A Prospect Heights man says that when he arrived for jury duty in Brooklyn this morning he was forced to wait outside in 13 degree weather for almost a half hour with many others who were called, including a pregnant woman. The potential juror, who asked that we only identify him as Matthew W., tells us the building was open when he arrived shortly after 8 a.m., and various lawyers and court officers were entering the building. But the guard would not allow those summoned for jury duty to get in out of the cold and wait in the lobby! The Brrrrrrooklyn tipster tells us: more ›

Oh, Mayor Bloomberg. We know you have national ambitions, but is offering this idea really the way into everyone's heart? This morning, our billionaire mayor said on his radio show, "If you want to raise taxes, don't pick one class of people and say, 'I think they have too much money' or 'I don't think they have enough money' or whatever. Raise everybody's taxes 1 or 2 percent or whatever." more ›

The perjury trial of Cy Young Award- and World Series-winning pitcher Roger Clemens was declared a mistrial today, after prosecution entered evidence that the Judge had already declared inadmissible. And the Judge thoroughly chastised the government for their mess up: "I don't like making orders and lawyers not abiding by them...I think a first year law student would know that you can't bolster the credibility of a witness with clearly inadmissible evidence," Judge Reggie Walton scolded. more ›

President Obama outlined his plan for deficit reduction today, calling for $4 trillion to be cut over 12 years, with spending cuts and tax increases. And he blasted the Republicans' deficit-reduction plans (Rep. Paul Ryan's "Path to Prosperity") which include tax breaks to the rich and corporations, "In the last decade, the average income of the bottom 90 percent of all working Americans actually declined. Meanwhile, the top 1 percent saw their income rise by an average of more than a quarter of a million dollars each. That’s who needs to pay less taxes? They want to give people like me a $200,000 tax cut that’s paid for by asking 33 seniors to each pay $6,000 more in health costs. That’s not right, and that’s not going to happen as long as I’m president." more ›

When top-ranking members of the Gambino crime family were indicted for a host of crimes in April, one charge stood out in particular: sex trafficking with girls as young as 15, something one prosecutor called “a new low for the Gambino family.” But a Gambino defense attorney is now accusing the government of complicity allowing the sex trafficking to occur. more ›

Two weeks ago, The Empire Center offered a glimpse into MTA employees' payroll data, like the one train conductor who was paid $239,148. Now the non-profit think tank has added a pension search system to its government transparency website SeeThroughNY, allowing us peasants to see just how much state and local government retirees are raking in. more ›

Seems the government has had enough of Plum Island, and are abandoning it for new digs in Manhattan... Kansas. Maybe the heat was on after Montauk Monster conspiracy theorists got through with them; or, you know, something about that mutant-fingered dead man found on the testing site's shore. But anyway! The ol' research lab for highly infectious animal diseases can all be yours; as Animal points out, it's located just two miles off Long Island and boasts "840 acres surrounded by stunning waterfront views and sandy beaches." And that's not all, along with the lab, you'll also get a lighthouse from 1869, the remains of an Army base, and plenty of surprises washing up on shore. more ›

NY’s Regent exams have been administered since 1865, but this year, in light of penny pinching measures throughout the Department of Education, some of the tests may be eliminated or drastically scaled back. Next week the board of Regents may decide to trash many subject tests that measure achievement among the state’s high schoolers, including ones for foreign languages, math, science, global history, government and geography. According to the Times Union, the board may also choose to stop translating the tests, keeping Spanish, but getting rid of Chinese, Korean, Russian and Haitian Creole versions. Sources estimate the cutbacks could save $13.7 million in preparation costs. more ›

Last night, President Obama zeroed in on the country's economic recovery while speaking to Congress and the nation in his first State of the Union address. He touted what the Recovery Act had done—tax cuts for "for 95 percent of working families.. for small businesses...for first-time homebuyers..."—but acknowledged, "I realize that for every success story, there are other stories, of men and women who wake up with the anguish of not knowing where their next paycheck will come from; who send out resumes week after week and hear nothing in response.  That is why jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010... I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay." more ›

Roger Clemens asked for a chance to testify in Congress and now he had better be prepared to face the consequences of that choice. Congressmen Henry Waxman and Tom Davis have sent a letter to the Attorney General asking him to investigate if Clemens committed perjury or made false statements in his testimony to the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. more ›

It looks like Roger Clemens didn’t convince any Democrats with his testimony in front of Congress February 13th. According to anonymous sources, a letter to the Justice Department has been drafted asking the it to investigate whether Clemens, and not McNamee, committed perjury during hearings in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Keith Ausbrook, Republican chief counsel for the committee, told reporters that he was unaware of the letter, indicating that at least for now, this is not a bipartisan act. more ›

One of the key factors in Roger Clemens condemnation of the Mitchell Report and the testimony of his former trainer Brian McNamee is the pitcher's assertion that he never attended a birthday at Jose Canseco's Florida home ten years ago. A photo may exist, however, that shows Clemens at that very party posing with an 11-year-old fan. more ›

With some of his current Yankees teammates on hand, Andy Pettitte addressed the media in Florida this afternoon. Pettitte, who previously admitted using Human Growth Hormone in 2002 and again in 2004, apologized to the Yankees, Astros, and his fans for the "embarrassment" he caused. Pettitte said, "I want to apologize to the New York Yankees and Houston Astros organizations, their fans, my teammates and all baseball fans for the embarrassment I have caused them. I also want to tell anyone who is an Andy Pettitte fan that I am sorry." more ›

And now Roger Clemens’ fate hangs in the balance. Not just his baseball fate, but also his entire future. Because there is only one thing we can definitively conclude from yesterday’s hearing in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform - somebody lied. Brian McNamee and Roger Clemens told two completely different versions of the same story yesterday and if Congress decides to investigate, chances are one of them will face perjury charges. more ›

After a morning of denials and denouncements at a hearing in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform one thing is clear, Brian McNamee and Roger Clemens deserve each other. As Chairman, Henry Waxman, made clear at the start of the proceedings this morning one of them is lying and based on the testimony so far it seems like Clemens is. more ›

Roger Clemens went to Congress and spoke with congressional lawyers for five hours on Tuesday. While the meeting was private, Clemens did speak to reporters afterwards and reiterated his innocence saying, "It was great to be able to tell them what I've been saying all along -- that I've never used steroids or growth hormone." One of Clemens’ lawyers, Lanny Breuer added that Clemens "answered every question that was posed to him today.” more ›

It’s never to early to start planning for the future One World Government, and one great way to fill the odd hours is by building websites about it, as one group of visionaries have done with their Reservoir Project. The pseudo-serious website is dedicated to securing New York City as the capital of the “Earth Government” and converting the Central Park Reservoir into “the Biggest, the Tallest, the most Elegant and Innovative Structure in the history of our civilization. The CENTRAL, a.k.a. CTRL.” more ›

New York City's Department of Finance is projecting that real estate values in the city will remain nearly flat this fiscal (ending September) year. More precisely, it expects only a 1.4% increase in property values, versus an 18% climb this past year. more ›

Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent yesterday in Oklahoma, discussing the state of politics today at a bipartisan political forum at the University of Oklahoma. Bloomberg lamented the way things are going these days:

Government is dysfunctional. There is no collaboration and congeniality. There is no working together. No 'let's do what's right for this country.' I think there is no accountability today. Nobody is holding themselves accountable and to the standards of what they promised when they ran for office. And I think lastly, there is no willingness to focus on big ideas."

Mayor Bloomberg has announced that the city will crackdown on the abuse of parking permits issued to civil servants, reducing the overall number by 20%. The change comes after the Post revealed in November that “149 separate government entities had qualified for the coveted placards last year, ranging from the state lottery to the US Navy recruiting office, which was allocated an astonishing 110 permits.” more ›

However you are spending Christmas Day, we hope you have a happy and safe holiday. Please take the time to think of others: If you get new clothes, make room in your closet and consider donating your gently worn ones to charities Donate food to City Harvest or the Food Bank. Here are more giving opportunities via the City of New York. more ›

Mike Bloomberg may end his tenure as the Mayor of Pothole Repair. Under Bloomberg's watch, the city has filled 1.25 potholes since 2002. While anybody that hits potholes with their bike or their car surely thinks the city missed a few, Mayor Bloomberg assures us that they are doing what it can to fix them. In his first public appearance since returning from Asia, Bloomberg said, "Now, potholes are as much a part of city life as hot dog carts and yellow cabs, although that hasn't stopped us from doing everything we can to fix them once they appear." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg's generosity has been noted from educational institutions (like his alma mater Johns Hopkins) and even city organizations (like the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation). He gave staffers on his re-election campaign payouts as big as $300,000-400,000. And when Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff announced he would leave City Hall to become president of the mayor's business, Bloomberg LP, it suggested that the Mayor rewarded staffers he trusts. Well, the NY Times now looks at how some Bloomberg aides' salaries have grown since taking the government jobs in City Hall. more ›

The way the local news was hyping today's storm (especially with their nifty, paranoid graphics!), we expected to see a few inches of snow by the time we woke up. But, no, the snow is expected to come around later this morning (the snow and sleet will make a NYC appearance around 11AM or 1PM, according to WABC). Even so, there are many school closings in the suburbs as local government and anyone else out... more ›

The Independent Budget Office released a report examining who might be affected by congestion pricing. The report, "Behind the Wheel: Who Drives Into The Proposed 'Congestion Zone'" can be read here (PDF) but the topline is that drivers are middle-class and over half are from Nassau County, Westchester, NJ, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The report states, "Looking at the extremes of the earnings distribution for all congestion zone commuters, motor vehicle users were less likely... more ›

The Trinity School, a private school on the Upper West Side that charges annual tuition of $30,000 a year, is prepared to cash in on the rise in property values by opting out of the Mitchell-Lama housing program. That program was designed to reserve housing for middle-class tenants in New York through government subsidized loans and tax breaks. The disparity in below-market rents required by Mitchell-Lama and the value of the building that houses the... more ›

The City Council's Committee on Government Operations met this week to talk about possible changes to how much money council members make. Questions were raised about how raises were determined, leadership bonuses, and whether outside work should remain permitted. After a 25% increase in base pay in 2006, council members earn $112,500 annually. They can earn an additional $10,000 a year on average if a member holds a leadership position. In addition, members can hold... more ›

A Brookings Institution study reveals that New York is a great place for walking, with 21 out of 21 walkable urban places. But Washington D.C. is the most walkable on a per capita basis while New York is ranked 10th, because New York is measured as the NYC metro area, including NJ, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The study's author, Christopher B. Leinberger, admits there are issues with the methodology, namely that walkable places are weighted the... more ›