Early Saturday morning around 2 a.m., an undercover police officer shot and killed a 22-year-old Queens man after he pointed a gun at him and another officer. Earlier in the night, Ronnie Smalls had run from police when they approached him because they recognized him as a known criminal--he'd been arrested nine times before--and suspected he was carrying a gun. When they saw Smalls a second time, he ran again. According to the Associated Press account, with two undercover police chasing on foot and the third giving chase in a car, the officer in the car said he saw the suspect pull his gun and point it at the pursuing officers. At that point, Smalls either tripped or was tackled and the closest pursuing officer fired four shots at Smalls as they struggled on the ground. more ›

For some people, celebrating New Year's didn't mean drinking champagne and wearing whimsical hats: It meant trying to deliver a baby! New York City's first 2008 newborns are from Queens: Kamiyah Alina Barrow was born at midnight at New York Hospital Medical Center in Queens while Isabella Sophia Sears was born about a minute later at Elmhurst Hospital Center. more ›

more ›

Maribel Morales, 27, was in her car at the intersection, waiting for the light to change, when Bousri was struck. more ›

A frisking turned fatal last night in Harlem. Plainclothes police officer Robert Tejada and three other officers were investigating reports of a man with a gun at Cafe 22 on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard, near 136th Street. The NYPD says the officers identified themselves and searched a man. When Tejada was patting him down and found a gun, the suspect took out the gun and shot the cop twice, once in the ankle and once grazing Tejada's stomach. more ›

explanation for Joseph Leonardi's behavior on Thursday. Newsday reports that Leonardi is still under psychiatric observation at Queens Hospital Center. His lawyer, Todd Greenberg, says that Leonardi is "absolutely appalled that he may have hurt someone" and is "very, very relieved" that rookie cop Stuart Ingram wasn't injured. more ›

Yesterday morning, a worker died after falling inside a tanker at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The FDNY says that Arturo Medina lost his footing when climbing down a 50 foot ladder on the ship's hull. The only way into the hull is through an 18 inch hole, so rescue crews had to create a pulley system to lift Medina out. Medina died later at Brooklyn Hospital Center. more ›

The family of Matthew Velez, a 17 year old who was fatally beaten while in a juvenile jail at Rikers in 2000, has accepted a $650,000 settlement with the city. Velez was being held there for a minor drug charge, but was attacked by members of the Bloods. Back in 2004, Newsday found that Rikers guards made "major errors...[that] contributed to Velez's beating and his subsequent death.":

more ›

A man who allegedly pointed a loaded pistol at police was shot in the legs last night in Queens. A sergeant and two officers began following a man after he was seen acting suspiciously near the Queens Center Mall, according to the Times. The plainclothes cops gave chase in an unmarked car when the the suspect began to run. The chase continued on foot until the suspect ran into a parking garage on Junction Blvd at 59th Avenue. more ›

A woman was charged with murder after killing her husband. Police say Donna Cobb repeatedly hit him with a large ceramic elephant during an apparent struggle. The police also found a knife on the scene but the 38 year old only admitted to beating him. From the Daily News:

Cobb told police her husband, Kevin Cobb, 39, was hopped up on pot and alcohol after the couple hosted a Gameboy party at their apartment on St. Nicholas Place. more ›

Tensions are on edge in Harlem, after police fatally shot an 18 year old yesterday morning. While the police say Mingo Kenneth Mason was armed and ran when they approached him, residents in the housing project police chased Mason say that the police "regularly harrass" tenants and "needlessly hand out trespassing tickets" as Newsday reports. What is known is that a resident called the police to complain about a man showing a gun to three others at the East River Houses. From Newsday:

Two police officers assigned to the East Houses area responded to the scene moments later, police said. When they approached, the group began to disperse, with Mason pushing his way past the officers, knocking one of them to the ground, police said. more ›

more ›

Gothamist was definitely heartened when we read that Lincoln Center is leasing and will reconceive the Harmony Atrium on Broadway and West 62nd Street. The Harmony Atrium has a sliver of an entrance where you can see a public rock climbing wall (run by ExtraVertical), some tables and chairs...and that's about it. The president of Lincoln Center, Reynold Levy, tells the NY Times, "We want to liberate the space, reduce the constraints and make it a real center, a beehive of activity. We would love people to say, 'Meet me at the atrium,' just as they say, 'Meet me at the fountain.'" more ›

learn more about Appropriate heart attack care "Appropriate heart attack care," "Appropriate heart failure care," and "Appropriate pneumonia care" (there's also, when applicable "Appropriate surgical infection prevention"). One of the big things is to see whether or not the hospital is about the state average for "appropriate heart attack care", which is 93%. The few Manhattan hospitals we looked at did score above 93% - St. Vincent's seemed to have the highest - 98%. But many hospitals scored lower than the state average of 76% for pneumonia care - Bellevue did get an 80%, but Lenox HIll, NY Presbyterian Columbia, NY Presbyterian Cornell, and St. Vincent's scored well below that. It's a cool site - check it out and let us know what you find. more ›

Chronicle of Higher Education, once a year we turn to you to find out what kind of crazy compensation the executives of our nations educational institutions are making (every year they make a bit more!). And this year you haven’t let us down. Of course since we don’t subscribe to the Chronicle we have to depend on those who do to let us know who is making what. Good thing then that there is a Daily News recap. more ›