The Seneca Nation is pressuring Governor Paterson to veto a bill that would tax cigarette sales to non-Indians; officials estimate the tax could generate $400 million in revenue, and Mayor Bloomberg recently said that tax revenue could save us from MTA fare hikes. The tribes argue that treaties dating to the 19th century make them exempt from state sales taxes; greedy white man legislators insist that sales to non-Indians are taxable. The debate is happening......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a dead body in the water off of Houston St. on the west side of Manhattan, a shooting at Lincoln and Classon in Brooklyn, and a water rescue off Coney Island's Surf Ave. in Brooklyn. A young woman from upstate was crowned Miss New York last night. "An exhausted"-looking Miss NJ looked on, after two weeks of scandal and intrigue. Famed Central Park red tailed hawk Pale Male is......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., HBO) A television adaptation of the 1970 book about America's 19th Century ethnic cleansing of Native Americans. We think that this deserves a miniseries instead of a 135 minute movie to bring the story justice. The Blair Decade (Sunday, 9:00, WLIW 21) A look back on the career of Tony Blair, his rise to power and the bad......

We bet most anyone who has attempted to follow a map in Queens can empathize with the plight of new immigrant Damon Mootoo. Mootoo, who had just arrived from Guyana, got lost when he left his brother's home on 152nd Street in South Jamaica and ended up wandering around in the cold for five days. Five days! The Daily News reported that Mootoo, who can speak English but is hard of hearing, "didn't want to......

For those lucky enough to be enjoying this three-day weekend, let’s take a moment to raise our glass to Christopher Columbus, who arrived in the Americas, this time back in 1492. For many, the second Monday in October just means another day to work off our hangover and spend the majority of the afternoon in p.j.’s watching the Food Network (or is that just me?). But for Italian-Americans, Columbus Day marks an opportunity to celebrate......

Venezulan President Hugo Chavez followed up his devilish U.N. appearance with a visit to Harlem's Mount Olivet Baptist Church, where his tirade has earned him a nickname from the NY Post: El Loco. (Yeah, it doesn't quite have the ring of "Wacko Jacko.") Though Chavez's main goal was to announce that he would distribute discounted heating oil to the poor, he took the time to continue his jabs at the Commander in Chief :......

Earlier in the week the Sun pointed out that while Brooklyn may be "so hot right now" in terms of people and real estate that heat hasn't exactly turned into any money for the print-set. Just as quickly as new Kings County publications come out they seem to close. The latest to fold is the actually enjoyable The Brooklynite ("the only Brooklyn magazine to have published articles by a Pulitzer Prize-winner and a Scripps......

All is not well at Shinnecock Hills, the site of the U.S. Open next week. The brief information about Shinnecock Hills on the U.S. Open's website says, "The club was built on land that formerly belonged to the Shinnecock Indian Tribe and many Shinnecock Indians assisted in the construction of the course." An article by Filip Bondy of the Daily News paints a less than rosy picture. Bondi reports that the members of the Shinnecock......

Taking a play out of fashion industry's notebook, the U.S. Mint continues its effort to sex up its image by introducing not one but TWO new nickels next year, one for the spring, the other for fall. The nickels will still have Thomas Jefferson's profile, but the backs are new, both with events from Jefferson's presidency. The Spring Nickel celebrates the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States......

Gothamist loves to see awkward situations that we're not involved in, and that's certainly the case with our President and French leader Jacques Chirac. The Times shows that everyone else (at least White House reporters) is as interested in Bush-Chirac relations: "How much thought has been given to the handshake with President Chirac?" a White House correspondent asked a senior administration official who was briefing reporters en route to France on Sunday morning on Air......