In a video that would be a boon for recruiting efforts, National Guard soldiers are seen piloting their vehicles through high water on South Main Street in flooded Manville, New Jersey during rescue efforts. In the background, one man asks, "How is that possible?" Another replies, "It's the Army, bro." The recruiting video would end there, because the trucks get stuck. Is this a crude metaphor? more ›

Governor Cuomo announced that he was deploying an additional 1,000 New York National Guard soldiers to bolster the state's response to Hurricane Irene, bringing the total number of troops on state active duty up to 1,900. "It is important to take every precaution as we prepare for the impact of Hurricane Irene," Cuomo said. "Stay indoors during the course of the storm." more ›

Today, those of you passing through big transit hubs, like Grand Central, Penn Station and Herald Square, may seem more police officers and other law enforcement agencies in force. That's because it's the second big transit drill involving the NYPD (including its Counterterrorism, ESU, K9, Transit and plainclothes units); police from Amtrak, the MTA, the Port Authority, and NJ Transit; the National guard; the TSA; and NY State's Homeland Security. According to WABC 7, "Beginning at approximately 7 a.m., commuters will experience increased police presence; bag screenings and inspections of train and subway cars." The last drill was in April. more ›

Yesterday, hundreds of NYPD cops, Port Authority cops, MTA cops, NJ Transit cops and National Guardsman others participated in a terror drill at busy transit hubs, such as Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station, in the city. According to the Post, the "drill [was] dubbed Operation MASS -- or Multi-Agency Super Surge, officials said. The regularly-scheduled drill -- which lasted about three hours -- is designed to see how cops can mobilize and coordinate their efforts in the event of an attack." more ›

Some 150 National Guardsmen have been pulled from details patrolling the city's transportation hubs, as part of a restructuring that officials claim will actually make the soldiers more responsive to threats. Guard spokesman Richard Goldberg tells the Post, "We are at more locations now because we're not tied to specific facilities. You'll still see us at Penn Station and the airports, but you'll also see them at critical transport sites, like bus terminals." Last year the National Guard had 430 soldiers based in the city; now there are 280. Another spokesman asserts that because the troops are now stationed out of Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn instead of airports and train stations, they're better equipped to "selectively respond" to emergencies or as cops need reinforcements. Another bonus is that the drawdown will probably save the state over ten million dollars. But their absence has left some commuters, like administrative assistant Donna El-Maadawy, feeling very unguarded; she tells the Post, "I rarely see them anymore. Not having them present will makes me feel uneasy. You just never know when we may need them." more ›

The Municipal Art Society attended a meeting today at which the negotiations between the National Guard, the owner of the property, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) discussed the future of the buildings at Admiral's Row. The meeting was part of the federally-mandated Section 106 process that requires federal agencies to study the impact of their actions on important historic buildings. Sadly, it seems their minds were made up, the Brooklyn Paper reports that they will save two of the historic buildings in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and destroy the others, making way for a supermarket. more ›

The 20-year-old brother of one of the men suspected of plotting to blow up Bronx synagogues and attack a National Guard base in Newburgh is speaking out. Lord McWilliams, brother of suspect David Williams, suffers from liver disease and tells the Daily News that the informant promised his brother $20,000 for a needed operation, "[My brother] told me, 'Don't worry, when you go to the doctor, tell them you got money.'" His mother adds that Williams told her he would give her money on Thursday (the day after the plot would take place), "He was a loving, sweet kid. He took his brother's illness worse than me." However, the Post says the informant did pay for McWilliams' transplant—and also promised to take him to Universal Studios. McWilliams said of his brother, now being held without custody, "He wasn't raised to blow anyone up. We weren't raised to kills Jews and Christians." more ›

Yesterday, the city honored the 110 members of teams from the NYPD, FBI and other agencies who helped foil the terror plot to bomb Bronx synagogues and attack the National Guard base in Newburgh, NY. Mayor Bloomberg said, "I feel safer today in this city than ever before. They have prevented what could have been a terrible loss of life." And Governor Paterson said, "The work was simply outstanding, and it demonstrates the increased sophistication that counterterrorist activity has had to undergo to keep up with the widespread threats. I can't thank all of them enough." more ›

More details have emerged about the four men accused of plotting to bomb synagogues in the Bronx and shoot military places at the National Guard bas in Newburgh, NY and their ultimately unsuccessful plan. The men, Onta Williams, 32, James Cromitie, 44, David Williams, 28, and Laguerre Payen, 27, all Newburgh residents who were arrested after planting a 37-pound bomb (actually made of fake materials, provided by an FBI informant) outside one of the synagogues, are described as being Muslim, but the NY Times reports none of them were particularly active in their local mosque. The uncle of Onta Williams said his nephew "was not born Muslim. He's an institutional Muslim... He wasn't raised that way," adding that Onta Williams started following Islam after a stint in jail. more ›

The FBI and NYPD have arrested four men who were allegedly plotting to bomb at least two Jewish temples and attack a National Guard base. According to NBC New York, "several of the suspects are Muslims who allegedly talked about destroying two Jewish temples, including at least one in the Riverdale section of the Bronx." The men apparently ordered and received bomb making materials, but "investigators said they made sure the materials the suspects received were inert." And WCBS 2 reports, the men also wanted to "shoot military planes located at the New York Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport in Newburgh with Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles." The four men, all residents of Newburgh, were arrested in the Bronx this evening; apparently a friend tipped off the feds, who have been investigating them for a year. more ›

At the 1968 Democratic Convention, anti-war activists were denied permits to demonstrate by the city and spent most of the week getting their skulls cracked courtesy of the Chicago Police Department, witnessed by a television audience of over 50 million. A year later, eight of the most high profile radicals – guys like Abbie Hoffman and the Black Panthers' Bobby Seale – were tried on charges of conspiracy and inciting riots. The courtroom was a circus, with Seale gagged to silence his outbursts and ultimately sentenced to four years for contempt, while testimony from counterculture icons such as Phil Ochs, Arlo Guthrie, Norman Mailer and Timothy Leary drew massive crowds for the National Guard to disperse. more ›

On your faces, maggots. Iraqi war vet (and former SLC punk) Jason Christopher Hartley (pictured) has collaborated with The International WOW Company to create one hell of an interactive theatrical experience. Called SURRENDER, audience members sign up as active participants in simulations of counterinsurgency operations. more ›

What is the lawsuit about, Kenneth? more ›

With Britain at its top terror alert level after a flaming SUV crashed into Scotland's Glasgow Airport yesterday, New York City has stepped up security at area airports. Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman (the PA oversees JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airpots) said, there were "increased security measures" in place. more ›

Earlier this year, I Am Legend, the latest Will Smith extravaganza took over the Brooklyn Bridge. Warner Bros. spent around $5,000,000 for a 6 night shoot in New York, after getting approval from 14 government agencies, with hundreds of extras, including 160 members of the National Guard in full combat gear. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an EMT was assaulted on Hazen St. at Rikers Island, a dead body in the water off Emmons and Ocean Aves. in Brooklyn, and another dead body in the water off Manhattan's Pier 11.
• The doctor taped swearing allegiance to Al Qaeda claims that his trip to Saudi Arabia to treat injured terrorists was actually just a ruse. He wanted to go to the Middle East to find out more about polygamy, so he could convince his objecting wife to let him marry some more women.
• The doctor who testified for the defense of Peter Braunstein, asserting that the fake firefighter rapist's brain is broken, is the same expert witness who said that mobster Vincent Gigante was probably suffering from dementia. After his conviction, Gigante admitted that he'd been faking it for 20 years.
• Another person was struck by a subway train this morning, and Brooklyn-bound 3 trains were halted between 148th St. and 96th St. in Manhattan while police conducted their investigation.
• Students at the International Leadership school are learning some type of lesson, as the charter school seems to have descended into anarchy. Four of eight original teachers were fired by the school's principal this year, another three teachers quit last week, and students conducted a walkout despite the principal's attempt to lock them in the school.
• The New York State Comptroller says that the state's budget does not add up and that spending is actually growing faster than Gov. Spitzer reported. Aides to Spitzer are saying that, as the new guy, the Comptroller just doesn't know how the budget in Albany works.
• National Guard Troops will soon be deployed to patrol PATH stations in New York and New Jersey. Rather than have permanent positions, Guard soldiers will pop up at random throughought the PATH system.
• When Brooklyn bloggers aren't blogging about their borough, they're meeting and talking about blogging about Brooklyn. And by extension, we've just added blogging about Brooklyn bloggers meeting and talking about blogging.

Who doesn't live for tidbits like learning that Mayor Bloomberg has a special phone - with a "special device that encodes on either end" - located in his kitchen? The Daily News shouts, Bloomy bat cave wired for terror, and the Batman reference works, because Bloomberg is a billionaire, lives in Gotham, and, for all we know, he's got some crazy underground lair where he has latex suits that he enjoys wearing. more ›

Gothamist was driving across southwestern Kansas late last April. It was a hot day, temperatures were well into the 90s, so we stopped for ice cream in Syracuse, Kansas. We got to talking to the ice cream shop owner and when they found out we were from New York City they said "New York? You get lots of snow there don't you? We haven't had snow in five years." From what we saw that was true -southswestern Kansas was close to the center of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, afterall. The ground was parched and a couple of times the wind blew great amounts of sand and dust a hundred feet or more into the air. more ›

As delays snarled Laguardia, JFK, and Newark with news that British authorities had stopped a terrorist plot to blow up airliners flying the U.S., New York City's security level remained at "elevated" - which is where it's been since September 11, 2001. Governor Pataki increased state police, Port Authority police, and National Guard presence at the airports, and said, "I want to assure all New Yorkers that we have and will continue to provide a heightened level of security, and I urge all of you to be vigilant, but to go about your normal routines. I encourage all citizens to remain alert with regard to the threat of terrorism. The eyes and ears of the public are one of the most important resources we have to help law enforcement officials deter and prevent acts of terrorism." Mayor Bloomberg noted that since the threat was focused on airports, subway security wouldn't have to be raised. And did you know that Senator Schumer is stuck at Heathrow? more ›

- And Many Highways has some video and photographs of weekend Spider-Man 3 filming at Foley Square; we have no idea what the plot is supposed to be, but if you really want to know, here's the Google search for "Spider-Man 3 spoilers"
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James Thomas, a special education teacher in the Bronx, was arrested yesterday for claiming he was participating in Katrina related relief efforts when he was actually in Brazil attending a religious conference. Not just a teacher, but pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Bronx as well, Thomas used his position in the Air National Guard to fake documents in order to receive four days of pay. The teacher / pastor / lieutenant colonel was charged with forgery and larceny. He was caught and faced firing back in December. This is another example of the DoE cracking down on its own. more ›

It sounds bad enough that a teacher is lying to get out of teaching, but it sounds worse when the teacher uses "helping out Hurricane Katrina victims" as the excuse. James R. Thomas, who was a special education teacher at a Bronx public high school, admitted he falsely claimed the Air National Guard needed him, when in fact Thomas was going to Brazil. Thomas forged Air National Guard military orders saying he needed to help out with Hurricane Katrina relief. Thomas, who is also a pastor, had been able to secure leave for ANG purposes easily, but this past fall, the school asked for paperwork. We wonder if it's because of a Department of Education crackdown on teacher leave - remember the teacher who was a wrestler by night and claimed he was sick in order to work the wrestling circuit? The DoE must really vet sick leave! more ›

There was a stabbing rampage near Herald Square last May. more ›

Yesterday, President Bush pledged $350 million to the tsunami relief efforts in South Asia; this is a huge increase from the last aid commitment of $35 million, which had been increased from an initial $15 million right after the disaster. Whether or not putting the aid package in the hundreds of millions is a way for President Bush to deflect criticism that the U.S. was being "stingy" or to show that the U.S. is interested in other countries' welfares, Gothamist is glad that the U.S. is finally stepping up. We were amused that White House spokesman Trent Duffy had to say the funds are "not coming from Iraq money, if that's what you're asking," because it shows that even a force of nature can't get our President to budge. more ›

While Gothamist hasn't been watching much Dan Rather lately (we do love David Letterman's montages of various Ratherisms), we are a bit sad. When we were little, we'd watching the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather with our parents, and afterwards, we'd play "pretend anchor" with pages and pages of scribbles. Dan, we'll miss you. more ›

Gothamist loved this headline from Jay Rosen's Pressthink: From what we can tell, the Internet doesn't enter the mainstream media until at least six months out. Anyway, some wonder if there's a blog backlash in the making (from CBS Marketwatch, no less) and whether or not blogs get the facts straight. Other wonder if this will speed up Rather's retirement plans. The NY Times analyzes Dan Rather's apology, which makes us think of ESPN Page 2's What Was Dan Rather Thinking?, the Dan Rather watchdog site, Rather Biased, and Gawker's Dan Rather Death Watch. more ›

Bruce Bennett, Writer/Typist/Guitarist more ›