Even though the State Legislature has been in special session the past few weeks at Governor Paterson's request because of the state's huge $3.2 billion deficit, no action has been taken to, you know, deal with the deficit and cut the state budget. Yesterday, Paterson [...]
Online gamers, get ready for possible alerts on your consoles! According to Information Week, "State authorities are testing a plan that would see the Emergency Management Office issue alerts over online gaming networks in addition to regular channels. The goal, said New York State" [...]
Dean Meminger, the former Knicks great nicknamed "The Dream," is in a burn unit at Jacobi Hospital after suffering injuries from a four-alarm fire in the Bronx. The Fire Department is continuing to investigate the cause of the blaze, after reports that crack [...]
Photograph of passengers waiting to board a bus at the Port Authority this morning by Seth Wenig/AP
The day before Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for travel, with roads and airports clogged with those heading for turkey, [...]
It's that time again—time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And one of the fun traditions to watching the balloons being blown up the night before. This year's Thanksgiving parade balloon inflation begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m., with the [...]
From the Daily News's Michael Daly: The great state of South Carolina is putting its own sick twist on Black Friday with a tax holiday on firearm purchases. Not cars. Not clothes. [...]
Albany is doing what it does best—not coming to an agreement about important stuff! Lawmakers are holding another special session to try to deal with the state's $3.2 billion deficit, something they've been meeting about for the past two weeks. The Assembly' [...]
Photograph by threecee on Flickr
The NY State Court of Appeals, the highest in the state, dismissed a lawsuit challenging the use of eminent domain for developer Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project. The NY Times calls the lawsuit the [...]
NY1 reports that two people are in the hospital after a Brooklyn car crash last night: "Police say they saw a Toyota Corolla run a red light a little after midnight. They then followed the car, and a few seconds later, the Corolla slammed" [...]
As dozens of people remain homeless after a Sunday four-alarm fire destroyed homes in the Claremont section of the Bronx, now fire officials suspect the fire began from a crack pipe—and many crack pipes were found in a room of an SRO rented [...]
Eep: 1010WINS reports, "Pharmaceuticals company GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Tuesday it has advised medical staff in Canada to not use one batch of swine flu vaccines in case they trigger life-threatening allergies. Company spokeswoman Gwenan White said that they issued the advice" [...]
It's true—Benjamin Bratt is reprising his role as Law & Order Detective Rey Curtis and here are photos (close-up after the jump) of him on location. Last month, it was reported that Bratt, who played Rey Curtis for four seasons between 1995 and 1999, [...]
In the latest article in NY Times' series "Toxic Waters," about the "worsening pollution in American waters, and regulators’ response," the focus is on sewer systems. And the main example is here in NYC, starting' [...]
Music to Governor Paterson's ears? According to Bloomberg News, "New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s campaign fund took tens of thousands of dollars from law firms representing clients his office investigated or accused of wrongdoing, state records show. Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP, a" [...]
Sure, Rupert Murdoch wants people to pay for his content, but now he's definitely considering upping the ante. From the Media Decoder: "News Corporation...has engaged in early stage discussions with Microsoft about a pact to get paid from Microsoft to remove its news content" [...]
A Canadian IBM employee lost her disability benefits after the insurance company checked out her Facebook profile. According to the Daily News, "Nathalie Blanchard was diagnosed with depression and granted leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Que." a year and a half [...]
Now that the Senate will debate health care reform next week, the question is whether Senate Democrats can gain enough support to pass legislation. Senator Charles Schumer told Face the Nation, "Look, there are still many bumps in the road, discussions, arguments, disagreements." [...]
Flight 1549 captain Chesley Sullenberger has opened up about his life after his heroic landing of a US Airways plane into the Hudson way back in January. But are we ready to know all the details of his personal life? In an NBC [...]
Apparently news that Goldman Sachs employees would help out at the Salvation Army's Thanksgiving meals isn't good enough for the NY Times editorial board! The Times published an opinion piece slamming Goldman Sachs for its "non-apology." Noting that CEO Lloyd Blankfein said, "Certainly,'" [...]
The city Health Department held its third weekend of free swine flu vaccine clinics open to people in priority groups and 6,008 got the vaccine on Saturday while 5,478 more received it on Sunday. One reader commented yesterday, "Just went" [...]
A fire broke out in a Bronx home last night around 9:20 p.m. and quickly spread to neighboring homes, becoming a four-alarm blaze. Ultimately, it took over 200 firefighters and three hours to put out the fire on Findlay Avenue in the Claremont section. [...]
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Photograph of one bad Muni Meter parking job by Lorcan Otway on Flickr Earlier this week, the City Council passed a bill to add a five-minute grace period for drivers in certain no parking zones, such as alternate side parking [...]
DCist caught up with the dapper gents and ladies who took to the streets in high style for the D.C. Tweed Ride.
Chicagoist focused on Oprah Winfrey's announcement that she plans on ending her show [...]
During the Knicks' "Basement Battle" win over the Nets yesterday, there was one sour moment for New York coach Mike D'Antoni. It was when Nate Robinson threw the ball at the Nets basket—and it went in—just after the first quarter buzzer. As Deadspin put it, "rather than quietly" [...]
The Jets are in New England to play the Patriots at 4 p.m. today, but players didn't get a great night's sleep. Safety Kerry Rhodes Tweeted, "you know we are playing new england when in the middle of the night when u r'" [...]
The fallout continues from tween pop star Justin Bieber's chaotic Friday appearance at a Long Island mall. Record executive James Roppo was charged with "endangering the welfare of a child, obstruction of governmental administration, reckless endangerment and criminal nuisance"—Newsday reports, "Nassau police said" [...]
Though Governor Paterson signed the nation's toughest DWI bill into law this week, making it a felony to drive drunk with a passenger under age 15, it won't apply to one man who allegedly broke it yesterday. Suffolk County police arrested Ivan Llaghza' [...]
Photograph of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., center, embracing Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.V., as Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., left, looks on by Jose Luis Magana/
Last night, the Senate voted to debate health care legislation after Thanksgiving, in a 60-39 vote [...]
Photograph of Great Performances catering captain Ken Bohlander, right, trying dishes that will be served on behalf of the Salvation Army on Thanksgiving Day by Kathy Willens/AP
After admitting it did some things that were "wrong" and donating a pittance to help [...]
The Health Department is holding weekend clinics for people in the priority groups—more details here—to get H1N1 vaccines. Here's a PDF of the locations and hours in each borough and there are two more weekends of clinics scheduled after the Thanksgiving Day weekend. Last weekend, 15,000 people [...]
Yesterday, tween singing sensation (or so Wikipedia leads us to believe) Justin Bieber was scheduled to make an appearance at the Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island. Apparently the 15-year-old's fans were really excited to see him, because thousands flocked to the mall,' [...]
Vada Vasquez Vada Vasquez, the 15-year-old Bronx student who was shot in the head Monday afternoon by suspects targeting someone else, was taken off her ventilator and remains in critical condition. The intended target spoke to the Daily News, "I'm'" [...]
Ladies in over-the-top lingerie get-ups stomped down the runway at the Lexington Avenue Armory for Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. According to [...]
Oh, my: The city's new school zoning may split residents of the same Tribeca building into different schools. Of course, the building is already split with two addresses and lobbies—101 Warren for the luxury condos, 89 Murray for the rentals and affordable housing units—and [...]
Could the fourth time be another charm? The jury deliberating the fate of John Gotti Jr.—whose past three federal trials have ended in mistrials—sent a note to Judge Kevin Castel yesterday reading, "We are unable to reach a verdict." Castel [...]
A tipster described his morning commute on the F as screwy (Manhattan-bound F rerouted to Hoyt-Schermerhorn, to pick up the A/C) —and NYC Transit workers chalked it up to a broken rail. The MTA's service alert page says, "Due to a rail condition at" [...]
Yesterday, developer Bruce Ratner and architect Frank Gehry celebrated the "topping off" of the 76-story Beekman Tower in lower Manhattan. A 10-pound bucket of concrete was lifted 900 feet onto the roof of the 1.1 million square [...]
If it's almost Thanksgiving, it means the city is gearing up the influx of visitors to the city for the holidays. The Department of Transportation released its calendar of "Gridlock Alert Days" (PDF) and its "Holiday Traffic Mitigation Plan" (PDF)—above all, the [...]
Photograph of Oprah Winfrey with former governor Sarah Palin and her two daughter Piper and Willow
Oprah Winfrey, the media mogul-juggernaut, is going to end her successful daytime talk show when her 25th season ends on September 9, 2011. She will be [...]
Former Nets star Jayson Williams is expected to plead guilty to manslaughter charges for the 2002 shooting of his limousine driver. According to the Star-Ledger, his sentence, in a deal with prosecutors, would be 18 months. Williams was previously convicted of [...]
Perhaps realizing that blaming NY State's woes on Governor Paterson's blindness wasn't a great idea, media mogul Rupert Murdoch apologized to Paterson. The Daily Politics reports, "Apparently, Paterson was willing to chalk Murdoch's bizarre comments up to a 'random misstatement,' according to this'" [...]
Photograph of a woman holding up a picture of pilot Charles Burlingame, whose plane was crashed into the Pentagon, behind AG Eric Holder by Alex Brandon/AP The furor over holding the trials of alleged 9/11 terror plotters in a Manhattan federal court [...]
Photograph by Dave Surgan on Flickr Today, NYPD Chief James P. Hall, who heads the department's Transit Bureau, told the City Council that sexual harassment was the "No. 1 quality of life offense on the subway," according to City Room. [...]
Yesterday, a fire in a Crown Heights apartment building killed a man, 42, and his two young sons, ages 2 and 1. While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, fire officials said incense had been burned in the bedroom [...]
According to a report from City Comptroller Bill Thompson's office, NYC has lost 30,000 jobs in "information services"—aka fields like traditional publishing, broadcasting and new media. According to the Post, "Thompson issued a report saying the industry -- one of New York's traditional leaders" [...]
After months (years?) of speculation, former mayor Rudy Giuliani is not going to run for governor—but will set his sights on the Senate seat now occupied by Kirsten Gillibrand, according to various media outlets that spoke to anonymous sources.
Is Post trying to do at least one Derek Jeter-front page a week? Last week, Jeter's homeless bum cameo for a movie got him front page treatment—and now it's his vacation with girlfriend Minka Kelly!
The Post states the obvious, "It's good to be" [...]
The Newark Airport private security guard who was overheard discussing "how someone could shoot the president through a hole in a fence at the airport" was sentenced to 30 days in jail today. John Brek had been initially charged with making terroristic threats but [...]
Last year, a private sanitation truck driver had an epileptic seizure and fatally struck a British couple in Midtown and, yesterday, he was sentenced to 20 years to life. The Daily News reports that State Supreme Court Justice Richard Carruthers pointed out that [...]
Yesterday, the NY Attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force and NYPD raided a number of homes and business in Staten Island, Brooklyn, NJ, Pennsylvania, and Nevada, arresting 22 people from two investigations dubbed "Operation Pure Luck" and "Operation Night Gallery." The charges, according to Cuomo's' [...]
Photograph of police at 7th Avenue station by Erik Olson
8:28 a.m. NYC Transit has an alert about service along the F line, due to a police investigation: "Jamaica-bound F trains are running on the D line between the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue" [...]
1959 Life photograph of planes waiting at an airport Technology! The FAA says that a computer glitch has affected its "ability to process flight plans electronically"—which is now resulting in flight delays across the country.
The issue started in Atlanta, where the FAA's' [...]
Photo illustration of Rockettes on Nostalgia Train The Radio City Rockettes are definitely busy these days—this morning, they will be on a Nostalgia Train! NYC Transit says the 1930's era IND Nostalgia Train will leave the Chambers Street E platform at about [...]
Photograph by bitchcakesny on Flickr The owner of H+H Bagels was indicted on tax fraud charges today. Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau said that Helmer Toro collected payroll taxes from employees but didn't pay them to the government and also evaded unemployment' [...]
Stewart after her sentencing in 2006 Yesterday, a federal appeals court panel of three judges upheld the conviction of lawyer Lynne Stewart for smuggling messages from a radical leader to his followers in Egypt. And the panels also thinks a judge should [...]
The Fire Department said it was the docking the pay of two captains and two lieutenants— plus reassigning them from fire companies to fire headquarters—because they did not carry out inspection of buildings. Three hours of weekly building inspections became a part of their jobs [...]
Earlier this week, the Post revealed that Jets coach Rex Ryan broke down in tears when addressing his 4-5 team on Monday morning. To say the least, some of the players were shocked, with Darrell Revis saying, "I was a little upset to" [...]
WCBS 880 reports, " Police say a man who drove his car into a cyclist in New Jersey was sending a text message about a drug deal." Apparently Robert Sharrer, 28, admitted to cops that he was texting when he hit a cyclist wearing [...]
Clothing retailer and Brooklyn native Sy Syms passed away at age 83 from heart failure yesterday in Manhattan. According to the NY Times' obituary, he "pioneered selling off-price clothing and built his retail chain, the Syms Corporation, into a national brand."
Syms was born' [...]
Yesterday Jersey City authorities announced that the body of 65-year-old Evan Chandler, who sued Michael Jackson for allegedly molesting his son, was found in his apartment at a Jersey City luxury building by his building's concierge, and it's believed he killed himself. Police spokesman [...]
The Maersk Alabama, the container ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates in April, was attacked again today while 350 miles east of the Somali coast. CNN reports, "Pirates fired automatic weapons at the ship...Guards aboard the ship fired back," [...]
Photograph by fleshtone
Some details on that Midtown car accident that involved an advance car from Vice President Joe Biden's motorcade around 5:40 p.m. last night. According to the Daily News, "The squad car with two detectives scouting the route for" [...]
Photograph by fleshtone
There were reports of a car accident at 49th Street and 10th Avenue and then we got word the vehicle was in the "Vice Presidential motorcade." A reader sent us this photo, adding, "Apparently a car from Biden's convoy hit" [...]
Photograph by wallyg on Flickr According to the AP, police officers raided the circulation offices of the NY Times, Daily News, NY Post, and El Diario today "as part of a union corruption probe... Investigators were seeking paperwork related to the" [...]
With Mayor Bloomberg asking for $1.750 billion in budget cuts from agencies for this year and next, Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler tells the Post, "It is serious, and it's serious for every agency," and didn't rule layoffs out, "So whether it's attrition or'" [...]
Photograph by Hello Turkey Toe
Reader and Flickr user Hello Turkey Toe took this photograph and writes, "Taken in the 34th Street - Herald Square Station, where the subway system has apparently collapsed in on itself, creating a sort of singularity..." We [...]
In August, a sudden summer storm downed hundreds of trees across city parks. Central Park suffered a great deal of damage between 90th and 100th Streets, with tree canopies "simply wiped away" [...]
Yesterday, the United States Preventive Services Task Force ("an influential group that provides guidance to doctors, insurance companies and policy makers") recommended that women get mammograms starting at age 50, reversing its previous position that mammograms should start at age 40. According to the [...]
Last night, former CNN personality Lou Dobbs appeared on Bill O'Reilly Fox News program to discuss his departure from the cable news network. Dobbs blamed the new guy in the White House—and how CNN doesn't want to rock the boat, "You know, I" [...]
A 15-year-old Bronx teen, not too far from her school in the Morrisania section, was shot in the head by a stray bullet yesterday afternoon. She had apparently walked into a dispute between two men—the Daily News reports, "As Vada Vasquez underwent emergency brain" [...]
With the state looking to cut $90 million from the SUNY system, the NY Times reports that some "are questioning whether the emphasis on athletics is misguided." SUNY lifted bans on athletic scholarships in 1986 and SUNY Buffalo was the first school to join [...]
Around 7 a.m., a crash involving three vehicles occurred on the West Side Highway near 125th Street. According to WABC 7, "A northbound car apparently flipped over the guardrail and into the southbound lanes, landing on another vehicle." Two people were taken to [...]
Photo taken inside P.S. 290 by Peter Sang After opening up its weekend H1N1 vaccination clinics to priority groups beyond public school students, the Health Department gave out 15,606 free vaccines this past Saturday and Sunday (the previous weekend's clinics saw less [...]
The Observer reports that Mayor Bloomberg wants to cut $1.2 billion from next year's budget and $550 million from this year's, according to a letter from budget director Mark Page: "For the current year, Bloomberg is seeking to cut 1.5 percent from the Department'" [...]
Yesterday, former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani came out swinging against the Obama administration's decision to try five of the alleged 9/11 plotters, including mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, at a NYC federal court, accusing the White House of thinking the "War on Terror is" [...]
From the Post: "Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has opened up a staggering 59-point lead over Gov. Paterson after the embattled governor spent $500,000 on personal TV ads aimed at trying to fix his image... Cuomo extended his already massive lead" [...]
While Attorney General Andrew Cuomo won't publicly discuss a potential run for governor next year, the NY Times reports that he's been thinking about the gubernatorial ticket for next year: He "and his advisers have been discussing potential candidates to run alongside him,'" [...]
Captain Chelsey Sullenberger, the Flight 1549 captain who safely landed a US Airways plane into the Hudson back in January, tells CityRoom that a book about the plane's landing "'greatly overstates how much it mattered' that the plane he landed in the river," [...]
Whether gay marriage manages to make it to a vote in the State Senate is another question entirely, but State Senator Thomas Duane thinks the Senate will vote yes on the matter. According to WNYC, the bill's supporters say that there are "secret" [...]
