• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on Livingston St. in Brooklyn, another bank robbery on 2nd Ave. in Manhattan, and a third bank robbery on 71-41 Main St. in Queens.
• Even diamonds can get family members riled up and stabbing this way and that.
• Something Into Plowshares: behold the transformed Park Slope Armory.
• Toys in Babeland coming to family-friendly Park Slope. The Pink Pussycat Boutique, which operates across the street from a public school soldiers on.
• A NJ woman was arrested after the death of an ex-police officer who died while undergoing plastic surgery by an unlicensed surgeon.
• The touch, the feel, of cotton handed out to passersby in NYC.
• The body of a man discovered dead with his mouth covered in duct tape in a Best Western Hotel has been deemed suspicious by the cops.
• Barry Feinstein, a long-time member of the MTA board of directors, is stepping down after a fruitful run.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an armed robbery on East 91st St. in Brooklyn, a confined space rescue at JFK Airport in Queens, and a pedestrian was struck at East 23rd St. and Lexington Ave. in Manhattan.
• A dump truck jack-knifed and rolled over, crushing the car next to it and killing the car's two occupants in Brooklyn.
• Jay Leno is auctioning off the set of The Tonight Show and donating the proceeds to fund an after-school program at Brooklyn's Paul Robeson High.
• Streetsblog notes dueling Google ad placements for and against congestion pricing in New York.
• One of the men who was shot by police with Sean Bell was arrested last night and arraigned on charges of assaulting his girlfriend, driving without a license, and harassment.
• A NJ town that enacted strict ordinances against hiring or renting to illegal immigrants three years ago has repealed them after discovering that the negative impact on the town's economy was significant.
• Maybe the Yanks or Mets should look into whoever is having sex with BushwickBK's neighbor, because he or she has quite an arm, as evidenced by the steady stream of panties landing in his yard.
• The sections of the Brooklyn Bridge rated "poor" during recent inspections will be refurbished over the next few years.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a homicide on Sands St. in Brooklyn, a water rescue off City Island in the Bronx, and a stabbing at 146th St. in Queens.
• The national press is focusing on possible candidates Hillary, Rudy, and Bloomy, and catches on to the obvious fact that has been evident for the last century in politics: the rest of the U.S. hates New Yorkers and especially hates New York City politicians.
• If you haven't heard of Florsheim Shoes, you're not really a New Yorker. The company and the family are back.
• A NJ schools superintendent calls "Yuck!" at two gay boys kissing in a high school yearbook. That is so totally gay.
• John Lennon's sons, Sean and Julian, hug and make up.
• Before we get all worked up about the U.N. and its diplomats, City Comptroller Bill Thompson would like to remind us that there are a lot of companies and organizations that owe the city millions in unpaid taxes, like the Cyclones baseball team, the Mets, Hyatt Hotels, and the National Tennis Center. Pay up deadbeats.
• An FDNY rescue worker swam to a man crying for help as he clung to a the underside of a pier at East 38th St. this morning. #1 request after the near-drowning man was rescued from the chilly East River: "I need water."
• Mike Bloomberg: Populist Mayor or Plutocrat Kingmaker?

Yikes! A NJ Transit bus that just left the city via the Lincoln Tunnel crashed into a divider on I-495, near the Park Avenue exit in Weehawken. One of the commuters told WABC 7,"All of a sudden we were just on top of the divider. Nobody seems to know what happened. Everybody was jolted forward ... a lot of people sustained injuries to their face ... my friend got cut, she needed stitches ... a girl in front of us hit her face and a woman that was standing fell to the floor." more ›

We've stolen this post's title from the best email subject line we've gotten this year. According to Rogers Cadenhead's Workbench blog, us that the governor is working to gain control of the eliotspitzer.com and eliotspitzer.org domain names. Who had them? A NJ businessman named Eric Keller, who seemed to use the domains to direct traffic to one of his candy businesses. Keller has a history of cybersquatting, complaints about his business practices and defrauding the UPS. We bet Spitzer will have a grand time tangling with him! more ›

We wish you a happy Thanksgiving, however you may spend the day, whether it's on a cold, wet corner waiting to see the parade balloon and floats, traveling to your family's for a big meal, or staying in and watching football. It's our favorite holiday because it's about gathering - without any worry about gifts (maybe some worry about the sweet potatoes, though). Remember to give thanks - we're all very lucky. Here are Thanksgiving editorials from the Daily News, Post, NY Times, NY Sun and Newsday, which reminds us that on a day when food is bountiful, we should remember to give to food banks. more ›

A NJ family was driving along the Staten Island Expressway when their minivan crashed into a tree off the side of the road. Highway police were able to save three young children, ages 2, 3, and 9, but could not save their parents, as the front of the minivan was "fully enguled in flames" according to one of the police officers in the Post. Arturo Lopez-Mendez and Christina Guardado of Elizabeth, NJ were killed in the crash, which occured around 4AM yesterday, but children David, Catherine (pictured) and Elizabeth were treated at Staten Island University Hospital for cuts and burns. A driver who witnessed the accident saw police up ahead and alerted them; the police were able to break through windows to retrieve the children. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash. more ›

- A NJ Transit light rail train hits a NJ Transit bus - luckily none of the accidents are life threatening, but come on, they are both operated by NJ Transit! more ›

A NJ man hit a pedestrian in Queens and then, a few block later, crashed into a car, killing one of the passengers. The driver, Anand Hazare, later abandoned his car and called the police to report that he was carjacked; he will be charged with murder, DWI, leaving the scene of an accident and falsely reporting an incident. Shivanand Patraju was in the backseat of Shastri Soogrim's Suburban; when Soogrim saw Hazare's Mitsubishi Eclipse coming his way, he accelerated to try to get out of the way. But Hazare still hit him, and the impact caused Patraju to be ejected out the rear window. It turns out that the backseat passengers weren't wearing their seatbelts. Mohammed Nasir, the first victim who was hit while crossing the street in Ozone Park, is at a hospital. more ›

- A NJ couple won the huge MegaMillions jackpot; husband Harold Lerner says he'll buy a Checker cab (he grew up in Brooklyn) and give people free rides! more ›