Miscellaneous: July 2009 Archives

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A crime scene at Palmetto St & Seneca Ave in Queens, a capsized boat off the City Island end of Buckley St in the Bronx, and a police car MVA at Wythe Ave & Williamsburg St in Brooklyn.
• An appeals court says that Richard Ravitch can serve as Lieutenant Governor (during the legal dispute) but he can't preside over the Senate.
• Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce testified in front of a grand jury about the night Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a missing child at Nostrand and New York Aves in Brooklyn, a suspicious package at Yellowstone Blvd and Dartmouth St in Queens and wires down in transit at Broadway and Wall St in Manhattan.
• After initially vowing to remain as mayor despite being arrested on corruption charges, Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano is expected to resign tomorrow, according to Governor Corzine.
• A 20-year-old Staten Island man has admitted killing his former girlfriend and burying her body in a shallow grave in New Jersey's Pine Barrens. He is pleading guilty in order for a suggested sentence of 23 years.

Photograph by Quiet Storm!
• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A vicious hawk at the Fordham library in the Bronx, weapons search at 134 & Foch Blvd in Queens, and a gas leak at Greenwich St & Desbrosses St in Manhattan.
• The Manhattan DA's office accused a Port Chester, NY company of faking concrete tests at high-profile NYC sites. DA Morgenthau said Stallone Testing's results were "were scientifically impossible."
• Former State Senator Olga Mendez passed away at age 82 yesterday. She was the first Puerto Rican-born woman to be elected to state legislature in the country.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a violent EDP at Clinton and Rivington Sts in Manhattan, a barricaded subject on Irving Pl, also in Manhattan, and an EMS station struck by lightning at 52nd Rd and 59th St in Queens.
• City Council passed a bill calling for the first regulations of pedicabs, requiring them to have licenses and registration.
• The Post made a cute graphic of the suspected ATM thieves who met at NYU and says "conniving quartet included a well-connected lawyer who interned with the Queens DA's Office, a Vietnamese refugee-turned-financial-broker, and a married bank-executive couple."

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a ground transportation issue at 55th Ave and 111th St in Queens, a disabled train at Penn Station in Manhattan and a confined space rescue on Shore Blvd in Brooklyn.
• The police officer whose leg was amputated after a car hit him during an arrest left the hospital yesterday. "Officer Eric Grimes made his way to a waiting van on crutches, as tears rolled down his face. Dozens of fellow officers shouted words of encouragement and showered him with applause."
• State Senator Kevin Parker gets a slap on wrist for attacking a Post photographer.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A foot chase at Rockaway Beach Blvd & Beach 54th in Queens, a water rescue at Brighton 1st & Brighton Beach Ave in Brooklyn and a minor collapse at West 126th St in Manhattan.
• A Staten Island man was arrested for identity theft after using his girlfriend's credit card for items like his cable bill—and online dating membership.
• Bank of America is closing about 10% of its branches—which translates to around 600 locations.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a child struck on 16th Ave in Brooklyn, a pedestrian struck at Broadway and 30th St in Manhattan and a boat fire on Knight Ct in Brooklyn.
• The State Board of Regents has named Hunter College Dean Dr. David Steiner as the state's new education commissioner.
• Nassau County officials report that the first six-months of the year saw an all-time high 22 deaths from heroin overdoses, more than drunk driving and homicide combined.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A large crowd at 71 Ave in Queens, a stolen Pepsi truck at Lexington Av & E 63 St in Manhattan, and a serious MVA at Nereid Ave & Baychester Ave in the Bronx.
• Mayor Bloomberg is giving his second deposition for the lawsuit accusing his company, Bloomberg LP, of discriminating against pregnant women.
• A defense lawyer is going on trial in Brooklyn today—he's "charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice for allegedly plotting to bribe witnesses and murder their family members."

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a jumper down at 46th St and 43rd Ave in Queens, a police escort at Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn and a person struck by lightning at Ave S and 36th St, also in Brooklyn.
• The man accused of attacking Michael Mineo says he did not know Mineo and claims he came at Mineo with a bottle, not a knife.
• A Long Island couple was arrested for animal cruelty after three dogs were found living in their home in squalor, the pets having protruding bones and open sores.

This week, LAist went to the Laker Girl tryouts (with video!), DCist went to the launch of Google Moon for the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, Seattlest perused Starbucks' stealth measures and much more....

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A child struck by a car at Knapp St & Ave Y in Brooklyn, a stabbing on Broadway (near W133rd) in Manhattan and a fall victim on Arthur Ave in the Bronx.
• A Southwest Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing at LI's MacArthur's Airport. The crew, which had taken off from Connecticut's Bradley Airport, noticed an electrical smell; everyone on board was safely evacuated.
• The Throgs Neck Bridge has finally reopened to truck traffic, after the three-alarm fire a few weeks ago, but one Bronx-bound lane is still closed.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a water rescue at Great Kills Bay on Staten Island, an accident investigation on Narrows Rd, also on Staten Island, and a tree down on 92nd St in Brooklyn.
• Human rights advocates marched from Times Square to the UN as one of dozens of worldwide rallies protesting last month's elections in Iran.
• A 74-year-old woman in Fairfield, NJ died as the victim of the town's first homicide in over twenty years.

Photograph by Several seconds
• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A pedestrian struck at Eastern Parkway & Buffalo Ave in Brooklyn, a dispute with a knife at 42 St & 7th Ave in Manhattan, and a possible home alone at 66 Rd in Queens.
• The massive corruption bust that has taken down NJ officials is hurting NJ Governor Jon Corzine's already hurting campaign.
• Natavia Lowery, accused of murdering her boss realtor to the stars Linda Stein, is looking to call an expert on police coercion during her trial.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A construction accident at the UN Building in Manhattan, a commercial robbery at Clinton St & Fulton St in Brooklyn and an unusual occurrence at Gunther Ave & Edenwald Ave in the Bronx.
• The former Long Island resident who joined Al Qaeda and plotted to bomb a LIRR train thought that the commuter railroad had weak security.
• Rumor has it that the much-protested plans to open a homeless shelter in Elmhurst have been nixed.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: An evidence search at Barretto St & E Bay Ave in the Bronx, a body found at Ashford St & Jamaica Ave in Brooklyn and a jumper down on E 6th St in Manhattan.
• This morning, there was a three-alarm fire at a Con Ed substation in Douglaston, Queens. As many as 700 customers were without power earlier; now that number is at 100.
• Sure, the Dow broke 9,000 points for the first time since January yesterday, but now it's back under 9,000, thanks to disappointing earnings from Amazon, American Express and Microsoft.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on Humboldt St in Brooklyn, a bank robbery on Dyckman St in Manhattan and a suspicious package on 134th St in Queens.
• A bike messenger(-looking dude) was caught on camera stealing the front wheel of a bike that was locked outside a Starbucks in Chelsea this morning.
• A sixteen-year-old in Brooklyn has been charged as an adult for sexually assaulting a thirteen-year-old Special Ed student. Kevin Drawhorne was charged with an adult after alleged forcing the younger boy to perform oral sex on him in the stairwell of a Bushwick elementary school.

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• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A double shooting at Eldert & Knickerbocker Ave in Brooklyn, an unusual MVA at E 39th St & Park Ave (this one) and a perp search at Randall Ave & Bryant Ave in the Bronx.
• This afternoon is the private funeral for Walter Cronkite at St. Bartholomew's in Midtown. Speakers include Andy Rooney and Chip Cronkite and music includes jazz band rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In" is expected to be played.
• Surprise! The NY Times announces a 2nd quarter profit, but ad revenue is down 32% and profit is mostly due to the cutbacks.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a dog shot on Webb Ave in The Bronx, a scaffolding incident on Grand St in Manhattan and a child fell out a window on Bushwick Ave in Brooklyn.
• A black bear wandered into a NJ family's backyard and took the family's rabbit from its hutch: "It appears the bear's main objective was getting the rabbit. As soon as he opened the cage he grabbed the rabbit and left the food that was inside untouched."
• A couple stole 22 red-light traffic cameras around the city to feed their heroin habits. According to the Post, they drove around in a pickup truck and used a cherry picker to take $88,000 in equipment.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: An armed commercial robbery at Montgomery St & Nostrand Ave in Brooklyn, a car in a hole on Utopia Pkwy in Queens and a large crowd at Columbus Ave & W 100th in Manhattan.
• Readers, an adorable kitten named Wesley needs your help! His friends at the Empty Cages Collective is raising money for his crucial liver surgery—please chip in if you can.
• One pedestrian was killed and two others injured after a car hit them in Sunset Park this morning; the driver stayed at the scene.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a child down a hole at 125th St and Morningside Ave in Manhattan, a bank robbery at Church St and Park Pl, also in Manhattan and a flooding condition on the E/b Belt Pkwy at the Gerristen Creek Inlet in Brooklyn.
• A Yonkers woman faces charges of child endangerment after authorities said her three young children were found home alone. She said that she went out to get Chinese food, but had none on her and the restaurant she claimed to be at was closed.
• A judge has issued a restraining order blocking Richard Ravitch from taking office as lieutenant governor.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A pedestrian struck at Nostrand Ave & Ave Z in Brooklyn, a bus accident at Bruckner Blvd & Beach Ave in the Bronx, and sexual assault on St Nicholas Ave in Manhattan.
• President Obama is okay with his "mom jeans" and being "frumpy." He told the Today Show, "Here's my attitude: Michelle, she looks fabulous. ... For people who want a president to look great in tight jeans, I'm sorry."
• Bodega owners are relieved a band of robbers—including model Joshua Walter—has been caught. The robbers allegedly struck over a dozen establishments in Queens and Brooklyn.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a water rescue at the George Washington Bridge, a stabbing at Ninth Ave and 40th St and a car vs. building at 140th St and Broadway, all in Manhattan.
• A 50-year-old Bronx man was shot to death while trying to protect his brother from a mugger who had followed him to his Williamsbridge home.
• Two separate shootings in Newark today left three people dead and seven total shot.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A perp search at West 116 Street & Broadway in Manhattan, a crime scene at Beach 70th St & Rockaway Freeway in Queens, and two people shot at Decatur Street in Brooklyn.
• A three-year-old drowned in his family's backyard pool on Staten Island yesterday. The Advance reports, "The party was winding down, and family members were putting together treats for the children in attendance when they realized no one had seen Ryan in a while."
• All the family: The son of the Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano wants to run against his father—and win so he can eliminate the position. David Spano says he doesn't want to hurt his dad, but, "I’m getting sick of paying for his wheels and tires on his Lincoln Town Car and his office staff and their cabinets and air-conditioning and laptops."

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: two people shot on Decatur Ave in Brooklyn, a shooting at 101st St and Third Ave in Manhattan and police activity on Lexington Ave, also in Manhattan.
• A Brooklyn truck driver was killed in a crash in Indiana. According to the AP, "The truck hit a divider separating a lane of traffic from two construction lanes before hitting the concrete median and a light pole."
• Police have arrested 22-year-old Saul Mendez and charged him with the stabbing murder of his pregnant girlfriend, whose body he reported finding to police yesterday.

with Canadiana—arriving in New York City.

Continue reading "Elsewhere in the ist-a-verse"

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a victim assaulted on W Tremont Ave in The Bronx, a recovered DOA at 82nd St and Glenwood Rd in Brooklyn and a crime scene on Wards Island in Manhattan.
• A pilot was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries after a single-engine plane was forced to make an emergency landing this morning in Mahwah, NJ.
• A man drowned while swimming off Fire Island yesterday afternoon.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a missing EDP on E 60th St in Queens, a shooting on Eastern Pkwy in Brooklyn and a jumper down at Paladino Ave and 122nd St in The Bronx.
• The Jersey City police officer shot in the face does have brain function. The other critically injured police officer was unable to speak but managed to salute his police chief.
• Walter Cronkite will be buried in Missouri, following a funeral in NYC on Thursday at St. Bartholomew's. There will be a memorial for Cronkite at Lincoln Center in the next few weeks.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: An officer assist at 9th Ave & West 12th Street in Manhattan, double shooting with one dead at Beverly Rd & Nostrand Ave in Brooklyn and a child struck at Prospect Ave & E 156th St in the Bronx.
• A top Democratic staffer with close ties to Governor Paterson pleaded guilty to forgery in an attempt to smear another coworker.
• Brooklyn is saying farewell to beloved Boys and Girls High School Frank Mickens today; he is credited with turning around the high school.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A water rescue at FDR & 23 St in Manhattan, a person shot at Bergen Ave & Ave M in Brooklyn, and an armed robbery on 84 Rd in Queens.
• Families of TWA Flight 800 victims are having a vigil to remember the tragedy tonight. Thirteen years ago, the JFK-to-Paris flight exploded over the Atlantic Ocean, killing 230 people.
• Two city corrections cashiers are accused of stealing $16,000 from inmates' commissary accounts.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A suspicious package at Myrtle Ave & Jay St in Brooklyn, a shooting at Trinity Pl & Pontiac Pl in the Bronx. and a motorcycle MVA at E 12th St & 3rd Ave in Manhattan.
• A woman was found fatally stabbed in a Sunset Park apartment home.
• A Staten Island businessman was arrested for $47 million in fraud—he used aliases in various medical-related businesses to dupe Medicaid out of the money.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a homicide at First and Palladino Aves in Manhattan, a water resuce at Great Kills Park on Staten Island and a construction accident at the Governors Island Ferry Terminal in Manhattan.
• Today marks the tenth anniversary of the the flight that would lead to the death of JFK Jr.
• A 7-year-case in search of a missing 17-year-old from Piscatway, NJ has been called off when it was confirmed that his DNA matched that of a dead body found buried in NYC's Potter Field six weeks later.

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• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A large fight on Eldridge in Manhattan, car vs. building at Britton Ave & Steuben St on Staten Island and a fatal MVA/hit-and-run at Ditmas Ave & Ocean Pkwy in Brooklyn.
• A health scare in Colorado has a NY connection: Ten Colorado patients have contracted Hepatitis C from a nurse who also worked in New York at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco. The NY State Health Department is in the process of reaching patients who may have been in contact with her.
• A 13-year-old was stabbed to death with a screwdriver in Sheepshead Bay last night around 7:30 p.m. WABC 7 reports, "The young suspect apparently caught up with his victim blocks later and attacked. He fled the scene on his bicycle."

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: separate incidents involving suspicious packages at 6th Ave and 49th St, Lexington Ave and Houston and Clinton Sts, all in Manhattan.
• A 60-foot dollar sign was burned into the synthetic turf field at East Hampton High.
• Services were held today for the cleaning woman found dead in a Manhattan office building last week. Her body will now be flown home to the Dominican Republic for burial.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A "Craigslist Robber" at E 5th St & Ave R in Brooklyn, an unusual rescue at 35th Ave & Union St in Queens, and a construction accident at Liberty & West St in Manhattan.
• Prosecutors decided that mob rat George Barone doesn't need to testify in a Genovese crime trial anymore because he's so crotchety. The other day, 85-year-old yelled at the prosecutor—over the laptop he needs to read from because he's almost deaf—"You want me to throw it on the floor? Get it the f--k away from me!"
• Traffic is still delayed on the Throgs Neck Bridge.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a barricaded EDP on 116th St and Liberty Ave in Queens, a bank robbery at Citibank on Myrtle Ave in Brooklyn and a truck vs. overpass at Grand Ave and 57th St in Queens.
• A New Jersey man pleaded guilty for stealing 91 lobster tails from Bally's Atlantic City in February and will serve four years in prison. The AP adds, "The lobsters, worth $1,275, were destroyed."
• Nassau County's Wall Of Shame, meant to humiliate drunk drivers, will not show photographs of the arrestees before they are convicted.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: Crowd control at Rutland Rd & Kingston Ave in Brooklyn, a construction accident at Murray St & West St in Manhattan, and a pedestrian struck at Rosedale Ave & Soundview Ave in the Bronx.
• As part of the NY Times' article on the re-consecration of the Ganesha Temple in Queens, there's an amazing slideshow. The guest of honor was Minnie, an elephant visiting from a zoo—she symbolized Ganesh.
• Police are looking for a man who has robbed senior citizens in Manhattan—so far, he's targeted men between the ages of 62 and 91 at Peter Cooper Village, Stuyvesant Town and the West Village.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a fall victim at 49th St and 3rd Ave, a burn victim on E 21st St and an overturned auto on the FDR at 100th St, all in Manhattan.
• A body spotted off Coney Island naturally freaked out beachgoers yesterday. Cops hauled it in and the body was "immediately pronounced dead."
• A lawyer claims that Arturo Gatti's wife is too "fragile" to have killed the Jersey City boxing champion in Brazil. Authorities believe that Amanda Rodrigues strangled Gatti while he was drunkenly sleeping.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A double shooting at 140 St & 115 Ave in Queens, a jumper up at Broadway & Rector in Manhattan and a stabbing at Westchester Ave & Whitlock Ave in the Bronx.
• Financial analyst Meredith Whitney thinks banks are strong but expects unemployment to go up to 13%.
• Eight people were rescued when a pleasure boat ran into a sandbar in between Liberty Island and LIberty State Park yesterday.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a missing child on W 125th St in Manhattan, a DOA floater off Neptune Ave in Brooklyn and a tree onto a car at the 66th St entrance to Central Park.
• A Brooklyn woman was arrested for leaving three children, including one 9 months old, unattended in a car while she went shopping at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Nassau County.
• A body found floating in a Long Island creek Saturday night has been identified as a Dix Hills boater who was went missing after having dinner with friends the night before.

• Chicagoist visited The Ledge at the Sears Tower, the building's newest attraction that allows visitors to step out into glass boxes that jut out from the Tower's west side, allowing you to look straight down. All 1,353 feet.
• Phillyist nominated the administrators of the suburban pool club that allegedly kicked out a number of urban youth on basis of their race as its assholes of the week.
• Shanghaiist took a in-depth look at the machinations behind the Xinjiang riots, from its beginning to the second day of violence to when everything finally started to calm down.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a homicide investigation at Lots Ave and Sheffield Ave, and overturned auto at Prospect Expwy and Sixth Ave, also in Brooklyn, and a gunpoint robbery at Richmond and Castle Aves in Staten Island.
• 37-year-old former boxing champion Arturo Gatti has been found dead in a hotel room in Brazil. Foul play is suspected.
• The trustee who is liquidating Bernard Madoff's estate has racked up $14 million in fees. Don't worry-payment isn't coming out of the liquidated assets: Instead, a securities industry group is paying for it.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A large fight at W 42 Street & Broadway in Manhattan, a pedestrian struck at Caton Ave & E 21st St in Brooklyn, and a police car MVA at 68th St & Myrtle Ave in Queens.
• Tolls rise tomorrow on the MTA's bridges and tunnels.
• Not surprising: CNN reports, "The highly controversial no-warrant surveillance program initiated after the September 11 terrorist attacks relied on a 'factually flawed' legal analysis inappropriately provided by a single Justice Department official."

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: An unusual incident on the Brooklyn Bridge footpath on the Manhattan side, a robbery on Church Ave at the Pay-o-matic in Brooklyn and an EMS MVA at the toll plaza of the Whitestone Bridge in the Bronx.
• Tomorrow is July 11, aka 7/11, which means there are free Slurpees at 7-Eleven!
• The Throgs Neck Bridge partially reopened after this morning's three-alarm fire.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A child struck at W2nd St in Brooklyn, a burn victim on Winfield St in Staten Island and a scaffolding collapse at Jerome Ave and Mosholu Parkway in the Bronx.
• The New York Philharmonic, which visited North Korea last year, may be visiting Cuba.
• A scorned Dean Skelos hopes for continued reform in the State Senate.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: an escaped EDP at 35th St and 2nd Ave, a bank robbery on Jackson Ave in Queens and a person under a train at Jay and Willoughby Sts in Brooklyn.
• A 3-year-old special needs child was left on a school bus unattended for five hours.
• A Hoboken garbage truck ran a red light and struck a NJ Transit train this morning.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A large fight at W 184th St & St Nicolas Ave in Manhattan, a bank robbery at Jackson Ave & Pearson St in Queens and an MVA at River Pkwy & E233 St in the Bronx.
• The Albany stalemate means NYPD recruits don't get to start. A 22-year-old Air Force veteran who was looking forward to being a cop said, "I was told because of what's going on in Albany, how they're being irresponsible, the class can't start."
• The NYPD admitted it should have made the DWI arrest of a sergeant public sooner; the sergeant hit a pedestrian. Spokesman Paul Browne said, "There was a short period when there was additional investigation underway that required a short delay in making it public. Normally, I make such information public in a timely fashion. I should have done it sooner. I didn't."

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on 93rd St in Brooklyn, pedestrians struck at 86th St and Amsterdam Ave in Manhattan and a suspicious package at Wave St and Bay St on Staten Island.
• The 5 train will begin extending its service into Brooklyn during the hours in between morning and evening rush hours.
• A former Monmouth County, NJ police chief has been indicted on charges of sexually assaulting a girl between the ages of 12 and 14.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn, a boat fire on Hylan Blvd on Staten Island and an animal condition on Corneila St in Queens.
• Police released footage of a man suspected of groping women's behinds in Crown Heights.
• The $4.6 million Fire Island ferry terminal in Patchogue will open next year. Newsday reports it's "twice the size of the old station and include more restrooms, a community multipurpose room, informational displays and an indoor waiting area."

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: an unusual rescue on Decatur St in Queens, a manhole fire on Bushwick Pl in Brooklyn and an overturned school bus on Skillman Ave in Queens.
• A Queens man was found bound and strangled in his home. The 84-year-old veteran's hands were bound with a coat hanger; police believe the assailant got in through a basement window.
• The Westchester DA says the promotions manager at the Yonkers Raceway rigged contests for friends and family to win.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A jumper up at Graham Ave & Montrose in Brooklyn, a large fight at Grand Concourse & Field Pl in the Bronx, and a hazmat at E 86th St & 3rd Ave in Manhattan.
• A triple shooting in Bedford-Stuyvesant has left one person dead; WABC 7 says, it's possible "a high-powered automatic weapon was involved in the shooting."
• The trial over whether Anthony Marshall stole his mother Brooke Astor's fortune was postponed again because of Marshall's medical issues.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a perp on a fire escape at Halsey St and Bedford Ave, a missing child of Targee St on Staten Island and an unusual rescue on Broadway in The Bronx.
• A 10-year-old girl in Irvington, NJ was shot in the stomach when a gunman got out of his car and opened fire with 10 or 20 shots at her house, where she was sitting on the porch.
• A 30-year-old Long Island man was brutally beaten by a pack of up to 15 teenagers on a Valley Stream street just after midnight Saturday.

Visitors to Prospect Park this past Sunday may have noticed how their fellow park-goers chose to celebrate American independence—by trashing a few acres of park grounds. Raphael Brion was one of those visitors, and he snapped a few photos of the post-Fourth carnage to share with us on Flickr.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A car into building on Ann Street on Staten Island, a bank robbery at 2nd Ave & 48th St and a scaffolding incident on 20th Dr in Brooklyn.
• Robert McNamara, secretary of defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, died at age 93. The NY Times writes, he was "perhaps the most influential defense secretary of the 20th century, who helped lead the nation into the maelstrom of Vietnam and spent the rest of his life wrestling with the war’s moral consequences." McNamara was also the subject of a documentary by Errol Morris, The Fog of War.
• Mayor Bloomberg uses off-duty cops (who volunteered!) in his new TV ads—the cops are from the 27th Precinct, which doesn't really exist, except on Law and Order. Chung-chung!

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a homicide on E 33rd St in Manhattan, a water rescue at the parking lot of the North Channel Bridge in Queens and a car in the water at Bayfield Ave and Beach St, also in Queens.
• Rescuers are looking for the second of two teenagers who were fishing at the North Channel Bridge and got pulled into the water. The first teen was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he's in stable condition.
• The Little People of America are telling reporters talking to them at their annual conference taking place at the Brooklyn Marriott that they would like to see the FCC ban the word "midget" from the airwaves.

• Chicagoist checked out the annual Pride Parade, which celebrated its 40th anniversary.
• Seattlest owned up to its darkest, most claustrophobic fear--getting trapped in a badly maintained hellevator.
• SFist wondered why some Bay Area residents feared the high speed rail system, which would whisk people from downtown San Francisco to downtown Los Angeles in two hours.
• Phillyist was disappointed but unsurprised when the makers of Trojan condoms named Philly amongst the least-sexed cities in the States.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting at 111th St and Lexington Ave in Manhattan, an armed robbery at a Citgo station on Rockaway Blvd in Queens and a possible explosive device on 164th St and Jerome Ave in The Bronx.
• A Nassau County man was arrested for selling fireworks to kids out of his aunt's house. Not only were fireworks confiscated from the suspect, the cops took the fireworks from the children.
• The DEA busted a drug cartel in The Bronx who had run over $30 million in heroin hidden inside brown teddy bears.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A barricaded situation at W 52nd St & 7th Ave in Manhattan, an attempted bank robbery at 163rd Ave & Cross Bay Blvd in Queens, and an MVA at 140 St & Grand Concourse in the Bronx.
• Just after graduating from the Police Academy and becoming a full-fledged cop, rookie police officer Dariel Firpo helped nab a man robbing an elderly man in Midtown.
• Regarding Thursday's Staten Island Ferry crash, one of the boat's transformers broke down and the other three malfunctioned.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A bicyclist struck at 1st Ave & E 96th St in Manhattan, an EDP in the water at FDR & 92nd St in Manhattan, and an overturned auto on the westbound Grand Central Parkway at Union Turnpike in Queens.
• A 41-year-old man was killed in a hit-and-run in Queens. Witnesses say the vehicle (which appears to be a van or SUV, based on the tires) may have been trying to make a U-turn.
• A federal agency evaluated Woodhull Hospital using records that Woodhull's medical chief altered after the patients left. The medical chief resigned and an investigation is continuing.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A DOA floater at East River and Grand St in Manhattan, an armed robbery at E225 St & White Plains Rd in the Bronx, and a pedestrian struck at 48 St & 14 Ave in Brooklyn.
• After a rumor was going around that Di Fara's was closing, the famous Midwood pizzeria let us know that Dom is well and they are in fact open. It turned out to just be some oral surgery that was a little more unpleasant than expected.
• The Staten Island woman found guilty of killing her fire marshal husband was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: Perp search & home invasion at 32nd Ave & Union St in Queens, falling debris at Rockaway Pkwy and Ave L in Brooklyn and a pedestrian struck along with a barricaded perp at 48th St and 14th Ave, also in Brooklyn.
• A suspect is critical and an officer stable but hospitalized after a wild police chase with gunfire in Newark last night. It began with officers trying to arrest two men trying to break into cars in a Burger King parking lot.
• Even though she said that "it's important for women to support women who stand for the majority issues of women," Gloria Steinem is endorsing Cy Vance for Manhattan DA as the candidate with the strongest record on women's rights.

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: a fatal jumper down at W 14th St in Manhattan, a jet ski rescue near Beach Channel HS in Jamaica Bay in Queens and an unusual assault on Surf Ave in Brooklyn.
• A federal judge on Tuesday indefinitely banned publication in the United States of a new book by a Swedish author that contains a 76-year-old version of Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of “The Catcher in the Rye.”
• Signs have begun emerging for the G train extension to Church Ave, going into effect this Sunday.

The following post is from our advertiser, ACES Train Service.

All Afford! ACES is running a $29 fare promotion now - July 31. Get out of the office, escape New York and save $10-$20 per ticket. Sputtering stocks have made the atmosphere at work pretty stressful. Sometimes, you’ve got to step away from the swivel chair, take a deep breath and just cut loose—that time is now. This weekend, refresh your outlook on life and get happiness with a heavy dose of gaming, dining and imbibing. Play poker, wheel around the roulette table, and slot it up with gaming machines; check out some of the coolest summer clubs and pubs on the East Coast, and put the flavor back into weekends with AC’s world renowned restaurant scene. Take a break—kick back and sip a frosty adult beverage aboard the leisure-friendly ACES train. Stay and play at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, Caesars Atlantic City or Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City.