Jabbar Collins, the man who spent 15 years in prison before his 1995 murder conviction was overturned earlier this year, is suing the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office and one of its top prosecutors in a $150 million lawsuit, charging that the agency deliberately withheld evidence and was consistently engaged in misconduct during the trial. more ›

In a series of increasingly brazen attacks, the bedbugs have laid siege to our libraries, our lingere, and our most precious sources for preppy clothes. And now they've made a move on our judicial system, infiltrating the offices of Brooklyn D.A. Charles J. Hynes. According to one tipster, the D.A.'s office is currently "infested," and, alarmingly, we were unable to reach the District Attorney, who has presumably been carried off to the bedbugs' underground blood-harvesting work farm. However, Hynes's stalwart press liaison, Jerry Schmetterer, has refused to abandoned headquarters, and we got through to him by phone just moments ago. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: shots fired on 166th St. and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, a pedestrian struck at Berry St. and Division Ave. in Brooklyn, and a found body on Richmond Valley and Arthur Kill on Staten Island.
• Still searching for the Staten Island ninja burglar, police questioned New York Post photographer Ron Romano because of his ninja-like ability to tightrope walk.
• A huge hole in the middle of Brooklyn's Pacific Street provides rude awakenings for drivers who don't see it.
• Mark it. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says he has no intention of running for Mayor.
• The City of New York was found liable for the 2004 mauling of a toddler in the Bronx, because a police officer gave a pit bull to a mother who had never handled the dog before.
• The loudest neighborhoods in NYC, based on the number of noise complaints. The Bronx is blasting.
• With two weeks to go before Christmas, customers are lining up day and night to get a hand on a Nintendo Wii game system.
• Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes describes the sub-premium mortgage meltdown as equivalent to the crack epidemic of the 1980s.
• And w00t is Merriam-Webster's word of the year.

An epilogue in the story of Fred, the kitten who was deputized by the Brooklyn District Attorney after helping sting a fake veterinarian last year: Steven Vassall was sentenced to psychiatric treatment and avoids prison. A bull terrier owner had contacted the authorities after he became suspicious of Vassall's lack of post-surgery treatment for the pet. more ›

After the tragic murder of Natasha Ramen last week, questions were raised about the conduct of the Brooklyn DA's office. Last Friday, Ramen's throat was slashed, allegedly by Hemant Megnath in an attempt to prevent her from testifying that he had raped her. Megnath had previously harassed and threatened Ramen and her family to the point that they told the police in Queens. more ›

In less than a year and a half, former Brooklyn Assemblyman and Democratic party boss Clarence Norman was found guilty on corruption charges. This time, a jury found Norman guilty of five counts of coercion, grand larceny by extortion, and attempted grand larceny by extortion related to, as the Daily News put it, "shaking down court candidate Karen Yellen for $10,000" back in 2002. Norman's threat was that she would lose his support if she didn't use certain campaign consultants. Norman was acquitted of five other similar charges related to extorting another candidate, Marcia Sikowitz. more ›

Some of Gothamist's favorite stories in the city were about the animals of New York City. Here's how animals ruled the Big Apple in 2006: more ›

Everybody is getting screwed this year during March Madness! If you thought your brackets getting screwed left and right was bad, how bad would it suck to be one of the people busted Saturday by the NYPD at the height of gambling season. The NYPD raided a $45 million gambling ring with several locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens according to Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes. The raids led to the arrests of 10 people and the seizure of $300,000. The DA said a location in Chinatown was responsible for $14 million a year alone. The gambling ring was allegedly run by a Fukenese gang as a front for the Gambino crime family. Is it not time for the Chinese to step it up and run their own gambling rings? One of the Chinese men scoffed at the classification that they were Fukenese, insisting that he was Cantonese. more ›

You know a fight to be district attorney is getting nasty when you use the tagline "Really, should we re-elect a D.A. who's been around longer than The Simpsons?" First of all, there's nothing wrong with The Simpsons being around so long. Sure, it's creaky and isn't as seamless funny as it used to be in earlier seasons, but it's a lot better than a lot of dreck. Second, the poster calls current Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes "Joe Hynes." The papers refer to Hynes as "Charles Hynes," so Gothamist finds all of this confusing: If the voter isn't familiar with the DA's nicknames, because, really, who is, and if they were swayed by this silly campaign, they might think they shouldn't vote for "John Sampson." Third, if we see fliers in Manhattan saying, "Really, should we re-elect a D.A. who has been around since the year Dog Day Afternoon came out?" we'll give up. more ›

- It's hot out there. The City has lots of advice for staying cool and hydrated on their website not to mention the cooling centers that are open all over town. more ›