Times are tough all over, even at the historically high-tone FDNY, where the fire poles are coated with gold, and all hoses spray Veuve Clicquot. To cope with the grinding budget crunch, the department has announced that starting in July it will start charging drivers $490 to respond to a crash or car fire involving injuries, $415 for a car fire without injuries and $365 for a basic crash without injuries. These charges will apply to every driver involved in the incident. What's next, charging fifty bucks to kiss the Dalmatian? [ MORE]
 | Columbia's International Affairs Building, where Epstein has an office (Jake Dobkin) Prof. David Epstein A political science professor at Columbia University was charged with incest earlier today. According to the Daily News, court papers allege that David Epstein, 46, "bedded the young woman over a three-year period ending in... [ MORE ] |
 | The International House of Pancakes is coming to the Crossroads of the World! At last, tourists visiting Times Square will be able to taste for themselves some of the exotic cuisine that's unavailable to them in middle America. This news is also good for locals with a lust for international... [ MORE ] |
 | Senator Gillibrand, with Senator Schumer to her left, is NOT HAPPY (AP) Forty-one Republican Senators voted against the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which would have provided $7.4 billion in health care and compensation to 9/11 responders and their survivors. According to the AP, "The bill failed... [ MORE ] |
 | Courtesy Who is Smira? The Rabbinical court that governs the insular Lubavitch Hasidic sect in Crown Heights has issued an edict [pdf] telling its estimated 10,000 subordinates to stop snitching. The Beth Din of Crown Heights decreed last week that, "No one shall bring to any media outlet information... [ MORE ] |
 | As Columbia's awful PR week continues, four out of the five Columbia students charged with running a drug ring out of the school's dorms and frats are now free on bail. Only Harrison David, who reportedly told cops he was dealing because his father "wouldn't pay my tuition," remains in... [ MORE ] |
 | A Long Island speech therapist claims that an Australian sheep farmer who picked her up at a bar in 2005 drugged and raped her in a midtown hotel. The 28-year-old woman, who was not identified, admitted to jurors on Wednesday that she had had at least six drinks at... [ MORE ] |
 | Zoe Schlanger/Gothamist Two very controversial things happened at yesterday's big City Council meeting to talk about bike lanes, and how they're ruining Christmas. First, City Council member David Greenfield proposed mandatory registering for all bike riders, the same way drivers have to register with the DMV. (DBV does have... [ MORE ] |
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