Andrew Cuomo is a very popular governor and apparently that means that what he wants, he gets. So when Cuomo says he wants teacher evaluations across the state—he gets them. Yup, Cuomo announced earlier today a compromise with the teachers union on evaluations. Nothing like threatening to just write some rules yourself without input to get people moving! more ›

Hours after they called Obama's plan to shift the onus of providing contraception to insurance companies rather than religious-affiliated organizations a "first step in the right direction," the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement dismissing the compromise. The takeaway: Barry can't just transubstantiate his way out of this one. more ›

Last night, as most people in the neighborhood were dodging raindrops, a modest street party formed to protest the overly gentrifying East Village—a "LET EM EAT CAKE/EAT THE RICH/NO COMFORT ZONE street party," if you will. In lieu of making a cogent, forceful statement against a specific enemy, it was an opportunity to weird out the B&Ters pounding the pavement to make their 9:30 at Momofuku. more ›

As part of a push to repeal the mandatory sentencing laws known as the Rockefeller Drug Laws, Governor Paterson will propose a compromise bill intended to woo State Senate Republicans, who largely represent rural areas upstate where prisons are major sources of jobs. According to the Times, the bill, which is still being drafted, will be proposed as part of the package of budget bills that lawmakers must approve by April 1st, and will call for spending roughly $50 million to finance treatment programs and additional drug courts. more ›