Can pigs fly? Because, whoa, NYU just blinked . After pushing hard for its gargantuan, 2,275,000-square-foot, 200th anniversary expansion plan, NYU 2031 , the school has buckled under pressure from the community and Manhattan Beep Scott Stringer and scaled the project back by 19 or 17 percent, depending on who you ask. The plan—which Bloomberg came out in favor of just yesterday—is still huge and still has vocal critics. Now it ‘s just a little less huge. [ more › ]
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NYU Scales Back Its Still Massive 2031 Expansion Plan
Last month, a Staten Island man was fatally stabbed outside of a restaurant where he and his high school sweetheart had been celebrating their recent engagement. A grand jury voted yesterday to drop all charges against suspect and reputed gangster Redinal Dervishaj in the death of Antonio Lacertosa . “He obviously testified to the grand jury about self-defense. The video proved his claim, and the grand jury did the right thing,” Dervishaj’s lawyer Thomas Reilly said. “He’s not happy how the situation played out that night, because it ended in the death of a young man who was engaged. At the time, he felt he had no other choice but to defend himself.” [ more › ]
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All Charges Dropped Against Reputed Gangster Who Fatally Stabbed Man Celebrating Engagement
While the scenes at the opening of the new Resorts World racino in Queens may seem depressing to some, having people throw away their hard-earned money has one upside: More aid for schools! According to the Post , “New York’s nine “racinos” generated $667 million in aid for schools last year — an increase of 28 percent.” [ more › ]
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When Gambling Is Good: NY Schools Get $667 Million In Aid From Racinos
It seems that actress Jennifer Lawrence channeled her bad-ass, animal-spearing Hunger Games character Katniss Everdeen during a recent interview with Rolling Stone . In their latest issue—the 21-year-old graces the cover—she discusses her short history of on-screen animal cruelty, like when she ripped out a squirrels innards in Winter’s Bone . When discussing that scene, she told the magazine: “I should say it wasn’t real, for PETA. But screw PETA.” But maybe she just meant Peeta ? [ more › ]
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Katniss Everdeen Says "Screw PETA" (Not Peeta)
After nearly 17 hours, 44 units, more than 200 hundred firefighters and a whole lotta water, the Staten Island fire that raged in the former Fresh Kills landfill yesterday has been brought under control . Which is good, since last night fire officials were warning it could burn for days. [ more › ]
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Staten Island Dump Fire Is Out! Firefighters Tame Fresh Kills Blaze
The Bloomberg administration has one week to release a report conducted by an outside consulting firm that reportedly shows that the city’s 911 system has gotten slower to respond to emergencies and become less efficient. A spokesperson for the mayor, Marc LaVorgna, told us last week that the report was a draft: “We don’t release incomplete materials or analysis.” But according to the Post, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron didn’t buy that argument in court today. “I trust the city is not going to obfuscate,” Judge Engoron said, before derisively using the city attorney’s argument in releasing his own ruling: “This is just a draft, I can’t reveal it.” [ more › ]
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City Must Turn Over Damning Report On 911 Response System
The alleged homicide didn’t attract police attention until yesterday, after a friend of the victim went looking for him at Mamontov’s apartment. He says Mamontov told him, “You’re not going to see him anymore. He’s not around anymore. I cut him up.” This man called the cops, who raided the apartment yesterday afternoon and found big vats of bleach and acid with human body parts dissolving in them. In the fridge, they found a five gallon bucket with other remains and eight smaller Clorox bottles. “There isn’t even room for an egg” in the refrigerator, one source told the Post . Which is too bad, because the officers who responded to this call were probably pretty hungry. [ more › ]
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Brooklyn Man Settles Roommate Dispute With Knives, Buckets Of Bleach And Murder
While we had a very pleasant day yesterday the same can’t be said for the Dallas area, which was hit by several tornadoes. Despite hundreds of buildings being destroyed and this insane video of 15,000 pound tractor trailers being tossed around like matchsticks, nobody was killed or even seriously hurt. That disturbance has moved on to the Gulf Coast this morning and is not expected to make its way anywhere close to us. [ more › ]
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Several Days Of Sunny, Dry Weather On Tap
Last November, an unarmed chronically ill elderly black man was shot to death by White Plains police who were supposed to have been there to help him. Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., a former Marine who suffered from a chronic heart condition and wore a pendant to signal LifeAid, had mistakenly triggered his medical alert—and although he told police he was fine, he ended up in an hour-long standoff with an officer screaming: “I don’t give a f*** n*****, open the door.” Police broke in and shot him with stun and beanbag guns—and now, four months after claiming the shooting was “justified” as self-defense, the Westchester District Attorney’s Office announced they will present the case to a grand jury within the month. [ more › ]
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Unarmed Black Marine Vet’s 2011 Death By Police Will Get Grand Jury Probe
After a jury’s indecision led to a mistrial on rape charges , the father of the victim is speaking out. The upset parent, who lives out of state, told the Post , “When things like this happen, it just makes you think twice” about moving to NYC. [ more › ]
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"Gunpoint Rape" Victim’s Father Warns Women Not To Move To NYC