Our lovable, pragmatic mayor is now officially an independent-- many feel that this is a first step to a third-party run for president. CBS reports: Mayor Michael Bloomberg has left the Republican party and registered as unaffiliated with any political party, a move certain to heighten presidential speculation to a fever pitch, despite his denials that he's running. The billionaire former CEO, who was a lifelong Democrat before he switched to the Republican party......

Mayor Michael Bloomberg met with California Governor Arnold Schwarzengger in the Golden State yesterday, and it was a total love fest. The Governator told reporters:[Republicans and Democrats in Congress] are frozen. They can’t get anything done in Washington because it’s Democrats against Republicans and Republicans against Democrats, rather than, ‘Let us solve the problems of this country.’ And so this is why I admire him — I admire Mayor Bloomberg. He’s my soul mate. He’s......

- A man was arrested in connection to the Staten Island brush fires - MP3 of NYC FM radio on the night John Lennon died - Join the Great River Sweep to clean up the Hudson! - Female firefighters will finally get their own bathrooms - The Villager raises interesting questions about the post-murder fate of the Falls - As the Gawker empire will go on display in a storefront office, the countdown begins......

The Campaign Finance Board's records show that Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields has not reimbursed her government drivers for driving her to campaign events. Newsday points out that Fields hasn't "paid for gas or parking used during those appearances" and that in the past week, only two of her many events were job-related. Fields' campaign manager, Chung Seto, claims that the drivers/city will be reimbursed, but she doesn't know why it's taking so long.......

The NY Times reports that the Mayor's approval ratings are still on the rise. While his rating is at a stellar (for him) 50%, the NY Times tempers that news by running terrible photograph of him (right) - he looks exactly like a Sleestack! Of course, higher voter approvals can be helped out by sophisticated voter analysis and spending $1 million weekly on TV media. People are giving him credit for paying attention the public......

The hits keep coming for former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer: City Councilman Charles Barrons says Ferrer should get out of the mayoral race and support Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia's Field mayoral bid. Barron says Ferrer is "free-falling and it's not going to stop." For his part, Ferrer says he has a right to run. And, Gothamist would imagine, a right to lose. But things aren't that cheery for Ferrer, not to mention the......

After Los Angeles Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa beat incumbent James Hahn to become the first Hispanic mayor of Los Angeles, the NY Times looks at the how Fernando Ferrer's aides hope to replicate that kind of success come the city's mayoral election this November. Still reeling from his remarks about the Amadou Diallo shooting, Ferrer finds himself struggling, and the NY Times article suggests that the Latino support he would need to win the Mayoral election......