Category — Newark, New Jersey

There’s been a guilty plea from a key figure in Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s ongoing investigation into pension fund corruption. WNYC’s Lisa Chow reports. REPORTER: David Loglisci managed the pe….

After many twist and turns, Mayor Bloomberg, developer Bruce Ratner and rap star Jay-Z, a part-owner of the Nets, are expected to break ground for the basketball arena at the Atlantic Yards site this….

The Paterson Administration has formally dropped support of a group that was awarded the right to bring video slot machines to the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. In a statement, Gov. David Paterson’s….

Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch on Wednesday formally presented his five-year plan to bail out the state, saying the proposal is much more than just authorization to borrow more money. The lieutenant gover….

With banking reform in the works, how come there’s no plan yet for overhauling the mortgage market? Guest: Alyssa Katz, author of Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us. ….

Port Authority officials hope to reduce the amount of air pollution generated by the hundreds of trucks that haul cargo to and from the city’s ports. “Our proposal today is to replace older trucks t….

The makers of games for handheld devices are making millions, 99 cents at a time, as WNYC’s Lisa Chow reports. ….

Last week, the New Museum opened its new show, “Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection,” curated by mega-art-star Jeff Koons. This show has prompted a huge amount of controversy and suspicion, from The New York Times to The Village Voice , and all the blogs in between. Some journalists feel safe sounding prudish, cautious and wary of shows that are fraught with art market …

The ceremony for the National Book Critics Circle Awards takes place tomorrow, but tonight at 6:00, many of the nominees–including Mary Karr, Edmund White, Menjamin Moser, Hillary Mantel, Jayne Anne Phillips–are reading from their work. It’s at the John Tishman Auditorium. Hurry and you might still make…

The Wall Street Journal has lost a restaurant critic, reports The Times Diner’s Journal blog. According to Raymond Sokolov, the paper asked him to start writing about food trends instead of writing restaurant reviews; he decided to stop writing for the paper altogether rather than changing beats. But surely the Journal ’s forthcoming New York section needs a Sam Sifton counterpart if it’s going …

On a conference call this afternoon, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo dispelled the notion that he’s closed the investigation into Steve Rattner and the alleged kickbacks paid by his former firm, the Quadrangle Group. “Those were false reports. That’s an ongoing matter — we have no updates at this time,” Mr. Cuomo said, according to Politico ’s Ben Smith. The questions came after David Loglisci, a …

As the quest continues for “the new Beatrice,” the old Beatrice is well on its way toward becoming a tapas restaurant. Cobi Levy went before Community Board 2 last night to present his plans for the space: “modestly priced,” 110-120 seats, one bar, open ’til 2 or 3. Levy and the neighbors also exchanged fond memories of bygone days, reports Eater: After a bit more back and forth–where the …

Lt. Governor Dick Ravitch today released his plan to bring long-term fiscal stability to Albany, complete with its expected contents: some borrowing allowed, with a new structure to control spending. A bit more specifically, it allows short-term bond issuance so that a gaping budget hole need not be filled this year, and it installs new controls on budgeting with a semi-independent board that …

The House Ethics Committee abandoned its probe of Eric Massa this afternoon–according to The Washington Post –concluding that it couldn’t do anything to the former congressman even if it uncovered the fracking, or snorkeling, or text messages that appeared to be out there. Republicans are pressing for the committee to complete its investigation, but–barring any more strange television …

Carlos Slim is now the world’s richest man. A Spitzer documentary will show at the Tribeca Film Festival. George Pataki endorses Rick Lazio. CNN is scared of Facebook. No more free tuition for the kids of NYU staff. A Tea Partier considers crashing the governor’s race. George W. Bush is back, with an unsuccessful policy push. God of Carnage is looking for an all-black cast. One of Larry …

THE EXPLODING GIRL Running time 80 minutes Written & Directed by BRADLEY RUST GRAY Starring ZOE KAZAN, MARK RENDALL 1 Eyeball out of 4 Zoe Kazan, the granddaughter of legendary director Elia Kazan, is the newest Flavor of the Week. Although a great deal more overrated and less attractive than most, she is suddenly all over the place-most recently as Meryl Streep’s youngest daughter in the comedy …

Wall Street was right to fear the phone. Today, the Wall Street Journal reported that the government had a wire on Franz Tudor, a former Galleon trader, even after Raj Rajaratanam was taken into custody last October. The idea was to catch the reaction of two people–Michael Kimelman and and “Octopussy” Zvi Goffer–who were charged weeks after Mr. Rajaratnam. It’s all part of a larger campaign …

  Rick Lazio is trying to lock up the Republican nomination, announcing today that he has the support of former Governor George Pataki and Rep. Peter King of Long Island. “Rick Lazio is the best choice for Governor and I am happy to endorse his candidacy,” King said in a public statement. Lazio and Pataki are set to appear together at 4:30 p.m. today at Grand Central Station. The push by Lazio …

  Here’s Jose Peralta’s new television ad, which is already running on NY1. It features footage of the surveillance tape showing Hiram Monserrate dragging his girlfriend out of an apartment building the night he said he accidentally broke a glass against her face. The objective is pretty clear. Also: the narrator of the ad also sounds a lot like Peralta spokeswoman Anne…

Last week we decided we would will springtime into being by refusing to wear our winter coat. We were done giving storms dumb names and pretending that we couldn’t make it to work; we could sacrifice these pleasures if it meant feeling the sun’s rays on our pale arms and cheeks. We refused to be daunted by Accuweather.com. We take this weekend’s temperatures in the balmy 50s as a testament to …

Michael Lewis has done some insightful reporting for Vanity Fair over the past couple years, but his April cover profile of Oliver Stone, which I got around to reading last night, is most notable for what it doesn’t say out loud. Namely, that Mr. Stone appears to have very little idea what the fuck he is talking about. While I doubt that anyone would be all that disappointed to learn that …

The Joint Economic Committee just released a report on the impact of legislation that would require business to offer paid-sick leave to workers. The result, according to the study, is that it would expand access to health care to low-wage workers, and primarily women and minorities. The one thing the study didn’t address is the impact the legislation would have on businesses, which is an issue …

The saga of 26 West 76th Street is finally over! On Tuesday afternoon, the seven-story townhouse (including the basement playroom and rooftop glass-enclosed solarium) went to contract to a mystery buyer at the current listing price of $19.5 million . Bigwig Bond Street developer Adam Gordon enlisted his trusted Sancho Panza architect ally, Steven Harris, to completely renovate and redesign the …

  A former top aide to Alan Hevesi pleads guilty. Tom Robbins said it’s bad news for Hevesi and Hank Morris. Marc Raybin: “Loglisci admitted to abdicating this authority to Henry Morris, the top political adviser to Hevesi, in order to direct hundreds of millions of pension fund dollars to politically favored firms.” Defense lawyer: “While those around him made millions, Loglisci never asked for …

New York City has prevailed in its battle with the LeRoy family over ownership of the trademarked name of “Tavern on the Green,” according to a report just issued by Bloomberg News: “Because the undisputed facts show that the city established and continuously maintained a restaurant under the name ‘Tavern on the Green’ at the same location in New York’s Central Park since 1934, the city has a …

On Thursday evening, Community Board 7’s Parks and Preservation committee will hold a meeting to discuss having three translucent “bubbles” cover public tennis courts by the Central Park Tennis Center, located at 94th and 95th streets. Originating from the Parks Department, 26 Har-Tru courts would be weatherproofed from Nov. 15 to March 24 every year for the next 15 years. According to Penny …

STOLEN Running time 97 minutes Written by GLENN TARANTO Directed by ANDERS ANDERSON Starring JON HAMM, JOSH LUCAS, ROHNA MITRA, JAMES VAN DER BEEK 2 Eyeballs out of 4 As inevitable as one season following another, it was preordained that Jon Hamm would become a movie star. The centrifugal force on TV’s habit-forming smash series Mad Men has everything it takes-talent, strength, looks that ought …

Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch has been quietly presenting a plan to state lawmakers to have New York borrow its way out of severe multi billion dollars budget shortfalls predicted for the next ….

Opponents of a proposed sugary beverage tax are escalating their fight against Governor Paterson. WNYC’s Fred Mogul reports on the brewing ad war and the political fight ahead for the tax. REPORTER:….

Governor Paterson has recused himself from negotiations on the Aqueduct casino project in Queens as investigations continue into the bidding process. Meanwhile, another State Police official is leavi….