Bridal chain David's Bridal is opening its first Manhattan store on Sixth Avenue between West 24th and 25th Streets. Though it's just a few blocks north of Kleinfeld's, Crain's reports that the Pennsylvania-based company feel the area needs a "midtier" bridal resource to complement the upscale offerings. There is a David's Bridal store in Queens, as well as ones in Westchester and NJ. Rebecca Mead wrote about the store for the New Yorker and the... [continue]

Photograph of model Carolyn Murphy, Estee Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder, model Hilary Rhoda, hidden, actress Elizabeth Hurley, and Estee Lauder president Thia Breen at the New York Stock Exchange by Henny Ray Abrams/AP Even though spokesmodels for Estee Lauder, including Elizabeth Hurley, prettied up the New York Stock Exchange by ringing today's opening bell, the mood has been dark as "frightened money is jumping all over the place." Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke tried... [continue]

The U.S. Embassy in Serbia issued a statement saying officials had met with the parents of Miladin Kovacevic, the Serbian national charged with beating a Brooklyn man in upstate NY. Per the AP, the statement read, "The United States has not formally requested extradition at this time. We sincerely believe that it is in the best interests of Mr. Kovacevic to return voluntarily to the U.S., rather than to remain a fugitive. The meeting was... [continue]

The Hampton Jitney's management became upset when it realizes a book it was helping promote --The Hampton Dictionary--actually called the bus to the Hamptons a "cattle car" and "bus for cidiots" (idiots from the city). Publishers Weekly says the dictionary's publisher paid Hampton Jitney for the book to be passed out with other free products to bus passengers, but now Hampton Jitney refunded the money. The book's publisher pointed out, "We sent them content in... [continue]

Photograph of a cruise ship passing under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge by New York Daily Photo From the Gothamist Newsmap: A water main break on Southern Boulevard in the Bronx, three people shot in Rockaway Blvd and 150 Ave in Queens, and a demonstration at 44th and 8th Ave in Manhattan. An NYPD lieutenant serving in the National Guard in Afghanistan was killed in a "non-hostile incident" according to the Department of Defense. Clinton... [continue]

Some cute news: A panda who survived the May earthquake in Sichuan has now given birth to twins. Panda Guo Guo was relocated from the Wolong panda research center to another nearby city and was the first panda to give birth this year. While staffers could weigh the elder of the twins (6 ounces), the other was left unweighed because Guo Guo was cuddling it--aww!... [continue]

The breakup of Alex Rodriguez and Cynthia Rodrigeuz's marriage took another nasty turn after she filed for divorce yesterday. The Yankee third baseman's friends told the Daily News that C-Rod spent $100,000 during her trip to Paris. This comes as one of Cynthia Rodriguez's divorce lawyers called A-Rod's much-rumored affair with Madonna "an affair of the heart." Friends for both sides of the couple have been trying to win over the public by leaking... [continue]

Carla Katz was suspended as the head of the largest local of the Communications Workers of America. The CWA's national executive board believes there's, per the AP, "financial malpractice and suppression of dissent among the local’s 16,000 members, 10,000 of whom are state workers" (see the claims here). Katz denies the charges and says they are "appalling." Her past relationship with NJ Governor Jon Corzine has been scrutinized (Corzine gave her a $6 million settlement... [continue]

Authorities believe 5-year-old Jay "Tito" Morales set fire to his grandmother's apartment in an act of revenge, because she wouldn't let him go to the park. Now the child is in critical condition after suffering third-degree burns over 70-90% of his body. Morales' grandmother Nancy Herrera often baby-sat him in her Bushwick home on Knickerbocker Avenue. Described as strict, Herrera apparently punished Jay after a stunt where he called 911 and said she had died--only... [continue]

After bringing many construction projects, including high-profile ones like the new Yankee and Mets stadiums and Freedom Tower, to a halt by striking last week, cement truck drivers are back at the negotiating table. Teamsters Local 282 and the Association of New York City Concrete Producers have not given specifics about what they are discussing, but Local 282's Francis Finnerman told NY1, "We're not asking for the moon, we're not asking for outlandish raises. All... [continue]

A federal judge ruled in favor for the city, saying the city is not "required to re-sift through debris" from the World Trade Center in hopes of finding more human remains. Some families felt the city should go back to Fresh Kills landfill--where almost 2 million tons of debris from the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks were dumped--and go through the tons of debris so they could recover remains for burial. The families,... [continue]

Even though around 200 people attended the Brooklyn barbecue where one person was killed and four people were injured in gun fire, the Post reports there has been little or no cooperation from witnesses. More chillingly, it's suggested that the fatality, 21-year-old college student Zeanie White, may have been used as a "human shield" by another shooting victim who may have been the real target. Police are offering $12,000 for information leading to an arrest... [continue]

Air traffic controllers say two planes were within 100 feet of colliding at JFK Airport this past weekend. The FAA is investigating (it hasn't heard of such an incident yet), and a spokesperson for one of the airlines allegedly involved said the claim from air traffic controllers was "false." However, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association says the incident occurred on Saturday, between two passengers planes on runways perpendicular to each other. According to the... [continue]

Titans of industry are working to find a suitable mayoral candidate in a similar vein as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to the NY Times. The Times even calls the executives ("some of New York’s most influential business leaders: Martin Lipton, a founding partner of the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; the financier Steven Rattner; and Jerry I. Speyer, chairman of the developer Tishman Speyer") "desperate"--Mayor B ought to feel very flattered that... [continue]

What happens when a three-year-old plucks some leaves from a tree branch? Well, if a Parks Department employee is watching, the child's mom gets a summons. WABC 7 reported on this act of arboreal malfeasance: Apparently little Ana Stinner--who "can barely reach even the lowest branch on the tree in question"--grabbed some leaves while playing in Chelsea Waterside Park. Her mother Elaine Stinner says the leaves were from a twig, but a parks officer... [continue]

This Friday, Apple is releasing the next generation of its extremely popular iPhone. Last week, the line for the new 3G iPhone started to form at the Fifth Avenue store. ... [continue]

Photograph of Williamsburg courtyards contributed to Gothamist--you can share your photographs by tagging them "gothamist" on Flickr or emailing them to photo(at)gothamist(dot)com From the Gothamist Newsmap: A bicyclist struck at 49th Avenue and 108th Street in Queens, an accident investigation at East 106th Street and the FDR in Manhattan, and a motor vehicle accident near the Verrazano Bridge, on the Brooklyn side. In Massachusetts, a Cape Cod man allegedly beat a man because he... [continue]

Cynthia Rodriguez filed for divorce from Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez today in Miami. According to the papers, she claims A-Rod "emotionally abandoned" her and that the marriage is "irretrievably broken" due to his "extra-marital affairs and other marital misconduct." She is looking for primary custody of their two daughters, child support to "maintain the existing lifestyle of the children," and their $12 million home in Coral Gables, Florida, plus paying attorney's fees. Notably, she... [continue]

Oh, the wacky world of municipal agency billing! The New York City Housing Authority, the city agency which manages the city's public housing, pays the city $200 million in fees for services including water, trash, and police protection. The NYCHA also has a deficit of $170 million, and the NY Times looks at the issues involved. To city officials, these fees are small relative to what they could really be charged. To others, it's crazy... [continue]

Yesterday, friends, family, and others gathered for the funeral of 49-year-old Esmin Green, whose death in a Kings County Hospital emergency room was captured on surveillance video. Green, who had been waiting for almost 24 hours for medical attention, had collapsed onto the floor; though many staffers saw her on the floor, nothing was done until a nurse (who kicked her gently) realized she was unconscious an hour later. Green was described as a loving,... [continue]