[UPDATE BELOW] Sure, it's the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and you're flying on a day when there's extremely heightened security, but if you don't seize the opportunity to join the Mile High Club now, doesn't that mean Al Qaeda has won? Such apparently was the reasoning (or lack thereof) of an amorous couple on a Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Detroit yesterday. After they slipped into the W.C. for an intimate encounter, their "suspicious behavior" was reported to the TSA, and F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to chaperone the plane to Detroit. more ›

This morning, the Fox News Twitter account, Fox News Politics, was hacked with messages that President Obama was killed: "@BarackObama has just passed. The President is dead. A sad 4th of July, indeed. President Barack Obama is dead," and that he was "shot twice in the lower pelvic area and in the neck; shooter unknown. Bled out." more ›

There's speeding, and then there's speeding. Early Sunday morning, Nassau County Police arrested Joseph Melendez after he was caught speeding on the Long Island Expressway at speeds of 122 mph and 126 mph. The police said, "During the process of following and bringing Melendez to a stop, other motorists on the road were observed being forced to take evasive action in order to avoid becoming involved in a collision." more ›

Last night, a family ran out of heating oil for their home in Brentwood, Long Island, so Marie Claudia Blaise decided to fire up a charcoal grill. Today, she, her husband and their three kids ended up hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning and she was also hit with charges of second-degree reckless endangerment. more ›

While U.S. Commander in Afghanistan General David Petraeus warned that a Florida pastor's plan to burn the Koran on September 11 "could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan," Mayor Bloomberg says that Terry Jones has a right to do so, even if the plan is "distasteful." Bloomberg, whose eloquent defense of the proposed mosque two blocks from the World Trade Center site has been praised (and damned!), said today: more ›

A Chicago artist sent Chicagoist a photograph demonstrating his commitment to the Windy City: A new tattoo that says "Chicago Style" amidst a hot dog, slice of pizza, Chicago skycrapers, and former governor Rod Blagojevich. Oh, and there's some payola too. This worries us, because if we see an Eliot Spitzer tattoo with the Statue of Liberty on one side, Ashley Dupre on the other and some thin crust pizza and black socks, we'll know it's the end of days. Or maybe end of days will be the Pedro Espada Jr. tattoo (with images of sushi, Pedro G., etc.) more ›

A JetBlue pilot, preparing to land the plane at JFK Airport, was momentarily blinded by a green laser pointed inside the cockpit. WABC 7 reports, "The plane was approaching JFK over Breezy Point in Queens around 7:45 Saturday night. The pilot told air traffic controllers the green beam was so powerful he had to use a sun visor to block the light. The laser beam appeared to come from the area of the shore and was pointed directly at the cockpit, according to the pilot." Back in 2006, a NJ man who pointed a laser up at a plane and helicopter was arrested under the Patriot Act—people, just use your laser pens on your pets, not on planes! more ›

DDB Brazil's efforts to invoke the tsunami by way of the September 11 attacks go much further than the print ad concept—there's even an extremely disturbed and messed up TV ad. The video is below and we warn you, it may be distressing— it shows a plane flying into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, the Twin Towers on fire, and many planes over lower Manhattan. It's basically like a nightmare. more ›

Last night, Keith Olbermann jumped into the fake-WWF ad fray by declaring DDB Brazil, the ad agency that apparently pitched the 9/11-inspired concept (and never got the WWF's business) the "Worst Persons in the World" on Countdown. Olbermann also named all the creatives involved with making the ad and said of DDB Brazil CEO Sergio Valente, "Frankly, I hope he starves on the streets." more ›

Just after midnight yesterday, a 10-year-old boy was caught in a drive-by shooting in the Bronx. The boy suffered a bullet wound in the foot; according to NY1, "Police say the boy's father had sent him and a friend to pick up food at a Chinese restaurant on Monroe Avenue in Mount Hope... The boys were in front of the restaurant when a car pulled up and someone started shooting at a group of people standing outside the restaurant." A neighbor who heard the gunfire told the Daily News, "My son would have to be in the house before the sun goes down." The boy is in stable condition; police are asking that anyone with information contact Crime Stoppers by either calling 800-577-TIPS, texting CRIMES (then enter TIP577), or going to the Crime Stoppers website. more ›

What do you do when you've knocked back a few beers, your husband's more soused than you are, and you've got five kids crammed into a mid-sized sedan to take care of? Why, you start driving everyone home, of course! At least, that's if your name is Susan Kristofferson. WCBS reports the 39-year-old Putnam County mother was arrested early Monday morning for drunk driving and child endangerment as she headed home with her family from a festival, making her the county's second DWI mom this week. A deputy sheriff pulled Kristofferson over because of her broken headlight, but things got complicated when he smelled alcohol. Kristofferson offered this touching explanation of her Solomon-like predicament: "My husband was 10 times drunker than I was. I had two kids left with me that weren't even mine that I had no intention of driving home in the first place. It was either let my husband drive and kill everybody or leave those two kids abandoned." That, or, ya know, call a cab. Still, even if she says she had no choice but drive drunk, Kristofferson's not going to let these charges stand because "the evidence against her is circumstantial." Sure, her blood alcohol tested above the legal limit and, sure, she failed sobriety tests in front of everyone in the car, but, pssht—what could that possibly prove? more ›

Things are pretty bad when your 13-year-old daughter calls the cops on you because you're (allegedly!) drinking and driving: Over the weekend, Susan Rogge of Putnam County was arrested when police discovered her with a car full of teenage kids, including her daughter, and with a blood alcohol level of 0.22, almost three times the legal limit. WCBS 2 reports, "Mom was apparently in the parking lot drinking beer in the car -- a big problem since mom was the ride home. Moments after they left the daughter turned the mother in for DWI. 'Mommy's drunk.' she told the operator. 'We almost crashed.'" Rogge's car was in the oncoming lane—and in the opposite direction—according to police; Carmel Police Chief Michael Johnson praised the child, "The 13-year-old was very responsive. You can't fault her. Some people might say she turned her mother in, but they are better off for it." Rogge has a history of alcohol-related offenses and her lawyer said, "She recognizes she has a serious disease and will be seeking in-patient treatment immediately." She is currently in jail, awaiting $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond. more ›

Last week, an 18-year-old Belgian girl claimed that a Romanian tattoo artist mistakenly put 53 tattoo stars too many on her face. Kimberley Vlaeminck, who said she wanted three stars near her eye, sued the tattoo artist for $14,000 for the cost of removing the tattoos, while Rouslan Toumaniantz maintained Vlaeminck wanted all 56 stars. Now the teen has confessed to her misguided desire: "I asked for 56 stars and initially adored them. But when my father saw them, he was furious. So I said I fell asleep and the that the tattooist made a mistake." As for Toumaniantz, he said the hubbub gave him publicity, but he will require clients to sign consent forms. It's unclear whether Vlaeminck is getting the tattoos removed, but if she does, it could take a while—as local dermatologist Dr. Jonathan Zizmor told us, "If you come in and say take it off in one time, it doesn't make a difference on the size. You have to come in multiple times so it goes away. Sometimes on certain colors it doesn't work well." more ›

Only in New Jersey, folks: According to the Gloucester County Times, "A Westville man who reportedly couldn’t pay his bar tab wound up being charged with using his own feces to draw on the walls and set fire to a bathroom in the police station." For real. Jason Detora, 24, told police that his girlfriend would arrive with the money. But when Nicole Leadbetter, 22, finally got to Skeeters Pub, the cops charged her with DWI and outstanding warrants. So she was taken to the police station, as was Detora so he could wait for a ride. That's where things got...messy: "Detora allegedly used a rest room, but when he came out, a patrolman noticed an odor coming from the men's room. Police found toilet paper and paper towels had been piled up and set on fire in the bathroom. Detora allegedly had defecated on the floor and used his own feces to draw on the walls." He was charged with arson and criminal mischief and is being held on $35,000 bail, Leadbetter was released after posting bail, and the bathroom was cleaned. more ›

Betsy Perry has resigned from the city's Committee on Women's Issues after her ill-advised post on the Huffington Post last week. Perry, a marketing consultant who was appointed to the panel by Mayor Bloomberg, had written about Mexico's bad rap, "Between the guns, drugs, kidnappings and swine flu, this poor country can't catch a break and, maybe it shouldn't." CityRoom has Perry's statement, which reads: "Rather than become a distraction to Mayor Bloomberg, I think it best if I resign from the Women’s Commission. I have enjoyed the work and the many fine friends I made and continue to be a great fan of the mayor’s and the wonderful work he has done for our city." While Bloomberg had called her remarks "inappropriate," he didn't outright fire her from the unpaid position, prompting criticism from mayoral hopeful City Comptroller Bill Thompson, who writes on his Facebook page, "[The] Mayor should have acted more swiftly to remove Betsy Perry from the NYC Committee on Women's Issues after her insensitive remark." (Thompson also held a rally outside the Mexican consulate over the issue.) more ›

Betsy Perry is a marketing consultant, but her byline on the Huffington Post notes that she's a "New York Commissioner for Women's Issues, appointed by Mayor Bloomberg." Her post today, titled, "Montezuma's Revenge: Can The Best Thing About Mexico Really Be Beverly Hills Chihuahua?" opines, "Nowadays the best PR Mexico has is the movie 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua.' Between the guns, drugs, kidnappings and swine flu, this poor country can't catch a break and, maybe it shouldn't." Which was pretty poorly received by readers (one comment: "Wow. Really? Someone with such a lofty title actually wrote this?") and the mayor himself; City Room reports that Bloomberg said, "Inappropriate would be the word that came to mind... I don’t know what she was thinking about." Perry told CityRoom she was embarrassed, "That’s the way I write. I have a sense of humor that obviously wasn’t funny. I’m appalled at myself. I couldn’t possibly insult anybody... I’m sorry that in any way I reflected badly in this wonderful mayor. I hope that I am forgiven." Still, Perry couldn't quite explain why Beverly Hills Chihuahua was great for Mexico since the movie takes place in...California (where Beverly Hills is). more ›

Let's take the Air Force One flyover incident into yet another day! Fox News wanted to calculate the cost beyond the $328,835 it cost to fly the Boeing 747 and fighter jets on Monday, so it asked Mayor Bloomberg's office "how much the city had to spend to deal with the panic." Apparently NYC 911 got flyover-related 97 calls (about a 15% increase) in an hour while Jersey City said it received about 13 calls. more ›

The verdict is out, and yesterday's lower Manhattan flyover by the "Boeing 747 sometimes known as Air Force One" and military jets was a bad idea. So bad that the White House Military Office's director Luis Caldera apologized for the mission. It was so bad that the city official who knew about the event but didn't tell the mayor was "reprimanded and a disciplinary letter has been placed in his file," according to Newsday. more ›

A 22-year-old Long Island gymnastic coach was charged with unlawfully dealing with a child and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly giving a 14-year-old student a bottle of Malibu Rum. Steven Lamensdorf apparently gave the teen the rum as a "reward" for executing a difficult move. The teen drank so much of the rum that she had to go to the ER WCBS 2's Lou Young (who explains,"The coconut-flavored booze is popular among underage drinkers because it's sweet") got a statement from Lamensdorf's boss at Spins Gymnastics Academy: "He has said he got pressured into it by being repeatedly asked and thought if I do it this once it will be over and done with. He had a momentary, absolutely bizarre lapse in judgment." Still, a parent said, "He should've known better, he's the adult." more ›

Worst boyfriend of the week: A Queens man was arrested after shooting his girlfriend, who had been sleeping in bed in their Queens apartment. Police suspect Larry Smith had been cleaning his (illegal) gun when it went off and shot Felicia Crawford in the chest. A police source tells the Post that Smith had the firearm in bed because "He heard a noise and he got up to get his gun." Crawford is in stable condition at Mary Immaculate Hospital. A neighbor says Smith "feels very bad about what happened." more ›

Yesterday, the Daily News and Newsday offered editorials endorsing Hillary Clinton for Tuesday's NY State Democratic Primary. While the News calls both Clinton and Barack Obama are "compelling choices," disagrees with both candidates' strategies for ending the war in Iraq and finds Obama inspirational, the News ultimately finds Clinton to be the "stronger" of the two, because of her experience. There are concerns about Bill Clinton's recent involvement - and potential involvement if his wife is elected:

Based on her experience and her service on behalf of New York, The News backs Hillary Clinton in the full expectation that from here on out she and her husband will abide by standards of fairness - and, more important, that she intends to draw firm, clear lines should she make it to the White House.

Though there's a "tentative deal" for President Bush's proposed economic stimulus plan in D.C., Mayor Bloomberg thinks it's a bad idea. During a speech last night (accepting an award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors), he outlined why the package was a problem. From the NY Sun:

The $145 billion proposal being negotiated centers around the idea of providing several hundred dollars in tax rebates to individuals and families in a bid to spur the economy — a plan that Mr. Bloomberg said could "modestly benefit Americans" but would not "make a huge difference" overall because of the enormous deficits the government has already run up. more ›

Attention Gawker commenters: Nick Denton needs you to pick up his dry cleaning. Though it sounds too good to be true, it seems that eager young Gawker interns are working their way up the new media ladder on the strength of their smug observations, sarcastic bon mots and impassioned diatribes on all things trivial. Will the "first!" be the first to be hired? more ›

Last October, a fire was started outside the Engine 34/Ladder 21 firehouse on West 38th Street. The fire was put out, but upon investigation, it turned out the ones who set it were firefighters from different firehouses! A surveillance cameras actually captured Michael Izzo and Richard Capece purchasing the gasoline at a gas station and later splashing the stationhouse's garage door and igniting it, setting off what was described as a fireball. more ›

Our warning about today's wicked winds was no joke; as you can see from the photo above our weather writer's vision of Christmas tree tumbleweeds has come to pass. There's so much dust and dirt whipping around on these 40 mph winds that protective goggles wouldn't be a bad idea. more ›

Steven Sakai, the bouncer who went on a shooting rampage in front of Opus 22 in Chelsea last year, was found guilty of two other murders yesterday and acquitted in a third killing. From the accounts we've read, Sakai was his own worst enemy throughout the legal process, beginning with implicating himself in three killings as police questioned him about his role in the May 2006 shooting of four patrons outside the club where he... more ›

The New York City Transit Authority, the MTA division that oversees the subways and buses, will be now split up the management of the subway lines and instead assign a manager to deal with a line or a number of lines. The NY Times spoke to NYC Transit president Howard Roberts Jr.:The goal, Mr. Roberts said, is to have 24 subway lines operating in many ways as 24 self-contained railroads. (The number may vary,... more ›

Have you seen Sex and the City filming around town? Seems like some people are watching the cast of the 'ol show film the new movie every step of the way. The Times chronicled the madness and, OMG, talked to Carrie Bradshaw herself (who was hiding away in the basement of the Bryant Park Hotel). She had this to say of her on-the-job craziness: “I basically just look down between every take because it’s... more ›