NEW YORK CITY BRIEFS

State's home buyouts come to Staten Island

A Staten Island neighborhood where three people died during superstorm Sandy will be the first to get state-sponsored home buyouts.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo outlined the planned program in a visit to the borough Monday.

It calls for the state to pay 100 percent of the pre-storm value for the homes. Residents who move elsewhere on Staten Island will be eligible for an additional 5 percent bonus.

So far, 141 of the roughly 200 homeowners in the targeted area have asked for a buyout.

Joseph Tirone, who leads a neighborhood committee seeking buyouts, was among five Oakwood Beach homeowners who met with Cuomo. He said the governor's intention is to have everyone bought out by the end of the year.

Hospital gets $17M for vets with trauma

Billionaire hedge-fund founder Steven A. Cohen and his wife have given $17 million to a Manhattan hospital to study post-traumatic stress and brain injury among veterans.

NYU Langone Medical Center announced the contribution Monday.

The gift from the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation will help establish a research center. It will work on developing biological tests for post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries.

Steven Cohen says in a statement he hopes the center "will have far-ranging effects" on veterans' care.

Cohen SAC Capital Advisors, has come under scrutiny recently amid an insidetrading case against a portfolio manager who worked for an SAC affiliate. SAC has said the company and Cohen are confident they acted appropriately.

Bloomberg eyes state ban on sugary drinks

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has spearheaded the high-profile crackdown on supersized, sugary drinks -- and now he'd like the state to follow that example.

Starting March 1, month, the city plans to bar restaurants, delis and many other eateries from selling some sugar-laden beverages in more than 16-ounce portions. Supermarkets and convenience stores are exempt because they're regulated by the state, not the city.

Bloomberg said at an unrelated news conference Monday that "the state should do exactly the same thing in stores."

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office had no immediate comment.

The city says its soda limit will curb obesity and save lives and medical dollars.

Critics say it crimps consumers' choices and hurts business. They're suing to try to block the regulation.

Study to evaluate city burying power lines

New York City is set to scrutinize the pros, cons and costs of burying power lines after superstorm Sandy knocked out electricity and other services for weeks in some instances.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed off Monday on having his office research whether it makes sense to put more wires underground. The City Council voted to commission the study earlier this month.

Sandy knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers around the city. Many outages endured longer in areas with overhead lines.

The research will include analyzing weather-related outages for above-ground and below-ground lines. The study also will estimate the expense of burying wires and recommend where that might make most sense.

Utility Consolidated Edison has said it looks forward to participating in a discussion that should examine both benefits and costs of burying lines. It has said that the costs to bury lines would add significantly to power bills.

Most city potholes seen on Staten Island

Staten Island leads New York City in property-damage claims caused by potholes, records show.

According to a report from City Comptroller John Liu's office, residents filed 968 property-damage claims against the city in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012. That's 207 for every 100,000 residents.

The claims include damage to tires, shocks and other car parts

City records show Queens had the next-highest ratio. During the same time period, it had 154 property-damage claims filed for every 100,000 residents.

Free handbook for older city residents

New York City is now offering older residents a handbook for a vast array of services.

The topics include Social Security; elder abuse; senior housing and nursing homes; transportation; and prescription discounts.

The guide also includes cultural events. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer notes that many retirees stay active. It can be downloaded at http://mbpo.org/uploads/SeniorsGuideEnglish.pdf.

It is being published in English and Spanish.

Compiled from wire service reports