegetables.

The city also is distributing booklets to low-income families that provide nutritional tips and show them how to make cheap, healthier recipes.

-- amNEWYORK

Federal agency lease

at World Trade Center

The U.S. government has agreed to lease six floors of 1 World Trade Center for two decades. The deal should ensure that at least half the tower has paying tenants when it opens in 2014.

The Port Authority and its partner in the project, the Durst Organization, made the announcement Wednesday.

The General Services Administration will occupy about 270,000 square feet. Other tenants with signed leases include publisher Condé Nast, for 1.2 million square feet. The Vantone China Center is leasing 190,000 square feet. Together, those tenants will account for about 55 percent of the space in the tower, which will be among the world's tallest skyscrapers.

Cops: FBI agent fires

at would-be thieves

Authorities are investigating a Queens shooting involving an off-duty FBI agent.

The shooting occurred at about 5:15 a.m. Wednesday. The NYPD says the agent shot his gun after being awakened by suspected bandits trying to break into a vehicle outside his home. The suspects got away and were being sought.

The FBI had no immediate comment. No other details were immediately available.

Injuries in 6-alarm fire

at Bronx apartment

Fire officials say 28 firefighters and two civilians suffered minor injuries in an overnight fire at a six-story apartment building in the Bronx.

The six-alarm fire broke out early yesterday at 975 Walton Ave. near Yankee Stadium. More than 200 firefighters battled the blaze during a hot and humid night. The blaze was brought under control just before 4 a.m.

None of the injured required hospitalization. The cause is under investigation. The Red Cross is providing food and emotional support at a local high school for affected residents. Emergency shelter will be provided to those needing it.

Ex-crane inspector

called a scapegoat

A defense lawyer says a former city crane inspector charged with lying about examining a rig that later collapsed and killed seven people is being scapegoated for the disaster.

Summations began Wednesday in Edward Marquette's trial on charges of falsifying records. The case arose in the aftermath of the March 2008 crane collapse in midtown Manhattan. But Marquette isn't charged with any crime directly related to the crane's fall.

Manhattan prosecutors say Marquette's "route sheet," or work log, showed an inspection he didn't actually do 11 days before the collapse. Authorities say an inspection likely wouldn't have prevented the disaster, however.

Defense lawyer Andrew Freifeld says prosecutors are making too much of petty discrepancies in route sheets in a workplace where rules about them were "flexible."

Compiled with

wire service reports