The MTA's various fare hikes for the NYC subways and buses, as well as its railroads, went into effect this weekend. Today, subway and bus base fares still cost $2, but higher-value pay-per-ride Metrocards have less of a bonus discount while weekly and monthly unlimited ride Metrocards are more expensive. You can read more about the fare hikes here, but two important notes: (1)Unlimited ride Metrocards purchased before March 2 are still valid as......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck on East 112th St. and 3rd Ave. in Manhattan, shots fired at 132nd St. and Madison Ave. in Manhattan, and a commercial burglary on 4th Ave. and 90th St. in Brooklyn. Page Six lists its top ten scoops of the year. #1 is about Rosie O'Donnell's writer being escorted from The View offices for drawing magic marker mustaches on pictures of Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and rumors that......

A year ago, the Fire Department was trying to put out the massive ten-alarm blaze at the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse. It took a day and a half for the FDNY to control the fire. A homeless man, Leszek Kuczera, apparently started the blaze while trying to burn insulation off copper wire, only for him to get off with a plea agreement. Of course, the convenience of Kuczera as a fall guy who didn't even......

The City Council questioned Police Commissioner Ray Kelly about NYPD tactics in the wake of the fatal shooting of Sean Bell. The Council was aggressive and straightforward; for instance, Councilman David Yassky said , "Too many African-American New Yorkers feel that they are at risk or that their family members are at risk of mistreatment, whether it be to be stopped without reason or to be victimized by excessive force." Councilman Charles Barron asked Kelly......

Haverford graduate, Parks Department project manager, and Greenpoint resident David Langlieb is under fire for writing an essay about his neighborhood in his alumni magazine. According to the Daily News, the essay, ripe with complaints about the old-school Polish residents and self-deprecation about not being an Ivy League graduate, has incensed the Polish American Congress and Councilman David Yassky, who said, "my eyes pretty much popped out of my head when I read this."......

If there's a city parade, you bet it's an opportunity for politicians to get out to press the flesh. And yesterday's West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn was no different, with the primary showdown over the Congressional seat being vacated by Major Owens coming up next week. As it happens, the crowd in the Wyckoff Gardens Houses weren't too happy to hear Mayor Bloomberg and candidate-City Councilman David Yassky announce that $600,000 worth of......

- The "Trouble with Vito" series in the Daily News continues! Now it's a suspect photo of Congressman Vito Fossella with Sesame Street's Elmo and Rosito that has appeared in both re-election media and a "taxpayer-financed constituent mailing." Fossella's people say that muppet picture and other were "indvertently" used on a reelection website. Inadvertently or advertently so the Daily News could plaster it on the front page? - And Ben Smith at the Daily News......

- Police Commissioner Kelly is very worried about "homegrown terror" these days... - ...but if you're a police officer in the National Guard, you better pony up for your military pay! - The blasting at Ground Zero started today - that's exactly what makes downtown such a suburb - Concerns from Brooklyn blacks and Hispanics over who will face off against City Councilman David Yassky in a Congressional primary - Some very cool forgotten......

Bam! The Mayor used his veto power to "support landmark status" for a Brooklyn warehouse in Williamsburg. The City Council had approved to remove landmark status for the Austin, Nichols Warehouse at 184 Kent Avenue (read this Gotham Gazette story about it) last week, paving the way for the building to be converted to condos. City Councilman David Yassky told the NY Times that the Mayor's sudden decision to go landmark happy was "to curry......

Just a few days after agreeing with the Mayor on a budget, the City Council will work on their own budget. And the speculation is that because some City Council members essentially voted against City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, who was attempting to stop the Mayor's trash plan, Speaker Miller will give them the cold budget shoulder. One City Council member, Tony Avella, tells Newsday, "I had heard that Miller was threatening members if they......

Brooklyn community groups descended on City Hall yesterday, to protest the rezoning of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, and it seems that the City Council is on board, as it "threatened...to scuttle" the Bloomberg plan. The sticking points are that the Bloomberg plan includes a lot of development with a lot of tall buildings, and possibly not enough park space or low income housing. The Bloomberg administration counters that the plan has to be attractive enough for......

Last week, the City Council passed a measure that would hold gun manufacturers and dealers responsible if they didn't follow distribution guidelines, giving citizens the opportunity to sue the gun industry. City Councilman David Yassky sponsored the bill, which takes note of the fact that most guns in NYC crimes are bought out-of-state (and in bulk) - it only allows one gun per purchaser per 30 days. The mayor plans to sign the bill, as......

Look forward to seeing some either John Shaft or Popeye Doyle lookalikes running around the city, because the tax breaks that the city and state put into place to lure more film & TV business have paid off. If you think that NBC deciding to a shoot a pilot here, versus Toronto, about 1970's police officers called NY70 is a pay-off. NBC President Jeff Zucker said, "We decided to go ahead and commit to doing......