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The New York city comptroller, William C. Thompson Jr., is staking his mayoral campaign on his skills as a financial manager, which he says are exemplified by his supervision of the nation’s largest municipal pension system. But a review of how the $80 billion system has performed since he took office shows it has consistently lagged behind many of its public pension peers even as the city tripled the number of money managers it uses and the fees that it pays those firms. Over the last seven years, four of the five city pension funds performed below the median for...

Call him the new Moses -- Robert Moses, that is. Mayor Bloomberg says that since 9/11 he has tried to transform the city on a scale not seen since the days of the legendary and controversial master builder of highways, bridges and parks that changed the metropolitan landscape. "I think if you look we've done more in the last seven years than -- I don't know if it's fair to say more than Moses did -- but I hope history will show the things we did made a lot more sense," Bloomberg tells The New Yorker.

<p>Relatives of the city's first swine flu fatality say they are ready to sue the city for $40 million.</p> <p>Mitchell Wiener's widow Bonnie and his three sons, Adam, Jordan and Farrell, filed a notice of claim alleging the city was negligent in dealing with the outbreak that swept through the city three months ago.</p>

Obtained by NBC news, this video shot by an Italian tourist shows the moment of impact between a Piper Saratoga and a Eurocopter over the Hudson River. The accident killed all nine aboard the two aircraft. >> WATCH <<

NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg was dealt a political setback as the city's largest municipal union endorsed his chief Democratic challenger. District Council 37 is backing City Comptroller William Thompson Jr. The endorsement will give Mr. Thompson much-needed help against the billionaire incumbent, who has already spent more than $36 million on his third-term bid. The union has 125,000 members and 50,000 retirees across many city departments. They maintain bridges, roads and subways and work in health care, schools and libraries. It is a diverse force that will provide Mr. Thompson with troops on the ground for his campaign....

The NYPD is preparing for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by keeping the lines of communication open with the Muslim community, including some of its own officers. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more. REPORTER: This year, as in years past, the NYPD is offering the City's Muslim congregations additional support and protection during their month-long period of fasting and prayer. Detective Ahmed Nasser leads the NYPD's Muslim Officers Association. He says the

A New York City hot dog vendor has been evicted from his prize spot outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art because he couldn't pay a whopping rent bill of nearly $54,000 a month. Snack cart owner Pasang Sherpa of Queens had a deal with the city's parks department that required him to pay almost $643,000 per year for the vending rights near the museum steps. He says he was $310,000 behind on his payments when he was evicted.

It's made from 1,000 eggs, 80 pounds of margarine and a whole lot of matzo meal. Eat it if you dare. It's arguably the world's largest matzo ball and it weighs in at 267 pounds, and is 29.2 inches across. This mouthful was created to raise money for a charity game between the New York Knicks and Israeli basketball team Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv. Proceeds from the Oct. 18 game will benefit Migdal Ohr, an orphanage in northern Israel. Guinness World Record Holders The massive matzo was cooked up for nearly 20 hours in a custom-made 100-gallon kettle in New...

New rules issued by the Bloomberg administration allow minority- and women-owned businesses to circumvent the system for awarding small city contracts -- an advantage denied white-owned firms, The Post has learned. In a memo issued July 15, the mayor's Office of Contract Services told city agencies they could no longer solicit vendors to bid on small contracts -- defined as between $5,000 and $100,000 -- unless they're certified as at least 51 percent minority- or female-owned. That means that even longtime vendors won't be able to sell goods and services to the city in that price range if the owner...

Still your mind. Here are some of my favorites to take a break, relax, breathe deep, clear you mind, feel good and not choke diesel fumes: I like to do simple meditations here. Just look and breathe in and out slowly and see what I see, feel whatever I feel. Manhattan: St. Mary's Peace garden - You don't have to be Catholic to enjoy this tranquil oasis complete with bowed bridge over pond, benches and plants. 315 East 47th St, between 1st and 2nd. part of the Holy Family Roman Catholic church. Metropolitan Museum of Art hidden gems - Ditch...

Congressional plans to fund a massive health-care overhaul could have a job-killing effect on New York, creating a tax rate of nearly 60 percent for the state's top earners and possibly pressuring small-business owners to shed workers. New York's top income bracket could reach as high as 57 percent -- rates not seen in three decades -- to pay for the massive health coverage proposed by House Democrats this week. The top rate in New York City, home to many of the state's wealthiest people, would be 58.68 percent, the Washington-based Tax Foundation said in a report yesterday.

The New York Times Company has announced that it has sold Classical 96.3 WQXR New York for $45 Million as part of a three way deal with Univision and WNYC. The way the deal is structured, Univision will pay $33.5 Million for the 96.3 frequency while WNYC pays $11.5 Million for the 105.9 frequency from Univision and the WQXR intellectual property. Spanish Tropical “La Kalle” WCAA will shift to the stronger 96.3 allocation. 96.3 WQXR is a Class B broadcasting with 6kw at 1362′, while 105.9 is a Class B1 with 610 watts at 1365 feet. The Non-Commercial WNYC operates...

Jun 22, 2009 7:46 pm US/Eastern "8 NYC Children Burned In Homemade Acid-Bomb Attack 2 Williamsburg Kids Hospitalized After Suffering Severe Burns To Their Eyes; Neighbors Cite Tension Between 2 Buildings" Reporting Pablo Guzman NEW YORK (CBS) SNIPPET: "Two children suffered serious burns and six others were injured after someone threw a bottle containing dangerous chemicals at them while they played outside over the weekend in Brooklyn. The incident happened about 8 p.m. on Sunday at S. 8th Street in the Williamsburg section of the borough. One of the victims, 10-year-old Yaakov Frankel, along with several witnesses told police that...

NEW HAVEN — SNIPPET: "Thompson was charged over the weekend with the June 6 carjacking at Church and Chapel streets and is under investigation for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail over the fence at the Yale power plant at 18 Tower Parkway June 7. He told Detective Wayne Bullock that Allah instructed him how to “melt down” the plant, according to documents filed in court Monday. It didn’t cause any damage." SNIPPET: "Police recovered the stolen Nissan Sentra. After Thompson’s confession, bomb technicians spent hours in a wooded grove near the Kimberly Avenue bridge after he claimed he had buried...

NEW YORK — Health officials on Tuesday reported seven more deaths from swine flu, bringing the city's total to 23, the most in the nation. The Department of Health didn't identify the victims or say when they died in an update posted on its Web site. It said the victims were between the ages of 25 and 64 and most had been hospitalized late last month. The health department's last update was just four days ago, when it added one more death to make the total 16. That death involved a person in his or her 40s.

The condos couldn't attract buyers in the current housing market. Now they're filling a need for some of the city's "unprecedented" number of homeless families, according to a report in The Daily News. The apartments in Crown Heights were supposed to sell for $250,000 to $350,000. The amenities include granite countertops, terraces, marble bathrooms and walk-in closets.

The education establishment and its political allies employ multiple methods to keep kids trapped in rotten schools. One tactic is to use control of school boards to prevent or limit the creation of charter schools. Another is to smother existing voucher programs with rules and red tape. Real world examples are currently playing out in Milwaukee and New York City. The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program provides vouchers for some 20,000 low-income, mostly minority children to attend private schools. Because the 20-year-old program polls above 60% with voters, and even higher among minorities, killing it outright would be unpopular. Instead, Democratic...

When New York City announced a plan to shut down parts of Times Square to traffic, New Yorkers’ reactions ranged from bemusement to mild hysteria.Despite reassurances from the Transportation Department that the changes would create a greener, more pedestrian-friendly city, some critics of the plan worried that it would sap the square of its chaotic energy. Others, apparently nostalgic for the seediness of the 1970s version of the square, denounced it as another step in New York’s transformation from the world’s greatest metropolis to a generic tourist trap. Well, I’m happy to report that, a day after the stretch of...

Note: The following text is a quote: Accused East Africa Embassy Bomber Held at Guantanamo Bay to Be Prosecuted in U.S. Federal Court Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian national who has been held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility since September 2006, will be prosecuted in federal court in the United States pursuant to the March 12, 2001 superseding indictment currently pending against him in the Southern District of New York. In accordance with the President’s Jan. 22, 2009 Executive Order, which called for a review of all Guantanamo detainees and the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility within...

EXCLUSIVE: Four New York City men were arrested Wednesday in connection with an alleged plot to blow up New York City synagogues and other city locations, WNBC's Jonathan Dienst has learned. Raids by the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force in the Bronx captured the suspected ringleader and three followers in what law enforcement sources are calling a homegrown terrorist plot. Investigators stress the suspects' meetings had been infiltrated early on and there was "no chance" the alleged plot could succeed. Investigators said several of the suspects are Muslims who allegedly talked about destroying two Jewish temples, including at least one...

WASHINGTON -- A top Al Qaeda suspect held at Guantanamo Bay will be sent to New York for trial, an Obama administration official said Wednesday. Ahmed Ghailani would be the first Guantanamo detainee brought to the U.S., and the first to face trial in a civilian criminal court. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to disclose the decision, told The Associated Press the administration has decided to bring Ghailani to trial in New York. He was indicted there for the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa -- attacks that killed 224 people,...

Secession fever is burning hotter among Republicans in the state Senate these days, leading GOP Sen. Andrew Lanza to hope that his plan for breaking Staten Island away from New York City will get a jump start.

NEW YORK – Over 800 emergency responders are staging the largest disaster drill since Sept. 11 at the World Trade Center site. New York City officials are staging a mock explosion on a PATH commuter rail train Sunday morning in the tunnel linking the site to northern New Jersey. Hundreds of police officers, firefighters and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials will participate.

NEW YORK – Health investigators are trying to figure out why swine flu has spread erratically, moving quickly through a few schools but slowly everywhere else, as another outbreak closed three schools Thursday in New York City.

Three Queens schools are being closed Friday because hundreds of students have reported flu symptoms and four cases of swine flu have been verified including an assistant principal who has been hospitalized in critical condition. IS 238 in Hollis, PS 16 in Corona and IS 5 in Elmhurst will be shuttered for five days each. "There is an unusually high level of flu levels at those schools," Mayor Bloomberg said a press conference surrounded by Gov. David Paterson, and health and school officials. Four students and a staff member have tested positive for swine flu at IS 238. More than...

The U.S. cargo ship captain and a crew member who were taken hostage by Somali pirates have been honored at New York's City Hall by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The mayor presented keys to the city to crew member William Rios and Capt. Richard Phillips and joked about Friday's baseball game at the New York Mets' Citi Field. The mayor says he was going to give the men tickets to the game but decided against it because the Mets are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Department of Homeland Security is dismantling a next-generation biological attack warning system in New York City subways because of technical problems, U.S. officials said. Robert Hooks, a deputy assistant secretary, said the department no longer believes it is necessary to expand the pilot program, as he told Congress in July, because of resource and technology limits. Hooks said a long-planned alternative sensor system, set for initial deployment late next year, also will not be available nationwide until 2012, to allow for more testing. The deactivation of the pilot program in late March marks a setback in U.S. efforts to...

Note: Video included. # Ignored Puzzle Pieces Takes Next Step… This morning, American jihadist website, Ignored Puzzle Pieces of Knowledge, posted an old video of a guy who armored a bulldozer and went wreaking havoc in a small town. He destroyed buildings, cars and basically anything in his way. Here’s how the admin (presumably Sammy) captioned this video: “This guy caused over $7 million in damage in a small town. Imagine if he were to do something like this in NYC?” Now, work with me here. We’ve got an American-made website that is dedicated to praising al-Qaida and espousing its...

TROMSOE, Norway (Reuters) – An area of an Antarctic ice shelf almost the size of New York City has broken into icebergs this month after the collapse of an ice bridge widely blamed on global warming, a scientist said Tuesday. "The northern ice front of the Wilkins Ice Shelf has become unstable and the first icebergs have been released," Angelika Humbert, glaciologist at the University of Muenster in Germany, said of European Space Agency satellite images of the shelf. Humbert told Reuters about 700 sq km (270.3 sq mile) of ice -- bigger than Singapore or Bahrain and almost the...

The military flyover Manhattan yesterday costs $328,835.00

Threatened Federal Sanctions Against NYPD, Secret Service, FBI & Mayor's Office If Secret Ever Got Out Furious Obama Apologizes: "It Will Never Happen Again" A furious President Barack Obama ordered an internal review of Monday's low-flying photo op over the Statue of Liberty. CBS 2 HD has discovered the feds will have plenty to question. Federal officials knew that sending two fighter jets and Air Force One to buzz ground zero and Lady Liberty might set off nightmarish fears of a 9/11 replay, but they still ordered the photo-op kept secret from the public. In a memo obtained by CBS...

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has ordered an internal review to determine how the decision was made to send of one of his official airplanes on a low-flying photo op past the New York City skyline. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that deputy chief of staff Jim Messina will lead the review. Gibbs said the point is to determine "why that decision was made and to ensure that it never happens again." Gibbs said Obama was "furious" when he heard about the incident. Obama has called it a mistake.

Well, someone in the Obama White House had a nifty idea: wouldn’t Air Force One (well, technically, one of the planes that serves as Air Force One; that name is reserved for the specific aircraft that is carrying the president at the moment) flying around and over New York City, near landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, be a sensational bit of imagery? Wouldn’t video of such flyovers be pure visual splendor?

As Mexico hunkers down, 2 cases found in Kansas and 8 likely in NYC Worries that the new swine flu strain that has killed as many as 68 people and sickened more than 1,000 across Mexico has “pandemic potential” increased with the announcement that the virus has spread to Kansas and likely to New York City. On Saturday, two new cases were confirmed in Kansas — the first U.S. cases outside of California or Texas. And New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden said tests showed that eight New York schoolchildren had a type A influenza virus that was...

Note: The following text is a quote: Arms Trafficker Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Plot to Smuggle Shoulder-Fired Surface-to-Air Missiles, Rocket-Propelled Grenades, and Other Military Weapons LEV L. DASSIN, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that CHRISTIAAN SPIES, a leader of an international arms trafficking operation, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for plotting to smuggle shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles ("SAMs"), rocket-propelled grenades ("RPGs"), anti-tank guided missiles, and other high-powered military weapons into the United States for sale. United States District Judge RICHARD J. HOLWELL imposed the sentence today in...

According to an article in the New York Daily News of April 11, Mayor Mike Bloomberg has now secured the support of the county chair of the Bronx Borough Republican Party. New York election laws permit an independent (or a member of another party) to run in a party primary for Mayor of New York City, if that candidate gets permission to run from 3 of the 5 boroughs of the city. Bloomberg had already been endorsed for re-election this year by the leaders of the Brooklyn and Staten Island Republican Parties. Bloomberg has been a registered independent since late...

Reliable sources estimate the crowd at 15,000 or more . The bodies were PACKED from SOUTH of City Hall Park to Chambers (NORTH). Both sides of the avenue and thick from park fence into the street…do the math!! Thousands. America! What a Country!!

We are having our NYC Tax Day Tea Party, Wednesday, April 15th at City Hall Park, 7pm-9pm with many high profile speakers! Please get the word out and make sure everyone heads down after work on Tax Day. Our speakers include: - Former Speaker of House Newt Gingrich - Andrew Wilkow of Sirius Radio - KT McFarland, Security Adviser in the Reagan Administration and regular Fox News contributor - S. E. Cupp, author and regular Fox News contributor - Nick Rizzuto, Producer at Sirius Radio and founder of www.conservativepunk.com - Brett Joshpe, Author, VP of Parcbench Media and General Counsel...

A humpback whale was spotted for several hours Thursday in New York Harbor near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the Coast Guard said. The whale, which was first reported to the authorities by a resident’s phone call around 8 a.m., did not appear to be injured or entangled. “It’s going out toward the ocean,” said Petty Officer David Schulein, a Coast Guard spokesman. “We just established a security safety zone.” Petty Officer Annie Berlin, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard, said: “It is fairly close to the shipping zone. We want to make sure that not only the animal is not in...

It's been all over the news - Rush Limbaugh packing up camp and abandoning his operations in New York City. It's been the subject of a Jon Stewart "The Daily Show" tirade [0] and even drew the attention of New York Gov. David Paterson [0]. Limbaugh appeared on Fox News Channel's April 8 "Your World with Neil Cavuto" [1] and explained why he was leaving and how he felt about those that were glad he was leaving. "Well, if they're glad I'm leaving, Neil, then I assume that the governor of New York, the unelected governor - has no interest...

It's time for all who value freedom to Stand With Israel.

Mayor Bloomberg heaped praise on outspoken activist the Rev. Al Sharpton Thursday, calling him a "calming influence on the city." Bloomberg, who is running for a third term, showed his reverence for the reverend before speaking at the preacher's annual National Action Network Convention. [Snip] Sharpton threatened to "shut this city down" last year after detectives were cleared in the killing of Sean Bell. His protests temporarily halted traffic in parts of the city and hundreds were arrested. [Snip] The police union, which routinely clashes with Sharpton, declined comment on the mayor's remarks.

She pioneered street photography in the U.S., using East Harlem and the Lower East Side of New York City as frequent settings. She was quick to recognize an extraordinary scene and quick to react.Helen Levitt, who pioneered street photography in the United States in the 1930s, taking pictures of small, poignant dramas with the help of an inconspicuous Leica camera, died Sunday at her apartment in New York City. She was 95. The cause was respiratory failure, according to Marvin Hoshino, a longtime friend. Photos: Helen Levitt | 1913-2009Using East Harlem and the Lower East Side of New York City...

This is an important update so please read it all. Thanks! We are having our NYC Tax Day Tea Party, Wednesday, April 15th at City Hall Park, 7pm-9pm with many high profile speakers! We also have a surprise speaker that is confirming whether he will make it. I will announce soon if he is coming. Please start organizing your groups to show up in numbers! Please get the word out and make sure everyone heads down after work on Tax Day. Our speakers include: - Andrew Wilkow of Sirius Radio - KT McFarland, Security Adviser in the Reagan Administration and...

video 1:09 New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has raised fares and cut service. So a group of young women wearing stewardess-like uniforms are volunteering their time and effort to provide service upgrades not on offering from the MTA They are offering directions, handing out free treats, and helping passengers with children and other mobility needs.

A daguerreotype of what really can be called "Old Broadway" — showing the famous New York City thoroughfare as the 1840s country road it once was — is going up for sale at Sotheby's auction house. In the early to mid-19th century, between the American Revolution and the Starbucks revolution, the Upper West Side of Manhattan was open countryside, with large estates, white picket fences and wagons trundling along a rutted road already known as Broadway. Photographic evidence of that era is scant, as most studios offering the newfangled daguerreotypes were located several miles away at the island's populated lower...

Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff soundly dismisses the claim that legalizing drugs will end cartel violence. There may be good reasons for legalizing some or all drugs, and in a libertarian vacuum perhaps there is a compelling case that individuals should be free to ingest whatever poisons their mind and bodies desire provided that the government is not required to pick up the costs from the inevitable wreckage in their addicted lives. However, the notion that legalization will remove the involvement of the drug cartels and other organized crime groups simply is preposterous. The fact is that not only...

The New York City Police Department issued more than 9,000 tickets yesterday to drivers caught using their cell phones while on the road. The 24-hour citywide crackdown began at midnight yesterday. It served as a reminder to New Yorkers that using a hand held cell phone while driving is illegal in the state. Drivers who were ticketed face a $120 fine. Police say they normally issue around 500 tickets for cell phone use per day. The National Safety Council says accidents caused by cell phone use while driving is blamed for nearly 2,600 deaths a year.

March will likely "come in like a lion," as the city could receive up to a foot of snow by tomorrow morning. The city received a dusting of snow this morning, but a northeaster is predicted to bring heavy snows between 6 to 8 p.m. today. Between seven to nine inches of snow are expected by 7 a.m. Monday and a total accumulation of about a foot will occur by noon. Travel will be dangerous throughout the city and the surrounding area from late tonight to 7 a.m. Monday. Airports will likely be closed at points between tonight and Monday...

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau is not just a public official. He's an institution, as much a part of the landscape of New York as the gray court buildings in Foley Square. That he's not running for re-election this fall is stunning news. For 35 years he was the district attorney of Manhattan, responsible for fighting crime on many fronts. He pursued corporate thieves, mobsters and many other criminals. He presided over almost 100,000 cases. He is the boss of 500 assistant district attorneys who prosecuted some notorious criminals. Among his notable cases have been the Robert Chambers murder trial,...