The Parksidegent

Yankee Stadium the Biggest Star on Display

2008-07-15T11:35:00.001-04:00

All Star Send-Off
Slated
for extinction, Yankee Stadium gets perhaps its final moment in the
national spotlight, hosting the All-Star game Tuesday night as part of
its grand send-off. The All-Star festivities will kick off with a
parade on 6th Avenue at 1

Bobby Murcer Dies at 62

2008-07-12T17:43:00.001-04:00

Beloved Yankee Passes
Bobby
Murcer died Saturday after a battle with brain cancer. The star
outfielder and broadcaster had been hospitalized after a
setback last week. He was 62.

A-Rod's Wife Files for Divorce

2008-07-07T09:57:00.001-04:00

C-Rod Files for Divorce
The
wife of Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has filed for divorce. An
attorney filed papers in a Miami court on Monday on Cynthia Rodriguez's
behalf. There are no reports if A-Rod also has filed.

Pervert caught

2008-06-21T11:29:00.001-04:00

'UPSKIRT' PERVERT CAUGHT
A
Long Island man has been arrested for allegedly videotaping women's
private body parts as they shopped at a dollar store. Police say Mario
Molina, 52, followed unsuspecting women around the store in Baldwin
Friday night and placed a camcorder under their clothing. One woman and
her two kids were followed for about 10 minutes, police said.

2008-06-20T14:21:00.001-04:00

New Look Planned for Pier at South Street Seaport

2008-06-18T06:36:00.001-04:00

Conceding the failure of the South Street Seaport pier as a
“festival marketplace” — these days, it is not much
more than a waterfront mall — its owners plan to replace it with
a mixed-use project including a 42-story, 495-foot apartment and hotel
tower, wrapped in a terra-cotta exoskeleton and rising from new pilings
in the East River.

Though other high-profile developments along the East River have foundered, most notably Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum and Santiago Calatrava’s
apartment tower of stacked cubes, the seaport plan speaks to the
undiminished allure of riverfront sites and of developers’ faith
that megaprojects can inject new life into, and create profit out of,
areas where other visions have failed.

NBC's Tim Russert Dead at 58

2008-06-14T05:57:00.001-04:00

Russert Praised Across Nation
Tim
Russert, a political lifer who made a TV career of his passion with
unrelenting questioning of the powerful and influential, died suddenly
Friday in the midst of a presidential campaign he'd covered with
trademark intensity. Praise poured in from the biggest names in
politics, some recalling their own meltdown moments on his hot seat.

Tyson's Name Mentioned in Brooklyn Gang Trial

2008-06-13T11:01:00.001-04:00

Tyson a Gang Banger?
Mike
Tyson has been accused of contracting to kill the head of a Brooklyn
gang. A former gang member testified about the alleged hit during a
trial on Thursday.

L.I. Man Takes His DeLorean Back..to the Future

2008-06-12T07:27:00.001-04:00

'This Sucker's Electrical'
A
Long Island doctor has found a way to beat the high price at the
pump with his DeLorean - - and it has nothing to do with the
Flux Capacitor. He converted it into an electric car. The higher-tech
version of the car that became an 80s icon, thanks to the 'Back to the
Future' movies, barely makes a sound and gets 30 miles to a charge.

WTC Site Redevelopment Faces More Delays

2008-06-11T16:22:00.001-04:00

NEW YORK (AP)
-- New York Gov. David Paterson says the World Trade Center site
redevelopment faces ``likely delays'' and wants to take a new look at
the project.

Paterson on Wednesday asked the executive director of the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey to determine if the latest
deadlines and budgets for the project are feasible. Paterson wants an
update by the end of the month.

Five office towers, a Sept. 11 memorial, a transit hub and a performing center are planned at the 16-acre site.

The Port Authority also said Wednesday it would be late on a
deadline to turn over land that a private developer needs to begin
building a planned office tower. The agency will pay over $9.6 million
in late fees to developer Larry Silverstein for not finishing the
foundation by June 30.

Big Brown has Date with Destiny on Long Island

2008-06-07T09:36:00.001-04:00

Big Brown Could Make History at Belmont
Big
Brown has his date with destiny today as the horse with the patched
hoof tries to become racing's first Triple Crown winner since 1978.
Meanwhile, Casino Drive, the early second choice behind the Triple
Crown favorite, was scratched because of a bruised hoof.

Riding a Heatwave: New York Sizzles Through Tuesday

2008-06-07T09:35:00.001-04:00

THE HEAT IS ON!
The
season's first heatwave comes early this year and is expected to last
through Tuesday. The mercury will be in the 90s, with AccuWeather 'Real
Feel' temperatures at 100

Man Arrested after Climbing New York Times Building

2008-06-05T14:15:00.001-04:00

'Spiderman' Scales Times Bldg
French
daredevil Alain Robert was taken into custody Thursday after
scaling the New York Times building in midtown Manhattan in order
to draw attention to global warming. During his ascent, Robert unfurled
a banner about global warming. Construction workers cheered. Police
took him into custody at the top.

Triborough Bridge to Be Renamed after RFK

2008-06-05T07:22:00.001-04:00

Triborough Bridge to Be Renamed after RFK

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)
-- The bridge that leads to the airport named for John F. Kennedy
is getting renamed for his younger brother, Robert F. Kennedy, the
former New York senator assassinated in 1968.

The state Assembly has given final legislative approval to rename
the Triborough Bridge, following Senate approval in April. Gov. David
Paterson planned to sign the measure to call it the Robert F. Kennedy
Bridge, spokesman Errol Cockfield said. The bill memo notes ``minimal
budgetary impact'' for the cost of changing signs.

The Triborough Bridge, opened in 1936, is actually a complex of
three bridges, a viaduct and 14 miles of approach roads. It connects
Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens.

``On the fortieth anniversary of his last campaign, naming the span
across three boroughs is a tremendous tribute to Robert Kennedy's
commitment to bridging divides between black and white, rich and poor,
young and old, and to his commitment to creating a more just and
peaceful world,'' said Kerry Kennedy, one of RFK's 11 children and
founder of the Robert F Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights.

Mayor Bloomberg May Want Another Term

2008-06-05T07:18:00.001-04:00

Mayor Michael Bloomberg made it clear from the beginning of his
tenure as mayor of New York that he was strongly in favor of term
limits.

His first-ever veto was to reject a City Council bill in 2002 that
sought to extend terms for some lawmakers. Bloomberg said the proposed
law was wrong because it amounted to changing the rules for personal
political gain.

But it may be a different story today, as Bloomberg's second
four-year term winds down and he struggles to figure out what to do
next and stay in the spotlight that has dimmed ever since he decided
not to run for president. As his aides and advisers explore ways to
keep him relevant, the possibility has emerged that he could try to
change the term-limit law and run again next year.

The mayor, who could rarely be described as indecisive, sounded
restless and a bit lost on Wednesday when asked about his future plans.
He said he still supports the concept of term limits, but sounded less
definitive than he ever has about what he wants to do next.

``I plan to, I think, stay on in public service some ways or other _
I don't know how,'' he said. Pausing slightly and sounding unsure,
Bloomberg then said ``I don't see anything for me _ `` but didn't
finish the thought. The billionaire then said he supposes he will end
up running his philanthropic foundation full-time.

When a reporter pointed out that it doesn't sound like philanthropy will be all he wants to do, Bloomberg did not disagree.

Homes outside of Las Vegas

2008-05-31T14:13:00.001-04:00

Tony takes you to Pahrump, NV to show you new homes that are being built.

Baltimore Bids to Ban Selling Small Cigars Individually

2008-05-31T03:45:00.001-04:00

Hoping to curb the increase in the number of young people who smoke
small, inexpensive cigars, Baltimore plans to bar shops from the common
practice of breaking open packages to sell them individually.

Enlarge This Image

Steve Roark for The New York Times

Shawn Liles, 22, of Baltimore, right, smoked a cigarillo on Friday.

Single cigars behind the counter at University Market in Baltimore.

Baltimore would be the first
city to impose such a regulation, said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, the
city’s health commissioner.

The city has put the proposal
out for public comment until July 1 and expects to impose the ban,
possibly with revisions, soon after, Dr. Sharfstein said. Under the
city code, the commissioner has the power to regulate health hazards
without legislation.

Crane Collapses in Manhattan; 2 Dead

2008-05-30T21:28:00.001-04:00

Crane Collapse Renews Fears
A
crane snapped and smashed into an apartment building Friday, killing
two workers in the city's second such tragedy in 2 1/2 months and
renewing fears about the safety of hundreds of cranes towering over the
New York skyline. Acting Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri said
Friday that investigators "will be focusing on a particular weld that
failed'' on the crane, and noted that the 24-year-old crane's model is
out of production and one of only four in the city.

Verizon and the City: Digital Package (and Delays) Appear to Be Near

2008-05-27T07:04:00.001-04:00

Verizon and the City: Digital Package (and Delays) Appear to Be Near

By KEN BELSON

Cable customers in the five boroughs may soon have the same choices as their suburban counterparts.

Fireworks Mark Brooklyn Bridge's 125th Birthday

2008-05-23T16:55:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Brooklyn Bridge!
It
was so singular a marvel, so ambitious a feat, that its opening drew
the president and a crowd of thousands. A leading national magazine
said it stood poised to become "our most durable monument." Some 125
years later, the Brooklyn Bridge remains a powerful symbol of
engineering might and imagination, and a revered fixture in the
landscape of the nation's largest city.

Step to the Rear of the Bus, Please, or Take a Seat Upstairs

2008-05-23T07:32:00.001-04:00

Step to the Rear of the Bus, Please, or Take a Seat Upstairs

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

Double-decker buses may come back to New York City’s Fifth Avenue.

Time to Hit the Road, Jack

2008-05-23T07:30:00.001-04:00

Time to Hit the Road, Jack
Holiday
travelers hitting the road for the unofficial start of summer have some
budget adjustments to make with gasoline prices at record highs. But
AAA still expects the roads to be crowded. The auto club estimates more
than 31.5 million drivers will take to the highways.

Sen. Edward Kennedy Has Malignant Brain Tumor

2008-05-20T16:04:00.001-04:00

Ted Kennedy Has Brain Cancer
A
cancerous brain tumor caused the seizure Sen. Edward M. Kennedy
suffered over the weekend, doctors said Tuesday in a grim diagnosis for
one of American politics' most enduring figures. "He remains in good
spirits and full of energy,'' the doctors for the 76-year-old
Massachusetts Democrat said in a statement

WORLD TRADE CENTER, Not Yet on the Skyline, but Above Street Level

2008-05-19T22:36:00.001-04:00

Not Yet on the Skyline, but Above Street Level

Steel columns at 1 World Trade Center, the Freedom Tower, rise above street level for the first time.

Gas Prices Hit National High on Long Island

2008-05-19T07:24:00.001-04:00

It Just Keeps Getting Worse
For
the first time ever, a national survey has found that regular gas has
surged above $4 a gallon in two metropolitan areas: Chicago and Long
Island. The survey said the average price for regular gasoline rose
about 17 cents in the last two weeks.