Watching Wings reruns all day and telling your grandchildren how they never call are just a few of the joys of retirement. But if you worked for the Port Authority, you could also count on a free E-ZPass to cross as many bridges and tunnels as necessary in search of discount Metamucil. But last year, with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's blessing, the PA abolished the free E-ZPasses for retirees to save $1.5 million annually. 65-year-old former PA police sergeant Thomas Westfield believes it's unfair, and is suing. "It's a benefit that I earned and counted on. It was promised to us," he told the Wall Street Journal. No word on the Port Authority's promise to allow retirees to "skip the line at Port Authority Prom." more ›

Three years after the NY Times reported on rampant disability fraud among Long Island Rail Road employees, the federal authorities have arrested ten people for their roles in perpetrating the billion-dollar scam. According to the Times, "Most of the people — those charged in the case include seven former railroad workers accused of making false pension claims, the two doctors and a former federal railroad pension agency employee who helped the workers file the claims — were taken into custody in the early morning hours at their homes by F.B.I. agents and state investigators, the people said." more ›

After a decade of Daft Punk references, white suits and Muppet videos, James Murphy announced the dissolution of LCD Soundsystem a little over a month ago. And now, with ticket scalping drama and four celebratory, three-hour-long shows at Terminal 5 past, their alleged final show ever as a band will take place tonight at MSG. But even if you didn't get tickets, you can watch an exclusive stream of the whole show at Pitchfork starting at 9 p.m. In the meantime, you can check out the collective mourning process going on across the internet. more ›

Yesterday it was announced that the Dalai Lama was retiring, more specifically, stepping down as Tibet's political leader. We talked to Robert Thurman, president of the Tibet House here in New York, about what this really means. This is a unique situation and Thurman tells us to keep in mind there is a difference between "succession" of a political leadership role moving from a spiritual leader to an elected leader, and "succession" of a reincarnating lama by dying and being found again after subsequent rebirth in another family. more ›

Like Amanda Bynes before him, former Giants star running back Tiki Barber has announced his intention to come out of retirement and play again in the NFL, five years after hanging up his cleats. Barber, who turns 36 in April, played all ten years of his career with the Giants, and is the Giants' all-time leading rusher with 10,449 yards. But don't expect him to turn up in blue next season: the Giants don't want him. more ›

How do you follow-up on a storied, wildly successful 20-year career in professional football, one in which you racked up a gaggle of NFL records, won the Super Bowl, won multiple MVP awards, "retired" multiple times, and had yourself the occasional front page sex scandal? Well, there is only one second act in American lives: Dancing With The Stars. more ›

The fight between Mayor Bloomberg and the police and firefighter unions is getting nasty. Last week, it was revealed that Bloomberg was interested in eliminating a $12,000 bonus to current and future NYPD and FDNY retirees, leading heads of those unions to call him a liar. Steve Cassidy, head of the Uniformed Firefighters Associations, said, "As we approach the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Mike Bloomberg wants to say to firefighters and police officers who were there that day and didn't die, 'I'm going to steal money from your pocket.'" more ›

After 16 years in the major leagues, longtime Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte formally announced his retirement at a press conference at Yankee Stadium today. Though he said he was conflicted about the decision, ultimately, his heart wasn't in it to play for another year: “I’m ready to go pitch at spring training if I had to. My arm feels fine. My body feels fine. But my heart’s not where it needs to be...It just didn't feel right for me anymore. I didn't have the hunger, the drive I felt like I needed." more ›

Did David Letterman just pull a Regis and announce his retirement last night? Maybe! During a chat with Howard Stern the shock jock asked the late night host "how much longer are you doing this, really?" To which Letterman responded "I don't know. Maybe two more years?" more ›

ESPN is reporting that longtime Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte has decided to retire and will make his official announcement on Friday at Yankee Stadium. A high ranking Yankees official told them, "He's on a plane right now, and unless he changes his mind in the air there will be a press conference tomorrow and he will retire." more ›

At the State of the City address, Mayor Bloomberg announced that one of his big initiatives would be to reform the current pension system. Now, he's proposed a pension system that would make the retirement age 65—and prohibit workers from being able to pad it, a practice that has boosted some pensions 30-167%. Guess what the unions think? The United Federation of Teachers' president Michael Mulgrew told the Daily News, "[Bloomberg's proposals are] insane. I don't know what to say... The mayor has chosen to no longer have a working relationship with the labor force in New York City... Bloomberg has just decided, 'I'm going to attack, attack, attack everybody.'" more ›

Regis Philbin, who has been hosting a version of Live with Regis and a Lady for 25 years, announced on Live with Regis and Kelly today that he will be retiring sometime early this fall. The 79-year-old pro has been a consistent TV presence for decades (he has the Guinness World Record for most hours on camera) and the Live franchise, which started syndicating nationally with Kathie Lee Gifford in 1988, has been his rock. As opposed to a little something called Who Wants to be a Millionaire, which was his golden goose. more ›

Forget heading south during your autumn years—according to a new study one of the top retirement spots in the country is right here in NYC. Manhattan's Upper East Side neighborhood was ranked #7—just one spot below Fort Meyers, Florida. The study was based on housing, low crime rates and large populations of well-educated seniors. more ›

After losing big to Bill deBlasio in last week's public advocate runoff election, Mark Green is saying that he is out of politics for good...again. Green says his defeat came down to two factors: "Turnout; the array of forces. Period." Always the gracious loser, he added, "I was surprised and disappointed that the other side's operation overwhelmed my record and optimism." Green says he will go back to writing and his work at Air America. His daughter told him now he can go back to what he's good at—with there now being one thing we can all safely rule out that is not. more ›

ABC has announced that Charlie Gibson will retire in January, to be replaced by Diane Sawyer as anchor of the ABC World News evening broadcast. The two had worked together closely since reviving Good Morning America in 1998; Gibson left that program in 2006 to take over ABC World News after Bob Woodruff was injured in Iraq and the network decided to replace his co-anchor, Elizabeth Vargas. Sawyer has long sought the anchor chair, so this must be exciting for her, though ABC now has some big shoes to fill at GMA. In email to his staff, Gibson wrote, "I love this news department, and all who work in it, to the depths of my soul... I have received much comment, and quite a few emails and letters referring to the signoff Eddie Pinder convinced me to use—wishing that everyone has had a good day. But the proudest part for me has been saying '...for all of us at ABC News...', since those words signify in my mind that I have been in a position to speak for an entire news department that I consider second to none." And, after the jump, video of a very giddy Sawyer the day after President Obama's inauguration: more ›

Oh Brett Favre, you just couldn't take seeing another quarterback celebrated on the back pages, could you? While the Mark Sanchez to the Jets honeymoon has barely gotten a chance to have its first pregnancy scare, the team announced last night that it's giving "retired" quarterback Brett Favre his full release upon his request. Of course we put retired in quotes because it was less than a year ago that Favre called off his first retirement and ended up coming to the Jets in a trade. The release gives him even more freedom than he had with the Packers a year ago when he had expressed interest in playing for the Vikings—a move Green Bay was not willing to accommodate. Could Favre unretire and head for the Land of 10,000 Lakes? In a statement, the quarterback said that "(GM Mike Tannenbaum and I) have been talking about this for a while. Nothing has changed. At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football." At this time. A source close to Favre told the News that he "wants to keep his options open." At least the release assures that he'll be somebody else's problem. more ›

Deputy Mayor Ed Sklyer warned that the city's pension costs threaten the city's financial health. According to the NY Post, he told the Citizens Budget Commission, "Defined benefit plans such as what the city has were designed in an earlier generation and are not only obsolete but unaffordable. The private companies that have them, such as GM, are facing bankruptcy and bailouts. The city will be in the same position if we don't get these costs under control." Because of rising pension and health benefit costs, Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson support a bill that would ask city employees to work for at least 25 years (instead of the current 20) and retire at a minimum age of 50 before reciving pensions. The Post notes, "Uniformed employees, such as cops, can now cash out at any age after serving 20 years," and a previous Post editorial said currently, "10,381 retired police officers under the age of 50 are collecting pensions that average $43,000 -- plus an annual "Christmas bonus" of $12,000 each. more ›

The much beloved longtime public-address announcer for the Yankees, Bob Sheppard, officially retired today. His friend and agent Paul Doherty broke the news to the Times, telling them, “I think Bob just wants to take it easy and no longer have the pressure of, ‘Can he? Will he? Or won’t he?’" Sheppard is 98-years-old and has been introducing Bombers to the plate since 1951. Health problems have kept him sidelined for portions of the last few seasons—including last year's final Opening Day at the old Stadium. Doherty said, “I’m happy to say that Bob is still doing well enough to drive a car...Now on to him seeing his 100th birthday in a year and a half.” There is no word yet on who will replace Sheppard, other than it will not be previous backup Jim Hall. Sheppard's voice will still be heard in the new Yankee Stadium announcing Derek Jeter—the Yankee captain had previously asked Sheppard to record his introduction so that it could be used permanently. more ›

ESPN reports that Jets quarterback Brett Favre "has instructed agent Bus Cook to inform the New York Jets Wednesday that he plans to retire." We're sure Woody Johnson liked finding about that by reading ESPN.com! After a lot of excitement about the legendary quarterback heading to Gang Green—and early dreams of heading to the Super Bowl—the season dissolved into recriminations and the firing of coach Eric Mangini. Favre sent an email to ESPN's Ed Werder: "Mike and Woody, as well as the entire organization, have been nothing short of outstanding. My teammates -- Thomas and Kerry included -- were a pleasure to play with. Eric [Mangini] could not have been any better. I enjoyed playing for him. My time with the Jets was short, but I'm honored to be given that chance.'' So, now it's up to Kellen Clemens? more ›

After over three decades at The Post and a 55-year-long career, right-wing "populist" reporter Steve Dunleavy bowed out today, explaining to readers that "when the bones get a bit creaky, you can't stay at the dance too long...I never spent a single hour at Columbia School of Journalism, except when I gave a lecture to journalism students - and I was about as popular as a fire hydrant at the Westchester dog show...Oh, yeah, I will miss those great cops and firefighters, the nutty judges and politicians and the criminal lawyers who were more colorful than an explosion in a paint factory." Here's video of Dunleavy telling the famous story of slashing his dad's tires to get a scoop. more ›

While State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno has denied his surprising decision not to seek re-election had anything to do with the FBI's investigation into his finances, the FBI hauled away a "massive volume" of Bruno's records, dating back to 1995. The Post says the FBI seized the documents hours before Bruno's Monday afternoon announcement. more ›

A day after his stunning decision to leave the State Senate after 32 years, Majority Leader Joseph Bruno held a sentimental press conference. Capitol Confidential and Daily Politics has highlights from his remarks, like “Life decisions are never easy. And I’ve made a life decision. My life decision is to step back, and step out" and answering "I have news for you, we're all terminal here" when asked if he is terminally ill. more ›

Saving his team plenty of uncertainty and resulting annoyance, Michael Strahan reportedly announced his retirement Monday. That means the team and the media are saved another dance in which the player hems and haws as he tries to avoid training camp while still collecting a high salary. Now, the Giants will move on with their talented and deep defensive line, anchored by Osi Umenyiora, and will avoid a major distraction when the team reports in July. more ›

He may not be on a team this season, but Mike Piazza, the greatest offensive catcher in the history of baseball, announced his retirement today. Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 amateur draft, Piazza spent time with the Dodgers, Marlins, Padres, A's and eight seasons with the New York Mets. The 39-year-old Piazza retired with a .308 career average, 427 home runs and 1,335 RBIs. more ›

Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for three decades, has announced his retirement; he’ll be leaving as soon as a successor is found. The 71-year-old French born Harvard graduate called it a “wrenching” decision but finally concluded that “to stay much further would be to skirt decency.” more ›