The blaze that has been consuming an Elizabeth, NJ warehouse since Wednesday is now at eight alarm (up from 7 alarms yesterday) and authorities think it'll burn through Christmas. Elizabeth Deputy Fire Chief Lathey Wirkus said, "Pieces of it are definitely going to collapse. We’re definitely going to have some catastrophic collapses here." more ›

To support fellow longshoremen on strike in Camden, NJ, port workers in Elizabeth, Newark and Bayonne in N.J. and in Staten Island and Brooklyn refused to cross picket lines. The Daily News reports, "The work stoppage froze all cargo coming in and out of facilities operated by the Port of New York and New Jersey. The International Longshoremen's Association said the job action was not sanctioned and that union members were acting on their own." A federal judge also ordered the longshoremen men back to work, but they are still on strike. The strike by the Camden workers is over work being moved to a non-union facility in Gloucester, NJ. more ›

Does that headline make some of you trolls a tad concerned that the bridge is collapsing down on top of you? Because it is, so stop being so nasty! Okay, we're bluffing, but not completely: Six commenters on a website about Elizabeth, Pennsylvania could have their identities revealed within a month, after a judge ruled in favor of Township Supervisor Thomas DeRosa, who is trying to determine who defamed him on the site's online bulletin board. The ACLU had been fighting on behalf of the commenters, but recently decided not to appeal and has turned over their I.P. addresses. more ›

Today the Times's Frank Bruni has kind words for Nolita newcomer Elizabeth, which "has its problems, annoyances and confusions...and it still doesn’t seem entirely sure of what it wants to be...But it also has an adventurous, sometimes silly spirit that’s winning in its way." (Note the skull pictured here.) "My waitress’s outfit one night (scary knee-high boots with a skimpy black satin dress) made me wonder if she was poised to mete out cocktails or lashes." And the desserts! The rice krispy treats "function as shovels for an unexpected chocolate and peanut butter fondue with a hood of toasted marshmallow. It’s dessert as gooey spadework and dessert as regression therapy, taking you back to a childhood of Reese’s and s’mores." more ›

If you're staying in town this weekend and still don't have plans for the 4th, it's not too late to catch the spirit of '76; there are plenty of barbecue options within the five boroughs, whatever your budget or neighborhood. All the events below take place tomorrow, July 4th, unless otherwise specified. more ›

A week after the Sun declared that “disappointment is deeper” at Bar Milano, the Denton brothers’ (Lupa, 'ino, and ‘inoteca) trendy and noisy northern Italian place (pictured) in Gramercy, the Times’s Frank Bruni has seconded the emotion by quipping that “an Italian restaurant that bungles its pasta dishes is like a Las Vegas resort that doesn’t let you gamble. There’s still plenty to enjoy, but you’re likely to feel that the essential point and signature pleasure of the place have been lost.” Still, he drops two charitable stars, despite the fact that “Bar Milano is like a cellphone with constantly bad reception.” more ›

Plan B: After waiting almost a year for liquor license approval, Prospect Heights bar Plan B has finally come to fruition. (Not to be confused with Greenpoint’s incorrigible Studio B or the East Village’s ever-mobbed Plan B.) This Plan B, located in the old Half wine bar space, has four flat screen TVs for sporting types, a classic bar menu, ten beers on tap, and plenty of elbow room in the back courtyard. 626 Vanderbilt Ave, no phone listed. more ›