News

After the French Foreign Minister denounced the Swiss arrest—by way of U.S. arrest warrant for the 1977 rape of a 13-year-old— of filmmaker Roman Polanski by saying, "In the same way that there is a generous America that we like, there is also a scary America that has just shown its face," now the French government has offered a more measured view. According to Arts Beat, a French government spokesman said, "Roman Polanski is neither above or below the law... We have a judicial proceeding underway that is a serious affair, the rape of a minor, for which the American and Swiss justice systems are carrying on their work." more ›

The long, drawn-out, Brooklyn Bridge blocking battle over the Dock Street Development continues. Now the Daily News reports that "a top Education Department architect concluded the controversial Dock Street project in DUMBO was a bad site for a public school." He said the proposal would bring an "extremely small school... with premium costs." Opponent of the project, Councilman David Yassky, says the new documents "are further evidence the city bent over backward to accommodate the developer instead of giving fair consideration to other spots for a school." more ›

The Nassau County DA's office says that Kevin Cohen of Roslyn charged numerous couples expensive fees—one couple says they paid Cohen $65,000— to adopt children that probably never existed. Now, with 16 couples (and counting) claiming they were duped, it's being characterized as an adoption Ponzi scheme. more ›

In a harrowing report, CBS introduces us to yet another thing to dread and fear, courtesy of that innovative R&D team at Al Qaeda: Rectal bombs. It's been revealed that an Al Qaeda operative, who last month tried to assassinate Saudi Arabia's counter terrorism chief, detonated explosives in his butt. Abdullah Asieri had arranged a meeting with Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef to talk about a truce, but it was just a ruse to get close to him with his exploding ass. more ›

The man suspected of fatally stabbing a man who bumped into him outside the James Farley Post office was found dead in a Philadelphia apartment yesterday—and he left a suicide note on MySpace: "I started to get defensive I told the man keep it moving no problems but if u leap I’m gonna fuck you up not gonna lie didn’t mean to kill him just wanted to stop the threat." more ›

Yesterday's runoff elections saw a total of 228,000 ballots cast, which the Post calls a "record low." Based on estimates that the runoffs would cost the city $14.4 million, that's about $63 per vote. Another way to cut the numbers: That's 7.3% of registered Democrats. more ›

[Updated Below] Karla Giraldo has taken the stand today in the trial against her boyfriend, State Senator Hiram Monserrate, who is accused of cutting her face with a broken glass in a jealous rage that required Giraldo to receive 40 stitches. After initial fears that prosecutors who subpoenaed Giraldo may have to treat her as a hostile witness, it appears she has been cooperative in her testimony. She admitted to being drunk when she arrived at Monserrate's apartment, contradicting of her grand jury testimony. And Girlado claims that the state senator was "jealous but not angry" upon finding another cop's PBA card on her. more ›

A woman in Cobble Hill called the cops last week when she saw a man trying to open the window of her Congress Street home. When police arrived and questioned the 32-year-old man sitting outside her home with a camera, he told them he was an architect. But when cops asked to see his "blueprints," they instead found snapshots of the woman in her underwear. The man was arrested for unlawful surveillance, criminal trespassing, and stalking. more ›

Banking on the allure of New York City during the Holidays and forgetting the history of the Gotham Bowl, the Yankees announced a new bowl game this morning to be played at Yankee Stadium in 2010. The game, which will be named after a yet to be determined sponsor, will take place between Christmas and New Year’s Day, assuming the NCAA approves the game next April. The Big East and Big XII conferences will each send a team with the Big East sending it’s fourth-place squad and the Big XII sending it seventh-place squad. Under college football rules, teams must have six wins to be eligible to play in a bowl. If one of the conferences does not have a qualifying team, Notre Dame has agreed to play in the bowl, provided they are not eligible for a BCS game. more ›

Get ready for the Sully media blitz! The US Airways pilot who landed Flight 1549 into the Hudson River safely will be in New York tomorrow: TMZ reports that Chesley Sullenberger's first flight back in the cockpit "will take off from LaGuardia Airport tomorrow and take the same route that would have landed him in Charlotte, North Carolina ... were if it not for those pesky geese." And his co-pilot will be the same as that January 15th flight—Jeffrey Skiles. And we say media blitz because Sully's book comes out on October 13. more ›

In what must have seemed to Rudy Giuliani like a scene out of his nightmares, yesterday it was determined that there is officially a room where discussing 9/11 is off-limits—inside the courtroom of former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik's corruption trial. During a pretrial meeting in White Plains federal court, the judge told Kerik's team, "This is not about 9/11." Kerik was indicted of trading city contracts for free apartment renovations to his Bronx apartment from a mob-linked contractor. more ›

Today Mayor Bloomberg lashed out at the cop accused of DWI and vehicular manslaughter in the Saturday night crash that left a reverend's daughter dead. Today it was revealed that the driver, off-duty officer Andrew Kelly, scored a perfect zero on a blood alcohol test after successfully postponing it for eight hours. The NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating whether other cops at the scene helped him, and this morning Bloomberg told reporters, "Yesterday, I talked to the Reverend Varius Valnord, the father of Vionique, who was hit and killed by a car Sunday morning. It’s a tragedy that deserves the closest of scrutiny, and if true the allegations of a DWI hit and a cover-up are reprehensible." more ›

On the police scanners (now on Gothamist Newsmap), there have been multiple reports of an "escaped prisoner" from 100 Centre Street in lower Manhattan, which is the Criminal Court Building. Now it turns out that the prisoner escaped because he was dressed so well that he looked like a lawyer! more ›

Look outside, this is what happens when a twisty thing meteorologists like to call a vorticity max runs over the top of a surface high pressure system. The vorticity max wants the atmosphere to come out and play but the air under the dome of high pressure is too cool, dry, and nebbishy to join the fun. The stalemate means a mix of sun, clouds and light showers for the rest of today. The Weather Service has been running warm on their temperature forecasts this week so we prefer the Weather Channel's high near 61. more ›

Fighting families, aggressive, territorial behavior... yep, sounds like Park Slope! CityRoom reports that a pair of swans living in Prospect Park Lake have recently waged war on each other after they both started families. more ›

There's no stopping Mayor Bloomberg from buying another term, so it's not like he has to win anybody's approval. Still, it's nice to see he's at least making an effort, rolling out the campaign promises just like any other average Joe politician. In an Op-Ed in one of the tabloids today, Bloomberg asks, "How would you like to use your mobile device to see a map of available parking spaces in your neighborhood—and also use it to pay your meter? Or how about getting a text message as your meter is about to expire, so you can get back to your car before getting a ticket?" It's a start... but can these new meters give us back rubs too, like the ones in Japan? more ›

Today's mid-day links: A teen driver dies in a car crash days after getting his permit, a man claims Junior Gotti was a killer, a Hell's Kitchen site finally sees some building, a man pretended to be a federal agent and took immigrants' money, concern that Sarah Palin is a "blithering idiot," fireworks in October, and Chynna Phillips is on the Christian music path. more ›

Attention media-workers: Gothamist is hiring a contributing editor, and also looking for a few whip-smart college interns. Apply today to join our all-star internet news team! more ›

"Everybody here is scared now," downtown bodega worker Primo Dlmn from Morocco tells the Times. "I’m as nervous as I can be, but I’ve got to go to the store. Life goes on." Or does it? A sniper with a high-power BB gun has been terrorizing Avenue D between Third and Fourth Streets during the past week, lodging pellets in a construction worker's skull, shattering car windows, and wounding six others. Now the NYPD says there have been other BB gun shootings in the area, and it looks like there may be some sort of teen pellet gun gang. How street is that? Local mailman James Heckstall says, 'It used to be terrible around here, the Wild West...The neighborhood is getting nicer and nicer. Then, every once in a while, something like this happens, and it makes us look bad." And then someone shoots their eye out. more ›

After fatally running over a Brooklyn woman trying to hail a cab late Saturday night, off-duty cop Andrew Kelly successfully dragged his feet on taking a Breathalyzer or blood alcohol test for almost eight hours. And the gambit worked: When a doctor, acting on a warrant, finally drew Kelly's blood at 8 a.m., there was no alcohol in his system. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to charges of DWI and vehicular manslaughter; 32-year-old Vionique Valnord is dead. more ›

According to the police and emergency responder scanners, there's a search for two men with wires around their neck! At West 42nd Street and Broadway, "LOOKING FOR 2 MIDDLE EASTERN WITH GREEN & BLUE WIRES ARROUND THEIR NECK, K9 ASSISTING." more ›

Last night, the Democratic candidates for Public Advocate and City Comptroller were decided in runoff elections: City Councilman Bill de Blasio won the Public Advocate race, with 63% of the vote while Councilman John Liu won the Comptroller matchup with 56% of the vote. While they will face Republican challengers in the November election (Alex Zablocki for PA, Joseph Mendola for Comptroller), de Blasio and Liu are expected to win, given NYC's overwhelming majority of Democratic voters. more ›

Yesterday, a 8.3 magnitude earthquake occurred in the South Pacific, triggering a tsunami; the death toll for Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga is now at 111. President Barack Obama declared a "major disaster" for America Samoa and ordered aid to be sent to the area, while the Australian government pledged aid to Samoa. Samoa's prime minister said in spite of the toll, "Had it happened in darkness, there could have been more disaster in terms of the number of those who died or are missing." more ›

Najibullah Zazi pleaded not guilty to a single terrorism conspiracy charge in a Brooklyn federal courthouse yesterday. The 24-year-old former Queens/current Denver resident is accused of plotting to bomb NYC, after an investigation revealed he bought large quantities of beauty supplies that can be used in bombs and backpacks (meant to carry bombs) were seized in a Queens apartment. more ›

The Post, which called war on Canada geese earlier this year after the bird strike that downed US Airways Flight 1549, adds to its list of bird vs. flying machine incidents, reporting that a bird dent the front of a Boeing MD-80 which was landing at Laguardia Airport yesterday. more ›

Norman Hsu, who helped raise millions for Democrats like Hillary Clinton, was sentenced to 24 years "for bilking hundreds of investors of millions of dollars in a nationwide Ponzi scheme and committing campaign finance fraud." The scam: "[Using] his squeaky-clean reputation to bilk investors in his Ponzi scheme out of $50 million to $100 million, claiming they could see returns of 14% to 20% on clothing and high-technology ventures." The judge who sentenced him said that Hsu's actions "strike at the very core of our democracy." The 58-year-old, who plans to appeal, said, "I made a huge mistake, a terrible mistake." more ›

On Tuesday evening, Suffolk County police were called to a home in North Babylon because an explosion occurred in the basement. A 17-year-old was injured and, after hours on the scene, police later said that an "improvised explosive device" had been set off. Now, as cops continue to investigate the incident, it's reported that the North Babylon High School student had photographs of the Columbine massacre and killers on his bedroom door. more ›

The man suspected of fatally stabbing a man outside the midtown's James Farley Post Office on Sunday afternoon was apparently found dead at his girlfriend's apartment yesterday. The police had identified the suspect as Sir'mone McCaulla, 28, yesterday morning and police think his body was found in a Philadelphia apartment hours later. more ›

• Yankees 4 Kansas City 3: There’s nothing more for the Yankees to wrap up in the regular season, but this win was a nice gift to the fans. Sure another win is nice, but the way it happened, a comeback off of old “friend” Kyle Farnsworth was a nice release for the locals. After watching Farnsworth implode in big spots as a Yankee it was nice to see him do it against the Yankees. Juan Miranda completed the comeback with a RBI single in the ninth. More importantly, A.J. Burnett pitched well and David Robertson looked good in his first action in three weeks as he tries to make the postseason roster.
• Washington 4 Mets 3: New York jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but they couldn’t close it as they fell to the Nationals. Two errors in the eighth allowed the Nats to break a 3-3 tie and win the game.

Today's runoff elections for Public Advocate and City Comptroller were greeted by lower voter turnout. According to NY1's results, Bill de Blasio has won the Public Advocate race with 62.50% of the vote to Mark Green's 37.50% while John Liu won the Comptroller race, with 55.68% of the vote while David Yassky earned 44.32%. This means the Working Families Party had a big night— both its candidates won. more ›

As if the skunks weren't bad enough, the Bronx is being overrun by slick panhandlers promising to keep your car safe from vandals for a small fee. And while their presence is annoying, court precident protects their right to do this. In 2006 panhandler Eddie Wise was awarded $100,001 after he sued the city, citing the First Amendment right to ask for anything from motorists. While local business owners are concerned, State Senate majority leader Pedro Espada tells the Post "It’s pretty f---ing funny, what these guys do here." Worrying that your car will get vandalized if you don't cough up a dollar? Hilarious. more ›

Rudy Giuliani has been reportedly thinking about running for governor next year, but other state Republicans think he might be better suited to run against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Now the top NY State GOP figure—new party chair Ed "son-in-law of Richard Nixon" Cox—agrees, saying Giuliani "could be very effective in running for the Senate...I think he would have a better chance of winning that race," especially if Andrew Cuomo runs on the Democratic ticket. more ›

After some criticism over why her office didn't press charges against the Hofstra student who falsely accused five men of raping her in a dorm bathroom, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice explained that her main goal was to get a public admission of guilt, "This is a big deal. You look at the Duke case and at the Tawana Brawley case and you see that those women never admitted to anything." more ›

To construct the World Trade Center, Greenwich Street was disconnected from the Battery to the south and what came to be known as Tribeca to the north. Now, the city is attempting to reintegrate the street into a new neighborhood by extending it through the redeveloped WTC site. So the 41 acres south of the World Trade Center site, between Broadway and West Street, is being rebranded "Greenwich South." (Take that, Tribeca North!) The Downtown Alliance has just released a design study full of big ideas for the neighborhood; their ambitious plans foresee "a model for the 21st century business district." more ›

Earlier this month, upstate Assemblyman Mark Schroeder said Bronxchester Senator Espada was a "thug" and should resign. Now state Senator Neil Breslin of Albany is piling on, telling churchgoers at a public gathering that Espada is a "crook" who "should be in jail." Espada is still under investigation by the Bronx DA (for allegedly residing in Westchester, outside his Bronx district) and the Attorney General (for whether he illegally used a nonprofit group he controls—Soundview Health Clinic—to promote his political campaigns). But both those investigations were launched back in May, and here we are on the cusp of October, with Espada still "doing a cha-cha" around the law, as one Albany insider put it. So while it's nice to hear Senator Breslin state the obvious, the dance grinds on! more ›

As film director Roman Polanski remains in Swiss custody, after being arrested on a U.S. arrest warrant for the 1977 rape of a 13-year-old, his moviemaking brethren are rallying to his side. A number of notable film notables, including Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, David Lynch, Jonathan Demme, and Pedro Almodovar, have reportedly signed a petition demanding his release. However, it's unlikely he'll be released on bail anytime soon. more ›

The drawn out saga of the Williamsburg Power Plant may be coming closer to an end; Curbed notes that TransGas Energy Systems lost its latest bid for the "right to build a new power plant on land earmarked for Bushwick Inlet Park." While the company can still appeal, it does look like gentrifiers will be suntanning on the former Bayside Oil site soon enough! (For those keeping track, that's on Kent and North 12th.) More fine print here. more ›

President Obama's been in office just eight months, and already the government is moving in to disarm the citizenry. Why, just the other day they raided Anthony Cortese's house over in Midland Beach, Staten Island, confiscating his weapons and dragging him off in handcuffs, all because he hadn't registered some of his firearms with Obama's thought police! Cortese says he's a big game hunter (he owns property up in the Catskills) and tells the Staten Island Advance, "I think it's absolutely horrible that in America, they would take away a man's hunting rifles. I have to fight to get them back." more ›

Following his sudden death last month in his Lafayette Street apartment, the New York City Medical Examiner has finally determined why Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM, died at the age of 36. more ›

Oh Brooklyn, you frugal little borough you. The Daily News reports that you are now one of the five most penny-pinching communities in America; one Crown Heights resident explaining, "People in Brooklyn know how to survive. We're resilient." more ›

If you're like most of us, you so totally meant to vote in today's primary run-off (especially since you're paying through the nose for it). But you're definitely going to vote after work tonight, in between the million other friggin' errands on your list. Well, hopefully somebody finds the time, because it's lonely out there for a poll worker today. Coordinator Joseph Lawrence is trying to put on a brave face, telling City Room turnout was "better than I expected: maybe 4 percent instead of 2 percent." But at most poll sites "there’s nothing to do, the time just drifts by." Old man river... And at PS 163 on the Upper West Side, at least one poll worker had to be awakened when a voter shockingly appeared to participate in the democratic process. more ›

Astoria property owner Santino DiFiore has a permit to build a six-story "DiFiore Tower" next to his other four-story building, where hairdresser JoAnn McGurty Sullivan, 42, has been living in a rent-controlled apartment off-and-on since childhood. The other tenants on her side the building have all vacated, but she's proving to be the fly in DiFiore's ointment, because doesn't want the landlord to brick in nine out of her ten windows to accommodate the new building. Apparently one window just isn't good enough for Sullivan, who's managed to get the Department of Buildings to issue a stop-work order. She tells the Post, "[DiFiore] took my life, shook it up and threw it on the floor—all for greed." more ›

Authorities investigating the fatal fall of a New York hedge fund executive from an Atlantic City shopping center escalator say that the incident was an "accident." NJ resident James Vellanti had been on an escalator at the Pier Shops at Caesars on Saturday when he somehow fell. The Press of Atlantic City reports, "The escalator from which Vellanti fell travels from the third to the second floor. Frank Gilbert Jr., of Galloway Township, fell from the same one in August 2008, after witnesses said he sat on the handrail." more ›

Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who captured the hearts of many when he safely landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, says that he's ready to fly planes once again. He said yesterday, in a statement from US Airways, "The months since January 15 have been very full, and my family and I have had some unforgettable experiences. However, I have missed working with my colleagues at US Airways and I am eager to get back in the cockpit with my fellow pilots in the months ahead. In my new role, I will continue to be the same kind of advocate for aviation safety that I have been for several decades." more ›

Yesterday the Farm Sanctuary aided in the rescue of a chicken that would have otherwise been part of the sacrificial slaughter during the Jewish ritual of kaparot. They tell us the chicken was saved in Crown Heights, and later named Chesed, meaning mercy or loving-kindness in Hebrew. He joined the over 200 other NYC chickens the organization has rescued from this ritual over the past three years. more ›

In a radical move, the DOT will begin prohibiting cops from parking on the sidewalk outside the Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway station in Brooklyn. Officers at Transit Bureau District 30 have parked on the sidewalk for years, but a new pedestrian plaza set to open next month will mean the end of a longstanding police privilege. Pedestrians and straphangers are rejoicing, with Jameer Henson, a law clerk, telling the Daily News, "In the mornings it always bottlenecks at the top of the steps because there's only like half a sidewalk for the people coming and going to the subway. I won't be sad to see the cars go." more ›

But it was a false alarm! According to Reuters, a crew on a United flight from Los Angeles to JFK Airport (with Cairo as the final destination) was suspicious of two Middle Eastern men because "one of the men got up to use the plane's restroom just before take-off, ignoring orders from the flight crew to remain in his seat." more ›

Even though the state has required developmental screening for pre-K students for years, parents are confused as to why the city has just begun to enforce it. Developmental screening for subsidized and public preschool programs is supposed to identify children who may need extra help, but parents and teachers think the tests come too early. "I don't think the test can give an accurate picture of where a child is," teacher Crystal Salas told the Daily News. The test requires toddlers to play with blocks, draw pictures and identify shapes and colors. Can't they just give the kids the marshmallow test and call it a day? more ›

Following a Friday night attack outside of McCoy's bar in Hell's Kitchen, where a group of gay men were called "faggots" prior to being physically assaulted, pressure continues to be put on the NYPD for their alleged negligence in the situation. more ›

Last night, a teenager who was apparently "mixing dangerous materials" in his basement created a smoke condition requiring the police to come by! Apparently the cops were at the North Babylon home for 10 hours (!) and there may have been agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The teen was hospitalized with undisclosed injuries. Update: Not a meth lab, folks—the Suffolk police now say it was an "improvised explosive device." more ›

When you've got a restraining order against your estranged husband, and he "helpfully" calls to say your car is parked too close to a fire hydrant and you should check on it, that's a red flag. Paul Greenwald was arrested last week for violating a restraining order against his wife Michelle Greenwald, who is an assistant adjunct professor at NYU's Stern School of Business, and wrote The Magic Melting Pot cookbook. Police say Greenwald lured his wife with the warning about her car, and when she arrived, an irate Greenwald allegedly grabbed her "with force and refused to let go." After a witness intervened, Greenwald jumped into a cab, still screaming obscenities at his wife. more ›

Another Twitter oops, this time in the world of professional sports: Jets receiver David Clowney was benched during the team's victory over Tennessee because he Tweet-complained about his playing time in the previous win over the Patriots: "1 play in the 1st Half, 4 plays in the 2nd half ... A bit disappointed about my playing time but very happy and satisfied about the win." more ›

The Botanical Station post office in the Bronx is on the chopping block, as the Postal Service faces a $7 billion deficit. The NY Times visits the establishment, one older patron saying she doesn't "know what I would do" if it shut down. The PO's landlord doesn't want to them leave either, "They always pay on time. It’s like money in the bank." The paper notes that this is just one of 15 city post offices that may be shuttered, 7 of which are in the Bronx (here's a list of 14 of them). more ›

Some warped punk with a BB gun has been firing at people near the corner of Avenue D and East Third Street during the past week; at least eight people have been shot, and several car windows have been blown out by the sniper. Construction worker Edward Gilyard was shot on Friday, and doctors found two pellets lodged next to his skull. He was at his job site when he felt a sharp pain on his right temple, and tells the Daily News, "I put my hand up there and felt the blood... All of a sudden, I had a little hole in my head." more ›

Yesterday, police released photographs of the man suspected of a fatal stabbing on the steps of the James Farley Post Office on Sunday. The broad daylight incident in a busy stretch of 8th Avenue—across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station—was witnessed by a number of people, including a German tourist who took the photographs. And now it seems another police officer recognizes the suspect. more ›

The off-duty NYPD officer accused of DWI and vehicular manslaughter in the death of a Brooklyn pedestrian early Sunday morning managed to avoid having his blood alcohol level tested for over seven hours after the crash. As victim Vionique Valnord lay dying, officer Andrew Kelly, who was slurring his speech and reeked of alcohol, refused to take a Breathalyzer test, and told first responders he wouldn't easily submit to a blood test either: "I'm not going to let that happen," he said, according to a Daily News source. "You're going to have to tie me down." more ›

Najibullah Zazi, the former Queens (current Denver) resident accused of plotting to bomb New York, will be in Brooklyn's Eastern District Court today. The 24-year-old will face arraignment on the charge of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. It's believed he and other associates were plotting to bomb NYC mass transit, possibly on September 11. more ›

Have you seen this intense outtake from Children of Men, showing riot police blasting "fugees" with some sort of horrible "sound cannon"? Oh, actually, this isn't from a fictional movie about a dystopian police state; it's from last week in Pittsburgh, where G20 protesters had dared assemble without a permit from the government. For that, they were dispersed with the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), which some fear is loud enough to damage eardrums and even cause fatal aneurysms. Like Freedom Rock, you really need to turn it up, man: more ›

Today, the Democrat candidates for NYC Public Advocate and City Comptroller will be decided today in runoff elections, because no candidate received at least 40% of the vote during September 15's primary. In the PA race, it's City Councilman Bill de Blasio vs. former Advocate Mark Green (in the primary, de Blasio got 32% to Green's 31%), and in the Comptroller race, it's City Councilmen John Liu (who got 38%) vs. David Yassky (30%). If you're a registered Democrat, go vote—because it's costing the city millions anyway! more ›

• Yankees 8, Royals 2: The one thing missing from this Yankees season was a Ramiro Pena home run. The reserve shortstop hit his first career homer -- and got the traditional silent treatment from his teammates -- as the Yankees ran away from the Royals. The Yankees have 101 wins, their most since they had 103 in 2002. Robinson Cano, one of the few regulars to play, hit a grand slam, his 25th homer of the season. Chad Gaudin pitched well again for a lineup that included Pena, Shelley Duncan, Juan Miranda, Eric Hinske and Francisco Cervelli.

The "will he or won't he" talk surrounding Governor Paterson's 2010 campaign is once again getting overshadowed by speculation that Paterson may not even finish his term. "One of the state's most prominent Democrats" tells Fred Dicker that they think the governor may pass the state's reins over to Richard Ravitch by next spring. Dicker adds that a longtime Paterson backer called his appearance "a pathetic performance" and other Dems are referring to him as "finished," "dead meat," and "not among the political living." more ›

A contributor named Melissa says she was walking across 59th Street between Seventh and Broadway in Midtown today when she spotted an adorable dog, so cute that she decided to snap a picture of it to share with her sister. But Melissa, who does some freelance photography work for magazines, says that as soon as the dog's owner spotted her with her camera out, he began screaming at her. She tells us that he called her "a bitch (among other things)" and writes that his verbal assault was "a maniacal tirade so big that people passing were telling him to shut up." more ›

It's not just us city folk who appreciate the art institutes here. The New Yorker reports that Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art, has received quite a generous donation from a neighbor of his Vermont house who passed away. They say, "Two years ago, when Lowry heard that a man named Michael H. Dunn, from the town of Derby, just across the lake from him, had dropped dead of a heart attack, and that his estate, in excess of ten million dollars, had been left to MOMA, he was flabbergasted." more ›

A disgruntled New Yorker is suing the Bank of America for "1,784 billion, trillion dollars." It gets weirder: The suit, filed by Dalton Chiscolm last month, is being reviewed by the same federal judge who sentenced Bernard Madoff to a 150-year prison sentence. Judge Denny Chin has called the lawsuit "incomprehensible" and demanded that Chiscolm explain his claims, and elaborate on charges that he received "inconsistent information from a 'Spanish womn" reached by phone at the bank. more ›

Guess what—we may be seeing more applications using MTA data, because the MTA is easing up on its previously strict stance where it would threaten lawsuits over copyright infringement and intellectual property theft. The NY Times reports, "pressure from politicians and technology advocates had been growing for the authority" to open up its data to developers to create applications with timetables, finding subway stops and more. "The authority said its core policy had not changed: it asks for fees only if developers use copyrighted material like the round symbols for subway routes." The MTA also admits, "We don’t have a staff that sits around thinking about apps." more ›

Hunky firefighter who not only posed shirtless for an FDNY calendar but was also in a Guys Gone Wild video? Check. Reality show participant who stabbed husband in arm? Check. Sexy text messages between firefighter and participant, including "I want to let you know just how f---ing bad I wanna f--- you right now!!!!"? Check check check! more ›

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney is in the midst of the difficult process of getting her late husband Clifford's body back to New York after he passed away in Tibet Saturday. Thus far Clifford Maloney has been carried 5,000 feet below the base camp where he died in his sleep after having climbed the 27,000 foot Himalayan peak of Cho Oyu. A friend of Maloney's called the negotiations with the Chinese government to allow a helicopter to be flown in "a complicated effort." more ›

The mercury is making a valiant run into the mid 70s this afternoon. Sunlight in late September isn't strong enough to warm us up all by itself, a helper breeze out of the south is needed to drag warmer air this far north. Here's the catch: The southerly wind is ahead of a cold front which will cool the city down for the remainder of the week. more ›

Last week, Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice announced that the Hofstra student who falsely accused five men of gang raping her in a dorm bathroom would not face criminal charges. Instead, 18-year-old Danmell Ndonye, who is now suspended from the school, later admitted that she had consensual sex with four of the men and agreed to undergo mental health counseling andperform 250 hours of community service. Now, lawyers for two of the falsely accused have differing opinions about Ndonye's "punishment." more ›

Have you dreamed of buying 3-liter bottles of olive oil from Costco, but you can't because you're not a member and don't have a car? Well, City Room found a service run by Michael Eberstadt, who owns the Rack and Soul bbq restaruant, called BigBoxDeliveries which will bring bulk items to folks on the Upper East and Upper West Sides: "The customer and Mr. Eberstadt split the savings from shopping at a Costco. To make it worth his time, his share has to be a minimum of $40." He explains he doesn't have much overhead since he has a truck and points out, "There are certain things you need in bulk. That is what I am hoping to provide: cases of Gatorade, Tide." But he admits his wife, a white-collar defense attorney, "thought it was the stupidest thing she ever heard of." more ›

Last week a driver for Ferrantino Fuel made a delivery of 100 gallons of oil to a Queens home, which obviously wouldn't be noteworthy, if not for the fact that the house doesn't even have an oil tank. And it has never had an oil tank; the heating oil was just funneled through an outside pump, flooding the basement. Now homeowner John Byas's newly renovated basement is ruined, his carpet yanked up, his furniture piled outside in a heap, and wife hospitalized from the fumes. more ›

The police officer whose PBA card allegedly incited the jealous rage of Hiram Monserrate is married and denies knowing Karla Giraldo, the state senator's girlfriend who needed 40 stitches to heal from Monserrate's alleged attack. The Post claims that longtime NYPD vet Water Loor is the man whose card has been used as evidence in Monserrate's ongoing assault trial. Monserrate is seen throwing the card down the trash chute on the surveillance video where he apparently drags Giraldo down the stairs. The Post says investigators determined that Loor's relationship with Giraldo had nothing to do with his job or the violent incident. more ›

The saga on Jane Street continues, as neighbors unite against the Jane Hotel's nightlife crowd. Andrea Peyser pens a piece about the battle, pitting children with asthma ("every night, choking smoke fills the family's living space") against bold-faced party-goers like the Kate Winslet and Edward Norton. Yep, the modern-day Tiny Tim lives in a multi-million dollar Manhattan home with a backyard! more ›

Film director Roman Polanski, currently held in Swiss custody on a U.S. arrest warrant for the 1977 rape of a 13-year-old girl, will fight extradition, according to his lawyer. Herve Temine said, "Taking into account the extraordinary conditions of his arrest, his Swiss lawyer will seek his freedom without delay. He was shocked, dumbfounded, but he is in a fighting mood and he is very determined to defend himself." more ›

Now that President Obama has officially opened himself up for criticism about the role he has taken in shaping New York's local politics, some Democrats are openly questioning where the presidential love for Bill Thompson is. One Democrat today is quoted as saying, "The first black President who tells the first black governor to get out, and he won't help the guy who wants to be the second black mayor? The irony is thick." more ›

Bloomberg News says that Americans are hoarding $3.5 trillion in cash, "giving money managers increasing confidence that the stock market rally under President Barack Obama will continue through the end of the year." One investor said, "There’s an enormous stockpile of liquidity on the sidelines. The reinvestment of cash could help fuel the market." And there's even smack-talking about some cautious investors, with one sniffing, "Many of the fund managers I talk to that have missed this rally or underplayed this rally are sitting with way too much cash." more ›

Late yesterday afternoon, a man was killed in midtown Manhattan, outside the James Farley Post Office on 8th Avenue at 33rd Street—which is also across the street from Penn Station and Madison Garden. According to police, he had bumped into another man who fatally stabbed him. more ›

Author Robert Sullivan, who writes provocative bicycling op-ed pieces for the Times when he's not writing about rats and the American Revolution, has a suggestion to solve the ongoing tension between cyclists and pedestrians on the Brooklyn Bridge walkway. He proposes that the city ban bicycles entirely from the walkway, and shift them down to the motor vehicle roadways by creating physically protected bike lanes. more ›

Days after the Post had one of their "sources" describe Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz as "angry and embarrassed" over the prospect of a Russian-owned Nyets team at the embattled Atlantic Yards site in Brooklyn, Marty's fired back. Far from being embarrassed, he's simply delighted: "Brooklyn is the Russian capital of America, so [Russian playboy Mikhail] Prokhorov will feel right at home here, and I have been assured he will put the interests of Brooklyn first." Plus, given those Russkies' historic knack for winning basketball games against all odds, maybe New York will finally get a b-ball team to be proud of again? more ›

Invest $2 million and grow it to nearly $4 million in 8 years—that's what one investor in Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme did. Of course, all that disappeared last December, where the fraud was revealed. The fight to compensate Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme victims will drag on for a while, so until then, we're going to get stories from victims. New York Magazine indulges with some of them this week. more ›

Today is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which commemorates the day that God forgave the Jewish people for the sin of the Golden Calf. And besides fasting and abstinence and using the JewBerry, this year there's a hot new way to atone, via iPhone! The mobile-app "Send a Prayer" costs 99 cents and lets users type personal prayers into their phones, which are printed out by a rabbi in Jerusalem and placed in the Western Wall. 10,000 prayers have been sent so far, with 10 percent from the NYC area. Chabad's Meir Simcha Kogan tells the Post the app is definitely kosher: "Everything in this world was created for a divine purpose." Wait, even AT&T? more ›

Yesterday we reported on an anti-gay attack that occurred in Hell's Kitchen this past Friday night. WPLJ DJ Blake Hayes (pictured), cabaret and Broadway performer Danny Calvert, and another friend were attacked by a patron of McCoy's bar; they claim the police officers who showed up refused to take their attacker's information, or let them file a claim. They also expressed concern that McCoy's bouncer (who stopped the attack) allowed the attacker back into the bar. more ›

Now that there are two runoff elections tomorrow—one for Public Advocate and the other for City Comptroller—it's believed that the city will shell out over $14 million (including matching funds to candidates) to hold the elections. And only 10% of the city's 3.1 million Democrats are expected to head to the polls. more ›

Responding to the glut of city employees' parking placards—which let them park for free at meters and many off-limits areas—last year the mayor's office managed to cut the 144,160 placards by over 20 percent. To accomplish this goal, the city consolidated control over the placards with the NYPD; formerly each city agency got to dole out their own. The NYPD's point person for determining which officers got placards was Lt. Jemal Doute, the head of the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau's Vehicle Placard Unit—until recently, when it was discovered that a female friend of Doute's obtained one of the "older" models of the placards through Doute. more ›

Denmark's Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen just wanted to go for a simple bike ride in Central Park after "three days of talks in air-conditioned rooms" about climate change, but it turned into such a production. His entourage was swollen with press, two bodyguards, two Secret Service agents, and two "undercover" NYPD cops on bikes. The 7:15 a.m. ride, which kept getting lost, was also tailed by two limos and an NYPD vehicle. Needless to say, it's not the kind of thing you want to deal with on your morning jog, and one runner yelled at the entourage, "This isn’t a bike lane!" To which the cycling cops explained, "We're the police!" And they only use bike lanes for parking. [Daily Intel] more ›

Just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, Vionique Valnord, 32, was trying to hail a cab after a wedding reception in Flatbush when she was fatally struck by a Jeep Cherokee SUV; the driver was NYPD officer Andrew Kelly, 30, a seven-year veteran of the department who worked in the 68th Precinct. Four passengers in the SUV, one an off-duty cop, immediately fled the scene, but Kelly, who was off-duty, remained. His brother-in-law tells the Times that Kelly "performed CPR on the woman," and one witness tells the Post, "[Kelly] got out of the car, and he was trying to resuscitate her. He got her breathing again by the time the ambulance got here." more ›

With recent unraveling of a suspected terrorist plot in NYC, Mayor Bloomberg and other officials took to the opportunity to demand more federal money to deter nuclear attacks. Bloomberg said, "These events are a disturbing reminder that we can't - and I can tell you we won't - be complacent when it comes to protecting our city against terrorism," adding, "Despite the incredible job the NYPD is doing, our city does remain a prime target for terrorists." more ›

Governor Paterson once again told America Sunday that he has every intention of running to remain in office next year, but he made it even clearer that he has no intention of escalating or even drawing out his ongoing public feud with the White House. Paterson sat down with David Gregory during where the governor spent most of his ten minutes on the national stage refusing to go into the controversy that undoubtedly prompted the show to invite him on in the first place. more ›

A NJ man fell to his death from an escalator at Atlantic City's Pier at Caesars shopping center. According to the Press of Atlantic City, the victim, James Vellanti, was "chief operating officer for the hedge fund JNF Asset Management LLC in New York." The police are investigating the incident, which is the second fatal fall there in 13 months (last year, a 25-year-old man was sitting on the moving escalator's handrail and fell to his death). more ›

The 8th Annual Tunnel to Towers Run was held. The 5K run/walk, which echoes the path that firefighter Stephen Siller ran from Brooklyn to lower Manhattan to help during the 9/11 attacks, attracted thousands, even in spite of the rainy morning. Frank Siller, one of Siller's brothers, said many were still trying to register yesterday morning, "At the end of it all, there were a couple of thousand people still waiting to register. We just let ‘em go. They wanted to participate. So I’m going to say we had about 25,000 people here, without a doubt." more ›

Despite the rain, it was a perfect Sunday in New York- if you are a sports fan. Let’s start with the Yankees who completed their sweep of the Red Sox by winning 4-2 and clinched the AL East and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Yankees will have a week to prepare for the opening of the playoffs where they will face either Detroit or Minnesota. more ›

Well, who wouldn't visit a convicted kidnapper and sex attacker to visit him in prison?! The Daily News' Jane Ridley says of her visit to see Peter Braunstein, "I went, though I really don't care what he has to say. I went because he's this Hannibal Lechter-style creep you just have to see - and stare at in the way we look at car accidents we pass on the highway." Good reason—pass the fava beans and Chianti! more ›

The 2009 Mets will wrap up their season next Sunday and mercifully put an end to a campaign that everyone will try and forget. But, before we bid these Mets goodbye, it’s worth wondering, why did the season fall apart so badly? Sure there were injuries at an amazing rate, but what caused those injuries? Perhaps you could say that the team was cursed? more ›

Andrew Cuomo came within a hair of missing out on President Obama's now famous public nod the attorney general in Troy on Monday because he was insistent on taking his daughters to school that morning. Good thing Cuomo made it to his unofficial canonization by Obama or else his assistant may have had no use for the anecdote. Instead, it was shared with both local tabloids in their respective Cuomo coming of age bios in this Sunday's papers. When Cuomo learned they were running late for the big Obama greeting, apparently the state's most popular Democrat said, "Oh no. I’m dropping the kids off at school. It’s what I do. And if we miss the president, we miss the president." more ›

Yesterday, hundreds of people attended gathered in an El Dorado Hills, California for the funeral mass of Annie Le, the Yale graduate student who was murdered in a Yale research building a few weeks ago. Bishop Jaime Soto of the Sacremento Archdiocese said, "We do not let cruelty or violence own the sorrow. We let love own the sorrow. It was Annie’s love for her family and friends, for her fiancé that give us such sorrow as well as our love for her." more ›

After all the talk of what a lifelong Yankee fan new Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is since being named to the high court by President Obama, you had to know her throwing out the first pitch for her hometown team was an inevitability. Yesterday that finally happened with Sotomayor getting spotted (at least) fifteen feet in her throw to backup catcher Jose Molina at home plate. Below is the video of Sotomayor, elated as she often seems to be, throwing out the pretty decent toss before yesterday's battle with the Red Sox. more ›

William Safire, the former Nixon speechwriter and Pultizer Prize-winning NY Times columnist, died at 79 today. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer. The Times notes, "There may be many sides in a genteel debate, but in the Safire world of politics and journalism it was simpler: there was his own unambiguous wit and wisdom on one hand and, on the other, the blubber of fools he called 'nattering nabobs of negativism' and 'hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history.'" Safire, a college dropout, also called Hillary Clinton a "congenital liar." You can read his columns here. more ›

This past Friday night, WPLJ DJ Blake Hayes, cabaret and Broadway performer Danny Calvert and another friend were walking down 9th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen when a cigarette butt was thrown at them by a man outside of McCoy's bar, followed by the words, "Keep moving, faggot." more ›

A 24-year-old man, who was two weeks away from moving out of his East New York housing projects, was gunned down in front of his home yesterday. Robert Castro was fatally shot just after midnight Saturday at East New York's Boulevard Houses with no clear motive and no arrests yet made. Castro was preparing to marry his long-term girlfriend and mother of his two young children. A recently laid off janitor with a previous record for drug and weapon possession was called "the greatest father ever" by Shamica Mercato, his girlfriend of ten years. more ›

Film director Roman Polanski, who fled the U.S. in 1978 after being convicted of raping a 13-year-old, was arrested in Switzerland, where he was scheduled to receive an award at the Zurich Film Festival. The 76-year-old was taken into custody at his hotel. more ›

Travel up to the northernmost neighborhoods of Manhattan these days and you might catch a whiff of more than just gentrification in the air—now skunks have invaded Inwood and Washington Heights as well! The area where the only skunk smell formerly found was from the weed sold along Dyckman Street is now crawling with the unwanted pests. The Parks Department's chief naturalist says, “It really seems like the population has gone from zero to many. I’m not sure why." more ›

Today's mid-day links: The DOE thinks little kids can take mass transit alone, higher security at temples, John Gotti's kids didn't ask dad about mob hits, spider on Pope Benedict, is mustard a condiment or sauce, and Tufts roommates will have some new sex etiquette. more ›

Who cares if the NYPD might have screwed up the federal authorities' investigations of suspected terror suspect Najibullah Zazi? According to Daily News sources, President Obama called Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to express his "appreciation and admiration" for the NYPD's work in stopping Zazi and for the NYPD's security during the U.N. General Assembly. more ›

It's arguably one of the most beloved ways the city remembers the September 11, 2001 attacks—the Tribute in Light, which has beacons of light shimmer from lower Manhattan into the sky starting at dusk on September 11 and fading away at dawn on September 12. But the funding for the installation has run out! more ›

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney is said to be "numb but heartbroken" after learning yesterday that her husband Clifton Maloney died on his way down from a mountain hiking expedition in Tibet. Reports are that 71-year-old Clifton Maloney's final words were "I’m the happiest man in the world. I’ve just summited a beautiful mountain." The couple have been married for 33 years and have two daughters, ages 28 and 21. Friends describe he and the congresswoman, who represents parts of Manhattan and Queens, as "unbelievably intertwined" and "one of the happiest couples" they know. more ›

Earlier this year, the NY Times asked its union to take 5% pay cuts, to help stanch its financial bleeding (a $74 million 1Q loss). Now the Post reports though the Times had "a surprise profit in the second quarter" (thanks to cost-cutting), it will "launch another round of employee buyouts to further trim costs." Management met with the NY Newspaper Guild, which also suggested "a four-day work week, being more flexible with comp time and reducing paper use in the building." more ›

Yesterday, the zany zealots of Kansas's Westboro Baptist Church were in Brooklyn, bringing their brand of hate to a few synagogues. And, like at Westboro's earlier protests, there were many more counter-protesters present (example: dog wearing a "Dog Loves Fags" sign vs. Westboro's "God Hates Fags" sign). more ›

An off-duty cop has been arrested for an early morning DWI in Brooklyn where he fatally struck down a woman who had just left a wedding. Witnesses say Officer Andrew Kelly made no effort to slow down as his Jeep Grand Cherokee crashed into 33-year-old Veronica Valnore just after midnight in Marine Park. Valnore was trying to catch a cab after leaving a wedding at Floyd Bennett American Legion. She is said to have been pronounced dead soon after cops arrived at the scene. more ›

The 8th annual Tunnel To Towers Run is being held today, even in spite of the rainy conditions. The 5K run/walk is in tribute to firefighter Stephen Siller: On September 11 2001, he decided to run through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, wearing 70 pounds of firefighting gear, to the World Trade Center and help; he died in the attacks. The race starts at the Gowanus approach to the BBT and enters Manhattan on West Street. more ›

• Yankees 3, Red Sox 0: CC Sabathia became the first 19-game winner in the Majors (okay, the American League—the Cards' Adam Wainwright also won his 19th tonight) with his dominating performance against the Red Sox last night. The Yankees' ace threw seven innings, including retiring the first 11 batters he faced and gave up only one-hit to the Sox while striking out 8. The Bombers didn't get on the scoreboard against Daisuke Matsuzaka until Robinson Cano hit his 24th home run of the season to left. Johnny Damon added two insurance runs in the 8th with a soft hit ball to right off Billy Wagner.

A young Brooklyn woman is in critical condition after being slammed into by a van driven by a drunk driver while she was walking out of work Thursday night. 22-year-old Ukranian immigrant Olga Skibina suffered severe brain, facial and lung injuries after being struck by the van while walking from the medical office she works as a receptionist at in Sheepshead Bay, walking along Avenue Z to her home in Gerritsen Beach. more ›

You don't have to browse the Craigslist "Rooms for Rent" section very long before realizing that there are many tenants out there looking for "not just a roommate, but a FRIEND." This weekend's Times Real Estate section follows the journey of one 3BR LES apartment trying to figure out the right balance between being friendly roommies, but not BFFs. One tells them of a horrific summer she had where a roommate was seldom home, “and I got really lonely,” more ›

The Yankees' new rally technique might be to turn their jerseys inside-out, as a show of solidarity with one young fan who was forced to do so by his Red Sox-loving fourth grade teacher. Nine-year-old Nathan Johns says he was asked to step outside his upstate classroom and turn his CC Sabathia shirt-inside out by Peter (Mister) Addabbo. The teacher apparently keeps Red Sox paraphernalia on display all over the classroom, the real evil empire. Johns told reporters in what we can only imagine was his most adorable voice, "I thought to myself, 'Is he serious or is he kidding?' But he had this look like he wasn't kidding at all.' It was such a horrible day I don’t ever want anything like to happen again.” more ›

Irving Picard, the trustee who is liquidating whatever can be found of Ponzi king Bernard Madoff's fortune for in order to repay his thousands of victims, says that he's going to sue Madoff's two sons, Mark and Andrew, as well as his brother Peter and niece Shana, noting that they made $150 million over the years. All four were employed at Madoff's firm and Picard said he'll sue them for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty, "Whether or not they have a criminal problem we will pursue them as far as we can pursue them and if that leads to bankrupting them, then that's what will happen." more ›

Raise your hand if you had the Jets at 2-0. Put them down if your first name isn't Rex or Mark. Not too many left, right? The surprising Jets go for their third straight win Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, the best team in the AFC during the 2008 regular season. But the Titans will be hungry for their first win after losses to Pittsburgh and Houston to open their season. more ›

A new congressional report card judging the progress of the Second Avenue Subway has given the project a B-minus, possibly the highest ratings ever handed out to the mythical subway line. The MTA immediately snatched the report card out Congress's hands and tried to get a signature on it before anyone noticed further problems, the agency expressing gratitude that Congress recognized the elements of the project that they are handling well. That "praise" includes the MTA being diligent in meeting with affected businesses, including the dozen that have closed along the route. Nonetheless Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who headed the study said, "Up until now, the project has been marred by missed deadlines, cost overruns and a harsh impact on local businesses." more ›

The day after actress Kirsten Dunst testified about the dastardly theft of her purse from her Soho Grand hotel room back in 2007, the man accused of swiping the Balenciaga purse took the stand. The Post reports that James Jimenez tried "to convince a jury that his buddy told him it was OK to go up to Dunst's empty penthouse suite" and "claimed he had no idea Dunst's purse was inside the white shopping bag that the same buddy gave him to carry out of the hotel." He even said it was a favor for the pal's mom, but the prosecutor asked, "At four in the morning?" more ›

Police are searching for the body of Annie Morrell Petrillo, who jumped off the Tappan Zee Bridge on Thursday evening. Petrillo's mother, Anne Scripps Douglas, an heir to the Scripps newspaper fortune, was found bludgeoned on December 31, 1993 and later died from her injuries; the main suspect was Petrillo's stepfather, who killed himself by committing suicide off the Tappan Zee Bridge on New Year's Day 1994. more ›

The Giants are having a hard time getting healthy, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Justin Tuck, Kevin Dockery, Aaron Ross and Chris Canty are all expected to miss the game on Sunday. Kenny Phillips has been placed on Injured Reserve, which means his season is over, so the defense will be thin again, especially in the secondary. more ›

Of course: Some real estate marketers are bandying about a new neighborhood name for a sliver of already pretty tiny TriBeCa—it's "North TriBeCa"—and they tell the NY Times that North TriBeCa has turn-of-the-last-century buildings (or facsimiles of them); eastern TriBeCa has the high risey buildings which a broker says "feels more like the financial district." But another broker says, "As a marketing ploy, I’d say buyers who come to TriBeCa are among the more sophisticated, and they’re not going to fall for it." more ›

A Brooklyn man who serves as religious director for his local church was arrested for sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy. Police say 58-year-old Angelo Serrano molested the boy, a family friend, in the child's Williamsburg home. It was unclear if the abuse was connected to Serrano's role volunteering for St. Lucy-St. Patrick Catholic Church in Fort Greene. A neighbor said of Serrano, "He's a beautiful guy. He really loved the children. He spent a lot of time with them and all like that." more ›

With Moammar Gadhafi making his first United Nations General Assembly visit this week, he also took the time to meet with relatives of victims of the 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. Linda Gibson said of the 10-minute meeting, "He generally said he was sorry for the loss, but we didn't go into any details about the bombing." more ›

Governor Paterson's insistence on running to stay in the governor's mansion next year may have less to do with his concern for the Democrats and more to do with his love of the party. Yesterday the governor explained why he is so headstrong in sticking around despite suggestions to the contrary from some pretty heavy hitters. Paterson said, "It has been the most exciting time in my life. It has been the most challenging time in my life. ... I'm gonna keep doing it until the public tells me it's time to stop." more ›

If Brooklyn's seemed a little less bubbly than usual lately, we may have tracked down the culprit—Ronny the Seltzer Man is down! Ronny Beberman, the last seltzer man driving a "real seltzer truck," has been out of commission since last Tuesday after falling from his truck, suffering a bloody head gash and breaking several bones. The Times quotes a legendary seltzer man who once said, "I can’t stop these dreams — I keep seeing all the people I missed on the route." more ›

Just before the end of the day school bell at a Brownsville middle school yesterday, shots rang out in front of PS 189 when a woman driving by was shot in the face and nearly crashed into the school. The 24-year-old woman is in critical condition at Brookdale Hospital after being ambushed and shot six times by the shooter waiting for her outside the school around 2:30 p.m. Sparkle Jones, a woman who was near the intersection of E 96th Street and East New York Avenue to witness the shooting, told the News, "I heard shots, and the car hit the pole. The blood ran down her face." more ›

Some reporter was disgraceful enough to ask Mayor Bloomberg about his choice to take a helicopter to the U2 concert at Giants Stadium Thursday, when he could have, say, taken NJ Transit (ha) and left a smaller carbon footprint. more ›

Najibullah Zazi, the former Queens (current Denver) resident accused of plotting to bomb New York, was flown from Denver to face charges at Eastern District Court in Brooklyn. Yesterday, assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Neff said there was a "chilling, disturbing sequence of events that suggest the defendant was intent on making a bomb and being in New York on 9/11 for the purposes of using such an item...The defendant was in the throes of making a bomb and attempting to perfect his formulation." The U.S. Marshals' plane landed in Teterboro, NJ, where the NYPD picked Zazi and flew him by helicopter to Brooklyn, where he was placed in Sunset Park's Metropolitan Detention Center. more ›

Here's a nice sweet story for a change: Beth Elohim, the Park Slope synagogue targeted by the Westboro Baptist Church, will be holding its Yom Kippur services at Park Slope Old First Dutch Reformed Church. Apparently the synagogue had suffered a partial roof collapse on Thursday, and needed a place to go for Yom Kippur, Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn tells us. Pastor Daniel Meeter of OFDRC offered Beth Elohim the use of his church for the holy day — even though it's a Sunday. Makes up a little bit for the harassment Beth Elohim is getting from those other "Christians." more ›

Earlier this week, a woman was fatally shot when she was caught in the middle of afternoon crossfire in the Bronx. Aisha Santiago, 25, had been on her way to the laundromat with her 9-year-old son and managed to push him out the gunfire. Now, a man has been arrested and charged with her murder. more ›

• Yankees 9 Boston 5: New York crept even closer to the AL East, lowering their magic number to three and winning for the seventh time in their last eight games against Boston. Joba Chamberlain put a lot of fears to rest by pitching six solid innings and looking like he did two months ago. Alex Rodriguez had a huge night at the plate, going 3-for-3 with 4 RBI’s and swiping three bases. It was part of an offensive onslaught against Jon Lester that only ended when Lester had to leave the game after taking a liner off his knee. Thankfully, x-rays were negative, but Lester will be reexamined tomorrow.

Today's late breaking links: a 9-11 suspect gets paid, Skype in the courtroom, New York's low divorce rate, avoiding H1N1 at the office, karaoke violence, a Brooklyn Heights brouhaha, and a woman who was almost raped strikes back. more ›

The 18-year-old Hofstra freshman who falsely accused five men of raping her in a dormitory hall bathroom will not face criminal charges. Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice said that Danmell Ndonye will instead undergo extensive mental health counseling and must perform 250 hours of community service; if she doesn't, then criminal charges may be pursued. more ›

A few years back, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez famously proclaimed from the U.N. General Assembly podium that President Bush was the "devil" and the podium area still smelled like sulfur because W. had been speaking up there. But this time around, Chavez said, "It doesn’t smell of sulfur, anymore. It’s gone. No, it smells of something else. It smells of hope." more ›

Burj Dubai — the skyscraper begun in 2004 and soon to be finished — is more than a thousand feet taller than NY's tallest building. This is the Green Room has a neat little post comparing the view from several NY skyscrapers to this new mammoth structure. And Jason Kottke offers an image of what Midtown would look like if it had the world's tallest building once again. more ›

Bronx cop Marc Rios, an 11-year-veteran currently under indictment for smashing a man in the face with his baton during a road-rage incident, has now been slapped with a federal civil rights suit. Victim John Roperto is seeking unspecified damages from Rios over the March altercation, which Roperto says was sparked after he left a Kingsbridge nightclub around 4:20 a.m and an NYPD squad car almost ran him over. Roperto, 32, slapped the car in anger, which prompted Rios to get out and crack him in the face with his flexible police baton, breaking both Roperto's cheekbone and the baton. more ›

Federal prosecutors are now suggesting that the beauty-supply bomb plot in which Najibullah Zazi has been implicated was supposed to take place on September 11, 2009. Federal attorney Tim Neff said in court today there was "a chilling, disturbing sequence of events that suggest the defendant was intent on making a bomb and being in New York on 9/11 for the purposes of using such an item.” Zazi rented a car in Denver and drove to New York September 9-10. more ›

Plaxico Burress, former Giants star and accidental self-shooter, is now an Ulster Correctional inmate. His mugshot was released and the Daily News analyzes the now clean-shaven "somber" Burress: "The ex-Giants star was also without his standard bling - two diamond earrings... sporting a white T-shirt beneath a green prison-issued top and appears to stand a little taller than his NFL listed height of 6-foot-5. Burress is staring straight ahead, his face betraying little emotion, in the photo." more ›

MTA surveys are so fun, because we pretty much just find out that everything is the worst, everywhere. But wherever you are, rest assured that it really could be worse. Unless you are in Ridgewood, Queens—then consider yourself gold star winners in the most dilapidated subway station contest! more ›

Last night, Fred Armisen reappeared on Saturday Night Live's Thursday Weekend Update as a now-mustachioed Governor Paterson. If you don't remember, his schtick was complete with references to President Obama (allegedly) asking him to step aside in 2010—"It’s like the pope calling a local priest and telling him to go to Hell"—his blindness, and his hatred of New Jersey! more ›

During State Senator Hiram Monserrate's assault trial, a nurse testified that his girlfriend Karla Giraldo begged that he not be allowed into the room where doctors were examining the cuts on her face, saying, "He's crazy! He's crazy!" And an ER doctor testified that Giraldo yelled, "I can’t believe he did this to me! My face! My face! I can’t believe my face!" more ›

The Post gets one of their juicy "sources" to dish on Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz's reaction to the idea of a Russian-owned Nyets team. Markowitz, a big Atlantic Yards booster throughout the controversy and delays, is feeling a little burned at this point, according to "one operative": "It's a combination of anger and embarrassment. He signed on to a magnificent Frank Gehry-designed Brooklyn palace in the sky, and now he's got a foreign-owned big hole in the ground." But fuggedaboutit; it's still the best hole in the best borough of New York! more ›

Eric Spiegelman put together this amazing stream of 130 photos of Obama posing with dignitaries during this week's U.N. meetings (long video after the jump). And Obama's smile never changes. Of course you may suspect some Photoshopping, but Spiegelman defends himself by directing us to the State Department's flickr site. [Via Daily Intel] more ›

Some jerk in Juniper Valley Park in Queens sawed down twelve trees in the past week, many of them new plantings, according to the Daily News. Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski said, "It appears premeditated. They came in the park with a power saw." She said the trees cost about $1,000 apiece, which sounds about right, as that is at least two and half times what any high-end retail nursery (PDF) would charge you for the choicest ornamental tree available. more ›

The primary run-off election is this Tuesday, and last night, City Comptroller candidates John Liu and David Yassky had their last debate. And apparently, with the race running close, they left nothing to chance by coming out swinging. more ›

Good news Williamburg: crime is down! In fact, you are one of the safest neighborhoods in New York City, surrounded by a shield of shiny luxury condos. But while the machete slashing may have cooled off for now, "police officers remain vigilant about incidents involving a roving homeless population." Could the Post be speaking of the gutter punks? more ›

It turns out even Libyan government employees have a hard time dealing with their wild boss: Moammar Gadhafi's translator apparently collapsed during his 95-minute rant on Wednesday! The translator's last words before giving up: "I just can’t take it any more." more ›

After weeks of trying to make it work, Robert Valin has given up on what would have been his annual West Village Leather & Bear Street Fair. The bears were thwarted when the Standard's Andre Balazs said the fair would clash with the image of his precious hotel (even though it's known for baring it all). The Food & Wine Festival is also taking place in the area that weekend, and the executive director said "next year we can all work together and coordinate." That'll be an interesting crowd! [Scoopy's Notebook via Curbed] more ›

The five people from the Westboro "Baptist" "Church" who picketed Brooklyn Tech yesterday were drowned out more by the hundreds of Tech students, counterprotesters, and Brooklynites chanting "We Love Jews" and shouting "Go Home" to the freaks from Topeka, who were outnumbered more than forty to one. The Times' Fort Greene blog noted that "many if not most" of the counterprotesters were students who had organized by "word of mouth and Facebook status." You do need something to do in Health class. more ›

A grand jury has decided not to move forward with assault charges against a man arrested in connection with a September 7th fight at the Staten Island ferry terminal in Manhattan that left firefighter Matthew Dugan, 34, in critical condition. Doctors had to put Dugan, who is still hospitalized but in stable condition, into a medically induced coma after two operations to reduce the pressure on his brain. Police say the fight started after Dugan entered the terminal with his girlfriend, Sandy Wong, around 1:30 a.m. after a night of drinking. When Wong slipped on some stairs, Rasheeim Turner and two pals started laughing; Dugan told them to shut up, and was attacked. more ›

The NY Times reports, "Gov. David A. Paterson has endorsed an Indian tribe’s bid for federal recognition." Paterson sent a letter to the Department of Interior, "to say federal recognition of the Shinnecock is long overdue would be an understatement." The Shinnecock Nation wants to build a casino in the Hamptons and is thrilled with the support, calling the governor a "man of principle." more ›

While investigating former police officer Robert Melia Jr.'s alleged sexual assault on three underage girls, detectives discovered a video in his home that shows him sexually molesting cows in 2006. So animal-cruelty charges were added to the list, but on Wednesday a judge dropped the charges because prosecutors didn't "present enough evidence to jurors that Melia's alleged actions tormented the animals." more ›

Supreme Court Justice Ginsberg collapsed, the Department of Education loves leaving personal information for the taking, a Battery Park City park may survive, Senator Schumer hearts gassy cows and drawing on and taking pictures with a dying woman is not cool. more ›

Brownstone Brooklyn, you never cease to amaze us. Long story short: Man buys brownstone in recently landmarked district of Prospect Heights from old woman. Old woman continues to live in the garden apartment. Man decides he wants to put a garage in there. LPC says they have no applications for Landmark approval for the address. more ›

Police are searching for a 26-year-old man who shot his mother three times in their Queens home, allegedly because she was on his case. A police source tells the Daily News, "She was on him about his son. He's a preemie, sick in the hospital, and she was giving him a piece of her mind." The mother is expected to survive. more ›

If the terror charges filed yesterday against Najibullah Zazi are true, a fairly large number of his co-conspirators must still be at large. The impressive evidence presented yesterday against the 24-year-old Afghan immigrant indicates the cooperation of a number of other men: the man he consulted in cooking up the bombs in a Colorado hotel, the men who trained him and gave him notes on bomb design in Pakistan, and the men who housed him in NYC and planned to wear the backpacks that were seized in a Queens apartment. more ›

Here's something you should take the over on: The MTA says it wants to implement new smart card fare payment technology for its family of services by 2014! Then again, it's not like it's building a Second Avenue Subway. In a Q&A (PDF) about its 2010-2014 Capital Plan, the MTA says that $220 million is dedicated to the program, which will "accept contactless credit, debit, and prepaid cards at the fare array (e.g., subway turnstiles, bus fareboxes, rail platforms). This system will speed payment, improve access to the system and provide opportunities for more seamless fare policy throughout the MTA region." more ›

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu produced evidence for the Holocaust on the floor of the UN General Assembly yesterday, in an attempt to put down once and for all the Iranian election-stealer's declaration that the whole thing is based on "a lie and a mythical claim." The Post's front page today shows Netanyahu holding the actual minutes from the German government meeting that planned out the "final solution." He also showed the Assembly plans from Auschwitz, and said of Ahmadinejad, "Have you no shame? Have you no decency?" more ›

In yet another bit of bizarrerie coming from the NY Governor's office, Paterson now appears to be denying the story that President Obama requested that he not run for governor next year. In an interview with NY1 Noticias Paterson said, "I never got an authorized invitation from the White House not to run for governor. There was a New York Times article about Congressman Meeks telling me to get out of the race. It never happened. And Congressman Meeks confirmed it on the record." more ›

An update on Sasha Blair-Goldensohn, the father of two who was struck by a rotting 100-pound tree branch in Central Park in July. According to Daily News sources, he was moved from a Manhattan Hospital to the Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw, NY earlier this month. more ›

Hopefully this isn't a new trend amongst muggers. The NY Post reports that after a 25-year-old man mugged a Newkirk Avenue (off Bedford Avenue) resident inside his apartment building, he decided to set up camp and live there for more than a day, even fooling the locksmith into thinking it was his apartment after the real resident called to have the locks changed! Cops eventually intervened, but, shouldn't that have taken a lot less time? more ›

Irishman Phelim McAleer is a former journalist turned filmmaker whose most recent work is the "anti-environmentalist" documentary Mine Your Own Business. So, yeah, he's part of the head-in-the-sand camp which future generations will likely regard with unspeakable contempt as they hoard fuel Mad Max-style in a miserable, eco-apocalyptic landscape. Which is exactly what the well-intentioned new documentary The Age of Stupid is about; it stars Pete Postlethwaite as a global archivist living in 2055, flipping through the pivotal news stories from 2004 - 2008 and wondering why we didn’t stop global warming when we had a chance. more ›

Aww: A six-year-old Brooklyn girl called 911 when her mother had a seizure in the middle of the night. Little Ciara Rogers told WCBS 2, "There was nobody else - she was on the floor, and [little brother] Luis was crying in the crib, and I was crying so much that my head was hurting. I took a deep breath and I called 9-1-1." more ›

So this is what the inside of Moammer Gadhafi's controversial Bedouin tent looks like! Yesterday afternoon, the tent went up—and then was later taken down—on a Bedford, NY-estate leased by Donald Trump to some Middle East businessmen. WABC 7 reports, "Bedford Town Supervisor Lee Roberts says Gaddafi's son had the tent put back up this afternoon so he could eat and take pictures there." Now Gadhafi's son will have to resort to some Photoshop. more ›

A few hours ago, police locked down East 14th Street and Union Square East, due to some "suspicious packages." (Not surprising, especially given the alleged recent terror plot.) Before the packages were eventually "cleared" by the cops, some folks Twittered about the incident: more ›

Environmental groups are saying that the recently reopened High Line Park has gone too far in bringing nature to the heart of the city's meatpacking district, claiming that wood used for the park's bleachers, benches and decking is coming directly from the rainforests. We had heard similar complaints about wood at the nearby Standard, but now Rainforest Relief and New York Climate Action Group have unveiled a banner blocking the view of 10th Avenue from the bleachers calling out the raw state of the park. The groups say that that Forest Stewardship Council, the organization accrediting wood used by Friends of the High Line, is violating their own principles in approving wood from "ancient primary forests, including the Amazon" for use at the High Line. The entire press release from Rainforests of New York is after the jump. more ›

David Yassky is best known in some political circles as the man who was the only white candidate in 2006 for the Congressional seat being vacated by Major Owens, leading some to accuse him of racial carpetbagging. Now he has the unenviable task of trying to pull an upset in Tuesday's comptroller runoff election against John Liu, blocking him from being the first Asian-American elected to citywide office. more ›

Goldman Sachs, a recipient of billions of dollars in government bailout money, has built up $16 billion in its bonus pool so far this year, according to the Post. This is on track to be the largest year for bonuses ever. In unrelated news, the national unemployment rate is still above 10%. more ›

"A woman standing on a Manhattan subway platform with her pants down bit a New York City police officer in the back, police said Thursday." more ›

Earlier we noted that actress Kirsten Dunst was heading to the courthouse today to testify against a Manhattan mechanic accused of stealing the actress's handbags and whatnot, while she was stationed at the SoHo Grand hotel penthouse. 35-year-old James Jimenez now faces 15 years in prison if convicted; his accomplice, Jarrod Beinerman, was already sentenced to 4 years. more ›

Yesterday, Hiram Monserrate's lawyer discounted the testimony of Emergency Room nurse Dawn Kort in the senator's girlfriend-slash trial, citing a language barrier. Apparently, Monserrate's girlfriend Karla Giraldo speaks Spanglish, especially when she's drunk. But this is New York City, remember, the capital of the world. It turns out that Kort speaks Spanglish too. In fact, the Post reports that her father was from Panama, her mother from Puerto Rico, and she studied in Spain to boot. So much for that defense. more ›

Former Vice President Al Gore joined Mayor Bloomberg in Long Island City today for a photo op to promote an environmental initiative to paint rooftops white. In response to a question, Gore almost but not quite endorsed Bloomberg's campaign, telling reporters he endorsed Hizzoner's "leadership." Gore, who's never been as uptight as the media portrayed him, added, "I am a recovering politician. I'm on about step nine, so I try to stay out of the partisan races." Here's more detail on today's green roof event, which took place in the same neighborhood as Con Ed's green roof. more ›

Since the Segway never really took off, there's hope that Honda's new personal mobility device (the U3-X) won't either. It's function? Helping you meet your ultimate laziness potential; moving at 3.7 mph, it'll "scoot you from spot to spot with out having to worry about wearing out your precious leg muscles." It's just a prototype now, but Honda's head honcho himself says "I might really use it if my legs grow weaker." The U3-X: the cause of and solution to all of life's problems. more ›

Mark Green went on the attack in last night's public advocate debate, linking his rival Bill de Blasio to the recently scandalized group, ACORN. Up until now, Green has attempted to cruise back into the advocate office based on name recognition and the harshest criticism toward de Blasio has come from Charles Barron (who was not even in the race!). But during last night's debate, Green said, "The Working Families party and ACORN put $30,000 in his pocket, so when they come and visit him at City Council who is he working for? You or his employers?" more ›

Najibullah Zazi was indicted earlier today in Brooklyn on charges of "conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction," the first terror charges brought in the Colorado-Queens terror case. He is still in Denver, where he is being held without bail. No further charges are expected against his father, Mohammed Zazi, who has already been charged with lying to investigators. The third suspect, Flushing imam Ahmad Wais Afzali, has been released in New York on a $1.5 million bond. more ›

From far-distant Appalachia, a story of a census worker in Clay County "found hanging on a tree and the word 'Fed' was written on his chest." In a startlingly apt bit of government idiocy, a spokesman for the FBI said they were still trying to determine "if there was foul play involved" or if his employment had something to do with his death. more ›

The Post slammed Obama's "One Love" speech at the UN General Assembly yesterday, calling it "pathetic" and hailing the new prez as "naif-in-chief." The Post did not hesitate to pile it on, accusing Obama of "stunning cluelessness" and asking "Who wrote President Obama's speech for the start of the UN General Assembly yesterday — Rodney King?" more ›

If Plaxico Burress fans want an up-to-date jersey of the Super Bowl hero wide receiver, they're going to have to ditch those #17 duds in favor of his new number, 09-R-3260. The former Giant star left court and headed to Ulster Correctional Facility where he was given a shave and a haircut and strip searched out of the jeans he was wearing. Burress neglected to arrive at prison in the notorious sweatpants that sent him there. more ›

With Yom Kippur coming up this Monday, South Williamsburg will be the stage for many a sacrificial chicken slaughter on Sunday. The Jewish ritual known as kapparot raises eyebrows each year, and now Dr. Allan Kornberg, Executive Director for Farm Sanctuary, has released a statement. more ›

American Girl, purveyors of fine, historically accurate dolls, are introducing a homeless girl. "Gwen Thompson" comes with a book with the story of how her father left, her mother lost her job, and they started living in a car. To top it off, customers are "dissapointed [sic] in her bangs, they are awful short and you can't do anything with them." And they discontinued Samantha for this? more ›

Students arriving for class this afternoon at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice building at 445 West 59th Street were greeted by a worker using a bullhorn to warn them: Stay away! Bed bugs! Classes canceled! Basically, the school's gripped with panic and they're one step away from painting a giant red "B" on the front door. After employees complained of itchy rashes this week, the administrators called in one of those trained dogs, who turned up the pests on the first three floors. more ›

"Big fish eat little fish," says the wisdom of the city. Meet Buttkiss, the black pacu who has eaten more than 175,000 fish during his residence in Queens. “We feed him twenty-five goldfish every other day,” says Steve Gruebel, the owner of Cameo Pet Shop in Richmond Hill. You do the math. He’s been in the shop continuously since 1970, becoming a Richmond Hill landmark in that time. more ›

The last grandson of an Ottoman Emperor, a man who could have been Successor of the Successors of the Prophet, died yesterday in Istanbul. Ertugrul Osman lived for 64 years in a rent-controlled two-bedroom walkup in the East 70s, on Lexington Avenue, and according to his obit in the Times with as many as twelve dogs. more ›

If the outer boroughs aren't willing to come into the city for their Whole Foods, then the city is making sure it finds a way to get Whole Foods into the outer boroughs. Yesterday the City Planning Commission approved a plan to encourage grocery stores with fresh produce, meats and dairy to expand into poorer areas by allowing them to sidestep existing zoning and development regulations. Supporters of the plan say it would encourage gentrification to continue its sweep across the boroughs. more ›

Today's morning linkage: water on the moon, Dubai's tallest building in Manhattan, Katie Couric's salary, the Foer brothers build a sukkah, Mr. Nyets and his taste for prostitutes, and a huge baby boy. more ›

Though the NYPD and federal agents say they've "successfully disrupted" an alleged terror plot targeting public transportation in NYC, officials are still uncertain whether more suspects remain to be captured. There's also the question of a bomb factory or an explosives stockpile, which would obviously have been an indispensable part of the plot. Four "anonymous government sources" tell Newsweek that more suspects (perhaps over a dozen) are being sought, and investigators are urgently searching for the explosives. Hopefully, the NYPD will be a tad more discreet from now on. more ›

The kooky Kansas "church" famed for its God-hates-fags message will be harassing Brooklyn Tech after school today and three synagogues on Saturday. Their spokeswoman, Shirley Phelps-Roper, also issued a contemptuous put-down of Brooklyn— asked whether she feared violent confrontations at the picketing locations, she replied: “Don’t flatter yourself, Brooklyn. We serve the living God. You mess with us, you’ll get double destruction for what you do.” more ›

Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM, had just filmed an intervention series for MTV, called "Gone Too Far," before he died of a suspected drug overdose. After debating airing the 8 episodes the network has decided in favor of it, "apparently counting on the star’s own suspected overdose on Aug. 28 to underscore the ravages of addiction more than it emphasizes the ghoulish exploitation factor of the whole enterprise." Stay classy, Viacom. more ›

Someone's created a new iPhone app with straphangers in mind. It's called MetroCost and it "can help you determine how much money you're saving (or losing) with an Unlimited Ride versus a Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard. All you need to do is swipe across the (picture of a) magnetic strip each time you ride, and MetroCost will do all the math for you." Now, can we get one that tells you when the MTA keeps the change? more ›

The latest Quinnipiac poll put Bloomy's approval ratings at 69%, and holding a strong 52-36 lead over the Democrat William Thompson. In an interview with Gothamist, asked what it would take to unseat the billionaire, former DNC chair Howard Dean replied, "Term limits." more ›

The embattled community organizing group ACORN is filing a lawsuit today in Maryland District Court, accusing individuals behind an embarrassing series of hidden camera videos of violating state law by recording employees' conversations without permission. Similar to the videos recorded in ACORN's Brooklyn offices, the Maryland video shows workers giving inappropriate advice to two filmmakers (left) posing as prostitute and pimp seeking assistance in getting a house for a brothel. Alan Schwartz, general counsel for Acorn, accused the fake pimp, James O’Keefe, of "trying to destroy an organization whose principal purpose is to help poor people." more ›

As the EPA fights for the rights to clean up the Gowanus Canal, they've just recommended another one of New York's most contaminated waterways get Superfund status. Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou told the NY Post, “Newtown Creek is one of the most grossly-contaminated waterways in the country. By listing the Creek, EPA can focus on doing the extensive sampling needed to figure out the best way to address the contamination and see the work through.” more ›

Just a heads up: Bay Ridge’s community board is now convinced that a 64th Street karaoke bar isn't trying to get you laid in a private booth as you savor the sweet, drunk, cackling crooning of some stranger serenading you with Journey's “Don’t Stop Believin'." more ›

The NYPD inspector who showed photos of "persons of interest" to a Flushing imam has been transferred to another department, the Times reports today. The imam allegedly later informed the suspects that they were being watched. more ›

Revolting: Police say a Staten Island man traveled to Pennsylvania for what he believed would be a sexual rendezvous with a woman and her 14-month-old daughter. Instead, Anthony Taylor, 48, was arrested yesterday in a pedophilia sting operation because the "mother" he'd been chatting with was actually an undercover detective working with federal, state and local law enforcement. The officer encountered Taylor, who allegedly used the handle "Tony The Staten Island Man," three months ago in a chat room called, ugh, "Start Them Early." more ›

Hot on the heels of their undercover work at the city's trendy nightclubs, Inside Edition heads to a much less glamorous scene: the construction site. more ›

Cyclist Armando Cruz was arrested after throwing a bottle through the window of a NYC bus, raining shards of glass onto the driver. Cruz had been riding down Flushing Avenue in Bushwick when police officers ordered him to pull over due to his "unsafe manner" of biking. He attempted to pedal away, but was cut off by the bus; he then threw his bottle through the bus driver's window. That must have been one hell of a throw, one hell of a heavy bottle, or one hell of a cheap bus window. Cruz was charged with "assault, menacing, and criminal mischief." more ›

Is another transit strike looming on the horizon? Yesterday over 350 furious transit workers took to the streets outside MTA headquarters in protest, some carrying signs like the one seen here. The employees are outraged over an ongoing contract dispute with the MTA board, whose decisions are heavily influenced by the Mayor. The MTA is refusing to accept a plan to raise the hourly pay rate by more than 11 percent over three years; the deal was reached through arbitration in August, but now the MTA is asking a judge to toss it out, claiming that the panel "made legal and factual mistakes." The raises would cost the MTA 350 million dollars. more ›

Bedford's Libyan leader camping problem is over: Donald Trump—well, his company, the Trump Organization—said, "We have requested that the tenant occupying the property in Bedford, New York, remove the tent that was erected. They have complied with this request." Which meant that Moammer Gadhafi, heading to to the 'burbs after his wild United Nations speech had to turn back to NYC. more ›

In his endorsement of Mayor Bloomberg, influential minister the Reverend Calvin Butts also offered kind words for his rival, "I think Bill Thompson is going to make a tremendous contribution to this city and I encourage him in the future. And I must say, that I think he'd be a fine mayor. But now I believe that the best mayor to take us over the next four years is Michael Bloomberg." Butts also endorsed Bloomberg in 2001 and 2005. more ›

Yesterday, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took to the United Nations General Assembly stage—and got the U.S., French, British, Canadian and other delegations to walk out when he referred to Israel in his speech: "It is no longer acceptable that a small minority would dominate the politics, economy and culture of major parts of the world by its complicated networks, and establish a new form of slavery, and harm the reputation of other nations, even European nations and the US, to attain its racist ambitions." more ›

• Yankees 3, Angels 2: For all the talk about how the Yankees can't beat the Angels, the Yankees did finish 5-5 against Los Angeles of Anaheim this season. The fifth and final win came with some irregulars -- including Jerry Hairston Jr., Shelley Duncan and Jose Molina -- in the lineup. It also included Ian Kennedy, back from an aneurysm, wriggling out of an eighth-inning jam. A.J. Burnett pitched 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball for the win. Robinson Cano had a critical two-run single. Melky Cabrera followed that up with an RBI double. Mariano Rivera got the save. The Yankees should have a chance to clinch the American League East this weekend when second-place Boston comes to town.

The Gowanus Canal, currently in the midst of a battle over Superfund status, now has Riverkeeper watching its slimy, green, polluted back. Reportedly the folks at the organization are prepared to sue property owners along it, "including the city, for ongoing pollution problems ... [including] illegally dumping garbage into the already fetid corpse of water." The litterbugs have 60 days to clean up before they'll file the suit. more ›

With only a few days left before the public advocate runoff, the biggest question in the race seems to be: do you feel comfortable with Mark Green because he's already had the job or would you rather just see him go away like he promised three years ago? Green and Bill de Blasio are tied in the polls at 46 percent going into Tuesday's contest, expected to get miniscule turnout after only ten percent of Dems turned out for last week's primary. more ›

Fresh on the heels of news that Trader Joe's is set to invade Chelsea, word is that the TJ's sister-slash-superstore, ALDI, will be opening in Queens. The Voice talks to a "supermarket consultant" who tells them to expect a dozen more ALDI locations to follow. The Wegmans count for the five boroughs sadly remains at zero. more ›

Hiram Monserrate's lawyer Joe Tacopina called his client's yanking his bleeding girlfriend down a staircase "reasonable force, not violence." He claimed that she was refusing to go to a hospital and was drunk, and the state senator needed to forcibly convince her to go. To explain why they did not go to Elmhurst Hospital, which was two blocks away, and instead drove to Long Island Jewish, twelve miles away, Tacopina said, "It's a better hospital." more ›

The building at 19 Washington Square North is almost ready to become the NYC center of NYU's campus in Abu Dhabi. The center will hold office space and a special teleconference room where NYU professors can offer instruction to students, who will be in Abu Dhabi. more ›

With kids back in the classrooms, parents and teachers have been complaining about overcrowding. According to the UFT, the number of jam-packed classes has increased by 20 percent this year. Many students end up sharing books, while others are made to learn inside converted closets. "It's like on the subway at rush hour," said Erin Flanagan, a P.E. teacher in Flushing, "when the doors open, there's no room. That's what the hallways are like." more ›

40-year-old Jonathan Huff, a Bronx high school dean who was just named Teacher of the Year in 2007, was arrested on charges of sexually abusing and forcibly touching a 14-year-old student. The incident at the all-male school allegedly took place over a weekend on one of the campuses Taft High School in Mount Eden. more ›

Our new lieutenant governor does not know what Twitter is and has a playful sense of swearing. Richard Ravitch wasted no time in spinning out the "I don't give a shit" charm that makes him so appealing to many New Yorkers, telling reporters, "I know that my golf game is going to go to hell in a basket." more ›

Jessica Del Rocco, the high school girlfriend of Yale murder suspect Raymond Clark, said she had needed "police intervention" to get out of her relationship with him when he was a senior at Branford High in Connecticut. She also described him as controlling, telling her what clothes she could wear, who she could see, and how loud and how often to talk. more ›

President Obama said that the U.S. needs the help of other nations in tackling the world's problems and cannot go it alone, during his forty-minute address to the U.N. General Assembly today. He called upon other nations to respond to the call, saying that the world needed "a global response to global problems." more ›

According to a survey, New Yorkers don't like the idea of building another airport to relieve the god-awful congestion in the skies. But they're also opposed to pricing plane tickets based on the time of day. So what can they agree on? Apparently: redesigning flight patterns, updating the air traffic control system, and using Stewart International Airport in Orange County. more ›

On the heels of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov's blog confirmation of rumors that he'll help finance the Bruce Ratner's embattled Nets stadium, Forest City Ratner has issued a statement detailing the "strategic partnership for the development of the Atlantic Yards Project." According to the press release, "entities to be formed by Prokhorov's Onexim Group will invest $200 million and make certain contingent funding commitments to acquire 45% of the arena project and 80% of the NBA team." The tentative $200 million deal would also involve Prokhorov taking on some of the team’s debts and reducing Ratner’s 23 percent stake. more ›

There was much rancor recently when Pratt announced it would restrict its campus to students and faculty. The university has long described the grounds as an "urban oasis" for the community, so locals are surprised about the sudden change. Some speculated that Pratt couldn't legally restrict access, because city streets were absorbed by the campus in the '50s. Well, The Local did some digging and learns that there is in fact no such requirement. Pratt can and will exclude you. more ›

A man was arrested for starting a fire in March that tore through six local businesses and caused an estimated $2 million in property damage. 40-year-old William Crean of the Bronx has been charged with 2nd degree arson and reckless endangerment for the March 22nd fire in Westchester Square. He could face up to 25 years if convicted. The three-alarm blaze required 33 FDNY units and 140 firefighters and took three hours to control. more ›

Moammer Gadhafi called for the dissolution of the U.N. Security Council and investigations into the murders of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King during an address at the United Nations today, offering bones to both right- and left-wing nuts all over the world. more ›

After finding himself starved for conversation, a Suffolk County man went on to make nearly 300 fake 911 calls, ranging from claims of car accidents to murders. The perp used a falsetto voice and pretended to be a woman— and more than once he identified himself as THE Christopher Columbus. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Governor David A. Paterson's facial hair is no more. Days after meeting with President Obama (amid rumors that Obama requested him to leave the governor's race), Paterson has bared all on his face, losing his celebrated mustache before New Yorkers really got a chance to get to know it. The dramatic change was revealed when the governor arrived this morning for a meeting with state leaders. more ›

A former NYPD detective who was caught lying when a murder suspect recorded the cop questioning him on an MP3 player was sentenced to four months in in jail. Christopher Perino has already lost his job, pension and health benefits, estimated to be worth $3 million, after being convicted for perjury. Perino had claimed to have never questioned 17-year-old attempted murder suspect Erik Crespo during Crespo's trial, only to have the teenager break out the hour-long grilling he had stored on file. more ›

The Daily News claims that Bill Clinton joined Barack Obama in a "presidential pile-on," joining the "push against Paterson," somehow suggesting that the embattled governor should just give in now. Clinton said on the Today Show that Paterson "is not in good shape right now." more ›

Does your boss beat you with walkie-talkies or try to extort you for $20K in cash? If not, you might have it better than some bus and taxi workers in Queens— who say that their employer took advantage of their immigration status to make their lives a living hell. more ›

It's been two years since lines wrapped around Apple stores as New Yorkers waited and waited to get their hands on a precious iPhone, but the masses are still unhappy with AT&T. That's right disgruntled iPhone owners: you are not iLone! CNET has gathered some of the complaints about AT&T's service and claims of coverage (one declares "My damn iPhone drops calls about 75 percent of the time inside my house"), and one New Yorker living near JFK airport aired his grievances on YouTube. more ›

Lawyers for the recently-reopened Hawaiian Tropic Zone have failed to convince a judge that a discrimination lawsuit against the restaurant should be dismissed. Now it's up to a jury to decide whether management at the Times Square HTZ turned Melody Morales down for a job because her deportment was too ethnic. Morales filed the suit back in January after managers allegedly told her, "We will not hire you because you have a 'speech problem.' You have a Latin accent. You don't speak white. You are ghetto." more ›

Since the New York City Housing Authority implemented a ban on pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Doberman pinschers in public housing projects last April, at least 113 pets have been turned over to centers run by Animal Care and Control, and 49 have been euthanized. Tenants and animal welfare groups are outraged about the ban, which also prohibits any dog expected to weigh more than 25 pounds when grown. more ›

Is Mayor Bloomberg's crusade to turn New Yorkers into healthy eaters really just a product of his own struggles with self-control, roller coaster dieting and poor body image? It turns out that the man who has banned trans fats, made us face calorie count signs on a daily basis and now has his squinty eyes aimed at sodium levels in restaurants and sugary soda drinks is the type of guy that "an unflattering photo of himself can trigger weeks of intense dieting and crankiness." more ›

On their way to outlawing smoking in public parks, beaches, and in your dreams, officials at the Health Department are moving forward with a plan to require graphic cigarette warning signs anywhere you buy smokes in NYC. The new signs will include information on how to quit, and, like the one seen here, will show the ugly side-effects of smoking. Some 12,000 retailers in all five boroughs are expected to display the signs by December, but the city will give them a two month grace period before issuing fines. more ›

The Brooklyn Paper reports that members of the Westboro Baptist Church — famous for their "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God For 9/11" signs — will be in Park Slope this Saturday to harass the Sabbath services at Congregation Beth Elohim. This isn't their first time in NYC— they visited the West Village earlier this year. The synagogue is being targeted as part of a concerted effort to begin protesting Jewish organizations for such sins as tolerance of homosexuality and of course, killing Jesus. more ›

Plaxico Burress cried yesterday as his three-year-old son Elijah and pregnant wife Tiffany watched him go off to jail. "I want to apologize to my family, my wife and my son," the superstar wide receiver said. "And my daughter," he added in a whisper. He was presumably referring to the unborn female child his wife is carrying, unless there are others we don't know about. "I thank everybody for their support, and my family for their prayers. We will all get through this." more ›

NYC Transit buses are crawling with roaches! It says so in amNY! Bus operators, mechanics and union leaders have told the city's easy-reading tabloid that the infestation has gotten out of control, because NYC Transit has cut back on cleaning. One Bronx NYC Transit driver says his bus was "chronically infected with hundreds of roaches during overnight runs, when they would crawl up the dashboard." more ›

The alleged serial rapist who terrorized Upper Manhattan for over a month tried to make a break for it during his arraignment Monday night. He didn't get very far. According to the Post, an unidentified young woman—believed to be a girlfriend—was in the Manhattan Criminal Court room sobbing and blowing kisses at suspect Vincent Heyward, whose DNA matched all four victims. When Heyward saw her, he bolted for the back door of the courtroom, pursued by more than a dozen court officers. more ›

As the authorities continue to investigate the alleged terror attack plans on "places of amusement, immorality, and sin" as well as "vital economic centers," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has been trying to assure New Yorkers that the NYPD is on top of things as always, saying, "There is no specific threat. In a post-9/11 world, we're concerned. We do more than any other city in the world," and "Our operating premise is that the city is the top of the terrorist target list. That there are always those people that want to come here and hurt us." We guess that's why more raids were conducted yesterday. more ›

Once a victim of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, alway a victim of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, but even the people trying to figure out the victims' claims are messing up: A laptop containing "names, addresses, Social Security numbers and some Madoff account information on 2,246 investors" was stolen from a car. more ›

Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi is expected to speak to the United Nations today, but yesterday he caused a big stir when reports said a large Bedouin tent was being set up on the grounds of a Bedford, NY estate owned by Donald Trump. After initially denying reports, the Trump Organization now admits, "We have business partners and associates all over the world. The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern partners who may or may not have a relationship with Mr. [Gadhafi]," sort of allowing it to say it didn't directly rent to Gadhafi. more ›

Howard Dean was six-term governor of Vermont, ran for President in 2004, and served as the head of the Democratic National Committee from February 2005 to January 2009. During this period he became known for the "50-State Strategy," that the party should spend money in all states rather than merely battleground states (the latter position favored by now-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel). He will be speaking at the 92nd Street Y on Thursday, September 24th, discussing his new book Howard Dean's Prescription For Real Health Care Reform. The book is as he advertises it, a thin (133 pages), lucid explanation of the health care issues most relevant to the legislation currently before Congress. Dean himself is a medical doctor, and is now one of the most vocal and insistent advocates for health care legislation, news and information about which can be found at his website www.standwithdrdean.com. more ›

Yesterday afternoon at around 3:30 p.m., a woman—who was trying to shield her 9-year-old child at the time— was fatally shot in violent crossfire on East 146th Street in the Bronx's Mott Haven neighborhood. According to MyFox NY, "Aisha Santiago, 25, was just coming home from doing laundry when someone opened fire on East 146th Street," and some witnesses think that the gunfire was from rival gangs, possibly the Bloods and Crips based on the groups' colors, while police suspect it might be the Latin Kings and another gang. more ›

• Yankees 6, Angels 5: After a one-year absence, the Yankees will play in October again. They clinched a berth when Oakland defeated Texas. Then the Yankees bounced back to beat the Angels after blowing a 5-0 lead. Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in the third -- as did Jorge Posada -- and then hit the tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the ninth. Chad Gaudin, a stealth candidate to be in the playoff rotation, started strong but couldn't finish the fifth inning. Alfredo Aceves and Phil Hughes combined to blow the lead, but Mariano Rivera held the one-run margin in the ninth. The Yankees didn't pop any Champagne or do anything crazy. They're saving that for a division title. The magic number for that is six. The Yankees are six up with 10 games left -- the Red Sox have 12. The teams play three times in the Bronx this weekend.
• Braves 3, Mets 1: Only 10 games left. That's right, only 10. Nelson Figueroa pitched seven innings of two-run ball but got zero help from the "bats" in the Mets' lineup. The No. 3-6 hitters went 1-for-15. Brian Schneider got two hits, doubling his total for the season. Luis Castillo put the Mets on the board first with an RBI single in the third, but Figueroa gave up both his runs in the top of the fourth. Mike Pelfrey faces Tim Hudson as the Mets close out their penultimate homestand on Wednesday night.
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A translation of Russian billionaire tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov's Russian blog sheds a little light on his reasons for financing the Nets arena and Atlantic Yards. Besides attracting Western capital, he mentions "access to all modern technology and training methods with the possibility of using them in Russia," and then goes on to detail how the team could be used to place Russian trainers, managers, and players into the NBA. They may have to rename the team the Nyets! (Via Curbed.) more ›

Lots of talk this week about where the tyrants are staying. Ever wonder where the American presidents stay? All of them since Truman have stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, on 50th and Park. Huffpost embeds two video tours, one by a woman who got randomly upgraded to the presidential suite when checking in to the hotel. Glitzy! more ›

[UPDATE BELOW, with video] State Senator Hiram Monserrate's girlfriend told hospital workers he had beaten her and slashed her face only because she was drunk, Monserrate's lawyer said yesterday. "Were not blaming her for anything," said famed defense lawyer Joe Tacopina. "But intoxication impairs one's ability to perceive." The Post also notes that Tacopina blamed a "language barrier." more ›

Chrissie Brodigan, the pug owner whose shocking arrest gripped the city this summer, has had her final ticket dismissed. Issued for disorderly conduct because Brodigan was vehemently arguing with arresting officer Joel Witriol, the ticket was ultimately tossed today because it was written incorrectly (as were the other two, in addition to being manually altered after the fact). Brodigan's lawyer speculates that Witriol may have intentionally made mistakes on the tickets so they would be dismissed on a technicality and ensure that Brodigan could not challenge the charges on their merits. more ›

Oh snap! Earlier today Paterson explained his friction with the Obama administration as partially the fault of the White House's own frustrations: "they haven't exactly been able to govern in the first year of their administration in the way that other administrations have, where you would have, theoretically, a period in which the new administration is allowed to pass the needed pieces of legislation." Them's fighting words! more ›

The tabloid circus surrounding Moammer Gadhafi's first visit to American soil goes on and on and on. Now the Huffington Post claims that Gadhafi is planning to pitch his tent at the Westchester estate of Donald Trump. We have to admit we find this a bit astonishing, but times are tough for real estate moguls. A Trump spokesperson called this "absolutely false," but then qualifed, "He is not there to my knowledge." The Huffpost claimed that the deal might get scrapped if there was "bad publicity." Uh-oh. more ›

Animals sure are having a big news day; the latest word is that the city is getting some pressure put on it to construct full-service animal shelters that reach all five boroughs. more ›

Supporters of Iran's seemingly sputtered Green Revolution apparently attempted to get the ESB to show green lights this week while Ahmadinejad was in town for the UN meetings — and were refused. But the WSJ notes the building will be lit in green on Thursday anyway for something much more important: the "Wizard Of Oz's 70th Anniversary Emerald Gala." more ›

Yes Men co-founder Andy Bichlbaum was arrested this morning while demonstrating one of the group's post-apocalyptic SurvivaBalls, described as "a self-contained living system—truly, a gated community for one. If you have a SurvivaBall, even if everyone else is dying, at least you can weather all storms." A spokesperson tells us that Bichlbaum was at Stuy Cove Park, just north of East 20th Street on the East River, wearing a SurvivaBall along with twenty others similarly ensconced. There were about 40 spectators, and so the NYPD, acting on NYC's unconstitutional parade permit law, arrived to break up the citizens' peaceful assembly. more ›

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced 24 "Genius Awards" recipients today, including New Yorkers Theodore Zoli, Deborah Eisenberg and Rackstraw Downes. They also include L. Mahadevan, "an applied mathematician at Harvard who investigates behaviors like how flags flutter and how skin wrinkles." Apparently, studies like this merit $500,000? The Times has a full list of the winners. more ›

Former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress headed for Rikers Island earlier today after being sentenced to a two-year term for second-degree "attempted weapons possession." He had pleaded guilty to the charge after shooting himself in the thigh with his own illegal pistol in a Manhattan nightclub in November 2008. From Rikers Island he will be transferred to one of NY's many beautiful upstate prisons, just in time for foliage season and intramural convict football. ESPN.com noted that he was expected to serve about twenty months, followed by two years of probation, if his behavior is good. more ›

An audit by the State Comptroller's Office has found that five CUNY colleges failed to report 73 percent of the felonies that occurred on their campuses, as required by law. The most ironic offender? John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which failed to report 19 of its 20 felonies. more ›

Yesterday Curbed quietly pointed out that the West Village residents were rallying against the Jane Hotel, particularly the establishment's plan for a rooftop bar. Rumor has it neighbors were promised entrance to the place if they would just STFU, but since late last month they've been airing their complaints on a blog called Nightmare on Jane Street. more ›

The Parks Department is about to impose heavy new regulations on the pedicab operators in Central Park, but the New York City Pedicab Owners Association is begging the city to backpedal. Under the new rules, pedicabs will be forbidden from areas where taxis and carriages make pick-ups; required to operate in the right lane of traffic, not the bike lane on the left; and, weirdly, prohibited from displaying advertisements at times when other motor vehicles are barred from the park. more ›

Oh baby! Last night this cute little lamb was born on a transport truck on the way to a Bronx slaughterhouse. Luckily, a good samaritan and Farm Sanctuary swooped in and saved him, eventually bringing the little guy to their shelter in Watkins Glen, NY. Sadly, the mother didn't have such luck, and went to slaughter with the rest on board the truck.

"The minutes old lamb was discovered by a Good Samaritan who was shopping at an Italian market just a few doors down from the slaughterhouse when the truck arrived. Wanting to get a closer look at the sheep as they were unloaded, the woman walked over to the truck and was shocked to discover a newborn lamb among the herd, as well as a less fortunate lamb who had been trampled to death during transport. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg announced that the NYPD was going to create a footwear database to quickly decode shoe treads and people's walking patterns. Go to the Post article for the info, as well as all the predictable puns about gumshoes, shoe-ins, soles, etc. more ›

Think your job sucks? The Times gives you the lowdown on Barack Obama's day: first a speech to the UN Climate Change Conference, with two impossible goals: establishing some kind of US credibility on the issue, and getting India and China to sign on. From there he meets with Mr. Sweetcakes himself, Benjamin Netanyahu, then with Mr. Energy and Action, Mahmoud Abbas, then with both of them at the same time. more ›

Following this weekend's crash, the carriage horse debate surfaces in the headlines once again. CityRoom takes a look at the status of the industry after two years of getting audited by the city comptroller's office. They note that while certain things have improved, "the two agencies that oversee the business have acted too slowly in putting reforms into effect." more ›

The saga of the Kent Avenue bike lane continues! First the Orthodox Satmar Jews in South Williamsburg objected to the old bike lane because of the influx of immodestly-dressed female cyclists, then local merchants complained that customers and delivery trucks had nowhere to park. Barricades were threatened, fake detour signs were put up, and clowns rushed to the scene. Responding to the whining, the DOT ripped up part of Kent and changed it to northbound-only traffic, creating a dedicated bike lane buffered by parking spots. And everyone was happy some were placated! more ›

Before today, there wasn't any indication that police would ever find the person who set off a bomb at the Times Square Military Recruitment Office back in March 2008. But now the The Times reports that a grand jury is meeting to investigate the case, and it is interviewing a student from the New School (whose lawyer says he is a witness and not a target of the investigation). more ›

While Mayoral Candidate Monty Burns would never want to clean up the Gowanus Canal (what's a little gonorrhea bacteria?), Mayor Bloomberg wants it spic n' span for developers and investors. And he doesn't want help from no stinkin' EPA either. The director of the Center for Urban Innovation now agrees that Superfunding the site would be setback; in his editorial for the Post he says that while someone may benefit (Mother Nature?) the neighborhoods around the canal will not. more ›

Sure, you use your Snuggie to go bar hopping, fornicate comfortably, and walk the runway, but the Snuggie's most valuable purpose has yet to be fully explored... until now! Take it away, press release: "What if you could burn 600 calories in 15 minutes… in a Snuggie? That’s what the latest medi-spa treatment is promising using Far Infrared Ray technology. The 'Snuggie Sauna' (official name: Relax Far Infrared Ray Sauna) improves blood circulation, promotes lymphatic drainage and cellular renewal, increases metabolism, burns calories without lactic acid production, promotes better sleep and detoxifies the body from heavy metals, including mercury and cadmium—all in 15-20 minutes." more ›

Score one for Paterson! The state's highest court just sided with him on his appointment of Richard Ravitch as Lieutenant Govenor. Read the Times piece for a full brief on the 4-3 decision, considered a "stunning reversal" - all the lower courts had held against Paterson. more ›

Makenzie Vega, a 15-year-old actress who plays Julianna Margulies's daughter in CBS drama The Good Wife, was staying in the room directly above the one where investment executive Andree (Sara) Bejjani was found murdered Saturday. Vega says that hours before the murder she had a retrospectively scary exchange with suspect Derrick Praileau, the housekeeping manager at the Essex House who has confessed to stabbing Bejjani with a 10-inch bread knife during a violent rape attempt. more ›

The statements and actions of President Obama and Governor Paterson in the past few days have made it clear that the de facto Democratic Party leader has given the patriarchal blessing to Andrew Cuomo. Obama began his speech yesterday in Troy thus: "We have special guests here that I want to acknowledge. First of all, a wonderful man, the governor of the great state of New York, David Paterson. Next, your shy and retiring attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, is in the house. Andy is doing great work that has to be done." more ›

When plotting to cut off some dude's Johnson, research is everything. On trial yesterday on charges of killing her father and cutting off his penis, airport security guard Brigitte Harris, 28, told jurors she thoroughly searched the Internet for rod-cutting inspiration, finding Lorena Bobbitt's infamous attack on her husband particularly helpful. But before anyone calls for banning the Internet to save the penises, note that Harris's father allegedly molested her since the age of 3 (and her younger sister). more ›

Please do heed the word "gruesome" before deciding whether to read further. Seriously. Police sources have told the Post that the body of slain Yale graduate student Annie Le was horrifically broken and mangled in order to fit through a wall opening the size of a computer screen. The corpse was found in a utility space in a bathroom wall near the basement lab where Le had been working the day she vanished. more ›

We got all excited when we read that Obama played hoops yesterday in NYC before the UN General Assembly, but it ended up that he played in the gym at the very nice but very proper St. Bart's Church on Park Avenue, which is hardly known for rough inside play. Still hoping we'll walk by the Cage on West Fourth and see the Commander-in-Chief tossing some elbows someday. more ›

We've received multiple reports that the Port Authority Bus Terminal is currently "on lock down" because of a suspicious package. A reader tells us there are "cops with M4s, and people being evacuated." Another reports "limited access from the subway level." We'll keep you posted as the situation develops. Update: The emergency response team is "already out of the area," according to one witness. more ›

While a Queens imam, a former Queen resident and his father have been been arrested because of fears over a terrorist plot in NYC, now it's suggested that many more people were involved. WCBS 2 reports that the FBI and NYPD "are still tracking a core group of nine to 12 people with knowledge of the alleged terror plot"—and who planned "to use homemade explosives to bomb one or more terror targets in New York City." more ›

Threatening to kill people like President Obama and NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly isn't what made Crank Yankers a hit. On Sunday afternoon, police arrested 18-year-old Bronx teen Jonathan Avalos for calling 911 five times that morning and making the threats. Police sources tell the Daily News he's undergoing a psychiatric evaluation, because standing outside an Obama event with a gun is one thing, but crank calls will not be tolerated.
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After parents complained about freshmen girls' hazing (and a slut list) at NJ's Millburn High School, the school administration says it will combat the long-standing problem. However, no culprits have been found, prompting one parent to say, "If it were my decision alone, I would punish the entire female population of the senior class. If you punish them all, you’ll get the names you need, because no one is going to take the rap for someone else." But one Gothamist reader says the freshmen victims are being "hysterical." more ›

Besides admiring the heart-shaped potato an audience member brought in, President Barack Obama continued his media blitz by discussing various issues with David Letterman on the Late Show just now. For instance, when Letterman asked about former President Jimmy Carter's belief that some political attacks against the President (including Rep. Wilson's "You lie!") were steeped in racism, Obama joked, "It's important to realize that I was actually black before the election." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg thinks that he could strong-arm local Republican state senators into voting for a gay marriage bill, but he doesn't seem to believe that the Democrats have the cajones to bring Governor Paterson's same-sex marriage legislation to the floor. Asked why he thought he could change the minds of some pretty staunch GOP gay marriage opponents, Bloomberg said, “I’m the main funder. You know, you can’t dictate every piece of legislation, and I don’t want to say that they’re bribable. But they know where I stand, and they want me to be a supporter.” more ›

Of course it is — in private residences. So sure enough some condo developers are betting they can move some units by putting a "poker lounge" in the basement of their building at 254 Park Avenue South. "254PAS", which is so cool and just rolls off the tongue, has their own website, a great study in campy advertising, though of course we apologize to those people (unavoidable in this city, I'm afraid) who will find it really cool. more ›

Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner's quid pro quo relationship with community organizing group ACORN is public knowledge, but now that the group is on the hot seat for those hidden camera humiliations, the Post takes another look. For years, ACORN has rallied its members to enthusiastically support the construction of Ratner's $4.9 billion NBA arena, and in exchange ACORN would help manage tenants for the 2,250 affordable-housing units still planned for Atlantic Yards, to be built someday in the unforeseeable future. more ›

The city’s commissioner of small business services says that he has not seen as high a concentration of local chains anywhere in the city outside of Smith Street in Brooklyn. The Times checks in on the Carroll/Cobble hub that includes the Franks, the "Stinky people," and the cluster of lifestyle businesses that have created an Area area. One owner says the street allows him to “tap into these customers in a variety of different ways.” more ›

Believe it or not, we don't publish every egregious bike lane blocking photo that lands in our inbox, but this one's just too delicious to pass up. Taken on the Eighth Avenue bike lane, which is separated from traffic by a row of parking, exhibit A shows a Rite Aid tractor trailer transforming the bike lane into an unloading zone. The reader who sent it tells us this was by the Rite Aid on West 20th Street. Though it's probably tempting for cyclists to react self-riteously to such a photo, one wonders how businesses are supposed to receive deliveries with such a bike lane design. Certainly, they can't be expected to park around the corner and use a hand truck! more ›

After Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez obtained $300,000 in public funds last year for a study to explore possible solutions on what to do with the BQE Ditch, the area along the Columbia waterfront between Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens, the input-gathering process is finally underway—via soliciting blog comments. So fire away. [Brownstoner] more ›

Today in Kew Gardens opening arguments were heard in the bench trial of State Senator Hiram Monserrate, who faces three counts of felony assault against his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo. The Daily News reports that the prosecutor accused Monserrate of flying into a jealous rage at finding another man's business card in his girlfriend's purse, and attacked her with a glass of water, saying, "You want the water? You want the water? Here's your water!", slashing her face with the broken glass. more ›

The Daily News tells us that the red carpet laid out for Moammer Gadhafi's welcome at the Libyan Mission was peed on by a "politically incorrect pooch," calling the act a "stream of consciousness protest." more ›

December Martin is suing publishing house McGraw-Hill on sexual harassment charges, claiming she was driven out of her position as Chief Information Officer. Martin claims that when she became pregnant last year, one of her supervisors told her, "Oh, you're tired. You're not having sex. Sex gives you energy." The executive also allegedly told her she should "try a sex toy" to stave off fatigue. [NYPost] more ›

The real New York Post (not the far superior, global warming hoax edition) is reporting that the NYPD has cracked down on illegal bike rental vendors. Apparently, you need to be licensed to rent out bicycles, but some illicit pedal pushers have been running their businesses from the sidewalks around Central Park. more ›

Two men were arrested by local feds for an ATM Ponzi scheme that netted them over $80 million dollars by soliciting investments towards cash machines they claimed to own but didn't. While they could face up to 20 years in prison, they can at least look at girls stealing dudes' pin numbers outside nightclubs and in their best Paul Hogan say, "Now that's an ATM scam." [WSJ] more ›

If you're pregnant, and your baby daddy is being deployed to Afghanistan, and besides, you were totally going to pick up your dog's poop in a minute... should you still be fined $250 for not doing so quickly enough? The Daily News reports that 19-year-old, 9-days-overdue Alicia Fernbacker of Maspeth was slapped with such a fine last week by a sanitation department agent. more ›

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney met with the NYC postmaster to discuss the possibility of closing the Pitt Station post office as part of much-needed budget cuts. The USPS points out that Knickerbocker Station is only three-tenths of a mile away. But LES seniors point out that that can be really far for some people, as well as the fact that Knickerbocker has stairs. And old people hate stairs. [The Lo-Down] more ›

Bloomberg LP is sniffing around for new acquisitions in business media. And now they have placed a bid to buy Businessweek, according to Jon Fine of Businessweek itself (via Fishbowl NY). It's not certain that the sale will actually be completed, but Fine notes that Bloomberg LP is "viewed as a company with both the resources to outbid most other comers and also one that has an existing infrastructure that many BusinessWeek operations can be folded into." He points out that Bloomberg LP has in excess of $5 billion in revenue annually, and more than "2,350 journalists -- or around 15 percent more than the combined staffs [of] The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal." more ›

The New York Times thinks so; the company's own payment rules bar execs from getting over $3 million in bonuses and 400,000 stock options. Yet publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. and CEO Janet Robinson have both been paid under a plan that allows for $3.5 million in bonuses and over half a million stock options. Maybe that seems a tad excessive, but it's been a stressful year for the Times execs, what with all the staff cuts and ad losses they've sustained, so leave Pinch alone! more ›

The Mintlife blog determined by stats that Brooklyn is America's "most frugal city," edging out San Jose and New York. Huh? How can New York be the third most frugal city in America? You'll have to figure it out yourself. And while you're there, tell them Brooklyn hasn't been a city since 1898. more ›

Oh no, man! According to witnesses, this morning the NYPD detained several volunteers working with the Yes Men to distribute the hoax edition of the New York Post. Photographer Jason Nicholas was at the scene outside News Corp., the Post headquarters, when he observed cops detaining three volunteers who had been handing out copies. more ›

Get your florescent bulbs and reusable shopping bags ready, because Climate Week NYC is here! Though the summit on climate change taking place at the UN is looking to disappoint, plenty of New Yorkers are doing their part to bring awareness to this global crisis. Events like the Oxfam's Human Wake Up Call and beach cleaning initiatives began over the weekend, and every day this week is filled with lectures, rallies and projects inspiring people to do their part. Treehugger has a list of some of the noteworthy events. more ›

A housekeeping manager at the Essex House has confessed to the stabbing murder of Sara Bejjani after investigators say he attempted to rape the woman who had been residing inside the luxury hotel along Central Park South. 29-year-old Derrick Praileau had worked at the hotel since he was 17 and is described as being known for having a "flash temper." He told police that he showed up drunk before his 6 a.m. shift Saturday, used his key to get into Bejjani's 10th floor apartment and then admits, "I just lost it." more ›

The New York State Health Department is now requiring mandatory seasonal and swine flu vaccinations for all hospital, home health and hospice workers. No other state or city agency in America has such a requirement, and a coalition of local health care workers unions are considering filing a lawsuit to block it. Less than half of all health care workers across America get an annual flu shot, and Dr. Julie Gerberding, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, thinks the New York requirement is "a big deal." She tells the Times it's time for "a more aggressive approach," not just for the protection of workers, but also for patients with weak immune systems. more ›

The latest Marist poll puts Bloomberg ahead of Thompson 50% to 39%, 10% undecided. The eleven-point lead is in line with previous polls, so it looks like winning the primary didn't help Thompson out that much. But there's still six weeks until election day! more ›

The New York man arrested in the Queens terror plot, Ahmad Wais Afzali, had been serving—cooperatively, at least according to his lawyer—as an FBI informant. The 37-year-old Afzali, who served as an imam in a mosque in Flushing and lived in the house pictured, had been passing along to the FBI information on Mohammed Zazi and his son Najibullah, who have also been arrested, according to WCBS 2. more ›

Police believe they've apprehended the serial rapist responsible for four sexual assaults in Hamilton Heights since early August. The suspect is identified as 21-year-old Vincent Heyward, of 281 Edgecombe Avenue, just blocks from where the last sexual assault took place. According to police spokesman Paul Browne, officers approached Heyward on Tuesday around 12:30 a.m. because he resembled sketches of the rapist. Heyward agreed, telling the cops, "Yeah, that does look like me." He also consented to swab his cheek for DNA testing, then went on his way. more ›

Ladies who looove tall guys, take note: 8-feet-1 Sultan Kosen from Turkey is in town and available! According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the 26-year-old is the world's tallest man. But though the towering Turk enjoys a commanding view of the world, he has no one to share it with; he tells the Daily News, "To this day, I haven't had a girlfriend because, with my height, they're generally frightened. But eventually that's one thing I really want to have—and she doesn't have to be as tall as me."
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At the African-American Day parade in Harlem yesterday, Governor David Paterson informed reporters that he remained a candidate for governor, despite opposition to his candidacy from within his own party: "I am running for governor right now. I have no idea about any, in other words, I am a candidate for governor." Is this defiance or leaving himself some wiggle room? more ›

After last November's fake New York Times treatment, lefty political pranksters The Yes Men are back with a fake "Special Climate Edition" of the New York Post. The front page story, "WE'RE SCREWED," covers, in Bizarro-world Post fashion, the catastrophic events which the scientific community expects humanity to endure due to climate change. You can read it all online here, but the culture jammers have also distributed 1 million copies of the print edition city-wide. more ›

Peter Braunstein loves keeping in touch. The former journalist was convicted of attacking and assaulting a former colleague—while kidnapping her in her own apartment for 13 hours by pretending to be a firefighter (he set a fire in her building's stairwell) —in 2005 and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison in 2007. There was also a manhunt and capture after suicide attempt in Memphis. Now, he writes letters to the Post and Daily News, detailing his love for CW shows and his ultimately achieved goal of fame (or infamy). more ›

Despite fare hikes, the MTA has cut those maroon-vested station agents from 17 Brooklyn subway stations, effective yesterday. The affected stations include the Prospect Park B/Q station, where cops allegedly sodomized a man back in October 2008. Abandoned subway entrances will have intercoms patched into the 24-hour booth, but residents are uneasy, and one commuter at the Utica Avenue station in Bed Stuy tells the Daily News, "So I'll have to phone someone at the other end of the station to let them know I'm being mugged? That makes no sense." more ›

Nearly a week after an 18-year-old Hofstra student claimed that five men raped her in a dormitory bathroom—only to later admit the story was fake—the freshman may face charges for her lies, which put four of the "suspects" behind bars for two days. more ›

• Giants 33 Cowboys 31: When Giants Stadium opened the Cowboys spoiled things by beating the Giants. New York has returned the favor with a thrilling victory in the opening of Cowboys Stadium which included Mario Manningham showing he could be a #1 receiver. Manningham and Steve Smith had ten catches each and the Giants now have two wins and more importantly two wins in the NFC East.

Rex Ryan has now coached the Jets for two games and his defense has yet to give up a touchdown. Tom Brady could not find his way into the end zone this afternoon and the Jets stunned New England with a 16-9 upset at the Meadowlands, backing up their big talk all week. more ›

If this was the week you were thinking about finally signing up for that Driver's Ed class in midtown, think again. The UN General Assembly will be causing a clogged-up rut all around the center of the city, starting tomorrow and lasting all the way through Thursday. The worst of it will be on 42nd Street and 57th Streets, closed from 5th Avenue all the way over to 1st and 2nd Aves, respectively. Second Avenue between 42nd and 57th will be shut down for traffic that aren't emergency vehicles as well. And if you think taking the FDR will help you avoid the mess, think again. It'll be closed in both directions intermittently from 63rd Street to the South Ferry. more ›

There have been at least three muggings of Fordham students in the past week, according to NY1 News, at least one incident involving "steak knives." The Post also notes that the attacks have taken place at Lorillard and 189th Streets, but police claimed the attacks were "not part of a pattern." more ›

We have to thank WCBS 2 for reminding us of what we know already: sometimes when you swipe your Metrocard and it says "Swipe Again At This Turnstile," it has already deducted a fare, though the turnstile will not let you through. And that hurts, especially after turnstile groin and/or torso injuries. Not to mention the fact that they just took your money. more ›

Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused a three-alarm fire in Springfield Gardens yesterday that tore through a corner bodega, a metal and glass company, and a car service business. [NY1] more ›

On the heels of news that Governor Paterson is one (giant leap of a) step not closer to running for reelection, Rick Lazio is finally ready to give us the craved announcement of the 2010 campaign season—throwing his hat into the govenor's race Tuesday even though he basically all but said it months ago. That will likely soon be followed by Rudy "I'll only beat myself" Giuliani once again making Lazio the sacrificial lamb, this time to Andrew Cuomo. [Newsday] more ›

Ashley Dupre's new BFF and mentor may be Russell Simmons (hey, "don't call me a whore, you whores" rant and single were posted on Simmons' website), but Tommy Hilfiger totally outranks the Love Gov hooker in Simmons' book. Page Six reports, "After Hilfiger told [Rusell] Ashley Dupre was unwelcome at Tommy's Fashion Week party at the Jane Hotel, Simmons disinvited Eliot Spitzer's call girl"—the designer's rep explained, "Tommy didn't feel her presence would be appropriate." more ›

Yesterday just after noon we reported that a cab had collided with a horse and buggy on the Upper East Side. While we received plenty of photos and video of the aftermath, showing the wrecked car and carriage, there was no sight of the horse. more ›

The past few days have seen a flurry of police investigative activity in Queens, from Flushing to Woodhaven to St. Albans, to head off a possible plot to attack NYC targets. Now the first arrests have been made: CNN reports Najibullah Zazi, his father Muhammed Zazi, and their acquaintance Ahmad Wais Afzali were arrested last night in the terrorism investigation which has stretched from Denver to Pakistan to 41st Avenue in Flushing. more ›

How did Brooklyn Heights ring in the Jewish New Year? With swastikas painted inside the First Unitarian Universalist Church on Monroe Street. Sigh. Police said there were also “very inappropriate statements," but did not get more specific. [BHB] more ›

The Jets finally finished with Brett Favre this week when they were assessed a fine of $75,000 for not placing him on the injury report last season as required by NFL rules. The only reason this issue ever came to light was Brett Favre decided to tell everyone he was really hurt last season and that was the reason he played so poorly down the stretch. more ›

He's been on TV this morning supporting his health plan. But seriously— I think we can all agree that it's in our best interest if the president is allowed to skip to the front of the swine-flu vaccine line. We must protect Obama from the pigs! more ›

If only seal sightings were reserved for vast seascapes. PETA sent one of their "seals of disapproval" to the Grand Hyatt Hotel this past week "to protest Canada's seal slaughter while the country's prime minister, Stephen Harper" was attending a meeting inside. The organization notes that tens of thousands of harp seals are slaughtered in Canada each year, and even baby seal's skulls are bashed in during slaughter season. more ›

Benito Barrios walked into a local precinct house in Staten Island Thursday night claiming that he "discovered" a 25-pound bag of pot in a delivery made to his furniture store. Cops then "discovered" 50 more pounds, hidden in his garden and arrested Barrios and his wife. There was no word on if Barrios was discovered to be totally blazed when he showed up at the station. more ›

While this headline may read: "For Edwards, Drama Builds Toward a Denouement," it should have really just said "John Edwards Promised Rielle Hunter Rooftop Wedding in NYC, Soundtracked by the Dave Matthews Band, Once the Other Mrs. Edwards Died." The end. more ›

President Obama was on this morning, sitting down with David Gregory. The topics were what you'd expect: the extreme tone that the health care debate has taken on, how it's not about race, who he's predicting to win the World Series, if there's a deadline on Afghanistan, etc. Wait wait, was the president once again lured into being a chatty Cathy on plebian topics one again, just days after he called Kanye West " a jackass"? more ›

A businesswoman from Dubai was found yesterday inside a condo at the Essex House, disrobed, with her throat slashed and a jumprope around her neck. 44-year-old Andree (Sara) Bejjani, president of Royal Investments, LLC, a real estate investment firm based in Dubai, had been staying at the luxury hotel on Central Park South since August. This morning cops arrested an Essex House employee, Derrick Praileau, but have not yet charged him. more ›

He also lost 50 pounds this year and twitters constantly. more ›

There was a lot of chatter about strange lights in the sky last night, from the Bowery to Queens, with one tipster saying, "My boyfriend and I were eating dinner on our roof across from the New Museum and saw a strong point of light that slowly emitted a wash of light that grew then receded until it totally faded away. It was definitely NOT a chopper plane or anything we've ever seen." This took place around 8 p.m., prime time for an alien invasion. more ›

Update: At the African-American Day Parade in Harlem today, Paterson responded by saying, “I have said time and time again that I am running for governor next year." more ›

The accident occurred at the corner of Greene Avenue and Washington Avenue in Fort Greene. The rapper Common's cousin, Ajile Turner, allegedly hit cyclist Julian C. Miller with his Kawasaki, and both were pronounced DOA at Brooklyn Hospital. more ›

• Mets 3 Washington 2: If you are looking for positives in a season short on them, look no further than this game. Tim Redding pitched seven-strong innings, lowering his ERA to 2.72 since he rejoined the rotation in August and earning his third win of the season. Jeff Francoeur had two hits and scored two runs while driving in a run as he continued his solid hitting since joining New York.
• Yankees 10 Seattle 1 The Yankees were in control throughout with C.C. Sabathia getting his 18th win. Mark Teixeira went deep twice, triple and knocked in five. With the win, the Yankees lower their magic number to nine.

The Times reports that police are not searching for further suspects in the Annie Le murder case, but no obvious motive has emerged. They quote the New Haven police chief as saying, "We may never know the exact motive," and that all theories were "speculation." There has been no indication of any romantic interest. He characterized the murder simply as "workplace violence." The case against Raymond Clark III is looking very strong, as Gothamist reported earlier, including DNA, text messages, and the fact that so few people had access to the research building where Le's body was found. more ›

The Giants will head down to Dallas on Sunday to open the new home of the Cowboys with a crowd of over 100,000 expected. Between the crowd and the opponent, this was already a very tough game, but several big injuries have made it even harder. Chris Canty, the defensive lineman signed from the Cowboys this offseason, will not play. Aaron Ross will most likely join him on the sidelines and Kenny Phillips and Kevin Dockery might be there as well, creating a huge void in the secondary. more ›

Governor Paterson finally endorsed Bill Thompson for mayor in a press conference yesterday. In what seemed to be a guarded statement not meant to attack Mayor Bloomberg, Paterson said, "I don’t find the mayor’s policies necessarily to be negative, but I think that it is time for a change, and we get someone such as Bill Thompson." more ›

The only way the Mets season could get any worse right now is if they put Bobby Bonilla in left. The team that many predicted would win the NL East, if not go even further, is now 22 games behind the division-leading Phils, the Mets' biggest deficit since 2003. And Newsday says the odds of ever seeing Carlos Delgado play another home game in Citi Field are looking slimmer and slimmer. more ›

Ah, the Flophouse—the sink of sin, the graveyard of virtue, the haunt of the degenerate and the roost of the bandit. And also a great way to save money. The Jacob Riis photo at left documents what was called "Five Cent Lodging" on Bayard Street. Try finding something similar in Chinatown now. SRO numbers have been trending downward historically. But we're told that the Single Room Occupancy or Rooming House format—the modern code for flophouse—may have a future yet. more ›

Despite a prominent and controversial platform plank which promised dialogue with all the world's states, President Obama will not meet Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when both arrive in New York City for the U.N. General Assembly. Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. was quoted by the Hill as saying, "With respect to the Iranian leader, I don't think there's much likelihood that there will be an interaction. There's no obvious venue in which that would occur, and certainly we have no meetings or anything of the sort planned." Certainly a precondition for any meeting is a venue, and that might be hard to find in New York, especially now that they can't meet at the Helmsley Hotel. more ›

Oh dear. Word just came in over the newswire that a horse and buggy has been struck on East 60th Street and 5th Avenue. The report says there are "2 aided at this point," and we'll update as soon as more information becomes available. Hopefully the horse is okay, but either way this will surely give animal rights activists more evidence that horses shouldn't be lugging tourists around the crowded streets of NYC. more ›

The NY Times spotlights the worries of some parents whose daughters are freshmen at NJ's well-regarded Millburn High School. Specifically, how senior girls' hazing of the frosh include a slut list ("A dozen or more names are written on a piece of notebook paper, with crass descriptions, and copies are passed around — hundreds this year, some say") and senior girls "blow[ing] whistles in some girls’ faces" and shoving "them into lockers." more ›

The City Police Department noted that NYC had seen "325 homicides as of yesterday, putting the city on pace for 457 by year's end," according to the Post. City homicide records are not deemed entirely reliable before the 1960s, and the year is most emphatically not over, but this would be fewer murders than any time since the 1920s. That's right, the Twenties. more ›

A Jets beatdown of the Texans, a Patriots escape against the Bills and Rex Ryan's new attitude have the Jets in a chipper mood as they prepare to face the Patriots at home Sunday. Kerry Rhodes, who said the Jets wanted to "embarrass," not simply beat, the Patriots, is especially excited for the game. As if this rivalry needed any more juice. more ›

An East New York mugging case that was a step away from a verdict had to be tossed when someone inside the Brooklyn courthouse recognized the jury's foreman and the defendant as old friends. The 20-year-old foreman, Rashawn Davis, apparently known as "Black," never revealed that he used to hang out with Corey Hinds, who goes as "Big Man." The Post says Davis goes by "Raymond Williams" and now may face perjury charges. more ›

A Greenpoint couple living on Driggs Avenue near McCarren Park is attempting a novel approach at fighting off what they describe as "hipster creep." They're proudly publicizing their building's long history as the Dekarski Funeral Home from around 1900 until the mid-’70s. more ›

After NJ pols and Englewood residents raised a firestorm over Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi staying at his Englewood residence, we now hear from the Post that Gadhafi has been kicked out of the swank Pierre Hotel as well. This time it was the guests who put up the fuss. One patron of the Fifth Avenue establishment, where rooms cost upwards of $1,400 a night said,"It's outrageous. How can they let this happen? I'll definitely be staying at another hotel next time." Gadhafi will be staying at the Libyan Mission to the U.N., in less sumptuous quarters. more ›

A drug bust in Springfeild Gardens led cops to a homemade zoo inside a home housing three geckos, two marmosets, three tarantulas, a monitor lizard, a snake, a baby caiman and two iguanas. Animal control was called in to bring in the illegal animals along with seven adult pitbulls, a bulldog and a puppy pitbull with cropped ears. An 84-year-old man who lives nearby said, "This is a nice block. Sometimes things like this happen, but I'm not leaving." [via NYDN]
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Everyone loves to "Keep fucking that chicken!" Well, at least say the bizarre yet irresistible catch phrase coined by WNYW Fox 5 anchor Ernie Anastos. If it's not Jon Stewart being jealous that Anastos got to use it first, then it's the Reverend Al Sharpton guessing that term's meaning. The Reverend told City Room, "It could be a kind of phrase: ‘Well, keep doing what you are doing. Keep going after it.' Even if you are tired or distracted, keep on doing that chicken, that kind of thing." We don't think fatigue or distraction will ever keep us from saying "Keep fucking that chicken!" (and then giggling for a few minutes). more ›

The man who was accused of being involved in a gang rape of a Hofstra University student, only for the student to recant her claim and admit the sex was consensual because there was a video of the encounter, is on the cover of the Post today. While Arvin Rivera, an 18-year-old senior at Harry S. Truman HS in The Bronx, was not arrested, he tells the paper, "I was so afraid. Words cannot even begin to describe how I was feeling inside. Thank God I was there. And thank God I filmed it." more ›

A woman leaving a Chelsea nightclub escaped a kidnapping that could have gotten a lot worse by jumping out of the moving car she had been pulled into as it sped away down Ninth Avenue. The 21-year-old who had been partying at Club Velour on 10th Avenue is not revealing her identity, but allowed her picture to be published in the Post. more ›

The only thing falling faster than the acorns on the trees these days is government funding for the embattled community organizing group of the same name. After lopsided votes in both the Senate and the House earlier in the week to cut off federal money from ACORN, yesterday Governor Paterson ordered state agencies not to move forward on contracts with the group. more ›

Now that Denver-area resident Najibullah Zazi may be admitting ties to Al Qaeda (apparently he met with some Al Qaeda operatives while in Pakistan) just a week after visiting Queens—prompting the FBI and NYPD to raid homes—the Daily News says apparently seven men attempted to "rent the biggest truck at a Queens U-Haul on Sept. 9." more ›

Irving Kristol, whose views helped shaped modern conservatism, died yesterday at age 89 in Washington D.C. from complications of lung cancer. more ›

Seattle 3 Yankees 2: This loss hurts, but seeing A.J. Burnett pitch like he did matters more at this point. Burnett pitched seven innings, allowing one run while striking out six. He helped himself immensely by picking Ichiro off of first two separate times. But, Ichiro got his revenge and got it against Mariano Rivera. With two outs in the ninth and the Yankees leading 2-1 Rivera gave up a double and then a home run to Ichiro to turn a Yankee win into a loss. The magic number remains at 10.

The folks at the Farm Sanctuary tell us three young ducks were just saved from some bullies in Boro Park, Brooklyn (where they were "mercilessly being taunted and abused of a group of children"). They report back from the scene more ›

That controversial Grand Street bike lane, beloved by cyclists and loathed by some business owners because it makes receiving deliveries onerous, now has a new enemy: Democratic mayoral candidate Bill Thompson. The comptroller was in Chinatown doing some pandering campaigning yesterday when he announced that, if elected, he would tear up that dedicated bike lane, which is buffered from traffic by a row of motor vehicle parking. Thompson told voters, "I'm in favor of bike lanes but you can't put bike lanes in without speaking to the community. You can't put bike lanes that are doing damage to local businesses." more ›

According to the Hartford Courant, DNA belonging to Raymond Clark, the Yale animal lab technician charged with murdering graduate student Annie Le, was found near where evidence was hidden: "The final piece that led to his arrest Thursday morning was the discovery that evidence in the ceiling and in the crawl space where Le's body was found contained the DNA of both Le and Clark." Also suspicious: "One investigator [interviewing employees and students shortly after Le disappeared]... witnessed Clark trying to hide lab cleaning equipment that they discovered contained blood spatters. more ›

With a name like Hugs one would think the Williamsburg-based bar would open their arms to all types of patrons. But they hung a sign stating: "No Timberlands, No Baggie Jeans, No Hoodies, No Sports Attire..." and the list goes on... and we all know hipsters wear skinny jeans. Their finals words: "We have the right to be selective!" We've contacted the bar to help us translate the sign, but they're currently using their right not to answer the phone. more ›

[UPDATE]: Now Fox News says Zazi admits ties to Al Qaeda. More below. Najibullah Zazi, the former Queens resident whose return to the borough prompted FBI-NYPD raids of three homes in Queens, was questioned for over 8 hours by the feds in Colorado yesterday. Apparently CNN said that bomb-making diagrams were found on his laptop computer, but his lawyer Arthur Folsom said, "There's no diagram of a bomb. Do you really think the FBI would have allowed us to walk out of here?" and denied Zazi knows anyone from Al Qaeda,"He's simply somebody who was in the wrong place at the wrong time." more ›

The turf war between between rival food vendors got bloody Wednesday when a halal chicken vendor allegedly cut his rival's arm on East 37th Street. We've previously heard about the feared "Halal Mafia" and wondered how far they'd go in defending their turf. All the way, it seems: Walid Osman, 32, says Halal chicken vendor Mohamed Hanafi threatened to kill him. The trouble started in August, when Osman, who'd previously peddled hot dogs, started selling chicken. When he refused to stop, Hanafi moved his cart right up in Osman's face, where he started selling chicken for half what Osman was charging. The tension finally boiled over Wednesday, when a Hanafi employee, Farajat Yehia, allegedly slashed Osman across the arm with a butcher knife. That employee and Hanafi's business partner were charged with assault, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon. But Hanafi tells the Post that Osman used to work for him and signed an agreement that he would never run a chicken cart. He also says Osman cut himself. Osman, who was treated at the scene, insists he signed the agreement under duress. He's vowed to return to his spot today and keep fucking with that chicken guy. more ›

There have been too many headlines penned about crimes against women in the city's clubs. Inside Edition has now gone undercover, placing hidden cameras inside what they dub the "trendiest clubs" here. Their investigation lasted a month, during which time they also surveyed women on their safety. They report back that "42% of women surveyed have felt threatened by men inside or outside a bar or nightclub." The show obtained the below footage taken from Marquee's surveillance camera about five months ago, showing a female's limp body being dragged out of the club by a man, who kidnapped and raped her. more ›

See any military planes downtown? Well, this alert explains some: "Teterboro Airport in New Jersey is hosting a military air show from 9/17/09 through 9/19/09. Expect military aircraft flyovers above the New York Harbor and the Hudson River." more ›

Earlier this week an angry anonymous pamphleteer tossed thousands of anti-Obama fliers off of the Metrotech office complex in Downtown Brooklyn. It was said to be a profanity-filled poem of sorts (with an AA/BB rhyme scheme), and the Brooklyn Paper now has the full text; though reprinting it is only spreading the vitriol-filled message. Earlier this week the paper reported on the basics, saying it included the "F word" a whopping 29 times! One witness told them, “I think it’s ignorant—but this is America, so they have a right to free speech. But I don’t think they have a right to throw it in front of my store so I have to clean it up.” Another was less concerned with free speech, declaring: “That’s f—ed up. I wish I could smack the s— out of whoever did that.” So who is the culprit? Director of public safety for the Metrotech BID said, “I would say it’s a construction worker. That’s a secure building.” The developer of the building, the Clarett Group, claimed they had “not found any evidence that political fliers were dropped." See no evil, hear no evil. more ›

Now that State Senator Hiram Monserrate has opted for a bench trial, versus having a jury hear allegations that he assaulted his girlfriend last year, his fate is in the hands of Justice William M. Erlbaum. City Room reports that the National Organization for Women's New York chapter has been asking women to contact Erlbaum and ask him give the former turncoat Senator "to the maximum sentence allowable by law." Of course, Monserrate's lawyer is upset, claiming, "They’re trying to improperly persuade the fact finder. It’s akin to writing a letter to a juror." On the other hand, Office of Court Administration spokesman David Bookstaver points out it's not quite "akin" since Erlbaum is a public official. The judge also pointed out to Monserrate, at "in a bench trial, I wear two hats: I get to see all the evidence, even impermissible evidence," which includes the purported video of Monserrate roughly handling his girlfriend. One defense lawyer told the Post of the bench trial decision, "It's really gutsy -- but really risky. He's taking out one of the key components of a jury, and that's empathy. A judge cannot and will not be sympathetic to you, relying completely on the law." more ›

There's bad news and slightly less bad news in the unemployment data for August, released yesterday at a grim press conference held by Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Paterson, and state labor commissioner M. Patricia Smith. First, the bad news, if you're the kind of person who likes prosperity and abundance: The city’s unemployment rate rose from 9.5 percent in July to 10.3 percent in August, its highest level since May 1993. NYC's unemployment rate is now well above the national rate of 9.7 percent, and more than 415,000 residents are jobless. Paterson told reporters that Ben Bernanke's recent Pollyannaish pronouncement about the national recession being over "doesn’t apply to us." more ›

Brooklyn prosecutors expect to meet next week with gotcha "journalists" James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles to view raw hidden-camera footage recorded by the duo at an ACORN office in Brooklyn, where they duped employees of the community organizing group into giving bad advice to Giles, posing as a prostitute with O'Keefe as her pimp. A spokesman for the Brooklyn DA tells the Daily News, "This is a first step, and there are possible criminal charges." As you probably know by now, the heavily edited video has become a rallying cry for drown-government-in-the-bathtub right-wingers, and yesterday the House of Representatives voted 345 to 75 to deny funding for ACORN. The vote came on a provision attached to a student aid bill; on Monday the Senate voted 83 to 7 to deny housing and community grant funding to ACORN. According to the AP, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described the latest allegations against ACORN as "horrible," but she still believes the group has many honest employees and stresses that it's up to House-Senate negotiators to determine whether the provision to cut funding remains in the final version of the bill. more ›

Details continue to emerge about the now-suspended Hofstra student's fake allegations that she was the victim of a gang rape in a dorm bathroom. Her new boyfriend speaks with the NY Post, giving a possible (disturbing) suggested motive for why Danmell Ndonye lied: Apparently she may have wanted to protect her reputation with him and others, even if it meant accusing five other men of rape. more ›

You may recall that State Senator Pedro Espada's son Alejandro—not the one who got hired by the Senate and then quickly quit, a different one—pleaded guilty to harassment against 76-year-old blogger Rafael Martínez-Alequin at a campaign rally last September. According to Martínez-Alequin, several people, including Alejandro, began shoving him and trying to grab his camera as he approached Espada with questions. Here's video, which shows the infamous Bronxchester Senator smugly telling Martínez-Alequin, "He's trying to teach you manners papa. He's trying to teach you manners." Alejandro was charged with harassment and criminal mischief for (allegedly) pushing Martinez-Alequin and breaking his camera, but he struck a plea bargain, pleading guilty to second-degree harassment and agreeing to pay $432 for the camera. Anyway, Alejandro was supposed to be sentenced yesterday, but that never happened because the judge was absent. So Martínez-Alequin didn't get to read his contemptuous victim's-impact statement, which calls the Senator "a common street thug. It is most unfortunate that a politician can resort to thuggish tactics and not be held fully accountable. Senator Espada encouraged his son to assault a defenseless 76-year-old man." Somebody sure needs a lesson in manners, among other things. more ›

Back in 2005, it was the biggest residential land deal in the history of the city—Hudson Waterfront Associates, the Hong Kong-based consortium that worked with Donald Trump to develop and market the massive Trump Place development on the West Side, sold a 77 acre parcel of land to Extell for $1.76 billion. Now the Manhattan DA's office revealed it just arrested the project director for tax evasion and are looking into whether Hudson Waterfront evaded taxes on a $17 million portion of deal. more ›

It's understandable for a public school administrator to want a li'l drinky-poo after a hard day's work dealing with the kiddies, but driving to school sloshed? Those kids at IS 217 in the Bronx must be monsters! Assistant principal Melonie Lendor was arrested on the New York State Thruway in Rockland County at around 6:40 a.m. yesterday after other drivers called 911 because she was driving so erratically. Police say she failed a field sobriety test, but refused to take a Breathalyzer test. Worse: Her 10-month-old son was in the car. Still worse: This is her third drunken-driving bust. That means she's (finally) charged with felony driving while intoxicated and child endangerment. A seventh-grader at the school tells the Post, "No wonder we didn't see her today," but students should probably be used to that by now; a teacher tells the Daily News, "She was entirely missing from the school at times. She seems to make bad decisions." more ›

Move over "teachable moment," "death panel," "You lie! and "Imma let you finish"—it's possible that My Fox NY anchor Ernie Anastos' unwitting catch phrase has caught fire! Hell, it might even be the catch phrase of the century! At first, the veteran local newsman's utterance "Keep fucking that chicken!" was limited to the local airwaves, but thank God for the Internet. (And screw the "maybe he meant 'keep plucking that chicken'" because that's just not fun.) Now it's gone national (cable)—on last night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart led off with a couple minutes dedicated to it: more ›

A lawyer for one of the men accused of plotting to bomb Bronx synagogues as well as open fire at planes at a National Guard base says the federal informant entrapped his client and the other suspects by way of fried chicken. The Daily News reports that Laguerre Payen's lawyer said, "You can't watch the tapes that you don't see eating going on. The [confidential informant] is paying for all these meals," and claimed that the "informant had a charge account at a Crown Chicken on Broadway and let Payen eat for free." Naturally, the U.S. Attorney's office said they would look into the matter—"I'm going to inquire as to whether there was a Crown Chicken relationship." In the mean time, let's ponder the possibility of deciding to blow up buildings and military bases because you're getting free food, because even free grilled chicken can cause a frenzy. more ›

A 7-3 loss to the Braves on Thursday followed the formula of many others. At least this one wasn't painful. The Mets hung around, even tying the game in the fourth inning, before eventually falling 21 games under .500. Nelson Figueroa allowed six runs in five innings before being relieved by Tobi Stoner, who pitched three innings of one-run ball. A homestand with last-place Washington should provide a weekend of unwatchable baseball. more ›

The White House may have publicly distanced itself from former president Jimmy Carter's remarks saying that racism was at the heart of Rep. Joe Wilson's remarks and other anti-Obama sentiment—White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said, "The president does not believe that that criticism comes based on the color of his skin"—but Carter continued to hammer the point home. Yesterday, while speaking to Emory University freshman, he said, "When a radical fringe element of demonstrators and others begin to attack the president of the United States as an animal or as a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler or when they wave signs in the air that said we should have buried Obama with Kennedy, those kinds of things are beyond the bounds... I think people who are guilty of that kind of personal attack against Obama have been influenced to a major degree by a belief that he should not be president because he happens to be African-American." Carter even weighed in on Kanye West's Taylor Swift dis, saying it was "completely uncalled for" and "his punishment was to appear on the new Jay Leno show." Ha! more ›

With polls recently citing that half of the city is annoyed by Mayor Bloomberg's reelection ads, the billionaire mayor decided to call in some star power for his latest video. Appearing to have not learned any lessons taught to him by his character in , look who showed up all alone to meet up with Mayor Mike along the waterfront. more ›

It's like Shark Week over here today. A reader just sent us this photo, taken Sunday at Brighton Beach, saying that this man plucked this baby shark right out of the shallow water with his bare hands. When we inquired about him throwing it back in so it could live, and grow, and eventually feed off of gold-chained locals, she told us, "I think he took it home to cook it" (shark fin soup?). He reportedly put the little guy in a plastic bag, departed, returned to the beach, and resumed sunbathing. Sigh, why did we even ask. more ›

Sure, cops have been known to park in bike lanes like everybody else, but this is ridiculous! Or perhaps it's serving some vital public safety emergency? We don't know; a reader just sent us this photo taken today from the Manhattan Bridge, looking down on the recently installed bike lanes on Allen Street. He adds, "I've never seen cops parked down there at all, especially not in the bike lanes." more ›

A St. John's student was arrested after threatening to "do some Virginia Tech shit" as his Facebook status. Radames Santiago, an 18-year-old from Washington Heights, posted the vague threat on Monday and then followed up the next day with a status that he “knows he will do it. You know I will, and to make sure that people watch CNN or something every day after” he kills everyone. Instead of tuning in, "friends" of Santiago dialed up St. John's officials, who informed police. Santiago justified "what he was doing" by giving the same reasons that many people leave a Facebook status that causes their friends to banish them to their hidden lists—he told cops that he was drunk and depressed "about everything" when he left them. Now that's a status that may have gotten some Likes. Instead Santiago could now face up to 7 years in prison. Queens DA Richard Brown said, “If a defendant posts a threat on a social networking site it will be treated seriously and investigated thoroughly." Two years ago, the campus was locked down when a student brought a rifle to campus; he was apparently schizophrenic. more ›

Hofstra University has suspended the 18-year-old freshman student who falsely accused five men—four of whom were arrested and jailed—of gang raping her in a Hofstra dorm after an on-campus party Sunday morning. Now the student, identified by the Post and WCBS 2 as Danmell Ndonye, may face criminal charges as Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice said, "I have launched an immediate criminal investigation into the statements and reports given by the woman in connection with this incident." more ›

If the Curse of the Bambino was bestowed upon the Yankees in 1918 leading to 86 years of dominance over the Boston Red Sox, 2009 may just end up being the year the team discovered "The Magical Cream Pie" courtesy of off-season acquisition AJ Burnett. Last night Burnett dished out his 14th cream pie of the season, an honor that has been given during the postgame interview each time a Bomber has won a game for the team with a walk-off hit. Wednesday's recipient was Francisco Cervelli, the team's third-string catcher who found his way into the game after Jorge Posada was suspended for Tuesday night's bench-clearing brawl. After the game, Cervelli said, "I was waiting a long time for the pie. It tasted good...It's a moment everybody wants." more ›

Given the sometimes scurrilous nature of anonymous website commentary, it's often regrettable when the families of victims read blog posts about deceased loved ones. So we're relieved that the comments on Gothamist's coverage of the devastating mistaken-identity murder of 21-year-old Glen Wright have been heartfelt. Wright, beloved by his family and the community, was tragically slain Saturday by a gang of men at the Lower East Side's Baruch Houses, which Wright was visiting to help his grandmother. The funeral is Saturday morning (details), and those commenters who've expressed their condolences to Wright's family should know that one of Wright's sisters has, we believe, made this remark to you: "On behalf of the Glenn Wright family we just want you all to know we are aware of your concern and reading your messages. We appreciate everyone's support. Our brother was as phenomenal as described and he will be missed. We intend to keep his legacy alive and thriving through various humanitarian and community support efforts. At this time EHTP is designated as the official trustee and representatives on behalf of the 'Glenn Wright Fund.' Please direct all of your inquiries or contributions to them. Thank you from the entire family." more ›

We play tennis at McCarren Park a couple of times a week, so it's exciting to see someone trying to do something about those ridiculously busted old courts, which the Parks Department charges $100 a year or $7 an hour to use. But the folks involved with the McCarren Tennis renovation group aren't just demanding that the badly cracked courts get a long-overdue resurfacing, they've got much bigger plans. Those familiar with the park know that on weekends, the big concrete lot next to the courts is occupied by a crowd of, um, spirited softball players. Well, these fellows will be mighty interested to know that their tennis-playing neighbors have their eye on that lot, and are campaigning to have it turned into more courts! There is no way that happens without a riot, despite the fact that the entire area was originally devoted exclusively to tennis "once upon a time," as Brownstoner notes. We'll be sure to share that interesting bit of history with those softball gents this weekend, particularly the individual who inexplicably yelled, "HAMBURGER" over and over again for more than an hour during their game last Sunday. more ›

We guess there is a sucker born every minute. The brokers handling the sale of Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff's Montauk beach house say they've sold the property for over its $8.75 million asking price. The house is right on the beach (on 1.2 acres) with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, but it's not an over-the-top marble palace either. One commercial broker had told the Times a few weeks ago, "They're not going to get 7, not in this environment. If they get 5.5, they should take the money and run." more ›

While her husband Vince might be given "no chance in hell" if he were to run for public office, former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon is being treated like a serious candidate after announcing that she will run for the Connecticut Senate seat now held by Democrat Christopher Dodd. McMahon is a good friend of CT Governor Jodi Rell, who nominated her for the the State Board of Ed earlier this year. McMahon's publicity stunt candidacy is being sold as a self-funded fiscally conservative but socially left-leaning outsider, that at least one political expert says "could improve the image of the party" in the state. The announcement gave McMahon's fellow Republican challengers a chance to make corny jokes about not expecting "smackdowns" and whether she was "a welterweight," despite that having no connection to WWE lure. Everyone expects McMahon to take heat for raunchy WWE programming, but no outlets mentioned what a liability her promotion of state gang activity may be through her son Shane's "Mean Street Posse" from the rough terrain of Greenwich, CT. more ›

A former employee at Coach's flagship Manhattan store is suing the company and his former boss, who he says subjected him to an endless litany of juvenile double entendres and sexual harassment. Oscar Bravo, a former stockroom clerk at the Madison Avenue store, also claims upper management ignored his repeated complaints about supervisor Brandon Williams. Bravo says the annoying behavior included come-ons from Williams to look at his "weiner" on days he brought his pet dachsund to work. "He would say, 'Ok, I have a big weiner, you wanna come see my weiner?'," Oscar Bravo tells the Daily News. "I would say, 'Get the hell out of here, nobody wants to see that.'" more ›

Should we sorry for these twelve people who are performing their civic duty? The Daily News reports on the twelve men and women who were selected to serve on the fourth racketeering trial for John Gotti Jr. —four women, eight men (five are black, the rest are white) who work for the USPS, a high school, and the clerk's office at NY Criminal Court. Not selected was a man who said he was warned "you'll get a bullet in the head" if he voted to convict Gotti. Federal Judge Kevin Castel was amused by one potential juror's response to the question, "How far did you go in school?"—he said, "To which the response was Buffalo." more ›

A Maspeth-based youth football organization, the Queens Falcons, is suing the Parks Dept. to let them keep playing at Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village, where the team has been playing for over 20 years. The Parks. Dept. kicked them off because they were worried the constant activity would ruin the grass, and have instead suggested that they play on an artificial football field made of rubber pellets recycled from old tires. But coach Tim Cavanaugh is willing to fight for his team. He tells the Daily News "so what if you've got some dead grass on a field. What they're doing is totally wrong. Parks are not trophies." He's also worried about the content of the artificial field, which is apparently made from the "same tires that gather petroleum, chemicals and toxins from the road." The Parks Dept., however, claims that the field was meant to be used for baseball, and the only football fields at their disposal would be artificial. Whatever the outcome, it will at least be a good civics lesson for the players. Remember, kids, football is 80% mental and 40% physical. more ›

Before he got famous exposing low-income community advocacy group ACORN as an organization employing a few gullible do-gooders, conservative provocateur James O'Keefe had fun at Rutgers riling up the liberals. The 25-year-old "Borat of the right" first cut his teeth in the hidden camera game while enrolled as a philosophy student at the New Jersey university. Posing as an overly-sensitive Irishman disturbed by the presence of Lucky Charms in the cafeteria, O'Keefe met with an assistant director at Rutgers dining services. During the meeting, O'Keefe explains that the leprachaun on the cereal box is hurtful: "He's portrayed as a green-cladded (sic) gnome, and as you can see ... we're not all short. We have differences of height, and we think this is stereotypical of Irish-Americans." more ›

Days after his arrest while sitting in a playground restricted to adults with children, alleged police-sodomy victim Michael Mineo has blasted NYPD spokesman Paul Browne, accusing him of lying about the collar. Browne had told the press that Mineo was arrested Monday night only after he argued with police who ordered him to leave the playground; the NYPD says that dispute led to cops checking his ID and discovering a warrant for his arrest (related to a community service snafu). But Mineo, who believes cops are harassing him because he's embarrassing the department with his sensational sodomy accusations, tells the Daily News, "They never even asked me to leave, never, it's just not true. They just handcuffed me and put me in the car." His lawyer adds, "We're going to add that incident and that statement to the federal lawsuit. It shows a pattern and practice of harassment." Mineo has filed a $220 million federal suit against the city and three officers are under indictment for the October 2008 incident. more ›

The Marijuana Policy Project [MPP] has produced two new TV ads for media markets in key New York Senate districts. The commercials feature patients who have benefited from medical marijuana, but you won't see them here in NYC, because uptight Eisenhower-era local affiliates of ABC, CBS and Fox have declined to broadcast them. Because reefer drives people into homicidal rages, or something! However, one local network, WNBC, has bravely accepted the group's money and is showing the spots, which includes testimonials from radical freaks like Conservative Party member Joel Peacock of Buffalo, who suffers from chronic pain as the result of an accident. In the ad, he says, "It took away the pain. It took away the nausea. I didn't have stomach cramps. I slept. It just did everything my medicine doesn't do. Please, ask your senator to have compassion." Whatever, hippie! In 2007, the state assembly passed a bill to legalize marijuana for medical purposes, but it never made it through the Senate. Watch the ads below: more ›

This morning, New Haven police arrested Raymond Clark for the murder of Yale graduate student Annie Le. Clark, 24, an animal lab technician in the Yale facility where Le did research, was taken from the Motel 8 in Cromwell, Connecticut where he had been staying since yesterday. Sources say his DNA matches evidence from the crime scene while there were apparently text messages between him and Le about meeting at the lab on Tuesday, September 8—the last day Le was found. Her asphyxiated body was found in a crawl space in the research building's basement on Sunday, September 13, the day she was to be married. more ›

While voter turnout for Tuesday's primary elections was really low—the NY Times suggests it could be the "lowest in modern New York City history"—one group did use their electoral muscle. In another article, the Times reports that aside from John Liu's 38% showing in the Comptroller race, "Asian-American candidates won Democratic primaries in three City Council districts on Tuesday... Of the 51 Council districts, 32 had primaries on Tuesday. Turnout in the three districts where Asian-Americans won was among the highest in the city: 17 to 18 percent, compared with a citywide average of 11 percent, according to the Board of Elections." Margaret Chin (pictured) defeated incumbent Alan Gerson for Council District 1; Yen Chou won the primary for Liu's old Council seat in Flushing; and Korean-American Kevin Kim won Tony Avella's old Council seat in northeast Queens. Hunter College sociologist Margaret Chin (no relation to the pol) said, "It’s significant for the whole population to see all these Asian-Americans taking political roles for the first in public. The West Coast broke this barrier close to two decades ago." more ›

Will 2009 not end until it's taken all of our most beloved souls? Mary Travers, of folk group Peter, Paul & Mary, died at the age of 72 this past Wednesday. Travers was at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut when she succumbed to "side effects of treatment from a bone-marrow transplant after battling leukemia," according to her publicist. While she started out life in Louisville, Kentucky, she moved to Greenwich Village at the age of two (and later in life she moved to Redding, Connecticut). more ›

More on August's tragic small plane-tour helicopter crash over the Hudson: National Transportation Safety Board says that the small plane pilot "read back the wrong radio frequency to an air traffic controller but wasn't corrected." The pilot was never corrected and never got Newark Liberty Airport's right frequency; a minute later, his plane crashed with the helicopter. The NY Times points out, "The Teterboro controller did not catch the discrepancy in the readback. At the time, the controller, alone in the tower, was in the midst of a personal phone call, and in addition, there was other voice traffic on the radio frequency at that point." The plane's three occupants were all killed, as were the chopper's six. more ›

Veteran NYC news anchor Ernie Anastos, who currently appears on MyFoxNY (channel 5)'s 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. broadcasts, spiced things up last night. Gawker explains, "Perhaps overloaded by transitive small talk between the weather report and a commercial break, Anastos — who once said 'dot cock' on live television — told meteorologist Nick Gregory that 'it takes a tough man to make a tender forecast,' and then, to the utter shock and appall of his co-anchor, Dari Alexander continued, 'Keep fucking that chicken.'" Huh? more ›

Whoa: The Hofstra student who claimed five men had gang raped her in a dormitory bathroom stall—resulting in four suspects being arrested and a manhunt for the fifth—apparently lied about the story. Newsday reports, "After hearing the news, prosecutors convened a late night court hearing at First District Court in Hempstead where Judge Robert Bruno signed an order dismissing the charges against the four men in the case." more ›

• Yankees 5, Blue Jays 4: One day after seeing Jorge Posada provoke a bench-clearing brawl, the Yankees saw his backup win the game in walk-off fashion. Francisco Cervelli hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth after Hideki Matsui tied the game with a two-run homer in the eighth. Chad Gaudin went 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball. With the Red Sox' come-from-behind win at Fenway, the Yankees' magic number is 11 as they prepare to go to the West Coast for one final time this season.
• Braves 6, Mets 5: With the Mets leading by a run entering the bottom of the ninth, Daniel Murphy decided he wanted the Mets to get to 20 games under .500. First, despite guarding the line, he let a Garret Anderson grounder turn into a double by not lunging for it, thinking it was foul. After the Braves had tied the game and had runners on first and second, Murphy made an error that allowed the winning run to score. For those who think Muprpy's offense makes up for his "defense" at first base, think again. He has a .309 on-base percentage and a .403 slugging. That's not even good enough for a great defensive first baseman. Closer Francisco Rodriguez wasn't pleased, either.
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An ex-con who is suspected of robbing over a dozen homes throughout the East Village and Lower East Side was feeling so cocky while hanging out inside the East 10th Street apartment he was hitting up that he decided to have a little shirts-off time and take a snooze. When the super of the building found his cellphone and t-shirt behind, cops were able to use DNA testing on the shirt to nail 45-year-old Ramon Pacheco. One police source said Pacheco would use acrobatics to get inside hard-to-reach spots in apartments, taking "laptops, iPods and cameras," telling the Post, "He's kind of like a Spider-Man. Sometimes he's kicking in windows. Sometimes he's going through skylights. One time, he kicked in an air conditioner and crawled inside the apartment." more ›

Yesterday's primary election had the lowest turnout in history. Overall, less than 400,000 registered voters headed to the polls. According to the AP, the mayoral matchup between Democrats City Comptroller William Thompson and City Councilman Tony Avella was really low: "About 10 percent of New York City's 3.1 million registered Democrats came out to vote in the contest, where just two candidates were competing." more ›

The Bronx's Jimmy Groves came forward yesterday to hold his Mega Millions press conference, his first public appearance since winning $168 million in the big drawing a few weeks back. After reports of Groves boozing up and bumming out fearing the downsides of his big paycheck, yesterday he was all smiles, telling of his big first meal as New York's biggest jackpot winner ever (a hamburger) and about his mom rushing up from Tennessee once she heard. The self-described "homebody" has retired from his job stacking chairs at MSG and said he wants to buy a home with a yard, possibly in the Bronx or Harlem or "places in Brooklyn that are having a resurgence." He said, "I went to Germany. I came back, and New York is the only place for me right now." Like 96% of ticket buyers, Groves said he always chooses the lump sum option, but switched to the annuity on the winning ticket "because it might bring a change of luck." The 49-year-old grandfather tried to downplay his newfound status saying, "I still got to pay my rent, I still got to pay my lights and gas. I'm still just a regular Joe like everybody else. It's just that I got lucky." more ›

After raiding three homes in Flushing, Queens early Monday morning, the FBI is apparently set for more! The Daily News provides the tip-off: "Fearful of a Madrid-style subway train bombing, authorities are poised to make more raids to seize bomb-making materials at locations in Queens, sources said Wednesday... Another source said an earlier raid uncovered nine backpacks and cell phones, raising memories of the March 2004 bombings in Madrid." more ›

A Queens Pathmark is being sued by a woman who ended up covered in tomato sauce. No, 55-year-old Patricia Samaroo didn't get the tomato treatment following a bad comedy routine, she simply ended up the victim of a toppled-over stack of sauce jars when a display collapsed on top of her at the Ozone Park grocery store. Samaroo says that nine months after the accident, she still has pain in her neck and uses painkillers for the incident that left her "sick, lame, sore and disabled." What drew the Long Islander to the unstable stack—famous last words: "It was on sale." Samaroo's suit claims that Pathmark was negligent for failing to determine if jars were likely to topple and fall. She tells the News, "I was in shock when it happened. All I know is that I was covered in spaghetti sauce." While there is no surveillance video of the incident, we did find a disaster from the Canadian version of after the jump that might suffice. more ›

Williamsburg Waterfront, you are growing up so fast! The area, drowned in luxury condos, will soon have its first chain store grand opening! Brownstoner recently spotted the shiny, new Duane Reade, "one of the three businesses signed up for retail space at Northside Piers on Kent Avenue, set to open on Saturday. Word of the ubiquitous drugstore chain's arrival on the Brooklyn waterfront first broke over a year ago; signage confirmed the news back in June." Their first space in the neighborhood is located at North 5th and Kent, a grueling 15 blocks from the closest Chase Bank. Meanwhile, just four blocks away is the current establishment hipsters get their Adderall refilled at, King's Pharmacy. Will their customers remain loyal? more ›

Besides a run-off for Public Advocate, yesterday's primary election also resulted in a run-off for City Comptroller, with City Council member John Liu (D-Queens) getting 38% of the vote and fellow Council member David Yassky (D-Brooklyn) getting 30%. Two other Council members from Queens ran— Melinda Katz got 20% and David Weprin 11%. more ›

Yesterday, Animal Care and Control and emergency service workers opened up a sewer in East New York, Brooklyn to free a cat. NY1 reports (which has video) that a nearby store owner "heard the calico making noises" and contacted ACC. He saw the five or six month old cat liberated, "The cat was a mess. It was scared, it was thin. It looked like it hadn't eaten for half a day, a day. It was very scared, dirty. The cat was going crazy. It was just happy to be out, I guess." It's unclear how long the cat was trapped there, but she seems okay, besides being weak from her hunger. ACC workers named her Cheese and "say she will be up for adoption in three days. For more information, call 1-212-788-4000." more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] With bills to ban bottled water and New Yorkers urged to drink what's flowing from the tap, there's a good chance many of you have Sigg bottles. If only for the fact that Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood do. Well, bad news: Sigg has acknowledged the resin in bottles made before August 2008 have “trace amounts’’ of BPA (bisphenol A), prompting the Boston Globe to ask, "Et Tu, Sigg?" Not only is the controversial chemical the same one that brought Nalgene sales down, but the company has allegedly known of its presence in their bottles since 2006. more ›

Ed Koch just loves his moments in the sun. A week after the former mayor was sharing about cursing out New Yorkers heckling him in the grocery store, last night he was going off about his wild hallucinations at Columbia Pres while recovering from his recent quadruple bypass surgery. Koch told a crowd at the 92nd Street Y Monday, ”I thought I was captured by Japanese terrorists...When they cut off my thumbs, I knew it wasn’t real because there was no blood and no pain. I was daydreaming. I apologize to the Japanese. I know they’re great allies. I’m only telling you what I experienced.” CityRoom says Koch also mentions the terrorists spoke to him with a Yiddish accent. It sounds like if you ask the Columbia doctor's "how he's doing" in terms of showing his gratitude for the intensive surgery, they'd say pretty well. Koch is taking his 20 doctors out to dinner at Peter Luger Steak House in Williamsburg tonight. (One declined because he's Kosher.) As for the 72 nurses and technicians who aided him, they got the gift of an obligatory read with Koch sending them one of the 16 books he's written. more ›

Relatives, friends, teachers, and students gathered last night to mourn the tragic death of Glen Wright, who was stabbed to death outside his grandmother's East Village building because gang members mistook him for someone else. (We noted this devastating story yesterday, and like many, we're still profoundly saddened.) Wright, who died at age 21, was taking a break from helping his grandmother wash windows at the Baruch Houses on the Lower East Side when a group of men approached him. Suspect Joel Herrera, 20, is accused of stabbing Wright repeatedly in the neck; he told detectives he confused Wright with someone who assaulted one of his friends. Cops are searching for the other assailants. more ›

A Bronx teen is suing a wedding hall and bridal shop for using an unauthorized photo of her and her uncle in ads that made them seem like newlyweds. The lawsuit filed by the family of 17-year-old Katelyn Aviles accuses the Sanz catering hall and Margie's Bridal in the Bronx of causing her "severe and serious injuries and damages" by using the photo, which wasn't even taken at Sanz! It was snapped at her sweet 16 birthday party, and Aviles's lawyer speculates that the photographer is affiliated with Sanz. Aviles says she knew nothing about the ad until friends began teasing her about a modeling career. "When I got to school, everyone is looking at me different, talking about me, whispering," she tells the Daily News. "A few of the girls I hang out with were saying, 'You think you're all that.' " The ad appeared on a postcard, which friends found in a stack in the foyer of an IHOP. Now some call her the "IHOP girl," and Aviles feels "violated." She tells the Post, "One person said, 'Who's that, your boyfriend?' I did a double take and said, 'What are you, serious? That's my uncle.' He basically raised me." more ›

The 2009 Yankees look to be returning to the playoffs in just a couple weeks after last season's first year being left home in over a decade. This year's team has been marked by a level of extroverted charisma and fiery personalities uncharacteristic of the stoic bunch that led the turn of the century dynasty. But last night, late in a game that did not appear to be on its way toward another AJ Burnett pieface moment, some of that adrenaline appeared to turn nasty as Jorge Posada took a cheap shot shove at Blue Jays' pitcher Jesse Carlson and BAM! It was on—bench-clearing brawl, enough of a mess to end with a little blood. more ›

Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg stepped back from a plan to make smoking in public parks and beaches illegal, cautioning that the proposal would stop short of completely outlawing smoking on Parks Department property. Bloomberg boasted at a press conference, "Nobody is more of a believer in saving lives and stopping smoking. In fact, we already ban smoking, for example, in playgrounds." However! "There's also the practical aspect of how we can enforce it. Our Police Department has enough to do. They can't be going around giving tickets." Not with all those photographers and superheroes on the loose, anyway. The mayor explained that the ban would not cover entire parks, only select areas where large crowds might gather. He also acknowledged that if you, the embattled smoker, are "sitting in the middle of Sheep Meadow and you’re the only one there, are you doing any damage to anybody other than killing yourself? Probably not." At the same time, Bloomberg reaffirmed his tough anti-smoking stance: "Make no mistake about it. This city is not walking away from our commitment to make it as difficult and as expensive to smoke as we possibly can." So smoke 'em while you can still (barely) afford 'em. more ›

In an indictment unsealed yesterday, Bronx cop Marc Rios, a 12-year-veteran, is accused of assaulting a man outside a Kingsbridge nightclub around 4:20 a.m. on March 30th. Assistant DA James Cudden says the "unprovoked incident" happened after Rios's squad car almost hit clubgoer John Roperto, who had just exited the El Aguila nightclub. Roperto angrily hit the hood of the car, and Rios got out and cracked Roperto in the face with his nightstick—breaking the man's cheekbone and the baton. Rios then drove off, but when his Sergeant informed him about a 911 call to the location, he allegedly quipped, "That must be my bag of shit." Rios faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted; his lawyer tells the Post he acted in self-defense because Roperto, who was "quite likely... highly intoxicated," disobeyed an order to stop and approached Rios with his hands hidden beneath a jacket. Rios's lawyer also points out that Roperto got off easy, because "perhaps an inexperienced officer might've pulled out his gun and shot him." more ›

Voters in certain City Council districts showed incumbents that they weren't happy with them, by voting out an unusually high number of Council members in yesterday's primary election. Why? A combination of voting for term limits plus other scandals. For instance, Alan Gerson (D-Manhattan), Kendall Stewart (D-Brooklyn), and Helen Sears (D- Queens) all supported the term limits extension—and all lost to challengers. more ›

The man whom cops allegedly sodomized in a Brooklyn subway station last October says police are still on his tail. 24-year-old Michael Mineo claims he was innocently relaxing on a bench in a Canarsie playground Monday night when two squad cars arrived and arrested him. "I wasn't doing nothing," Mineo tells the Daily News. "I was just sitting on the park bench talking to a friend. They knew who I was. Of course they did." Mineo is suing the city for $220 million over the alleged sodomy, and three officers are under indictment. But the cops who arrested Mineo Monday are from a different precinct, and police spokesman Paul Brown insists that they only arrested Mineo after he refused to leave and they discovered a warrant for his arrest. Mineo's lawyer Stephen Jackson says the warrant popped because Mineo mixed up the dates on a court appearance last week and failed to certify completion of community service for a prior assault arrest. Jackson agrees that cops are targeting Mineo, telling the News, "Of course they knew who he was. I think two squad cars shows premeditation." more ›

[Update: Now the Nassau County DA says the student lied about the rape.] more ›

While Jay Walder was confirmed as the MTA's new CEO and chairman last week, his big-time pay—$350,000/year, not to mention up to $850,000 in severance and housing and retirement— is an issue with Mayor Bloomberg. His pay package needs to approved by the MTA board and the NY Times reports, "At the urging of City Hall, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s representatives at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are set to abstain from supporting a generous compensation package for" Walder." Even though Bloomberg likes Walder, apparently the mayor "considered the package to be outsize for a state employee, particularly given the current financial climate, two people familiar with his view said. They said the mayor also believed that if Gov. David A. Paterson was not re-elected, the severance award would limit the ability of a new governor to install a director." Paterson's office has positioned the generous pay as "in line with that of his predecessor and those who lead large transit systems across the country and around the world." Walder, who worked with the MTA in the 1980s, recently ran London's transit system before leaving for Kinsey. more ›

Last night, primary returns showed that City Councilman Bill de Blasio earned 33% of the vote, with former Public Advocate Mark Green getting 31%. While both men will now be in a run-off (on September 29) since neither got 40%, the analysis is that de Blasio's results were surprising—the Daily News writes that he "pulled out a much better performance than the pre-primary polls suggested"—while there will be "hand-wringing" at Green's campaign headquarters. de Blasio told his campaign staffers, "You pulled off one miracle: You can do it again in two weeks," while Green said, "Because we've gone from a cluttered four-way race to a clarified head-to-head contest, I sure will contrast my story as a lifelong, independent consumer advocate, fighting for the middle class, and his proven record as a lifelong political insider." The other challengers in the race were Councilman Eric Gioia, who 18%, Norman Siegel, with 14%, and Imtiaz Syed with 3%. more ›

A 24-year-old animal technician at a Yale research facility was named a "person of interest" by New Haven police and was taken into custody in connection to the investigation of Yale graduate student Annie Le's death. While the police searched his apartment in Middletown, Raymond Clark has not been charged yet. Last night, New Haven Police Chief James Lewis said, "We took him into custody to gather evidence from his body and his person. If he cooperates he'll be released this evening." Clark was released at 3 a.m., after the police collected DNA from him. more ›

Last night, former President Jimmy Carter spoke to NBC News' Brian Williams about Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie!" outburst during President Barack Obama's health care reform speech last week. And Carter was blunt, saying, "I think it's based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president." more ›

• Toronto 10 Yankees 4: The Yankees must see something in Sergio Mitre because they keep giving him the ball even though he doesn’t pitch very well at all. Mitre’s latest clunker was seven earned runs over five innings. Despite the bad start, the Yankees had their chances. They pounded out 11 hits against Roy Halladay, but they could not string enough of them together. Things got testy in the eighth when the benches cleared after Jorge Posada brushed the Toronto pitcher as he was running past him. Several punches were thrown and the Yankees will probably have some players suspended as a result. Boston won, so the lead in the AL East is now 6.5 games.
• Atlanta 6 Mets 0: Tommy Hanson is making a strong case to be the Rookie of the Year in the NL. On Tuesday, Hanson won his 10th game of the year, holding the Mets scoreless over seven innings while striking out 8. Pat Misch was not as good, allowing four runs in five innings of work which earned him the loss.

According to the results going up at NY1, Bill Thompson scored a landslide victory over his opponents in the race for the Democratic mayoral nomination, leading Tony Avella by more than fifty percent. In other races, it looks like no one has reached the coveted 40% mark for Public Advocate or Comptroller— so you can look forward to a run-off election on September 29th. John Liu is currently in the lead for the Comptroller nod, with 38% to David Yassky's 30%. And in a surprising upset, Bill de Blasio has a 2% lead over Mark Green in the Public Advocate race, with 95% of the precincts reporting. In the battle for Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, D.A. Robert Morgenthau's preferred successor, easily beat Leslie Crocker Snyder 43% to 30%. In City Council race news, Alan Gerson appears to have lost District 1 to Margaret Chin, and Steve Levin seems to have scored a victory over a crowded field in District 33, which represents parts of Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint. More tomorrow! more ›

Thank goodness for TMZ, because now we have audio of President Obama saying that Kanye West was a "jackass" for interrupting Taylor Swift's MTV Video Music Award speech and saying that Beyonce's video was way better. Barry said, "I thought that was really inappropriate... He's a jackass." Obama is then heard asking, "Where's the pool?" which TMZ analyzes, "Presumably, he was worried the joke would go wide. He noted the last time that happened, he got burned for killing a fly." Obama also added, "C'mon guys. Cut the president some slack. I've got a lot of other stuff on my plate." White House spokesman Bill Burton told the press, "Look, I'm not going to get into what the President had to say in an off-the-record conversation. But you should see what [White House chief of staff] Rahm [Emanuel] said about it." In other news, West apologized to Swift, who said he was sincere. more ›

Yesterday morning, a number of homes in Flushing, Queens were raided as part of an ongoing terror investigation. Senator Chuck Schumer said, "There was nothing imminent," and described the raids as "preventive," but now the Daily News says the FBI was worried the suspects may be involved in a Denver-based terror cell. A source said, "The FBI is seriously spooked about these guys planning another 9/11. This is not some ... FBI informant-driven case. This is the real thing." more ›

A freelance artist is suing NYU because she says her alma mater stole her mascot design and used it for merchandise without compensating her. 22-year-old Ariel Fleurimond (MySpace) was a psychology major working as an equipment room clerk in the athletic department in 2007 when associate director Noah Lefebre asked her to create a mascot. Fleurimond says she came up with a cartoon cougar she called "Orion" and submitted the illustration, but never heard anything about it. Cut to last summer, when she discovered, painted on the floor of the gym, her cougar—which she says has been appropriated as NYU's bobcat. NYU's legal department reviewed her complaint and decided that Fleurimond had been fairly compensated for her work in the athletic department, but her lawyer tells the Daily News, "She was paid to pick up dirty towels." Fleurimond hopes to get millions because she copyrighted her cougar cartoon, but it's important to remember that the bobcat is a relatively new mascot at NYU. NYU teams are the "Fighting Violets"; bobcat is a macho portmanteau of "Bobst Catalog," the school's filing system. NYU's spokesman says, "We fully expect to prevail." You go, Violets! more ›

Over the weekend the Mormons were out in full force, cleaning up your sinful refuse at McCarren Park. The Brooklyn Paper got up early to steal some souls with their camera, bragging that they "managed to capture it on film!" They report back saying that 100 youthful members of the Church of Latter Day Saints were picking up trash and raking leaves before the rest of us woke up at the crack of noon thirty. The paper talked to some of the late-rising locals; one 22-year-old Jessica Weinschenk said, “I guess it’s not that weird because religious people do stuff like that. And hey, it’s cool if someone wants to clean our park for us." Way to go Weinschenk. Unsurprisingly, only one non-Mormon claimed to have ever cleaned up for a community, and of course it was part of Burning Man (he told them "when you leave you have to spend four hours cleaning up after yourself"). It's not surprising that the Church descended on Williamsburg, which the Parks Department identified as being the park most in need of maintenance within all five boroughs. more ›

Upstate Congressional member Louise Slaughter just reminded her fellow members about what goes for conduct at the House of Representatives, in the wake of the Rep. Joe Wilson "you lie" moment. According to Politico's Glenn Thrush, "Especially useful: The section on how to properly insult the executive branch in the in the chamber. 'Disgrace" and "nitwits' -- okay. 'Liar' or 'sexual misconduct' -- ixnay."

Under section 370 of the House Rules and Manual it has been held that a Member could: more ›

Is there room for a soapbox on this sidewalk? The latest complaint box on City Room is filled with street clutter grievances; as we know, newspaper condos and sidewalk dining are shrinking our already crowded sidewalks. The site posts a complaint from Julia F. Willkie, who resides on East 79th Street; she states: "What really upsets and infuriates me is how cluttered the streets, avenues and sidewalks have become. I live on the Upper East Side, west of Third and four blocks from Mayor Bloomberg’s residence. At the intersection of Third and 79th, three corners host 18 'honor boxes.' Between 77th and 79th on Third are an additional 13 boxes." Those pesky publications aren't all that's in the way, though, she also lists off phone booths, street vendors and newspaper stands as her personal public enemy #1. Finally she declares, "Good Heavens! My head tilts back so I can clear my vision, and street banner advertisements, approved by New York City’s tourism officials, are hanging from lampposts." Does Willkie need to move to greener pastures, or are our sidewalks becoming too much of an obstacle course? more ›

Devastating: Police have told the family of a 21-year-old East Harlem man that he was fatally stabbed in the neck Saturday evening at the Lower East Side Baruch Houses because of mistaken identity. Glen Wright, who by all accounts was a beloved young man enrolled at Borough of Manhattan Community College, was there helping his grandmother clean her windows. He was getting a breath of fresh air when a gang looking for revenge for an earlier attack approached from behind, and one man plunged a knife into the back of his neck. His grandmother, Lummie Wright, tells the Daily News, "He was running for his life. He made it all the way to the front door and they chased him [and] they stabbed him once more." more ›

Rick Lazio, best known for losing against Hillary Clinton in 2000 when she ran for Senate, has officially thrown his hat into the 2010 New York gubernatorial ring. After a few months of speculation, he sent a letter to supporters this weekend, "The present government in Albany is broken. It is a national embarrassment. It can’t be fixed by tweaking it here and there. It is dysfunctional and we need to start all over from the beginning." Of course, the 800-pound gorilla in the Republican sphere is Rudy Giuliani, but there's some rumor he might be better suited running against Kirsten Gillibrand. When PolitickerNY asked Governor Paterson what he thought of Lazio's announcement, he said, "Since I'm not seeking the Republican nomination, and this is a democracy, I would say that's a good idea." more ›

Federal Reserve Chairmand Ben Bernanke said that the recession is probably over but had a caveat: "From a technical perspective, the recession is very likely over at this point. It's still going to feel like a very weak economy for some time because many people will still find that their job security and their employment status is not what they wish it was." He added in his remarks to the Brookings Institute, "Unfortunately, unemployment will be slow to come down. It will come down but it may take some time. Obviously, that's a very serious concern." Unemployment was 9.7% last month; it's expected to hit 10% by the end of the year. more ›

Not that you ever liked the idea, but the MTA has now pushed back their plans to test seatless subways. The NY Post reports that they were going to test four cars from October through December, as "part of a single 10-car train to run on a letter line yet to be determined." The benches would fold upright and lock during rush hour, and if the test proved successful, more lines would see seatless rides during those times. However, the manufacturer for the foldable benches, Kawasaki, "balked, calling the four-car order too small. So now the seats are to be retrofitted into newly delivered subway cars—once they arrive—on MTA facilities." For now, chalk it up to another stalled MTA project. more ›

Amid speculation that a suspect in the murder of Yale graduate student Annie Le would be arrested today, authorities say there will be no arrests today. However, autopsy results will be released after 3 p.m.; according to the Hartford Courant, the ME's office declared Le's death a homicide yesterday but withheld the report for a day, with a spokesperson explaining, "We have to give police time to do what they need to do, and the family needs to be notified." more ›

Things got a little crazy at the opening party for the Boom Boom Room, a new club on the top of The Standard Hotel Saturday night—Jesse Camp straight-up urinated off the roof! Wait, who's Jesse Camp? Apparently, he was an MTV personality at the end of the last century. And he still gets invited to things! But just because Camp accepts an invitation doesn't mean he's agreeing to play by society's uptight rules. Here's how he breaks it down for New York's Shira Levine: "I'm not going to lie, man; I peed off the roof. But honestly what’s that in the name of a good time? I mean, I keep it real... I didn't break a city law. No one can say that." Levine points out that Camp sure did break the law, but he's ready with an airtight defense: "I didn't know I was going to do that, so can you even blame me? So, like, fine — come and arrest me." But before anyone gets too worked up about the ethics of urinating off a roof onto a crowded city, lets all step back and remember that Camp was relieving himself onto the Meatpacking District. more ›

One day after city health commissioner Dr. Thomas A. Farley revealed his intention to expand the city's smoking ban to parks and beaches, something terrifying happened: We woke up this morning to find ourselves in complete agreement with conservative NY Post demagogue Andrea Peyser. Obviously, this means that we were wrong in supporting the ban and ought to start smoking Lucky Strikes at once. Peyser opines:

Visiting the beach or the park should no longer require an oxygen mask. If one wants to smoke, there are places to freely enjoy that activity. Like China... The idea won't sit well with the pathologically addicted few who continue to force innocent citizens to unwillingly breathe their poisons. But this is a scenario whose time has come... Few things are more aggravating and disgusting than being forced to swallow fumes emitted by a mother, father, grandpa or stalker whose bond with nicotine prevents them from stepping outside the city's precious, toddler-filled recreation areas in order to slowly kill themselves.

John Gotti Jr., scion of the Gambino crime family and its alleged leaders, decided to greet potential jurors to his racketeering trial, "Good morning, I am John Gotti. Here I am again." It was a reference to how this is his fourth trial (the other three times ended in hung juries); the NY Post reports that while "Manhattan federal Judge P. Kevin Castel said that while Gotti's remark was 'undoubtedly innocent and made in the utmost of good faith,' it amounted to 'improper argument.'" Castel added it could have been misconduct. Of course, it might be a long jury selection process—many people are apparently afraid of the Teflon Don's son and associates—but Gotti is ready, with his "scholarly" glasses and note-taking. more ›

Volunteers for the New York Civil Liberties Union are present in some 20 public high schools this week to educate students on their rights when interacting with school safety agents and police officers. Students at select schools with metal detectors, high suspension rates and a heavy police presence are being handed cards [pdf] telling them when and how to object to searches. According to the cards, if a student feels "disrespected," that's enough of a basis to lodge a formal complaint against school safety officers. The NYCLU has been arguing that schools are relying too heavily on the NYPD to enforce school discipline, but according to the Post, critics think the group is "creating a confrontational tone" at the start of the school year. And City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., chairman of the public-safety committee, growls, "It's ridiculous to give children the impression that police are the enemy. Kids only need to know one word when it comes to the police and that's 'cooperate.' " But familiarity with words like "bend" and "over" might also come in handy. more ›

Noooo! When the old sheepfold occupied by Tavern on the Green is taken over by a new operator in January, the notoriously mediocre tourist trap will lose the one thing that justified its existence: immaculately maintained public restrooms. The alternative, for the uninitiated, is the gross public restroom in Sheep Meadow, but since the '70s Tavern's facilities have served as a idyllic alternative. A spokeswoman for Tavern tells the Times, "We’ve always had the position we’re on public land, so certainly the bathrooms are open to the public." The new leaseholder, Dean J. Poll, who runs the Central Park Boathouse, isn't such a populist, but he actually spins the upcoming privatization as a thoughtful gesture for the bathroom-starved rabble: "Going past the bride or groom or people dressed to go to dinner, maybe that’s not what someone wants to do, and feels uncomfortable about it." Also, he adds, "the people in the restaurant feel uncomfortable." Good Heavens, Thurston, hoi polloi are in the powder room wearing short pantaloons! As a sop to the masses, Poll promises to construct a food concession stand outside the building with public restrooms, but nothing will ever, ever replace the satisfaction of using Tavern for its toilets. more ›

Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran isn't getting an Obama scoop any time soon! Yesterday, he prematurely Tweeted, "Pres. Obama just called Kanye West a 'jackass' for his outburst at VMAs when Taylor Swift won. Now THAT'S presidential." Prematurely because it turns out the President's remarks were off-the-record and Moran deleted the Tweet (but it's still here). ABC News then told Politico: "In the process of reporting on remarks by President Obama that were made during a CNBC interview, ABC News employees prematurely tweeted a portion of those remarks that turned out to be from an off-the-record portion of the interview. This was done before our editorial process had been completed. That was wrong. We apologize to the White House and CNBC and are taking steps to ensure that it will not happen again." On the upside, Kanye probably thinks he was a jackass, too. more ›

Yesterday morning, a shooting occurred at 345 Flushing Avenue at Classon, and in the afternoon, The Local reported, "The police say a 51-year-old man was shot three times and critically injured inside the Flushing Deli at 345 Flushing around 10:30 this morning. He was shot twice in the face and once in the shoulder and taken to Bellevue Hospital." Now the Daily News has more details: In spite of being shot, construction worker Brian Delamore, who has been working at a hotel site on Franklin Avenue, "managed to stagger out of the Flushing Deli in Clinton Hill before collapsing on the sidewalk, police and witnesses said." A deli worker said of the shooter, "There was no argument. The guy just came up to him." Delamore is still at Bellevue; it's unclear whether there is a motive. The incident occurred in the 79th Precinct (which says it represents the Bed-Stuy section). more ›

The right-wing smear campaign against community organizing group ACORN is having the desired effect; yesterday the Senate voted 83-7 to deny housing and community grant funding to the non-profit organization. The vote—prompted by last week's arrest of ACORN employees in Florida accused of falsifying hundreds of voter applications last year—came as an unflattering secret camera video shot in ACORN's Brooklyn office surfaced. The video shows two ACORN employees advising a young couple, posing as prostitute and pimp, how to falsify documents to get a mortgage and tax breaks for a brothel housing El Salvadoran teens. more ›

Today is Primary Day, with polls open between 6 a.m and 9 p.m. There are (mostly Democratic) races all over the city, whether for City Council seats or borough-wide office like Manhattan DA, but the big ones are the Mayoral, Public Advocate and City Comptroller competitions. Comptroller Bill Thompson and City Councilman are facing off in the Democratic mayoral primary; Councilmen Bill De Blasio and Eric Gioia, former Public Advocate Mark Green and civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel are fighting for the PA spot; and Council members Melinda Katz, John Liu, David Weprin and David Yassky are vying to be Comptroller. The winner must get 40% of the vote, or there will be a run-off. Only registered voters can vote in the primary; for more information, the Board of Elections and check out Gotham Gazette's Guide for the Last Minute (Primary) Voter. And experts think turnout will be low—15-18%, 450,000-500,000 people (1.1 million voted when it was Koch vs. Dinkins in 1989)—since there's no big mayoral matchup. more ›

• Juan Marin del Potro, a 20-year-old Argentine ranked sixth in the world, unseated Roger Federer in Monday's final to take the U.S. Open crown away from the five-time defending champion. A day after del Potro demolished Rafael Nadal in straight sets, he rallied past Federer in five. He survived Federer's serving for the second set and a fourth-set tiebreaker before breaking the world No. 1 twice in the fifth set.

Nassau County Police say four of five suspects accused of gang raping a Hofstra University student are in custody. Apparently an 18-year-old woman was assaulted on campus around 3 a.m. on Sunday. One of the suspects is a fellow student, Rondell Bedward, 21, of the Bronx, who was charged with five counts of first-degree rape. Bronx residents Stan Felipe, 19, and Jesus Ortiz, 19, were charged with five counts of first-degree rape and first-degree attempted criminal sexual act; Ortiz was also charged with fourth-degree larceny. Kevin Taveras of Brent was charged with five counts of first-degree rape; Bedward and Ortiz were arraigned yesterday while Felipe and Taveras are being arraigned today. Police are still looking for the fifth suspect. more ›

Barely 24 hours after causing a stir for dissing Taylor Swift—while she was accepting an award—at the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West appeared on The Jay Leno Show. West was a musical guest, along with Jay-Z and Rihanna, but agreed to speak with Leno before the performance. The rapper seemed very contrite, saying he felt terrible for hurting someone, it's “extremely difficult to deal with the fact that I hurt someone and took something away from a talented artist." more ›

Those boats in the water today—it's the Coast Guard! "The U.S. Coast Guard will be conducting exercises in the East River, Hudson River, and New York Harbor between 9 AM and 3 PM on Tuesday 9/15/09. Expect additional Coast Guard vessel activity in these areas." Just be glad for the warning—DC didn't get one and CNN, after overhearing on the radio the words "you will be fired upon" and "bang bang bang," decided that shots were fired on the Potomac, started a Friday kerfuffle when it was just a training exercise the Coast Guard didn't disclose to the public (and apparently the news media). more ›

Actor Patrick Swayze, who had been battling pancreatic cancer, died today in Los Angeles; he was 57. His family issued a statement, "Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months." Variety writes, "Trained as a dancer, the half-Apache actor started out in teen heartthrob roles and segued into romantic leads, while also appearing onstage and weathering injuries and accidents. Swayze was raised in Houston, Texas, and his mother was a choreographer and ballet school owner. He trained with the Harkness Ballet and Joffrey Ballet Schools in New York, starting his career dancing for Disney on Parade." Swayze appeared in a number of films, such as The Outsiders and Red Dawn, but his breakout role was in Dirty Dancing, and stole hearts when he co-starred with Demi Moore in the blockbuster paranormal romance Ghost. Earlier this year, Swayze admitted he was afraid of his illness to Barbara Walters and said, "I'd say five years is pretty wishful thinking. Two years seems likely if you're going to believe statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I'd better get a fire under it." After the jump, the Saturday Night Live skit featuring Swayze with Hans & Franz. more ›

The Department of Transportation has agreed to relegate space on the middle deck of the Staten Island Ferry to become a designated "Quiet Zone." The SI Advance says that the area will be a place where passengers can seek solace to "avoid loud cell phone conversations, general chatter and ferryboat preachers who seek a captive audience." For now the Quiet Zones will be voluntary and self-policed, but City Councilman Ken Mitchell is drafting legislation for the DOT and NYPD to be able to enforce the new rules as well. Mitchell and State Senator Diane Savino pushed for the areas, similar to ones employed on Amtrak trains, because Staten Islanders face the longest average commute in the nation. After a survey went out to Ferry riders asking about their commutes, Savino says, "Everyone of them said that they wanted some place to go on the boat where they could go and just contemplate their life." The signs will be posted on the Bridge Deck of the three newest Molinari-class ferryboats; Savoy says she is brainstorming how to make the plan work for older ferry models as well. more ›

The NYPD confirmed that it raided Queens homes as part of a terrorism investigation—and the NYPD and FBI are briefing Congress right now. Apparently they were tracking a terror suspect; Congressman Peter King (R-Long Island) said, "He was being watched and concern grew as he met with a group of individuals in Queens over the weekend. The FBI went to court late last night for an emergency warrant to conduct the raids this morning." WCBS 2 reports that residents "say it was a blitzkrieg at about 2 a.m. at an address on 41st Avenue near 144th Street. The door to apartment 530 cannot be closed because agents had to ram it open. One of the men who lives in the apartment, who says he was not a target of the search, says he's a self-employed antique dealer." The man said, "They looking for some powder, some different things for making bombs and different things," adding he didn't know the roommates. And the Post's sources say, "The suspected terrorist, described as an ethnic Afghani resident of the Midwest in his 20s — who may have previously lived in Queens — had driven to New York City in recent days and visited multiple apartments in Queens over the weekend." more ›

First they came for the smokers in bars and restaurants, and we said nothing—we simply enjoyed breathing air without carcinogens. Now the Mayor is coming for the smokers on park benches and beach towels, and we're still saying nothing! As part of an ambitious new public health initiative, city health commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley announced that the Bloomberg administration would seek to ban smoking in all city parks and beaches. Public health advocates like Dr. David A. Kessler are elated; he tells City Room, "The issues with secondhand smoke are very real and the majority of the population today doesn’t want to be breathing in tobacco smoke, whether indoors or outdoors." Farley says the proposal to proscribe cigs may require the approval of the City Council, and health department spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti tells Bloomberg News that officials haven’t yet devised "a specific strategy for reducing smoking in parks." But if cops can be as militant about busting smokers as they are ticketing people for public drinking, we're sure this'll be a big cash crop for the city. more ›

Bookworms, rejoice! The New York Public Library has announced expanded hours at 10 locations, with some opening as early as 8 a.m. and closing as late at 11 p.m.! Here's a list of the locations, which also include five locations that had expanded hours from a pilot program; NYPL President Paul LeClerc said, “This is a moment to celebrate. In the current economic climate we have seen that access to libraries is essential. People with different circumstances and needs require their libraries at different times. I am enormously gratified that whether seeking a job, writing the next great novel, completing a school project, researching a new business or checking out the latest best seller, all our users will have time for in-depth pursuit of what they seek from us. I am very grateful to Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn, and the City Council for preserving funding for library hours, and our staff deserves credit for their willingness to experiment with new ideas and approaches to serving our users." Today the Mid-Manhattan location (Fifth Avenue and 40th Street) is having a party at its one-day only "Cover to Cover Cafe" (free coffee and Tim Hortons Timbits) until 11 p.m. more ›

CBS Early Show host Harry Smith wasn't at work this morning—because he suspects he may have the H1N1 virus! While he's doing the right thing by not going into work and infecting coworkers and other people he might be commuting with, we are curious about Smith's self-diagnosis. From 1010WINS: "In an interview live from his New York City apartment Monday, Smith told CBS viewers he started feeling achy and feverish over the weekend after a 25-mile bike ride in the rain and dancing all night at a birthday party." Let's see, a 58-year-old man who biked 25 miles in the rain AND danced all night... yes, swine flu it is. Other symptoms include "Trouble breathing or shortness of breath," "Pain or pressure in the chest or stomach," "Sudden dizziness," "Confusion," and "Severe vomiting that won’t stop." And recently Rachel Maddow battled swine flu. more ›

Well you gotta hand it to Kari Ferrell, aka the Hipster Grifter. Five months after her story lit up the blogosphere and she's now in a Utah jail after being arrested for her fraudulent and thieving past, Ferrell continues to play the media like a fiddle. Ferrell has now taken her publicity tour to a bigger stage, giving "an exclusive jailhouse interview" to ABC News, providing her with a platform to express herself the way one would in an online profile. Among the choice tidbits and quotes that Kari shares: more ›

Federal Judge Jed S. Rakoff rejected the $33 million settlement that the Securities and Exchange Commission accepted from Bank of America over the $3.6 billion in bonuses paid to Merrill Lynch employees. BoA, which acquired Merrill, knew Merill was about to post $9 billion in fourth quarter losses yet went ahead with the bonuses; Rakoff found that BoA "materially lied" to shareholders about the losses. more ›

Red Hook residents held a demonstration Saturday to protest a concrete factory poised to open between a park and the Red Hook Community Farm, one of the city's largest urban farms. The protesters are worried air near the plant will be polluted, and the organic produce will be coated with concrete dust. But the site, located by the Beard Street Ikea, is zoned for heavy industry, and the owner of the company assures the Daily News his plant will have "a lower carbon footprint than most of the concrete being made today." That doesn't placate pint-sized protester Matilda Armstrong, 11, who volunteers at the farm. She tells Brooklyn Paper, "Putting a cement plant right next to a park — how stupid can they be? They should put it in the desert so it doesn’t affect anyone." An aide to state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery is less cute: "I don’t think they appreciate the density of this area and how litigious New Yorkers can be. If you’re opening a cement plant in an area with a 40-percent asthma rate, you’d better open your pocket book, because you’re going to be spending a lot of time in court." more ›

Ashley Dupre, who recently called (some? most?) New York City women hypocrites for looking down on her prostituting past, has now been in the NY Post two days in a row. Yesterday, the Post looked at her road to realization—with a sexy fashion shoot, of course (photo slideshow below, which is set to her second single!)—with the former high-class escort offering this pitch line, "Everyone likes an underdog story, and everyone likes a comeback. I'm the poster child for redemption." more ›

Writer Jim Carroll died of a heart attack Friday while working at his desk inside his Manhattan apartment at age 60. Carroll is most famous for writing , his follow-up memoir about working in Warhol's Factory and attempting to get clean. Carroll is survived by a his brother, Tom. more ›

This week's New York includes an expansive feature on marijuana use in NYC, written by Mark Jacobson, a self-described pothead who first turned on in Alley Pond Park, Queens. Maybe we're just really stoned, but this article is waaaay long, so let's, um, break it up: more ›

This morning, President Barack Obama warned about Wall Street going back to its dangerous ways, "There are some in the financial industry who are misreading this moment. Instead of learning the lessons of Lehman and the crisis from which we are still recovering, they are choosing to ignore them. They do so not just at their own peril, but at our nation's." Though he did say, "We can be confident that the storms of the past two years are beginning to break," Obama added, "Normalcy cannot lead to complacency... I want everybody here to hear my words. We will not go back to the days of reckless behavior and unchecked excess at the heart of this crisis, where too many were motivated only by the appetite for quick kills and bloated bonuses. Those on Wall Street cannot resume taking risks without regard for consequences, and expect that next time, American taxpayers will be there to break their fall." Here's the full text. more ›

Serena Williams will return to Arthur Ashe Stadium this afternoon for the US Open Women's Doubles finals, less than 48 hours after the outburst that eliminated her from the singles draw and gave a whole new meaning to the Kanye West line "an ass like Serena." The USTA gave Williams a slap on the wrist yesterday—a $10,500 fine for misconduct—but said they are still reviewing tapes to see if a stiffer penalty will ensue. Some were calling for Williams to be kept out of today's match or at the very least stripped of her $350,000 singles prize money. more ›

The Post reports, "Top state Republicans will urge former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to abandon his interest in running for governor and run instead against unelected US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand." Apparently some think there isn't support for a Governor Giuliani, what with polls showing that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo would beat him, but Senator GIuliani has a more appealing ring—"State Republicans describe Giuliani's chances against Gillibrand as excellent and say the statewide organization fielded by Cox to become party leader could become a powerful base for a Giuliani Senate race." Interesting, especially since former governor George Pataki has been mentioned as a possible Senate candidate—but he's got a lot of baggage. more ›