Should a man who is legally blind and has accidentally shot himself in the shin be able to own firearms? Prosecutors in Morris County New Jersey are moving to revoke the gun rights of Steven Holper, who has been blind for most of his adult life. But they can't legally take away his weapons because he can't see, so according to the Times, authorities are attempting to use a 2003 disorderly conduct conviction to prove that Holper is an alcoholic, and therefore shouldn't be permitted to possess a firearm. Justice may be blind, but is she also a little tipsy? more ›

Laser pointer pranksters, be warned: the Federal Aviation Administration is coming for you! The FAA has launched a manhunt for laser-wielding criminals after a spate of suspiciously connected attacks against pilots at LaGuardia Airport over the weekend. more ›

Crossing the street just got a little less treacherous for blind people at 25 intersections in all four boroughs (sorry, Staten Island). New Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) introduced today feature a "distinct clicking sound" at certain intersection to let sight-impaired pedestrians know when the “walk” phase has begun. It's a heavy blow for Good Samaritans, who have been helping blind people cross the road for centuries—already installed at 21 other intersections, the DOT's new Machines are slowly but steadily rendering human kindness obsolete. more ›

The Midtown sit-down gourmet deli La Baguette is in the news today after a blind woman accused the manager of ejecting her from the establishment because she had a seeing eye dog. In a tearful interview with NY1, Irene Sirotta claims she showed documentation to prove Tyler, her dog, was a guide dog, but she was still thrown out, along with a human friend. "Why can't I go in there?" she asks while sobbing. "New York State law says I can. It's not fair. I'm sorry, it's not fair." But we spoke with La Baguette's manager, and he has a very different version of yesterday's incident. more ›

Yesterday we reported that an elderly man suffered an amputation after falling into the subway tracks at 14th Street and Broadway, and today more upsetting details have emerged. The victim was actually 84-year-old Anatoliy Zilberman, a partially-blind resident of an assisted-living facility on 23rd Street who suffered from Alzheimer's. He lost several toes on his left foot and suffered severe bruising after wandering onto the the 4 train tracks yesterday afternoon. more ›

Governor David Paterson is beginning to feel anxious about life without the snazzy perks of public office. Like people doing things for you! Granted, Paterson actually does need the help. The legally blind governor needs assistance in everything from climbing the stairs to reading his mail, especially since he never learned Braille. more ›

The concept of "Dark Dining," a meal in which the customer is blindfolded, is not very new. But Community Board 3 just gave the green light for a liquor license to "blind dining" franchise Dans Le Noir?, who will be adding an extra twist to their New York establishment: blind waiters. They say the service will create an "interesting sensory experience," and Lighthouse International, a nonprofit whose services include finding jobs for blind people, say they have plenty of people who would love the employment opportunity. Sounds great, but this sounds a little too much like we're going to wind up eating blue steak for us to get completely on board. more ›

Almost a year after a 200-pound chimpanzee named Travis mauled Charla Nash, the cop that shot the violent creature has been denied a claim for workers comp for post-traumatic stress disorder. Why? Because the law was made for officers who shoot people, and doesn't extend to the rest of the animal kingdom, the AP reports. But for the anniversary of the chimp's death, a Connecticut state senator wants to amend it to include police who fire at animals, at least those "required to use deadly force on animals that attempt to injure them." (How about rabid raccoons?) Meanwhile Nash—who lost hands, lips, nose and eyelids when the animal attacked—is in the process of suing the state for $150 million. more ›

Even criminal street performers in the East Village ain't what they used to be. This weekend 21-year-old Dominic Lapsley used a metal walking stick to pretend that he was blind and bump into a group of strangers at the corner of St. Marks Place and 2nd Avenue around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The five twenty-something victims were then confronted by 40-year-old Benjamin Pleasant, who yelled at them, "Don't run into a blind man! Give me your wallets," as he began going through a victim's pockets. At that point, two more accomplices came out of the woodwork and began beating on the rest of the group. Being on St. Marks on a Saturday night, the scene wasn't exactly off the beaten path and cops were able to quickly sweep the gang up. Just last week a group of transvestite teenagers in the West Village were arrested for robbing locals and spending the loot on wigs. more ›

Health care concerns have been getting some flak for blitzing the airwaves with TV ads protesting Governor Paterson's proposed health care cuts. Most notably, the ads feature a blind man, Juan Petri, asking Paterson, "Why are you doing this to me?" which some felt was a low blow to the blind governor. Yesterday, the Post put Pietri on its front page (headline: DIM WITS) and, today, has an interview with the Bronx resident. Pietri, who voted for the Spitzer-Paterson ticket, said, "I didn't do anything wrong. I did the ads because I'm blind and they're cutting my services...I got nothing against him - just the cuts he's going to make." The Post followed up by speaking to some blind New Yorkers to ask them what they thought of the ads—one said, "Blind people shouldn't talk smack about our blind governor." more ›

Though some people may have laughed at Saturday Night Live's depiction of Governor David Paterson—which did include Fred Armisen as Paterson stumbling around due to his blindness and saying "I'm a blind man who loves cocaine who was suddenly appointed governor of New York. My life is an actual plot from a Richard Pryor movie."—Paterson himself was not one of them. more ›

Last summer Shepard Fairey was in town installing his exhibit at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in DUMBO; new pieces also went up around the streets of Brooklyn during that time. more ›

A fight outside a Yonkers bar that cost a man his vision in one eye, may cost a number of NYPD members professionally. One of the participants in the brawl on the border of the Westchester city and the Bronx, Thomas Wimmer, has already resigned from the force. Three other officers are suspended without pay after their arraignment Friday on misdemeanor charges related to a beating on McLean Ave. that cracked a man's skull. more ›