Children of Smithtown, Long Island have been deprived of a crucial childhood pastime: Dirt digging for worms. That is, until now. The town will hold a public hearing on repealing a law that dates back all the way to the 1930's which prohibits children under the age of 16 from, you got it, worm digging. But don't think adults have gotten away with the outlawed pleasure without paying a price. Even adult worm digging requires a permit in Smithtown. The law was initially instated in order to prevent out of town fishermen digging for worms to use as fish bait. more ›

David Byrne recently officiated a wedding here in New York, which means he received a special certificate from the Universal Life Church after registering to become an officiating minister online. And that's not all he got; today he wrote on his blog, "I also received, for a small additional fee, a parking sticker that notifies parking enforcers that I am clergy, as well as some other paraphernalia. Whether the clergy sign gets me a free pass here in New York I don’t know, as I don’t have a car." more ›

Are free outdoor events that attract crowds too dangerous? City Room reports that the 161st Street Business Improvement District's plans for a free screening of the USA-Ghana World Cup match at Lou Gehrig Plaza in the Bronx were shut down by the city: "On Thursday morning, 48 hours before the game, officials with the city’s Street Activity Permit Office informed the group sponsoring the event that the request for a permit had been denied." A city spokeswoman said, "Based on expected attendance, the police, the D.O.T. and the parks department determined that it would not be possible to accommodate a safe event at that location." more ›

The Ringling Bros. troupe is biting back at PETA, following the animal rights organization's latest attempt to shut them down. Yesterday PETA asked that feds not renew the circus's animal exhibitor license, but rather let it expire on the 28th. But today the Daily News reports that the license was already renewed last week! The circus's spokesman Steve Payne told them, "This is another indication that PETA doesn't know what they are talking about." He went on to address their charges that they abuse their elephants (which they have released video of), by saying, "Our elephants are amazingly treated. They are the stars of the show. We've been inspected by the USDA so far five times this year." PETA says they are contacting the USDA to revoke the permit. more ›

In what the Street Vendor Project is describing as the first salvo in an imminent crackdown, a roasted peanut vendor in Lower Manhattan had his permit confiscated last week after he stepped away from his stand for a quick comfort break. Mohammed Shirajul Islam, who's been a vendor for the last ten years, is now in dire straits after answering nature's call at a nearby bookstore. "When got back to my cart, the permit had been scratched away," says Islam, 42. "Now I have to wait until they give me a new permit, and that could take a month. I can’t sleep. Street vending is how I provide for my family." more ›

We've spent a good chunk of time writing about illegal advertisements, but few have been as large — or caused as much fury — as this billboard in the West Village. Ever since the Equinox Health Club wrapped its Greenwich Avenue building with seemingly illegal ads, preservationists have been up in arms, according to Curbed. more ›

Another year, another new fee that may drive productions filmed in New York to, well, Canada or someplace. According to the NY Times, the new charge of $3,200 would accompany each permit to film inside city owned buildings. Of the 54 buildings included, there were reportedly 190 requests to film in them last year. more ›

Last year the Bloomberg administration made a big deal about reducing the number of parking placards issued to city employees, slashing them by over 25,000. At the time, the cutback on permits, which allow cops, civil servants, and other lucky bureaucrats to park almost anywhere, was heralded by Paul Steely White of Transportation Alternatives as “a good first step. But the final analysis will be weeks and months from now, when we see how actively these plaques are enforced." more ›

The litterbugs are speaking up. Following their annual Heatwave BBQ that left Prospect Park looking more like a landfill than a public oasis, hosts of the event, MIHventures has released the following "explanation": more ›

As we've learned with the illegal, non-permitted Snickers campaign, shuttered storefronts are perfect for cheap advertising. The NY Times now reports that companies are "taking advantage of all the abandoned retail spaces in urban areas, marketers are leasing them at cut-rate prices and filling them with their ads." They call it the poor man's billboard, and it can cost just $500 for a 3-month runs in prime locations (something that could cost $50,000 were it on a regular billboard). Some landlords even donate the space, especially if they like the message. For example, Conservation International's campaign compared the destruction of the environment with that of the economy. The windows carried messages like 'Our shopping districts are starting to look as barren as our rain forests.'" Note that the retail vacancy rose 11.2% in the first quarter, the highest since the early 90s. more ›

A cautionary tale: In Franklin Park, NJ, a historic tavern was, uh, accidentally torn down. How? The Asbury Park Press reports, the building's owner "put the wrong address on the application to demolish the structure, leading to an approval by a zoning official." The building, formerly a Dutch farm, had been on the Route 27 property since the Revolutionary War, and the township explained since the address was incorrect, the historic commission didn't know about the permit approval. The building's former owner John Allegro lamented to the APP that when he needed to change anything with the building, "It took months and there were a lot of hearings...I guess the face of the town is changing and that's understandable. But I'm not happy with the way this all went down. What is the sense of having a Historic Commission? This place had Queen Anne construction, a vaulted tin ceiling and timbers that were 300 years old. It was a really cool old building." more ›

Chalk up another one for tabloid journalism: On the same day that the Daily News published galling photos of a former MTA board member illegally parking with a police-issued parking permit, the so-called "perk jerk" surrendered the placard—which he was supposed to do last year. Alan Friedberg, who hasn't been on the MTA board since 2003, was photographed on Sunday parking his Jaguar in a restricted zone near Times Square. Last year the MTA cut back on the number of authority-issued permits by 15% to 295, and Friedman was one of three board members who had failed to give back the perk. In justifying his ongoing air of entitlement to the News, he explained that he was a "pretty heavy worker" while serving on the board. more ›

Could Bloomberg’s nanny state be loosening up? The Daily News has it that the mayor is considering relaxing the city’s Prohibition-era “Cabaret laws,” which make it illegal for three or more people to dance in a bar or restaurant unless the owner gets a costly and difficult-to-obtain permit. "We either want to eliminate the license or establish a different license so that it would be less onerous for people to engage in dancing," says an anonymous source in the Mayor's office. more ›

A shoe boutique on Long Island is causing some controversy with their Sex and the City signage. Newsday reports that Steven Dann, owner of the shop in Great Neck Plaza, is offering items seen in the movie -- shoes, belts and bags with hefty price tags reaching the $4,000 range. more ›

Fellow vendors and loyal customers are rallying to the defense of Antonios Dragonas, the 50-year-old pushcart food vendor who may soon be put out of business. For the past 25 years, Vendy runner-up Antonios Dragonas, has been serving his famous lamb shish kebab from the corner of Madison Avenue and East 62nd Street, but now the Department of Health is refusing to renew his license and permit. more ›

Is Luna Lounge the latest casualty of the Department of Health? Eater reports that the venue "was shuttered on Friday and has yet to re-open." Recently another Williamsburg fixture, Sound Fix, was forced to close its doors after being harassed by the DoH -- they told us the irony of being "shut down for not having a food permit - and WE DON'T SELL FOOD! Ice is considered food in the health dept's eyes, I kid you not." more ›

In a few days the city will begin its promised crackdown on the glut of parking placards issued to civil servants. But according to Uncivil Servants, a website that documents illegally parked cars displaying city permits, employees of Park East, an Upper East Side synagogue, have been using bogus DIY parking placards for years. And since they don’t even work for the city, their privileges won’t be affected by the new rules. more ›