Yesterday's gusting winds caused quite a bit of damage besides providing more winter chill. Building scaffolding was knocked over in many places, a tree pinned a man in NJ to the ground, and windows and/or debris fell from two Manhattan skyscrapers, hitting pedestrians. Winds were reported to be at least 40MPH, with gusts at 50MPH, yesterday (wind advisory was in effect until this morning at 4AM). The Buildings Department had asked property owners and construction... more ›

Nice guys may not finish first, but it helps with voters. The NY Times' Michael Powell looks at Rudy Giuliani's evolution from mayor to presidential candidate and the shift in style he's had to take. For instance, more smiling, less snarling! more ›

If there's one NY Times Weddings & Celebrations write-up you read this week, read the one for Claire Israel and Oren Silverstein. Not only did the couple get married at Cupid’s Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas (but they'll have another service in Brooklyn next month), they also described how their initial online courtship had its roadblocks:

When the couple met online in April 2005, Ms. Israel was as concerned about where Mr. Silverstein lived (New Jersey) as he was about who she lived with (her two cats). more ›

A NY Times reporter spent yesterday observing and experiencing the Reverend Al Sharpton's action rally at his National Action Network headquarters.

On most Saturdays, the so-called House of Justice on West 145th Street can feel as casual as the International House of Pancakes 10 blocks south. Anyone can walk in and take a seat. The words etched onto the large tinted window at the entrance, facing 145th Street, read not House of Justice or National Action Network but Diamond Gym, the storefront’s former occupant, which explains why the walls are lined with mirrors. more ›

Now that the plans for Freedom Tower at Ground Zero need to be revised due to police concerns, Gothamist wonders if the skyscraper, meant to heal New York City and, well, the rest of the world but has been mired in all sorts of development meshugas for the past two years (but building only started last year), will even get built. Apparently the NYPD thinks there are security issues with the building, and Larry Silverstein, the developer, is apt to try to figure out how to make the building more secure. Man, you'd think they'd have accounted for NYPD security issues already, but we suppose there are endless ones. Governor Pataki's spokesperson claims that the building's design is secure, but says that reworking any designs will only delay the proposed 2009 opening by months (our money is on 2010) and that all other components of development, including the WTC Memorial, are moving ahead as planned. more ›

One of the muggers challenged two teenage girls who were with them — saying they just robbed a guy and asking what the girls could do. The girls planned to show they were as tough as their friends by beating up DuFresne and Gibson — but things quickly escalated, the sources said. more ›