Yesterday the Department of Transportation installed the first countdown pedestrian signal at the intersection of Coney Island Avenue and Kings Highway. Here's how the city explains the timer:

The pedestrian countdown signals are the same size as the existing pedestrian signal head, but feature a dual display - the traditional "Walking Man" and "Hand" display, and a pedestrian interval countdown display. The countdown feature is programmed to start at the beginning of the "flashing hand" cycle and end when the flashing hand becomes steady. At the five test intersections pedestrians will be given a minimum 15-second countdown before the light changes.

New York is a great place to run, whether you are a beginner or veteran. Not only can you explore the city in a whole new way, as this Brooklyn runner is doing, but it's something that you can do on your own time, at relatively low cost. There are several main parks in the city that are very conducive to running. In the Bronx is Van Cortland Park, the third largest park in New York city at 1,146 acres. It has been called the "cross country mecca" because of its wooded trails, and it hosts the National Cross Country championships every year. In addition, there is a 400-meter track and you can connect to the Old Croton Aquaduct Trail - taking you to all the way to Yonkers. more ›

-- And finally, Yom Kippur starts at sunset. more ›

With the mercury rising to high for the city's liking, Mayor Bloomberg held a press conference at the Office of Emergency Operations in Brooklyn to emphasize what the city is doing during the heat wave. We suspect he's trying to be extra visible and genially authoritative (check out the plaid shirt!) in order to salvage public opinion after the Queens blackout, but his words are important:

“The heat wave affects New Yorkers in all five boroughs, and that’s why the City is aggressively moving to protect New Yorkers from Tottenville to Co-Op City from this week’s oppressive heat and promote energy conservation. Hundreds of people have already tragically passed away due to the heat wave in other parts of the country, and I urge New Yorkers – especially seniors – to take the danger of high temperatures and humidity seriously. You can beat the heat by drinking plenty of water, staying out of the sun, avoiding strenuous activity, and taking advantage of City cooling centers and public pools. The City is also actively taking large energy users such as wastewater treatment plants off the grid and conserving energy at City buildings across the five boroughs to help cope with the increased demands on the electrical grid.”

Are street or place or even lane. - And hey, one more anniversary this weekend. I've been your Gothamist Weekend Editor for one whole year now, huzzah! It wouldn't be nearly as much fun without all of your comments and tips (and corrections, I live for your corrections). more ›

It had to happen sometime. After years of dropping, the murder rate in New York City this year is back on the rise, up 9 percent from this time a year ago. But wait! Before you start freaking out, some context: "'This year has seen the second-lowest number of homicides in over 40 years,' said Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne. 'The only year lower was last year.'" more ›

- Rutgers is playing in the Insight Bowl tonight - see it on ESPN at 8:30PM tonight more ›

There's a really cute picture in the New York Times of little kids dressed up as the Bible action hero, Bibleman. Bibleman has been in Flushing Meadows Park, on hand for the Billy Graham revival (which saw Bill and Hillary Clinton last night), is fascinating to Gothamist because who knew Christians would think men wearing tights would be okay. That, and the "Jew-y villains" that WFMU's blog pointed out. For instance, here's WFMU's description of one villain: "The Fibbler - A Jewish Gene Wilder / Burgess Meredith kind of villain who clouds the minds of young people and gets them started down the path of evil secular humanism by encouraging white lies and equivocation." Check out the Times to see more quotes like this prayer that the man playing Bibleman yesterday gave the children, "Dear Jesus, I think you're really cool, and I want you to be my best friend. So I admit that I have sinned, and I ask you to forgive my sins." See, that's why kids love Christianity - being forgiven of everything bad they do! more ›

There are two extremely high-profile trials around town: more ›