Mayor Bloomberg spoke to reporters today about the city's snow preparations for this weekend's predicted snowfall. Desperate to prove that the city won't screw up a non-blizzard snow event, he promised, “We plan to do a great job, the kind of job the public has come to expect us to do.” But just in case he's making a few changes. Like the city will be sending out "Street Condition Observation Unit Teams" (SCOUTs, get it?) to look for problem areas and adding GPS to to 50 Sanitation trucks in Brooklyn. Also, a few Department of Sanitation chiefs were demoted. more ›

What do former politicians Alan Hevesi, Joe Bruno, Guy Velella and Clarence Norman have in common, besides convictions of criminal charges? They're all still receiving taxpayer-funded pensions worth tens of thousands of dollars a year! more ›

He may not be running for Comptroller or any public office in the immediate future, but former Governor Eliot Spitzer sounded like a man itching to get back in the political ring during an interview with NY1 yesterday. "I wish desperately that I were there fighting for the issues I care deeply about," he said. more ›

"Thank you, guys. We'll be fine," former State Senator Joseph Bruno told his daughters yesterday after being sentenced to two years in prison for wire and mail fraud. Judge Gary L. Sharpe's sentence was much lighter than the eight year bid prosecutors wanted, and the 81-year-old Bruno is in no immediate danger of going up the river because the Supreme Court still has to rule on the so-called "honest services" provision of federal fraud laws (more on that here). And if even if that ruling doesn't swing in his favor, there are always the appeals. But hey, at least he had to hear a stern reprimand from the judge: more ›

Last winter, former State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno was found guilty of wire and mail fraud in his federal corruption trial and the U.S. Attorney's office has recommended a sentence of 97 months for the 81-year-old. So far, the judge overseeing the sentencing this Thursday has received four letters, two in favor of sparing Bruno (one from a prosecutor, another from Charles Grodin) and two who want him to get time ("Bruno personified... a Mafia godfather"). One juror who was on the case told the Times Union, "He should have been convicted on all the counts"—he was acquitted on six other accounts—"There are a lot of people who say he did a lot of good. Yeah, he did a lot of good with our money and he enriched himself in the process." more ›

With the federal corruption conviction of former powerful State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Assistant U.S. Attorney William Pericak tells the Daily News, "I think it's clear that any way you stack the sentencing guidelines (it) will call for a sentence of imprisonment and the Justice Department typically recommends that the court follows the guidelines." Bruno, age 80, was found guilty on two counts—and each count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. He has said he will fight the convictions. more ›

Former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who was found guilty on two of eight charges in a federal corruption trial, said “I am very, very disappointed in the verdict. The legal process is going to continue. In my mind and in my heart, it is not over until it’s over. And I think it’s far from over. Thank you all, have a good night and merry Christmas." more ›

Joe Bruno, who led the Republican-controlled State Senate for 13 years, was found guilty of mail and wire fraud in his federal corruption trial. The Times Union reports, "Bruno, acquitted of five counts, was found guilty in connection with 11 payments he received from companies controlled by Loudonville businessman Jared Abbruzzese. The jury found Bruno did not perform legitimate work for the Abbruzzese companies — and that the payments were, in effect, gifts. He was also convicted of failing to disclose his participation in a partnership with Abbruzzese that involving thoroughbred race horses." The jury was unable to reach a verdict on an eight count, which means the feds will decide whether to retry the 80-year-old. more ›

With "active" members of the State Senate a little indisposed this week, Governor Paterson must have turned up the heat in lobbying Former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno to come out and endorse his gay marriage bill. Today the Republican leader hopped in the leather captain's chair of the Brunomobile and potentially put the state's legalization of same-sex marriage into the fast lane. Bruno told the AP, "As a Republican, I believe in personal freedom. I opposed same sex marriage largely because the overwhelming majority of my caucus opposed it. As a relatively conservative Roman Catholic, I instinctively view marriage as the foundation of the family. However, that view really does conflict with the rights that are afforded all of us. This is America and we have inalienable rights ... life is short and we should all be afforded the same opportunities and rights to enjoy it." The AP mentions that Bruno's wife of 57 years Barbara just passed away in 2008. With several Democrats already opposing the bill, Paterson and company hope that Bruno's endorsement could pave the way for undecided GOP senators to come over and support it. more ›

Leave it to a gay marriage bill to make it feel like everyone seems to be playing for the wrong team. The Daily News is reporting that Governor Paterson is getting serious about reaching across the aisle and courting Republicans to help pass his bill to legalize same-sex marriage in New York. And who might his ace (or Gary) in the hole be? None other than former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. more ›

Former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno announced today that he'll officially resign on Friday. Just three weeks ago the 79-year-old lawmaker stunned when he announced he was leaving office after 32 years in the state Senate (and claimed it had nothing to do with the FBI investigation into his finances). In his statement, he mentioned how he was proud of steering projects that led to job creation and thanked his colleagues, "Now I will bring my time in public service to a conclusion. I have no regrets because this has been a great trip and it is time for me to ride off into the sunset." more ›

State Senator Joseph Bruno told reporters, "There'll be a vacancy until Assemblyman Roy McDonald gets elected in this district." This suggests the former majority leader will be leaving office before the November election in which McDonald, a Republican, will try to win Bruno's seat. Bruno announced he wouldn't run for re-election two weeks ago, surprising many and giving the Democrats a chance to possibly win over the State Senate. Bruno has repeatedly said his decision has nothing to do with the FBI investigation into his finances. more ›

The highest ranking Republican in NY State, State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, announced he would not seek re-election this fall. The 79-year-old released a statement; here is an excerpt (the full statement is after the jump: "Today I met with my Republican colleagues in the Senate and informed them that I will not be running for re-election this November. After 32 years in office, I have decided that it is time to move on with my life and to give my constituents an opportunity for new representation and my colleagues in the Senate who have supported me an opportunity for new leadership." more ›

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is seeking the dismissal of a civil suit against her filed by Council Member Charles Barron's former chief of staff Viola Plummer. Quinn gave Plummer the boot when the councilman's aide refused to sign a pledge to compose herself while the City Council was in session. more ›

Albany county attorney general P. David Soares is taking another stab at the Troopergate scandal by issuing subpoenas for Gov. Spitzer's e-mails to and from his aides, as well as e-mails between aides. Troopergate centered around accusations that Spitzer and/or his top aides used state police to essentially spy on Spitzer's primary foe in Albany--state senate leader Joseph Bruno. The first Troopergate investigation resulted in the resignation of Spitzer's communications director Darren Dopp. The broad subpoena recently delivered to the Spitzer administration seeks public and private e-mails that may show the Governor pressured Dopp to perjure himself during a sworn statement. more ›

Former Westchester County District Attorney - and one-time Attorney General candidate and potential Senate candidate - Jeanine Pirro and her husband Al Pirro have announced they are separating. Their statement to the press: "We have agreed to amicably separate. As always, our priority remains our two wonderful children. We ask that people respect our privacy. There will be no further comment." The couple has been married 32 years and have weathered through many years of... more ›

(denny farrell, eliot spitzer, andrew cuomo, adriano espaillat, by azipaybarah at flickr) more ›

In a city whose mayor has made gun control one of his signature issues, it's no surprise that the number of registered gun owners has gone down. The Post reports that there are now 36,169, versus 38,000 last year. Permits that allow one to wear a gun on a holster (concealed) also dropped to 2,555, which the Sun says is almost 50% less than the 2004 number. Of course, there's now way to estimate illegal gun ownership. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck at 186th St. and Amsterdam in Manhattan, a child was struck and killed by a car on 130th Ave. and Springfield Blvd. in Queens, and a pedestrian was struck by a Bobcat (motorized work vehicle) on Monroe St. and Catherine Slip in Manhattan.
• Ironic Sans examines the new animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and finds specific references to it taking place in NYC, but a very unspecific skyline of unrecognizable buildings.
• A candid admission at the blog dailyheights.com and advice that is is a terrible idea and dangerous to wander off the subway late at night while completely intoxicated.
• Sprint has hired Samsung to install a fourth-generation level of wireless Internet known as Wi-Max in NYC by the end of 2008.
• Republican Presidential aspirant Mitt Romney is presenting NYC to the rest of the country as a paradigm of the ills of illegal immigration. Bloomberg News columnist Amity Shlaes contends that he is badly mistaken.
• A pair of NYC sanitation workers sprinted across three lanes of traffic on the Van Wyck Expressway after witnessing an accident last summer, and then kicked through a car's sunroof to pull a woman and an infant from the overturned vehicle, which was smoking and leaking gasoline.
• Gov. Spitzer's aide Darren Dopp will take some vacation time before returning to work, but his suspension has been lifted following his participation in a scandal to embarrass Majority Leader Joe Bruno with the help of State Police.
• Police are looking for a pair of men who pose as plumbers in Manhattan while burgling the apartments of elderly women.

Reach out and touch someone - and get fired for it, possibly even if you didn't do the reaching out and touching. The nutty voicemail message left for Bernard Spitzer, father of Governor Spitzer, is reassuring everyone that it's just politics as usual in Albany. The elder Spitzer's lawyers believe that the call was made by GOP consultant Roger Stone, who was recently hired at $20,000/month by NY State Republican (he was consulting with Spitzer's rival, State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno). more ›

Dan Rather may have retired from the CBS Evening News, but he's still breaking stories while at HDNet. On his upcoming Thursday night Dan Rather Reports, he will air an "rare sit-down interview" with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, where Bloomberg makes it "categorically clear that he will not run for President of the United States, nor will he seek a Vice Presidential bid nor any cabinet position for that matter, something he's never done before." Wow, we think we just heard candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties sigh with relief! more ›

The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-2 tornado touched down in Bay Ridge this morning. That category of tornado has winds between 111 to 135 miles per hours, and roofs were blown off buildings and trees fell on top of cars and in the middle of roads. A resident told NY1, "I saw a mass of just leaves turning and it was just dark, like a dark mass. I was afraid and I saw the tree come down. I ran back inside and you could hear the wind. It sounded like a freight train coming through at full speed. It was like ‘whooooomp.’" more ›

Governor Eliot Spitzer think the State Senate's idea to have Attorney General Andrew Cuomo appointed "special prosecutor" - to investigate misdeeds in Spitzer's office - is "pointless." Spitzer told the Sun, "It seems to me that the attorney general already issued a report that he called complete, and Joe Bruno already called it a complete report. We have the Ethics Commission doing its thing." more ›

After Attorney General Cuomo found that Governor Spitzer's staffers were using state police records to attack rival Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, everyone agrees on one thing: It's very bad for Governor Spitzer. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg returned from Sun Valley's media mogul conference to stump for his congestion pricing program at three churches yesterday. And today he's headed to Albany, as the congestion pricing program will be discussed by the Legislature. The Bloomberg administration has pointed out that the federal Department of Transportation is pretty willing to give $537 million in funding to NYC if the concept of congestion pricing is passed by Albany lawmakers, but the deadline for that money is today. more ›

Why is it that things are hotter in Albany with the Legislative session over? The brouhaha between Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Governor Eliot Spitzer has, as the Sun put it, "reached a new low." Bruno had a press conference yesterday, saying Spitzer's alleged State Police surveillance on Bruno's activities was "espionage." From the Times Union:

"I've been in government 31 years and I've never experienced anything like this," said Bruno. "I was stunned to learn Governor Spitzer is using the fine men and women of the New York State Police to conduct surveillance on me," Bruno said. "This should send shivers up the spine of every New Yorker."

Albany seemed to be its usual stagnant self, as the legislative sessions closed on notes of rancor, versus happiness and optimism on the job well done. Many issues were left unresolved, and Governor Spitzer and Senate Majority seem to be rarin' for a fight. more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week: more ›

A number of politicians offered their support (though not 100%) of Mayor Bloomberg's Voldemort, aka congestion pricing, today. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters appeared with Governor Eliot Spitzer and Bloomberg at a press conference today, with Peters saying, "This plan will keep the city that never sleeps from becoming the city that never moves." She also put some pressure on the state Legislature to approve the just submitted S. 6068, the NY State Senate's congestion pricing legislation, by saying that in order for the city to continue to qualify for federal transportation grants, it needs to pass congestion pricing. more ›

WCBS 2 reporter Andrew Kirtzman takes up rumors of Mayor Bloomberg wanting to run for Governor (which the mayor denies) by way of looking at how everyone wants to talk about him. Given that he's frequently cited in national publications (writing about gun control in Newsweek, named a Time 100 influential), political consultant Norman Adler says, "Mike Bloomberg is kind of the Paris Hilton of politics. People want to report about him and want to conjecture about him." Phew, that's what the Paris Hilton comparison is about -- for a second we were worried he'd start toting around a Chihuahua and expose himself in paparazzi pictures. Besides, only one of them deserves to be famous. more ›