NEWARK—The judge set to hear an initial plea related to the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal was described by those who have known her as moderate, thoughtful and independent.

U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton will hear initial remarks in one of the most high-profile cases brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey in years. She was set to begin hearing an initial plea at 11 a.m. in Newark. Read More »

New Yorkers and art enthusiasts made their way to the new home of the Whitney Museum of American Art on Friday, the day of its much-anticipated reopening to the public.

The museum migrated south from its longtime location the city’s Upper East Side to a Renzo Piano-designed building in the Meatpacking District, with nearly 50,000 square feet of gallery floors. Wall Street Journal reporter Jennifer Smith and others attending the museum’s opening day shared their experiences on social media. Read More »

New York City will spend part of $447 million it will receive from a court settlement involving French bank BNP Paribas on initiatives for its criminal justice system, including establishing a database designed to help speed up court cases and reduce incarceration rates, officials said.

The bank was sentenced in Manhattan federal court on Friday after it pleaded guilty in June to violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, Sudan and Cuba and falsifying its business records. As part of  the settlement, it agreed to pay nearly $8.9 billion in criminal penalties and forfeiture, including $448.7 million to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and $447 million to the City of New York. Read More »

For the Montclair Film Festival, a week just wasn’t enough.

The festival, a combination of community event for its hometown of Montclair, N.J., and regional film showcase, is expanding from a week to 10 days for its 2015 edition, which opens Friday. From 46 films and events in its first edition, in 2012, it’s grown to more than 100 this year, with an eclectic lineup ranging from Sundance and SXSW hits to documentaries by local filmmakers to guests such as actor Richard Gere and director Jonathan Demme.

“There are so many movies that really need to find an audience,” said Tom Hall, the festival’s executive director. “Our goal is to grow into a regional festival – to bring the best movies we can to this community.” Read More »

New York City Council’s speaker and lawmakers are discussing amending the city’s code to make six low-level offenses civil violations, rather than criminal offenses.

However, the plan to decriminalize these low-level violations has sparked intense debate among state and city officials about how these so-called quality-of-life offenses should be treated by police and the courts. Which offenses do you think should be decriminalized? Read More »

Humpty Dumpty had nothing on Adam, the 15th-century marble statue that shattered into hundreds of pieces after its pedestal at the Metropolitan Museum of Art collapsed back in 2002.

Returned to public view last fall after a painstaking restoration, the statue by Tullio Lombardo will come to life this summer in a new interactive work by artist Reid Farrington in the museum’s Venetian sculpture gallery. Read More »

A 39-year-old man was charged with murder Tuesday in the shooting death of the manager of a Bronx homeless shelter where he used to stay, authorities said.

Authorities said West Spruill attacked Ana Charle, 36, as she walked to her vehicle earyl Monday evening near the Project Renewal homeless shelter. Read More »

The chilled cauliflower soup and Disaronno cocktails were served with a side of philanthropy in Manhattan Monday evening.

About 100 of New York’s food and beverage stars came together for a glitzy event organized by the charity No Kid Hungry to combat childhood hunger. Read More »

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is deploying New Jersey State Police officers to Baltimore to help with peacekeeping after unrest erupted in the city overnight.

The New Jersey Republican is also canceling a fundraiser for his political-action committee, Leadership Matters for America, that was scheduled for Friday, said Samantha Smith, a spokeswoman for the PAC. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, was set to co-host the luncheon. Read More »

The 2015 Tony nominations were announced this morning, with ”An American in Paris,” “Fun Home,” and “Something Rotten” earning nods for best musical, while “The King and I” was among the nominees for best revival of a musical.

“Wolf Hall, Parts 1 and 2″ and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” were among the leading nominees for best play. “Skylight” and “The Elephant Man,” likewise, were among the nominees for best revival of a play.

The acting nominees sported some big names, such as Bradley Cooper, who played the lead in “The Elephant Man” and Kristin Chenoweth in the musical “On the Twentieth Century.”

The Tony Awards ceremony will be broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. EST on June 7. Chenoweth and Alan Cumming will host the award ceremony.

Click through to see the nominations. Read More »