Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama made a campaign swing into our neighborhood yesterday, drawing a crowd of thousands to Yanitelli Center at St. Peter's College, and as well as supporters to a fund-raiser in Midtown last night. At St. Peter's, He told the audience, "I'm not running because of long-held ambitions. I'm running because of what Dr. (Martin Luther) King called the 'fierce urgency of now.'" more ›

This story shows the ingenuity and desperation of a small-time crook: The police arrested Gilbert Alicea for stealing cash from a church's donation box with a stick and double-sided tape. At St. Vincent Ferrer Church on the Upper East Side, Alicea would pretend to pray with a female accomplice, even chatting up priests, but then fished out money with his homemade stealing-money-from-a-church-collection-box gadget. Police from teh 19th Precinct were alerted by a church security guard, and caught Alicea with four special sticks. This sounds like a lot of effort to steal, what, a couple bucks a pop? This device sounds better to fishing out your ID from the sewer. more ›

EVENT/MUSIC: It's Children's Day at South Street Seaport this Saturday. With Gordon from Sesame Street, The School House Rock Stage Show and They Might Be Giants! Wait...AND fireworks! [via FreeNYC] more ›