Transportation officials have put the kibosh on cheapie Chinatown bus line Double Happyness Travel Inc, calling it "an imminent hazard" and shutting down all operations immediately. But how will we get to Baltimore with five minutes notice now? more ›

It was first rumored over the weekend, and now that MTA has confirmed it: your weeknight travel this winter will be a miserable thing. Huge parts of the subway will be shut down for five weeknights in a row to allow for nonstop track work, starting at the so-called "late-night" hour of 10 p.m. and continuing through 5 a.m. more ›

The MTA wants you to get a head start on your 2012 subway anxiety: according to the Daily News, the agency plans to periodically shut down a subway line through much of Manhattan so workers can inspect, fix and replace equipment like signals and switches. A line segment will stop running at about 10 p.m. each night until about 5 a.m. the next morning, and be closed for three or four consecutive weeknights! more ›

So, you know how JFK Airport's Terminal 8 was partially evacuated for 1.5 hours while the authorities—complete with the bomb squad and K9 dogs—investigated a bag left in a lounge? A bag left by a passenger who was found on a flight to San Francisco? Well, according to the Post, the passenger was an Upper West Side lawyer who made the "bonehead decision to trash his computer bag." more ›

With no budget deal in sight, the Obama administration warned today that a federal government shutdown would lead to layoffs of as many as 800,000 federal employees "and hobble agencies that offer help to small businesses and homeowners," the Times reports. Although "top lawmakers" say there has been progress in confidential budget talks today, the speaker of the House, John Boehner, didn't sound constructive. "I like the president personally. We get along well. But the president isn’t leading," Boehner told reporters. “He didn’t lead on last year’s budget, and he clearly isn’t leading on this year’s budget." Well, he can't lead if you don't follow, Boehner. Meanwhile, New Yorkers want to know how this is going to inconvenience us. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg is dancing on the grave of OTB! Back in 2008, he refused to allow the city to keep supporting OTB, and the shutdown threat was real until Governor Paterson agreed to have the state take over. Yesterday, the mayor said of the now-shutdown betting operation, "OTB did make money, but they demanded 120% of it go to support the racing industry. It's not the city's obligation, thank you very much." The Daily News explains, "The closure put more than 1,000 people out of work and forced the state to assume $100million in OTB debt - and $504 million in pension and benefits for OTB workers." more ›

Thanks to arrests over fraud and corruption in a number of Brooklyn day-care centers, Health officials have been forced to shutter almost two dozen centers for safety violations. Another 17 centers may be on the chopping block if they fail to address violations in the next 45 days, and the shut downs have left over 700 Brooklyn families scrambling to find new options. Last month's "Operation Pay Care" bust accused city workers accepting bribes from a ring of Russian child-care workers who frequently violated teacher-child ratio and permit rules. And added on top of increased wait lists for pre-K programs, Brooklyn parents may have to resort to other neighborhoods, other boroughs, or home schooling for pre-K. more ›

The State Senate and Assembly may think they are close to a budget, but Governor Paterson said on the radio this morning, "I think we'll have to do it again next week." "It" being the whole "threatening a government shutdown" thing, because the Legislature is still 76 days late on delivering a budget. The Daily News reports, "The permanent state budget is now 76 days overdue. Lawmakers are battling Paterson over closing a $9.2 billion spending gap." Paterson's wish: "I just want to see a balanced budget pass and I don't want to see it encumber the next administration, as I'm leaving at the end of the year, or the next generation that will inherit the debt that they will unless we act and act now." more ›

Yesterday, the State Senate voted 34 to 27 to pass Governor Paterson's latest budget extender bill. Three Republicans voted with all of the Democrats—except one, Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx)—to keep the state government running for another week; the Times Union reports, "In doing so, they also approved more than $325 million in mental health and human services cuts set out by Paterson, who last week started inserting components of his full 2010-11 budget into the weekly extenders. While the Assembly easily passed the plan, the closely divided Senate, where Democrats have a slim 32-seat majority, struggled until the end." more ›

With Albany still trying to work out a budget two months after it was due, there's a little more than the usual dysfunction, because now there are threats of a government shutdown and some classic personal slams. Speaking of the latter, here's what Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. said of Governor Paterson, "We cannot let an unelected lame-duck governor that no one in the state wants to actually decide this [budget] by himself in a piecemeal fashion." more ›

In a curt message to the isolated island natives, Roosevelt Island Operating Corporaton President (RIOC) Steve Shane made the following announcement about a major impending pain in the ass: "Tram: All on schedule for March 1 shutdown. Please familiarize yourself with alternate transportation options. See RIOC's website and posted materials. Less than 3 weeks to go. None should be surprised." According to New Yorkology, the oft-delayed project, expected to last until August 31st, is part of "a major modernization project." Does that mean the tram's being turned into a monorail?! more ›

Don't be alarmed, but a reactor at that nuclear power plant 35 miles north of the city was shut down yesterday, after a malfunction at 4 p.m. Details are still sketchy, but it's being reported that the main electrical generator malfunctioned "safely," triggering an automatic shutdown of the reactor. The plant's owner assures WPIX there was absolutely no threat posed to workers, nor to the excellent people of Peekskill. (But for future reference, here's the "Indian Point Emergency Guide.") The incident comes 66 days after another generator malfunction shut down the plant, and 600,000 gallons of boiling, radioactive water turned to steam and was released over the lower Hudson Valley. Also in November, a report found thyroid cancer cases in counties closest to the plant are the highest in New York State, and among the highest in the U.S. more ›

Last month Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a lawsuit against the United Homeless Organization, accusing the group of running a scam that funnels money to the bosses at the top and the workers who solicit donations throughout Manhattan, in the name of "helping the homeless." Today Cuomo obtained an interim court order requiring the not-for-profit group to immediately halt all charitable solicitations from the public by any means. The order also freezes UHO’s assets, including bank accounts and vehicles. more ›

The Jane Street Hotel may be oh so pretty, but it has spurred an ugly battle on the street. Yes, after a full-on, balls-out attack on the hotel, the residents of the street have allegedly won... for now. We're told by a tipster that: "The Jane Street Hotel is now closed until November due to the violations and they have a sign on the door that its because of internal issues." This comes after the hotel was "raided" over the weekend. more ›

Around 1:30 p.m., an MTA construction truck struck a sign on the Whitestone Bridge, causing it to collapse onto the expressway. Two workers who had been on the truck were injured; a spokesperson told CityRoom one had a head injury and the other a broken leg. WCBS 2 reports, "The large green exit sign could be seen split in half on the bridge. The boom truck, which had been stationed up ahead, did not appear to have suffered significant damage." Traffic was shut down in all lanes so the scene could be cleared; drivers are being redirected to the Throgs Neck. more ›

After years of massive expansion, real estate brokers are bracing themselves for a reversal of bank oversaturation. There are as many retail bank branches in Manhattan as there are Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts combined. Now Washington Mutual has postponed opening new branches (understandably), and other banks are consolidating their branches. One broker predicts that "we might have empty corners without a lot of takers out there chasing the space." But Mitchell Moss, NYU professor of urban planning, tells the Sun, "You will see a new kind of retail venture taking over the space, but it is difficult to predict what that will be — but it won't be clothing. It will have to be something that addresses a necessity." Gazing into the crystal ball, one can just about see the pawn shop where Chase Bank once pushed out the Second Avenue Deli. more ›

In March, simultaneous installations in two Chelsea galleries – one called The Assassination of Barack Obama, the other The Assassination of Hillary Clinton – were canceled “due to extreme legal pressures,” according to LVHRD. This morning the artist, Yazmany Arboleda, again attempted to hang his work in an empty storefront across from the New York Times building and got as far as putting up the name of the exhibit in the window before the NYPD, Secret Service, and – who would have guessed – the major media rushed to the scene. more ›

On the evening of April 3rd it was announced that Sound Fix, the record shop/cafe fixture on the corner of Bedford Avenue and N 11th Street in Williamsburg, was shut down. Since first mention the Dept. of Health has been blamed with locking the doors, but noise complaints are generally at the root of every establishment's demise. more ›

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that NY State filed papers with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission explaining why the license for the Indian Point nuclear power plant should not be renewed. In fact, Cuomo called the plant a "catastrophe waiting to happen" and said, "I believe Indian Point should be closed and it should be closed now." Here are some of the reasons Cuomo and Governor Spitzer gave (more here - the petition submitted to the... more ›