Did you ever have a ham radio when you were a kid? Or see Contact? If not, this is a reminder that it's "the licensed and private use of designated radio bands, for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication." Paul Isaacs of the East Village has one, including a 30-foot radio tower that he insists was installed legally and licensed by the FCC. But neighbors who want it taken down complain that it's too tall, and the DOB recently issued a violation on the antenna. more ›

Criminals: did you jump a turnstile? Spray-paint a subway car? Haven't paid your ticket in 25 years? Well during the whole month of October, the Transit Adjudication Board is offering you a deal; if you pay the original fine on your ticket and they'll waive all those nasty late fees! The MTA is hoping the deal will encourage the scofflaws to fork over some much-needed cash, but the TAB says there's a lot in it for the ticket holders as well. more ›

Ruth Carmelitano O'Sullivan is the proud owner of two miniature dachshunds—Elizabeth and Emily—and with that, the most animal noise violations the city has issued to one household (at least in the past year). The Upper East Sider leaves her two pups at home when she goes to work, according to the Daily News, and her co-op neighbors are let with a yapping duo. more ›

New York City is filled with unique little scents, like 'em or not, and each turn of the corner can bring a new top note to your olfactory collection. Some say smell is the most nostalgic of all senses, so maybe one day down the road you'll get a whiff of hot fishy garbage and it'll take you back to all those sweltering summer days you spent in Chinatown. But for now, these smells are just a nuisance to some—and according to the Wall Street Journal, 311 gets 1000 odor complaints per year, pertaining to restaurants alone. Each one is then investigated by the Department of Environment Protection, and only a small fraction get violations in the end. more ›

MTA internal affairs chief George Lake reportedly violated ethics rules by not reporting his internal affair with Leona Roots, an administrative associate in his department. All employees are required to report personal relationships in order to confirm that there is no conflict of interest, but Lake failed to report the relationship, and on disclosure forms he filed in 2007 and 2008 it says he is married to a woman with a different name. "He's a pretty high-level person and should have known better," one source told the Daily News. However, it's unclear how or if Lake and Roots hid the relationship, especially since the two live together. more ›

Subway Etiquette signs are one thing, but what if you could actually enforce manners upon people? Well this may be the closest you'll get—Animal reports on a new endeavor that seeks to “popularize the consideration of others and shame inattention and thoughtlessness” underground. The Violation Report is a safe place to document bad behavior—all you have to do is take a photo, file a detailed report, and add it to the database (which is already filling up). For the brave, the site even provides downloadable tickets you can issue in person. more ›

After learning that their 24-year-old son fell 24 floors to his death when his apartment's balcony railing gave way, Conor Donohue's parents told the Post, "We're just devastated. We're heartbroken. He was 24 years old. He was a great person who made the right choices in life." And now the Department of Buildings says the building failed to inspect the balconies as required by law. more ›

Protein shakes aren't the only drinks that contain raw eggs. A number of high-end bars and lounges have started using raw egg whites and raw egg yolks in their cocktails, and according to the Times, drink makers believe they are under attack from the city due to overblown salmonella concerns. Rumors of the raw egg crackdown stem from a Jan. 19 health code violation leveled against SoHo's Pegu Club because a barkeep allegedly didn't tell a patron his drink included raw eggs. more ›

After suspicious pasta salad (allegedly) took out fifteen New York Times employees who ate it in the paper's cafeteria, The Daily Finance had the bright idea to peruse the health inspection records of the Gray Lady's fancy office eatery. While the cafeteria's most recent inspection resulted in 10 violation points (lower than the city-wide average of 14 points), it's a horse of a different putrid color over at their printing plant in Queens. In February of last year it was cited for "evidence of roaches or live roaches in food and/or non-food areas," "conditions conducive to vermin" and improperly installed or maintained plumbing, earning it 18 violation points. That's not enough to shut it down, but apparently the Times thinks that's good enough for their blue collar workers. more ›

Some of the Santas in the costumed Santacon bar crawl yesterday were naughty, according to police sources. An NYPD spokeswoman tells Gothamist that officers cracked down on holiday-clad revelers who were boozing in public in Washington Square Park. "There were 33 criminal court summonses issued for open containers," she said. "All of these were in the confines of the 6th Precinct." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg says that if the City Council's planned five-minute grace period for parking violations goes into effect, there will be "chaos" on the streets. Based on this Daily News article, that already seems to be the case — and the law isn't even on the books yet. more ›

A small business owner in Brooklyn Heights took to the streets in April and taped an envelope filled with 15 business cards onto a Court Street lamppost. That is, of course, not legal... but it also doesn't seem quite right that the sanitation worker who fined her wrote out a separate summons for each card in the envelope! Now Susan Hager is fighting the fines, and she told the Brooklyn Paper, “It said I’ll be paying a minimum of $75 for each card, and I could ultimately pay up to $3,000 for the whole deal. I don’t mind paying $75, but $3,000?” more ›

Ever seen a Vespa with a parking ticket on it? It seems most owners—and the NY Post is looking at you Matthew Broderick and Liev Schreiber—are going to great measures to avoid getting ticketed for illegally parking. But beware, Vespians, the paper reports that "Cops are cracking down on hipster Vespa owners who've taken to removing the vehicle-identification numbers from their rides." more ›

The free IKEA shuttle buses that transport passengers between the Swedish furniture giant’s Red Hook store and three nearby subway stops have been slapped with over 50 safety violations since November! State inspectors cited infractions ranging from broken headlights and worn tires to unlicensed drivers; in one case they ordered a bus driver to immediately terminate service after noticing that both rear emergency exits were broken and wouldn’t open. (Maybe they just weren't assembled correctly?) IKEA spokesman Joseph Roth says he was "surprised" to hear about the violations, which each carry a maximum fine of $5,000. The company has a contract with Corporate Express, based in Gravesend, to operate the route, but that company has subcontracted out to others. Corporate Express lawyer Arthur Miller tells the Daily News this is essentially a witch hunt (just like The Crucible!) orchestrated by the Red Hook locals who've long opposed IKEA: "The fact is, [state inspectors] were called. And any agent will tell you they can always find something wherever they go." 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 ›

Barack Obama's campaign organization is in hot water with Joel Klein, the NYC School's Chancellor, after it produced a short film (it runs about 13 minutes) starring Bronx public high school students and teachers discussing race issues and Obama's campaign. The video was distributed online to generate revenue for the candidate's campaign and the page where the video is located features a prominent "DONATE NOW" button. more ›

A 16-year-old Staten Island girl faces up to a year in jail for sending Myspace friend requests to three people. Melissa Fernino is charged with second-degree criminal contempt, a misdemeanor, because she violated a Family Court order of protection that barred her from contacting a 43-year-old woman and her two adolescent daughters. more ›