Could we solve the city's growing homeless problem without a shelter system? According to a report being released today by Picture the Homeless and the Center for Community Planning & Development at Hunter College we totally could. In a survey of just 20 of the city's community districts the groups found enough vacant housing to put up 199,981 individuals. Hey, it worked for the homeless guy squatting in Ann Curry's UWS townhouse... more ›

If you've ever taken the train to 68th Street and Lexington, you know that the Hunter College stop is not exactly the prettiest. What it is is very, very busy. And handicap inaccessible. But between the Second Avenue Subway and a planned elevator on 68th Street the MTA is really trying to make things better on both fronts. Cool, right? Ha! Ever meet an Upper East Side NIMBY? more ›

Three men and one woman were arrested during yesterday's spirited protests against the tuition hikes that were passed by the CUNY Board of Trustees. According to the NYPD, those arrested faced varying charges of reckless endangerment, harassment, and disorderly conduct outside a Baruch College building, where hundreds of protesters had gathered as the meeting itself became closed to the public. "Money does affect me," a CUNY sophomore tells Baruch's newspaper, the Ticker. "I have two jobs…Tuition is hard for me, I pay it by month and every dollar counts." more ›

A 36-year-old woman was found stabbed to death in her East Harlem apartment on Wednesday evening. Police say Hunter College student and waitress Rita Morrelli had her throat slashed, and was discovered by her live-in boyfriend in their East 120th Street studio apartment at around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday night. “She was always in a rush, either going to work or going to class. Always moving. She was very sweet,” neighbor Cicely Black told the Post. more ›

Zuccotti Park has already seen a proposal, but today a couple who met six weeks ago at the Occupy Wall Street protests got married in a traditional Muslim ceremony officiated by a NYU chaplain. 24-year-old Emery Abdel-Latif and 19-year old Micha Balon were wed at around 11 a.m. "Neither of us believed in love before we came here, and now that we found each other, we believe it exists," Abdel-Latif tells the Daily News. more ›

A bicyclist using the dedicated lanes in Manhattan for five or six blocks will find a vehicle in the way 60% of the time, according to a new survey released by Hunter College. The report found that most vehicles obstructing bike lanes do so for less than 10 minutes, but the abuses are widespread, and occur more frequently during morning rush hour. Graduate students conducted the study on 492 randomly selected street blocks with Class II bike lanes (lanes delineated by painted stripes on city streets) in Manhattan on weekdays from September 22nd to October 23rd, and they even pinpointed Manhattan's most obstructed bike lane. Any guesses? more ›

Controversy is swirling around a course offered at Hunter College that an untenured professor says he was pressured to “teach.” The course was paid for last year by the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition [IACC], an industry group combating the proliferation of cheap counterfeit clothes, jewelry, accessories, etc. more ›

They may have grown up privileged and prepped for success from birth, but a record number of four-year-olds are facing rejection from New York's top kindergarten programs. Fortunately, the parents of the doomed children are probably still young enough to procreate again and hope for better chances with their younger progeny. more ›

Former President Bill Clinton laid out his wife's chances for voters during a speech - and didn't sound terribly confident about them. He told them, "If she wins Texas and Ohio, I think she will be the nominee. If you don't, then I don't think she can. It's all on you." And the Post quickly dug up the Davy Crockett hat for its Photoshop job. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg spoke out about the unofficial results from NYC's primary night undercounted votes in 78 districts. These districts' unofficial results raised eyebrows because no votes at all were recorded Barack Obama. more ›

The story around the possible hate crime attack on a Q train the other night seems to be made for the season. Not only does it come while subway violence is a big topic, it also involves a group of Jewish subway riders being called "dirty Jews" and "Jew bitches" and attacked by people who cried, "Happy Hanukkah, that's when the Jews killed Jesus." And here's the kicker: The only person who stepped in... more ›

It's no shock that many drivers aren't totally on the ball when driving, but it turns out that one in three New York drivers multi-task in their cars. According to a Hunter College study (PDF) conducted at 50 intersections in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, of the over 3,000 drivers observed, 23% were talking on a cellphone, 5.7% were smoking, 4.5% were drinking, 3.1% were drinking, and 1.7% were grooming. Time to quote Rihanna:... more ›

A freshman from New York University apparently committed suicide yesterday morning. The student, Allan Oakley Hunter III, jumped from the roof of University Hall, a 15-story dorm at 110 East 14th Street; his body was found in the courtyard. The Washington Square News reports that police were searching his room around 10AM yesterday morning and that his body was removed by 1PM. more ›

A bus full of students from Hunter College High School was pursued by a hammer-wielding road rager yesterday afternoon in Queens. It's unclear what made the driver so irate, but bus driver Jose Bautista noticed a man driving crazily in his rear view mirror and pulled over to the left. That is when the angry driver got out of his car and kicked in one of the panes of glass on the school bus's front door, then began hammering the vehicle. more ›

The NYCLU and ACLU are suing the Transportation Security Administration and Jet Blue over an incident where a passenger was forced to cover/change his shirt, which had Arabic lettering. Last year, Reid Jarrar, an American resident of Iraqi descent, was taking a JetBlue flight at JFK when a TSA official asked him to over his shirt, which read "We Will Not Be Silent" in both English and Arabic. The shirt's message is taken from the motto of an anti-Nazi resistance group, the White Rose. more ›

Thirteen-year-old Bramdon Ragnot was found in a Brooklyn alley, shot in the head, yesterday afternoon. He was discovered around 5PM by a Marine Park neighbor who told the Daily News, "I didn't know he was shot. I thought he was just beat up. I said, 'I know it hurts, but keep your eyes open.'" more ›

The public school year will end on a scandalous note. An aide at the prestigious Hunter College High School was arrested on charges of raping a 15-year-old student. Timothy Avery, a 25-year-old Staten Island resident, was charged with statutory rape and endangering the welfare of a child. The NY Times reports that "friends of the girl had expressed concerns about the girl’s behavior to school authorities."

Laurel Wright-Hinckson, a spokeswoman for the city Education Department’s Office of the Special Commissioner of Investigation, said that the 15-year-old girl had not been a student of Mr. Avery’s... more ›

One casualty of MAS's proposal would be the Robert Moses Playground, home of the East End Hockey Association. The mostly featureless lot hosts the local roller hockey league, which is claiming that Robert Moses Playground is the only area of its type on the East Side that it can use. MAS is proposing that the playground be traded to the U.N., which would build a 35-story tower on the land, in exchange for waterfront access to complete the greenway. more ›

We can't possibly choose only one music event for the weekend, so check out OhMyRockness for the jam packed weekend listings. We will say, however, that one of the openers for Snowden at Maxwell's tonight...is We Are Scientists, trying out some new tunes. Though closer to home are The Clientele and Beach House at Bowery Ballroom. Listen: Apple Orchard.mp3 - Beach House more ›

Congratulations to everyone graduating this month! As NYU's commencement was today, with speaker jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, we decided to list the many NYC commencement speakers, with help from The Chronicle of Higher Education (if we've missed any or gotten it wrong, let us know in comments): more ›

Stars of stage and screen will be rearing their boldface names on April 9th to blow out 443 candles for the boldest face of all: Billy Shakespeare. Broadway’s Michael Cerveris (Sweeney Todd), Debra Messing (Will & Grace), the esteemed Philip Bosco (Copenhagen) and other notables will perform scenes from the Bard’s plays at The Shakespeare Birthday Marathon at Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse. But perhaps the most anticipated star at this free event is TV’s Rainn Wilson – who embodies the obsessive Dwight Schrute in The Office – as he unleashes of his Shakespearean side. (Safety goggles recommended.) Details. more ›

Judge Larry Seidlin wept when he gave custody of Anna Nicole Smith's body would go to her baby Danielynn Smith. Well, make that Danielynn's legal guardian, Richard Milstein. Five-month-old Danielynn was practically the only person who wasn't fighting for her mother's body, and the AP called it a "surprise middle course" decision. However, Newsday's Star Struck blog called Seidiln's sobbing "possibly the most embarrassing thing on television since 'The Magic Hour.'" E! Online has the Seidlin quotes

"I want you to understand that I reviewed absolutely everything," Seidlin said before issuing the ruling. "I have struggled with this. I have shed tears. more ›

As the fight over Anna Nicole Smith's body continues in a Florida courtroom, the judge presiding over the proceedings has become something of a media star. And Judge Larry Seidlin is ready, telling people that he's ready for a TV show. We chalk up his chutzpah to a Bronx background. more ›

EVENT: The Academy presents Meet the Oscars. On top of learning fun facts about Oscar, you'll get to see the little gold guy (and tons of tourists) up close and personal, as the statuettes are on display in Times Square. We suggest you bring a fake acceptance speech with you. more ›

A 21 year old Hunter College student committed suicide by jumping off the West Building at 67th and Lexington yesterday afternoon. Anton Frolov had sneaked onto the 20 floor building's roof earlier, but had been escorted off by security guards. But 15 minutes later, at 5:40PM, Frolov managed to get back onto the roof and jumped before guards could stop him. more ›

An emotionally disturbed Brooklyn man died of a heart attack after being Maced and Tasered by the police. A relative called the police when Blondel Lassegue was acting up at his uncle's house in Queens, saying he was depressed and delusional (he had recently gone off medication for bipolar disorder and depression, according to the Daily News). more ›

A man was shot at Ninth Avenue and West 23rd Street after leaving the Chelsea Square Restaurant Saturday morning. Two men robbed him of a necklace then shot him in the foot. The victim then went back to the restaurant and crawled into the kitchen for help. As the Post tries to make the point that there's a lot of violence in the club area, there's a quote from a restaurant employee who says the victim and a friend "seemed to be having a good time. They did appear to be drunk, and they were talking about a club. I don't know which one." more ›

Who would residents say is the worse neighbor - Columbia or NYU? For today, at least, the controversy surrounds Columbia, plus the Department of Education. Columbia and the DOE will be opening a secondary magnet public school this fall for sixth through twelfth grade. The school will eventually be located on the university's planned Manhattanville campus, but until the building is completed, the DOE has decided to put the school in PS 36, a pre-K to second grade school on Morning Side Drive and West 121st. Enter the angry parents. more ›