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Tomorrow is the Presidential Primary, where registered Democrats and Republicans can select a presidential candidate. Polling places are open between 6AM and 9PM - you can find out where to go by checking with the Board of Elections. more ›

After some City Council members were caught red-handed using public funds to distribute self-promoting ads to voters--even in election years, which is illegal--the council voted 48-1 in favor of banning the practice. The vote comes on the heels of the release of a report [pdf file] by Citizens Union that showed elected officials spent $1 million in paid advertising singing their own praises during the last five years. According to The New York Sun, city... more ›

The Gotham Gazette has a fairly comprehensive overview of the unpleasant byproducts associated with densely populated living: garbage. The details are illuminating, 64,000 tons of weekly garbage that amounts to 7 billion pounds every year. The feature is an examination of the accumulation of daily decisions that New Yorkers make every day about the things they consume and dispose of. Paper, plastic, food waste, electronics, and other things we throw in the trash add up... more ›

It's Election Day, which means it's time for people to go to the polls. City offices and public schools are closed, and alternate side of the street parking is suspended, as are garbage and recycling pick-up. It's an optional state holiday; federal offices are open and there is mail delivery. While there aren't many big races, there are a few notable ones, namely the Staten Island District Attorney's race which pits incumbent Daniel Donovan (R)... more ›

Debbie Almontaser, the erstwhile head and founder of Brooklyn's Khalil Gibran International Academy, will sue the city for violating her freedom of speech. She also claims Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein forced her to resign as principal under threat of closing the dual-language school. more ›

On Monday, the Citizens Union released a report revealing that City Council members have used $1 million of their council budgets to pay for advertising, even in election years (which is prohibited), over the past five years. You can read the report here (PDF), as well as peruse the variety of ads, from public service ads (PDF), community event ads (PDF), and local news ads (PDF). more ›

Gotham Gazette has a fantastic analysis of what happens to the hundreds of City Council bills that have been introducedsince Christine Quinn become the City Council Speaker. The article points out many interesting things. For instance, out of the 622 bills introduced, 68% of them are never heard of again. About 15% do get hearings, but are never voted on, and only 17% actually pass to become bills. more ›

Gotham Gazette has an excellent look at the effects of "a housing bust" by Queens College demographer Andrew Beveridge. This map shows how much income goes towards mortgages; Beveridge notes:

The median income of those paying less than 30 percent of their income on housing is $120,900. For those paying between 30 and 50 percent of their income, though, the median is $74,390, and for those paying over 50 percent the median income is $39,900. more ›

No more naming streets like Joey Ramone Place, Peter Jennings Way, Bob Marley Boulevard, or Jerry Orbach Way. If one City Council member gets his way, the commemorative naming of streets would stop because it's too much of a time waster for the council. James Oddo, the council's minority leader from Staten Island, wants to give the Department of Transportation the authority to approve new street names. Currently, the City Council has to approve the names after they are approved by local community boards. We find it shocking that a politician wants to give away power. more ›

"Hard Times in the Projects," an in-depth review of New York City's publicly subsidized housing program, reveals how living conditions have declined over the past few decades. Federal legislators have reduced funds while operating costs have soared. As a consequence, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) struggles to maintain its buildings, collect the trash, or respond to service calls. Residents have experienced rent hikes and service cuts, and face the possible closure of senior centers and community programs. While New York State and City governments also cut funding during the 1990s and 2000s, the administrations of Bloomberg and Spitzer have recently anounced the restoration of some subsidies. more ›

Ladies, it's time to throw your hat in the air a la Mary Tyler Moore: It turns out that young women are earning more than young men in cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, Dallas and Los Angeles. more ›

Albany seemed to be its usual stagnant self, as the legislative sessions closed on notes of rancor, versus happiness and optimism on the job well done. Many issues were left unresolved, and Governor Spitzer and Senate Majority seem to be rarin' for a fight. more ›

Yesterday, conservative Nicholas Sarkozy won the French presidential election over the Socialist Party's Segolene Royal (who was attempting to become France's first female president). Besides the violence that erupted, what we found interesting was the fact that voter turnout was 84% in France. more ›

Last summer, well-known performer and drag queen Kevin Aviance was beaten and kicked in the middle of 14th Street and First Avenue by four youths yelling homophobic slurs. Aviance, who had been wearing black sleeveless hoodie, black shorts and boots, suffered a broken jaw and other injuries; Mayor Bloomberg called the attack a disgrace. more ›

This morning, the NY Times takes a look at the Mayor's $7.5 billion affordable housing plan four years since he announced it and one year since he expanded it to 165,000 units of low- to moderate-cost housing. About one third of the projected units, or 55,000, have been financed to date, and 41,366 have been completed. more ›

Con Edison participates in a program called PowerWay, which means you can choose the energy supplier that you want, while still having Con Edison deliver the energy. Some Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) even offer incentives such as saving up to 7% on your energy bill for two months. Any problems with your electricity and/or gas will still be handled by Con Edison. You are not charged to switch suppliers, but may be charged $10 in some instances to switch back. more ›

If you live in the 40th District, an area that covers parts of Crown Heights, Flatbush and East Flatbush, you can vote in tomorrow special election to the seat that used to belong to former City Councilwoman - now Congresswoman - Yvette Clarke. And there's another special election for a City Council seat in Staten Island as well, so South Shore voters, head to the polls. more ›

Everyone freaked out by the crazy noise from the Con Ed plant on 14th Street and C late Monday night can relax further. Because Con Ed tells amNew York everything is fine and it was only steam that was released repeatedly around 11PM. There was a malfunction, but the everything "worked just as it should have," according to Con Ed spokesman Chris Olert. His explanation is that a "generating unit tripped as it was being brought online, and the noise and steam originated from boiler safety valves." The booming steam helped "depressurize" the boiler. There were no fires and there were no explosions. Suddenly it's all so anti-climactic! more ›

It's cop vs. cop in an interesting Brooklyn incident that stems from a robber attempting to steal a car. A sergeant at Brooklyn's 78st Precinct accused three officers of assaulting a man suspected of stealing a car belonging to one of the officers. The Daily News says that Sergeant Greg Abrahams and officers Mark Zajac and Chris Kirch were off-duty when they saw a man trying to steal Abrahams's car, parked in front of 11 Lincoln Place in Park Slope.

The suspect was sitting in the car and had ripped out the front console, sources said. more ›

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly heralded the new group of police officers to graduate from the Police Academy. And this was the most diverse class. Here are some stats from the city:

Of today's graduates, approximately 28% of the graduates are Hispanic, 17% are black, 8% are Asian, 1% are other ethnicities, and 46% are white. Approximately 18% of the graduates are female. Among today's class, 23% have received four-year college degrees; 17% have completed associates degrees; and 13 individuals have earned Master's degrees. Nearly 90% of the class has had some college education.

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The conflicting interests of Columbia University and the West Harlem community continue to spawn new polemics from both sides, as the university inches ahead with its proposed 17-acre, $7 billion expansion. As the land-use contest heats up, so has the quest to find the perfect metaphor. The high-stakes name game begins with the conflicting designations of the territory in question. While Columbia has used the term "Manhattanville" to describe the area, which lies between 125th and 133rd Streets, many community advocates resolutely refer to it as "West Harlem," emphasizing its connection to nearby residential and commercial districts. The Times recently called on Columbia to drop the archaic name and face up to the neighborhood's true character. more ›

After his dis of Mississippi last week (he wondered why anyone would want to live there) and fallout from Mississippi politicians, Congressman Charles Rangel officially apologized.

There is no excuse for my having said that. I am fully aware that every American loves their respective state and city and I'm afraid that my love and affection for New York got in the way of my common sense and judgment, and for that I sincerely apologize.

The polls are open and it's time for you to cast your votes for the various races. Find your voting place here or call 311; report concerns about voting fraud to 1-866-VOTE NYC. Here's the Guide for the Last Minute Voter from Gotham Gazette. more ›

Tomorrow is Election Day! There are many big elections this year, so if you haven't thought about how you're voting, we highly recommend Gotham Gazette's Guide For The Last Minute Voter, 2006 General Election to understand the candidates and issues. Many races seem like runaways (Governor, Senate), but the State Comptroller race is in play, as are some Congressional races; you may also be able to vote for State Assembly races. And there are also civil and supreme court judge elections - the guide links to the state Bar Association's voter's guide. more ›

Newsday has a good article looking at the transportation issues the next governor will deal with - the biggest being the MTA. The MTA, which already announced fare hikes for next year, faces insane budget deficits in the coming years: $905 million in 2008, $1.13 billion in 2009, $1.48 billion in 2010. The Straphangers' Campaign's Gene Russianoff says of the MTA, "They borrowed a ton of money to fix a system, and now the bill is coming due." more ›

Today, the City Council is having a "nightlife summit" to discuss bar and nightclub safety. Yesterday, the City Council introduced new bills that would require clubs to: 1) Install ID scanners and security cameras; 2) Give nightlife employees more training (safety and spotting drunk customers...) and 3) Hire monitors is laws are repeatedly broken at their venues. amNew York noted that the leglislation would have video recording "kept in a secure area and made available only for law enforcement purposes" and would be destroyed after 15 days, perhaps in an effort to stave off privacy concerns. The New York Nightlife Association says that only "bad operators should be required to install these cameras and I.D. scanners." But, after the deaths of Imette St. Guillen and Jennifer Moore, plus various fatal incidents involving bouncers and/or customer brawls (for instance, this past weekend there was a fatal fight in Staten Island), officials are eager to do something. The Post reports other things that will be discussed at the summit include "changing the current law that allows 16-year-olds to enter nightclubs, and banning bottle service, a trend that requires patrons to buy a minimum amount of liquor to get a seat at a club." more ›

If you're a registered Democrat or Republican, get your primary shoes out. Here's a list of candidates (PDF), but the shortlist of primaries is: more ›