After Hillary Clinton's started airing a commercial in Wisconsin questioning why Barack Obama declined to appear in another debate, Obama came back with his own ad. The voiceover says:

After eighteen debates, with two more coming, Hillary says Barack Obama is ducking debates? It's the same old politics, the phony charges, and false attacks. On health care, even Bill Clinton's own labor secretary [Robert Reich] even says Obama covers "more people" than Hillary and does more to cut costs, saving $2500 for the typical family. Obama's housing plan it stems foreclosures and cracks down on crooked lenders. That's change we can believe in.

It was an exciting night of Super Tuesday primary returns. In the Democratic contest, Hillary Clinton won eight states, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California, but Obama won twelve - Illinois, Connecticut, Alabama, and Missouri - among them (New Mexico is still undecided as the two candidates are in a tie). The NY Times notes that since there were no decisive victories, "an electoral fight...will unfold for weeks to come." Or, as the Post puts it in more visceral terms, "Neither Clinton nor Obama was able to deliver a knockout punch on a night that had once been expected to crown a winner." more ›

An AP report that Mayor Bloomberg has been "conducting extensive polling and voter analysis in all 50 states" continues to fan the flames of a possible Bloomberg '08 bid. We can just imagine it: People in Alaska, Missouri, Ohio, all getting phone calls and asked, "How would you feel if a billionaire who happened to also be a mayor of a certain urban area decided to run for President - as an independent?" more ›

Despite the fog, it looked this morning like today would be the warmest day of the month. Ha! The clear skies that were expected have given way to a layer of milky clouds. That will keep today's high to around what it is now -the mid-50s. Clouds will continue to thicken throughout the afternoon as a powerful cold front, that currently stretches from Hudson Bay to New Mexico, advances upon the region. A substantial amount... more ›

Gov. Spitzer announced yesterday that illegal immigrants will be able to get valid New York State drivers licenses if they provide a valid and verifiable foreign passport. Spitzer hopes that the change, which reverses a four-year-old Pataki-era decision, will legitimize the 500,000-1 million undocumented immigrants who are driving in New York. In a repudiation of the federal government's stance, the governor said "We will not become part of what is propagated on the federal level that if we don't admit they are here then we can somehow not provide services. That is bad policy." more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a missing child on 42nd St. and 2nd Ave. in Manhattan, someone robbed the Commerce Bank on Fresh Pond Rd. in Queens, and a severed limb on West 183rd St. in Manhattan.
• Someone in Richmond, Indiana won the Powerball lottery with a prize of $314 million and change. Mega-Millions is up to $250 million, however, so if you feel you're in want of a quarter-billion dollars or perhaps just $1 too rich, go for it.
• New York Press reported that bidding for the hacked iPhone allowing a different carrier than AT&T was up to $15,600.
• The Times has a piece on the Reggae Carifest, which was being protested against for the inclusion of performers whose songs are anti-gay. The paper characterizes the show as a disappointing bust.
• An inspector with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found a guard at a security gate at the Indian Point nuclear facility asleep on the job. The NRC downgraded Indian Point's safety rating earlier this year after a number of unscheduled automatic shutdowns.
• A 60-acre park in Ridgway, CO was recently dedicated to actor Dennis Weaver, who died last year. In the 1970s series "McCloud," Weaver played Sam McCloud, a New Mexico deputy who brought his Western crime-fighting skills to the streets of NYC.
• 30,000 respirator masks distributed to members of the NYPD (they can normally be seen in a pouch strapped to cops' legs) have been recalled by the manufacturer as possibly defective.
• Someone with an IP address associated with the American Enterprise Institute entered the Wikipedia fray last September, when they altered an entry on Mayor Bloomberg to read "F--k this turd."

That's hard to dispute; it does sound crazy. The Culture of Contact festival includes movies at Two Boots, artwork at P.S. 63, and music at Lit Lounge all weekend long. Tickets are available at the event's linked-to site. more ›

The doctor we wrote about Friday, who was connected to three separate cases of patients infected with hepatitis C, apparently has a less-than-stellar reputation. Dr. Brian Goldweber had his medical license suspended for three years in 1999 after he "botched" anesthesia in several patients and altered records in one case, according to the New York Post. The Dept. of Health has contacted approximately 4,500 patients of Goldweber to recommend they get tested for infectious diseases. One of the patients who received the letter commented after our earlier piece and said that the letter was "super vague." more ›

The eight Democratic presidential candidates debated in New Hampshire last night, covering immigration, health care, and, of course, Iraq. Former Senator John Edwards, who is a distant third in the polls, went after Senators Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's voting on the Iraq spending bill, saying, "They went quietly to the floor of the Senate. They were among the last people to vote. They cast the right vote, and I applaud them for that. ... But there is a difference between leadership and legislating." But Obama fought back, pointing out that Edwads voted to go to war in 2002 (the Daily News gave Obama an "A" for his debate performance). more ›

New York is our home. But our dad passed away a few years ago, and part of the healing process was getting out of NYC. Randy ended up teaching photography in New Mexico, and that's what lead us to the Mesa. We knew we wanted to make a movie together about American Expatriates. When we found the Mesa, it was like we found a community of expatriates within the United States, which was so fascinating. more ›

Last week the television networks had their upfronts previewing their fall lineups. So will your favorites be back and is there anything new that at least sounds good on paper? more ›

Last night, eight Democratic candidates met in the first debate of the already very long road to the 2008 presidential election. And the debate, which included Senators Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, and Joseph Biden, as well as former Senator John Edwards and Mike Gravel, Representative Dennis Kucinich, and New Mexico Bill Richardson, was more an opportunity to criticize President Bush's policies, versus each other. With eight candidates vying to make the most of the time, it was a somewhat underwhelming debate. more ›

On-air personalities (especially those of the "shock jock" genre) are really raising the bar in crossing the line this month. While there's been some high-profile stupid DJ behavior in the past - Hot 97's Tsunami Song, Opie & Anthony broadcasting a couple having sex at St. Patrick's, DJ Star asking listeners for information where a radio rival's young daughter goes to school so he could ejaculate and pee on her - the last week has been a doozy. more ›

Austinist gets arty with an interactive guide to SXSW, loved some local art galleries and a new art exhibit and lamented the possible loss of "Friday Night Lights" production to New Mexico. more ›

Story of the Year: Beirut more ›

Now, almost 100 hundred people have grown ill after eating E.coli-tainted spinach, with 14 of them becoming "gravely ill." The NY Times reports the company suspected as a possible source, Natural Selection Foods of San Juan Batista, voluntarily recalled its prepackaged spinach and salad bags, "as well as prepackaged spinach it processes for numerous other companies, including Dole." That's a lot of greens - you can see all the brands Natural Selections Foods provides spinach for on this FDA press release. When we checked Natural Selection Food's Earthbound brand (the one the prepackaged veggies come from) website, we saw they noted that spinach was removed from some mixed greens and that the baby spinach bagged salads was not available. more ›

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[ed. note: Augieland will be joining us on Wednesdays to bring us his take on a New York dining spot.] more ›

Sorry you didn't get a chance to see David Blaine at Lincoln Center? Wish you could have seen the human spectacle and had all of your important questions answered? How did he hold his breath so long? How did his skin not fall off? How did he, er, handle his business without sullying the crystal clear water he bobbed about in? Well, too bad. more ›

Rick Burnley, Poet/Activist more ›

We're proud to announce that Neighborhoodies is sponsoring the Movable Hype 4.0 show on Monday. Amongst other things they'll be giving out goodie bags stuffed with treats! So get there early before they run out, it's first come first served. more ›

Many strange things happen at NYC public schools, but this hasn't happened (yet): A boy's school project of a 30 inch burrito left a New Mexico junior high school in lockdown yesterday. A concerned citizen called authorities when they spotted eighth grader Michael Morrissey carrying "something long and wrapped up." The best line, of many, from the AP:

The drama ended two hours later when the suspicious item was identified as a 30-inch burrito filled with steak, guacamole, lettuce, salsa and jalapenos. It was wrapped inside tin foil and a white T-shirt.

NY State will no longer impose the death penalty as State Assembly Democrats have killed a bill that would have brought it to the whole Assembly for a vote. NY State started to impose the death penalty in 1995, after Governor Pataki used the issue as part of his campaign platform when he ran against Mario Cuomo in 1994. However, last year, the death penalty was found unconstitutional by an appeals court. The AP notes that no one has ever been executed in NY since the death penalty was enacted. Assembly Republicans say they may fight for the death penalty in a floor vote, proving that the issue will be a political fight between the two parties. What Gothamist found interesting was to be reminded that Democrat Sheldon Silver of Manhattan, who is the Assembly Leader, actually supported the death penalty, though his support has "cooled" of late; Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is also a death penalty supporter. more ›

Many Ask Gothamist readers have written to us recently with questions related to politics, current events, and the upcoming Republican convention and Presidential election. So Ask Gothamist is going to be bringing you non-partisan advice over the upcoming weeks and months about participating in the democratic process. Whatever your political leanings, it's a good idea to vote in the upcoming election, educate yourself about local and national candidates and issues, and make sure that your voice is heard. more ›

Dani Marco, Miss Rheingold more ›

Ghost Towns: Pictures of ghost towns in Arizona, California, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico | Ghost Town Gallery [via lightningfield] more ›