Mayor MIchael Bloomberg's largess makes him the country's seventh biggest charitable donor. The Chronicle of Philanthropy's Top 50 Donor List (less sexy than the Forbes list, but possibly more worthy) notes he committed $205 million to various institutions last year. Bloomberg's giving has been generous ever since becoming mayor, prompting the Sun to note that "the largest jump in his contributions [occurred] last year, amid mounting speculation he will run for president." And as if......

Mayor Bloomberg's generosity has been noted from educational institutions (like his alma mater Johns Hopkins) and even city organizations (like the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation). He gave staffers on his re-election campaign payouts as big as $300,000-400,000. And when Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff announced he would leave City Hall to become president of the mayor's business, Bloomberg LP, it suggested that the Mayor rewarded staffers he trusts. Well, the NY Times now looks......

Mayor Bloomberg visited the Shanksville, Pennsylvania site where Flight 93 crashed on September 11, 2001. The Mayor has headed the National September 11 Memorial & Museum foundation (formerly the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation) ever since last October, and had been traveling across the country to raise money for the memorial. And his effect on the foundation has been noticeable: The memorial is close to its $350 million goal, with $325 million raised so......

Moving onto a new job is always exciting - and it's always another opportunity to have a farewell party from your old one. But it seems that partying got the better of former deputy commissioner of the Community Assistance Unit Christopher Coffey. The Daily News reports that Coffey was pulled over in his car after the police got a call about a "rowdy drunk" - apparently Coffey had been "stumbling around and pounding on cars"......

We were happy to read in the NY Post that the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation turned down a $30,000 donation from National Collector's Mint. The WTC Memorial Foundation said, "We weren't comfortable [with the donations] because of the history," proving that even though the foundation needs donors, no one wants money from horrible companies trying to profit from the tragedy. NCM is the company behind those horrible ads offering coins made from silver "found......

Here is part two of our semi-chronological look back at the top stories this past year (here is part one): Queens Blackout The Blackout of 2003, as irritating as it was, happened to the whole city, could be blamed on other states and didn't last too long. When parts of Queens lost power in July, Con Ed wrote it off as an isolated event affecting only a few thousands customers. But as Queens spent days......

A judge ruled that World Trade Center insurers do not have to pay an extra $700 million for current construction. Developer Larry Silverstein and his insurers had been arguing whether additional improvements to new buildings should be someting the insurers pay out. But U.S. District Judge Harold Baer decided that the money paid out should only cover what it would cost to build the original, pre-September 11 World Trade Center design. Silverstein is still......

We always knew Mayor Bloomberg was a busy guy, but a NY Times article today makes him seem especially crunched for time. The article's first sentence says it all: New York City’s bid to land the 2008 Democratic National Convention is in jeopardy because Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is spread so thin with fund-raising commitments that he may not be able to raise the money from private donors needed to pay for it, an official......

Government and World Trade Center Memorial Foundation officials tell the media that Mayor Bloomberg will become the head of the troubled foundation. Earlier this year, after the foundation stopped its fundraising efforts when estimated costs for the project spiraled out of control, Mayor Bloomberg wasn't very happy. And whadya know, he "secretly" donated $10 million to the foundation this summer - ain't that a coincidence, though at least the Mayor is putting his money where......

- Thing you've got bocce balls? Then you should test your stuff this weekend at the 12th Annual Citywide Bocce Tournament. Over 200 bocce enthusiasts from around the New York City area will compete Saturday and Sunday to see who's got the best. The tournament is free and open to adults of all ages. The prelims are in four of the five boroughs (sorry Manhattanites) with the finals to be played Sunday in Pelham......

Were you in NYC on September 11? There's a fascinating article in the NY Times about psychological and perceived differences between New Yorkers who were here on September 11, 2001 and those who were not. Lots of interesting quotes, like:“I think for the people that seen it on TV, it is more painful than for the people who saw it here,” said Paolo Gonzalez, 29, who manages a parking lot under the Brooklyn Bridge......

The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation has kicked off another phase in its marketing campaign to raise money for the memorial. Back in July, they introduced ads that said we needed the spontaneous memorials then and we need one (as in donating to one) now. The new ads come as we head to the fifth anniversary of September 11 - they ask "Where Were You When It Happened". There are TV, radio, and print......

Last week, builder Frank Sciame met with Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg to discuss possibilities for the downsizing/costcutting of the World Trade Central Memorial. Some ideas kicked around were to remove the waterfalls and move the victims' names aboveground, and today, a new plan was revealed. The waterfalls are still in, but the names will move aboveground. There will be space underground for contemplation, but there will only be one below-grade entrance, not two,......

The NY State Democratic Convention is taking place in Buffalo today and tomorrow (the NY State Republican Convention is in Long Island on Wednesday and Thursday), and the gloves are coming off as the Democrats are looking to grab the Governor's house. Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the Democratic frontrunner for the gubernatorial nomination, called the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation "an abject failure". Well, of course he would say that - didn't recently resigned LMDC......

The head of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation has resigned, after months of controversy over the memorial's ballooning costs and lower-than-expected fundraising. To be fair, many of these factors seem to be out of Dykstra's control, considering how many players (we're tempted to say a cast of hundreds) bickered over the situation. The NY Times printed this excerpt from her resignation letter:There is general agreement that the multiplicity of authorities and the unclear roles......

On Sunday's Gothamist publishes opinions submitted to us by readers, in this case Andrew Bast. These opinions do not necessarily represent those of Gothamist LLC or its editors. Almost two years ago, Governor George Pataki helped to lay the 20-ton, Adirondack granite cornerstone for the Freedom Tower. And it wasn't until just this past month that the financial bickering between Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority were finally sorted out so construction could begin in......

Another signal that the World Trade Center memorial is mired in a big mess: The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, which has been raising money for the memorial, is stopping their fundraising efforts as they try to under the cost of the project. Last week's revelation that construction firm Bovis estimated the cost to be near $1 billion, and everyone was all sorts of upset. The foundation said, "It's only fair to donors to be......

The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation recently opened an online photo store with over 60% of the proceeds from the sale of prints going towards the WTC memorial. The store has some stunning photography from the Washington Post of the Tribute in Light as well. The store also has archival photos of the twin towers including Phillipe Petit's high wire walk between the towers. For more beautiful photos of the Tribute in Light, check out......

The U.S. Department of Transportation is giving New York and New Jersey $899 million for transit projects at the World Trade Center. The bulk of the money, $478 million, will go to an underground screening center that "would be the security conduit for all vehicles entering the ramps, roadways, loading docks and parking areas serving the new trade center buildings." Hey, that means 12 years after the first World Trade Center bombing, the government is......