The Statue of Liberty has been evacuated because of a smoke condition. A FDNY spokesman told Reuters, "We have a smoke condition around the elevator and the statue's been evacuated and we are on scene." No one appears to be injured. The statue's crown only reopened last year—it is rather stunning—after being closed for many years. It was closed partly due to post-9/11 terrorism concerns, but one official also said the narrow staircase "violates every fire code in the city of New York and the state of New York and the state of New Jersey." more ›

Okay, by popular demand, here's the explanation for today's nightmarish subway commute, for those of you who want to know why it took you two hours to get into Manhattan from parts of Brooklyn. A NYC Transit spokesman tells that around 8 a.m. a burning 3rd rail insulator outside the Broadway-Lafayette station snarled service on Manhattan bound F trains and Manhattan bound M (from Brooklyn) trains. more ›

Last night, a teenager who was apparently "mixing dangerous materials" in his basement created a smoke condition requiring the police to come by! Apparently the cops were at the North Babylon home for 10 hours (!) and there may have been agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The teen was hospitalized with undisclosed injuries. Update: Not a meth lab, folks—the Suffolk police now say it was an "improvised explosive device." more ›