Extra, Extra

Photograph of the Washington Square Park Christmas tree by j_bary on Flickr

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A shooting at 145 Ave & 222 St in Queens, a water rescue at City Island Ave at The Marina in the Bronx and a pedestrian struck at Bayard St & Elizabeth St in Manhattan.
• A funeral was held for hate crime victim Jose Sucuzhanay. A NY Times editorial called his death a "lynching in Brooklyn" and says the NYPD needs "to do all they can to bring [his killers] to justice."
• Chrysler is closing all 29 of its North American plants—starting on Friday— for a month to save money.
• GM pulls out of their Yankees sponsorship; the Bronx Bombers say they under GM's financial situation and Audi will be stepping into the breach.
• One investor who lost big with Bernard Madoff was apparently known for his family's Christmas cards because they included photos of his "stunning" daughters.
• Neil Cohen, who resigned from the NJ State Assembly after child pornography was found on his office computer, was indicted on charges of child pornography possession and official misconduct.
• Glass half-full approach to the bad economy: A more orderly pace of new real estatedevelopment.
• Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn tackles its annual Park Slope 100 list: Cinematographer Florian Balhaus, NY Post columnist Lenore Skenazy and the Famous Accordion Orchestra make the list.
• 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan will appear in a film comedy which is, according to Variety, "inspired by the proliferation of email scams purporting to be sent by a Nigerian prince looking for help in accessing his fortune."
• Urban Daddy can teach you how to open a champagne bottle with a saber, but remember that emergency rooms tend to get crowded on New Year's Eve.