Demonstrating just how valuable free parking in New York City is, a rash of smash and grab thefts has struck areas in Washington Heights and the Bronx, where firefighters have had their car windows broken and parking placards stolen. Most of the thefts have occurred right outside of firehouses, usually when members are called out to a fire, according to the New York Post. more ›

Earlier this week, the FDNY Foundation, a non-profit that raises money for FDNY causes, released the 2008 edition of its popular Calendar of Heroes, featuring some of the Bravest's bare-chested hunks posing in all parts of New York City and thrilling many. But after the calendar crew appeared on the Today show, the eagle-eyed realized that cover boy Michael Biserta, of Ladder Co. 131 in Red Hook, was also featured in a Guys Gone Wild video, showing, as the Post calls it, "his God-given hose." So now the FDNY has decided to stop making the Calendar of Heroes. God, Joe Francis ruins everything! more ›

Contribute has been buzzing about what that loud explosion (and plume of smoke) coming from Brooklyn was/is. Nothing seems to be on the news sites yet. But from the wires: "FIVE 100 LB PROPANE TANKS ON THE ROOF OF THE 84TH PCT STATION HOUSE WHICH HAD EXPLODED, THREE OF THE CYLINDERS ARE DOWN ON THE STREET, FIRE WAS ON BOTH ROOFS OF THE STATION HOUSE & FIRE HOUSE, FIRE HAS NOW BEEN PLACED U/C" more ›

It's New York magazine's 2005 Salary Survey, and the lesson is clearly: The city is full of rich people who are not you. In our highly unscientific early-morning survey of a few pages of the survey, it seems that well over half of the incomes are over $1 million. According to the U.S. Census, only 3% of New York City households have an income of over $250,000. Overlaying that with the number of households in the city, that's just over 90,000 households. Gothamist expects many people to be obsessing over this survey while at work today. more ›

Last night's winner of Survivor is a hometown firefighter: Tom Westman, 41 year-old Queens born and bred, and a firefighter in Williamsburg's Ladder Co. 108, managed to outwit, outplay and outlast nineteen other people - many of them horribly, horribly annoying (and yes, we're talking about Katie, the runner-up whose $100,000 payday Gothamist likes to think is payment to make sure she didn't win). Westman, or, Tom, as most of America knows him, was possibly the most physically dominating competitor on the show in a while, winning many of the grueling and cockamamie immunity challenges, and even won the support of ex-Survivor wannabes who thought he played "dirty" and was "chauvinistic," because he at least deserved to win, versus Katie who just suck-suck-sucked. Tom's fellow firefighters think the father of three will stay a firefighter, in spite of his $1 million payday. more ›