With 300,000 cubic yards of sludge being carted from the recently designated Gowanus Superfund site, a project manager for the effort has an admittedly "out there" idea. Through the process of vitrification he wants to pack and heat the waste, until it's transformed into big glass cubes. "You could construct an aquarium," Christos Tsiamis told the News, adding that "It creates an absolutely safe byproduct," so the fish tanks won't stink. Maybe a Mac store could go in one of them? more ›

Yesterday, hundreds of thousands of people lined Fifth Avenue to watch the 249th St. Patrick's Day Parade. Irish singer Emma Kate Tobia told NY1 "I feel more Irish here than I would at home. You really feel proud to be Irish in New York on St. Patrick's Day. It's an exciting, exciting place to be." more ›

In the wake of the Great Taxi Scandal, more reports are coming out about the whistle-blowers who helped uncover the nefarious scheme. Along with Dr. Mitchell Lee, Heather Schueppert, a business consultant from the Upper East Side, was the other person to complain about being overcharged for taxi rides that led to the investigation that blew the lid off the scam, the Post reports. But she wasn't actually the person in the taxi driven by Wasim Khalid Cheema (who allegedly overcharged 574 passengers); her nanny was, and Schueppert noticed the overcharges on the taxi receipt of her weekly trip from Manhattan to Queens last summer. more ›

Yesterday's surprise appearance of the Shamrock Shake in New York City was as fleeting as Brigadoon (which was Scottish, yes, but anyway). The minty St. Patrick's Day delight, which had not surfaced at McDonald's in this region for years, was gone almost as soon as it appeared, amidst reports of hoarding at the Union Square location, where one greedy customer is said to have bought 100. A call to verify that claim dissolved into utter confusion, with the predominantly Spanish-speaking manager mistaking this blogger for the shake machine repairman. From what we were able to gather, the machine is broken, but they still have the capacity to make some Shamrock Shakes, and we think she said that if the machine is fixed today, there will be shakes this afternoon? more ›

The two men who rescued the seal off Staten Island yesterday, detectives Frank Pellegrino and Matthew Sherman of the harbor unit and scuba team, are talking about their 5 minute encounter with the struggling pup. more ›

Over the past twenty years, congenital scene-stealer Sam Rockwell has slowly but surely slinked into the public consciousness, invariably with a mouthful of food and a mischievous grin. With eye-catching work in films including Box of Moonlight, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke, Matchstick Men, and Moon, the endearingly eccentric actor has now established himself as the number one guy we'd take a spontaneous road trip with (though we might think twice about letting him drive). more ›

Jersey City's nightmare is over: The Serial Urinator has been arrested! A 27-year-old was arrested for urinating on at least seven women in the past three months. His M.O. was described by Jersey City Police Chief Peter Malbach, "He's been going up behind females who were waiting for the bus or just walking and just urinating on the back of their leg." more ›

Devils 5 Pittsburgh 2: The Devils finished off a season sweep of the Penguins and took over first place in the division. Patrik Elias and Zach Parise each had two points while Martin Brodeur stopped 24-of-26 shots to earn the win. more ›

In tonight's links: cat vs. pigeon; dogs dressed as Lady Gaga; Late Night Stars Deli in Brooklyn; and more! more ›

Councilwoman Letitia "Tish" James (D-Fort Greene) is suing a day laborer for causing "serious, severe and permanent [injuries] to her limbs and body" after she walked into a four-inch trailer hitch protruding from the back of his parked car. According to court documents cited in the Brooklyn Paper, James says she suffered "great physical and mental pain" when she brushed against the hitch and cut her leg in Fort Greene last July. more ›

New York City small business have seen their health-insurance premiums increase by an average of 17 percent this year. Small-group HMO plan providers like GHI HMO Select and Healthnet have increased their premiums by 30 percent, while premiums at Aetna and policy rates at HIP of Greater NY rose by 20 percent, according to the Post. more ›

In the past months and years, NYU has shocked the city with a number of high-profile jumping deaths, but such tragic incidents are nothing new at Cornell. Three students died in the course of a month recently, and Cornell is currently on suicide watch, kicking off a full-scale campaign that urges stressed and depressed students to get help. The three students are thought to have taken their own lives—all by throwing themselves into the town's famous gorges (Ithaca's version of the Bobst Library). “While we know that our gorges are beautiful features of our campus, they can be scary places at times like this,” Susan Murphy, the vice president for student and academic services. more ›

While on Don Imus' radio program this morning, Gov. Paterson took time out of his charm offensive to comment on Sen. Gillibrand, his hand-picked Senate appointee who called for his resignation earlier this month. "That's about whenever you get in a jam, there are people who will throw you under the bus...Whenever you watch a movie or whenever you read a book about someone that's in terrible...in a difficult situation, there are always those who do that...They just don't expect you to get out from under the bus. And when you do, they should be forewarned." more ›

Though she was hoping to secure a lease, Astroland Owner Carol Albert told the Post that she will most likely never be able to resurrect Astroland Park in another area of the boardwalk. Rather than let Albert open a new park with both old and new rides, the city picked Central Amusement International to open up the new Luna Park. Albert has had her 22 rides in storage while trying to reach a settlement, but is now ready to sell them. more ›

Rielle Hunter, John Edwards's baby momma, onetime lover and sex tape co-star, says a GQ photographer told her he'd capture her mostly from the neck up, but that doesn't explain why she wasn't wearing pants. The blonde posed on a bed, cradling her child. In one photo she's kneeling next to stuffed animals, wearing only a collared shirt; in another she's sprawled bare-bellied on tousled sheets. Hunter claims she "cried for two hours" upon seeing the pictures, but GQ says she's faking. "Rielle is a smart woman," said her interviewer. "She knows what she wore and what she was doing in the photo shoot." more ›

Seems that people really are offended by this mural! Tonight at 6 p.m. there is actually going to be a protest against Sofia Maldonado's work recently put up in Times Square. more ›

A Fine Blog spotted a demonstration today outside the Dunkin' Donuts on East 14th Street, where protesters were handing out free vegan donuts and literature about the chain's use of factory farm eggs: "When asked if DD would change to a cage free supplier who used humane practices, one protester said 'that would be an improvement, but that would never happen for such a large chain.'" For more on what these people are so upset about, check out Dunkin' Cruelty, which has targeted Michael Foods, the egg supplier for several national restaurant chains, including Dunkin' Donuts. One investigator used a hidden camera to document abuses including "hens immobilized in the wires of their cages, unable to access food or water; and decomposing and 'mummified' corpses left in cages with live birds." Mmmm, mummies. Disturbing video below! more ›