[UPDATE BELOW] Another feline has been rescued on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge! Back in July, hundreds of cat lovers applied to adopt an adorable kitten that some terrible excuse for a human being tossed out of the window of a moving car on the bridge. That lucky cat, dubbed Verrazano, quickly caught the eye of Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit star Whoopi Goldberg, who ultimately won him and renamed him Vinny. If you are one of the hundreds of nobodies who tried to adopt Vinny only to have your heart broken harder than Demi Moore in Ghost, you may be in luck, because now another kitten has surfaced on the same bridge. more ›

On Saturday afternoon, a worker with the city's Animal Care and Control Center on Staten Island was driving over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge when he saw something fly out the window of a passing vehicle. "At first he thought they were throwing garbage," AC&C spokesman Richard Gentles tells the Daily News. "Then he realized it was a kitten." Gentles believes the driver intended to toss the kitten over the edge of the bridge to its death but missed, and fortunately the AC&C officer came to his rescue. more ›

Police arrested seven members of the Latin Kings gang accused of stashing heroin and cocaine in the airbag compartments of their cars while they smuggled the drugs into Brooklyn. Before driving across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the suspects purportedly hid the narcotics in "hydraulic trapdoors that were rigged to open when the driver pushed a series of buttons on the dashboard panel in a set order," the Staten Island Advance reports. After an 18-month investigation — which involved undercover drug drug purchases and electronic and visual surveillance — prosecutors alleged that 27-year-old ringleader Jose Arroyave repeatedly sold glassine bags of heroin and $4,000 of cocaine to an informant. An additional suspect has reportedly fled to Puerto Rico. more ›

Another day, another Bridgeversary! This Saturday the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge turns a youthful 45 years old. The folks at Inside the Apple have a full history, noting that when it opened in 1964, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge connects Staten Island to Bay Ridge (or Yellow Hook), and was the "last major arterial road in Robert Moses's grand plan to connect all of New York by automobile." more ›

Some details about the truck that somehow crashed into a booth at the Verrazano Narrows Bridge toll plaza yesterday. A source told the Staten Island Advance the "driver apparently lost his brakes, then jumped the curb at the plaza, near lane 17, and struck the toll booth... The accident caused traffic tie-ups heading into Staten Island." The driver was not pinned, though his door was "pressed against the toll booth"—it turns out that emergency responders "were hesitant to remove him through the passenger-side door" due to the driver's shoulder injuries. more ›

A reader just sent us this picture—showing a truck apparently stuck at an angle— at the Verrazano Narrows Bridge toll plaza with the prediction, "The Verrazano is gonna be backed up." more ›

As the NYC Office of Emergency Management mentioned yesterday, there will be a "marine law enforcement exercise" taking place today between 10 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. New Yorkers were told to "Expect additional marine vessel activity south of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York Harbor." And here are a few more details. It's part of the NYPD's "Securing the Cities" initiative and WCBS 2 adds, "The goal is protect the area from a potential "dirty bomb" or nuclear device. Participants on about 17 vessels will practice checking for radioactive material" (sort of like the highway terrorism drill held in Queens back in June). more ›

Two years ago the famed Saturday Night Fever dance floor was sold at auction for $188,000 when the Brooklyn club where the movie was filmed, Odyssey 2001 (later called Spectrum), was closed. Just yesterday the legendary movie turned 30 and amNewYork got nostalgic looking back at the Bay Ridge kid, Tony Manero, who sought refuge on that dance floor.

Thirty years ago this weekend, a tough young kid from Bay Ridge strutted across America's movie screens and struck his finger in the air to announce a new moment in the country's culture. Disco had been bubbling in the underground for a few years before the film came out, opening the sub-culture to a mass audience. more ›

Waiting for the 1, by jschumacher on Flickr more ›

Last night, a woman was killed outside her Staten Island home. The victim, in her 40s, lived at 29 Newark Avenue in the Port Richmond section and was shot multiple times in her back. Her 26-year-old son was also shot in the stomach, and police believe he was trying to protect his mother. more ›

Photograph by dietrich on Flickr more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: A serious MVA on the upper level of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, a suspicious package in Manhattan, and an overturned auto in Queens
• The things we learn as the Daily Intelligencer questions disclosure on Gawker... then FishbowlNY discloses some stuff about itself and Daily Intel
• Newly elected City Council members Mathieu Eugene and Vincent Ignizio are still not sworn in
• The stock market gained 0.4% today
• Do students really want their professors on Facebook? And will universities have to write some new rules about approaching students online? Hmm.
• On NY Turf looks at the City Council's pedicab vote today: "amendments entered by Quinn and the Mayor's administration the bill will effectively crush the nascent industry."
• There's a Working Families Party rally for NYC Public Schools tonight, as the Mayor announced a new "chief family engagement officer" would join the Department of Ed
• Gridskipper looks at the ugliest buildings in NYC; we'll have our thoughts tomorrow
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1. Lance Armstrong says tomorrow's marathon is the "anti-Tour de France." He's hoping to clock in at 3 hours, though the longest he's run is 16 miles. The NY Post covered the press conference: "When asked if he would feel safe surrounded by 37,000 runners, Armstrong said that after getting thousands of death threats during the Tour de France, he was not concerned about New York." Take note: NYC safer than France's bike country.
2. Great AP story on the manager of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, where the marathon starts. Bob Tozzi, who will retire in 12 days, says about the clothes strewn on the bridge, "There are so many clothes, we literally plow them into piles. Cold days are worse -- runners wear something until the cannon goes off to start the race, then they discard it."
3. Some more articles from Newsday and the Daily News -- remember that streets and roads will be closed - plus the NY Times' marathon section (check out the one about the wheelchair competitors)!
4. Today the International Friendship Run was held, with runners from all over the world in their country's colors running in the city.
5. Finally, good luck to everyone running tomorrow. You are all amazing and we hope you have a great day!

- Gothamist doesn't understand why musicians who have nothing to do with the city or do not seem to be famous for real estate are singing at various condo markeitng parties - jeez, at least try to Lenny Kravitz who seems like a real estate whore more ›

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