News

A number of people were injured when a police cruiser crashed into a car and then headed into people on a sidewalk in the East Village. The incident occurred on Avenue D: According to WCBS 2, "the police car was traveling at a high rate of speed northbound." The Post reports the "cop car, which was traveling in the wrong lane while apparently on a chase, smashed into a white Cadillac making a right turn at Avenue D and Fifth street. Then the cruiser went on the sidewalk and hit a building—and some people. The cruiser was also traveling very fast, perhaps chasing another vehicle—one witness told the Post that three people plus a baby were sent flying by the impact, "The baby was in the stroller and it flew up in the air. The baby landed under the police car. The mother was panicking holding the baby. She was in shock." Another witness said he didn't hear a siren while a third said, "The problem is they were going so damn fast. These guys were going 55 miles an hour." more ›

The King of Pop's death and legacy was honored by the City Council today. But PolitickerNY, which took video (below), noticed that some City Council members walked out—Republicans Jimmy Oddo, Vinny Ignizio and Eric Ulrich and Democrats Peter Vallone Jr. and Lew Fidler—during fellow members Inez Dickens' and Helen Diane Foster's tributes. more ›

The Albany soap opera continues: This morning, due to a judge's ruling that the State Senate Democrats and Republicans must meet (and, uh, do their jobs), both sides did just that. But then they adjourned soon after! The Daily Politics says the two sides were "fighting - albeit calmly - over who is supposed to be presiding over the chamber." more ›

During the past week or so, developer Bruce Ratner had finally seemed to have a little wind in his sails as he pushed forward with his $4.2 billion odyssey to build a Nets basketball arena, office towers and thousands of apartments in Brooklyn. The MTA agreed to a sweetheart deal to sell him the Vanderbilt Railyards, and the Empire State Development Corporation [ESDC] brushed off demands that Ratner resubmit his heavily revised plans for another full public review. But now the whole project is back to being embattled, as the state's highest court has agreed to hear the eminent domain lawsuit brought by opponents who say the ESDC is trying to seize private property to benefit Forest City Ratner, not the public. In May, a state appellate court unanimously rejected the lawsuit, and Ratner's attorneys expressed great confidence that the Court of Appeals wouldn't hear the case. At the time, Ratner said, "I’m honestly overjoyed. This is a weight off my back." Now the weight's back on, and, since the court operates on its own timeline, some wonder whether a ruling will be issued within enough time for developer to meet a year-end deadline to secure tax-free arena financing. more ›

The bottlenose dolphins that have surrounded New York City in the past week are definitely a welcomed visitor. Not just because they are adorable and probably don't want to kill us (unlike some aquatic guests), but it means that our water could be cleaner than we thought (not to mention stocked with plenty of herring). Newsday reports that "fishermen and scientists said it has been 30 or more years since they'd seen bottlenose dolphins in the Sound in the summertime, and experts agree that the marine mammals came here following food. Experts say the real test will be next year if the dolphins return. If they do, there is a chance the Sound waters are clean enough to sustain a population of the animals." Dolphins used to be a common sight in the Sound, until the post-WWII development boom that helped pollute our waters, but maybe this is the first step in getting them back. Now, can we add some puppies to this story? more ›

Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on the ECO Saver IV! By the end of the year, five of these 42-foot-long hybrid electric babies will be rolled out by NYC Transit, which may purchase as many as 80 if they perform as good as they look. As you can see here, the sleek design is accentuated by a front windshield which curves upward into a smile of blissful environmental friendliness. The Eco Saver IV's electric motor is powered by a battery pack, which is charged by a turbine engine, and Joseph Smith, NYC Transit's bus chief, tells the Daily News, "It's so quiet you don't even know it's running." more ›

Former mayor Rudy Giuliani finally 'fessed up and told us what we all suspected: He is totally thinking about running for governor next year. On CNN's American Morning, Rudy at first said, "I don't know if I am or if I'm not" running for governor but then said, yes, he was "thinking about it." But Giuliani added, "I don't know if I'm at the point of seriously considering it. It's a little too early." In recent polls, Giuliani does well, winning over Governor David Paterson (but those same polls show him losing to Attorney Andrew Cuomo) and last week he suggested that we call a Constitutional Convention since we're in this State Senate mess—and had some not terrible ideas. Well, if Giuliani brings his 2008 campaign team to the table next year, it should be fun! Especially if people take him to task for his past weirdness (unlike Morning Joe's Mika Brzezinski). more ›

After fending off a legal battle from dissenting congregants who sought to block his installation, Riverside Church pastor Dr. Brad Braxton has decided to step down after all. His critics had objected to what they perceived as an extravagant $600,000 compensation package and worried that Braxton was moving the church away from its traditionally progressive agenda to a more conservative religious attitude. Braxton, a Baptist minister and former Rhodes scholar, had sought to style himself as "progressive evangelical," but in the end seemed unable to unite the congregation. In his resignation letter, obtained by the Times, he wrote that "the congregation has struggled publicly for decades about the kind of church that it should be and the kind of pastor who should be its voice. In recent months, these struggles have created a level of antagonism within the congregation that undermines the community’s efforts to embody harmony in the name of Jesus Christ. The consistent discord has made it virtually impossible to establish a fruitful covenant between the congregation and me." more ›

Cops who arrested three people—two women and one man—for assaulting a woman in Mastic Beach say that the trio "made numerous anti-gay remarks about the victim's sexual orientation." According to Newsday, Nora Mitzner (pictured), Lindsay McBeth, and Selwyn Icangelo repeatedly kicked, hit and pushed the female victim last night; the victim's injuries did not require hospitalization. The three were charged with aggravated harassment and the incident was reported to the U.S. Department of Criminal Justice. Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said, "In Suffolk County, we stand united in denouncing violent and abusive acts against a person because of their race, creed, ethnicity or sexual orientation." Last year, a Ecuadorian immigrant was killed in Suffolk County during an apparent hate crime spree by teens. more ›

We're getting preliminary reports about an "aircraft emergency" this morning at LaGuardia airport, where an incoming American Airlines flight was hit by a bird strike when coming in for a landing. No injuries are being reported, but paramedics were called to meet the plane at gate 10, apparently as a precaution. The pilot also reported a "hydraulic leak in the nose gear." The incident comes as the city moves to euthanize 2,000 geese within 5 miles of airports during their molting season, in an effort to prevent another crash like the one that befell Flight 1549. more ›

With Bernard Madoff's downfall, there's some mirth. Last night, the Daily Show took the "150 Years of Solitude" route and examined the disgraced financier's sentence...and the latest scheme he's apparently running at the MCC—a Ponzi handjob scheme. more ›

Not surprising, but still troubling: A new study from the University of Washington and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health shows that subways are the loudest forms of mass transit in the city. Some of the noise levels recorded in the subway exceeded 100 decibels, which is loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss for regular straphangers if they're exposed to it for even as little as two minutes a day. (The subway system's average decibel level was 80.4) Health expert Robyn Gershon tells NY1, "For a typical day, you should not exceed between 70 and 75 decibels across that 24 hours. Once you do, it accumulates time after time, year after year, and after a while, you will have hearing loss." The MTA says noise reduction has long been a concern, and their efforts to hush up include retro-fitting stations with noise absorbing barriers and quieting track noise with welded rail fasteners. But we'd be happy if they could just do something about the maddening train brake screeching at Union Square! more ›

Yesterday, three men working at a Queens recycling plant died when they were trapped in a sewage hole that was full of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas. The NY Times reports the men, including a father and son, were "overcome by toxic fumes Monday afternoon and died, apparently falling one after another into the Stygian gloom of a putrid, manhole-size, 18-foot-deep well they were trying to vacuum." more ›

After testing positive for cocaine use nine times while out on bail, former preschool director Andy Lewis has finally exhausted the patience of a Federal judge. Lewis, whose Brooklyn Children's Academy was shut down last year after parents discovered exposed wires, unpainted walls and noxious fumes in the building, is charged with stealing more than $500,000 in government funding intended for free meals for poor youths at his Better Brooklyn Community Center. But where, pray tell, could all that money have gone?! According to court papers from April obtained by the Daily News, Lewis blamed the test results on a cocaine-laced cigarette someone gave him. But Judge Kiyo Matsumoto wouldn't be fooled again, and said she felt "ridiculous" for giving Lewis so many chances. (His lawyer unsuccessfully argued that his client should remain free because he had passed nearly twice as many tests as he had failed.) When Judge Matsumoto told Lewis he would be incarcerated, the defendent reportedly cried, "Oh, my God, I can't go to jail! I beg of you! God Almighty! Please, your honor, reconsider!" more ›

Even though a judge ordered that the warring State Senate factions had to, you know, actually work and hold a joint session, things are never easy in Albany. Mainly because the Republicans are appealing the ruling and will be granted an automatic stay, since it involves a branch of the government. But let's just enjoy what State Supreme Court Justice Judge Joseph Teresi said about the Democrats' and Republicans' separate back-to-back few-minutes-long sessions, "The intention, as I find it to be in the New York State Constitution, I find that the word convene means to come into session as one group. To come into session as separate groups is a fiction. It's an illusion that these elected officials are working as one elected group that is the New York State Senate, and I will not be part of that fiction." more ›

Easygoing banks like TD Bank try to cultivate a customer-friendly atmosphere by cheerfully greeting customers, handing out lollipops, and making sure there's no oppressive bulletproof glass harshing the vibe. But now the City Council, acting like a bunch of squares telling the hippies to put their clothes on, is considering a law to force banks to use the "bandit barriers." At a Public Safety Committee hearing yesterday, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly testified in support of the legislation, arguing that 47% of robberies in NYC in 2008 occurred at banks with bandit barriers, while 53% went down at banks without them. (The NYPD says there were 444 bank robbery attempts in 2008 — both failed and successful — up 57 percent from 2007.) But Gregory Braca, TD Bank’s president of operations, begged the Council to drop the bill, citing "evidence that if we had to install barriers, it could increase the risk of hostage-taking and injury to our customers." One TD Bank customer explained the appeal to the Times: "With that glass, you feel like you're in a government office, where the lady just talks to you through the little window." (And never offers you a lolly.) more ›

With fraudulent investor Bernard Madoff sentenced to 150 years in prison, the feds are now going after his associates. The Associated Press reports, "A person familiar with the investigation into disgraced financier Bernard Madoff says at least 10 more people are likely to be charged by the time the probe is complete." The associates will apparently face charges over the next few months; "The person familiar with the probe wouldn't detail the likely charges against the others or say whether they would include Madoff's relatives or former employees." more ›

Early Tuesday morning, a Yemeni jet carrying 153 people (142 passengers, 11 crew members) crashed into the Indian Ocean (here's a map and timeline). Rescuers found a toddler; CNN reports, "The child is the only known survivor from the downed Yemenia Airways flight, which was carrying 153 people en route to the island nation of Comoros from Yemen's capital, Sanaa. The child was found in the waters and taken to a hospital." According to the NY Times, "The flight, IY 626, originated in Paris and stopped in Marseille before continuing to Yemen, where the passengers and crew changed planes." Yemeni authorities say the plane, which was an Airbus 310 (the fatal Air France flight was an Airbus 330), was headed to the Comoros airport in heavy winds. And BBC News says that EU has been concerned about Yemenia's safety and suggests that the a worldwide blacklist of unsafe airlines be created. more ›

Brewers 10, Mets 6: In his first three starts, Fernando Nieve allowed 10 hits and three runs in 18 2/3 innings. Start No. 4 didn't go quite as well as he allowed three runs on 11 hits in 3 1/3 innings. The Mets were able to close a 3-0 gap to 3-2, but a Casey McGhee grand slam off Brian Stokes blew the game wide open. Down by seven in the ninth, the Mets tried to rally behind a David Wright RBI double and a Gary Sheffield homer, but Brian Schneider hit into a game-ending double play. The Mets sit below .500 for the first time since May 5, but they are only three games behind Phillies. The National League may just be bad enough for the Mets to stay in it. more ›

Three workers at a private recycling facility in Jamaica, Queens died while trapped in a sewage hole earlier this afternoon. According to NY1, "The men were subcontractors pumping three to four feet of water out of the hole, which was about 18-feet deep. One worker fell into the hole and the two others fell in while trying to help him." And CityRoom reports that two of the workers were a father and a son. The hole was full of hydrogen sulfide and fire officials said there was twice the lethal amount of the colorless gas, which the CDC says "can also result from bacterial breakdown of organic matter. It is also produced by human and animal wastes." Queens Borough Commander John Sudnik said, "It's toxic. At 50 parts per million, it's lethal in 10 minutes." Initially, the FDNY had called Con Ed to bring vacuum trucks, which helps suck debris from manholes, to Regal Recycling Co. but then cancelled the request because the victims were dead. more ›

A former Village Voice staffer in town for the weekend, was jumped, badly beaten and called a faggot by a group of young men on the Upper East Side in the wee hours of Saturday morning. 36-year-old Joe Holladay of Boston was smoking outside the friend's apartment on East 85th near York around 4 a.m. Saturday when the group of five or six men came up to him and hit him with an object, possibly the butt of a gun. Holladay told the Voice, "It's very blurry. But yeah, they said 'faggot.' And the next thing I know I'm in the hospital." A neighbor said they spotted a group of young white men with crewcuts, wearing wife beaters and smoking pot nearby before the attack. It's believed that they hopped in a gold Subaru older model station wagon after the attack. Upon reading about the incident, State Senator Thomas Duane got involved with the possibility of pursuing it as a hate crime and said, "Hate and prejudice of any kind are unacceptable in New York City or anywhere and there is a heightened injustice that this apparently anti-gay incident occurred during Pride Week." more ›

Update: A judge has ruled that the State Senate must meet and have a joint session tomorrow morning, holding up the lawsuit brought on by Governor Paterson. Republicans are already saying they will appeal the decision, so don't hold your breath for things to get under way first thing tomorrow. NY1 also notes that while the ruling by State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Teresi mandates that all 62 senators get together, it "does not say that anything needs to be accomplished in the session." more ›

In what is truly a case of politics making for strange bedfellows, it's reported that Governor Paterson's right-hand man, Charles O'Byrne (pictured), recently had a meeting with GOP operative Roger Stone. Stone of course is the man best known for helping bring down former Governor Eliot Spitzer, outing his penchant for socks-on time and chewing out Spitzer's elderly father along the way. Stone has publicly stated that he would like to see Paterson, and not Andrew Cuomo, get the Democratic nomination next year because he knows the governor appears more vulnerable to a GOP opponent. Could O'Byrne have been looking for assistance from a man eager to aid the governor's ultimate defeat? more ›

As promised, last year's first Summer Streets series, which created a 6.9 mile car-free stretch of Manhattan pavement on three Saturdays in August, will return, despite heated objections from some merchants who said the closings hurt their businesses. Today Russell Simmons and Luis Guzmán joined Mayor Bloomberg, DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, and other officials to formally announce this year's events, which will take place in Manhattan on Saturday August 8th, 15th and 22nd from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Manhattan route will run from the Brooklyn Bridge via Lafayette/Centre Streets, 4th Avenue and Park Avenue up to 72nd street, while major cross-town streets will remain open to vehicles crossing the route. In addition, the Summer Streets program is being expanded to all five boroughs, with smaller stretches in a total of 13 neighborhoods. One such micro-version of Summer Streets, Williamsburg Walks, is already underway and will continue next Saturday and July 11th, unless the teenagers ruin everything with their skateboards! A full list of all the neighborhood Summer Streets events can be perused here, along with all the other free activities presented by the city. more ›

Since the city's tax revenue has plummeted, with the stock market and the fortunes of Wall Street, the Staten Island Advance notices, "The city plans to collect a record $900 million in fines during the upcoming fiscal year, which begins next week, according to budget estimates," thanks to fines like "A $25 fine from Sanitation for failing to comply with the city's recycling regulations. A $250 summons from Parks for not stopping to 'scoop the poop' from your pet. A $200 fine from Consumer Affairs for leaving your shop store open while the air conditioning is running, and a $250 ticket from a traffic agent for leaving your engine running while you run into that store." Restaurant violations are up from $27 million last year to $38 million this coming budget year, but the big money maker is parking fines, which may rack up $600 million this year. Sari Kingsley, a recent victim of the ticket blitz, said she got her ticket minutes after parking outside her office, with the traffic agent claiming it had been there for over two hours; Kingsley said, "It's beyond just enforcement. It's harassment." more ›

Forget stickball and midnight basketball: Cricket is the new sport keeping the city's youth out of trouble this summer. The NY Times reports the NYPD is expanding an effort begun last summer to sponsor a citywide youth league for cricket, a sport that is even less popular in the U.S. than, say, arena football but has major followings within the city's neighborhoods of recent immigrants. Ten teams with names like the Pak Brighton and West Indies Kings are now competing to play in the city championship game Aug. 27, and it's already winning friends for the police. Team captain Azurdeen Mohammed, 18, says, "It shows the police are interested in bringing the youths away from street life...My guys, when they see the cops, they know they help us out." The police, meanwhile, are banking on these ties to help build stronger connections in communities of Caribbean and South Asian families. Standings and schedules are posted on the league's official blog, and you can see videos of gameplay on the league's YouTube channel. more ›

The season's second Williamsburg Walks took place this weekend (last Saturday was rained out), with Bedford Avenue closed to traffic from North 4th to North 9th Streets. Community groups set up tables, chairs, blankets and pillows for passers-by to linger and chat, and an atmosphere of peaceful conviviality prevailed—until the teenagers came with their accursed skateboards! With its indoor half-pipe, the KCDC skate shop on Wythe has been a magnet for skaters for years now, and on Saturday the place was packed for Go Skateboarding Day, with hundreds of youths rolling over to Bedford to gleam the cube. more ›

After her husband was sentenced to 150 years in prison for running a $65 billion Ponzi scheme, Ruth Madoff issued a statement. It begins, "I am breaking my silence now, because my reluctance to speak has been interpreted as indifference or lack of sympathy for the victims of my husband Bernie’s crime, which is exactly the opposite of the truth... I am embarrassed and ashamed. Like everyone else, I feel betrayed and confused." Her full statement is after the jump; earlier, Bernard Madoff told the court that she cries herself to sleep every night. more ›

As of last Friday, school's out for summer. But if legislators in Albany don't get together before tomorrow's deadline, Mayor Bloomberg's school control could be out forever. Bloomberg has been seething at the possibility that the turmoil in Albany might mean that the State Senate will not convene in time to pass an extension for the mayoral control bill that has already gone through the Assembly. Today Bloomberg suggested giving out personal information to get legislators to listen saying, "We'll give you the numbers of the senators assuming everybody promises to call them at 3 in the morning. I can do one better. We should give you their addresses so you can stand outside their houses. That would really make a dent." Bloomberg said that he used to have his number listed and would get a 3 a.m. call once a month, usually someone calling with a problem he would have them call back with in the morning. "Most did, and we were able to solve their problem." more ›

Earlier this month it was announced that naming rights to certain locations around the city would be up for grabs to anyone with a few million bucks. Of course the city needs money, but is it right to strip away the history behind certain places? The Brooklyn Paper reports that there's some uproar over the re-naming of McCarren Park Pool, which might go on the block for $3 million, originally named for Senator Henry Patrick McCarren (D-Greenpoint). The Pool Aid folks have set up a petition, currently holding about 165 signatures, and the founder told the paper, “This is not a rootless community that just sprang up. We have a history, and we are seeing it just torn down before our eyes everyday. He is an important guy, he is a benefactor to this community, and he deserves to have his name on the institutions he worked to create." McCarren died in 1909, and you can learn more about his life and death in his New York Times obituary, as well as this Bowery Boys profile. more ›

June 12th. The temperature has not been above normal since June 12th. Today threatens to be the first warmer than average day in more than two weeks. This morning's low was 65 degrees. The mercury at Belvedere Castle will need to climb to the predicted high of 85 in order for us to break the cool weather streak. Believe it or not, there is only a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm this afternoon. more ›

The couple arrested over the weekend for stashing drugs inside the daycare center they ran was arraigned inside a Brooklyn courtroom yesterday. Police first came to Special Moments Day Care after it was robbed at gunpoint Friday morning, leading to a shootout between cops and one of the burglars, who ended up shot twice as a dozen young children napped peacefully below. But something about the robbery didn't add up to police, who returned to find ten pounds of marijuana and $100,000 cash hidden in the basement of East Flatbush's Special Moments, run by Donna and Sherwin Rogers. The robbers knew that it was weed delivery day and came into the daycare posing as parents. Yesterday a judge set bail at $50,000 for the owner Donna and 25k for her husband, but cops wanted stiffer penalties. A police source told the News, "It put kids at risk. The shooting happened right exactly where the kids were sleeping." more ›

In a courtroom packed with several hundred spectators—some of them his ruined victims—Ponzi-schemer Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Denny Chin. In the courtroom, Madoff told Chin, federal prosecutors and his victims that he thought he could "work his way out" of fraud and that he lives in a "tormented state." He added that he lied to his brother and sons and that his wife Ruth Madoff cries herself to sleep each night. He did turn to face his victims briefly and said:

"I'm sorry; I know that doesn't help you. I cannot offer you an excuse for my behavior. "How do you excuse betraying thousands of investors who entrusted me with their life savings? How do you excuse deceiving 200 employees who spent most of their working life with me? How do you excuse lying to a brother and two sons who spent their entire lives helping to build a successful business? How do you excuse lying to a wife who stood by you for 50 years?"

The NY Post reports that a woman who was walking into her Upper East Side building (exact location not specified) was attacked last week: The 32-year-old woman said the thug grabbed her from behind at 2:20 a.m. Friday." The suspect, Marco Marine, 26, also "tore off the top of her dress and fondled her before knocking her to the ground and fleeing." The woman said, "My immediate reaction was to fight back. I gave chase and was screaming at the top of my lungs." Thankfully, a neighboring doorman appeared and called the police, who then drove the victim around. She was able to identify the suspect, who was arrested for burglary and sex abuse. more ›

Today's the first day back to work since the MTA's fare hikes went into effect over the weekend, and the city's news outlets are closely monitoring the public's response. While many experts expected commuters to greet the fare hikes with flowers and dancing on the subway platforms, it looks like they just don't appreciate the MTA's noble attempt to liberate their wallets. Many, in fact, expressed a shocking degree of contempt for the Authority: discontented subway rider Emmanuel Louis (no relation to the Webster star) tells the Daily News, "You shouldn't raise the fare if you're not going to increase service. It's just not fair." more ›

With four major sports complexes crowding a 30 mile radius, and another on the way to Brooklyn as part of the embattled Atlantic Yards project, owners are now facing the sobering prospect of one day fighting to fill nearly 100,000 seats, 365 days a year. Mark Rosentraub, a professor of sports management at the University of Michigan, tells the Times, "The market is saturated... Five arenas is not going to work. I don’t think four works, even in a market as large as New York. There’s competition in every direction and there aren’t enough events." Of course, there's been heated debate for years over whether these government-subsidized stadiums—often sold as snake oil panaceas to foundering regional economies—actually contribute much to the community. (Here's one great article on the subject.) Now arenas are hemorrhaging money across the country, the Times reports. But this is New York, and there's always room for one more! Developer Bruce Ratner, demonstrating a vampiric ability not to die from a thousand cuts, scored some major victories last week, and is rushing to break ground on his Brooklyn monstrosity before the end of the year. more ›

Early Sunday morning, an off-duty state correction officer was killed after being shot multiple times on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights. The NY Times reports that the victim, Jeremie Kane, had "left Millie’s Head 2 Toes barbershop... just before 1 a.m., the police said. Mr. Kane stepped outside the barbershop to make a call on his cellphone when he got into a dispute with another man, who then shot him." According to the Daily News, Kane was shot twice in the head and four times in the chest—"Investigators were not certain what prompted the deadly shooting and have not ruled out that it was a robbery attempt." Kane, 30, was assigned to Ossining "Sing Sing" Prison, but was released on workers comp leave last month and had been staying with his mother in Brooklyn. The Times saw his aunt visit the site where Kane was killed and a small memorial had been placed; she sobbed, "Oh, my God, the blood’s still here." more ›

It's Bernard Madoff's big day: At 10 a.m., U.S. District Judge Denny Chin will hand down a sentence that determines the 71-year-old's future after he pleaded guilty to orchestrating a $65 billion Ponzi scheme in the guise of an exclusive investment fund. Bloomberg News reports, "Each of the 250 seats in the courthouse’s Ceremonial Courtroom will probably be filled, many with Madoff victims. Proceedings will be broadcast to courthouse overflow rooms." Ten of the victims have asked to speak during the sentencing. more ›

Yesterday wasn't just unusual because the sun actually came out—on the Upper East Side, residents saw 8,000-10,000 bees emerge (video) from a hive on Lexington between 80th and 81st Streets! The Post claims that the bees "had surreptitiously moved into the neighborhood sometime in the past month and managed to build a giant hive in a tree... without anyone noticing." Gasp—Upper East Siders, your nosy neighbor quotient is slipping! Anyway, the swarm got moving because the queen bee went out for a flight around 4 p.m., and naturally her loyal "subjects" followed her. An onlooker said, "It was a three foot column of bees." Enter the NYPD's resident beekeeper (who knew?) Police Officer Anthony Planakis who declared it "one of the biggest swarms I've ever seen" and promised to take them "to a farm in Connecticut to pollinate." Last month, a swarm of bees were the main attraction in Union Square. more ›

The older brother of the Connecticut woman who was severely mauled by her friend's 200-pound chimpanzee in February told the Daily News, "When she gets knocked down, she gets back up...Her psychiatrist asked her if she wanted to know anything about the event. She said, 'Nope. That's in the past.'" Charla Nash has been at the Cleveland Clinic for treatment; older brother Stephen and twin brother Michael have been taking turns being with her in Ohio and caring for her daughter in Connecticut. Michael Nash said, "Her acceptance [of her injuries] just shows her courage and fortitude. She's not concerned about what happened, she just wants to get fixed," adding that the letters and cards from people wishing for her recovery have helped her. The brothers also spoke to the AP over the weekend, saying that their sister was scared of the chimp owned by Nash's friend and employer Sondra Herold, noting that Nash had welded the chimp's cage a few times. However, Herold's lawyer wonders why Nash would willing come to Herold's house if she was scared; the brothers filed a $50 million lawsuit against Herold. more ›

Mariano Rivera achieved two big career milestones in Sunday’s 4-2 Yankees’ win. He got his 500th save, becoming only the second player to reach that mark and he got his first career RBI. more ›

This weekend rainbows have been spotted in the skies over Brooklyn, shunned from the fire escapes of the West Village and now are being fought over on the corner of The Bronx. These particular rainbows are ones that come in a frozen form known as "helados," sold from carts and better known in their Latino neighborhoods as 'Rembo.' The Times looks into the fierce competition emerging this season as the respect given to some longtime vendors' dibs on certain corners is getting trumped by new vendors who have patiently held out through long waiting lists. They're all fighting, legally or not, to make make ends meet through what's already been a tough stretch of inclement weather, not to mention the recession. While it sounds like a relatively cold war going on in Park Versailles for now, the elements are certainly in place for a equivalent the Goodfellas-esque ice cream tuck wars taking place in Queens. more ›

They couldn’t pull of a second miracle this week, but the U.S. Soccer team has nothing to be ashamed about. They beat the #1 team in the World, Spain, and led another soccer powerhouse, Brazil, for most of their game today. In the end though, Brazil had too much firepower and they prevailed 3-2. While a win today would have captured the World’s attention, today’s loss should capture the attention of this country. We have a soccer team that can compete with the best in the World and it is time for the U.S. to give it some attention. more ›

Just in case you were wondering, the Reverend Al Sharpton is headed to California to be with Michael Jackson's family—his spokesperson said, "Reverend Sharpton is on his way to Los Angeles to meet with Michael's parents and siblings and to talk about the needs to preserve and protect Michael's legacy." Sharpton, who spoke outside the Apollo right after Jackson's death was announced, will lead a moment of silence and read a eulogy for the pop singer during the Apollo's tribute to Jackson, planned on Tuesday. Between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., 600 mourners per 45-minute interval are invited to leave memorabilia and flowers and remember Jackson's life. And on Wednesday, the Apollo's Amateur Night will feature a moonwalking competition. Apollo Theater Foundation President Jonelle Procope said, "We at the Apollo thought it was important to put these events together to give Michael's fans the chance to remember him as the consummate entertainer that he was." more ›

Thousands (possibly hundreds of thousands) of people gathered for today's Gay Pride March, and it seems that the NYPD is serious about revelers on Christopher Street not watching the parade from fire escapes. While the Sixth Precinct's letter to Christopher Street residents simply "recommended" that fire escapes not be used for march viewing due to concerns about the escapes' structural integrity and for the public, we hear that cops are taking their suggestion seriously—a tipster says, "They just made a party of folks leave their fire escape (I think at 100 Christopher)." more ›

An elderly man who was the owner of a Queens pub died yesterday when he suffocated in sludge after slipping and falling while cleaning his sewer drain. 83-year-old Luigi Cerrone was discovered at 4:45 yesterday afternoon after he had fell into the sewage drain he had been cleaning. The News lists his business as Cafe People; the Post as Prince II. Both establishments appear to be listed at the same address on Northern Boulevard in Flushing. Cerrone had been married for sixty years and was a great-grandfather. Relatives at his Bayside home who talked to the local papers told them that "Everybody loved him," and simply that "people are crying over here." more ›

The Post has an article looking at the lunchtime habits of some World Trade Center construction workers—specifically the liquid preferences the workers have: "Dozens of workers belly up to the bar at gin mills on Murray Street -- two blocks from the sacred soil of Ground Zero and America's most scrutinized construction project -- shortly before noon every day." At one bar, "three pals plus a fourth worker gulped three beers and two shots of whiskey each during the lunch hour, when the bar was packed with construction workers...openly discuss[ing] their drinking, their Ground Zero work -- and DWI arrests." more ›

We've all heard nightmare tales reminding us of why you shouldn't date your boss, but a Long Island woman learned an even tougher lesson when things went sour with her boyfriend, who also happened to be her landlord. Kim Hookey wanted a full 30 days notice when things went sour with boyfriend Robert Drost—because what's better than living together with your ex for the first month after everything goes haywire? Drost insisted that he wasn't trying to play Hookey; he merely was following the letter of the law which said he only had to give her ten days to pack up her things and leave his Northport house. A judge agreed with Drost that she did not have rights as a "tenant-at-will." Drost's lawyer believed the case could be summed up succinctly by saying, "He owns the house. He asked her to leave. She said she wouldn't." The Suffolk judge said the it's the first time an appellate court "has directly addressed the paramour licensee issue." A Hofstra law professor told Newsday, "It doesn't mean that when all relationships go sour that a boyfriend can evict his partner lickety-split." more ›

While the death of Michael Jackson has captured the attention of fans around the world, New Yorkers have found their curiosities wandering upward this weekend to take in the dazzling skies that have felt like a culmination of an unusual month of weather. So it almost seems inevitable that one outlet found a way to capitalize on combining the two stories—My Fox NY thinks that they might see The Gloved One in one of those magical mammatus cloud formations from Friday night. more ›

On Friday, the Coast Guard noticed a hole in the hull of a cruise ship, plus some other deficiencies, during a routine inspection of the Oceanic cruise ship—aka the Peace Boat, a non-profit and NGO which started its journey in Japan. While it was initially believed the ship could be repaired in time to set sail for Venezuela today, the hole (which was letting in about one gallon of water an hour and was temporarily sealed with epoxy) needs further repairs, requiring the boat to go into dry dock in NJ and its passengers to stay in New York for a little bit. Peace Boat volunteer Yuth Hiramatsu told the Daily News, "Everybody's really happy to be stuck in New York. It's a lot like Tokyo. I thought America was supposed to be laid back but not in New York." The 848 passengers will also spend time in Atlantic City; one said, "I'm happy about staying in New York so long as we don't cut anymore ports." more ›

From the wires: A marine unit has reported seeing a pod of dolphins off the south end of City Island!! (Maybe they heard how much Remy Ma likes Sammy's?) About 150-200 dolphins were seen in the Long Island Sound yesterday; the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation told Newsday they were "acting normally"—and chasing herring—but reminded people to stay 150 feet (or more) away from them. Update: The marine unit says the dolphins appear to be "confused" in the Long Island Sound—poor dolphins! more ›

After several days of headlines in which an infamous South American tryst lasted longer than expected, David Goldman must have felt like salt was being rubbed in his wounds this week. Now a Brazilian court has once again ruled against Godman in his battle to get custody of his 8-year-old son Sean, who was brought there 5 years ago from Goldman's now late ex-wife and currently in the custody of the Brazilian man she remarried. A federal judge overturned an earlier ruling that will put Sean into the hands of his stepdad six days a week until the ultimate custody ruling comes down—whenever that may be. While reports have surfaced that his son wishes to remain in Brazil, Goldman claims that the stepfather and his son's maternal grandparents are "brainwashing to boy" and "wreaking untold psychological damage on him." Goldman continues to be assisted by his local Congressman in Tinton Falls, Chris Smith, in fighting for the over 70 American children that Goldman claims are being illegally kept in Brazil alone. more ›

Yesterday's brief downpour didn't result in Mammatus clouds, but it did bring a pretty rainbow. We'll take it! more ›

Get ready an explosion of color and pride and with today's annual NYC LGBT Gay Pride Parade. The parade-march starts at noon, at Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street; the parade makes its way down Fifth, swings right onto West 8th Street and ends on Christopher Street, with grand marshals Oscar-winning Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, Harvey Milk's campaign workers and LGBT activists Cleve Jones and Anne Kronenberg, and Governor David Paterson. Besides the parade, there's the Pridefest on Hudson St. between Abingdon Sq. & West 14th St. (between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.) and Pier Dance at Pier 54 (Hudson River & 13th Street; tickets are $70). Overall, expect lots of revelry in the West Village, even if they're not on the fire escapes this year! If you're headed to the parade, you can share your photos with us by tagging them "gothamist" on Flickr or emailing them to tips(at)gothamist(dot)com . more ›

It turns out that the Brooklyn daycare center where cops and robbers had a shootout above napping children Friday wasn't just a pickup spot for neighborhood parents. After cops returned to Special Moments Day Care in East Flatbush with suspicions that the burglars going after a suitcase full of cash might be part of an inside job, they discovered that the center was doubling as a drug den when they uncovered ten pounds of marijuana and $100,000 in cash. more ›

According to the Daily News, the worker who was seriously injured during a flash fire at a Columbia-Presbyterian building is "clinging to life." Manuel Culcay suffered burned on 85% of his body; he is in critical condition at Harlem Hospital (which has a burn unit), breathing with the help of a ventilator. On Friday, Culcay, who works for Yonkers-based Acid Waste Management, had been cleaning out a water tank when the vapors of the alcohol cleaning solution ignited when someone turned on a halogen lamp. One of the paramedics who tended to Culcay, Mark Caplan, told the News that he and his partner had just dropped off a patient at Columbia-Presbyterian, "We were done with our shift. I guess we were at the right place at the right time," and added that they were praying for him. more ›

Governor Paterson called for another special State Senate session today, because the Democrats and Republicans have been stalemated with a 31 votes each, which is one short of a quorum to get work done. But if today's session is anything like yesterday, PolitickerNY explains what we can expect: "Most of the 62 state senators fighting over their chamber's leadership showed up for an extraordinary session this [Saturday] afternoon—as did the nine people whose nominations were the ostensible purpose of the session—but once again, a bi-partisan gaveling in and out lasted just over five minutes." In the meantime, Democrats and Republicans are meeting behind the scenes, ostensibly to work out some sort of a deal to get work done (they haven't done anything except bicker for the past three weeks!); Sen. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) told PolitickerNY, "The positive things, I think is that both sides are meeting. Talking is always good, but so far there hasn't been anything that has been agreed upon." more ›

• Yankees 5 Mets 0: Two games into the Subway Series at Citi Field it appears that the Yankees have no problems hitting in the spacious ballpark. Saturday they hit two more homers, Nick Swisher with a solo shot and Jorge Posada with a three-run bomb. A.J. Burnett took it from there, stifling the depleted Mets’ lineup. Burnett gave up only one hit in seven innings and struck out ten batters. Tim Redding matched him for a while, but ran into trouble in the sixth with Posada striking the big blow. Brian Bruney and David Robertson took it from there, pitching 1-2-3 innings and leaving the Mets with Alex Cora’s single as their only hit of the night.

Keep those quarters handy. Starting at midnight Sunday, the base fare on New York City subways and buses is going up for the first time since 2003—from $2.00 to $2.25. Unlimiteds are also rising in price across the board, with monthly Metrocards going from $81 to $89. If you're on a weekly card or have a longer one about to expire, you might want to make a trip to your nearest subway station this evening to pick a card up the old rates. But don't think about stockpiling them—the grace period to use start using cards purchased at the old rate is Monday July 6th. Funny that the fare hikes have fallen so close to Independence Day without using the holiday for the changeover. Fourth of July was the date that both the free transfer from subways to buses (and vice-versa) debuted and unlimited Metrocards were introduced, in 1997 and 1998 respectively. Signs of this most recent change have been appearing underground this week—sometimes as seen here in as many as five languages at once. more ›

With the arrival of the first official weekend of summer, skies glowing in mesmerizing patterns and everyone looking for a breather from a full month of June gloom, New Yorkers already out in the streets have continued to form their own impromptu tributes to the late Michael Jackson. In Washington Square Park, a spontaneous dance party broke out yesterday at dusk with fans doing the signature moves of Moonwalker and Thriller alike, led by the few who showed up in fedoras, gloves on one hand and one MJ lover who went the full nine and had the classic red leather jacket. more ›

While the city's Health Department has emphasized that cases of swine flu are declining, the Daily News reports that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data suggests "half a million New Yorkers have been infected by swine flu." The CDC thinks there are actually 50 times more cases of swine flu than what's been reported to health authorities: "The CDC study was not based on laboratory evidence. Instead, researchers relied on mathematical modelling of surveys conducted in areas, like New York City, that have had high levels of H1N1 infections." Hmm. The Health Department had no comment; so far, the city has had 32 deaths and 804 hospitalizations due to swine flu. The next Health Department update will be on July 1. more ›

While today's sky has been blue with fluffy (cumulus?) clouds, we're still thinking about last night's dazzling post-storm mammatus clouds. Here are some more of photographs of the clouds. Thank you to everyone who shared their pictures—we apologize that we couldn't put them all up (we did get a lot!). more ›

The Department of Education announced that it would be discontinuing the gifted program at the Clinton Hill public school where the principal was arrested for beating a teacher during a meeting last month. The removal of the program is the result of tensions that had been boiling over for some time before the incident between Principal Sean Keaton and many parents at the school. The Times has an in-depth look at the history of the conflict where they note: "Mr. Keaton is black, as are three-quarters of the students, while many of the families who said they found him hard to work with are white." The paper says that despite the cancellation of the program and the fight allegations (including the teacher having a stomp mark on his face), many of the parents at PS 20 stand by him. At the 5th grade graduation ceremonies this week, one parent said, “He’s straightforward and he pulls no punches. He gives it to you in the raw, and I respect that.” Keaton has been transferred to administrative duties elsewhere while an investigation is underway. more ›

Now it's clear why Ruth Madoff was riding the subway earlier this week: The Ponzi schemer's wife has come to an agreement with federal prosecutors, leaving her with $2.5 million as she must sell her and her husband's $7 million Upper East Side penthouse, $11 million Palm Beach house, and $3 million Montauk house and many other assets such as yachts. The homes and other assets will be sold, with proceeds going to victims of Bernard Madoff's $65 billion fraud. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg and a group of school children heralded the start of the city's outdoor pool season by jumping into the Jackie Robinson Recreational Pool. Besides paying tribute to Michael Jackson, Bloomberg said, "By mayoral order, I am for now declaring school's out, pool's in." (The music? "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough.") WCBS 880 spoke to 9-year-old Celia Rodriguez about the mayor's swimming techniques; she was surprised he was a good swimmer, "Yes. He can float on top." Keeping with his tradition, the mayor kept a t-shirt on while in the pool. For more details on the city's outdoor pools, here's information from the Parks Department. more ›

School's out—here comes trouble. Two teenagers have been arrested after they went on "an anti-Semitic spree" on Thursday afternoon in Manhattan. Two boys, 15 and 16 respectively, drew swastikas in black Sharpie on walls at both the Bialystoker Synagogue and the United Hebrew Center on the Lower East Side. At the Hebrew Center, they also lit off smoke bombs; at the synagogue, they hurled eggs and also wrote an anti-Semitic slur on the wall. The synagogue happens to be the East Broadway temple where Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has worshiped since he was four years old. Silver told NY1, "This is a crime, not against the synagogue; this is a crime against society. When people choose to desecrate a house of worship, it doesn't matter whether it's a church, a synagogue. It is just a despicable act that really should tug at the heartstrings of all of us." It's believed that a nearby surveillance camera led police to the two teens. more ›

After revelations that State Senator Pedro Espada Jr.'s non-profit Soundview Health Clinic owed about $347,000 in back taxes, the State Comptroller's office revoked a $3 million payment to Soundview. The Times Union reports that Espada, as the group's CEO, claimed there were no liens, claims or judgments over $15,000 in a document he signed; the Times Union notes, "The document warns those who sign it that an intentionally false statement may be a crime or lead to cancellation of state funding." The company has "two open [NY State] claims from this year, totaling $73,842 for employee withholding taxes, and one open warrant from last June for $88,476 for unemployment taxes" and a $185,000 IRS debt filed in April. Espada was paid over $400,000 for his work as recently as 2007. Related: The NY Times looks at how Espada's lawyer during State Senate negotiations is also a lobbyist. more ›

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a bill "intended to address global warming and transform the way the nation produces and uses energy," the NY Times reports. However, it was not an easy victory for President Obama: Forty-four Democrats voted against it, while eight Republicans voted for it, with the final vote at 219-212. In his weekly address, Obama noted that the bill will "finally create a set of incentives that will spark a clean energy transformation in our economy...spur the development of low carbon sources of energy - everything from wind, solar, and geothermal power to safer nuclear energy and cleaner coal....new energy savings. And most importantly, it will make possible the creation of millions of new jobs." However, the bill now heads to the Senate, where, the Washington Post warns, "passing climate legislation could prove more difficult." more ›

An attempted robbery at a Brooklyn daycare center yesterday led to a shootout between cops and one of the suspects right above the young children sleeping at their feet. Two men made their way into Special Moments Daycare in East Flatbush yesterday afternoon. Police believe the suspects may have known that it was payday at the childcare facility. more ›

When Tony Bennett's non-profit helped found your school, you can bet the famous crooner will show up at graduation. Bennett sang at the commencement of the Frank Sinatra High School for the Arts in Astoria, Queens—his hometown (he grew up on 32nd Street by Ditmars)—and Bruce Willis was the commencement speaker, telling students, "I don't think you should listen to anybody else. Just be brave and go out there and do whatever you want." The ceremony was held at the high school's sleek new building, which Bennett visited with the NY Times recently. Bennett brought his sound man to make sure the acoustics of the school's concert hall were perfect and said of his Manhattan high school, the High School of Industrial Arts, "We went to lunch and the ceiling fell down on the desks. We would have been smashed — that’s how terrible the building was." The Times has a charming video of Bennett walking around Astoria, "I come back here and I like this better than any place I’ve ever lived." more ›

On Thursday night, the FBI raided six locations in Queens and on Long Island that the agency believes supplies drugs to street gangs on Long Island. Newsday reports, "The arrests were the first phase in a long-term operation aimed at breaking up gangs, such as the Bloods and the Crips, by eventually charging members with drug offenses that carry long-term prison sentences." An FBI agent explained that the suspects would use a code—which was originally developed by the Five-Percenters (the suspects were not Five-Percenters)—that substituted numbers with words: "In the code, the number three, for example, stood for the word 'understanding' and the number six for 'equality.' So when the suspects said 'understanding' and 'equality' together, they were saying a kilo of cocaine cost $36,000," according to the agent. Four people were arrested, all pleaded not guilty to drug distribution charges and all were held without bail. more ›

Yankees 9 Mets 1: The final score may not have been close, but the Mets threw the game away by committing three errors in the second inning. The first one, a wild throw by David Wright is somewhat understandable, he had picked the ball up barehanded and was off-balance as he threw it. That put Melky Cabrera on second and he scored when Ramiro Pena blooped a double down the rightfield line. Pena then scored when C.C. Sabathia hit a single up the middle to make it 2-0 Yankees. more ›

Whoa! Was Ghostbusters 3 filming tonight? Because those were some crazy clouds just after sunset. They appear to be a mammatus formation-- that's Latin for "bumpy clouds." more ›

The death of Michael Jackson continues to be the focus of much media attention. Audio of the 911 call from Michael Jackson's home was released today. On the call, a caller mentions that a 50-year-old man is not breathing and the the 911 operator suggests that he be moved from the bed to the floor; the caller also mentions that there's a doctor present. According to TMZ, "When EMTs arrived at Michael Jackson's home yesterday, the medics wanted to pronounce him dead on the scene -- but Michael's personal doctor refused to let them 'call it.'" Additionally, EMTs also allegedly saw "evidence [that] someone had been performing CPR on Michael for 'quite some time'" and saw "evidence of Lidocaine -- an old-school drug that can be used to treat disturbances in the heart's rhythm." more ›

You know who's not on board with the Health Department's plan to make tobacco retailers display graphic anti-smoking posters? The New York Post, that's who. The tabloid is sick of the government telling us what's bad for us all the time, and someone in Murdoch's stable has penned a cranky editorial about it, darkly wondering how far this health-nut meddling go: "What's next? Mandatory autopsy attendance?" There's also a rockin' allusion to The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again": "Meet the new Tom—same as the old Tom." That's a reference to Tom Farley, Mayor Bloomberg's replacement for ex-city Health Commissioner Tom Frieden, who recently joined the Obama administration. Farley's assistant promises that with this new anti-smoking campaign, "You're going to see what a blackened lung looks like. You're going to see what mouth cancer looks like. You're going to see what it looks like when you have throat cancer." Awesome, right? But to the Post, this is just a blatant power grab: "Mayor Mike and his new health commisar mean to festoon food stores with massive, disgustingly graphic images because they can, not because they should." Basically, it's 1939 all over again! First they came for the smokers... more ›

Governor Paterson is still irritated at the State Senate for holding special sessions for only a few minutes. Here's how the AP described the Senate's dealings: "In brief, separate, back-to-back sessions, Democrats and their Republican-led opponents complied again with Gov. David Paterson's order to convene. But they conducted no state business and only the Democrats decided to hold a moment of silence for Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett." Paterson said today, "This morning, the New York State Senate clocked in and clocked right back out. That’s not work. That’s dereliction of duty... We are no longer paying any member items to senators." Oh, snap—he's referring to the $85 million in pork barrel projects Senators get each year! While there have been some reports that Democrats and Republicans are near a deal, Paterson was skeptical, "They’re telling you they’re very close to an agreement. No. They’re very close to the weekend. If they’re close to an agreement, why couldn’t they go into the chamber today and start passing some of the legislation?" more ›

Nassau County police and prosecutor offered grim details behind a 24-year-old woman's abandonment of her days old baby. According to Newsday, Xiomara Gamez "has six other children, ages 8 and younger, and admitted to being addicted to cocaine during her latest pregnancy." Detective Lt. Ray Cote said that Gamez gave birth to the baby girl in the basement of an abandoned building, cared for her for two days, and then decided to leave the baby—wrapped in a blanket and tucked into a shoebox— in a Hempstead apartment building because she knew other Hispanic families lived there. He added, "She was down on her luck. She supported herself by selling herself." A relative called the police with a tip about Gamez, an illegal immigrant, who previously worked in a factory; her lawyer said the other children with her with ex-husband. A judge ordered her held on $250,000 cash bail/$500,000 bond on "first-degree reckless endangerment, abandonment of a child and endangering the welfare of a child." more ›

This Sunday is the annual LGBT Gay Pride March, which starts on Fifth Avenue at 52nd Street and then makes its way down Fifth, swings right onto West 8th Street and ends on Christopher Street. Reader Sacha Lecca let us know that on Wednesday night, signs were posted on all the apartment buildings on Christopher Street. The NYPD "recommended that viewing of this weekend's Heritage of Pride Parade not be done from fire escapes," due to safety—given concern over the structural integrity of the fire escapes and the possible harm to not only people on them but people below. more ›

Watch out, meat heads: While administering street justice to cyclists who dare touch your precious vehicle, keep in mind you may be photographed for posterity on the internets. And that photo may lead to other photos, like this one here, depicting one Gus Gonzalez, who Streetsblog believes is the man who allegedly assaulted a cyclist during a road rage on Ninth Avenue incident last month. A lawyer used the license plate seen in the photos track down the vehicle's owner; it's registered to Flushing resident Laura DiSpirito, whose Facebook page (since made private) shows her on the beach with her husband "Gus." We'd know that gut anywhere. more ›

Monday is multi-billion dollar fraudster Bernard Madoff's sentencing, and his lawyer won approval for his client to get dressed up. Lawyer Ira Sorkin explained that Madoff will be getting "just clothes" before sentencing. But Newsday points out, "One of the last extravagant clothing expenses Madoff reportedly made before he was arrested last December was a $2,000 pair of custom-made Italian pants that went unclaimed at a Palm Beach, Fla., store." more ›

A campaign worker for a City Council candidate says someone driving an SUV "adorned" with posters for his boss's rival threatened him at gunpoint yesterday in Brooklyn. 20-year-old James Soyers was collecting signatures for candidate Anthony Herbert in Bedford-Stuyvesant around 4 p.m. yesterday when he says the vehicle hurtled toward him and his co-worker and "scared the pants off" him. The driver allegedly told the men to leave, and when they refused, he brandished a chrome gun with a black handle. Soyers tells the Times, "I was stuck frozen. My feet didn’t agree with my brain. My brain was telling them to run, but my feet just wouldn’t move." Oddly enough, Herbert's rival, Councilwoman Darlene Mealy, was at an event just half a block away. She denies that the gunslinger works for her, but Herbert says other candidates viying for Mealy's seat are "having trouble collecting signatures" to get on the ballot in the Democratic primary. He also adds that Mealy is "not the friendliest person." more ›

A freaky flash fire in a mechanical room of a building on the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital campus left a maintenance worker with burns over 70 percent of his body this morning. A little before 10 a.m. workers were cleaning a domestic hot water tank in a 22nd-floor room, when, suddenly, there was "a little bit of an explosion and a flash fire," according to an FDNY spokesman. City Room reports that vapors from the cleaning solution were ignited after someone turned on a halogen lamp inside the drained tank. Accidents are not uncommon with halogen bulbs, which can reach temperatures as high as 1000 degrees and easily ignite any combustible material nearby. While they are more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs, some have called for them to be banned; two years ago a rash of fires in Australia prompted one firefighter to call halogens "a bloody nightmare." All three workers injured in today's blaze were rushed to Harlem Hospital. One worker injured his arms and hands when he tried to pull the first man out of the tank, and the third suffered respiratory injuries. more ›

Officials in Babylon have announced that the town will become the first on the Atlantic seaboard to offer free WiFi at beaches, parks and pools. The Suffolk County town will be opening four separate internet cafes at its various beaches over the next few weeks, the first one debuting this weekend at Overlook Beach. The cafes will also offer three free laptops as loaners and the signal will be strong enough to reach nearby boaters. Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone told the Post, "For the first time you'll be able to surf the Internet. It is very cool. We're very excited. You can take it down to the water, you can go into the water, if you want to." Less cool news recently came out of nearby Robert Moses State Park, where the only signal beach goers were getting was from Park officials telling them to head elsewhere since large portions of the shore had to be closed off due to erosion. more ›

The King of Pop is gone but the rainy weather is threatening to be here forever. What looked earlier in the week to be a change toward drier weather has completely collapsed. Memories of yesterday afternoon's few short hours of beautiful sunshine will have to pull us through the next few days. more ›

After school principals howled over a new deal between the city and teachers union that allowed teachers to return to school on the same day as students, the city has announced that the 2009-2010 will start on September 9 (a Wednesday), instead of September 8, the Tuesday after Labor Day. The school year will also end a day later. Mayor Bloomberg said, "This agreement will allow us keep the school year intact with kids in the classroom for the same number of days, while providing teachers and principals an administrative day to prepare for the arrival of students." Principals, who had complained teachers were missing the chance to organize their classrooms and that the first day of school would be chaotic, are pleased, though there previously were two administrative days before school's start. Ernest Logan, president of the principals union, said, "Common sense prevails." more ›

After the news of music legend Michael Jackson's sudden death yesterday, New Yorkers expressed their grief and remembered the "King of Pop" all over the city. The Reverend Al Sharpton issued a statement, "A friend of Michael's for the last 35 years, I call on people around the world to pray for him and his family in the hour... I have known him at his high moments and his low moments and I know he would want us to pray for his family," and later held court outside the Apollo Theatre—which is where the Jackson 5 was discovered—where he said, "I watched him sell stadiums out. Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama. Michael did with music what they later did with sports, and in politics and in television and no controversy will erase the historic impact." Here's video: more ›

A $4 million study released by the Department of Buildings finds that the department isn't that great! The study was prompted by last year's numerous construction fatalities and, according to the Daily News, the study found that "Buildings Department inspectors are poorly trained, inspections are frequently slipshod and fines are routinely laughed off as 'the cost of doing business.'" Other ringing endorsements: "Inspectors are currently not uniformly equipped to judge the acceptability of common unsafe conditions" and there is "no current method to confirm that crane repairs restore [a damaged] crane to proper working condition." The study made dozens of recommendations to the DOB, which has already started incorporating them. more ›

It's fare hike time! On Sunday, June 28, the fare hikes for NYC Transit subway and bus —plus MTA Bus, Long Island Bus, and Staten Island Railway—commuters go up to the not-doomsday new fares. Above are the new prices; the MTA will automatically deduct the higher fare from pay-per-ride MetroCards starting at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday. As for the unlimited MetroCards, it's a little more complicated—here's what the MTA says: more ›

Newsday reports, "A Woodmere woman poured lighter fluid on her estranged husband's baby and throughout his Hewlett Bay Park home in a failed attempt to kill him, his fiancee and the baby because she was angry over money and custodial issues." Esther Hershko was arrested on Wednesday, after neighbors noticed a strange car (her SUV) backed into another driveway. According to the Post, "Esther Hershko, who suffers from cancer and has been separated from her husband for six years," had poured Kingsford charcoal lighter fluid all over her husband's bedroom floor and "then calmly walked outside, possibly to retrieve more lighter fluid and matches or a lighter, all of which were found nearby." Apparently the fumes from the lighter fluid caused her estranged husband Itzhak Hershko's dog to go into seizures, which also alerted Itzhak Hershko. It's unclear whether Esther Hershko knew her son was also in the house, as well as the son's cousin. She was charged with five counts of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree burglary, second-degree attempted arson and fourth-degree. Itzhak Hershko said his baby is fine; the dog is also expected to recover. more ›

The more you peer under the rock that renegade Democratic Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. operates under, the more you understand why the Senate is so screwed. CBS2, which broke the story about how Espada probably illegally lives outside his Bronx district in fancy Westchester, has admittedly "been on his trail for months," and now they're reporting that he may have violated federal and state campaign finance laws. After not bothering to file campaign finance records for years, as required by law, Espada finally deigned to file some of them on Friday. But CBS2 says the records fail to "report significant amounts of spending, like for five glossy campaign mailings. Experts said mailings like this could cost as much as $20,000 apiece." more ›

Drug Enforcement Agency agents arrested two bounty hunters in Washington Heights last night, charging them with possession of over 6 pounds of cocaine (street value: $300,000). NY1 reports that the two suspects, Chris Morel and Rensy Adrover, were arrested after being spotted as they put on "ballistics vests and police tactical gear. Investigators say they also had a stun gun, a dagger, bullet proof vests and handcuffs." DEA Officer Wilbert Plummer surmised, "I think they were using it as a cover. This way it would be a little more safe for them to travel through the city with drugs in the car. They didn't have it in a trap or compartment. They had it out actually inside a bag in plain view. [If stopped by cops] They could be en route to somewhere and law enforcement would just believe they were other law enforcement agents driving off somewhere." Morel and Adrover work for a bail enforcement firm in the Bronx; they will be arraigned on drug possession charges, which could bring up to 24 years in prison. more ›

• Yankees 11, Braves 7: Derek Lowe didn't pitch quite as well for the Braves as he did for the Red Sox in Game 7 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. The Yankees got to him for eight runs in three innings. Andy Pettitte wasn't much better, allowing six runs in 3 2/3. But the bullpen work of Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke helped the Yankees stop the bleeding and take the rubber game of this three-game series. Johnny Damon had four RBIs, as did Alex Rodriguez, who hit a homer as well.

Singer Michael Jackson has died at 50 after going into cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon, according to several sources. The LA Times says that he arrived at UCLA Hospital in Los Angeles in a deep coma after suffering a heart attack. A spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department said, "The call came in because a person was not breathing. When the team arrived, they saw that CPR was already in progress by someone at the home. The person not breathing was transported to UCLA Medical Center and remains there." more ›

Rick Lazio's most famous political race, running for Senate against Hillary Clinton in 2000, may have been doomed from the get-go after being relegated to a position on catch-up after a later exit by expected GOP candidate Rudy Giuliani. Almost ten years later, it appears that Lazio won't let Rudy's potential waffling cost him again as he appears to be throwing his hat in the ring as the first serious challenger to Governor Paterson's 2010 election bid. Lazio's spokesman said that he fully intends to run after people began buzzing about his new website seemingly announcing a run. On the site, Lazio said, "This campaign will be about the future of New York and what kind of New York we want our children and grandchildren to inherit." Today Lazio also followed Giuliani's lead in calling for change in Albany, calling for doing away with the Senate and Assembly altogether and replacing it with "a new legislative branch comprised of a single body." In a recent fundraising pitch, he also called Albany a "national embarrassment." more ›

The Nets have made a bold move hours before the NBA draft, agreeing to trade Vince Carter to Orlando for three players. The move sets the Nets up to be a major force in the 2010 free agent frenzy. In addition to Carter, the Magic will receive Ryan Anderson. In return the Nets receive Rafer Alston (a Jamaica, Queens native), Tony Battie and Courtney Lee. Alston, who is known as "Skip to My Lou" for his streetball skills, and Battie are free agents after the upcoming season; meaning New Jersey has cleared about $18 million of their cap after 2010. Combine this trade with the approval by the MTA of the revised Atlantic Yards deal and it is clear the Nets will be doing everything they can to get LeBron James to come and join them in Brooklyn. more ›

Photographer Katie Sokoler went shopping for a sympathy card at a 99 cent store in Williamsburg today but she says all she found were "tons" of "Congratulations on Your New Condo" cards. Does this mean more people are buying condos than dying? We thought condos were dying; according to The Real Deal, 1,841 condos are expected to enter the Williamsburg market by the end of this year. more ›

Rapper Tru Life has been arrested for last week's stabbing death of a teenager in Manhattan. The Daily News reports that the rapper—whose real name is Roberto Guzman Rosado Jr.—surrendered to police Wednesday night along with his brother, who also faces murder charges. Police say the pair were looking to avenge a drug dealer's death when they chased the victim into an East 26th Street apartment lobby before fatally stabbing him in the face and chest on June 15; another man, Jason Black, was also stabbed but survived. Sources say that the fatal shooting of a drug dealer just hours before the stabbing may have been due to an ongoing dispute between Black and Tru-Life's brother. Tru Life had been recently working on an album for release this year under Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records label. He also appeared in 2003's film Beef, a documentary of hip-hop rivalries that included Tru Life's feuds with other New York rappers. more ›

This is the State Senate's idea of "meeting" today: The Senate Democrats met in the Senate chamber, gaveled in, said the Pledge of Allegiance, have a moment of silence and gaveled out. Then the Senate Republicans entered, gaveled in, said the Pledge, had a moment of silence and gaveled out. Capitol Confidential writes, "So there has been progress today. No camping out on the rostrum, no dueling sessions." The Daily Politics says the Republicans were faster by 42 seconds, but that's because Senator Craig Johnson (D-Long Island) asked for a moment of silence to remember the death of Rabbi Menachem Schneerson. more ›

The owner of what many consider an historic house in Bayside, Queens is sparring with some locals over a landmark status for the home. The Daily News reports that the 19th-century villa was built by farmer Robert Bell in the 1870s for his daughter and son-in-law. Members of the Bayside Historical Society and ther advocates are urging the Landmarks Preservation Commission to save the structure on 213th Street, but owner Robert Bell says it too "inelegant" to get such a status (which would make it difficult for him to make any major changes). Reportedly he declared, "We're not saving something that doesn't need saving!" at a commission hearing earlier this week. His opponents say that the Bell family can be credited with establishing the local water system as well as creating area streets, and their Second Empire style home with a mansard roof deserves to be saved. Of course, one nearby landmark in Fort Totten is currently suffering demolition through neglect. more ›

A bill to raise New York's unemployment benefits, which allow a maximum payout of $430/week ($150 less than states like NJ and Connecticut), has died on the vine. Despite support from Governor Paterson, labor leaders and many lawmakers, the highly dysfunctional Senate seems incapable of passing the bill, which would have raised maximum weekly jobless benefits on July 1st to $625, and close the gap in the state’s unemployment trust fund. According to the Times, it's as good as dead, because apparently the Assembly is not currently scheduled to convene until January. Meanwhile, the state’s Labor Department reports that more New Yorkers were out of work than at any time in more than 30 years; last month the jobless rate hit 7.8% (in NYC, the rate is 8.1%). Advocate for the unemployed Andrew Stettner says, "It’s a big problem that we’ve fallen so short in terms of not doing this. What was nice about this legislation was it got the benefits out during the recession and it had a plan for paying back the fund over several years. It was a smart approach." Ah, but Albany doesn't really do smart approaches. more ›

It's a good thing the MTA Bailout saved the W train from saying farewell because it sounds like its neighboring buddy line the R has already had enough dumped onto it lately. The tenth annual "subway shmutz" survey released today by the Straphangers Campaign rated the R the dirtiest line in the system with only 25 percent of its cars clean. more ›

Two nightclub bigshots have settled their lawsuit over their failed partnership opening a location of the legendary Laugh Factory inside Times Square's once X-rated Show World building. In the suit, Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada (pictured) had claimed that Show World head Richard Basciano was hiding millions from him, threatened him with a gun and told him that "somebody could be killed if a certain comic was booked again. Basciano, an associate of the Gambino and Bonnano crime families, told the News that he was regretful for the "misunderstandings." Masada said, "We are pleased we were able to reach an amicable settlement" and that he "wishes Mr. Basciano all the best in his future endeavors." There was no word still on which comic could have really ended up killing if they had come back to the Big Apple—any hopes as to who it might be? more ›

This is the last chance for the Knicks to make a significant improvement to their team before the free agency period begins in 2010. Thanks to the Stephon Marbury trade, the Knicks will not have a first round pick in next year’s draft making tonight’s pick the last significant pick they will have to improve this team. more ›

Television icon and '70s sex symbol Farrah Fawcett passed away today in a hospital in Santa Monica, California. According to Newsday, the anal cancer she had been suffering from since 2005 had recently spread to her liver. A documentary TV program about her rounds of treatments for the disease, "A Wing and a Prayer," aired last month, and her death comes just days after actor Ryan O'Neal revealed plans to marry Fawcett. Aaron Spelling, who cast her in "Charlie's Angels," wrote in his memoir, "We were looking for a California beach girl type and Farrah was perfect for that. She was drop-dead gorgeous and the living image of the beautiful blonde in tennis shorts or a bathing suit." Recalling her work on the series, Fawcett once said, "When the show was number three, I figured it was our acting. When it got to be number one, I decided it could only be because none of us wears a bra." And Robert Greenwald, the producer who cast her in her most respected TV role, in "The Burning Bed," says Fawcett "went places that a beautiful star like her had not gone and that will have a lasting mark." more ›

There's nothing like the MTA to make you question your faith! So maybe the new advertisements for Atheism on city buses are appropriate. The campaign will take over 20 Manhattan buses for about one month, and president of New York City Atheists, Ken Bronstein, says the test run could be reaching other boroughs later this year (the group's website is taking donations for the next roll out). The ads read: "You don’t have to believe in God to be a moral and ethical person." more ›

Nigerian heroin smuggler Rex Eguridu was just trying to be nice by complimenting correction officer Krystal Mack one fateful day back in April 2007, while he was being held at the Queens Private Correctional facility. But instead of a smile, all he got was a humiliating beating from Mack's supervisor for his remark, "Hello, baby. You look beautiful today." Eguridu appeared in Brooklyn Federal Court yesterday to testify against Lt. Marvin Wells, who he says overheard the compliment and proceeded to march him into the bathroom shower, ordered him to strip naked, and punched him three times in the chest and neck. Wells then allegedly forced Eguridu to kneel in front of Mack and apologize; he told a jury yesterday that "[Wells] said if I ever call an officer 'baby' again ... he's going to kill me." Eguridu sustained permanent injuries to his throat after the incident, and, according to the Daily News, received an $80,000 settlement from the GEO Group, which operates the jail under a contract with the U.S. Marshal's Service. Wells is now charged with violating Eguridu's civil rights, while Mack and two other guards are accused of conspiring to cover up the attack. more ›

As Ponzi-schemer Bernie Madoff anxiously awaits his Monday sentencing, his wife Ruth has really been making an effort to counter the impression that she's still living large off her husband's victims. Just look at her here, riding one of those underground locomotives, wearing her working class dungarees, and contemplating a sweet 99-cent cellphone offer! But just don't expect her to be happy about her humiliating new commute in steerage—when the Post photographer tried to help publicize her modest lifestyle, she asked, "Are you having fun embarrassing me—and ruining my life?" You see, if only the tabloids had just minded their own business, she never would have lost her Florida mansion, the chateau on the French Riviera, and the yachts. But the Post's article is just, uh, ruthless in its demagoguery, even gleefully pointing out that besides her déclassé "oversized jacket and unfashionable flats," Ruth "was also having another bad-hair day. Since her upscale hairstylist, Pierre Michel, banned her from his salon, it's been streaked with gray instead of highlights." Ouch. Ruth, who's also been spotted buying the Post at newsstands, might want the Daily News today instead. (Or not!) more ›

If you're going to discuss South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's South American wanderings to his married girlfriend, why not enlist the expert insight of another governor whose reign ended when he admitted to an affair with a man—and that he was a "Gay American"? The Today Show snagged former NJ governor James McGreevey to comment about Sanford's mess—clearly, Eliot Spitzer passed. more ›

The five French tourists who became unwilling passengers in a high-speed chase on Tuesday when police tried to bust an unlicensed livery van at JFK are getting a great taste of American instant-celebrity. Yesterday two of the tourists attended a big press conference to publicly thank the officers involved in the incident, which began after undercover Port Authority cops spotted a hustler steering them into the unlicensed van—when one officer tried to grab the keys, the driver sped off with the newly-arrived French visitors trapped inside. more ›

Two former aides of City Councilman Kendall Stewart will plead guilty to fraud charges related to embezzling nearly $200,000 of Council funds. Asquith Reid, Stewart's former chief of staff, and Joycinth Anderson, a former staffer, were indicted after an investigation revealed that money, which Stewart directed to three community groups (controlled by Reid and Anderson), was being used for cash or wired to relatives; the scheme was discovered during a probe of the Council's slush fund practices. Councilman Stewart (pictured) told the Times, "I hope they will not be serving any time. With all honesty, I don’t think they have done anything wrong. I think they are being punished for not keeping correct paperwork." But Jumaane Williams, who is challenging Stewart for his Council seat, said Stewart should resign, "At the worst, Mr. Stewart had to have been complicit and known what was going on. At the minimum, he signed off on things without reading it and wasn’t paying attention to what was going on in his office. Either one is very bad." more ›

As expected, the MTA board voted yesterday to approve a less lucrative deal to sell the Vanderbilt Railyards in Prospect Heights to developer Bruce Ratner, who won a bid to buy the property for $100 million (which is less than the land's $200+ million appraised value) in 2005. The MTA will now accept just $20 million up front and the rest in installments over the next two decades. However, a last-minute counter-offer made by Atlantic Yards opponent Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, for $120 million to be paid over the next 12 years, was ignored by the MTA. more ›

Yesterday, tens of thousands of Jews visited the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, who led the Lubavitch movement until his death in 1994. While Schneerson died on June 12, 1994, NY1 explains that last night "marked the 15th anniversary of his death on the Jewish calendar." According to WCBS 2, "The wait times lasted up to four hours as groups of 80 filed in to a small space to feel close to the late Schneerson"; a visitor from Miami Beach said, "It's inspirational. It's dynamic. You feel the energy of the rebbe there and it just feels amazing." Another person traveled from Paris with his 13-year-old son; Levy Daniel told the Daily News that they "spent the night there in his rental car. 'I said to my family, I don't need a place to stay,' Daniel, 43, said. 'I just need to be near the grave.'" more ›

Late yesterday, after the State Senate "met" for a five-minute session (just the Democrats were present; the Republicans were in court complaining about the Democrats), the Senators signaled they were leaving Albany. Governor Paterson was very, very angry and held a press conference, threatening to "withhold any paychecks or any per diem checks from June 8 forward...If you're not coming to work, you're not getting paid." What a novel idea! He added, "The senators swore to uphold the constitution" and "the constitution empowers the governor to convene a special session. If a senator doesn’t come to a special session, they are in violation of the constitution. That is very clear." more ›

Yesterday afternoon, the city evacuated 273 Mott Street in Little Italty (or Nolita) because a rather large crack emerged in the building's facade. The NY Post reports the crack was three inches wide at the top of the building, "The building, which has 15 residents, and a Japanese/Thai restaurant on its first floor and apartments above, has a 20-foot tall crack in its facade that seems to have grown since last year, a caller complained to the Buildings Department." The Department of Buildings had actually issued a complaint to the building's owner on Tuesday about the crack, but yesterday the FDNY and DOB were on the scene after complaints of the building shaking. On Sunday, a four-story building, which had a substantial crack in its exterior wall, in Brooklyn collapsed, perhaps partly due to the recent rain. And EV Grieve passed by 273 Mott, where one onlooker muttered, "This is what happens when it rains for 30 straight days." more ›

Nassau County police have found the mother of the baby abandoned in a Hempstead building lobby; Newsday reports the police arrested Xiomara Gamez, 25, "on charges of reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child and abandonment of a child." The baby girl was found by a building resident on Sunday night and appeared to be less than a day old. She was wrapped in a blanket and left in a Timberland shoebox, with dental floss tied around her umbilical cord. Gamez will be arraigned today. NY State does have a Safe Haven law that allows parents of unwanted babies to leave them in safe places; safe havens are hospitals, police stations and firehouses. more ›

• Yankees 8 Atlanta 4: For five innings the offense kept doing what it has done far too often these past few weeks, sleepwalked through a game. In fact, the Yankees didn’t have a runner reach base until Francisco Cervelli went deep in the sixth inning, but that seemed to spark the bats. They scored seven more times over the final four innings and cruised to the 8-4 win. Joba Chamberlain went 6-1/3 allowing three runs and striking out five. Mariano Rivera came into the game in the eighth and nailed down his 16th save by striking out four batters.

Local politicians gathered in Washington today to introduce the James Zagroda 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, legislation that would provide $12 million for the medical expenses of Ground Zero workers. Zagroda was an NYPD detective and 9/11 first responder who died of lung disease in 2006 at 34. Mayor Bloomberg joined both pairs of senators from NY and NJ and Zagroda's father Joseph in announcing the bill that will attempt to circumvent a missed a 2003 deadline missed by workers looking to receive assistance in illnesses stemming from being exposed to toxic dust and debris at the site of the 9/11 attacks. more ›

Starting Sunday, New Yorkers are getting a couple more minutes tacked onto their weekend commute. The MTA is extending stretches between trains to ten minutes from the current eight-minute window that currently exists on most lettered lines. But according an internal memo from NYC Transit President Howard Roberts, straphangers probably won't notice too much—he said they're already used to the longer waits because of the weekend construction they already put up with. And why exactly are service cuts still coming since we thought they were taken care of with the MTA bailout passed by the (once semi-functional) state legislature? Well, it turns out that all the feet dragging that led to the eleventh-hour bailout may be to blame since MTA officials say transit workers had already locked in their summer schedules under the original proposal. Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign told the News, "Instead of aiming to improve things, transit officials want to make it official that weekend service stinks!" more ›

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford had a press conference earlier this afternoon and explained his "exotic" trip was to see the Argentinian woman he was having an affair with. Well, people of South Carolina, maybe you can be happy you didn't find out your governor likes hookers and unprotected sex (yet—there's still time!)? He initially told The State that he wanted to "recharge after a difficult legislative session in which he battled with lawmakers over how to spend federal stimulus money. [After initially considering Appalachia] ‘I said no, I wanted to do something exotic,’ Sanford said. ‘It's a great city.'" more ›

The city's health department just wants you to be healthy, which is why you can no longer innocently order a pina colada at Pizzeria Uno while pretending it doesn't contain multitudes of calories. The latest proposal to dispel New Yorkers' ignorant bliss involves requiring any retailers selling cigarettes to display graphic warning signs (like the sample here) about the dangers of smoking, plus information on where to seek help quitting. The proposed measure would require retailers to post the warnings wherever tobacco products are displayed, and also at the cash register or point of purchase. Officials hope it will help more New Yorkers quit; according to DOH stats, tobacco-related illness kills 7,400 people in the city each year. In fact, smoking kills more New Yorkers than AIDS, drugs, homicide and suicide combined! So today the Board of Health voted to solicit public comment on the proposed amendment (which you can read here), and a public hearing will be held on July 30th. What do you think? Too graphic or not graphic enough? (And last year the Health Department unveiled a line of graphic anti-smoking matchbooks.) more ›

Today, the State Senate managed to have a "mini-session"—the Daily Politics' Elizabeth Benjamin reports, "They came, they gaveled in, they left. That basically sums up extraordinary session No. 2, to which only the Senate Democrats showed up." After saying the Pledge of Allegiance, "Sen. Jeff Klein then stood and read into the record the Senate Democrats' argument that any measures passed at the single-house extraordinary sessions called by the governor are basically moot because the other house isn't also present to pass same-as bills." more ›

Accused Craigslist killer Philip Markoff allegedly told family members to "forget about him" soon after his arrest last April for the murder of Julissa Brisman. And while they haven't quite abandoned him yet, his loved ones are not quite the cheerleaders they once were when he was first arrested. Yesterday a lawyer for Markoff's fiancee Megan McAllister, who initially was sticking with plans for their August wedding, revealed that she met with Markoff last month and told him that she is moving on, adding "it would be quite a long period of time, if ever, before she saw him again." The lawyer also refused to say if McAllister still believed Markoff was innocent, but that she found emerging details "disturbing" with now cops saying they found four women's panties stuffed in a sock and hidden between this mattress and spring box. A similar reticent tune came from Markoff's lawyer when asked if his family still believed that he was not guilty. He replied, "They're sticking by him." more ›

Yesterday the Landmarks Preservation Commission declared some new places worth saving. First up is the Prospect Heights Historic District, which includes 850 historic buildings, including single-family brownstones, commercial buildings and more dating back to the 1850s. Curbed reports that "There were also three individual landmarks designated: 94 Greenwich Street in Lower Manhattan, Mount Olive Fire Baptized Holiness Church at 304 West 122nd Street in Harlem and the John Peirce Residence at 11 East 51st Street in Midtown." Meanwhile, the much talked about South Village Historic District is scheduled to be discussed at a later date. Related: Queens Crap looks at the city's university/college presidents that live in landmarked areas (the president of Brooklyn College resides in a 1918 neoclassical home in the Prospect Heights historic district). more ›

Songwriter and film director Joseph Brooks was charged with a 91-count indictment yesterday for using his status as a onetime-Oscar winner to lure women with dreams of stardom into his apartment so that he could allegedly rape and sexually assault them. Brooks, 71, primarily used craigslist to advertise parts in "his next movie" that led to sexual assaults on at least 11 women at his apartment on East 63rd Street, mostly over the last two years. An investigator told reporters, “The Oscar was used as a prop. This could be you, this could be you holding this Oscar. If you do what I say.” more ›

The number of families sleeping in shelters is near an all-time high; according to the Department of Homeless Services, there were 34,774 people in shelters last week, including 9,361 families. The Bloomberg administration is now seeking state approval for a new set of policies intended to move families out of shelters more quickly and, according to the Times, apply the "market-driven, incentive-based philosophy to homeless shelters that it has used in schools." Under the new rules, the city would pay shelters more than the usual rate, which is roughly $100 a day, for the first six months that it houses a family. But after six months, if the family has not found permanent housing, the shelter would be paid 20 percent less than the standard rate. Homeless advocates deem the new policies "mean-spirited" and worry that families would be forced out after six months. But Linda Gibbs, deputy mayor for health and human services, insists families would only be ejected for "refusing to look for housing, refusing to seek employment, anything that is an unreasonable refusal to participate in the steps they need to take to overcome their homelessness." In April, homeless advocates blamed Bloomberg for the rise in homeless families. more ›

Yesterday, the Health Department announced two more New Yorkers died from swine flu, only noting that they were between 25 and 65 years old. So far, 32 people in NYC have died from the H1N1 virus and the Health Department believes the disease is waning, stating, "Community transmission of the H1N1 virus appears to be declining in New York City, as emergency departments report lower numbers of visits due to influenza-like illness." However, Reuters reports, "Germany's federal agency for infectious diseases said on Tuesday there were signs the H1N1 swine flu virus had started to mutate and warned it could spread in the coming months in a more aggressive form." The head of the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases Joerg Hacker said there was concern about swine flu's development in Australia and South America, "It's possible the virus has mutated. In autumn the mutated form could spread to the northern hemisphere and back to Germany." more ›

Do you know what didn't happen between 2am Monday and early this morning? That's right, the city went 48 hours without rain! A high pressure system was able to hold the stubborn cut-off low from moving back into the area. more ›

Former mayor Rudy Giuliani has penned an op-ed in the NY Times, offering his suggestion to fix the State Senate mess: "I’m calling on Albany to convene a state constitutional convention... [It] would be an extraordinary step, but it is a necessary and effective way to overcome the challenges we face. It would be an opportunity for Republicans, Democrats and independents to come together, take a long hard look at our problems and then propose real, lasting solutions. If the State Legislature were to approve the measure in the next few weeks, New Yorkers could vote on whether to proceed with a constitutional convention this November. A 'yes' vote would move the process forward, allowing voters to choose a slate of delegates in November 2010. After the convention took place, the recommendations would be put forward to the people for an up-and-down vote." And then Giuliani lays out his suggestions for term limits, budget practices, and judicial pay. more ›

Thousands of pages of previously undisclosed documents compiled by lawyers for 9/11 victims' families probably won't be admissible in court. But they were passed along to the NY Times, which reports that they show Saudi "support for terrorist organizations" at least through 2006. Some documents, obtained from the Treasury Department through the Freedom of Information Act, include sworn statements from various witnesses detailing the transfer of millions of dollars from prominent Saudi charities to Al Qaeda and other extremist groups. At least one charity is controlled by members of the royal family, and another witness said in a sworn statement that he witnessed an emissary for a leading Saudi prince, Turki al-Faisal, hand a check for one billion Saudi riyals (now worth about $267 million) to a top Taliban leader in '98. The Justice Department, which recently urged the Supreme Court not to hear a lawsuit brought by families against the Saudi royal family, is now fighting to keep other leaked classified documents from surfacing in court. more ›

Davonte Kelly, the 11-year-old whose skull was grazed by a bullet as he waited to play Little League baseball, made a triumphant appearance at Citi Field to throw the ceremonial first pitch (video) before the Cardinals-Mets game. Kelly, whose spunk has impressed the city and both the Mets and Yankees, also got to meet his favorite player, David Wright, who presented him with a special jersey and an autographed bat. more ›

Five French tourists got dragged on a crazy, high-speed chase after getting into an unlicensed livery van at JFK yesterday. The unwanted excitement started around 11 a.m. after Port Authority police spotted Ian McFarland, 57, hustling the newly-arrived French visitors from the Air France terminal to an unauthorized van. According to the Post, Officer Michael Bestany recognized McFarland as a "longtime steerer" of travelers to the illegal vans, and when Bestany reached into the vehicle to grab the keys, driver Khaalis Preacher floored it, knocking Bestany to the pavement, injuring his shoulder and knee. Captive tourist Gwen Dulugat, who injured her arm while trying to jump from the moving van, describes the high-speed chase that ensued: "It went very, very fast. We're going zoom, zoom, zoom. The police were fantastic. They were behind us all the time." Preacher led cops to East New York, where he finally crashed through the mechanical gate arm of a US Postal Service facility. The Post got great photos of the police, guns drawn, chasing down the two suspects and arresting them; the other tourists escaped with no injuries and an ultimate New York story. more ›

Last night, the Rent Guidelines Board voted to raise rents for rent-stabilized apartments: 3% for one-year leases and 6% for two-year leases. NY1 reports, "For tenants who have lived in their building for six or more years, the increase will be either $30 or $60, whichever is more." more ›

Last week, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum criticized the Public Advocate's budget being cut from $2.8 million to $1.7 million. She even claimed the reduction was "political payback" from City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, because Gotbaum opposed extending term limits. Yesterday, the five candidates who wish to succeed Gotbaum—and one of whom will have to deal with a 40% smaller budget—appeared together to protest the cut which goes into effect on July 1. The NY Times reports, "The issue was not food stamps, or reproductive rights for women, or child abuse, or any of the other topics the public advocate’s office is generally involved in...The cut, [the candidates] concurred, was so draconian that it threatened the existence of the office, which functions, as mandated by the City Charter, as a government ombudsman and watchdog." Former Public Advocate Mark Green, who is running again, asked, “Why has only the watchdog over City Hall been cut 40 percent?" more ›

Today the MTA board is expected to approve a deal to sell the naming rights to the sprawling subway terminal at Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street in downtown Brooklyn to Barclays, the London-based bank that has also bought naming rights to the embattled Nets arena project, which might one day actually exist nearby. It's been five years since the MTA first welcomed proposals from corporations interested in buying station naming rights, and on Monday the authority quietly revealed that Barclays was the first taker, for $4 million, to be paid in yearly installments of $200,000 a year for 20 years, according to the Times. more ›

What would Optimus Prime say? According to the Daily News, "An advance screening of the summer blockbuster 'Transformers' turned chaotic Tuesday night and temporarily shut down the AMC Theatre on 34th St." Apparently only 300 people were expected, but instead the screening's organizers were "confronted with a line that stretched along Ninth Ave. When staffers tried to distribute passes, bedlam ensued." The police were called in and the whole theater was shut down for two hours, prompting this peeved observation from moviegoer Danielle Rieter, "I don't know why I can't see 'The Proposal' because everyone had a problem with 'Transformers.'" Indeed! It's unclear if the screening was on the IMAX screen, because you know how passionate people get with IMAX. Related: There were stabbings in Times Square after sold-out screenings of 'Saw' last year. more ›

Earlier this month, Sonic Youth dropped The Eternal, the band's 16th album and their first since fulfilling their contractual obligation to Geffen and moving to indie-label paradigm Matador Records. Recorded mostly in Northampton, Massachusetts, where front-couple Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon reside, The Eternal works as both an invigorating new turn in the band's 29 year journey and an ideal point of entry for newcomers, as the 12 tracks span the spectrum from tightly-coiled incendiary art rock to virtuoso mini noise odysseys. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, a security guard at Staten Island chased a woman suspected of shoplifting—and tried to stop her getaway by jumping onto her Volkswagen Beetle. The Staten Island Advance reports that Tyrone Brown, 27, was "clinging to the driver's side door of her VW bug as she lurched out of the busy Forest Plaza parking lot, into oncoming traffic and was hit by another vehicle." Brown was thrown to the ground but not seriously injured, while the suspect was ejected from the car; the driver and passengers of the Mercury sedan that hit the suspect's car also suffered minor injuries. Brown said that the alleged shoplifter, who was arrested, had taken a number of $2.99 nightgowns that were displayed outside the store. more ›

• Braves 4, Yankees 0: They can't say they didn't have their chances. The Yankees left 11 men on bases in a dismal performance in the opener in Atlanta. Chien-Ming Wang looked better -- except for a four-batter stretch in the third -- but he wasn't good enough. Other than that third inning, in which all the damage was done with two outs, Wang looked like a Major League pitcher. Derek Jeter continued his unfortunate habit of hitting into double plays late in the game by ending the seventh, which was the Yankees' last real chance.

We've heard about driver vs. bicyclist fights before, but Streetsblog has a really unusual one. Unusual because the bicyclist was charged with criminal mischief for slapping the side of the SUV! From Streetsblog:

[Ray] Bengen, 63, was riding down the Ninth Avenue bike lane on May 21 when he came across the Ford Excursion you see in this photo (curb weight: 7,190 lbs). A long-time city cyclist, Bengen had a green light and wasn't quite sure what to make of the vehicle in front of him. The car wasn't moving and its brake lights were off.

Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, who was indicted on fraud charges for basically selling his clout in Albany for $1 million, has resigned his seat in the 38th District in Queens. The Daily News reports that he will probably plead guilty to charges as early as tomorrow. Seminerio apparently decided to cut out the middle man after learning that people he did favors for were raking in cash; he said on a recording,"I was doing favors for these sons-of-bitches there, you know, they were, they were making thousands. 'Screw you, from now on, you know, I'm a consultant.'" had set up a shell company to funnel his "consulting" fees through. Seminerio, who served in the Assembly for 30 years, told PolitickerNY's Azi Paybarah in 2007, "The only thing that ever changes in Albany are the faces. The system stays intact." As for a successor, it could be a "free-for-all." more ›

Brian Leetch is headed to the Hall of Fame and he won't be the only former Ranger in the class of 2009. The NHL announced today that Leetch, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille, who played parts of two seasons with New York, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this November. Leetch played over 1100 games as a Blueshirt and holds the team record for assists with 741. He was the Rookie of the Year in the NHL in 1989, won two Norris trophies as the best defensemen in the league and was named MVP of the 1993-94 playoffs. The Rangers actually traded Leetch twice in his career. First in the off-season in 2003 before promptly resigning him and more famously in 2004 when they shipped him to Toronto for a package of players and draft picks. That was all forgotten in 2008 when the Rangers put Leetch’s #2 into the rafters at MSG. The NHL also announced that Devils GM Lou Lamoriello will be enshrined in the Builder’s Category of the Hall of Fame. Lamoriello has made the Devils into a perennial powerhouse, winning the Stanley Cup three times, most recently in 2003. more ›

Maurice Parks, the subway conductor who sought revenge after being mugged but ended up killing an innocent bystander, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. Parks had been stabbed by a group of men in Harlem in January 2008; he came across a man he thought was one of his attackers, chased him 200 feet and stabbed him multiple times. Though his lawyer tried to argue he was under duress, Parks was found guilty last month. more ›

New Yorkers have been taking full advantage of the freebies offered by those friendly Swedes in Red Hook, where the city's first IKEA location opened in 2008. Their free buses and Water Taxi service have long been enjoyed by the locals, many of whom use the services without even stepping foot in the store, just to get from the subway to their homes/methadone clinics. Another popular free service is IKEA's in-store daycare center, where you can unload any minor from 36 inches to 50 inches in height. The catch? You must collect them within 45 minutes on weekdays and 30 minutes on weekends. Staten Island mom Jean Taylor tells the Daily News, "I love it. I wish you could leave them here for two hours." The kids get the use of a ball pit and an arts and crafts station, while the parents get time to lounge around on the furniture in air-conditioned comfort. But those Swedes insist they're not chumps; IKEA spokeswoman Lorna Montalvo says, "The parents who come back over and over again know what's on sale." And surely they'll buy something someday? more ›

Thank you, State Senate Democrats and Republicans, for making a mockery of our already dysfunctional state government. Today was the start of the special session that Governor David Paterson called for the stalemated Senate. And it went exactly how you'd imagine it. According to the NY Times, "Republicans and Democrats attempted to hold separate Senate sessions at the same time on Tuesday, leaving the Capitol in confusion and bickering as members of both parties shouted over each other on the Senate floor, and each party claimed it was in control." more ›

Neighbors aggrieved about guests chatting on the Cooper Square Hotel outdoor patio have employed increasingly gross tactics to undermine the cachet of downtown's latest fancy hotel. When co-owner Matt Moss previously promised that tenement clotheslines were exactly "the kind of thing people want to see," while paying upwards of $300 a night at the hotel, the neighbors called his bluff by hanging increasingly soiled unmentionables in full view of the patio and rooms. Last week the underwear on display was exceptionally foul, and now Vanishing New York reports that neighbors have further escalated the situation by hanging a "Douche Bag" from the fire escape. We're not really sure what a douche bag actually looks like (besides this), and we're sure as hell not about to do a Google image search on that, so it's unclear whether the item in question is literally the infamous feminine hygiene product. (And let's just keep it unclear, k thx.) What's next, colostomy bags and roadkill? Stay tuned to the Cooper Square Douchebags blog! more ›

A friend of Village Voice staffer Emily Brady recently posted a Craigslist ad looking for a roommate, and got something much better instead: An epically incoherent response from a candidate who starts off citing her "mature sophisticated tastes" in movies, beginning with Superman and ending with Gone With the Wind. The 1,500-plus word tome-deaf message further elaborates on her hypo-allergenic cleaning needs, her flexibility "w/ bathroom time in the mornings so,. U can have it first if U need it, except if I need it in emergency... {esp. PMS intervals..} hahaha!!!" and her cryptic "P/T sense of humor ?? :)" Excerpting anything from this maladroit masterpiece is like reducing Joyce to CliffsNotes, so do enjoy it in its full glory. But here's our favorite bit: The candidate's exhaustive inventory of music preferences, which ranges from Arnie [sic] Guthrie to the Phantom of the Opera to "lots of new songs from the WPIX channel for the shows of Gossip Girl & One Tree Hill, & Smallville (Superman series on thurs nite.8pm), etc....& Supernatural.. They DO a great job at bringing in new music through these very 'happening' shows..." So when can Grandma move in? more ›

Every few years, the issue of public school teachers in rubber rooms gets explored. These are teachers who have been removed from duty—whether they've been rightly or unfairly accused— while their cases are investigated...and all while they are still paid. (Remember the Bronx school bomb scare allegedly caused by a teacher? Well, that teacher was upset that he might be transferred to a rubber room over allegations he punched a student.) Now the Associated Press delves into the bizarro world of the rubber room, the holding pens where teachers are kept. more ›

Last week, an 18-year-old Belgian girl claimed that a Romanian tattoo artist mistakenly put 53 tattoo stars too many on her face. Kimberley Vlaeminck, who said she wanted three stars near her eye, sued the tattoo artist for $14,000 for the cost of removing the tattoos, while Rouslan Toumaniantz maintained Vlaeminck wanted all 56 stars. Now the teen has confessed to her misguided desire: "I asked for 56 stars and initially adored them. But when my father saw them, he was furious. So I said I fell asleep and the that the tattooist made a mistake." As for Toumaniantz, he said the hubbub gave him publicity, but he will require clients to sign consent forms. It's unclear whether Vlaeminck is getting the tattoos removed, but if she does, it could take a while—as local dermatologist Dr. Jonathan Zizmor told us, "If you come in and say take it off in one time, it doesn't make a difference on the size. You have to come in multiple times so it goes away. Sometimes on certain colors it doesn't work well." more ›

Finally, Foxy Brown is talking about the eight months of time she served, and completed last April, after assaulting two nail salon employees in 2006 and then violating parole. Of course, her chattiness might have been prompted by the NY Post cover story on the star treatment she received at Rikers. The paper spoke to Brown, who insisted, "It was incarceration, not vacation." But it wasn't all riches to rags behind bars: She admitted, "I only wore the designer clothing I was allowed to have." Not only were her prison clothes accessorized with Fendi scarves, but the paper reiterates that correction officials fawned over her and became her entourage! "Chaplains hung out in her cell, delivered her meals and makeup, and gave her unlimited TV and phone access." Brown insists she was treated equally, however, and refers to it as "the worst period in my life." Surely she has plenty of pity party material for her autobiography. more ›

Sure, multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernard Madoff knew what he was doing was wrong, but he really doesn't want to face up to 150 years in prison. Today, Ira Sorkin, a lawyer for the 71-year-old disgraced financier, told U.S. District Judge Denny that a 12-year sentence would be sufficient, noting that Madoff's life expectancy is only another 12.6 years and that Madoff "will speak to the shame he has felt and to the pain he has caused." Sorkin added, "The significant anger and resentment evidence in the victims' words is no doubt justified in light of the circumstances of this case. Thankfully, none of the fury expressed in the victim statements has been as shocking as the death threats and anti-Semitic e-mails that have been directed toward Mr. Madoff and his counsel." Chin is scheduled to sentence Madoff next Monday, more ›

While the eyes of the world were on the riots in Iran over the weekend, another shocking miscarriage of justice almost went unnoticed closer to home in East Hampton—but thankfully a reporter for Plum TV was on hand to bravely document Saturday night's panic at the shitshow. In the middle of a rainstorm, a crowd waiting for their cars and others clamoring to get inside were huddled under the awning outside Georgica, a "hotspot" run by promoter Matt Levine, whom you may recall from his work at Lower East Side tool magnet The Eldridge. more ›

While Mayor Bloomberg and his staff have warned that the city's pensions could cripple the city's finances, the NY Times reports, "Interviews and budget records show that the Bloomberg administration itself is responsible for much of the growth in city pension costs over the last eight years, and has repeatedly missed opportunities to rein in the spending. A major reason: the mayor has given the city’s 300,000 workers generous pay increases, guaranteeing that they retire with bigger pensions, which are typically 50 percent of salary. Such raises force the city to make heftier payments to the pension system now." The city's contribution to the pension system is $6.2 billion, up from $1.4 billion in 2002. The mayor's office defended the pay raises as incentives for workers to be more productive and pointed out that the stock market's downturn means the city pays more. In other pension news, Bloomberg negotiated a new pension deal with the teacher's union that saves $2 billion over 20 years. more ›

The Department of Buildings continues to investigate what caused a four-story Clinton Hill building to collapse on Sunday. DOB Commissioner Robert LiMandri told reporters, "We are right now zeroing in on what happened, what work was being done and what caused the building to collapse." more ›

The AP reports that legendary Johnny Carson sidekick Ed McMahon passed away shortly after midnight this morning at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, surrounded by his wife, Pam, and other family members. The entertainer, a Marine who served in WWII and Korea, was 86. Though his publicist declined to divulge the exact cause of death, it's known that McMahon suffered from multiple illnesses, including bone cancer, and sustained a neck injury caused by a 2007 fall. Recent years had been financially difficult for McMahon, whose Beverly Hills home was nearly foreclosed upon last year after he defaulted on a $4.8 million loan. But he didn't seem bitter while explaining his problems to Larry King (video), and still had fond memories of his 30-plus years on The Tonight Show. Other co-hosting gigs during his long career included Star Search, TV Bloopers And Practical Jokes, and, who could forget, Alf's Hit Talk Show. more ›

The Rent Guidelines Board's annual carnival of cacophony—wherein hundreds of rent-stabilized tenants shout themselves hoarse as the board votes to raise their rents again—goes down tonight at Cooper Union. Speaking to the Daily News, board chairman Marvin Markus describes the always raucous affair as "one of the rites of spring," and quips, "Maybe we'll give out Valium." Ha ha, making a mockery of "rent stabilization" is always good for a laugh. more ›

On Sunday night, a man returning to his Hempstead, Long Island apartment building found a newborn baby in the lobby. According to Newsday, the baby was swaddled in a blanket and left in a shoebox, "She appeared to be less than a day old, police said, her umbilical cord tied off with dental floss, her skin light in color." A building resident said, "She was big and full, with chubby cheeks. Poor thing, she didn't have a diaper and she was all wet." Nassau County Det. Lt. Raymond Cote said, "We'd like to reach out to [the mother] and find out her motive, what the problem was that caused her to take such a drastic action to abandon her young child in the doorway of an apartment building at night." While the mother will face child abandonment charges, a police technician told the Daily News, "She must have been concerned about this child. [The baby] was left to be found. She was prepared properly." NY State has a Safe Haven law which allows parents of unwanted newborns to leave babies at safe places, such as hospitals, police stations and firehouses, without facing prosecution. more ›

Authorities now say that seven people are confirmed dead in the collision of two Metro trains in Washington D.C. yesterday afternoon. At least 70 others were severely injured and crews are still removing debris and looking for possible victims. Two sets of six-car trains collided on the Red Line near the Fort Totten station; Metro's general manager explained yesterday, "At 5:02 p.m., one train was stopped waiting to get the order to pass, because the train stopped at a platform. The next train came up behind it, and for reasons we do not know, plodded into the back of that train - the operator of that train was the one who lost her life." The first car of the second train was going so fast that it was lodged on top of the first train. more ›

As the State Senate heads towards a special session, all eyes are on dissident democrat State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., who claims he is the rightful Senate president pro tempore and the "acting lieutenant governor." Besides State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) announcing that she "cannot support" Espada, Senator Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) told WCBS 2, "The only thing I can say is Pedro Espada plays by Pedro Espada's rules. The rest of us are here to do the people's business." And why did he say that? Well, it turns out that Espada's planned district office is actually in Klein's district! The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog opines, "Espada’s also funneled a good amount of work to the state’s judicial branch. He holds the distinction of being sued more than most legislators, though so far he’s managed to prevail every time," and runs down his legal troubles. Speaking of, the Daily News reports that Espada finally turned over some information to the Election Board after stalling for months, "Disputed state Senate President Pedro Espada forked over campaign financial forms two days after state election officials threatened to have him criminally prosecuted." more ›

A Brooklyn resident walking his dogs on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill found files containing the personal information—including Social Security numbers and other confidential information—of hundreds of people. Luckily, he called WABC 7 Eyewitness News; Nat Hendricks explained, "The first one, I saw a person's name and address and date of birth, social security number and I closed the file." Eyewitness News found out the files were from a lawyer who had moved out of his office; the lawyer left the files, so his landlord just dumped them on the street! The common thread found was the name of the lawyer, Neda Imasuen, whose registration status is delinquent; Imasuen's landlord admitted he put the boxes on the street on Saturday and claims he scheduled them to be picked up on Sunday. Lawyers are supposed to be responsible for properly getting rid of files; identity theft experts suggest that clients ask their lawyers how their files are destroyed—or to request them back. And now the Attorney General's office is investigating, too. more ›

Mets 6 St. Louis 4: Off the field, the Mets lost Carlos Beltran to the DL. On the field, they looked just fine, getting a huge start from Tim Redding and getting the big hits when they needed them. Redding pitched seven innings that set the team up for the win, but Brian Stokes deserves credit for coming into the eighth inning and getting the dangerous Albert Pujols to ground into a double play. Omir Santos got four hits and Alex Cora added two RBI’s. F-Rod pitched a perfect ninth for his 19th save. more ›

Taxi owners won another round Monday in their fight against the city's efforts to turn its yellow cabs green. Saying that emissions- and mileage-related laws were only for Congress to make, U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Crotty blocked a new set of city rules that would have allowed fleet companies to charge fuel-efficient cab drivers higher rental rates for their vehicles. The higher rates would provide a strong incentive for those companies to switch to only greener, hybrid vehicles and phase out old gas-guzzlers. Despite rejecting the plan, Judge Crotty still praised the city's intent in his ruling: "Increasing the number of hybrid taxicabs is an appropriate and important governmental priority." And though this is the second time Judge Crotty has struck down the city's attempts to convert its taxis to a more fuel-efficient fleet, New York City Law Department Counsel Michael Cardozo says the city's not giving up yet: "We do not believe that Congress intended to prohibit local governments from implementing incentive programs ... that encourage the purchase of environmentally friendly taxis. We are exploring our legal options." more ›

Former Tombs chaplain Rabbi Leib Glanz apparently was so good at throwing parties for inmates, politicians and his Satmar community alike that his power extended well beyond the jailhouse bar mitzvah where we first encountered of him. Whether it was arranging for ferries that took 10,000 Satmars from Williamsburg to the Jacob Javits Center or hosting a dinner for where his local state senator attempted to get the Orthdox community on board for Governor Paterson's election, Glanz created "a perception that he had political influence...that could help (people's) careers." The rabbi even implied his connections went beyond the earthly plane, saying that he saw "the hand of God" in Paterson's ascension to governor. The Post continues to talk to Corrections officials and inmates who crossed paths with Glanz and now claim that he completely ran the Tombs and could have those who disagreed with him there transferred to Rikers. A worker for the 2005 Bloomberg campaign who dealt with the rabbi tells the Times, “This is the problem: He always erred on the side of helping a little bit too much.” more ›

The 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots (as they have come to be known) is coming up on June 28th, as the city celebrates the LGBT community. Now a website called Out History has published the police records from that historic event, tracing the riots to the initial incident which brought police to the Stonewall Inn. (They also make note of the Village Voice's "Contemptuous Attitude Toward the Gay Community" at the time.) more ›

A day after one of our commenters accused drunken, rowdy US Open golf fans as being meatheads needing to go somewhere with the Yankees out of town, in comes a video of just what some of the Yankee fans who make it out to the weekend's games in Florida were up to. more ›

Mott Hall Middle School in Harlem had been asking former president Bill Clinton to speak at their eighth grade graduation ceremonies for five years—and this year, he agreed! The Daily News was on the scene for the big day, pointing out that Clinton usually gets $100,000 for speaking engagements. Clinton said, "I can almost give a one-sentence commencement address—I came here because you kept asking me. But I think you should remember that—if you want something bad enough, just keep working for it. And don't forget to ask." But, as is the case with Clinton, he kept speaking, "[giving] a very grown-up dissertation on the increasingly inter-connected, inter-dependent world that today's young people will soon inherit." He also emphasized their education, "Critical thinking will never go out of style. We are going up or down together - people around the block and people across the globe. You've got a good start here. You know how to do it. And I urge you to press on." The students were dazzled, with one saying he would try to be "the first Latin president...Maybe I'll start off small -- like mayor or something -- and go from there." more ›

After a recent end-to-end walk through the newly renovated Washington Square Park, there was a certain ring missing from the din— had anyone polled us to see if we smoke (smoke). To make sure that the new-look park stays on the up-and-up, there's word that a local community group is planning to hire additional security that the Post says "will soon be booting druggies and lowlifes" out of the square. more ›

Shocking perhaps no one, Democratic and Republican State Senators were unable to come to an agreement for a power-sharing deal. The AP had reported, "The deal would rotate presidents of the Senate and create two equal floor leaders instead of a single majority leader," and that the two parties were meeting with Governor Paterson, who called a special session of the Senate and demanded that the stalemated lawmakers get to work. Now the Times Union says, "Senate Democratic and GOP leaders slipped out of the governor’s office, avoiding reporters. Paterson spokesman Peter Kauffman" confirmed there was no deal and said Paterson would give a press conference. Earlier in the day, Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) said, "No I cannot support Pedro Espada as president pro tem or one heartbeat away [from the governor's position]. Because a governor or a sitting governor, even for 10 minutes, has enormous power to make decisions that I do not believe I could trust to Pedro Espada." Krueger even suggested that Espada is keen on being president pro tempore because of "pre-pardoning." more ›

It's another pivotal week for developer Bruce Ratner's embattled Atlantic Yards project, which recently received a major redesign that forsook Frank Gehry's glitzy arena designs for a big brick shithouse (pictured). At a public meeting this morning, the MTA's finance committee reviewed "a revised agreement" with Ratner, who still needs to pony up for the MTA's Vanderbilt Rail Yard land in order to move forward with the project. more ›

Earlier this month, the NY Post reported that a Port Authority police lieutenant Coretta Smith was being investigated after she "tried to get a gun-toting sailor with a mental disorder onto a jet at Kennedy Airport -- two days after orchestrating his release when his first attempt failed." Smith's response at the time was, "I'm aware of my mistake, and I'm handling it my way." Now the Post says Smith, who may be Rep. Charles Rangel's niece, "helped spring a trio of suspected pot smugglers from jail," prompting another Internal Affairs investigation. When a driver on the George Washington Bridge was stopped on suspicion of being intoxicated, the driver admitted to smoking a joint and a police dog smelled pot in a purse, which contained bundles of cash with had "a strong odor of marijuana all over the money." Smith, working at the NJ stationhouse where the driver and two teen girls were brought in, then "refused the request by...the arresting officer, to alert the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office" and "refused to authorize a criminal history check of the trio"—and it turned out the driver had a history of various drug and weapons convictions. According to the Post, "insiders believe she is getting lenient treatment because of her high-powered uncle, who has great influence over federal grants to the agency as dean of the New York congressional delegation." more ›

For four days Bethpage Black was the scene of some miserable weather, so-so golf and heckling fans, on Monday the rain stayed away and a fabulous final round was played. Six golfers were within two strokes or less of the lead with three holes to play in the tournament, but it was Lucas Glover, a player with one career win, who outplayed them all to win the U.S. Open. more ›

After The Guardian reported, "Staff at Goldman Sachs staff can look forward to the biggest bonus payouts in the firm's 140-year history after a spectacular first half of the year, sparking concern that the big investment banks which survived the credit crunch will derail financial regulation reforms," it was taken as a sign that excess is back. But now the investment firm is denying the report, having its spokesman tell the media, "We won't know what our compensation benefit number is until the end of the fourth quarter, which is at the end of December." The firm did return $10 billion in TARP money to the government, adding in a letter, "Our return of the government's investment does not, in any way, end our obligations to the public interest." We guess we'll have to wait until next January for stories about $1000 bottles of wine and dropping cash on new condos and cars. more ›

Honking horns, car alarms, noisy neighbors... it's all part of the urban white noise that keeps us awake. But what happens when nature encroaches upon our sonic space? The Daily News looks into the sex-crazed mockingbirds of NYC, whose mating calls are slowly driving locals insane. The population has gone up 10% in a year, not good news for those who describe the sound outside of their windows as "loud and shrill and grating." more ›

Today, Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein announced that the city's high school graduation rate was 60.7% for 2008, "marking the first time the City’s graduation rate has surpassed 60 percent according to the State Education Department, which released the data today." Bloomberg is using the data to bolster his case for continuing mayoral control of schools: The graduation rate went up 3.6 percentage points between 2007 and 2008 and "the graduation rate among English Language Learners rose more than 10 percentage points between 2007 and 2008." The dropout rate is now at a new low of 13.5%, after falling 3.3 points between 2007 and 2008. Bloomberg said, "After years of near stagnation, our reforms have increased the graduation rate each year since we’ve been in office—and I’m so proud to see that graduation rates are up again this year. This year, English and math scores went way up, schools got much safer, and many more of our high school seniors have earned their diplomas. This is a great day for New York City schools." more ›

Smartphones can annoy—that's the keen observation of the NY Times' latest work of zeitgeisty journalism, joining recent reports on Facebook, Hulu, and the decline of newspapers. In the article—which includes the requisite comparison of new technology to the Wild West—the Times examines the love-hate relationship between professionals and their BlackBerrys to conclude that some people really do find it rude when you play Bejeweled while they're talking to you. It's the hot, new etiquette issue of the business world, according to consultant Nancy Flynn: "People mistakenly think that tapping is not as distracting as talking...In fact, it can be every bit as much if not more distracting. And it’s pretty insulting to the speaker." But, like one college student who lost an internship because he checked text messages during his interview, the Times finds many are still learning this lesson the hard way—Malcolm Smith included. more ›

Not as much rain as expected fell over the weekend. The 0.75 inches that did fall puts us within two inches of the June record. Breaking the record is going to be tough as the rainfall looks to be spotty for most of the week. more ›

Remember that crazy cabbie who, despite a number of assault charges and a DWI arrest, continued driving his cab with a suspended probationary license? Well, apparently he's still at large, but the TLC is now going after 10 cab companies that leased taxis to the hack, one Ramez Akladious (pictured), from February 2008 through January 6th, 2009. His hit list of offenses include slashing a passenger's face, driving drunk, punching another driver in the face, and a racist assault on a black female passenger, who just so happened to work for the TLC. Officials tell the Post they're "sure" he no longer drives a taxi, but nobody's seen him since the beginning of the year. The cab companies are due in court next month and face hefty fines and possible suspensions for leasing taxis to Akladious when his license was suspended. more ›

A small but well-publicized group of homophobic, anti-Semitic Baptist zealots from Kansas brought their dumb message of hate to Manhattan this weekend, standing around with inflammatory signs like "The Jews Killed Jesus" outside a West Village synagogue that caters to gays and lesbians. But instead of straightening out the gays and bringing the Jews to Jesus, these hateful hayseeds actually succeeded in helping out one of their targets, the Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, which turned the demonstration into a fundraiser! more ›

After calling for a special State Senate session starting tomorrow but didn't offer gay marriage legislation on the agenda, now Governor Paterson will ask the Senate to vote on the matter. Paterson also threatened the stalemate-gridlocked Senators, "If the senators do not cooperate with this order, I will convene a special session every day until they do. That includes Saturdays and Sundays. That includes July 4. There will be no excuses." The governor's strong words heartened the Daily News' Mike Lupica, though he adds, "As always, it just seems like too little too late for him, after a year when he has come up no bigger and no better than the state senators he is threatening with summer school now." Of course, the Times points out that while Paterson can call the special session, the Senate isn't compelled to actually, you know, vote on it. And the Post's Fred Dicker hears from both sides: "'How does someone who is not a party to a dispute think he can pick mediators and impose them without even checking with the disputants?' asked a top Democrat who has been trying to settle the struggle. A spokesman for Republican Senate leader Dean Skelos said, 'This is total bulls---, and we're not buying it.'" more ›

Yesterday's complete collapse of a four-story building in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn was somewhat of a miracle: Only four people had minor injuries, while firefighters, who arrived after reports of falling bricks, were still standing outside 493 Myrtle Avenue right before the collapse. City Councilwoman Letitia James told the NY Times, "If any of the men had gone in, it would have been a Father’s Day disaster." A witness from the corner described the collapse to the Daily News, "It started coming from the side, like dust. Then ... the whole thing just fell. It fell like in layers, one, two, three." more ›

The Afghan reporter who was kidnapped by the Talban, alongside NY Times reporter David Rohde, in Afghanistan last November described how he and Rohde escaped the compound where they were being held. According to the NY Times, it was a "desperate attempt by two severely demoralized reporters who believed that the Taliban were not seriously negotiating and would hold them indefinitely." Tahir Ludin says he and Rohde planned their escape on a day when the electricity was on, because the air-conditioning would mask sounds of their getaway. After their guards fell asleep, the men "made their way to the second floor" and cleared a five-foot wall, but then Ludin "was greeted by an unnerving view: a 20-foot drop." Ludin climbed down a rope that Rohde found (and hidden away), but injured his foot in the fall; Rohde managed without injury. When they arrived at a Pakistani militia camp, guards initially suspected they might be suicide bombers. However, once their identities as journalists were confirmed, "they were treated well." Times executive editor Bill Keller explained that Rohde's kidnapping was not reported on because "All along, we were told by people that probably the wisest course for David's safety was to keep it quiet." more ›

Over the weekend, State Senate Democrats met at the Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network headquarters in Harlem to discuss sharing power with the Senate Republicans. Senator Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) also spoke on Sharpton's radio show—and compared himsel to Jesus. The Daily News reports that besides saying he was the target of a political jihad, Monserrate also said, "You know, I'm never gonna compare myself to anyone in the biblical context...I remember Jesus himself, when he saw that in the temple there were merchants setting up shop, [he] began to turn over a few tables along." more ›

An observant Jewish senior at Mott Hall High School in Harlem is missing her graduation—because the ceremony takes place on the Sabbath. The Post reports that Li Morse, "who is one of just nine white students in the 400-person school and the only Jewish student in her grade," is really upset: "This is one of the most absurd situations in my life. I'm very angry." Morse's mother pleaded with the school's principal, pointing out that even her daughter's classmates made sure the senior class trip didn't conflict with Jewish holidays. But the school held firm, only offering a diploma ceremony at the school library on Friday. Morse's mother said, "She shouldn't have to choose between her religion and her high-school graduation," while the teen, who will attend the College of Staten Island this all, said, "It's my high-school graduation. I went through 12 years of school. It's a big life event, and I wanted to do it, and I can't." The school nor the Department of Education had comment for the Post. more ›

Philip Markoff, the medical student suspected of killing a NYC woman he met on Craigslist in a Boston hotel room, was indicted by a grand jury yesterday. According to the Boston Globe, prosecutors say in the April 14 killing of Julissa Brisman, as well as two other robberies of women he met via Craigslist, Markoff "allegedly used disposable cellphones and temporary e-mail addresses to make appointments, then used plastic ties and duct tape to bind his victims." Prosecutors also revealed that the 9mm gun used to kill Brisman was "purchased in a New Hampshire gun shop in February under [Andrew] Miller's name, though prosecutors found Markoff's fingerprint on paperwork filed with the purchase." Miller's license was found in Markoff's car when he was arrested; investigators do not think Miller was involved in the crimes. The 22-year-old will be arraigned today on charges including first-degree murder, armed robbery and armed kidnapping. more ›

• Florida 6 Yankees 5: The loss is a problem, but a much bigger one occurred in the second inning. That is when C.C. Sabathia walked off the mound with what is being described as “tightness” in his left bicep. The Yankees haven’t scheduled any tests for the hefty lefty, he says he is “ok” and he is listed as day-to-day, but all they can do right now is hope he is right.

Ninety celebrities and Daily News staff writers shared their favorite spots around town for the paper to turn into a fun (and addictive) interactive map in honor of their 90th birthday. Spots go from the painfully obvious (News baseball writer Bill Madden couldn't come up with something better than Yankee Stadium?) to some shockers (Chloe Sevigny choosing somewhere above 14th Street!). There are some fun personal anecdotes mixed in, like Rosie Perez talking about her high-school track and SNL's Abby Elliot sharing the restaurant her comedian dad Chris took her to after her first failed audition. Without Ghostface being polled, poor Staten Island didn't get one locale chosen in the bunch. But at least News readers can find a few excuses to trek up to the Bronx. Remy Ma gives the lowdown on City Island, telling the paper, "Sammy's restaurant in City Island was like the Mr. Chow's of the Bronx. Growing up as a teenager that was the place you'd go to with a guy and then come back and tell everybody, "Girl, he took me to Sammy's!" It meant something." more ›

It took Alex Rodriguez some 13-plus seasons to have the scheduling gods grant his first ever regular game season to be played in his hometown of Miami against the Marlins. How did Joe Girardi celebrate the homecoming? By giving A-Rod the first two games of the series off due to "fatigue." But is A-Rod exhausted from leftover effects of off-season hip surgery—or being linked to Hollywood starlets? The Post says that Rodriguez was able to get enough leverage out of his recovering hips to make a night of it with new romantic band-aid Kate Hudson in South Beach until 2:30 in the morning after spending Friday night's game on the bench. Despite sitting out, A-Rod had 100 tickets put aside for friends and family to watch the Yankees win without their slumping third baseman, who is hitless in his last 15 at-bats and hitting .212 for the season. The doctor who performed A-Rod's hip surgery said that he was happy to see him rest and wished the slugger had already sat more, instead of playing all of his first 38 games back, with only three as DH. more ›

Bearing signs that read "You Will Eat Your Babies" and "Fags Doom Nations," members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church showed up at gay-friendly The Congregation Beth Simchat Torah in the West Village ready to give its members a piece of their mind. Westboro member Steve Drane told NY1, "Anywhere where God's word needs to be preached to an unrepentant generation, that's where we'll be." This weekend marks the first that the church led by Fred Phelps is expanding its anti-gay crusade to now include Jews as well, for reasons such as their exceeding tolerance of homosexuality and abortion to their lack of repentance for killing Christ. While only a handful of Westboro members made it out today, hundreds including Speaker Christine Quinn faced off with them in a counter-protest, where members of the temple were encouraged to keep their message positive when addressing the visitors, particularly while speaking to the press. more ›

Between the weather and the crowds, the USGA may decide not to return the U.S. Open to Bethpage Black in the future and that would be a huge mistake. more ›

An Upper East Side man is suing the owners of his building for $10 million after his doorman allegedly left him with severe injuries following "a seriously misguided effort to be social." 55-year-old Glenn Reit had just gotten back from a ski vacation when he crossed paths with doorman Fred Rosario, who excitedly told him to sit down and "close his eyes and pretend he was skiing," an always ominous request. Rosario's ski fantasy for Reit turned out to be less Bode Miller and more Sonny Bono when the doorman began laughing and yelled, "You've hit a tree!" and according to the suit, "planted a forceful karate chop on the back of the plaintiff's neck," that has left Reit "substantially disabled." Reit claims the chop cost him $7,000 in medical bills from "a herniated disc, vertigo, neck pain, blurry vision and a concussion." Rosario denies any karate chop and describes his interaction with Reit as being more like an Atomic Sit-Up, where the tree was simply played by a slap to Reit's forehead. more ›

A little before 2 p.m., a four-story building on Myrtle Avenue, between Hall and Ryerson Streets, collapsed in the Clinton Hill/Bed Stuy neighborhood. Vesper Bar & Lounge was on the first floor. It's considered a second-alarm "Major Emergency." Apparently the Fire Department has accounted for all people who were inside the building. more ›

As rumored, Governor Paterson has ordered a special session of the State Senate on Tuesday. WCBS 2 reports, "Paterson said that according to the law, the governor has no authority over the Senate in session, but that once the session ends, he will inconvenience them by compelling them to enter special session, as the Senate inconvenienced New Yorkers." Senate Democrats reportedly support a special session; it has been two weeks since the Republicans plus two dissident Democrats seized power in a coup, but Hiram Monserrate's decision to rejoin the Democrats has thrown the Senate into a 31-31 tie. Paterson also said, "Over the last couple of weeks, the senator's conduct has been laughable, but what's going around here these days is no joke and I don't find it funny. To the senators, I tell you, you have inconvenienced the lives of all New Yorkers for a couple of weeks and now you will come back to work and do the people's business." more ›

Apparently Orthodox Jews weren't the only ones getting preferential treatment while inside the city's prison walls. It appears that the Department of Corrections might have a systematic breakdown going on according to reports in today's Post about the way that various prison officials pampered rap star Foxy Brown while she was doing time at Riker's Island until her release last April. more ›

While Governor Paterson's obesity tax bellyflopped, Nassau County is taking a cue from it. With falling county revenue, county officials included a 2% tax on fast food items as part of its budget—it could bring in more than $11 million. While Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi would rather have a cigarette tax first, he told Newsday, "In the best of all possible worlds it's better to try to discourage unhealthy behavior instead of relying on property taxes. We're just trying to figure out the way to solve the problems without wrecking the county and without raising property taxes." But his office hasn't considered whether healthy food sold at fast food chains would be taxed. A Dunkin' Brands spokesperson said, "We understand that many state and local governments are facing budget deficits due to the tough economic environment, but imposing taxes on consumers and small-business owners is not the way to solve these problems." The State Legislature would have to approve the budget. more ›

Faced with a dreadful week of weather that has play a day behind schedule and on-and-off showers keeping some golfers on the greens for upwards of eleven hours yesterday, some local fans at Bethpage Black greeted US Open golfers in the fashion New Yorkers do best—by getting wasted and heckling them. Newsday reports that Tiger Woods may have gotten the worst of it. Among the "You suck!" and "This Bud's for you!" callouts, one fan got in, "Suck it up, you've got your own video game!" The paper says that Tiger "tried to quiet the crowd with a 'sshh' hand gesture." The fans' response: "We're on Long Island, baby, where men are men! Put that umbrella down!" Other fans, lacking in that level of chutzpah and cleverness, simply stuck to targeting golfer Fred Funk by "shouting his last name as an obscenity." The boo birds and delays didn't seem to faze leader Ricky Barnes, who set an Open record by going eight under after 36 holes. He said, "Nothing you can do. It's kind of like being stuck in an airport and they won't refund you." For more, check out Newsday's U.S. Open blog. more ›

The NY Daily News and NY Post seize on the same City Council member item today. Here's how the News tells it: "The neighborhood lunatic of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, is getting $5,000 of your tax dollars to teach classes in a City Councilwoman's office about the origin of words." And here's the Post: "Here's your tax dollars hard at work. A city councilwoman set aside $5,000 in next year's budget for a wacky Brooklyn man with a rap sheet to teach courses in etymology at her district office." more ›

A Bronx man was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for the fatal stabbing that occurred in Queens. Last week, Michael Pecora's body was found in his Forest Hills apartment. When Pecora's family called his cellphone, a cab driver answered, saying that a passenger he took to the Bronx gave it to him, because he didn't have any money to pay. Newsday reports that the cab driver's information led police to a relative of Alexys Fermaintt, 30, who resides in East Tremont but was arrested on Thursday in Holyoke, Massachusetts and brought to Queens on Friday: "Pecora's computer was found in a separate Holyoke apartment that police said appeared to be Fermaintt's primary address, according to a detective." more ›

Many Catholics make sure to bring their belongings with them when going up to receive Communion so that they can make a quick dash for the exit upon taking part in the mass's climactic rite. But at Shrine Church of Saint Bernadette in Dyker Heights, church officials have begun encouraging parishoners to grab their things after a series of purse-snatchings occurred while churchgoers left their places for Communion. One woman said to the News, "If you can't trust your fellow worshipers when you are going for Communion, then you are going to hell." A member the church says that at least three purses were stolen recently, but none of the incidents were reported to the police. The spree did prompt Reverend Ponnachan Georgekutty to post a notice on the parish's website warning people not to leave anything behind during the sacrament, which he says has curbed the burglaries. One 74-year-old woman said to the News, "Is nothing sacred any more? Is nothing holy?" more ›

Yesterday, the NY Times revealed that its reporter David Rohde "escaped Friday night and made his way to freedom after more than seven months of captivity in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan...Mr. Rohde told his wife, Kristen Mulvihill, that [fellow kidnapped reporter Tahir] Ludin joined him in climbing over the wall of a compound... They made their way to a nearby Pakistani Frontier Corps base and on Saturday they were flown to the American military base in Bagram, Afghanistan." Rohde, who was previously kidnapped in Bosnia, appears to be in good health, while Ludin injured his foot. The Times and Rohde's family "declined to discuss details of the efforts to free the captives, except to say that no ransom money was paid and no Taliban or other prisoners were released," with Times executive editor Bill Keller explaining, "As other victims have told us, discussing your strategy just offers guidance for future kidnappers." Mulvihill who expressed her gratitude to the Times, U.S. government and other agencies, said, "They just walked over the wall of the compound...We’ve been married nine months. And seven of those, David has been in captivity." more ›

• Tampa Bay 3 Mets 1: Johan Santana was good, James Shields was better. Shields shut the Mets down, allowing only one run over seven innings and the Rays came from behind to beat New York in a tidy game. Neither offense was good, but Tampa was more efficient, taking advantage of two solo homers and back-to-back doubles to get the win. Both teams had to suffer through a lengthy rain delay, but the game itself took only 2:24.

The NYPD is being accused of another sexual assault case involving two of its officers, this one in a suit by a Queens woman who claims she was sodomized inside a precinct bathroom stall by a cop while another officer held watch outside. The woman claims she was brought to a police station last February by Detective Oscar Sandino following a drug raid of her apartment. On the ride over, she alleges Sandino threatened that her children would be taken away and alluded that the only way to smooth things over was to have sex with him. Once back at the station, she says he barged in on her while she was in a bathroom stall, ordered her to take her pants down and said, "Wow, you have an earring down there," before groping and sodomizing her. Sandino is a married father of two and was placed on modified duty last March. He told the Post, "I am not a rapist." Police sources say that the woman's previous complaints to Internal Affairs were only about inappropriate comments and calls made by Sandino. The Elmhurst woman says that she once met up with Sandino wearing a wire, but that he caught on and merely threatened her. more ›

Today at his weekly meeting of the National Action Network, Al Sharpton gathered together some of the major Democratic senators involved in the ongoing power struggle in Albany (with one glaring exception, of course). One week after Senator Hiram Monserrate was out at Yankee Stadium hanging out with Pedro Espada, here he was smiling and yukking it up with the colleagues he helped oust from power, Malcolm Smith and John Sampson. more ›

The Big Apple isn't always hard-hearted—witness these sweet tributes to Pretty Boy, an East Village cat who passed away last month at the suspected age of 22 (!!). He traveled between Mikey's Pet Shop, where he slept, and Salon Seven, where, the NY Times reports, he "spent his day purring, sprawled on the appointment calendar at the reception desk and in the laps of clients having their hair washed." Salon Seven's Mark Dolengawski told the Villager that neighborhood supers loved Pretty Boy, one even wished "I had a cool walk like that." Dolgengawski added, "It really was a cool walk...it was a Zen-like stroll. It was so serene. I like to think of him as my sensei — my Zen master. I hope to be as cool and serene as that when I get old." And Living in Narnia wrote last month, "Mikey told me that Pretty Boy wanted to hold on until Tuesday, when Mark returned to the salon, and so he did. He died in Mark's arms...Rest in peace, Pretty Boy. The East Village lost a good friend. " A former Mikey's Pet Shop employee told the Times, "Every day I cry. He knew he was the man. He was the man on East Seventh Street. Everybody just loved him." more ›

As mentioned yesterday, Thursday's record-breaking rainfall for a single June day (2.3 inches) puts NYC within striking distance of breaking 2003's record June rainfall of 10.23 inches—and we've got almost two weeks to go. The NY Times created a graph of the wettest summers on record (but if you want to know the driest summer on record, you'll need our graph) and points out that if it stopped raining this month, June 2009 would still be the 7th wettest summer on record (and that doesn't even include today's rainfall!). Not to worry, more rain is on the way—we'll definitely hit at least 4th place! more ›

A Staten Island couple isn't too thrilled with a city bus driver after he did the bare minimum to help their son following the 14-year-old boy being suckerpunched in the face. Anthony Paramithis, a freshman SI Technical High School, had just gotten onto the S78 bus when another teen clocked him from behind. An onlooker asked the assailant why he hit the smaller Paramithis and he replied, "Because I felt like it." When the driver learned what happened to the bloody-mouthed teen, he replied, "There's nothing I can do about that," and then let the attacker off at the next stop, a quarter-mile from the nearest precinct. The Fort Wadsworth boy's father told the SI Advance, "He left my son bleeding to death, and then he lets everyone off the bus so they can run?" But the MTA says the driver acted properly, notifying his command center and not getting involved in the altercation. Paramithis has his jaw wired shut for the next three weeks and can only eat "protein shakes, soup and anything else that will fit between his teeth." His parents told WCBS that his 14-year-old attacker confessed after being picked up yesterday by cops. more ›

After yesterday's funny post about the hawk who flew into an East Village restaurant, we thought it a good opportunity to enjoy some photographs of red-tailed hawks in a more familiar setting—the park. Flickr user atkaufman has a really nice set of photographs of red-tailed hawks in Riverside Park. more ›

Yesterday, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum claimed the 40% reduction in her office's budget—from $2.8 million to $1.7 million— was "political payback" from City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Why? Because Gotbaum opposed extending term limits, which Quinn supported. PolitickerNY reports that Gotbaum, who is not running for re-election, "said she will not lay off any of her 40 employees, but may leave some positions vacant in order to save money for whomever succeeds her." She added, "I find it appalling that the speaker could not find the money to restore my budget but did have $17 million to hand out. The speaker can get the money from wherever she is parking those funds." Gotbaum's complaints led the Post create a Gotbaum-baby Photoshop (pictured, but larger version here); the Post also reports that Quinn retorted, "Why did the mayor cut the public advocate's office? Betsy, the public advocate, should take her question there...I can't speak to her anger level, today or in comparison to any other days." The mayor's office suggested Gotbaum...speak to the City Council. more ›

A year after a 49-year-old woman died in the psychiatric waiting room at Kings County Hospital, the Department of Investigations has issued a report that says, "Discrepancies were uncovered that called into question the accuracy of the medical records created by certain Kings County Hospital doctors." In other words, hospital staffers—doctors and nurses—falsified records and lied to investigators about the care that Esmin Green received. more ›

The roundup of Canada geese around NYC airports is now nearly halfway complete with a total of 800 having been trapped and gassed. Operation "Goose-Be-Gone" has now removed geese from 15 of the 40 sites within 5 miles of Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports that is expected to kill around 2,000 birds. However one wildlife expert told the Queens Tribute that the city's removal program is only skimming the surface. Dr. Steven Graber said, “They’re definitely on the right track. They’re finally doing what they’ve been supposed to have been doing this entire time. However, they’re forgetting about 90 percent of the property and 90 percent of the problem.” A spokesman for the mayor's office disputed that saying, “In the City, there isn’t much open space that isn’t city owned." The Times had more pictures of the geese being rounded up earlier in the week at Randalls Island. more ›

The widow of a Brooklyn man who died when he fall off an escalator last year is suing the Mets. 36-year-old Antonio Narainasami plunged 30 feet to his death when an escalator stopped suddenly at the Mets' old home. The lawsuit says that the escalator jerked, sending him over the railing and complains that it was "too steep, poorly maintained and needed higher railings." At the time of the accident last April, there was some speculation as to whether or not Narainasami was trying to slide down the rails when he fell. It was also customary for escalators at Shea to turn off in the seventh inning of games. The lawsuit filed in Queens Supreme Court by Ambeeka Narainasami also names the city and the elevator companies, Brink and Otis, as co-defendants. A lawyer for the city said, "We will review the case thoroughly, especially in a tragic case like this." more ›

The city's Department of Investigation says that the Fire Department and Department of Buildings failed to inspect the former Deutsche Bank building in the months leading up to the August 2007 seven-alarm fire that claimed two firefighters' lives. For instance, a DOB inspector told his supervisor that there was a breach in a water standpipe, but the supervisor allegedly told him to leave it out of his report. The Daily News points out, "If the test had been carried out, inspectors would have discovered a more serious issue with the standpipe - preventing the tragedy that claimed firefighters Joseph Graffagnino Jr. and Robert Beddia." The DOI report also reiterated claims that the FDNY didn't inspect the building as it should have, "Everyone had tunnel vision." Graffagnino's father lamented to the News, "Why didn't they do anything about it? They couldn't do anything right." You can read the whole report here (PDF). more ›

State Senator Pedro Espada was kind enough to give the Daily News a personal tour throughout his Bronx apartment, showing off framed family photos on the wall in order to demonstrated just how legitimate of a home it is for him. Only one problem with that story—a neighbor told the paper that Espada and his wife had just unloaded pictures and other bags into the pad over the course of several trips on the elevator the night before. more ›

A 22-year-old Pennsvile, NJ man was busted after his text message inquiring about some pot mistakenly went to a police officer. According to Today's Sunbeam, John Milligan "misdialed a number, getting instead the cell phone of Cpl. Christopher Pew, a veteran of the Salem force... Police Chief John Pelura III said Friday that the off-duty corporal did not know the suspect or how serious his request was, but took advantage of the situation by setting up a sting to arrest him." While the exact text was not disclosed, Pelura said, "Basically in the text, Milligan described what vehicle he was driving and where they would meet." Milligan, as well as 20-year-old Kelly Reilly were charged with allegedly loitering to commit a controlled dangerous substance offense. In other pot-texting news, two Worcester, MA siblings were arrested after sending a text offering "pink stars" (Ecstasy) and "midz" (pot) while an Orange County, CA teacher was arrested when a student's mother found texts saying the student was smoking pot with the teacher. more ›

The NY Post scored the first jailhouse interview with Thomas Prusik-Parkin, aka "Dead Mom Walking," aka "Dragnut," aka the dude who dressed up as his dead mother to collect her Social Security benefits and mortgage her Park Slope brownstone, and the guy who kept a coffin in his living room. And he discussed Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic thriller about a cross-dressing murderer with mommy issues! more ›

Sonia Sotomayor has resigned from an all-women's club she belonged to in order to avoid one more issue that could come up during her confirmation hearings. Sotomayor was part of the 115 member of the Belizean Grove, which bills itself as women's answer to the 130-year-old all-male Bohemian Club, whose members once included Chief Justice Earl Warren. In a letter to Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy Jeff Sessions, Sotomayor said, "I believe the Belizean Grove does not practice invidious discrimination and my membership did not violate the Judicial Code of Ethics, but I do not want questions about this to distract anyone from my qualifications and record." Both Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor belong to all-women's groups. Republicans say that they were not planning to object to Sotomayor's involvement, but merely highlight it the way Democrats have done previous nominee's inclusion in similar all-male organizations. Sotomayor may also have been giving Republicans less ammunition if they bring up her speech contrasting Latina women and white men. more ›

In spite of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's warning that opposition leaders would pay for any "bloodshed and chaos" from protests over the Iranian presidential elections, thousands of protesters, supporting opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi who disputes his loss to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, took to the streets in Teheran. (Khamenei has endorsed Ahmadinejad as winner of the election, with 63% of the vote.) Witnesses tell the AP that militia used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters. The NY Times reports, that so far, "the Obama administration has fended off pressure from both parties to respond more forcefully... But if Iranian authorities carry out their latest threat of a more sweeping crackdown, the White House would reconsider its carefully calibrated tone." Today, there is a gathering to protest the elections today at 2 p.m. outside the U.N. more ›

• Yankees 5 Florida 1: Joe Girardi’s return to Florida was a successful one. The Yankees jumped out to a 1-0 lead and added four more runs before the Marlins even got on the scoreboard. That was all Andy Pettitte needed as he pitched seven-strong innings, striking out seven while he added a RBI-double in the second. A-Rod got his first day off since he returned from the DL,
• Mets 5 Tampa Bay 3: Screw Kazmir, the Mets have Fernando. Fernando Nieve kept the Rays in check for six innings and while the bullpen let them back in the game, F-Rod shut the door. Brian Schnieder hit his first homer and David Wright and Ryan Church added RBI’s in the win.

After two full weeks of the coup turned stalemate, now various outlets report that Governor David Paterson may step in. According to the Daily News, "Unless a deal is reached between the Democrats and Republicans to get back to work, Paterson will call a special Senate session for Wednesday... Aides said the governor has a list of 42 bills - including one to extend the mayor's control over the city schools - that need action by month's end." The Senate GOP claims they don't need a special session "because most of those bills the governor speaks of are already on active lists that we've attempted to take up all week," while the Democrats offered a power-sharing agreement, "Our proposal for an equitable operating agreement will allow us to get essential work done and pass legislation that local communities need to survive." Also in Senate Democrat news: An emergency summit is planned for tomorrow—at the Reverend Al Sharpton's Harlem offices. Paterson is expected to attend. more ›

After DNA testing from the FBI proved that a Michigan resident was not 1955 kidnapping victim Steven Damman, his family and the Damman family are reeling from the whirlwind of publicity and questions. John Barnes truly believed he was the Long Island toddler who had been kidnapped at age two—partly because he never thought he fit in—and even appeared with Damman's sister Pamela Sue Horne, who was seven months old during the kidnapping, on the Today show hours before the DNA results were revealed. Horne was contacted by Barnes last fall, and she submitted to a DNA test that did not rule out that they could be related. She told Newsday this morning, "It's been a very long night," and was later seen in a wheelchair. And Cheryl Barnes, who was raised alongside John Barnes, told the Times, "This is all out of nowhere. He’s always saying something, and now it’s this? Is he saying our dad is a kidnapper?" more ›

With the budget settled, that means the City Council's spending is set, too. The Post reports, "Overall, council spending is going up $300,000, reaching $48.8 million when the new fiscal year begins July 1. The largesse is split up among the council's 51 members for pet projects and nonprofits in their districts and more expensive programs they fund with the speaker's pot of money." Notably, there's $85,000—by way of City Council members Maria Baez and Joel Rivera—for the Davidson Community Center, a community group that was taken off the list of worthy groups because of "poor performance on past contracts." If you want to read the whole document, PolitickerNY has it. PolitickerNY also found that the Council will review the grants, so re: Davidson, "They will go through the full review process. If they demonstrate that they have improved sufficiently, then they will get funding." more ›

The East Patchogue, Long Island landlord who allegedly put videocameras in a tenant's apartment to spy on the 16-year-old daughter was held on $20,000 bail. Police say that Louis Basco, a self-employed handyman, "wired surveillance cameras to peer into the 16 year old's bedroom and bathroom. They say he gained access from her attic, where he comes and goes as the property owner." Tenant Robert Hayducka said, "He had a camera in our ceiling, which there were holes in my bathroom and in my daughter's room. Nowhere else were there holes but in my daughter's room." It's unclear how long the monitoring has been going on, but the police found enough circumstantial evidence to arrest him. In the mean time, the family has issued an order of protection against him. more ›

Almost a dozen school nurses say they're not being paid for the days the city closed their schools due to the swine flu outbreak. Most of the nurses in question got sick themselves or have children who became ill, but not one of those troupers called in sick during the crisis when the schools were open. One Queens school nurse tells the Daily News, "You couldn't leave people when they were that scared. It was chaos. I had a thermometer in each pocket—you had to be like an octopus." more ›

Brooklyn Navy Yard's doomed Admiral's Row just suffered another devastating blow—but this time it was delivered by the hands of Mother Nature, not Mayor Bloomberg. Yesterday's rain storm helped in further destroying one of the former residences (known as Building C) along Flushing Avenue, which collapsed (at least partially) from water damage. Of course, the building would have been torn down at the hands of man anyway, to make way for the almighty supermarket. Curbed has some photos from the scene. more ›

Time to start setting aside some of those counterfeit bills we ordinarily unload at the peep shows and save them for the subway! The MTA is reportedly "in a mad dash" to update more than 1,600 MetroCard machines throughout the city because they soon won't be high-tech enough to spot the newest generations of rubber money. A new MTA report warns that without an upgrade, the machines "have the potential of accepting up to $60 million in counterfeit bills annually." And then once the machines become self-aware, who knows what they'll accept as payment? The MTA board will vote soon on a plan to fix obsolete machines electronically, which is expected to cost $3.3 million dollars. The Post reports that physically replacing the slots would cost more than three times as much. And a spokesman for NYC Transit tells us the upgrade isn't just about anti-counterfeiting measures, but also intended to accomodate new bill designs issued by the federal government. more ›

Yesterday was the rainiest day yet this rainy month. 2.3 inches fell, breaking the 1871 record of 2.29 inches for June 18th. The downpour puts Central Park within striking distance of a June record. Awesome! more ›

Forget about that depressing national debt ticker, there's a new way to track our nation's (and planet's) inevitable collapse: the real-time carbon counter ticker! Yesterday Deutsche Bank "launched the world's first scientifically valid, real-time carbon counter, displaying the total of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere." It's located at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue, outside of Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. Maybe you'll see it as you pass by in your cab or SUV! more ›

Surprise, surprise: 27-year-old Katie Lee wanted to go out on the town more than her 60-year-old husband Billy Joel. Following the couple's divorce announcement, the NY Post spoke to sources close to the couple, who told the paper, "It really was just an age thing. She loves the city, she loves to go out and have fun and he prefers to stay at home. The age difference didn't seem to be a big deal seven years ago [when they met], but it has become one as they got older. They just grew apart." Meanwhile, she's been locking arms with designer Yigal Azrouel all over town, as Joel prefers to stay close to home with his motorcycles and yachts. As for the money, there's allegedly an ironclad prenuptial agreement, though Katie Lee will likely get the couple's Greenwich Village townhouse, which Joel bought for $5.9 million just a few years ago. Joel's daughter Alexa Ray, just 4 years younger than his soon-to-be-ex-wife, told People she saw it coming, "I have a pretty good woman's intuition, so I could tell." more ›

While it's not the level of iNsanity the initial iPhone release prompted two years ago, people did/are lining up for the new iPhone 3G. Engadget reports, "A few hundred people lined up outside the Fifth Avenue Apple Store today for Apple's new iPhone, with the those The iLife guys up front descending into the store at 7AM to the sound of applause from the cheery horde of Apple Store employees. It was a far sight from the mayhem of previous launches -- the whole line was able to be contained in the elevated portion to the right of the store, no sidewalk necessary -- but it was still a fairly impressive turnout for a spec-bumped phone and a rainy night." And the line outside the Soho store doesn't look too bad either. But iPhone consumers, be careful: Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has previously attributed the rise in young muggers on the shiny device! more ›

262 new cops, poised to graduate and start policing on July 2nd, gathered at Harlem's Apollo Theater yesterday for training on cross-cultural understanding, or, as Police Commissioner Ray Kelly puts it, "immersion training." For some rookies, it probably doesn't get more immersive than a visit from Rev. Al Sharpton, who was on hand to warn officers that "in most of our communities there's a tremendous fear of the cops and the robbers seem to be winning." But Sharpton's best sound bite came after the gathering, when he told reporters, "To me, it's always successful to be in a room full of police and not leave with my hands in cuffs." Yesterday marked the fourth and final day of mandatory diversity training, which was initiated after Sean Bell was shot and killed by plainclothes police officers in 2006; the sessions also come in the wake of the fatal cop-on-cop shooting in Harlem last month. The NYPD has been criticized for conducting a record-breaking number of stop-and-frisk searches this year, which groups like the NYCLU say disproportionately target minorities. Oh, and critics have also objected to the sodomy. more ›

Yesterday, the NY State Department of Labor revealed that statewide unemployment rose from 7.7% in April to 8.2% in May, while NYC unemployment hit 9.0% in May, after being at 8.0% in April: "The state's private sector job count has now dropped for nine consecutive months. Since the state's private sector job count peaked in August 2008, New York has lost 212,200 private sector jobs, erasing more than half of the 400,000 jobs added during the state's last economic expansion from 2003 to 2008." more ›

You already know some of Thomas Prusik-Parkin's reasoning for dressing up like his dead mother, Irene Prusik, for six years to cash her Social Security checks and collect other benefits. During his arrest, he reportedly told authorities, "I held my mother when she was dying and breathed in her last breath, so I am my mother." Then yesterday we learned that this man, now being held in lieu of $1 million bail, kept a casket in his home for undisclosed reasons—though it's safe to assume that's where he'd sleep, all snug and cozy in Irene's nightgown. And now it gets creepier, if that's even possible: According to court papers obtained by the Post, Prusik-Parkin says he was just following Mommy's orders. "She said, 'I will guide you,' he told cops after his arrest Tuesday. "I therefore have had to put on her things and represent the part of me that is her in order to fight for our rights and our home." Aw, a nice young man standing up for his mother's rights; maybe this story isn't so twisted after all! more ›

Yesterday, the pilot of a Continental Airlines flight from Brussels to Newark died mid-flight, and a cardiologist who tried to revive Captain Craig Lennell believes he died from a heart attack. (An autopsy will determine cause of death.) Dr. Julien Struyven, who was a passenger on the flight, said, "It's a wonderful death. You die on duty. You don't feel anything." Two co-pilots took over the flight and safely landed the plane, which carried 247 passengers. more ›

For insight into how the forthcoming taxi-share changes might actually play out, look no further than Yorkville, where Manhattan's only officially-sanctioned taxi stand whisks perfect strangers to Wall Street every morning, for $6 a pop. Some women have voiced concerns about predatory cab Casanovas using the shared backseat to get fresh, but they might be reassured by the customs that have evolved out of two decades of Yorkville cab share culture. As rider Glenn Caldwell tells the Times, "Everybody seems to know the rules." Namely: No talking. Not to each other, not on a cell phone, not to yourself. Of course, the militant silence could also be attributed to uptight Upper East Side WASP reticence, so we'll have to see how this goes once gabby shoppers start piling into cabs by Herald Square. But TLC commissioner Matthew Daus promises that shared taxis participating in the pilot program will have "a code of conduct" posted inside, discouraging New Yorkers who might, in a moment of weakness, be inclined to let their guards down and actually meet someone new. (After all, that's what the Internet is for.) more ›

A group of NHL players is suing developer Ken Jowdy for taking the $25 million they invested in golf courses because they accuse him of "blowing it on parties packed with porn stars, hookers and his preferred baseball buddies, including ex-Yankees Roger Clemens and Reggie Jackson." The Post reports that one lawsuit's claims include: "Put a Clemens gal pal named Adrian Moore, described as a 'regular party attendee who was close to Clemens,' on his payroll 'as a personal favor' to the former Yankee Cy Young winner" and "Hired Brian MacNamee - the onetime Clemens trainer who told Congress he supplied the ballplayer with steroids - as a fitness trainer." The plaintiffs are seeking the $25 million back plus $15 million in damages, but Jowdy told the News, "There's not one statement of fact in the [lawsuit]...All I have to do is tell the truth. I have nothing to hide." Jowdy says he'll sue for libel. more ›

Investigators tell the Daily News that the man found stabbed to death in his Queens apartment probably met his killer online. The News reports that Michael Pecora's sister had called his cell phone, only for a stranger to answer: "The man with Pecora's cell phone was a cab driver, who told the sister he was given the phone earlier in the week by a passenger who said he didn't have any money to pay the fare, sources said. The passenger gave the cab driver the phone and a watch as payment when he was dropped off in the Bronx." The sister contacted the police, who then questioned the cabbie. The cabbie recalled the fare was carrying a laptop—and Pecora's laptop was missing from his Forest Hills home—leading police to suspect the killer stole the computer to cover his tracks. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg offered up a priceless quote on the clip that has been circulating the internet, cable news and late night talk shows of President Obama stopping to kill a fly mid-interview. The mayor said to the Daily News, “I don’t know why he did it. I had pickets outside my house for geese last night. We are sending some of these geese for well-deserved rest up in the sky, wherever geese go. But the bottom line is, we can make fun of the geese but they’re a danger to human beings flying. And we’re doing what's appropriate, and I’m sure what the president thought about was that particular fly might be spreading something like the H1N1 flu and he was going to risk his own life with hands - bare hands, without Purell - and he protected the public by hitting that fly, and we owe him a great debt of gratitude. I'm sure he’s laughing about it right now." Meanwhile PETA has sent the president a fly-catching device, asking him to think a little longer next time before he commits another "execution." more ›

With attempts by the Republicans in the state senate to hold a legislative session continuing to go nowhere, a bipartisan group of senators met behind closed doors today in an attempt to get through the impasse they have found themselves in. That too proved futile. more ›

The City Council's Education Panel voted 10-1 to add the Muslim holidays of "Eid ul-Fitr, a day of giving thanks, and Eid ul-Adha, a day of remembrance," to the school calendar. Councilmember Robert Jackson, who introduced the legislation last year, said, "This is about being inclusive. This is about the city of New York being flexible to understand that the diversity of our city is complimented when we can include all holidays into the school calendar." About 10% of the NYC public school population is Muslim. The lone "no" vote was from Councilmember Oliver Koppell, who told the Riverdale Press, "I just feel that we can’t, we shouldn’t deprive kids of school. And we should make accommodation for everybody’s religious observance." The Press adds he's concerned about asking the state for two extra school days, "Reducing school days... until everyone's holidays were recognized would be onerous, he said." On that note, Councilmember Simcha Felder is against closing schools on every holiday, but, PolitickerNY reports, "since the practice is in place, now, it should be applied uniformly." more ›

A Queens Village mother and grandmother have been charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child after permanently scarring a six-year-old girl in a Voodoo ritual where they engulfed her in flames. 29-year-old Marie Lauradin and 70-year-old Sylvenie Thessier are accused of pouring rum both onto the head of young Frantzcia Saintil and in a circle around her and then lighting both on fire. After performing the "Loa" ritual, the pair doused the girl in ice cold water and put her to bed. Lauradin, a recent Haitian immigrant, and her mother were allegedly helped by a friend named "Sketch," who has not been charged. The Daily News reports, "Lauradin initially claimed she was boiling rice in a pot when the girl 'startled' her, causing her to spill the scalding water on her." She could face up to 25 years if convicted. more ›

Update: The AP is reporting that DNA test results have shown that John Barnes is not the same man as the toddler kidnapped on Long Island 54 years ago. Jerry Damman, the father of the missing Stephen Damman, said to reporters, "It's too bad we had to go through all of this for actually nothing in the end." The story from earlier continues below. more ›

DEA agents seized $3 million in marijuana and $500,000 cash in a raid on a Staten Island home last week, arresting Odede Kariti, 27, and his wife, Yotvat Kariti, 24, along with a third man, Brian Guariglia. According to court papers obtained by the Staten Island Advance, the trio are part of a drug ring that's smuggled millions of dollars of high-grade marijuana from Canada. Authorities have been investigating the ring for two years, and finally took action on May 11th after getting a tip that Guariglia was delivering a 300-pound shipment that day. The weed was stashed in "large hockey bags" in Guariglia's truck, and federal agents arrested him as he made the drop at the Karitis' house. Once inside, they also found "numerous" hockey bags containing another 250-300 pounds of marijuana. Now the Karitis and Guariglia face up to 40 years in prison for trying to distribute a mostly harmless plant whose worst side-effect is patch pants. This is the second major marijuana bust on Staten Island in the past few months; in April three men were nailed for moving "large quantities" of herb in a mobile-home. more ›

Ah summertime: sunkissed skin, sunny days...and a better chance at getting brutally murdered. The NY Times has a story, accompanied by a cheery map, tracking homicides in the city—specifically how their numbers go up along with the temperature. The paper actually calls New York in the summer months a "distinctively lethal place," following their multiyear analysis of murder trends compiled from records dated 2003 to 2008. more ›

Guardian Angels founder and NY1 personality Curtis Sliwa claims that Junior Gotti threatened to kill him while the two were in Manhattan federal court yesterday. Right as Gotti's pre-trial hearing for racketeering conspiracy was breaking, Sliwa claims Gotti turned to the radio host who was in attendance and said, "You're going down." Sliwa shot back, "F*ck you!" But Gotti's lawyer told reporters that his client was saying, "He's going down" to a nearby friend that he was meeting downstairs. Capice? Sliwa may have been a little on edge (even for him) as he mentioned that Friday is the anniversary of the 1992 incident where he was shot twice and kidnapped, only to escape out of a speeding cab. He thinks it was set up by Gotti due to Sliwa's AM onslaughts against the Gambino crime family. Gotti might really be smirking widely now since a judge told prosecutors they need to present some new evidence to dispute Gotti's claim that he gave up a life of crime in 1999. more ›

Holden Caulfield has been preserved for the time being, as a federal judge ruled that the the unauthorized "sequel" to Catcher in the Rye cannot be published in the United States, at least temporarily. The NY Times reports that Judge Deborah A. Batts "granted a 10-day temporary restraining order forbidding publication in the United States of a new book by a Swedish author that contains a 76-year-old version of Holden Caulfield while she considers arguments in a copyright-infringement case filed by Mr. Salinger." This whole thing would be more interesting if J.D. Salinger were actually showing up in court. During one past lawsuit, some of his personal remarks (from letters he didn't want published) were leaked, including one written in response to his ex-girlfriend Oona O'Neill's marriage to Charlie Chaplin. He wrote, "I can see them at home evenings. Chaplin squatting grey and nude, atop his chiffonier, swinging his thyroid around his head by his bamboo cane, like a dead rat. Oona in an aquamarine gown, applauding madly from the bathroom." Old man still has those writing chops! more ›

Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau wants to hold a Queens tax preparer accountable for allegedly threatening to kill a prosecutor who's handling a grand larceny case against him. 54-year-old Jack Chang (not pictured) did a year in prison in the mid-'90s for funneling nearly $1 million from his clients to his own account; in April he was arrested on similar charges in a case that's being conducted by the same prosecutor who put him away the first time: Gilda Mariani, head of the money laundering and tax crimes unit. more ›

He must have some of that vampire blood in him, because Twilight heartthrob Rob Pattinson was barely bruised when he was hit by a cab earlier today. The actor was running away from his screaming legions of fans, Radar reports, when he got "clipped by a cab around noon in front of the Strand Bookstore on Broadway and 12th Street." He's in town shooting scenes for his new movie, Remember Me, and as he departed the shop in the pouring rain he was rushed across the street to his trailer. Reportedly the cab only grazed him, and the site reports that the impact was to the hip. "He stood there for a moment looking stunned" (sounds familiar), and once his bodyguard confirmed he was alright, he screamed at the fans: "You see what you did, you almost killed him!" Now the 23-year old just needs to survive 4 more weeks of shooting on the mean streets of New York. more ›

According to WCBS 2, "A Continental Airlines flight from Brussels will be making an emergency landing at Newark Liberty International Airport after the plane's captain died mid-flight Thursday morning." The plane, a Boeing 777, will land around noon. CityRoom reports, "Two first officers were operating the plane, 'which they are perfectly qualified to do,' said Arlene Salac, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration at John F. Kennedy International Airport." The plane was scheduled to land at Newark, but now will receive "priority" landing. Update: The plane landed safely and passengers said they were not told. One, whose husband called her when the plane landed and informed her, said the crew "did an incredible job"—even handing out snacks—"I would have done the exact same thing." However, another passenger told CityRoom the staff was "very irritated and unpleasant," though now the passenger understands why. It's believed the 60-year-old pilot had a heart attack; a cardiologist onboard had tried to revive him with a defibrillator. more ›

Thieves, beware: don't mess with Mehrtash Mandana. The NY Post reports Mandana was standing at East 95th Street and typing e-mails on her BlackBerry when a teenaged bandit grabbed the 32-year-old real estate agent's smartphone right out of her hands. Mandana, unfazed and pissed, took off after the pint-sized pickpocket. She tells the Post: "He was a little runt. I went up to him and punched him in the shoulder. The cops had to pull me off him." The vigilante real estate agent—who apparently has better luck with this sort of thing than some movie stars—was ultimately able to retrieve her BlackBerry after a nearby security guard tackled the 14-year-old snatch-thief. more ›

In an article apparently timed to coincide with the U.S. Open, the NY Times looks at Mayor Bloomberg's relatively recent fondness for golf. While one might assume a billionaire like Bloomberg would have been playing golf for decades, he apparently only started playing in 2000; Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan clarified, "You probably wouldn’t want to call that golf, what he played" then. And City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said, "He is obsessed with it." more ›

Hundreds of NYPD officers accustomed to pushing papers, not thugs, are being ordered out from behind their desks to walk a beat in New York's toughest and busiest neighborhoods. Starting tomorrow in each of the 76 police precincts, roughly six to 10 administrative cops must report every Friday to their borough commander for reassignment to a patrol in need. That could mean walking a beat anywhere from Times Square to high-crime Brownsville. An NYPD spokesman tells the Post, "This is not a new program, and the NYPD has been using this for years" during the summer, when crime traditionally spikes. Sources say the desk jockeys won't be required to meet the same summons and arrest quotas as their beat-cop counterparts, but their mere presence is expected to both deter crime and be a boon to local purveyors of fried, jelly-filled confections. more ›

Hundreds of demonstrators, alerted through Facebook and Twitter, gathered for a rally in Union Square last night in solidarity with Iranian opposition groups who have been protesting the results of last week's presidential election. According to this video, the peaceful rally seems to have gone off without incident, unlike in Iran, where some demonstrators have been beaten and killed after taking to the streets. Today in south Tehran, an estimated one million Iranians are marching to protest the election, which handed victory to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran's authoritative Guardian Council has now offered to meet with reformist candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi, as well as the two other main opposition candidates, but it's unclear whether that overture will placate the increasingly enraged protesters. Here in New York, rally organizer Amid Amidi told Voice of America, "They are out there now fighting for democracy and reform, and I just want to say that people here in New York hear you. We hear your struggle and we are 100 percent behind you." more ›

While State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. and Republican senators are researching whether Espada really can seize two votes as Senate president pro tempore, let's look at what else is going on with Espada, shall we? First up: The Bronx DA's office has convened a grand jury to investigate him! more ›

Third time's not quite a charm after all. Rumors of Billy Joel's third marriage ending are true, a rep of the musician confirmed to the NY Post. Katie Lee Joel, his 27-year-old ex-wife-to-be, has been seen around town many times with designer Yigal Azrouel, though there's no official word if that relationship had anything to do with the split. A rep told ET, "After nearly five years of marriage, Billy and Katie have decided to separate. This decision is the result of much thought and consideration. Billy and Katie remain caring friends, with admiration and respect for each other." The two were married for five years, and the divorce will put Joel back on the market at age 60. Meanwhile, according to a recent poll, 57% of women regret marrying their husband. more ›

The story of the Park Slope man who dressed like his dead mother for six years to cash her Social Security checks and collect other benefits has captivated the world, with Google showing the Thomas Prusik-Parkin Psycho tale popping up as far afield as Turkey and Russia. Perhaps there's something about the story that resonates with humanity's deep-seated Oedipal urges—or maybe Prusik-Parkin has just tapped into our universal fantasy to live on the dole without our moms' nagging us to get a job. Either way, it gets creepier: The Daily News reports today that Prusik-Parkin kept a casket in his living room. more ›

An East Patchogue, Long Island landlord was arrested when a video camera was found in a tenant's apartment. WCBS 2 reports, "A 16-year-old teen who lives in the apartment with her parents found the camera and called police...[She] told her father she noticed her room on a monitor in her landlord's apartment, and when she looked further, she found the camera in her ceiling." A video camera was also found in the bathroom. Louis Bosco, a "self-employed handyman," was charged with unlawful surveillance. The teen's father said, "It doesn't feel very good. It feels like you want to hurt him. I really would like to go over there and kill him. I know I shouldn't say that but I really want to hurt this guy." more ›

Yes, it's that time again, when the Rent Guidelines Board will decide by how much they will raise rents for rent-stabilized apartments in the city. The board held its final meeting at Cooper Union yesterday (they are usually noisy), and the Daily News reports it "has adopted preliminary guidelines of hiking rents 2% to 4.5% for one-year renewals and 4% to 7.5% for two-year renewals that start on or after Oct. 1." more ›

Last night, the body of a man who had been stabbed to death was discovered in his Forest Hills apartment in what WABC 7 says was a "very, very bloody scene." Friends and co-workers of the victim, who was in 30s, were alarmed when he hadn't shown up for work for a few days. So they asked his building super to check his apartment. The super, from the fire escape, peered in the man's apartment and saw the body in the 6th floor apartment. An 85-year-old neighbor told WCBS 2, "I feel sick, I feel sick. He was such a nice young fellow. Clean. And you should have seen the apartment, how he fixed it, with everything new," and added to the Daily News, "He was like a son to me." The News reports that the building's fire escapes are being investigated for clues. more ›

• Nationals 3, Yankees 2: Chien-Ming Wang pitched as if he belonged in the Major Leagues, but the Yankees' batters didn't. They got shut down by John Lannan -- of Long Beach and Chaminade High School fame -- and fell when Robinson Cano grounded into a double play to end the game with the tying run on third. Cano and Johnny Damon went deep, but those were the only two runs the Yankees scored. Wang, whose wife had a baby Tuesday, pitched five innings, allowing three runs and striking out four. He should live to see another start, but that was the Nationals' seventh road win this season

The U.S. Open tees off tomorrow morning at Bethpage State Park's Black Course and while the field is supremely talented, there is clearly one favorite — Tiger Woods. Besides being the best golfer in the World, Woods is the defending Open champion and won the tournament when it was last held at Bethpage in 2002. more ›

Bret Michaels is continuing to talk about his mishap at the Tony Awards, when he was clotheslined by a set, resulting in some injuries to his face, including a broken nose. The Poison front man and Rock of Love star tells People, "All in all, I'd like to think I feel okay. But I got to be honest with you, I feel pretty beat up....I want to make very clear to everybody that - first and foremost - I was honored to be asked to be at the Tonys. I'd never done it before and in all my life it's not something I thought I'd be on. I was really excited. There's no lawsuit. I'm not doing any of that. I'm taking the high road." Phew. And, um, somehow he's in People's Hottest Bachelors issue. more ›

The man who believes to be the young boy kidnapped on Long Island over fifty years ago has come forward and talked to reporters today about piecing together his confused past. John Barnes, 54, told reporters that from childhood he never felt as though he fit in with the family that raised him. Barnes found old pictures of the two-year-old kidnapping victim, Steven Damman, and noticed a resemblance while doing online research looking for clues about his past. The News says that Barnes has a scar on his face and mole behind his right calf that suggest he is the child whose high-profile kidnapping case has baffled detectives for years. He is still awaiting an official DNA test being conducted by the FBI. more ›

As Ed Koch awaits going under the knife for a heart operation in the next couple days, he has the same old playful, dark, New York sense of humor as ever when talking to reporters at his Columbia-Presbyterian hospital room. The former mayor said to the News, "Whatever God wants, God will have. If He wants me to hang around, I'll hang around. If He wants to have some legal [or political] advice, He'll take me." Koch was going in for routine angioplasty when doctors told him he would have to repair damage to his aortic valve stemming from a heart attack he had in 1999. Koch said he loves Columbia because it's the hospital where "the food is good" and added, "I'm looking at the Hudson - oh, wait a minute, Henry's going by... Henry Hudson. He's waving." more ›

It's super cute and super freaky at the same time: Retired Canadian police officer James Symington received five puppies cloned from his beloved German Shepherd, Trakr, who died two months ago. Last year, Symington, who now lives in Los Angeles, won a contest from BioArts International which asked for essays on the "most cloneworthy" dog. Symington wrote about how he and Trakr drove to NYC after the September 11, 2001 attacks; the Daily News reported, "Braving horrific conditions, the pair helped locate the last human survivor of 9/11 under some 30 feet of unstable debris." more ›

That protester who heckled Laura Bush and daughter Jenna Bush after their children's book tour hit the 92nd Street Y last year finally had his day in court, and a jury found him not guilty. Gary Talis, 24, wasn't arrested for heckling, but for allegedly assaulting the parents of a wheelchair-bound teenage girl when they tried to shut him up outside the venue. When Talis started yelling about how the First Lady is married to a war criminal as she left the Y, John Lovetro (pictured), allegedly responded, "What are you doing? Shut up. This is about a child and books...Get out of here! You're being a moron!" Lovetro (pictured), his wife Wendy, and the couple's daughter, Maureen, who suffers from cerebral palsy, then got into some kind of altercation with Talis. All three Lovetroses, plus a Secret Service agent, testified that Talis attacked them, but Talis and another witness convinced the jury that the Lovetroses were in fact going after him. more ›

When Mayor Bloomberg gave an "oy vey" and expressed restrained indignation last week at the revelations about city jail chaplain's pampering of Jewish inmates, he said he didn't want to get in the way of the ongoing investigation of Rabbi Leib Glanz. What he didn't say is that his administration might end up as part of that investigation. Now a report reveals that Bloomberg's top aide, Kevin Sheekey, had three scheduled meetings last fall right before the now-infamous Bar Mitzvah thrown by the well-connected Glanz, who resigned just yesterday. For one of them, Sheekey even trekked out to a catering hall near Glanz's Williamsburg home. A spokesman for the mayor's office says that the meetings were "an effort to listen to different perspectives on similar community issues." He added, "Kevin never had a conversation with Rabbi Glanz that was at all related to the rabbi’s part-time chaplain work. Ever. And he learned about the New York Post story from reading The Post." more ›

A New York Police sergeant admitted yesterday that he illegally used a city police computer to get registration information on two cars as a favor for a Long Island crack dealer. The cars were being used by DEA agents for surveillance on the dealer, Frank Wilson, who gave sergeant Roosevelt Green a pair of sneakers worth $20 and a discount on several other pairs in exchange for the information. Green, an 11-year police veteran, confessed to the misconduct and lying to DEA investigators when they questioned him about his relationship with Wilson. But Green's lawyer insists his client was unaware that Wilson was a drug dealer, telling Newsday that Wilson said he wanted the car ownership information because he suspected robbers were following him. Fortunately, the ownership information was false, to prevent the cars from being traced back to law enforcement. Green faces up to 5 years in prison and has agreed to quit the city police force. It's unclear if he gets to keep the sneakers. more ›

Despite protest from Coney Island residents who say they need more affordable housing, the City Planning Commission voted 12-0 today to approve a controversial rezoning plan for the area. The proposal would rezone Coney Island to encourage the development of towers up to 27 stories tall, expand retail spaces, add 4,500 new housing units (800 of which would be affordable units), and create a new 27-acre indoor-outdoor amusement and entertainment district. more ›

The Post, which basically called war on Canada geese after Flight 1549, continues to cover the geese culling/killing, reporting that 300 geese have been killed on Monday and Tuesday: "Death squads targeting Canada geese before they bring down any more commercial jets launched an amphibious assault on Fort Totten Park in Queens -- where they used an armada of kayaks to herd the flying menaces to the shore. Workers from the US Department of Agriculture and city Parks Department then rounded up gaggles of the pesky honkers, put them in crates and drove them on a flatbed truck to a secret location at Kennedy Airport. Officials wouldn't say if they were gassed there or transported to another location to meet their doom." And there are pictures, too. The city and Port Authority are trying to eliminate at least 2,000 geese from the area, in hopes of improving airline safety. Protesters gathered outside the PA's offices in Manhattan; one said, "This is a terrible precedent to set, that anytime there is a problem with wildlife — to just slaughter them is not a way to solve the issue." more ›

Plaxico Burress's attorney claims that his client is getting no celebrity treatment from the Manhattan DA's Office. What's more, Plax's hotshot lawyer Benjamin Brafman suggests prosecutors should go easy on the football player after news that Browns receiver Donte Stallworth only received 30 days in jail in a DWI manslaughter plea deal. more ›

The 33-year-old author using the pen name J. D. California, who penned a sequel of sorts to the classic Catcher in the Rye, should have known that J.D. Salinger doesn't take too kindly to phony folk. California's book is described as “An Unauthorized Fictional Examination of the Relationship Between J. D. Salinger and his Most Famous Character,” and prior to its U.S. release it has landed in the courtroom. Unsurprising, since Salinger has even kept the likes of Steven Spielberg from touching his characters. While he hasn't published a new work since 1965, he's done a good job at preserving his old ones (often through lawsuits like this one). more ›

United Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten is reportedly stepping down from her position next week, according to Daily News sources. Weingarten is also the president of the American Federation of Teachers (the UFT's parent union) and a union source said, "It's hard to maintain a foot in both jobs." Another source said, "Many of us are unhappy that she's not completing her term. We would like to see her negotiate a new contract," referring to how teachers do not have a contract with the city yet, "With all the things she's agreed to, I hope we're getting something for this. She's agreed to back off on mayoral control. She did a complete 180." UFT COO Michael Mulgrew is expected to take Weingarten's place until an election can be held in 2010. And Weingarten also made Page SIx today, "They could be the lesbian power couple of all time: Randi Weingarten, the new president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers, is dating Hilary Rosen, former head of the Recording Industry Association of America, who appears on CNN and is Washington, DC, editor-at-large for the Huffington Post." more ›

An employee at the Target in East New York is accused of conspiring with her boyfriend to set fire to the store as a diversion while they stole $8,000 worth of flat-screen televisions. And they would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling surveillance cameras! The FDNY says video depicts Jared Devonis, who was fired from Target two weeks ago, using a lighter to start a fire in the paper towel aisle. more ›

Back in March we learned about just how many people don't stand up for people with disabilities while riding public transit. At the time, NYC Transit's Paul Fleuranges told us about a new campaign coming up, and now CityRoom points out that it's launched. With a firmer tone than the ads have had in the past, the new posters remind straphangers that not all disabilities are visible, and declare that giving up one's seat is "not only polite, it’s the law." Fleuranges commented that "It's the first time we've really stressed this," and warned that those who won't give up their seat on request will face up to a $50 fine. But with robotic trains, a slimmed down staff, and no one on hand to even gauge the effectiveness of the campaign, how will it even be enforced on subways? more ›

Pulitzer Prize committee take note, the Times has discovered that June has been rainy and that people don't go to the beach when it rains. It has rained a lot the past couple of weeks. How does that rain compare to previous Junes? Let's make a graph of day-by-day rainfall accumulation! more ›

The family of a man who died from a lacerated liver during an altercation with correction officers at Rikers Island will sue the city for $10 million. Clarence Mobley, 60, was in custody at the jail on May 2nd, awaiting a psychiatric evaluation related to robbery charges, when he "took a swing" at an officer with a metal tray. He was subdued and placed in a holding cell, and was later found dead. Yesterday the medical examiner ruled it a homicide, finding that Mobley died from a tear in his liver caused by a blow; NYPD investigators are still looking into the incident. Mobley had taken a bus from North Carolina to NYC on April 25th to attend a family funeral, but he never contacted his family when he arrived, for reasons unknown to them. Five days later he was arrested trying to break into an apartment in Queens. His son Darian tells the Times, "Everybody is hurting. My father didn’t deserve that. He was a little guy." The civil lawsuit is just the latest related to a death at Rikers, where corruption among the guards is allegedly endemic. more ›

The babysitter who was charged with child endangerment, a misdemeanor, for letting an eleven-month-old baby drown in a seven gallon bucket of water was in court yesterday. The infant's parents made it clear that they would like to see charges upped to negligent homicide after prosecutors claimed that 28-year-old sitter Kristal Khan was passed out on cold medicine during the incident. Khan was watching the victim, James Farrior III, along with her own two children out of the Richmond Hills house she used as an unlicensed day care center (none was required); the baby's mother, Chrisann Josiah, had found Khan through a craigslist ad. Josiah says that when Khan called her to say that Farrior had been taken away in an ambulance, the babysitter was "real calm." Josiah said to the News, "I was planning his birthday and now I'm planning his funeral." Yesterday in court, relatives of Farrior's screamed at Khan, leading the judge to have one of them removed. The Queens DA said charges may be upgraded once an autopsy is complete. more ›

State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. is sending shivers down the spine of New Yorkers today, with his solution to break the State Senate tie. Espada told the Post, "I can have two votes. We're going to maintain that, as the president pro tempore of the Senate, I am also the acting lieutenant governor, and the lieutenant governor can vote when there's a tie." Hey, is he suggesting that because he was elected to represent the Bronx, but really (allegedly) spends his time living in Westchester?! Democrat-appointed policy adviser and Counsel to the New York State Senate Michael Kink, though, Twittered, "Justice McNamara's decision explicitly says he's not deciding who is the NY Senate Temporary President -- it's up to the Senate to negotiate." At any rate, why we have a 62-member Senate was explored by Newsday's Dan Janison: Maybe-majority leader Dean "Skelos [R-Long Island] in 2002 discovered that a 62-seat redistricting scheme would work best for his party," and managed to create a district in Brooklyn that got Republican Martin Golden elected. more ›

For six years, 49-year-old Thomas Prusik-Parkin of Brooklyn disguised himself as his deceased mother so he could collect some $115,000 in Social Security and rent subsidies, police sources tell the Daily News. After being busted for the elaborate scam on Monday, Prusik-Parkin reportedly told detectives, "I held my mother when she was dying and breathed in her last breath, so I am my mother." And if you think that's creepy, take a look at his mug shot! more ›

AutoVantage released its annual survey of the Best/Worst Road Rage Cities in the country and New York is at the top of the heap, baby! After polling 2,500 respondents in 25 major markets, NYC was found to be the least courteous, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Atlanta and Minneapolis/St. Paul (the more courteous cities were Portland, OR, Cleveland, Baltimore, Sacramento and Pittsburgh); Miami, which was the worst city for four years, slipped from the top five of least courteous cities! According to the consulting company which commissioned the survey, "New Yorkers were most likely to wave their fists or arms. They were most likely to lay on the horn and they were most likely to make some sort of obscene gesture." As for what respondents think causes road rage, they cited things like "Bad/careless driving, such as cutting others off, speeding, tailgating, talking on cell phones, making obscene gestures and not using proper signals," "Traffic problems, accidents, poor road conditions or construction" and "Inconsiderate, disrespectful, selfish drivers who think they own the road." more ›

In a couple hours, President Obama will release his plans to reshape—and, he hopes, improve— financial market regulation. According to the NY Times, it "is the product of weeks of meetings among government officials, financial experts, lawmakers, industry executives and lobbyists, many of whom were invited to help the White House draft the proposal." You can read the draft here; the proposal says, "We need to be sure that the government has the tools it needs to manage crises, if and when they arise, so that we are not left with untenable choices between bailouts and financial collapse." CNBC says that it's drawing mixed reviews so far, but Obama told Bloomberg News, "Wall Street seems to maybe have a shorter memory about how close we were to the abyss than I would have expected." He did say, "You’re starting to see the engines of the economy turn," but admitted, "It’s going to take a long time" and expects 10% unemployment. more ›

As is so often the case, a game of dodgeball erupted in violence at a New Rochelle elementary school on Friday when a substitute teacher got into a fight with a third-grader. The teacher, Daniel Sanabria, claims he was acting in self-defense, but police have charged him with third-degree assault and child endangerment. It seems that the incident was sparked after Sanabria (pictured in his mugshot), who was officiating the game, called the unidentified boy "out," and the child disputed the ruling. Sanabria tells the Post, "He wouldn't sit out when I asked him to." more ›

The Landmarks Preservation Commission seems poised to green light the final hurdle in St. Vincent's Hospital's controversial plan to raze the landmark 1963 O'Toole building in Greenwich Village and replace it with a new hospital and residential towers on both sides of Seventh Avenue. The commission has already approved St. Vincent's designs for the hospital tower, and during a meeting yesterday, revised designs that shorten the tallest residential tower from 266 feet to 218 feet were deemed "fundamentally appropriate." The Rudin Organization plans to create some 375 residential units on and around the spot where the O'Toole building stands; the developer will pay St. Vincent's $310 million for the property, which the hospital will put toward the $830 million cost of a new medical tower. If the LPC approves the residential development next month, then it's the city Planning Commission and the City Council's turn. But die-hard opponents like Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation tell the Post, "It's a massive change that's being proposed and I think there are some fears and concerns about the scale of development and whether or not they match the character of Greenwich Village." more ›

On Monday night, the owner of Arthur Avenue restaurant Dominick's was followed from the Bronx to his Hastings-on-the-Hudson home, where a group of robbers tied up him, his wife and son during a home invasion robbery. Charlie DiPaolo had exited his car when he was jumped and pistol-whipped by the robbers; his wife was in the garage, and the robbers forced them into the house and to open a safe. Greenburgh Police Chief John Kapica said that DiPaolo's 17-year-old son managed to call the police, "He came downstairs to listen to what was going on, got his cell phone. He went upstairs and secured himself in a closet and called 9-1-1 from the closet." The robbers later found him and tied him up with his parents. Police arrived as the thieves were putting the safe's contents into DiPaolo's car (intending to use it as a getaway vehicle); they managed to arrest Francisco Cordero, but the three other suspects fled. Kapica praised the son, "This kid really had it together. He had a lot of guts. If it wasn't for him, we don't know what would have happened." more ›

The MTA's non-doomsday fare hikes start today, with higher fares on the Long Island Rail Road (fare table here) and Metro-North (table here). WCBS 2's Lou Young spoke to commuters at Grand Central and Penn Station. One woman, who travels from Yonkers into the city, said, "It's a big deal considering nobody has any money. Money is very scarce right now"; she faces an increase of $1.50 per roundtrip—about $30/month (and she rarely has the cash available to buy a monthly). A pair of brothers who commute from Babylon into Manhattan will have to pay another $21/month each on their monthly passes. Another commuter from White Plains was resigned, "It adds up. It adds up, especially when the fares go up all the time. They got a deficit. Wadda ya gonna do?" more ›

The MTA's non-doomsday fare hikes start today, with higher fares on the Long Island Rail Road (fare table here) and Metro-North (table here). WCBS 2's Lou Young spoke to commuters at Grand Central and Penn Station. One woman, who travels from Yonkers into the city, said, "It's a big deal considering nobody has any money. Money is very scarce right now"; she faces an increase of $1.50 per roundtrip—about $30/month (and she rarely has the cash available to buy a monthly). A pair of brothers who commute from Babylon into Manhattan will have to pay another $21/month each on their monthly passes. Another commuter from White Plains was resigned, "It adds up. It adds up, especially when the fares go up all the time. They got a deficit. Wadda ya gonna do?" more ›

• Yankees 5, Nationals 3: Ah, interleauge play. Where teams get an extra cellar-dweller to play. When Anderson Hernandez got a hold of a CC Sabathia pitched and gave the Nationals a one-run lead, this looked like it could be quite embarrassing. But the Yankees rallied to tie the game and then took the lead on Robinson Cano's fourth hit of the day, a double. Sabathia's mistake to Hernadez was really his only one of the night. The Yankees really could use a sweep of the lowly Nationals, the worst team in baseball.

Oy vey: The Post reports that Rabbi Leib Glanz has resigned as a city jail chaplain, as tales of his generous ways towards Orthodox Jewish inmates—from allowing one to throw his son's bar mitzvah at the Tombs to entertaining some with clowns and allowing them to have sex with female prisoners—grew. Glanz, who was suspended after the unorthodox bar mitzvah (held at the Manhattan Detention Complex's gym, complete with knives), said, "Yes, I resigned. I decided it was best for everybody." more ›

Today, the Health Department announced that seven more deaths have been linked to the H1N1 virus, aka swine flu. The total number of swine flu-related deaths is now 23. From the Health Department: "Of the 20 deaths for which background medical information is available, 16 (80%) have occurred in people with established underlying risk factor for developing severe influenza or complications. The newly confirmed deaths have not all occurred during the current reporting period (June 12-16), and most involve people who were hospitalized in late May, at the peak of the outbreak." (Which means the Health Department's belief that swine flu is waning could still hold.) Newsday reports, "A young woman who had just given birth became the first apparent death from swine flu in Nassau County Tuesday... A pregnant woman between age 20 and 30 was admitted to a hospital June 5 with fever and respiratory symptoms and was confirmed to have swine flu. Her baby was delivered by Caesarean section that day and the woman was transferred to the intensive care unit two days later. She died yesterday." The baby is reportedly doing well. more ›

Last week, a retired NYPD cop was arrested for taking the Orangetown Superintendent hostage while wielding a gun. According to the Mid-Hudson News, Peter Cocker, 36, had "forced his way into Mitchell’s office. During a violent struggle, Mitchell wrestled the gun away and held cocker down on the floor." Apparently Cocker was upset by Mitchell's letter about the school's swine flu policy, which explained that though there were growing absences, the school would remain open per the county Health Department's advice. It later turned out that Cocker's gun was unloaded, but the district attorney said, "The assumption was that it was loaded, which could have led to a lot of injuries. ... So the seriousness is the same and the law treats it almost the same." Cocker pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, burglary, coercion and gun crimes; his lawyer said that his client has post-traumatic stress disorder, due to being involved in a shootout and spending a week "separating body parts" after the September 11 attacks. more ›

According to the NY Post, Operation Kill At Least 2,000 NYC Geese is well underway: "Nearly 100 Canada geese were killed yesterday...Agents from the US Department of Agriculture hit four city parks and will continue rounding up the geese this week, said Allen Gosser the department's assistant state director." How did the USDA agents do it? They brought the geese "into a corralled area" and put them in "wooden crates," later gassing them with carbon dioxide. The city and Port Authority are trying to cull/kill geese in order to improve airline safety, since Flight 1549 was brought down when geese flew into the Airbus 320's engines. However, some critics of the plan say some humane measures, like scaring them with fireworks or changing the landscaping, might also be effective. Yes, what about the Geese Police, those cute border collies who help rid areas of geese? more ›

A State Supreme Court judge refused to rule on the State Senate's state of ridiculousness and instead urged (again!) the Senators to work out the matter. State Supreme Court Justice Thomas McNamara dismissed Smith vs. Espada (read the decision) and wrote, "A judicially imposed resolution would be an improvident intrusion into the inner workings of a coequal branch of government. The practical effect of having a court decide this issue would be that its decision, if only by perception, would have an influence on the internal workings of the Senate. … To have a court do so would be improper... The failure of the Senate to resolve this issue in an appropriate manner will make them answerable to the electorate." more ›

Two years ago, Xochil Garcia, then 11, made the cover of the Daily News after escaping a man who grabbed her in her Midwood apartment building. The girl rang all the intercom buzzers and got the attention of neighbors and her brother who caught Bernard Mutterperl, who allegedly told police, "when he sees young girls, he has to go after them." Yesterday, Xochil testified at Mutterperl's trial, with tears in her eyes, "He caught me from behind, he grabbed me. He told me not to scream. Then he grabbed my waist and he walked me down to the lobby." The Daily News reports that 21-year-old Mutterperl "said he took the girl's hand because he wanted to become friends" while his lawyer Joyce David argued, "He may not have acted appropriately, but he did not act criminally." Back in 2007, Xochil told the Post, "Before a robbery happens, I always think of a plan to do. But sometimes when I'm nervous or scared, I forget my ideas. I only came up with half a plan when I got caught," making us sad that kids have to have plans for when they are robbed. more ›

Last month, a few Long Island lawmakers called for a study to examine the possibility of Long Island statehood. Suffolk Comptroller Joseph Sawicki had said, "The state of Long Island has always been a romantic idea, its been fun to talk about and exciting to discuss. Now, it's become a matter of economic survival," and pointed out that Albany gets $3 billion more from Long Island than it gives back. Last night, Samantha Bee of the Daily Show decided to tackle the issue, speaking with Suffolk County Legislator Edward Romaine (pro-Long Island as the 51st State), State Senate Carl Marcellino (con-Long Island as the 51st State), and a three, um, typical Long Island guys who suggest that the Long Island state bird could be "flipping the bird." more ›

A new Quinnipiac poll about the 2009 mayoral race finds, "Mayor Michael Bloomberg tops City Comptroller William Thompson, his chief Democratic challenger, 54 - 32 percent among New York City voters, who also say 62 - 28 percent that they'd rather chat with the Mayor at a July 4th picnic, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Even black voters would rather picnic with Bloomberg 52 - 37 percent." Some other interesting tidbits: Bloomberg has a 66% approval rating (up from 64% in March), but 56% of respondents think his campaign spending is "overkill" while 50% don't (vs. 42% who do) think Bloomberg is "out of touch" for saying Obama doesn't get paid much. Quinnipiac's Maurice Carroll said, "This latest survey shows the challenges Comptroller William Thompson faces as he tries to portray Mayor Michael Bloomberg as unlikable and out of touch, and as he tries to build a base of black voters. Black, white and Hispanic voters all would sooner share a July 4th hot dog and a beer with Mayor Mike than with Bill Thompson." Ah, the hot dog and beer mayoral test. more ›

• From the Gothamist Newsmap: A CO incident on 34th St in the Manhattan, a serious MVA on the westbound Cross Bronx Expwy at Gleason Ave in the Bronx and a barricaded EDP at 44th St & 5th Ave in Brooklyn.
• North Korea claims that journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling confessed to entering the country illegally.
• Jackie Kennedy Onassis's half-brother liked to take pictures of a young John F. Kennedy Jr., which disturbed the Kennedys enough to banish him from the family. And last fall, police found child porn in James Auchincloss's home.

Continental Airlines apologized after admitting that "miscommunication among staff members resulted in the child being boarded on the wrong aircraft." Jonathan Kamens had taken daughter Miriam, 10, to Boston's Logan Airport and explicitly spoke to Continental agents about Miriam's solo trip to Cleveland to visit her grandparents, "They seemed like they knew what they were doing. The paperwork" had her flight number, destination, and phone numbers for himself and his in-laws. But Miriam ended up at Newark International Airport, not Cleveland, because the gate was being used by two different flights and the girl was put on the wrong flight. Kamens said he only found out that Miriam never made it to Cleveland as scheduled when his father-in-law called—and Continental couldn't tell him where his daughter was for 45 minutes. While Continental rebooked Miriam on another flight and she made it there a few hours later, her dad questions the airline's procedures, "I'm sure there are rules that the flight crew is supposed to verify the number of people on the plane matches the number of people on the manifest." more ›

A Queens woman who ran a day care operation out of her home was arrested for child endangerment after an 11-month-old boy died in her care. The Post reports, "James Farrior was in the living room of caretaker Kristal Khan's home in Ozone Park with her two children, ages 3 and 4, at about 11 a.m. when the sitter went into another room...When she returned, she found James head-first in the bucket, which was three-quarters full." A neighbor told the NY Times, "A fireman was running down the street with a baby in his arms. The baby was totally limp and just hanging. Right away I knew the baby was in trouble." While Khan did not have a license to run a day care operation, the Times explains "the state requires day care providers to be licensed if they have more than two children — not counting their own — in their care for three or more hours a day on a regular basis." The ME's office is conducting an autopsy today. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned that drowning dangers to children are not limited to pools but also include buckets, toilets, fish tanks and more. more ›

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council agreed on a $59.4 billion budget for the 2010 fiscal year. Besides agreeing on a 0.5% sales tax increase, the city will trim 2,000 (or 1,000) jobs, allow 16 firehouses to remain open, keep libraries open 6 days a week, and "spare 100 animals from being shipped out of the Bronx Zoo." The NY Times reports that Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker hoped that the economy would perk up so next year's budget won't be as severe, but the Mayor added, "If our economy continues to stall, this may not be the last word on this year’s budget." more ›

For the "If it's too good to be true..." file: Six New York mothers have sued a company that offered 99.9% accurate gender testing. For $275 and a blood sample (via a kit), Baby Gender Mentor claims to give gender testing to women as early as 5 weeks pregnant; the Post points out that's 2-3 months before a gender may be detected by sonogram or "amniocentesis and typically the cutoff point for abortions -- although no one suggested in the court papers that was the reason they took the test." Well, here's one's plaintiff's story: Keven Duffy wanted to "surprise her husband with the news that they were going to have a son. The couple already had a daughter, and was hoping for a boy for 'family balancing.'" The company said she was having a boy, but "a sonogram revealed they were having a girl...The flip-flop 'caused stress' in her marriage...and she and her husband have since divorced." The plaintiffs' lawyer also points out that 10-20% of the company's clients claim wrong results. Related: How Asians in the U.S. may be embracing sex selection techniques (IVF or sperm sorting) or abortion to ensure having male children. more ›

Sigh, of course, the State Senate Democrats' and Republicans' power-sharing deal talks totally collapsed yesterday, leaving the fate of the State Senate—and important state legislation—in the hands of Judge Thomas McNamara who had all but begged the Senators to get their acts together and work it out themselves. State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. (D-Bronx), who helped create this morass after last week's coup, said, "We need judicial intervention." more ›

Not even a week after the pedicab crash in Williamsburg , officials and pedicab owners have reportedly "agreed on licensing and safety requirements that will resolve a years-long tussle over regulating the pedal-powered cabs." Mayor Bloomberg noted that the pact would ensure passenger safety in what Councilman Dan Garodnick recently called a "Wild West" type situation. The new regulations will add requirements for licenses, insurance and inspections. To get a license, owners must not only have insurance, but pass inspections confirming they have working seat belts, brakes, turn signals, and other safety features. Still, you might want to avoid steep slopes like the ramp on the Williamsburg Bridge! more ›

Yesterday morning, two men were stabbed in the lobby of an apartment building on East 26th Street near Second Avenue in Manhattan. According to the Daily News, it's believed the suspects were "Gang members looking to avenge the shooting of a drug dealer... Investigators believe five men were waiting in parked cars outside the... building and jumped their victims when they stepped into the lobby just before 9:30 a.m." An 18-year-old died while a 30-year-old survived his stab wounds—both were stabbed repeatedly in the face and chest. The incident that spurred that stabbing is apparently a 4 a.m. shooting that occurred outside Pacha on West 46th Street; suspected drug dealer Michael Slater is in stable condition at Bellevue, which is just a few blocks away from the apartment building. A 21-year-old newcomer to the neighborhood told the News, "I moved here from Missouri yesterday. I didn't expect to step outside on my first morning here and see someone almost dead." more ›

You think yesterday's sudden (and relatively brief) downpour was nuts in the city? Well, in Bergen County, NJ, Mother Nature decided to spring three inches of hail onto a number of towns, including Westwood. The Record reported, "Snow plows that had sat idle since March were pressed into service in Emerson, Westwood, Ridgewood and elsewhere to clear penny-sized hail that piled inches high in streets and municipal parking lots." A fire chief also expressed surprise when his sister-in-law called him about her car being stuck, "I’m on the phone and she’s saying that she’s freezing cold, that there’s ice. I’m like, what is she talking about? It’s June. What does she mean there’s Ice?” WABC 7 even has footage of kids making snowmen! It's unclear why so much hail was produced, but National Weather Service meteorologist John Murray suggested "that the storm clouds were relatively high in the sky — 25,000 to 30,000 feet up — exacerbating the instability in the atmosphere." Drier weather is expected today. more ›

It turns out that the cover of yesterday's Daily News picturing everyone's favorite State Senators Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada Jr. wasn't the only spot in the paper giving some face time to the pair. Politicker NY spotted that both yesterday's News and Post featured full-paged ads celebrating the two legislators, paid for by—who else—Billionaire Floridian Tom Golisano. The ad says, "Last week, Senators Espada and Monserrate voted to put the people of The Bronx and Queens above the special interests that have controlled Albany for far too long. Senators Pedro Esapda Jr. and Hiram Monserrate are answering President Obama's call leading the charge to solve our economic challenges." Finally, has answered President Obama's call. The ad doesn't really hold a candle to the promotion Monserrate got in the Post's write-up elsewhere in the paper saying Monserrate "in his typical flip-flop fashion wore no Met gear, even though he represents Queens." more ›

The City Council endorsed today Mayor Bloomberg's plan to raise the city's sales tax to 8.875 percent. The measure, which passed 37 to 10, now goes to Albany for approval by the State Legislature. While those who voted against the increase argue the tax is regressive and unfair, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn says the measure will save 1,200 to 1,500 retail jobs. But, not all councilmembers who approved the tax say they did so willingly. Said Councilman Lewis Fidler to the Gotham Gazette: "If we don’t authorize the sales tax, as distasteful as it is, there will be layoffs...I prefer we find it somewhere else, but that is not the choice we have." The increase is expected to bring more than $500 million in new revenue to the city. more ›

When a group of intoxicated teenagers decided to pop in to 33-year-old bricklayer Scott Bruno's pad on Saturday night, he must have thought that showing off his 2nd floor Bensonhurst apartment (and possibly dealing them drugs) wasn't enough to impress the Wantagh teens. So police say that Bruno got out his gun and began firing off some shots at his wall as a "party trick." Then believing that he had removed the magazine from the pistol, Bruno aimed the gun at 17-year-old Philip Levy's head and pulled the trigger. Sadly it wasn't empty and Levy (pictured) would die soon after being shot. Bruno is now being held without bail on manslaughter and weapons charges; he has a prior conviction for a DUI in 2006. Levy's mother, who only knew her son was going out with friends Saturday, told Newsday that the MacArthur HS senior was a history buff and had "a passionate interest" in the 9/11 attacks. She said, "He was always cracking us up. He could have been in the theater." Bruno's legal aid attorney insisted in court today that the shooting was an accident and called it a "quirky" case. more ›

Today some mermaids took to the streets of Lower Manhattan to speak their mind to members of the City Planning Commission, prior to their vote later this week on the City rezoning plan for Coney Island. The mermaids are readying for their big parade coming up next week, and are quite displeased with the plan that will reduce Coney's amusement district. Basically, the City is Eugene Levy and Coney supporters are Tom Hanks. more ›

With one retired Corrections official calling Rabbi Levi Glanz's use of detention facility the Tombs as a lavish social club for Orthodox Jewish prisoners as being "systematic" and something "going on for years that everyone knows about," even more accusations are flying about just how over-the-top the atmosphere could get. The Post talks to Corrections officials who tell them about "a TV satellite truck (coming) to the lockup so that a Jewish inmate could watch a relative's wedding on a live feed." The tabloid deems the live two-way hookup to the wedding in Israel "Jew Tube." One official adds, "The rabbi had brought in wine and food and everything ... and they sat in the visiting area for hours. The rank-and-file [guards] were like, 'You gotta be shittiing me.'" Glanz is currently serving a two-week suspension from his chaplain as the Department of Investigation continues to look into the many allegations that have come out in the days since. more ›

After being told by a judge to work out their own mess, Senate Democrats claimed to be working on a power-sharing deal with Republicans (here's a letter they sent to the GOP). The Republicans were, after last Monday's coup, in power, but then dissident Democrat Hiram Monserrate decided to side back with the Democrats, splitting the Senate into a 31-31 tie, with no majority. more ›

The Humane Society of the United States has weighed in on New York City's—and the Port Authority's—plan to cull/kill/gas 2,000 geese. The city perceives the geese as a threat to airline safety, given that geese took down US Airways Flight 1549 (Mayor Bloomberg reiterated on his radio show, "We're trying to strike a balance. In the safety of flying, the public trumps the rights of the geese"), but the Humane Society says, "The best and most lasting solution to secure the safety of air travelers as well as preserve wildlife is to reduce the attractiveness of airport-vicinity open space to animals such as waterfowl and to limit access to other creatures." more ›

Senator Charles Schumer wants Long Island Rail Road commuters to be more productive—and slams the MTA for not providing wireless technology to allow commuters to get online. Schumer, at a press conference at the Ronkonkama LIRR station, pointed out that other mass transit systems, such as ones in Texas, California and Utah, have wireless technology, and said, "Unfortunately, the Long Island Rail Road has been slow to adapt. The technology is ready and waiting and would easily be up and running by the end of the year." The senior Senator added that it would cost $1,000 per train car and that the MTA could take advantage of federal stimulus money if it acted quickly (ha!). Well, it certainly would keep riders quiet...maybe. In other wireless-MTA news, plans to put cellphone technology in the NYC subway system are still languishing. more ›

Enjoy the sun while you can as it is only making a brief appearance today. A line of fairly intense showers and thunderstorms has broken out northwest of the city and is headed this way. The atmosphere over the city is a bit more stable than that inland, which means the showers will meet some resistance as they get closer. Scattered showers and thunderstorms may stick around through the evening. more ›

As if raising your kid in Williamsburg wasn't close enough to leaving them on the set of , historic for being one of the first times the tween pop group has appeared on the festival circuit. But when the movie played on the jumbo screen, it seemed like an even more momentous moment—the Jonas Brothers turning in their promise rings! Children were shown 45 seconds of "a topless woman and sex acts" until a teacher ripped the plug out of the wall. One parent told the Post, "My daughter is 6 years old; she doesn't need to see that. I don't even like to kiss in front of her because I think she's too young. So I'm very angry." The school is investigating just who was behind the video switch. more ›

The Virgin Megastore in Union Square has officially closed (get ready for Nordstrom). Yesterday was the last day the doors were open to bargain hunters, who only had about two tables of remaining merchandise to browse (allegedly stocked with plenty of Jonas Brothers memorabilia). The NY Times reports on what was "the last large-scale record store in New York City," saying that while the closure isn't surprising, it is dispiriting. One analyst told the paper, “The Titanic that is physical media started slowly sinking in 2000. Certainly this is a traumatic event for those who worked there, but it’s an expected product of the digital transition.” While there may not be any more larger chain record stores left in the city, there are some independents left, and come June 20th they'll be celebrating Vinyl Saturday, "which will feature specially produced records by artists like Wilco and Modest Mouse to draw customers." And those fancy digitized music files are nothing compared to the sound of a needle hitting vinyl. more ›

After the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Orlando Magic for the NBA Championship last night, Los Angelenos apparently decided that celebrating equaled setting garbage on fire, jumping on cars, tearing down street signs, breaking into and looting stores, and tagging buildings. We hear that police basically let people throw things at them, only intervening to put fires out; LAPD police chief William Bratton, who is a former NYC police commissioner, said, "Officers tonight used minimal levels of force..behaving very professionally," also calling the revelers "knuckleheads" and "cowards." (Was nothing learned after the 2000 win?) Newsday's Neil Best blogged, "Thank you, Los Angeles for the timely reminder - 15 years to the day since the Rangers won the Stanley Cup - that New York consistently is better behaved in celebrating sports championships than are other, less civilized burgs." Damages are estimated to be at least $1 million. more ›

Plaxico Burress made his way into Manhattan criminal court this morning where a judge adjourned his weapons possession case until September. A grand jury will decide whether to indict Burress for last fall's shooting mess at nightclub Latin Quarter by September 23rd, marking the end of any potential plea deal trying to be worked out by his high-profile lawyer Benjamin Brafman. Brafman said, "There is no victim in this case besides Plaxico Burress." more ›

Some food-cart vendors are serving up lunch specials with a hearty helping of identity theft. The NY Post reports the city's Department of Investigation is looking into widespread illegal renewal of food-cart permits by scammers who assume the identities of former food-cart operators. These permits—many of which belong to dead or emigrated vendors—are then renewed and resold for absurd premiums on the black market. Post reporters found some cart permits going for as much as $46,000, sold by a broker demanding, "Everything is in cash. Paid in full." Beyond the whole identity theft thing, of course, the scam also makes it harder for legitimate vendors to obtain permits, which, like taxi medallions, are issued in limited numbers. One Manhattan food-cart operator blames the way permit applications are handled for allowing these cheaters to prosper. Because permits can be renewed by mail, he says the scam becomes "an easy thing to get away with." more ›

NJ Senate President Richard Codey, who has also been acting governor three (!) times, has introduced new legislation that would toughen penalties against motorists repeatedly caught drunk driving as well as those who lend vehicles to people with a suspended or revoked license. The Star Ledger reports, "The bills were prompted, in part, by recent reports of an East Rutherford man who injured another man and his young daughter in a DUI related accident and was later found to have 12 previous DUI convictions and 78 license suspensions." (The repeat DUI driver tried to flee the police by running into a park.) One bill would "impose mandatory jail time of six months to one year for anyone caught driving under the influence while currently suspended for a previous DUI or previous refusal to take a breath test; or for anyone caught driving two times or more while suspended for a DUI or refusal to take a breath test, even if they are not intoxicated." Codey said, "In my opinion, one time caught drunk driving is too many... If you don't learn from those mistakes and continue to endanger the lives of others, we need to send a clear message that we are going to have zero tolerance." more ›

Now that State Senator Hiram Monserrate has rejoined the Democratic caucus and thrown the Senate into a 31-31 tie, the state Supreme Court judge who was going to hear Democrats' and Republicans' arguments over who should rule the Senate this morning instead said both sides need to resolve it themselves. Justice Thomas McNamara said, "As a matter of public policy, you guys should work this out so I'm directing you to go across the street and do that and report back to me at one o'clock. There are 64 (sic) members over there, who are, in my opinion, hopefully, capable of getting together and working through what I have every understanding and appreciation are very serious and difficult matters, but which can be resolved and can be worked through in a way to be beneficial to the citizens of this state." more ›

The NY Times looks at recent census data that suggests an interesting trend in Chinese, Korean and Indian families in America: "If the first child was a girl, it was more likely that a second child would be a boy... If the first two children were girls, it was even more likely that a third child would be male. Demographers say the statistical deviation among Asian-American families is significant, and they believe it reflects not only a preference for male children, but a growing tendency for these families to embrace sex-selection techniques, like in vitro fertilization and sperm sorting, or abortion." CUNY's Joyce Moy says even younger immigrants have held onto the idea that "Families depend on the male child for support," while Dr. Norbert Gleicher, director of a "fertility and sex-selection clinic in New York and Chicago, said that from his experience, people were more inclined to want female children, except for Asians and Middle Easterners." more ›

C'mon New York, are we such prudes that we can't handle a little denim clad foursome? People are reportedly up in arms over the latest Calvin Klein billboard that the Daily News says "seems to show a teenage girl in a threesome—with suggestions of a foursome." more ›

The ME's office will conduct an autopsy on a 2-month-old who died after being found unconscious in an apartment in the Wingate section of Brooklyn. According to the Daily News, the baby's father asked a neighbor to help revive baby Tuquan Bennett-Shuler, but the neighbor, John Mercano, "dialed 911 when he realized the newborn was near death." When FDNY EMS arrived, Tuquan didn't respond to CPR; he later was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital. The News reports that police were questioning the baby's mother, "who has faced child abuse accusation," as well as the baby's father, who allegedly told Mercano that "the mother smothered the baby because the baby was crying too much." more ›

State Senator Hiram makes it two days in the row on the cover of the Daily News: After his Mets-Yankees game appearance with fellow dissident Democrat Senator Pedro Espada Jr., now Monserrate is making waves by telling the News he's going to vote with the Democrats, just one week after he and Espada helped Republicans take control of the Senate. The lawmaker from Queens broke the news to Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez, saying, "I'm coming home." more ›

Davonte Kelly, the 11-year-old who survived a stray bullet to his head (!!), returned to the Little League ballfields in Brooklyn to cheer his teammates. A week ago, Kelly had been waiting to play a game when the bullet entered his head—he thought he was just hit by a baseball, but it was in fact a bullet, which just missed entering his skull (the bullet did dent it a little). Davonte was in great spirits when chatting with WCBS 2 (which also shows where the bullet hit him), "It just feels great - smell the grass, smell the peanuts, get that urge for playing baseball," and expressed his appreciation for all the support he's been getting. But he's not playing just yet, per doctor's orders. No matter, he told the Daily News, "I might not be on the field today, but at least I'm watching. I love baseball and I love my team." Aw! You rule, Davonte! The police still have not found the shooter; City Councilman Charles Barron urged people with information to step forward, "A little boy ought to be able to play baseball without a bullet lodged in his head." more ›

Over 100,000 gallons of water flooded a four-block area in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx yesterday morning. A 20-inch water main broke around 3:30 a.m.; though it was contained by 6:30 a.m., NY1 reports the "sidewalk started to crumble, creating a huge gaping hole that stretched along half the street in one of the Bronx's busiest intersections"—231st Street and Broadway. Businesses, including a parking garage, Chase bank, and an African artifacts store, were flooded, leaving business owners worried about damages (the city is accepting damage claims). City Councilman Oliver Koppell added, "This is just about the worst place in the community where this could happen because all the buses converge on this corner, as well as a lot of traffic going from Kingsbridge to Riverdale." MyFoxNY says that while the DEP is restoring water pressure, residents "may see some brown water coming through their taps." The brown water is safe, just let it run. more ›

Happy Anniversary Rangers’ fans! It was on this very day 15 years ago that 54 years of misery ended and the team captured its first Stanley Cup since 1940. As our spiritual leader, Sam Rosen, exclaimed that night, “This one will last a lifetime.” And it seems like it had better because the Rangers have spent these intervening 15 years never doing the serious work of rebuilding another championship contender. more ›

With "active" members of the State Senate a little indisposed this week, Governor Paterson must have turned up the heat in lobbying Former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno to come out and endorse his gay marriage bill. Today the Republican leader hopped in the leather captain's chair of the Brunomobile and potentially put the state's legalization of same-sex marriage into the fast lane. Bruno told the AP, "As a Republican, I believe in personal freedom. I opposed same sex marriage largely because the overwhelming majority of my caucus opposed it. As a relatively conservative Roman Catholic, I instinctively view marriage as the foundation of the family. However, that view really does conflict with the rights that are afforded all of us. This is America and we have inalienable rights ... life is short and we should all be afforded the same opportunities and rights to enjoy it." The AP mentions that Bruno's wife of 57 years Barbara just passed away in 2008. With several Democrats already opposing the bill, Paterson and company hope that Bruno's endorsement could pave the way for undecided GOP senators to come over and support it. more ›

Billionaire Tom Golisano penned a column in the NY Post today: "Why I Did It"—"it" being helping Republicans and two Democratic dissidents take over the State Senate. Golisano rightfully grouses that Albany has been dysfunctional for a while, but his big beef is how this year's secret budget process resulted in tax increases for the wealthy that prompted him to change his residency to Florida, "Nonetheless, I love New York and remained committed to finding a better way. [Golisano's political action group] continued our dialogue with senators from both parties. We found when these senators talked not about politics but about the state and their districts that they shared the same goals of creating jobs, improving education and providing opportunity for their constituents. We found two brave Democratic senators who were willing to put people above party and results ahead of rhetoric. As a result, this week, for the first time since that report appeared, something happened. Something changed. Reform has come to the New York state Senate." (See what reforms were enacted here.) Golisano also sends a warning to Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver, "Who's next? Hopefully there are some members of the state Assembly who are willing to put reform above party and the people above politics." more ›

The feud between Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Bruney escalated today when K-Rod went after Bruney before the game at Yankee Stadium. Bruney got things started yesterday by making some disparaging comments about K-Rod’s save celebrations, "He's got a tired act. He gets what he deserves, man. I just don't like watching the guy pitch. I think it's embarrassing." Rodriguez responded by calling Bruney a nobody, "I don't even know who that guy is. Someone in Double A. I believe he's never pitched one full season. He's always been on the DL, that's all I know, so he better keep his mouth shut and do his job and not worry about anyone else," and daring Bruney to “say it to my face” the next time. Apparently, Rodriguez felt the need to say it to Bruney’s face before today's game and went over and confronted him. Jose Veras and Mike Pelfrey separated the two pitchers and no physical contact was made. more ›

The Long Island Rail Road mechanics making upwards of $200K in annual overtime pay at one Queens yard are doing so because of a forty-year-old loophole, according to a new report. Hopefully the well-compensated LIRR workers have used their hefty paychecks for Times subscriptions because they might not like the treatment they're getting from the Post. The tabloid says that the "grease monkeys" are getting paid to "sleep on the job." The jackpot loophole they're referring to is a rule that states that vacant shifts at the Richmond Hills yard must be filled, no matter if any work needs to be done. The Post says this leads to "hundreds of instances last year when mechanics worked 24 to 32 hours straight, racking up time-and-a-half and double-time pay." After those extra-long shifts, the employees then get another eight hours mandatory pay to go home and sleep. The MTA is currently investigating schedule and pension rules. The Richmond Hills rule has been challenged in two previous negotiations by the LIRR, but an arbitrator upheld it both times. more ›

Dissident Democratic Senators Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada Jr., who helped the Republican conference overthrow the Democratic majority and gain power of the State Senate, spent their Saturday at Yankee Stadium. The Daily News exclaims, "They've got some nerve!" as they "watched the Subway Series in a pair of plush seats at Yankee Stadium Saturday, taking a leisurely break from the state of shame they created upstate." One fellow spectator wondered, "What are they going to accomplish here except for promoting themselves?" Well, they did get on the cover of the News as "SCREWBALLS"! more ›

Ruth Madoff, wife of Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff, gets a NY Time Styles section once-over. Banned from her hair salon and by her Hamptons florist, she may be the "most vilified spouse of a financial rogue in history... Although no evidence has emerged to date that she conspired or even knew about her husband’s crimes...She has been pilloried and turned into a pariah." U. Chicago cultural anthropologist Prof. Richard Shweder says, "She’s perceived as the succubus to Bernie’s incubus." Maybe because she withdrew $15 million before her husband's arrest? Then there are the rumors she knew about the scheme...since apparently no secrets were kept between her and Bernie. Still, Ivan Boesky's ex-wife Seema says, "My immediate reaction was utter sympathy for this woman. I wanted to write her a letter, reach out to her, take her out to lunch. But my lawyer said, 'No.'" Ruth Madoff's own lawyer declined to comment and said no comment would be coming from the 68-year-old Queens native, who visits her husband in the clink every few weeks. But Bernie's lawyer said Ruth is sympathetic to her husband's victims, adding, "There is no question there’s an image problem." more ›

As the debate to legalize gay marriage rages on within the chaotic confines of Albany, two young men took matters into their own hands and hoodwinked their way into a marriage certificate at the City Clerk's Office. Hakim Nelson and Jason Stenson were married on May 26th, sliding under the radar on Nelson's food stamps card, which lists him as a female. No one at the clerk's office raised an eyebrow since Nelson arrived wearing an orange dress with white leggings. The two believe that they made history with Stenson saying, "People in Albany can say, 'Look, it's already happened, so let's just make it legal.'" Hakim Nelson and Jason Stenson, you might be New York's first gay marriage to go public, what are you gonna do now? We're taking our story to the New York Post! The Post talked to a city official, who seemed pretty unfazed, telling the paper, "If someone is trying to willfully sneak through, we try to stop it. But you have instances of females [who] have male names and vice versa. You've heard of a boy named Sue, right?" The newlyweds have been honeymooning at a homeless youth shelter in Brooklyn. more ›

According to the FCC, the switch to digital television has been smooth. FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said, "It's looking more like Y2K than the Bay of Pigs," while acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps used a baseball analogy, "We're safe on third right now... We all need a bit of patience and perseverance. This is a momentous change and it'll take time to get it right." About 800,000 people have called the FCC's hotline in the past week and a little over 400,000 called on the Friday and Saturday, which is lower than the 600,000-3 million calls the agency expected for the first day of transition; on Friday, most calls came from the NYC market. However, some people found themselves needing to buy new, stronger antennas. The FCC says it will keep staff available to answer questions on the hotline until the end of June, at least. Here's the FCC's DTV guide. more ›

Yesterday morning, some friends were wading in the waters off Rockaway Peninsula at Beach 9th Street when one was swept up by a riptide. The Post reports, "A 35-year-old man was believed to have drowned yesterday after frantically trying to rescue a female companion who got pulled under." While an unconscious Daria Miranda, 24, surfaced in another area, Ramon Figera was missing and is assumed to have drowned. The Coast Guard told WCBS 2, "Whether they got into an area where they found themselves unable to touch bottom, or not able to swim, we're not certain." The pair, plus another friend, were in the water off the jetty around 8:15 a.m., nearly two hours before lifeguards report to duty; the Post noticed a sign next to the jetty that said, "Keep Off Jetty. No Diving." And a Far Rockaway resident told the Daily News, "The current on the bottom is very dangerous. All you have to do is go out 30 feet, and the current will grab you." more ›

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared his re-election "real and free" and compared the violent protests that broke out after his victory to "passions after a football match." While his opponent, Mir Hossein Moussavi, claimed ballot irregularities, noting how polls showed he was leading over incumbent Ahmadinejad, Ahmadinejad said of the unhappy reactions, "It doesn't matter. Some people are sentimental and become excited...Their team has not won in the match." He also blocked access to web sites and text messaging. In Europe, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Hague in the Netherlands to dispute the results (the EU said it was "concerned about alleged irregularities") and NY1 reports that dozens of Iranians in the city, who were allowed to vote in the election at polling centers in Manhattan and Queens, protested outside the consulate yesterday. One said, "Many people went and voted in Iran for a change, and the results of our votes are not being respected in an unprecedented way in Iran." more ›

• Mets 6, Yankees 2: The next time someone says, "[insert team] will have a tough time recovering from such a devastating loss," point him to this game. The Mets had no trouble shrugging off Friday night's disaster -- a game that turned from victory to defeat when Luis Castillo dropped a popup with two outs in the ninth -- and cruised past the Yankees. Fernando Nieve, making his first start in almost three years, allowed only two runs in 6 2/3 innings while filling in for John Maine. Omir Santos had a homer and a double off Andy Pettitte, who lasted only five innings. Gary Sheffield also went deep for the Mets, who will send Johan Santana to the mound in Sunday's rubber game.

All eyes continue to focus on the one wildcard at the center of this week's madness in Albany, Senator Hiram Monserrate. The Times has a profile on his controversial history seemingly always amidst chaos—from his retirement from the NYPD due to a psychological disability to onetime speculation that he was connected to the Church of Scientology. Meanwhile, Room Eight makes the whirlpool around Monserrate swirl just a little more rapidly, piecing together a timeline of when the state senator traded up to an incredibly expensive attorney in his assault case coinciding right around the time that he and Senator Pedro Espada began sitting down with billionaire Tom Golisano, plotting the Senate takeover. Wherever that money is coming from, it sounds like Monserrate's going to need it. In a court filing about the condition of Monserrate's girlfriend Karla Giraldo that was just released, prosecutors state, "According to the doctor, some of the wounds were very deep, extending through the skin and muscle down to the bone." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg expressed further support for the city and Port Authority's joint plan to kill 2,000 geese during their molting season in order to prevent accidents like the one that left Flight 1549 in the Hudson River. On his radio show yesterday, Bloomberg said, "There are people who care very much about the geese. But in the end, safety of the public is No. 1. There is not a lot of cost involved in rounding up a couple thousand geese and letting them go to sleep with nice dreams. We're trying to strike a balance. In the safety of flying, the public trumps the rights of the geese...(This way is) less stressful way of eliminating geese. They actually use carbon dioxide, and they just sort of go to sleep." Geese in various city parks within five miles of local airports will begin getting rounded into portable pens where they're killed with cabon dioxide-filled chambers on Monday. Wayne Johnson, a "free-land activist," told the Post, "There's a ton of nonlethal alternatives," such as chemical repellents and goose-frightening pyrotechnics. more ›

Law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore has offered incoming associates $80,000 to defer their start date by a year—and not to work for a year. Plus, Cravath will pay up to $1,000/month in student loans and health insurance. Bloomberg News, which calls Cravath one of the country's most profitable law firms but notes its revenue is down 55% so far (vs. same period last year), adds, "Cravath, whose clients include Citigroup Inc., Time Warner Inc., Johnson & Johnson, and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., is also requiring its current summer associates who are offered full-time jobs to accept $65,000 to defer their start date from October 2010 for a year." Above the Law notes how Harvard Law School immediately sent out a note to its rising third-year students, with suggestions on what to do (hello, judicial clerkship). Earlier this year, Skadden Arps offered associates $80,000 for a year of paid leave. more ›

It's been a baby boom on NYC Transit! On Thursday, a woman gave birth to a baby girl on a Queens-bound R train—and on Friday, another woman gave birth to a baby girl on the B61 bus! Can babies on the LIRR or Metro-North be next? more ›

A little kitten survived not only being thrown from a truck but also being trapped in the wheel well of another car in Staten Island. The Post reports that the black-and-white 8-week-old tabby, named Lucky after her ordeal, was spotted by Family Court Judge Catherine DiDomenico. (Video of the super adorable cat after the jump.) DiDomenico was driving on Hylan Boulevard when a truck driver in front of her threw the kitten out the window. The stopped her car—which other drivers were not pleased about—to look for the kitten, "I looked down. I looked to the left. I looked to the right. I didn't see the kitten," but she spotted the kitten behind the left wheel. DiDomenico said, "As my wheel spun, she jumped into the wheel well and her claw became stuck in the suspension. Clearly she was very lucky. She is one brave kitty. This kitten defied an act of brutality." The NYPD Emergency Service Unit help extract Lucky, who was given a clean bill of health and is up for adoption at Staten Island Animal Care & Control in Tottenville. And the cops are still looking for the truck driver. more ›

Up until this week, Catholics seemed to have a monopoly on calling The Tombs their party spot, the name of a famous sports bar near Georgetown University. But as more details emerge about the Manhattan detention center of the same name, it seems that Orthodox Jews were truly able to take the morbid moniker and turn it into a hotspot. Today an ex-inmate tells the Post, "It was like a party every day. It was great." more ›

Plaxico Burress is due back in court Monday for the first time since getting his case postponed in March. Since then, his lawyer Benjamin Brafman has been attempting to hammer out a deal with prosecutors. But it appears that the attorney hasn't quite found the magical offer to beat Plax's gun charges the way he once did for Diddy. Brafman told the News, "We'll be in and out of court in five minutes. There is going to be an adjournment. There is no agreement at all." Brafman says that he hopes that the case can be put off until September, possibly opening the door for the receiver to step on the field this season. The Post continues to float the notion that the Jets might still be interested in Burress, along with the Bucs and the Bears, but shockingly no mention of the Dallas Cowboys. more ›

The NY Times has a sad update about the family of the 5-year-old boy who fell to his death when a housing project elevator malfunctioned last year. The Times says, with the family of Jacob Neuman (pictured) is suing the Housing Authority for negligence, the HA wants to interview Jacob's brother, 9-year-old Israel who witnessed his brother fall from the 10th floor. However, his parents' lawyer has asked a judge to waive the testimony. The Neumans are worried about Israel's state of mind—"in play therapy, he drew an elevator shaft with red at the bottom," though he acts out against classmates, kids consider him a "rachmoonus" (pity) case— and a court-appointed psychologist wrote, "His defenses are so brittle that when thoughts regarding the incident reach or are introduced into his consciousness, he becomes despondent and he desperately defends against them. It is quite possible, given his present state, that serious mental decomposition may occur. That this will occur is not certain; if it does, it will be devastating indeed." The Housing Authority has a bad track record elevators; there are other lawsuits against the HA over elevator maintenance. more ›

Six Flags Inc. declared for bankruptcy this morning after the company had been trying to clear its multi-billion dollar debt without having to go to court. New management took over the company in 2005 and began restructuring the theme park chain that has kept New Yorkers saving Coke cans for years in order to get discounted admission at Great Adventure in nearby Jackson, NJ. In the last few years, the company has sold ten parks, laid off 300 employees and instituted changes such as having more costumed characters and banning smoking in the parks. Recently they've gone so far as bringing back the nightmarish dancing speed freak, Mr. Six, the "old" man who seems to have found the courage to speak while he was away from the company. Six Flags's CEO Mark Shapiro said, “The current management team inherited a $2.4 billion debt load that cannot be sustained, particularly in these challenging financial markets." The latest snag for the company came when they had to temporarily shut down their Mexico City park due to swine flu. more ›

To bookend a week that began with a coup in Albany which stripped the Senate Democrats of their majority, Senate Dems met to discuss their leadership and future. And while former Senate majority leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) refused to answer reporters' questions about whether he still headed the Democratic conference, the Democrats apparently told Smith that he's out and that Senator John Sampson (D-Brooklyn) will be the "conference's de facto boss." more ›

A toddler is in critical condition after being struck last night by a hit-and-run driver in the Woodhaven section of Queens. A two-year-old girl wandered away from her house where she was with family around 9:30 p.m. and found her way onto the Rockaway Boulevard and 185th Street intersection where she was hit. The vehicle drove off and the girl remained lying in the street until another driver spotted her and called police. The girl was rushed off to Jamaica Hospital where she remains in critical condition. No witnesses were able to get a description of the vehicle. Police urge anyone with information to call, text or visit the Crime Stoppers website. more ›

A complaint to child services led police to a home in Mastic Beach where seven children were being raised in conditions of utter squalor and prompted the arrests five adults who lived there. Newsday reports that the house had no heat along with "no running water, feces on the floor and bottles of urine around the house, with rotted food in the refrigerator." On top of that, "appliances and lights that were being run off a generator, a television was being charged with a car battery and cooking was being done indoors with propane." The seven children ranged from ages two to thirteen and are now in foster care with an order of protection from their former caretakers. One of the five adults was also charged with animal cruelty after the SPCA discovered two dogs and 14 cats. One neighbor told the paper that she refused to open windows in the side of her house that faced their home. A Suffolk County official said redundantly, "It was obviously a health hazard." more ›

The NYC Health Department released data yesterday suggesting "community transmission" of swine flu (aka H1N1 virus) is on the decline, because emergency room visits have declined: "As expected, however, hospitalizations and fatalities continue to occur. As of June 11, the Health Department had recorded 567 hospitalizations and 16 deaths. The latest death occurred in a person aged 40-49." more ›

With high school graduations quickly approaching, it’s time for the annual day where 17-year-olds look back on their twelve-plus years of free education and ditch any tender moments of gratitude or nostalgia in lieu of creating pure chaos: Senior Prank Day. Yesterday in Queens, Richmond Hill High School's pranks turned into a riot with ten students arrested and the school put on lockdown—all before 10 a.m. The arrests were spurred on when authorities arrived in response to a fire alarm students had pulled. On top of that, the Post reports that departing seniors "threw baby powder, oil, food, paint, barbecue sauce and eggs all over the school's second floor, causing a panic." Windows were broken and computers damaged. One student gave the paper a familiar story: "It was supposed to be a powder fight, but people started showing up with eggs and rice and bananas and shaving cream. It was supposed to be something minor." The ten students were charged with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. more ›

As of midnight, TV stations made the switch to DTV. WABC 7 said it started its transition at 12:30 p.m. yesterday, "Many people calling WABC-TV on Friday needed to rescan their converter boxes or had antenna. In some cases, the fix was as simple as moving or expanding the antenna. In other cases, a new antenna was need." (The FCC says to make sure all channels are rescanned.) In Baltimore, one station's programming director said, "One person called in, and it turned out she hadn't turned her converter box on." While those with cable or satellite connections are fine, it's estimated that 1 million people are unprepared for the switch. Cincinnati's Freestore Foodbank gave away free converter boxes; one man who waited over four hours but was told they ran out spoke to the AP, "I'm on disability, and I can't really afford to buy one. I can't get anything on my TV now, so I guess I'll have to go to friends' houses if I want to watch anything." The FCC's DTV site is here; here's the converter box troubleshooting guide. more ›

Yankees 9 Mets 8: In all the years of the Subway Series, there has never been an ending like this one. For almost four hours, the Yankees and Mets battled back and forth, trading runs and the lead over and over again. Like they have done all season, the Yankees used home runs to get on the scoreboard with Robinson Cano starting things off in the second inning to put the Yankees up 1-0. But, Joba Chamberlain could not find the plate on Friday and the Mets took advantage of his wildness to take a 2-1 lead. Mark Teixeira went deep to put the Yankees up 3-2 but the Mets jumped all over Brett Tomko in the fifth to take a 6-3 lead. more ›

In other Flight 1549 news, the city and Port Authority are embarking on a plan to kill at least 2,000 pesky Canada geese living within 5 miles of airports. Mayor Bloomberg said, "The serious dangers that Canada geese pose to aviation became all too clear when geese struck US Airways Flight 1549. The incident served as a catalyst to strengthen our efforts in removing geese from - and discouraging them from nesting on - city property near our runways." more ›

Anyone have a spare block of extra firm tofu, a nail file, and a soft spot for graffiti gal UTAH? She's currently doing time on Riker's Island, and allegedly she can't get her hands on any vegan grub. Animal reports that after a friend visited her there, he reported back via Twitter, saying: “She said it’s not so bad, like a ghetto sleepaway camp. Suave shamps. She is starving b/c she is vegan. No tempeh on the island apparently.” The Department of Corrections directs inmates with special dietary needs to a nutritionist, who can issue an ID card for vegan meal procurement. Of course, it's actually easier to send a lawsuit-threatening letter than to go through this process successfully. And that is exactly what UTAH had to do in order to get soy milk and peanut butter. more ›

A pita bread entrepreneur tried to argue that his ex-wife's alimony demands (when added to his own lifestyle costs) would leave him poor, but the NY Post reports that judges ruled Joseph Ayoub must temporarily fork over $30,000 a month: "$20,000 a month for an apartment for the wife, $7,500 a month in child support, $2,500 a month in alimony." While that is a lot, ex Isabelle was asking for "$52,658.80 a month to maintain her kids' lifestyle, including $7,166 a month for food and $4,583 for clothing"!! The judges noted that Ayoub, who started Aladdin Bakers, paid $200,000 in cash for a Lamborghini—plus how he and his ex slept on a $50,000 mattress (the three kiddies' beds were $6,500 each) and had homes in Manhattan and the Hamptons—"By purchasing the Lamborghini, the husband confirmed his free-spending ways." Isabella Ayoub's lawyer said, "This is the lifestyle they led. Sometimes, it's difficult for those of us not in that stratosphere to comprehend that, but they always lived a very generous lifestyle." more ›

Some Columbia University students are in mourning this week after cops nabbed one of the campus' more prominent dealers. Known to many there as simply "Bill," William Delp found himself in custody Monday when narcotics officers raided his West 107th Street apartment after the 49-year-old had attempted to sell drugs to undercover detectives. Delp, who describes himself on his MySpace page as "a composer, filmmaker, and political and social activist" and posts photos of himself singing "vocal duos" with snakes, faces drug charges related to possession and sale of LSD, Ecstasy, and marijuana. Now, it's not exactly a bombshell story when an aging hippie gets busted for drugs, but what may be the only surprise in this case is that Delp's neighbors were actually surprised. Said neighbor Jonathan Perez to the NY Daily News: "I'm totally shocked...He was always a pretty cool guy. He'd always give the peace sign." Yeah, that probably should have been your clue right there. more ›

Apparently feeling that an Albany power struggle is better suited amongst the actual players than in a courtroom, state Supreme Court judge Thomas McNamara told the warring Senate Democrats and Republicans, "It would be in everyone's best interests if the Senate over the weekend got together and with calmer heads resolved that among yourselves," pointing out, "There are three coequal branches of government. We have our job, the Senate has their job and the governor's office has their job. The courts certainly do, on occasions that are appropriate, venture into other areas -- but there is a reluctance to do that." more ›

Following the Williamsburg pedicab crash, the regulations around the human-pedaled vehicles are garnering some attention. The NY Times delves into them today, reporting that in 2007 the City Council passed a bill which was challenged in court by pedicab owners, who claimed it would allow more inexperienced drivers to get licensed. This put the rules on hold for years, but the lawsuit ended in April and still no new rules have been drafted or put in place—a task that falls in the hands of the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs. The paper notes that "the city acknowledges that its safety and licensing provisions," which include a ban on bridge travel, are not being enforced. A lawyer for the NYC Pedicab Owners Association said, “We begged the city, for the sake of safety, to please enforce these things before someone gets hurt," but so far that hasn't happened, and until it does the rules are moot. Currently the NYPD are treating pedicabs as cyclists, meaning there are no fines for carrying too many passengers and not having seat belts. more ›

First the good news: With all this rain it should be easy to repel the really stupid aliens from Signs should they mount an attack. Another downpour in the wee hours has pushed the monthly total to more than 4.5 inches. Average rainfall for all of June is 3.84 inches! An approaching warm front early today and a slow moving cold front tonight should add to the rainfall total. Look for scattered showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Today's high should be in the hyper-muggy upper 70s. more ›

Two more teens were charged in connection to the robbery and fatal strangulation of a Chinese newspaper executive in Queens. According to the Daily News, "Jay-Quel Merkerson and Bryce Newton, both 16, were hit with various counts after both were spotted in David Kao's stolen Lexis SUV after he was slain"—Merkerson for possession of stolen property and Newton for unlawful use of a stolen vehicle. The Post says that a 15-year-old was also charged with possession of stolen property. Currently, Corey Azor, 16, and Chris Levy, 17, were charged with Kao's murder and are being held without bail. Azor and Levy, along with a third teen Keron Wiltshire (who was charged with possession of stolen property—Kao's SUV), allegedly attacked and robbed another Asian man in May; Queens DA Richard Brown said, "While all three defendants are accused of preying on Asian men to rob, two of the defendants are charged with a senseless and brutal crime that, by their own alleged actions, shows a complete disregard for human life. This case will be vigorously prosecuted.” more ›

Sure, little Damien Sosa was on the cover of People with Flight 1549 Captain Chesley Sullenberger—but his mom and 4-year-old sister are supposed to pay for their own therapy after the scary though miraculous flight. At least that's what U.S. Airways' insurer, AIG, tells the Sosa family, according to the NY Times. While the family has health insurance, Tess Sosa thinks AIG should help foot the bill, "It’s like telling me, ‘We aren’t responsible for this. This is your trauma. You deal with it.'" And when Sosa mentioned the taxpayer bailout, the AIG claims person said "their division didn’t get a cent from the bailout." AIG has offered others passengers $10,000 if they release them further liability. Airline insurance expert Bruce Chadbourne isn't surprised AIG is playing "hardball" but adds, "Even though they’re giving the passengers a hard time, eventually they will be compensated to some extent. There’s no big pot because there’s no death. But there’s still mental distress, and it is a compensatable illness which, eventually, in my opinion, they deserve. They went through hell." more ›

The war of the words between Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and talk show host David Letterman continues, with Palin's appearance on the Today Show this morning. Referring to Letterman's questionable "jokes" about her trip to New York, suggesting that A-Rod might impregnate her daughter and that they should keep Eliot Spitzer away, Palin told Matt Lauer, “I would like to see him apologize to young women across the country [for contributing to a culture] that says it’s OK to talk about statutory rape...It's not cool; it's not funny.” more ›

Yesterday, NJ blogger surrendered to Connecticut authorities, who claimed his blog post incited injury to state lawmakers and a state employee (he promised to include their addresses) by urging readers to "take up arms and put down this tyranny by force" against them. According to the AP, Harold Turner was upset "over legislation that would have given lay members of Roman Catholic churches in Connecticut more control over their parish's finances." The bill was withdrawn in March, but Turner wrote on June 2, "It is our intent to forment direct action against these individuals personally. These beastly government officials should be made an example of as a warning to others in government: Obey the Constitution or die." Turner's Blogspot blog was removed by Blogrer; Courant's Capitol Watch adds, "Turner, who has been identified as a white supremacist and anti-Semite by several anti-racism groups, hosts an Internet radio program with an associated blog." Turner's lawyer said the defense will focus on the First Amendment. more ›

Watch out, MTA—Coney Island's Lola Staar is giving people another reason to be upset with the way things are run. The Brooklyn Paper reports that after getting kicked out of her last storefront from talking smack about landlord Joe Sitt, Staar moved into the MTA's "reopened European-style Stillwell Avenue hub." However, she sees no sign of the shop opening for the season since the blueprints seem to be held up at the MTA offices, where they have been since February. She told the paper, “My business is seasonal, so if they tell me I can’t open until October, I really won’t see any business until next summer. I call [the MTA] all the time and I get absolutely nothing out of them." The MTA promises they are reviewing them, but that the department is backlogged. Staar says "I could pay them rent right now." Hello, MTA, someone wants to give you money! more ›

The Post follows up its awesome story about how the Tombs—you know, the Manhattan Detention Complex—hosted one inmate's son's bar mitzvah party—complete with knives!— by saying the correction facility "was like a 'private club' for a group of Orthodox Jewish jailbirds, whose politically connected prison-chaplain rabbi regularly treated them to feasts of roast beef, salmon and chicken with all the trimmings." The Post also got hold of a corrections memo which read, "The inmates are untouchable. When it comes to the Jewish inmates, all rules are put aside." more ›

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that private equity firm Riverstone Holdings agreed to adopt his office's Public Pension Fund Code of Conduct plus pay $30 million to the NY State Pension Fund for its role in pay-to-play dealings. Cuomo has been investigating how numerous firms paid intermediaries to gain access to the NY State Pension Fund; Cuomo said, "If you knew and paid the right people, you could do business in New York. Hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money went to people who were politically connected. That’s not going to be allowed any more." Some of those right people allegedly include aides to the former state comptroller. This settlement is the second; equity firm Carlyle also agreed to pay $20 million to the NY State Pension Fund, whose declined 26%. more ›

On the day the swine flu officially a pandemic, the NYC Health Department raised the number of swine flu-related fatalities to 15. And one of the victims was Sarah Michel, an 11-year-old and sixth grader at IS609K in Borough Park. Her mother told the Daily News, "It's just terrible. I don't know what to say. We're all grieving right now. We're all mourning my little girl." more ›

The former manager of Columbia University's Pediatric Neurosciences Department of the Neurological Institute claims that he stole $180,000 from the school because his supervisor had been sexually abusing him. John Bzdil III, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud, spent $25,000 on his Poconos wedding and thousands on spa products; the Daily News reports, "Charges against Bzdil's estranged wife, Heather Brooke Rinehart, were dropped by prosecutors after Bzdil claimed she had nothing to do with the purchase of Bliss items like Mammoth Minty Scrub and Lovehandler." Bdzill, who faces 21-27 months in prison, told a judge, "Columbia was turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the fact that I was being sexually abused by [the boss]. Subconsciously, I was trying to make them pay attention to my situation and protect me from [him]. I felt deep shame for what he was doing to me and my inability to make him stop." However, his old boss, Cesar Rodriguez, who used to be financial director in the department, denied the accusations and told the Post, "When you are desperate, you'll do whatever you have to." more ›

The multi-agency—including the NYPD and FBI—terror drill that was conducted in Queens over the past few nights was deemed a success by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. He told the AP, "We plan for the worst with the best exercises possible. This one was realistic — at night, in the rain, with traffic. We put our personnel to the test and they performed well." The exercise involved hundreds of police officers and federal agents, who were on the hunt for a radiological device. more ›

After some delays, the country is finally switching its TV signals from analog to digital. And the government is expecting a lot of confusion from the estimated 1 million people who are unprepared for the switch—the AP reports, "The Federal Communications Commission put 4,000 operators on standby for calls from confused viewers, and set up demonstration centers in several cities. Volunteer groups and local government agencies were helping elderly viewers set up digital converter boxes that keep older TVs functioning." If your TV is hooked up to cable or satellite feeds, you should be fine, but if you're wondering, the Star-Ledger has a good guide on the new world of DTV (did you know the FCC is still giving $40 coupons for convertor boxes—they just take 9 business days to arrive). Here's more at the FCC's DTV.gov site. more ›

According to police, a man has been mugging elderly people in broad daylight. WABC 7 reports that all muggings took place in Manhattan: "In each incident the suspect grabs the victims and forcefully removes their wallets. The suspect then flees the location on foot. Minor injuries have been sustained in each of the incidents." The first was on May 25, when a 77-year-old man was attacked in the lobby of 447 East 14th. Four days later, a 91-year-old man was mugged at 1:40 p.m. in the elevator at 247 West 12th Street. And this past sunday, a 62-year-old was robbed in the lobby of 440 East 23rd Street at 3:10 p.m. WABC 7 says, "The suspect is described as a man in his 40s, bald, 5'5"-5'8" tall, and 200 pounds." Police are asking anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers 800-577-TIPS, to visit the CrimeStoppers website or to text info to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577. more ›

Some followup to a bicyclist's accusations that an SUV driver rammed into him in Central Park, which Gawker first reported: The Daily News reports that the police are investigating Brian Dooda's claims that he was "dragged more than 200 feet" by Don Broderick's SUV, adding, "Sources said a detective spoke to Dooda Tuesday but it was not yet known if charges would be filed against Broderick." The News, of course, notes Broderick's employment history—he's a "former New York Post reporter who now works for Rupert Murdoch's" Fox News—but notes the 53-year-old driving record is clean. But now Gawker says Broderick was once suspended for "assaulting a Fox co-worker...roughly ten years ago in the Fox newsroom." Streetsblog says the city's policy of keeping cars in Central Park's loop is to blame (the city has reduced car hours a little), "Until officials summon the small measure of political will needed to return the loop road to its rightful users, it will continue to be a contested street to which both drivers and park users believe they have a righteous claim. And the next Brian Dooda may not be so lucky." And Dooda offered one idea for Broderick's punishment to the News: "He has to ride a bike through Manhattan in rush hour." more ›

The craziness in Albany continues, even after hours! According to the Times Union, "Senate Democratic Majority Leader Malcolm Smith obtaining a temporary restraining order stopping breakaway Democrat Pedro Espada from utilizing any of the powers of the chamber's President Pro Tem -- a title that Espada claimed Monday after the tumultuous coup that returned Republicans to power. Smith's legal relief, however, may be short-lived: A state Supreme Court judge will hear arguments from both sides in the four-day-old battle for the Senate on Friday morning." You can read the ruling here; the Daily Politics hears the GOP spin, "The Senate Republicans are playing this down, saying all it means Espada can't be acting governor if something happens to Paterson or he leaves the state between now and 9 a.m. tomorrow, when there is hearing in the Supreme Court of Albany County on Smith's request for a declaratory order and injunctive relief, which would basically be a legal ruling proclaiming him - not Skelos - the majority leader." more ›

As Stuyvesant High School prepares for prom this weekend and the end of the school year to follow, word is that their school librarian has been arrested and charged with sexual abuse. The News reports that 56-year-old Christoper Asch is accused of inappropriate behavior with male students where he "massaged students' shoulders and backs, touched bellies and ran his hand through kids' hair." The Department of Education intends to fire Asch after having him reassigned to the rubber room last fall. According to a report obtained by the Post, "He'd creep the boys out even more by smirking or whispering in their ears to be quiet while he groped them in the library." His lawyer told reporters, "Mr. Christopher Asch categorically denies engaging in any inappropriate conduct with students, and ... intends to vigorously defend the charges." more ›

Davonte Kelly, the 11-year-old who was hit by a stray bullet while waiting for his Little League game on Sunday, will get to meet his favorite baseball player. The Mets offered him tickets to a game and the NY Post reports that David Wright is ready and excited as well. Wright said, "I'm looking forward to meeting him and shaking his hand and talking a little baseball with him...Your first reaction is your heart goes out to the family. You never expect things like that to happen to begin with. I'm excited to meet him." It was a miracle that Davonte survived—the bullet didn't enter his skull, but it did dent it. The Mets also sent Davonte a "get-well basket with a bobble head of pitcher Johan Santana and a replica of the old Shea Stadium" while the Yankees also sent him tickets. And Davonte is ready to play ball again; after leaving the hospital yesterday, he said, "I am going to practice. I told my mom I am going to go downstairs and throw the ball against the wall and catch it for 30 minutes every day and exercise my muscles." The police still have not found the shooter. more ›

Just after State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. made jaws drop in Albany and around the state by teaming with fellow Democrat Hiram Monserrate and handing control of the Senate over to Republicans, his Mamaroneck home was broken into and had files and office papers stolen from within it. Espada told the Post, "This was a burglary. I have to tie it in to demonstrations outside my home. Things are on the precipice of violence... People will get hurt." Good thing burglars knew to hit his Westchester home and not the Bronx residence in the neighborhood Espada represents, where neighbors never seem to see him. NY1 went to the Bronx district and said they found his constitutents unhappy with the senator's power play. One voter told them, "It's kind of ridiculous, but seriously, because to be honest with you, I cannot understand exactly being in a one party body for one reason for a long time, and then switch it suddenly just like with out another reasons. How can you explain that to the people?" more ›

Brooklyn, you are thisclose to gaining access to Bacon Cheddar Roastburgers™, Bronco Berry Dipping Sauce®, and other assorted food stuffs that will lead to your eventual heart attack. That's right, Arby's is officially opening after many obstacles in setting up shop at the landmarked 372 Fulton Street space. The Brooklyn Paper reports that the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 7-1 in support of the newly revised Arby's design plan, even if it does include a giant menu board they aren't so thrilled with. The LPC's Roberta Washington stated, “The sign is the one thing that prevents this proposal from being fantastic.” However, project architects countered, declaring that "some kind of large menu board is necessary because Arby’s diners are accustomed to ordering from wall-mounted menu boards." C'mon Arby's customers, class it up a little! In the meantime, look for a late summer opening. more ›

Ever since the Jets got a whiff of former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez at the NFL Scouting Combine, they have certainly been aggressive in doing everything they can to put him in place as the team's next starting QB. After trading up to draft Sanchez fifth in April (and supporting his shirts-off time photo shoot in May), the team wasted little time in getting him signed to a five-year deal that looks to be worth around $50 million ($60M if Sanchez begins building a Jets dynasty with big results). Sanchez is only the second first-rounder to sign and it appears the quick contract paves the way to make the starting job his to lose. The $28 million in guaranteed money is lower than other recent first-round QBs (who have been signing for six years), but it still makes the deal the richest in Jets history. more ›

The new Republican-led coalition may have been able to finally enter State Senate chambers, but it couldn't hold a session, because one of the two dissident Democrats who helped them take over control of the Senate walked out! Hilarious! It was Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) who put things back into limbo: He remarked that he was a Democrat and wanted more Democrats aboard, then said, "This chamber must not remain divided, so I'm going to excuse myself from this chamber." more ›

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. continues to back down from a NY Post editorial cartoon in February that featured a dead chimpanzee. The company announced Wednesday that it will form a "diversity community council" to meet with senior New York executives as part of a response to public outcry from civil rights organizations over the chimp cartoon. News Corp. executives met with those organizations last month to hammer out a deal, which spokesman Jack Horner said is similar to policies in place at News Corp. offices elsewhere. "The key is we're always responding and learning from our communities," he told the AP. Serving on the diversity council are expected to be representatives from the NAACP, the National Urban League, the Hispanic Federation, and other New York-area organizations. more ›

Will the battle for Coney Island ever end? The NY Post reports on the latest between developer Joe Sitt (current owner of the land) and Mayor Bloomberg (wannabe owner of the land). Sitt has finally spoken publicly, saying "that his 10½ acres of beachfront property is no longer for sale and that he, not the city, should be rebuilding the rundown seaside area," adding emphatically, "We don't want to sell, we want to build." The city doesn't think Sitt is qualified, preferring to rezone and develop the 47 acres itself, but Sitt claims his $92 million investment now holds a pricetag closer to $150 million, about $45 million off from what the city offered earlier this year. Sitt's been sitting on the land for about three years now, and claims "the city's overall rezoning plan is so flawed that it makes it unlikely for either his redevelopment proposal or the city's to succeed"—the plan is being voted on by the city Planning Board later this month. Can't we all just agree on something that will make this a reality? more ›

Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder after they went searching for an Asian man to rob and ended up choking the life out of their eventual victim, whom they left on the side of the road. After committing a similar robbery a month ago, 16-year-old Corey Azor and 17-year-old Chris Levy were hunting for a new target in Flushing, where the two attend high school (in separate schools). They came upon 49-year-old David Kao, who was dozing off in the driver's seat of an SUV while parked on the street. According to the News, Levy admitted to cops that "he and Azor climbed into the car, put Kao into a choke hold and dragged him into the backseat, where they beat him until he was unconscious." They then took his credit cards and dumped him out a few blocks away. more ›

If you haven't had enough of (alleged!) Bronx corruption, here's more: The NY Times wonders where over $100,000 in rent payments to a nonprofit affiliated with City Councilman Larry Seabrook (D-Bronx) has gone. The Times reports even though Seabrook and two associates "incorporated...the African-American Bronx Unity Day Parade" as a nonprofit, "It has never received I.R.S. approval to actually operate as a nonprofit. It has never filed a tax return. And, it seems, it has never run a parade. But in recent years it has netted more than $100,000 in city money by leasing space at one price from Bronx landlords and then subleasing it at a far higher price to three nonprofit groups whose rents were later reimbursed by the city." The Times also has a handy graphic that tries to account for the money. Last year, the Village Voice looked at Seabrook's history of being investigated, recalling a 1986 incident, "Apparently annoyed that a Village-based newspaper was poking around his affairs, Seabrook waved away [reporter William] Bastone and a photographer when they approached him outside his Bronx office. 'Now don't you two go and get AIDS,' he said by way of good-bye." more ›

Swine flu is now officially a pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. That's the highest alert level the WHO gives to contagious diseases and the first pandemic declared in 41 years. The raised alert level comes as the city's Health Department confirms today three more deaths due to the H1N1 virus and released estimates yesterday that show 550,000 people could be infected. But, while WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told Reuters the declaration "doesn't mean anything concerning severity, it is concerning geographic spread," some scientists are painting a graver picture. Said Cambridge University flu virologist Chris Smith to CBS News: "The writing has been on the wall for weeks...WHO probably doesn't want people to panic, but the virus is now unstoppable." more ›

Celebrity couple Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick are among the more famous victims of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, and tabloids, naturally, wondered what their exposure might have been. During a press conference for her TNT show The Closer, Sedgwick broached the topic, "It wasn't the truth that we were destroyed...It's been really unpleasant and makes you feel really vulnerable. But the fact of the matter is that we did not lose everything. We lost hard-earned money that we worked very hard for that was what we thought in a safe place. It's painful but a lot of people lost a lot more. And we have a lot of things to be grateful for in our life, and we never ever forget that." Then she moved onto less grim things: Apparently Bacon is excited that Chace Crawford is cast in the Footloose remake, and she's happy, too, "I think it's great. I think he's adorable." more ›

While Ground Zero development continues to stagnate (more on that later), the National September 11 Memorial and Museum continues to move ahead. Yesterday, CityRoom revealed, along with renderings, "[Museum] officials are now asking the victims’ next of kin to confirm the accuracy of the names that are to be inscribed around the memorial pools. They are also asking family members to share stories and mementos from the victims’ lives to incorporate into a permanent display." One component will be audiovisual tributes, "If each audiovisual presentation lasted only three minutes, a visitor would have to set aside 149 hours (more than six full days) to see them all." Museum director Alice Greenwald said, "We have to address the scale of loss. Three thousand is a number that’s hard to fathom, so you have to personalize it." The Post adds that families can request how they want their relatives' names displayed—"Some families will want the names listed alongside co-workers, siblings or friends. Whenever possible, that request will be honored." more ›

Are outdated pedicab laws and a dangerous bridge intersection to blame for yesterday morning's pedicab crash in Williamsburg? More details have been released, and it all began when three twenty-somethings from Bushwick met 42-year-old Nicholas Nicometi after a night of partying in Times Square. The licensed pedicab driver offered them a ride back in the early morning hour, which the passengers said was uneventful one until they hit the Williamsburg Bridge (the intersection of the pedestrian pathway and Bedford Avenue between South 5th and 6th is known for being a dangerous one). more ›

Actually, the Tombs—aka the Manhattan Detention Complex— doesn't really allow bar (or bat) mitzvahs to be thrown there, which is why Corrections Department officials, including a rabbi and imam, were disciplined for allowing one inmate to throw his son's bash there. The Post reports that Tuvia Stern, a "financial scam artist," got the okay to "use his own caterer, who supplied kosher food, china, forks -- and knives -- for about 60 guests who partied and danced the hora for six hours in the jailhouse gym. Stern's family and friends were allowed to keep their cellphones -- normally a huge security no-no. And Stern was given the OK to dress in clothing appropriate for the occasion." Corrections Commissioner Martin Horn was reportedly "livid"—guess finding out that the department paid for the overtime of guards who were staffed at the event wasn't fun. more ›

While it's unclear what will happen to the gay marriage legislation with Albany in disarray (there might actually be a vote, but it's questionable whether there will be enough votes to pass it), one thing is for sure: Same-sex New York couples are heading to Connecticut to get married. A Westchester couple tells the NY Times that they would have loved to have a New York wedding—"Our lives are here; our friends are here"—but "It got to the point where it doesn’t look 100 percent good right now. When you have Greenwich, Conn., 20 minutes away, I said, 'Why are we waiting?'" more ›

Former governor Eliot Spitzer has spoken up about the Republicans-plus-two Democrats' coup of the State Senate. And he says it's actually a good thing in his Slate column, pointing out, "The governor, speaker of the Assembly, and Senate majority leader had almost unilateral power to act and bind their branches" and could make deals in secret. Whereas amid the mess, the Republican Senators did pass some reform measures. Spitzer ends with, "We should not forget that democracy is often an ugly process. The sterile decision-making that was criticized when it was behind closed doors has been replaced for the moment by the crass and ugly sausage-making that is legislative process. Out of this mess may come a legislative branch where legislators actually begin to voice differing views, argue on substantive matters, and finally bring into the open the discussion of issues that should be occurring in public." Is the mention of democracy being ugly a reference to his Troopergate involvement? more ›

In a funny and incredibly sad Daily Show segment, the New York Times opened its headquarters up to Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones, who questioned the value of "aged news" (pointing out nothing in the day's newspaper actually happened that day) and asked executive editor Bill Keller if the Times was making "Huffington Post money." Jones was also flummoxed by the sight of a landline phone. more ›

The 16-year-old who fatally struck a man waiting for a bus in Bensonhurst was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and speeding, according to the Daily News. Stanislaw Zak, 65, had been on Bay Ridge Parkway and 18th Avenue when a Mazda driven by Dervish Nivokazi apparently came speeding down the road. Nivokazi first hit a Toyota and then hit Zak, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Nivokazi, who was treated for minor injuries and only had a junior license, was driving without a licensed driver—junior license holders are explicitly prohibited from driving after 9 p.m. in NYC. more ›

Just a week after announcing it was ditching plans for the Brooklyn Nets Arena from world-renowned architect Frank Gehry and instead taking a more pedestrian and less expensive approach, developer Forest City Ratner has confirmed to the NY Times that Gehry will no longer be involved with any part of the Atlantic Yards. Joe DePlasco, spokesman for Bruce Ratner, said, "We do not anticipate that Mr. Gehry will be designing any of the individual buildings." Why? Because Gehry's designs, though dazzling in 2005, are expensive (which is exactly what Times critic Nicolai Ouroussoff was worried about last year!). more ›

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the president and director of SBCC Management Corporation, which manages HUD-subsidized properties in the Bronx, stole $200,000 from the non-profit—and SBCC's president is Richard Izquierdo Arroyo, grandson of State Assemblywoman Carmen E. Arroyo and nephew of City Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo (SBCC director is Margarita Villegas). Almost $15,000 from the non-profit were given to campaigns for someone believed to be Carmen Arroyo and Running Scared details some of the other spending: "The pair, along with an unnamed relative, ran up tabs worth $15,000 at clothing stores including Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and --our favorite-- Promgirl. They also ran up bills of $66,000 with fine dining at the likes of Portofino, A Venice Restaurant, Tavern on the Green, and -- go figure -- IHOP. Another $48,000 went for airfares and hotels in San Juan, and Brooklyn (!). Another $34,000 was plunked down for car rentals, garages, and parking tickets in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and around the Empire State." Richard Arroyo and Villegas were indicted; City Councilwoman Arroyo, who apparently directed at least $50,000 in funds to SBCC, said, "I am confident that in the end, they will be able to clear their names." more ›

After yesterday's shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. that left a security guard dead and the shooter (apparently an 88-year-old white supremacist) wounded, the NYPD has increased security at almost 60 Jewish sites in the city. Bomb sniffing dogs were seen at the Jewish Museum and uniformed cops were stationed outside the Museum of Jewish Heritage right after the D.C. shooting. The NYPD told the Daily News, "We adjust our counterterrorism resources on a daily basis depending on events around the world." David Norwell of the Museum of Jewish Heritage told WCBS 2, "The incident in Washington, ignorance dominates." more ›

• Philadelphia 5 Mets 4 (11 Innings): New York jumped on the Phillies’ ace, Cole Hamels, scoring four runs in the first two innings. But, the Mets gave up their lead in the seventh when the bullpen and some shoddy defense let Philadelphia tie things up. New York had its chances from there, putting runners into scoring position in each of the next three innings, but failing to get them home. Chase Utley led off the 11th with a home run off of Bobby Parnell and New York went quietly in their half of the inning.

The Health Department announced that it "has linked three additional New York City deaths to H1N1 flu, bringing the total number to 12. The 3 newly reported decedents include one person aged 30-39, one aged 50-59, and one over 65." This brings the total of fatal cases to 12. The Health Dept. also added, "While most of New York City’s H1N1 flu deaths have involved people with established risk factors for flu complications, influenza is sometimes fatal in otherwise-healthy people." So far, they are 820 confirmed cases of swine flu and 530 hospitalizations. more ›

The Observer reports that the City Council has approved the controversial Dock Street development 40 votes to 9. The project raised concerns among residents near the planned site at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, plus a renowned historian and some celebrities, who argued views of the Bridge would marred. Others countered that a middle school and affordable would be included—and said the views were only an issue to the immediate area. The Observer notes, "In the end, it showed the savvy of developers David and Jed Walentas, who, with lobbyists Yoswein New York and attorney and former Councilman Ken Fisher, were able to convince the Council to buck its custom of deferring to the local member. (The Walentases pulled their application in a previous attempt in 2005 when it was clear that [Councilman David] Yassky, and the Council, would not approve the building)." Besides Yassky, the no votes were Charles Barron, Tony Avella, Bill de Blasio, Vincent Gentile, Alan Gerson, Eric Gioia, John Liu, and Peter Vallone Jr. more ›

If this week's turmoil in Albany hasn't been enough to give Governor Paterson agita, a new poll is here to remind him that most New Yorkers have little faith that he is the man that can lead them through it. In this one, conducted by the NY Times, the governor's favorability rating sits at 21%, with over 70% saying the state is on the wrong track and a third of New Yorkers saying they wished they lived in another state. And with six in ten New Yorkers unable to even think of one example when asked what the best thing Paterson's done, maybe the Senate crisis could be his golden opportunity. Today he had strong words, telling WCBS 880, "My issue is that this is the last two weeks of session. This is a not a political time...Could we get rid of politics just for a few minutes and work on government?...This would be like stopping a movie right at the main part of the movie to discuss the contracts of the actors." more ›

The much-maligned yet convenient Prince Street Post Office (which later moved to Greene Street) closed last week. Of course, the location's P.O. Box customers only found out about the closing when they were greeted by the sign directing them to pick up packages at the Canal Street station. more ›

In what appears to be another strike in the ongoing silent war between New York and New Jersey, someone in Hoboken played Pied Piper with some of NYC's bravest: the unemployed. While voters were going to the polls in a mayoral runoff election yesterday, Hoboken police had to be called in because job seekers from the Big Apple showed up in response to an ad for campaign workers placed around the LES that turned out to be a fake. The flyers offered $200 to anyone wiling to take the PATH out and work for mayoral candidate Peter Cammarano. But when respondents arrived, they were sent down the block to the headquarters of Dawn Zimmer, Cammarano's opponent. (Neither had any actual jobs.) Both sides pointed the finger, but neither admitted responsibility for the hoax. As the confused New Yorkers wandered down Washington Street, one man sadly told a reporter, "We were just looking for work," finding himself aimless once again in the town known for having "a bar on every corner." more ›

If you've been following along with any of the various scandals simmering around Democratic State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr.—whose defection was instrumental in returning control of the Senate to Republicans and put him next in line to be Governor (should tragedy befall David Paterson)—then you get why some people think he's "really an unsavory character," in the words of Baruch College political analyst Doug Muzzio. But we may have figured out the cause of his troubles: multiple personality disorder. more ›

Eleven-year-old Davonte Kelly was greeted by well-wishers and the media when he emerged from Brookdale Hospital today. Kelly was waiting to play a Little League baseball game in Brooklyn on Sunday when a stray bullet entered his skull, not that he knew he was shot—he thought he was just hit by a baseball. According to CityRoom, Davonte said, "I’m feeling fine, no headaches or anything. I was amazed I could survive a bullet." The miraculous thing is that the bullet just missed penetrating his skull and brain. City Councilman Charles Barron, who previously urged for people with information about the shooting to step forward, was also outside the hospital and said, "We want to say to our community, put the gun down. A little boy ought to be able to play baseball without having a bullet lodged in his head." more ›

The dimensions of the new Yankee Stadium may not appear as they seem. A new report on what a hitter's park they've landed in is suggesting that the abundance of homers might simply come down to closer fences and lower walls. With over a third of their home games in the books, the early prognosis of the new stadium as a homer haven has certainly remained true. Monday night's game marked already the tenth time this season (out of 29 played there) that five or more home runs were hit. If the current pace keeps up, the team is looking at 293 balls leaving the yard this season—just ten shy of the record in Colorado's Coors Field in 1999. It's also an 83 percent increase from last year's total of 160. more ›

A Brooklyn man filed a $5 million federal lawsuit against Match.com yesterday, accusing the dating site of teasing users with profiles of "canceled subscribers or [ones who] never subscribed at all." As a result, Match sparked an inferno of "humiliation and disappointment" for 37-year-old user Sean McGinn, whose lawsuit argues that "Match's policy causes severe emotional distress and anxiety for some [subscribers], including those who keep writing e-mails to one member after another and never hear back because he/she is writing to people who've canceled... Because the writer has no way of knowing this, he or she may experience profound personal anguish, suffering which is easily preventable by Match." more ›

A Brooklyn woman is being held on $20,000 bail for a series of robberies at Manhattan hospitals. According to the Post, police say Melissa Fonseca went to "Lenox Hospital three times, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center twice and New York Hospital once. Dressed in street clothes, the Brooklyn woman would allegedly wait until the patients left their rooms and then pounce -- grabbing their wallets and purses. She used the patients' credit cards to make more than 60 purchases at such stores as Victoria's Secret, the Gap, Banana Republic and Sephora." Fonesca has previously been arrested for stealing credits cards and a wallet from a downtown office and a credit card from Beth Israel. more ›

The non-moving front means the slight hope for sun today has evaporated. Or not evaporated if you want to be literal. Instead a cloudy, drizzly morning will give way to a mostly cloudy afternoon with a slight chance of rain, if not a thunderstorm and, if you are good and eat all your vegetables, just the slightest chance of sun. Winds out of the east will keep the temperature to the low 70s. more ›

Reports are filtering in about a bad accident this morning between a pedicab and yellow taxi in Williamsburg. According to CBS2, the pedicab driver was heading eastbound off the Williamsburg Bridge pedestrian walkway when he crashed into the taxi on Bedford Avenue shortly after 7:30 a.m. The unconscious pedicab driver was taken to Bellevue Hospital with head injuries, and the Post reports that his two passengers are also listed in critical condition with head injuries. But CBS2 says the male passenger was not injured, while a 22-year-old female passenger was hospitalized with neck and back injuries. Apparently, the pedicab "snapped in half" upon impact! Those familiar with the Williamsburg Bridge pedestrian walkways might be surprised by the accident's location; of the two ramps leading off the bridge in Brooklyn, the one that abruptly empties onto Bedford Avenue is significantly more steep and narrow. It's unclear at this point why the pedicab driver exited down that ramp, or if excessive speed was a factor. more ›

A man who spent 16 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit is angry all over again because the judge who dismissed his appeal over a procedural error is now on her way to the Supreme Court. When he was 16 years old, Jeffrey Deskovic was convicted of raping, beating and strangling a Peekskill High School classmate in a jealous fit of rage; he was finally exonerated in 2006 after DNA evidence was matched to a man serving time for another Westchester murder. But Deskovic could have been out much sooner had Sonia Sotomayor not rejected his habeas corpus petition appeal because the paperwork arrived four days late in 1997. Deskovic's lawyer blamed a clerk for providing the wrong deadline, but Sotomayor ruled that the "alleged reliance of Deskovic’s attorney on verbal misinformation from the court clerk" was his problem. Needless to say, all the liberal praise for Sotomayor rings a bit hollow for Deskovic, who tells the Times, "To hear that a judge who put procedure over innocence could be moving to a higher court is very upsetting to me." more ›

PolitickerNY reports that when asked about defected Democrats Hiram Monserrate's and Pedro Espada Jr.'s ethical backgrounds (Monserrate is indicted for slashing his girlfriend; Epada is under investigation for campaign fund misuse and not living in the district he represents), the billionaire retorted with, "Don't talk to me about ethical background in Albany, New York. We have a governor that stood on a podium on national television and said he had extramarital affairs and used cocaine. So, you know, these guys have got some personal issues? I don't think I want--that's just part of the picture." more ›

Yesterday, smoke escaped from the former Deutsche Bank building on Liberty Street—the Daily News reports, "It turned out the smoke was from a battery-powered forklift that overheated about 4 a.m. Firefighters simply unplugged it." And while firefighters were on the scene, they found that a switch for an air-filtration system (you know, to keep toxic air—the building is full of debris from the 9/11 attacks— from escaping the building) wasn't working, so work was halted. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which is overseeing the demolition of the building, believes the building will be decontaminated by July and ready for demolition in January. In 2007, a seven-alarm fire, started by a worker's cigarette, killed two firefighters and, in 2006, it was hoped the building would be gone by...2007. more ›

Two potential witnesses who took cellphone video in the moments following last month's fatal cop-on-cop shooting in Harlem were told to leave by an officer at the crime scene, WABC reports. The two men, who showed the video to reporters but requested anonymity, say they were in a vehicle at a stoplight where Officer Omar Edwards chased the man who broke into his car. They didn't see the shooting because their view was blocked by another vehicle, but they heard the gunshots. more ›

A 16-year-old with a learner's permit "struck and killed a 65-year-old pedestrian in Brooklyn" last night, 1010WINS reports. Stanislaw Zak had been waiting for a bus near Bay Ridge Parkway and 18th Avenue at 9:20 p.m. The teen, whose Mazda had struck another car before hitting Zak, will be "ticketed for driving with a learner's permit without a licensed driver"—it's unclear whether the teen will be charged with anything more. more ›

According to Sky News, "Two passengers with names linked to Islamic terrorism were on board the Air France flight which crashed with the loss of 228 lives... While it is certain that there were computer malfunctions, terrorism has not been ruled out...There is a possibility the name similarities are simply a 'macabre coincidence', the source added, but the revelation is still being 'taken very seriously'." In the meantime, a French nuclear submarine has joined the search for the black boxes and the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha, usually a tourist destination, has been transformed into a staging ground for search-and-recovery operations. more ›

Here are some of our readers lovely photographs of the new openly High Line park in the Meatpacking District. And it looks like the public aren't the only ones enjoying it—here are a handful of reviews that note the gorgeous views from 30 feet above ground, the lovely plantings, and the vision and determination of the designers. more ›