Two women say they were driven out of the Washington Heights apartment they just moved into by an infestation of bats that kept them up all night and possibly bit them in their sleep. Holy smokes! And now, the women are suing the landlord for a cool $1 million. more ›

Tonight, just before you drift off to sleep, as the breeze from your fan makes the sheets gently kiss your weary cheeks, that slight tingling sensation on your foot that you thought was restless leg syndrome may in fact be a VAMPIRE BAT. more ›

The blood flowed as the stock markets finally reacted to Standard & Poor's Friday night downgrading of the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+: The Dow fell 634.76 points (5.55%) to end at 10,809.85, the S&P 500 dropped 79.92 points (6.66%) and the Nasdaq lost 174.72 points (6.90%). Yes, it felt a little like December 1, 2008. more ›

If the President wants to send you a text, you'll be required to receive it on your smart phone under a new emergency alert system that the FCC and FEMA are rolling out in NYC and D.C. by the end of the year. Announced today, the new Personal Localized Alerting Network [PLAN] lets customers who own an enabled mobile device "receive geographically-targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area." If you don't want The Man telling you there's an imminent threat to your safety, you can opt out of a second tier of alerts, such as warnings about less catastrophic natural disasters or AMBER Alerts. But the messages from Obama are going to be shoved down your cell phone's throat, just like health care! more ›

It wasn't your imagination, there really were more bedbugs last year. Reported residential bedbug complaints in the city rose last year a whopping 7%. Which doesn't even include all the unreported outbreaks or cases when the bugs made their way into businesses, ranging from Victoria's Secret to Juicy Couture. All of which helps explains why in a national survey, folks were most afraid of picking up the bugs in hotels (78%). What's worse? This year is likely to be just as bad, since there really isn't an easy way to get rid of the critters. more ›

After yesterday's two suspicious package reports shut down a block and then a huge swath of Times Square, people had mixed reactions to the disruptions. One person told WCBS 2, "Anything for safety," while a tourist from Atlanta said, "It's disturbing that anything suspicious can cause an interruption and excitement and everything on Broadway." But people really do see something legitimately suspicious! more ›

American citizens could be innocent until proven suspicious and stripped of their rights under the proposed Terrorist Expatriation Act [pdf], which would amend a 1940s law aimed at traitors who helped the Nazis or Japanese. The bill, introduced by Senator Joe Lieberman yesterday, would authorize the State Department to revoke the citizenship of any U.S. national suspected of providing "material support or resources to a Foreign Terrorist Organization or who engages in or supports hostilities against the United States or its allies." No trial would be necessary, just a signature from the Secretary of State. more ›

If bedbugs in the office are the next city scare, sign us up for bubble living. NY1 got an anonymous tip that "workers on eight floors of the Department of Homeless Services building on Beaver Street have been getting bitten by insects since Monday." But the DHS said, "We immediately began taking corrective action, and are extending it to all premises occupied by DHS. We are aggressively addressing the situation with an expert contractor and building management. No DHS employee has reported bites received from our building." Related: David Letterman doesn't understand what why Mary Louise Parker is so freaked out about bedbugs. more ›

Friday's fatal crane collapse at East 91st St. and First Avenue was a horrible shock, but the sad truth is that neighborhood residents had been worried about the crane for a while. more ›

For starters, before anyone freaks out, the U.S. Homeland Security threat level is actually just "Elevated" (yellow), though it's "High" for airplane flights. The threat level in NYC is "High" because we're just vigilant like that. more ›