New York City briefs

Cabbies offer ideas

for safer driving

The taxi and livery cab industry has its own visions for safer driving as the city starts to implement Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic deaths.

Volunteers from the Sergeants Benevolent Association will go to the garages of taxi fleet owners to talk to drivers about street safety, dealing with the NYPD, passengers and potentially violent situations.

"[We are] volunteering our time to make another industry better and safer, more educated as to rules of the road, handling pedestrians and pedestrian safety," Sgt. Ed Mullins, president of the SBA, said of the partnership with the Greater New York Taxi Association.

Meanwhile, the Livery Roundtable, which represents drivers and base owners, was slated to present a plan at a City Council town hall meeting on Vision Zero last night that includes having to have the Taxi and Limousine Commission give a 20 percent break in licensing fees to safe drivers.

First-ever BookCon

expects big names

The ultimate event for bibliophiles is coming to the Javits Center on May 31.

Assembled by the same group that puts together New York Comic Con, BookCon will feature panels, podcasts, author Q&As, quiz shows and more in "the publishing capital of the world."

This first-of-its-kind event will let readers interact with celebrated authors, publishers, and celebrities including Amy Poehler and Martin Short, both of whom have books coming out this fall. Other big names BookCon attendees can expect to see are comic book legend Stan Lee and best-selling author John Grisham.

Friend of Hoffman loses court switch bid

A musician arrested on heroin-possession charges amid an investigation into Philip Seymour Hoffman's death has lost a bid to have the case handled by a drug court that emphasizes treatment instead of punishment.

A Manhattan judge turned down Robert Vineberg's request Wednesday. The case will continue in a regular criminal court. His lawyer didn't immediately return a call.

Vineberg was arrested as police followed leads after Hoffman's Feb. 2 death from a combination of heroin, cocaine and other drugs. Vineberg isn't charged with any role in the actor's death.

Vineberg has pleaded not guilty to possessing 300 packets of heroin with the intent to sell it. His lawyer has said Vineberg is an addict.

CNN producers freed after breach attempt

Two CNN producers have been released without bail after being accused of trying to breach security at the World Trade Center site.

Connor Fieldman Boals and Yon Pomrenze were arraigned Wednesday on a misdemeanor attempted criminal trespass charge. Their lawyers didn't immediately return calls.

A court complaint says Boals tried to get through a nonpublic gate and turnstile and climbed halfway up a fence. The complaint says Pomrenze took video of the episode.

A CNN spokeswoman has said the producers were reporting on the recent security breaches and were not asked to sneak onto the site.

MTA officials listen to concerns of rail riders

Some Metro-North Railroad riders took their concerns straight to the top yesterday as railroad executives including new president Joseph Giulietti held a listening session at Grand Central Terminal.

Several commuters expressed concerns over regular travel delays, as well as crowded trains and lack of adequate communication about train issues.

A federal report released earlier this month painted a harsh picture of a railroad with a culture of inadequate inspections and poor training, where safety was allowed to erode in order to keep trains on time.

The review followed a Dec. 1 derailment in the Bronx that killed four and injured about 70.

Compiled with

wire service reports