After the city was moved by the story of a baby abandoned in the backseat of a livery cab and how the driver dropped off the baby at a fire house, prompting the police and media to look for the baby's relatives, it turns out the livery cab driver was involved in the abandonment scheme. Driver Klever Sailema was arrested today, as were another man and woman. Oh, no. more ›

This weekend Gowanus Lounge was first to note the unexpected closure of the 2nd Street Cafe at Seventh Avenue in Park Slope. The decade old restaurant, which on weekends had all the charm of a daycare center on adderall, had undergone a major renovation last summer. OTBKB hears word from a former employee that he/she was given just two days notice. Part of the ever-widening quicksand consuming New York restaurants? No word yet on the reason for the closure; calls to the restaurant are going unanswered. more ›

The family dog who fatally bit an 8-month-old baby in Brooklyn was euthanized yesterday. According to the city, the family had requested the dog be euthanized. more ›

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? Martha Stewart’s got a great line-up of guests this week: Jamie Oliver on Monday, making roast beef and carrot cake; Mario Batali appears on Tuesday, making pumpkin lune (little moon) pasta; and David Chang is on Thursday. And Keri Russell, who is not a chef but played a pie-making wizard in the movie Waitress, appears on Wednesday (Monday-Friday, 1pm, NBC). Also on this week: On Wednesday, Gordon Ramsay... more ›

Pitchfork-approved blog darlings Tokyo Police Club have spent the last year and change transitioning from flavor of the month boy band to reputable musicians with an enviable knack for short, hook-happy hits. On Thursday night these clever Canucks will have the chance to further extend their fan base when they perform at the “Woodie” Awards; they’re nominated for a “Breaking Woodie”. Broadcast on the 24-hour college network mtvU, the award show will feature performances by... more ›

Last Sunday morning, Daniel Malakov was fatally shot three times in the chest just after dropping off his daughter to his ex-wife, Marina Borukhova. While the police have no suspects in his murder, much attention has been drawn to contentious custody battle he had with Borukhova over their 5-year-old daughter Michelle. And with his death, the fight has gotten messier. Malakov had been given temporary custody of Michelle just before his death. The child was... more ›

James Williams, the drummer who was accompanying the break-dancing group Two Steps Away at the southeast corner of Central Park yesterday, denies that he deliberately spooked Smoothie, the carriage horse who apparently bolted at the loud noise of a snare drum and eventually died from shock after ramming into a tree. The drummer denied doing anything malicious and said that intentionally spooking a horse could have results more dire than even Friday's tragedy. The New York Times quoted him saying "Spooking a horse right here could mean a baby carriage getting run over, or a person hurt.” Williams told The Daily News that he doesn't even like to kill flies or roaches, and would never intentionally hurt a horse. more ›

Firefighters and elected officials were at St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday for the second funeral of a firefighter killed while fighting last Saturday's Deutsche Bank building fire. Twenty-three FDNY veteran Robert Beddia was remembered by his sister, who eulogized, "You are my friend, you are my brother, you are my hero... Remember those days of playing chess, Risk and Monopoly? Remember how many of my high school friends had secret crushes on you? Remember when you walked me down the aisle? Remember when you danced with me on my wedding day?" more ›

On Thursday night, a fire broke out in a Sunnyside apartment. Firefighters were able to save three children - 1-year-old twins and a 6-year-old - as well as their 59-year-old grandmother Carmen Ospina, who had been watching them. However, they were not able to save their 2-year-old brother C.J., a fact that Opsina lamented, "There's one missing. I barely had enough hands to rescue them." more ›

What's worth watching, food-wise, on TV this week? more ›

After a long-term struggle with the local community board over their liquor license, the Blind Tiger will be opening just in time for their 11th Anniversary. Per owner Dave Brodrick's email:

The draught system is going in, we just ordered fifty kegs and I don't know how many cases, Louise is firing up the kitchen, and Carl Uhlman is flying back from Hawaii, having had to cut his vacation short. more ›

The special elections in Brooklyn and Staten Island were decided and then undecided in a matter of days. The newly elected Council members will have to wait until the final election results are tallied before they are sworn in. By “election results” we mean whether Dr. Mathieu Eugene’s seat in Brooklyn’s 40th District is the same place of his residency during the time of the election. more ›

On Thursday, a second dog was shocked downtown, the day after a Boston terrier apparently died from an electrocution on Rector Street. A dog walker who had been walking three dogs on John Street noticed the dachshund was shocked after leaning on scaffolding. The dog walker was able to revive the dog by giving it CPR, at the suggestion of someone who worked in a nearby building. more ›

The days of the checkered cab are long gone. Last month, the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) announced its vision of the future: a high-tech fleet of taxis that will include touch-screen monitors, text-messaging capability, and a global positioning system. On Thursday, the City Council discussed the details of a plan that would make this vision a reality for the city’s 13,000 taxis, inciting protest from taxi drivers who claim these e-amenities would decrease profits and violate their privacy. more ›

Well, that didn't take long. more ›

With the recent heat wave broken the city has now begun the unenviable task of counting bodies. And the news isn't so swell: As many as 13 New Yorkers may have had their lives cut short by the recent oppressive heat, though as of this morning the City was keeping the count at 10. Six of the dead lived in Brooklyn and the other four lived in Manhattan. The victims ranged in age from 42 to 86, and their deaths are mostly being blamed on tightly sealed apartments with poor ventilation and/or no AC. Such conditions can easily lead to advanced heat stroke, or hyperthermia. Further out on Long Island at least two other people were felled by the high temperatures. more ›

As we mentioned yesterday in Extra, Extra, this week brought Manhattan preservationists some bad news and some bad news with a side of hope. more ›

- Gary Shteyngart, Philip Gourevitch, and Tom Bissell to name a few. more ›

On Thursday we were planning on meeting one of our pals in Gramercy for lunch, so we suggested Shake Shack. Quick as lightning came his response: "You are totally nuts if you think we can get done with Shake Shack in less than 1 1/2 hours :)" That seemed strange to us, so we did a little research, and surprisingly, his estimate seems correct-- average weekday waiting times for a burger in Madison Square Park are approaching one hour-- when you throw in the time it takes to order and receive the food, and then actually eat it, you are looking at a 90 minute experience. Yikes! This being New York, a bunch of people have come up with solutions to the waiting time problem. Take for instance this idea, by David: more ›

Just days after Gothamist commended the efforts of the Nets' bench players, a reserve helped seal Thursday's 86-82 defeat of Minnesota in New Jersey. As the season wears on and the Nets' already-slim chances of a seed other than the third diminish, more Nets reserves should see key miinutes. On Thursday, it was Clifford Robinson's two fourth quarter three pointers that helped make the difference. more ›

. It starts at 7PM and is free. more ›

Whether it resulted from a post-Olympic letdown or simply poor play, the Rangers' six-game losing streak ended with Thursday's 5-4 win over visiting Washington. Jaromir Jagr scored the game-winning goal in a contest he described as "ugly" and Henrik Lundqvist picked up his first win since the Olympics. more ›

, an anthology that traces and defines the history and ideology behind liberalism. The reading features contributors from all walks of life, reading from the work, and starts tomorrow night (3/15) at 7PM. It's free. more ›

Before we get to the weekly events which are sure to dazzle and amaze, Gothamist would like to note the passing of one of the great science fiction writers, Octavia Butler. Butler died after falling down the stairs outside her home this weekend, and will be sorely missed. She's the only science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur grant, and in a field dominated by men, Butler was a woman notable not only for her strong writing but also for the strong ideas behind it. Some fans of her work and life are gathering this Friday (3/3) at KGB Bar (85 E. 4th St.) at 7PM to raise a glass in her name and read from her work, and celebrate it. All are welcome. more ›

Maybe it’s just us, but the days and weeks seem to have slowed down to less than a crawl lately, as though they were molasses and this were actually a cold January. That’s what good theater’s for, though – to transport you to another place and make you experience time differently. This week there’s a motley assortment of shows on offer to help. more ›

Hey, happy Chinese New Year, everyone! Time to drive out the old spirits of the past year and welcome the good spirits of the new year. The Chinese do this with explosions and fireworks; we'll do it rock-style, with extremely loud noises. Such as: more ›

This week's literary events kick off tonight (1/24) at Housing Works Used Books Cafe (126 Crosby St.), with a reading from Surviving Justice: America's Wrongfully Convicted and Exonorated, edited by Dave Eggers and Lola Vollen. The reading will be followed by a Q&A and a signing, starts at 7PM, and is free. more ›

The Daily Heights rings in with the first report of subway masturbation-- the alleged perp is pictured here in all his blurry glory. Bonus points for the shearling jacket! more ›

As the holiday countdown continues, this part of Gothamist has noticed that the number of major national touring acts has dwindled. All those midwestern indie-rockers had to get back to the Mall of America and finish up their shopping. Luckily, this is New York, where there are no malls, but there are hundreds of bands eager to play for indifferent ears no matter the season. This week, here's who should be on your list: more ›

The gruesome Halloween night rape, where an attacker dressed up as a fireman, set a small fire to create smoke, forced his way into his victims apartment and then had his way with the victim for hours upon hours, is just getting stranger. On Thursday the police were reporting that they had a suspect but only today are we starting to hear about the guy. more ›