Sure second-hand smoke is bad for your health, but is it as bad as second-hand chainsaw? Last summer, Dean Dinnen was tossed out of a pub in Hull, England for smoking. Apparently he was cut to the quick, as Dinnen returned later with a chainsaw and began chasing after frightening barflies in a surreal scene that is equal parts Texas Chainsaw Massacre and NicoDerm CQ. more ›

As the FBI continues to investigate PS 243 Teacher's Aide Taleek Brooks, 41, in regards to charges of both having and producing child pornography, Mayor Bloomberg has responded to the disturbing story with surprising nonchalance considering his normally outspoken views on education. more ›

In 2009, the city passed tough new regulations requiring drivers to stop their engines after three minutes (or within one minute if parked in a school zone), or face steep fines. The changes were intended to help lower NYC's high childhood asthma rates—the malady is the most common cause of hospitalization for New York children 14 years and younger. It was nice, feel-good legislation, but unfortunately it hasn't been much more than a feeling. Out of the 10 million parking tickets issued each year, traffic enforcement agents have only issued a few thousand idling tickets, and environmentalists are steamed. more ›

No matter your issues with our billionaire mayor from Boston—where to start?—you have to give the man credit: He sure gives away a lot of dough. Hot on the heels of his quarter-million matching donation to Planned Parenthood the Chronicle of Philanthropy has declared Mike Bloomberg the fifth most generous person in all the land. According to their count hizzoner gave $311,276,000 away last year! more ›

While nearly a million Giants fans pack into Lower Manhattan this morning for a parade celebrating the triumph of one billion-dollar corporation over another, veterans of the Iraq war have yet to be honored in the Canyon of Heroes. "If a football team gets a parade, shouldn't our veterans?" asks Paul Rieckhoff, the founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Former Mayor Ed Koch agrees, and tells the Times, "I believe a parade is required, is necessary, and New York City is the place to have it." more ›

Workers have been busily preparing the stage for tomorrow's post-ticker tape parade ceremony where Mayor Bloomberg gives the Super Bowl XLVI Champion Giants keys to the city. The ticker tape parade begins at 11 a.m. at Battery Place and Washington Street, and then the floats go up the Canyons of Heroes to Worth Street, to be showered with tons of locally sourced confetti, which is an upgrade after toilet paper celebrations. more ›

The parade will start at Battery Place and Washington Street. The route goes up the Canyon of Heroes to Worth Street, followed by a ceremony at City Hall Plaza. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg may tell you to "deal with it" when it comes to blizzards, paying for the FDNY to respond to your crash, smoking, cutting the number of teachers, brazen corruption, and police raiding your stupid protest, but let's face it: When he announced he'd donate up to $250,000 to Planned Parenthood, you liked him for at least five minutes. more ›

Here it is, Mayor Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Menino's ad about gun control reform that will run during the Super Bowl. They make lots of NYC and Boston jokes, as well as Giants and Patriots puns! more ›

While the Susan G. Komen Foundation remains on the defensive about defunding breast cancer prevention-related grants to Planned Parenthood, its marketing juggernaut remains unabated. For instance, what says ending breast cancer forever like a .22-caliber pink handgun? more ›

Mayor Bloomberg seemed less ominous than recent years in announcing his $68.7 billion preliminary budget for the 2013 Fiscal Year yesterday, which is balanced as required by law and doesn't feature any tax hikes or layoffs of teachers or cops. Rocking a blue V-neck sweater in honor of the Giants' Super Bowl bid, Bloomberg told reporters, "Cities across the country have struggled to keep their heads above water - laying off teachers, police officers, or firefighters, with a few even having to declare bankruptcy,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We’ve avoided those painful steps, because we spent years planning ahead, made government more efficient and saved for a rainy day." more ›

After the Susan G. Komen Foundation pulled its breast cancer prevention-related funding from Planned Parenthood, numerous people have been stepping up to donate to Planned Parenthood. And Mayor Bloomberg wants to donate $250,000—and have others donate another $250,000. more ›

The clock is ticking for everyone's favorite purveyor of Ham Bowls to open up shop in NYC: Crain's notes that after Walmart wined and dined us last summer, it's now acting all "Oh we'll call you next week." In two years, the company will likely have to deal with an anti-Walmart mayor (although Christine Quinn has flirted with the store), and polling may not be so generous, so it's crucial that they don't squander the goodwill. “Walmart doesn't know how to be a good winner," a "political insider" says. Will they finally bust out the Wet kiwi strawberry intimacy gel and consummate this thing? more ›

After an amazing playoff run, the Giants are facing off against the Patriots in the 46th Super Bowl. And now that Mayor Bloomberg has won cheese curds from Green Bay and sourdough bread from San Francisco, he's giving his stomach a break and will give a New York City family the chance to savor seafood from Boston—plus much more—in a bet with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. more ›

It is safe to say that our billionaire mayor from Boston will not be following in the footsteps of former mayor Ed Koch when he leaves office. Where Koch has spent almost a decade now reviewing movies as a side gig (see: The Mayor at the Movies), Mike Bloomberg "once told a friend he had seen only 10 movies in his life." Make that 11—he admitted he went to see Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. more ›

First dates are tough: you don't want the person to know that you actually spend all your time in the same dingy dive, but no matter what super scientific online dating surveys say, dropping $100 on dinner reeks of trying too hard. Museums show you're cultured, but all the line-waiting and pretending to know about Kandinsky can get tiring. Movies: staid and boring (you're both just sitting in the dark!), and concerts are fine if you don't mind shouting over the bass. So what does New York City's Bachelor-in-Chief think is the "best spot in NYC" for a first date? "The Staten Island Ferry!" In January? Poor Diana. more ›

Shame is one of society's most powerful motivators (except when you're a billionaire). Mayor Bloomberg knows this, and that's why he told reporters yesterday that he will veto legislation that bans those giant yellow sanitation stickers the Sanitation Department slaps on scofflaw vehicles. "Stickers are an enforcement tool that have shown that they keep our streets clean and if you take them away there's no reason to believe that we won't go back to the dirty streets that we had before," Bloomberg said. Indeed it's a shame that Errol Morris' documentary, The Thin Yellow, Sticky Line, wasn't given the Oscar nod this year. more ›

Marriage equality hasn't just been good for gay New Yorkers—its also been good for the economy, Republicans, gay men's health, and religious recruiters. And now a group of mayors—including our own Mike Bloomberg—have teamed up to try and bring the freedom to marry to the rest of the country. more ›

City Council Speaker and presumptive mayoral candidate Christine Quinn announced a compromise on the controversial living wage bill yesterday. While it would require companies who receive substantial tax benefits from the city to raise employee wages to $10/hour with benefits or $11.50/hour without, according to Crain's the law would only apply to direct employees of the companies who receive benefits, not their tenants, thus significantly narrowing the initial scope of the legislation. more ›

After Mayor Bloomberg promised to cut up to half the teachers at 33 underperforming schools—and to give $20,000 bonuses to good teachers— during his State of the City address, the United Federation of Teachers has been busy. The teachers' union has threatened to go to court to block the firings and is on the offensive on Bloomberg's education reforms. more ›