Yet another intriguing chapter in the life of former police commissioner Bernard Kerik: WNBC reports that he rejected a plea deal from the feds. The deal would have allowed Kerik to plead guilty to tax fraud and illegal eavesdropping - plus serve jail time - and in return, the feds would have dropped their criminal probe. And the probe includes quite a laundry list: "allegations of mortgage fraud, tax fraud, conspiracy to eavesdrop and making......

Here is part two of our semi-chronological look back at the top stories this past year (here is part one): Queens Blackout The Blackout of 2003, as irritating as it was, happened to the whole city, could be blamed on other states and didn't last too long. When parts of Queens lost power in July, Con Ed wrote it off as an isolated event affecting only a few thousands customers. But as Queens spent days......

The polls in New York close in a half hour, so the media won't be reporting returns until then. But it's still exciting and heartbreaking to watch the other states' elections returns. For starters, Bob Casey ousting Rick Santorum for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania? That's exciting. Heartbreaking would be reports of bugs and intimidation at the polls. NBC also projects that Bob Menendez will win re-election in NJ (with only 3% reporting, though).......

With Election Day in a little more than two weeks, candidates are pushing into the home stretch by rallying their supporters and looking for undecided voters. The NY Times made some more big endorsements. The Gray Lady threw support behind Eliot Spitzer for Governor and Andrew Cuomo for Attorney General. The Spitzer endorsement was enthusiastic and hopeful, while the Cuomo one...well, here's a bit from it which contrasts Cuomo with the embattled Republican Jeannine Pirro:The......

With just 55 days left, the dance cards are set for the general election. As expected, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and Senator Hillary Clinton won their respectives primaries for governor and Senate. The NY Times noted that Clinton's reosounding win showed that her support of the Iraq war did not affect voter sentiment:“Clinton’s work ethic, her lack of enemies, and her fund-raising help for other Democrats have insulated her from party criticism, including on......

If there's a city parade, you bet it's an opportunity for politicians to get out to press the flesh. And yesterday's West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn was no different, with the primary showdown over the Congressional seat being vacated by Major Owens coming up next week. As it happens, the crowd in the Wyckoff Gardens Houses weren't too happy to hear Mayor Bloomberg and candidate-City Councilman David Yassky announce that $600,000 worth of......

To no one's surprise, Senator Hillary Clinton won the NY State Democratic nomination for this fall's Senate race. Which means she got to use her acceptance speech as a possible preview into a run for the presidency someday. The NY Times said that President Bill Clinton kept talking and talking (about Hillary), "until finally, perhaps realizing he was the only politician left in the room, he turned to go." That Bubba - what an operator!......

In what seems like a move to be seriously outmatched, former wannabe candidate for Senate, current Republican party hopeful to run for NY State Attorney General Jeannine Pirro is setting her sights on sexual predators that lurk on MySpace. And she's issued a letter to MySpace owner Rupert Murdoch saying that a forum will be convened! We are sure Rupert took the letter and ate it and promptly called his NY Post editors to make......

Ah, Jeannine Pirro. She's finally finally abandoned her plans to run against Hillary Clinton for the junior Senate seat, after much turmoil within her campaign. Pirro's statement said, "Today, after consultation with the leaders of my party, particularly Gov. Pataki, Sen. [Joe] Bruno and Chairman [Stephen] Minarik, and leaders of the Conservative and independent parties, I have decided that my law-enforcement background better qualifies me for a race for attorney general than a race for......

- The Transport Workers Union says the strike will end if the MTA gives up their pension demands - The police suspect a Harlem traffic incident that turned into a fight was actually strike-related - Finally! Jeannine Pirro isn't running for the GOP's Senatorial bid - claims that she likes the legal area and will run for Attorney General (tee hee tee hee) - A mall for the Bronx Terminal Market - rejoice, those who......

With the start of the 2006 calendar year weeks away, the wrangling for governor will be more earnest, but right now, the troubles are within the state's Republican party. New York magazine has a fun guide to GOP rivalries and backstabbing that helps elucidate the situation, though Ed Cox is nowhere to be seen (Cox is rumored to be another GOP choice, instead of Westchester DA Jeannine Pirro, to run against Hillary Clinton). The NY......

- NYC still gets to sue gunmakers, making Mayor Bloomberg the bane of the NRA - For laughs, read this Times article about Governor Pataki asking Jeannine Pirro not to run against Hillary Clinton in next year's Senate race - and Pirro says she's staying in it to win it - The decision not to landmark the Austin, Nichols warehouse in Williamsburg is dissected on Curbed - Dave and Oprah kiss and make up -......

More trouble for Westchester DA Jeannine Pirro's four month bid to run against Hillary Clinton in 2006: She has to chat with Governor Pataki to "weigh her options." Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said Pirro should get out of hte race and run for Attorney General instead. Scuttlebutt is that Ed Cox, Richard Nixon's son-in-law, will return to the Senate race, after having been shushed out by Pataki earlier this year. What's......

Westchester D.A. Jeannine Pirro has announced she wants to run against Hillary Clinton in 2006 for the junior Senate seat. Pirro had also been considering a run at the governor's house, but decided to go for a Senate campaign because the upside seemed better, even if she lost (it would, in the very least, raise her profile). Pirro went to work immediately at her press conference yesterday, accusing Clinton just using the Senate to head......