Since March, authorities say that more than 30 manhole covers have been stolen from the streets of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Perhaps it was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Or just a fan of various manhole cover designs? We'll leave the risque jokes to you guys. more ›

Here are more dramatic photos and video from yesterday's raging fire at Con Ed's Farragut substation in DUMBO. The tipster who sent the photos laments, "Can't just enjoy a quiet Sunday afternoon without a fireball across the street. 2nd transformer explosion this last year, they just finished scrapping the last one that blew!" As you can see from this video, the fire and smoke were intense: more ›

A woman employed by the Macmillan publishing house was strolling along Fifth Avenue with her co-worker Monday afternoon when a ring slipped off her finger and tumbled down into the impenetrable darkness beneath a sidewalk grate. And there it would have stayed for millennia, passing out of history and into legend, had it not been for two brave Con Ed workers sent on a quest into the bowels of the Flatiron District to bring it back. more ›

Some people write on their hands, put a note on their fridge, or scream into their cellular phone to remind them to pay the power bill. Comptroller John Liu has New York City's second-most popular tabloid to do the reminding, and yesterday the Post broke a story that the embattled presumptive mayoral candidate owed ConEd $500 and the Tax Department $943; both invoices were left over from his campaign for the Comptroller's office. But reached at his 45th-birthday party/fundraiser last night, Liu said he was grateful for the heads up. "I want to thank The Post for that story," he told the paper. "If, in fact, we do owe that amount, we'll pay it right away." more ›

A judge has blocked Con Ed from evicting the controversial Park 51 community center from its Lower Manhattan buildings, after the utility retroactively raised the monthly rent to $47,437 and demanded $1.7 million in back rent. According to the New York Law Journal, Justice Richard Braun noted in his opinion that Park 51 "speculates as to whether defendant may be bowing to unspecified political pressure," referring to the fact that lots of people are upset that a mosque could be built so close to a sacred strip club. more ›

It's not just your imagination; like everything else in this town, freaking electricity costs more than pretty much anywhere else in America. The US Energy Information Administration recently released a report comparing electricity costs across the country, and according to their analysis, New Yorkers on average paid 9.6 percent more for electricity last year, while national electricity rates were mostly flat. Con Ed in particular charges customers, on average, higher rates than anywhere else in the country: 25.85 cents per kilowatt hour, which is more than twice the national average of 11.54 cents. But at least you're paying more to watch Seinfeld reruns in an apartment in THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD! more ›

Earlier this morning, a transformer exploded in the Bronx, causing a power outage in the Gun Hill section. One of the affected buildings in the area was Eastchester Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, and one of the patients on ventilators died, according to the Post. more ›

After the developer of the controversial Park51 Islamic community center admitted to making mistakes, and the building peacefully opened its doors for a photo exhibit last month, it appeared that the worst had passed for the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque." Now, Con Ed is threatening to evict Park51 from one of the structures its leasing from the utility if they don't pay $1.7 million in back rent they say the group owed on October 4. more ›

A Spring Valley man was electrocuted earlier today attempting to save a 5-year-old boy who was shocked by a live wire. 50-year-old father of four David Reichenburg died assisting the boy's father, who also was trying to aid his injured son, after the boy grabbed a live downed power line on his street. The boy remains in critical condition in a Westchester hospital, while the boy's father has been treated and released, LoHud reports. more ›

At his press conference this morning, Mayor Bloomberg said Con Edison may preemptively shut off the power to Lower Manhattan, sparing the grid widespread damage but possibly leaving residents and business without power until Monday. “You can plan on the possibility of no power downtown,” he said, noting that ConEd will make the final decision in the coming hours. more ›

If you thought just because it was Friday that this awful week of transit delays might take a break you were very wrong. It just keeps on coming. Those planning on going home on the A, B, C or D trains, or taking the M3 bus anywhere near 150th Street, might want to think carefully about their commute. A 12" water main broke on St. Nicholas Avenue earlier this afternoon (making a nice big sinkhole) and though Con Ed is on it, the water is still causing delays and route changes all over the place. more ›

If you walked outdoors this morning and didn't feel the immediate prickle of sweat form on the back of your neck, it may be because today's high is a frigid 80 degrees. The record heat wave began to break yesterday afternoon, but with temperatures in the 90s, it was tough to notice a discernible difference unless you crammed that package of frozen spinach down your pants. The AP spotted a man in Times Square selling spray bottle/fan combos for $30, $15 more than he bought them for, while a tourist from Scotland sought shelter in the Theater District: "I told them I don't care what we see. Getting inside and getting cool, that's the idea." Presumably she continued: "Except Mamma Mia. I'll eat a bowl of chili in a Russian bath house before I see Mamma Mia." more ›

It's about 10 degrees cooler than it was yesterday, and ConEd crews working through the night have restored power to 81,000 folks that lost it since Heatocaylpseageddon began on Thursday. But 2,700 people are still sweltering without relief in Brooklyn and Queens, and are left with bags of dry ice that the utility is distributing to suffering customers. It's not even cold comfort! "Me and and my 80-year-old mother slept in the car because there's no electricity, no air conditioning," an East Elmhurst resident tells NY1. Another claims that those affected have moved their elderly parents to hotels because "Con Ed has given them seven different stories about the time-frame for the repair." At least it's shared sacrifice: we received a report that ConEd CEO Kevin Burke was without power last night. more ›

Con Ed is not having a fun time with this heat. Today the utility clocked the highest strain on our power grid ever (13,182 megawatts earlier this afternoon!) and along with it brownouts and a few straight up power outages across town. Though Con Ed told us this morning that the brownouts in Queens were finished we're hearing they never really stopped—and now the utility has started to reduce voltage in neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens Manhattan and Staten Island. Is a citywide blackout or brownout approaching? more ›

Congratulations! With temperatures hitting 103 degrees in Central Park (106 in Newark) it is officially the hottest day of the year—and the hottest. July 22. Ever. And you know what that means? Those power outages that Con Ed warned us about? They're heeeeerrrreee. more ›

The sun has many uses, from giving us cool-looking cancer spots to frying those pesky ants beneath our magnifying glasses (plus Solar Hits!) But what if we harnessed it to give your ConEd bill a giant, phototropic finger? A solar map of New York City released today by CUNY reveals that 66 percent of the city's rooftops could be used to harness solar power, generating enough energy to fulfill half of the city's electricity needs at peak periods. Yes, but will it be enough to keep the juice flowing to the dozens of spaceheaters powering our illicit beef jerky drying operation (and those other LED lamps in the basement that are just there for decoration)? more ›

Because of a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruling that will impose an unnecessary 12% Con Ed rate hike (a typical $74 apartment bill would go up $12), Governor Andrew Cuomo is getting involved. The Post reports that he "will introduce legislation 'within the next few days' permitting the city to guarantee permanent property-tax abatements to local electric-generating companies, removing the basis for a little-noticed FERC decision that could hike electric rates by $500 million a year." Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto said, "This is a common-sense fix for a problem that could cost New York rate-payers hundreds of millions of dollars per year." more ›

Now that a federal ruling has raised the amount that power generators can get, which would then result in a 12% rate hike for Con Ed customers, on top of another previously-scheduled 4% rate hike, we need a hero to stop this madness. And Senator Charles Schumer is signing up for hero duty: Schumer told the Post that he spoke to the head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, "I told him how upset we were about FERC's decision, and how we thought they left out some very key information, and about how we wanted a rehearing. He said there will definitely be a rehearing." more ›

Thanks to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Ruling, Con Edision will be raising its rates by 12% this summer. According to NY1, "That's on top of another four percent state-approved ConEd rate hike. The typical apartment electric bill averages $74 but that will go up $12 from last summer. Businesses can expect a nearly 18 percent increase on their bill." Okay, start praying we don't have another heat wave. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] We're getting reports over the wires that there's a major fire, possibly caused by an explosion, at the Con Edison plant on East 14th St in Manhattan on the East River. According to one report, all hands have been called "for fire in a pothead on top of a transformer. FD units are awaiting a Con-Ed white helmet to respond. Site fire suppression system has been activated. PD Highway reporting heavy smoke condition affecting the FDR Drive." more ›

When will people learn not to let any random person with a uniform into their homes? Just last week police warned of a duo posing as water inspectors to gain entry into elderly people's homes and steal their stuff. And on Wednesday, a paroled burglar was arrested for posing as a utility worker and stealing cash from buildings, including a Midtown church. more ›

This is just another reminder that just because somebody is wearing a uniform doesn't mean they are trustworthy. Police are on the lookout for a pair of men who robbed five households since December, gaining access to their apartment buildings by posing as workers (the Daily News says the water department, NY1 says Con Ed). One 80-year-old victim said, "When [my landlord] opened up the door, he let them right in—he didn't ask for ID or anything. Afterwards he said 'What just happened?'" more ›

Early this morning eight-year Iraq vet Nigel Edinborough moved his 2002 Ford Escape to a new spot on Empire Boulevard in Crown Heights and headed home. And only moments after he walked away the manhole beneath the car went KA-BOOM. By the time he returned to his vehicle it was a smoldering, burned out mess. "It was like back in Iraq," the vet told the Post. Yes, we're in the middle of exploding manhole season, but that doesn't make stories about them any less jaring. more ›

Roger Lane lost his daughter Jodie seven years ago, but instead of taking his family's $6.2 million settlement with Con Ed and continuing on with his life in Texas, he and his family became public safety crusaders whose efforts have made a real difference in the lives of New Yorkers. Lane died of heart disease last month, and New York lost a true friend. more ›