After the bus crash that killed 15 in the Bronx on Saturday and the crash that killed two in NJ on Monday, lawmakers are becoming more and more concerned with the cheap buses that ferry people from Chinatown to various points on the East Coast. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have now co-sponsored a bill that would require bus drivers to receive training. That's right, as NY1 reports, "Currently, federal regulations do not require drivers to have training." more ›

A year after trying to slap regulations on yoga teacher training courses, the city is retreating, and the army of free spirits prepares to claim victory. Last April officials made the mistake of lumping yoga in with a host of other activities—hair dressing and truck driving among them—whose vocational schools would be required to undergo a long and arduous licensing process. But as the Times reports, the yoga community just wouldn't bend to those rules. more ›

In a move that may or may not distract voters from his role in the Senate coup and the ongoing investigation into his shady non-profit groups, State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada will introduce a bill today that would freeze the rent for nearly 300,000 low- and moderate-income households in rent-subsidized apartments in all five boroughs. The program, if approved by the full Legislature, would be funded through landlords, not city or state funds, the AP reports. But the devil is in the details, and the bill is just as sweet, if not sweeter, for the property owners Espada has consistently gone to bat for. 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 ›

Six years after New York City enacted a smoking ban inside bars, restaurants and clubs, patrons of upscale nightclubs continue to light up, according to a Times investigation. Cigarettes are commonplace at venues like Goldbar, Avenue, and Griffin, the paper reports. "Everyone looks the other way," said Guest of a Guest writer Billy Gray, 25. "It's more of an illicit thrill now," he said. "Like when you were a teenager and snuck a beer in your parents' basement." more ›

The Obama administration will attempt to give the federal government control over safety regulations for the nation's subway and light-rail systems. You know who else controlled an entire nation's transit system? Mussolini. But he made the trains run on time! (Or did he?) At any rate, Obama's plan would expand the U.S DOT's control over airlines and Amtrak to every subway and light-rail system in the country, including the MTA. The proposal will be presented to Congress by the end of the year. more ›

President Obama is meeting with the heads of top banks today; according to Reuters, he will "quiz [them] about developments in the economy and their businesses as his administration seeks broader authority to regulate the financial system." However, the Treasury Department faces a battle with getting those policies passed; the NY Times reports, "Even though [Treasury Secretary] Geithner carefully avoided specific details, laying out mostly broad principles for overhauling the system, financial industry groups are identifying issues they plan to pursue and lining up well-connected lobbyists and publicists to help make their cases." Yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed just under the 8,000 mark, at 7,924 points; stock futures suggest the market will open lower, "taking a breather after a week in which equities have surged amid hopes the economy has begun to stabilize," per the Wall Street Journal. more ›

Well, well, well, look how the times have changed. Senator Charles Schumer, who famously championed Wall Street business to the point of protecting the industry, as the NY Times put it last winter, "from government oversight and tougher rules" (saving Wall Street ), now thinks the financial services industry, um, needs regulating. This morning at a Crain's Business event, Schumer explained that, per Crain's, "more aggressive regulation is needed in order to ensure New York maintains its standing as the world’s capital of finance... because jittery investors around the world are looking for places where they can trust that tough regulators will protect their interests." He also said that a regulatory reform bill will be sent to President Obama by April. more ›

Gotham Gazette has an in-depth look at potential pitfalls in the city’s new law requiring chain restaurants to prominently display calorie info on all foods and beverages. Namely, the Health Department does not conduct systematic testing to ensure that restaurants are not miscalculating – or misrepresenting – their data. more ›