Solar panels on top of high-rises? Absolutely.
And Mayor's alternative energy bus apparently has some takers. No sooner had Bloomberg announced his plans at an alternative energy conference in Las Vegas, than a Town Supervisor in Greenburgh urged New York State officials to put windmills on the new Tappan Zee bridge.
Full disclosure: I've put up solar energy, so I've tasted the Kool Aid, and I'm a believer. I only wish there were more incentives for businesses and individuals to put up these kinds of alternative energy projects; give solar, wind, and geothermal energy the same kind of breaks that big oil has been getting.
We'll have the latest on this new proposal, tonight at 11.
Also at 11, there are extra citizen patrols out in Borough Park, Brooklyn tonight - as cops search for the man who sexually assaulted two girls - one of them 4 years old, the other 14. Tim Fleischer is on the story for us tonight.
And maybe it's an "October Surprise" in August. A bulletin crossing the wires as I write this: The Bush Administration has approved a draft agreement with Iraq on a U.S. military presence there. This would be, once the agreement is released, the first time the President has put a date on withdrawing U.S. troops - something he has previously said would tie the hands of military commanders.
The highly unpopular war, off the table as a campaign issue? We'll see. The White House says they're still negotiating.
Speaking of the race for President, the political intrigue continues over who the candidates' running mates will be. The speculation about Joe Lieberman -- getting more intense after the McCain campaign confirmed that the former Democratic Vice Presidential candidate will be speaking at the Republican convention next month in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Would McCain pick Lieberman? They are fast friends, and Lieberman has been stumping for the Senator from Arizona. The right wing says it would damage McCain, whom they already distrust. But it's hard to imagine that the far right would not vote for McCain come November; they might hold their noses when the pull the lever, but the reality is they'd much rather see McCain than Obama in the White House.
Ditto all those Hillary Clinton supporters, who made much noise about voting for McCain instead of Obama. When they get in the booth to vote, and think about McCain appointing Supreme Court Justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, it seems the choice would then be clear.
But what do I know?
I'm just a country reporter.
We'll also have any breaking news of the night, the AccuWeather forecast, and Scott Clark with the night's sports. I hope you can join Diana Williams (in for Liz Cho) and me, tonight at 11.
BILL RITTER
