Yesterday we checked out the New York Public Library's microfilm room to find some old articles not available online regarding the Etan Patz case. The 6-year-old was kidnapped 33 years ago, and yesterday the FBI and NYPD set up a new crime scene on Prince Street, where the Patz family still lives. You can catch up on the ongoing story right here, but right now we'll look back at how the case was handled and reported in the late '70s. more ›

The free alternative weekly paper the New York Press has folded after a 23 year run, the NY Observer reports. During its strange scrappy life, its stable of contributors included such notables as author Jonathan Ames, The New Yorker's Ben Greenman, contrarian film critic Armond White, current Times Dining critic Sam Sifton, and, uh, "JT LeRoy." The tabloid's demise had been rumored for some time, and it seems Manhattan Media, which bought it in 2007, decided there was no way to make the thing profitable in this day and age. We'd be lying if we said we'd picked it up recently, but it's always sad to see a newspaper go. (Well, almost always.) The silver lining, perhaps, is that the New York Press will live on in some form. more ›

Today's lesson: Sanitation Department workers aren't all as lovable as Roc. When they have bad days, they will make sure someone feels their wrath. Darbe Pitofsky, an 83-year-old Upper East Sider, learned this lesson the hard way. She says that she was recently chased down and screamed at by a sanitation agent; then given a $100 fine, all for dumping her trash in a corner trash receptacle. more ›

It was just over a month ago that Radiohead made their surprise eighth album, The King of Limbs, available to download, and across the land people danced like Thom Yorke and were merry. Now with the physical release of the understated, glitchy eight-track album coming next week, Radiohead have made another surprise announcement: the band has produced a newspaper called "The Universal Sigh" (a line from standout track "Bloom") which it is giving out for free around the world next week! more ›

[UPDATE BELOW]: Media magnate Rupert Murdoch has never liked the New York Times. In fact, ever since the Times editorialized against his bid to purchase the Wall Street Journal, Murdoch has had "an Ahab-like obsession" with destroying the Gray Lady, according to New York Magazine. And next month he hopes to plunge the final, fatal harpoon into her heart. more ›

On some news stands now: Less of the Post's angry demands (like today's)! WCBS 880 took this photograph of a smaller NY Post, noting it's miniature size, 11" wide by 12" tall, versus its standard size of 11.25" wide by 13.75" tall. more ›

An 80-year-old woman was rescued Thursday by a former neighbor whose concerns were aroused when she spotted newspapers piling up outside the Woodside, Queens woman's front door. Kim Russo used to live next door to Rose Schwing and was stopping by her old neighborhood to visit her mother. When the 47-year-old Russo saw the papers and mail accumulating in front of Schwing's house, she peaked inside one of Schwing's windows and heard her cries for help. more ›

Dan Biederman, the president of the 34th St. Partnership and the Bryant Park Corporation is unambiguous in his dislike of the single boxes. "If you were to look around at everything that’s ugly here that you’d be embarrassed to show to a visitor from Maine or Nebraska or Paris, it’s the news boxes.” more ›

As last night's Iowa caucuses heralded the beginning of the heated drive to presidential nominations and general election, news of Barack Obama's Democratic win and Mike Huckabee's Republican win is naturally front page material. The Daily News and Newsday both take "BAM" as their headlines, though the News focuses on Obama while Newsday offers a split Obama-Huckabee cover. more ›

Dare we say it's beary suspicious that the Daily News, NY Times and Newsday each offer at least a mention of Rudy Giuliani on their front pages (the News and Newsday tackle Rudy's Travelgate, while the Times just looks at how Rudy uses statistics misleadingly) - while the Post decides to go with the Mohammed Bear story? Sure, the teddy bear is way cuter than Giuliani, but accusations about trips to see a mistress... more ›