The Post Office, rapidly becoming one of the country's most endangered creatures, continues to dwindle on the brink of existence today, with word coming from Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe that he plans to slash jobs for some 35,000 postal workers. more ›

Were you planning on meeting up with your good looking boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal in the library during the storm? Well you can forget about it, honey, because the public libraries are shutting things down for the weekend. more ›

New York's Bronx Zoo has shut down the World of Reptiles after a poisonous Egyptian cobra went missing Friday afternoon. The 20-inch cobra was being held at an off-exhibit enclosure that is not open to the public. Good thing the zoo is full of reptile experts! more ›

Guess who else—besides teen girls, The Real Housewives of Wherever and, well, dudes—likes velour sweats with the word "Juicy" on the butt of the pants? Bedbugs! The Fifth Avenue Juicy Couture store has been closed because of the horrible pests—CEO Edgar Huber sent an email to the "Juicy Team": "As you may be aware we have temporarily closed the 5th Avenue location due to the discovery of bed bugs..." more ›

Even though he mentioned that 20 fire companies would be closed to save $5.6 million to help the city's grim budget, the Daily News reports that Mayor Bloomberg will hold off on the closures, just in case the state comes through with some funds, saying, "I'm going to wait and see... We don't have a budget yet, and until then, there's no reason to do anything. There is a requirement of 45 days' notice before you close a company or a firehouse and we will comply with the law." The News says he was expected to send out the notices yesterday, but now he wants to see the city's tax revenue over the next few weeks. more ›

Last year, NY was terrorized by a string of highly unlikely (accidental) bow-and-arrow attacks. Today, we can sleep a little more easily with some closure: Eric Collins, the man who mistakenly shot a 51-year-old woman in the stomach with an arrow, pleaded guilty yesterday to assault. Collins will be sentenced in June to 143 days of community service and three years of probation for firing a deadly, dangerous, very old-fashioned weapon. more ›

The shutting down of JFK Airport's longest runway is upon us! Starting Monday—when the runway goes under the knife for a 4-month rehabilitation project—expect more delays, longer delays, and maybe even higher airfares due to the cutback in flights. And on top of all that, the Daily News says millions at other airports will also suffer delays more often as part of a ripple effect. more ›

A New Jersey woman narrowly avoided a fiery death in yesterday’s crash on the Long Island Expressway, thanks to an anonymous Good Samaritan. On Saturday morning a gasoline tanker clipped Marie Medina’s Dodge Neon when she stalled on the L.I.E. near exit 48. The truck flipped on its side and exploded into a giant fireball that killed driver Mujahid Shahin, a Brooklyn man in his fifties, according to the NY Post. But someone pulled Medina from her vehicle before she became the accident's second casualty. "He saved me. I kept thanking him," said the woman, who has only minor injuries. Just this morning, officials re-opened eastbound lanes on the expressway, reported AP. more ›

Traveler beware: JFK's longest, and busiest, runway (13R-31L) will close for four months next year! But before you start looking up recipes for Turtle Soup, the shelled ones who recently delayed flights aren't to blame. The closure is all part of a $204-million, three-year makeover, Newsday reports. Last year the runway handled more than 143,000 takeoffs and landings, and individual airlines are currently analyzing the effect the closure will have on flight schedules (a JetBlue spokeswoman said "It certainly does have an impact on operations."). The director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey explains, "The scope of the project is truly enormous. It provides for the replacement of almost three miles of asphalt pavement." You can read more here—and you've been warned, the closure will begin in March and run until July. Since delays have plagued JFK in the past, this probably won't help their track record. more ›

About those high winds: we just got word that the upper level of the Verrazano Bridge is closed to all traffic in both directions because of the powerful gusts. The SI Advance is also reporting that the lower level is open with a 20 mph speed restriction. Beware the wind, it's been wreaking havoc all day—and this is all starting to sound a little bit too much like a Stephen King novel.
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Some West Village restaurants can’t catch a break this week; first an old water main broke and flooded them out during Memorial Day weekend, now the city has been stone cold shutting them down. Eater has it that the Department of Health ordered Diablo Royale on West 10th Street to close yesterday for “unsanitary conditions” – a tipster says the inspectors faulted the restaurant’s flooded basement. Now the swank bar/restaurant Employees Only has gotten the hammer. The DOB’s sign on the door reads:

The Department of Buildings has determined that conditions in this premises are imminently perilous to life. This premises has been vacated and reentry is prohibited until such conditions have been eliminated to the satisfaction of the department.

Whether it was a PR stunt or a legit "teach-in" on espresso, Starbucks shut down for three full hours last night to train baristas --leaving the 5:30 to 8:30pm coffee crowd out in the cold. Today they are back, with a new take on "the customer is always right" policy posted about their stores; it reads: "Your drink should be perfect, every time. If not, let us know and we'll make it right." Reportedly they'll also be introducing a honey latte soon; no word on whether the three hour espresso pouring course allowed time for the new beverage. more ›

This weekend Gowanus Lounge was first to note the unexpected closure of the 2nd Street Cafe at Seventh Avenue in Park Slope. The decade old restaurant, which on weekends had all the charm of a daycare center on adderall, had undergone a major renovation last summer. OTBKB hears word from a former employee that he/she was given just two days notice. Part of the ever-widening quicksand consuming New York restaurants? No word yet on the reason for the closure; calls to the restaurant are going unanswered. more ›