Image from WABC 7 A Westchester County home nearly finished with construction was destroyed by a gas explosion this afternoon. Construction workers had smelled gas--perhaps after dislodging or cutting a gas line--and called the fire department. According to WABC 7, the Scarsdale Fire Department had told the workers to leave, and the chief said, "As they were walking off the property and we were about to investigate, the house blew. We're very fortunate that......

A veteran New Rochelle police officer accused of raping a 17-year-old girl pleaded not guilty in court today. Sergeant David Rodriguez posted his $25,000 and was accompanied to court by his wife, Darlene Rodriguez, an anchor for WNBC. Rodriguez had apparently been one of four police officers who responded to a domestic violence call on February 8. Hours after arresting her boyfriend, the alleged victim claimed Rodriguez returned to the house and raped her. Per......

A New York State Assemblyman ticked off about congestion pricing for suburban drivers is retaliating by proposing a $4-per-ride surcharge for taxi riders, rather than the congestion fee of $8 for motorists entering Manhattan below 60th St. That taxis are another form of mass transit that allow New Yorkers to get around without owning a car escapes Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, whose district includes parts of Westchester County. Brodsky and other representatives of suburban communities feel......

Former Westchester County District Attorney - and one-time Attorney General candidate and potential Senate candidate - Jeanine Pirro and her husband Al Pirro have announced they are separating. Their statement to the press: "We have agreed to amicably separate. As always, our priority remains our two wonderful children. We ask that people respect our privacy. There will be no further comment." The couple has been married 32 years and have weathered through many years of......

Torre! Torre! Torre! We admit that the departure of Yankees manager Joe Torre was a big story, but there was a bit of over kill with some of the coverage. On yesterday’s 5 p.m. newscast, WCBS devoted almost twenty minutes to the story. However, that seemed tame compared to WNYW following Torre from Westchester County Airport to his home with their helicopter. It seemed surreal and we felt as if we were watching some sort......

An investigation into a fire at a seniors housing complex in Yonkers revealed a case or arson and then murder. WNBC reports that the Westchester County medical examiner's office announced that 78-year-old Louise Paciarello was strangled to death before her residence at the Kristensen Homes was set on fire Wednesday. Investigators initially thought the fire was suspicious because they found two points of origin for the blaze. Paciarello had lived at the seniors housing complex......

In an effort to cut power consumption and adopt a more green profile, some New York City office towers are making use of a somewhat archaic air conditioning system: blowing air over giant blocks of ice. WNBC reports that financial firm Credit Suisse is using such a system to cool its offices in the Met Life tower off Madison Square. The basement of the building houses three main cooling rooms with "chilling machines and......

Thirty years ago tonight, New York City lost electricity when a Con Ed substation was hit by lightning strikes and a "cascading effect" caused the system to shut down around 9PM. And NYC, as well as parts of Westchester County, were powerless for over a day in the sweltering heart of the summer. Subways were stuck, mobs set fires and stores were looted. It was also the summer that other dramas gripped the city......

In an interesting yet somewhat crass article, The New York Times jumps the gun on 105-year-old Brooke Astor's impending death and pores over her last will and testament, examining the document to see who is getting what. It is almost fortunate that Astor's sufferering from reduced mental competency at this point, because we imagine the doyenne of New York's philanthropic scene might be embarrassed at her final personal requests and bequests being publicized in the......

Does the story of women from Manhattan trying to keep up with their competition in the workplace while dealing with men issues sound familiar? Candace Bushnell's latest series (based on her book) "Lipstick Jungle" is filling that "Sex and the City" void that...probably none of us have felt. The characters are reportedly a decade older than Carrie & Co, and starring in the show are Brooke Shields (as Wendy Healy - a movie executive), Kim......

It's been a tough week for Bernie Kerik. The former NYPD commissioner who had his bid to head up Homeland Security unceremoniously thwarted in 2004 amid allegations of shady dealings is now facing serious federal charges. The Washington Post reports today that federal prosecutors have informed Kerik that he is likely to be charged with multiple felonies, including tax evasion and conspiracy to commit wiretapping. This comes two weeks after Kerik refused a plea deal......

Fascinating legal ruling concerning a gay marriage split. Couple Steven Green and David Gonzalez were married in Massachusetts on Valentine's Day 2005, after four years of living together. Then a few months after the marriage, they separated and started their courtship with the law. From the NY Times:...Mr. Green’s lawyer drafted a separation agreement, which both parties signed in September 2005, the court papers said. Under that agreement, Mr. Gonzalez transferred title of his ski......

At Our Lady of Refuge Roman Catholic Church in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, where for decades parishioners have rallied to denounce neighborhood drug dealers, people gathered last summer to demonstrate against an enemy that deals in digital cameras, toasters, shower curtains and thousands of other products. Where's Reverend Billy? That quote is from today's NY Times article about people trying to stop a Wal-Mart from coming to the Bronx. Nevermind that......

Dare we believe our eyes - there's a blue sky over us! Yesterday was pretty miserable - Tropical "Depression" Ernesto left thousands without power in the Bronx and Staten Island, plus parts of Westchester County and Long Island and caused delays at JFK and LaGuardia. Tennis fans also had to wait, with most of yesterday's matches postponed to today. But today - it's not dreary and gray, it's not a weekday, there's no work......

Springtime must be coyote time: There's another coyote in the news, but this time in the Bronx. A coyote has been spotted at Van Cortlandt Park, and is now duly named "Jacob," after Jacob Van Cortlandt (if it's a girl, she'll be "Vannie," not Cortney). Parks officials want Van Cortlandt Park visitors to be on alert, as coyotes are interested in eating small animals, even turkeys! A coyote in Van Cortlandt Park makes more sense,......

Looks like St. Brigid was just the beginning... Seems the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York really is in trouble these days. So much so that yesterday they announced the "most sweeping reorganization in its history of more than 150 years." Over the next year the archdiocese hopes to close 31 parishes and 14 schools in the New York area, remember that the Archdiocese stretches from Staten Island all the way up to the......

Holy Acme Company! Reporters on the respective parks, animals-on-the-loose, and Canis latrans beats hit the trifecta yesterday, with news that there was a coyote wandering around Central Park, not too unlike a tourist in awe of the 800+ acre urban oasis. Visitors to the park reported seeing a wolf-like animal yesterday afternoon, and even Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe saw the coyote (and then hit speed dial to the press office to round up some reporters).......

As if things couldn't get worse for Jeanine Pirro, State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno has told the Westchester County DA to get out of the race for US Senate. Pirro has been fighting an uphill battle ever since her campaign started with a flub and the more recent news that her fundraising has been less than stellar. In his statement, Bruno said: "I have said from the beginning, and I know a lot of......

Nancy Bass, Bookseller...

Ida Dupont, Professor of Criminal Justice, Women's Advocate...

A couple of weeks back, Gothamist told you about the planned debut of the breathable booze machine at Trust Lounge. Trust apparently wussed out, as Slate reports: When Spirit Partners [the makers of AWOL, or Alcohol WithOut Liquid] prepared to introduce the machine on Aug. 20—with a launch party at Trust, a trendy Manhattan lounge—several, including Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano, sounded the alarm. The matter came, inevitably, to the attention of Attorney General Eliot......

Just what NYC hasn't been waiting for: The AWOL USA Alcohol Without Liquid machine, that turns whiskey or vodka into a breathable mist. Yeah, Gothamist has no idea why, since most people have got mouths. Apparently, the machine gives breathers a "euphoric high" rather than a massive buzz (or hangover), and will debut tonight in the Meatpacking District at Trust Lounge. But one NYU med school professor thinks it's problematic since people will not realize......

By popular demand, snowfall amounts over Friday and Saturday, from the New York Times: 16 inches in Riverdale in the Bronx 12 inches at La Guardia Airport 12 inches at Kennedy Airport 13 inches in Central Park (which the Times notes is used as a "microcosm" of the city for weather records...no word on the influence of body heat generation by SummerStage) Other areas: 18 inches in central Long Island 20 inches in Thornwood,......

Tonight, the Municipal Art Society is taking one of NY's favorite debates to the East River: Discussion "The Better Borough: Brooklyn or Manhattan" will be held on a boat. Areas of discussion will include "the G and the V trains, Bleecker St. vs. Bedford Ave., Washington Heights and Crown Heights, SoHo boutiques vs. Smith St. boutiques, Central Park and Prospect Park, architecture, fashion, PBR, BAM, NYPL, the BQE and the FDR." Kurt Andersen and Steve......