• There’s no reason to fear terror attacks on the Fourth of July, the mayor is insisting; the threat of terror, he says, is nothing compared to the dangers of unguarded beaches and pools. “Don’t let the kids play with fireworks. Don’t drink and drive,” he advised. Oh, also, the NYPD is on its highest alert. [NYDN]
• A city audit has found Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum’s office failed to solicit competitive bids for large contracts and purchases. Naturally, the problems have already been fixed — and were all the fault of a “former staffer,” anyway. So the public advocate’s office can get back to the business of, um, advocating. [NYP]
• Shocking news! A new real-estate report shows that Manhattan purchases prices are higher than ever and continue to rise. One genuine surprise, though: It seems prices in prime Brooklyn nabes were unchanged, at a mere $578 per square foot. [Metro NY]
• Remember how quiet the city got on Sunday when Bloomberg’s new noise rules went into effect? Yeah, well, the trans-fat ban is now in effect, too. So we hope you’re feeling skinnier, too. [WNYC]
• And Astoria Studios, the longtime home of Sesame Street, fell ten years and $135,237 behind in paying its water bill. A recent audit revealed that checks stopped coming when the city stopped sending bills back in 1995. (Do most businesses send checks without getting bills?) The back bills have now been paid, so Luis can finally get his agua. [NYP]
