While the 21-month-old baby girl who was caught in the crossfire of a Staten Island gunfight has survived being shot in the face, little Samyah Bailey has undergone brain surgery and lost an eye. Samyah had been sitting in her stroller at 1:40 p.m. yesterday when, witnesses tell the Staten Island Advance, "a heated argument broke out between two men." Police have arrested 19-year-old Damark King and charged him with assault, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment. more ›

Yesterday, Jersey City authorities were able to defuse a homemade bomb in a vacated pizzeria on Palisade Avenue. Jersey City Deputy Police Chief Peter Nalbach said the bomb was "very rudimentary... If you watched 'MacGyver' as a kid you could probably figure out how to do it. But if it had gone off, there would have been major destruction." And police arrested the building's landlord, who allegedly was trying to set up the pizzeria tenant! more ›

It's a miracle worthy of a 24 season finale! Actor Kiefer Sutherland and Jack McCollough, the fashion designer Sutherland allegedly headbutted after the Costume Institute gala, issued a joint statement to the AP. Sutherland, "I am sorry about what happened that night and sincerely regret that Mr. McCollough was injured," while the Proenza Schouler designer said, "I appreciate Mr. Sutherland's statement and wish him well." more ›

The ornate Upper West Side Apthorp building is finally moving ahead with its condo conversion. The Apthorp, which takes up an entire block between West 78th and 79th and Broadway and West End, was purchased in 2006 but things devolved into, as Curbed put it last week, "One owner is suing another, that owner is in turn suing one of the project's lenders, and that lender is threatening to foreclose as soon as tomorrow." The warring parties— purchaser Maurice Mann and Israeli billionaire/lender Lev Leviev, who threw various accusations at each other—were almost going to arbitrate by way of a rabbi, prompting the Post headline, "Trial by Jewry", but the Real Deal reports that Mann "will retain his stake... but will be replaced as manager of the condo conversion." It's unclear how excited residents are about the conversion, given the economy now, but you can see how fancy the building is via its website. more ›

Folks on Time Warner Cable, don't worry: You'll be able to see Double Shot of Love—and any other program on a Viacom channel like Comedy Central, MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon—in 2009. After the possibility that Viacom would yank its programming from TWC today, over a dispute over subscriber fees (Viacom wanted a 12% annual fee increase—$39 million/year—but TWC said the economy wouldn't allow it), the two companies agreed to a deal to make sure they didn't piss off cable subscribers... or viewers. more ›

A little scoop from the Post about the business card that State Senator-elect Hiram Monserrate and girlfriend Karla Giraldo allegedly fought about, culminating in her getting a black eye and a gash on her face and him being arrested. Monserrate "believed the business card he spotted in her bag belonged to an ex-boyfriend," sources tell the Post. Investigators not only "found the card at the bottom of the garbage chute in Monserrate's...apartment building after he was caught on surveillance video trying to toss her bag in the trash," but the video also allegedly shows Giraldo "running screaming down the hallway holding a towel to her bleeding face and pounding on neighbors' doors for help." While the Queens DA's office has charged Monserrate with assault, Giraldo is not cooperating with them or the NYPD and her relatives have reiterated Monserrate's claim that it was just an accident that he tripped and fell into Giraldo while holding a broken glass. more ›

The drama over whether State Senator-elect Hiram Monserrate assaulted his girlfriend continues! Monserrate, arrested after allegedly hitting Karla Giraldo with a broken glass (she had a black eye and a gash requiring 20 stitches), said the incident was a terrible accident; his supporters have reportedly said he was upset about drugs found in Giraldo's purse, hence their fight. more ›

Supporters are trying to spin an explanation for State Senator-elect Hiram Monserrate's alleged assault of his girlfriend. The Daily News reports, "Sources say Monserrate backers have told people the outgoing city councilman was upset to discover drugs in girlfriend Karla Giraldo's purse after they attended the Queens Democratic Party's holiday dinner on Thursday." more ›

An ongoing dispute over surveillance warrants between the F.B.I.’s New York office and the NYPD "has brought the relationship to a new low," according to the Times, which is reporting on "a highly unusual exchange of letters" between commissioner Ray Kelly and attorney general Michael Mukasey. The acrimony stems from the feds' reluctance to press the FISA court to issue broad warrants for the NYPD, which wants to eavesdrop on "numerous communications facilities," including subway pay phones. Each side is now blaming the other for mishandling terrorism investigations. Responding to a letter from Kelly in which he accused the FBI of making "the city less safe," Mukasey wrote: "Not only would your approach violate the law, it would also in short order make New York City and the rest of the country less safe." Mukasey added that he was "unable to have a meaningful conversation" on the phone because "you were not versed on the facts." Next: Mukasey will get upset with Kelly for staggering home drunk with lipstick on his collar. more ›

An “insider” tells the Post that the late Heath Ledger’s ex Michelle Williams is furious with Ledger’s family over the management of his estate. Ledger’s 2003 will, made out before his daughter Matilda was born, bequeathed everything to his father, mother and siblings; Matilda is now considered the beneficiary, but according to the Post, Williams thinks Ledger’s dad Kim will blow his Dark Knight millions before Matilda reaches 18. (Ledger's uncles have claimed Kim Ledger mishandled their own father's estate.) Rumor has it that Williams is so upset that she’s going to boycott the Dark Knight premiere on July 14th. more ›