A partially collapsed crane hangs from a high-rise building in Manhattan as Hurricane Sandy makes its approach in New York October 29, 2012. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Follow live updates on Hurricane Sandy
Wowza.
The subways are shutting down. A partial evacuation has been ordered. The city recently announced the mandatory evacuation of Zone A, a series of low-lying areas in the city, which include the areas shown above in orange. And as a precaution, the city will also shut down the subways at 7 p.m., and the final bus will run at 9 p.m. Above is the hurricane evacuation guide released by the city. (The PDF is available here, and here are direct links to the JPGs: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3.) If you need to track a specific address, use this zone finder. “This evacuation is mandatory — it is for your own safety,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a press conference. “We’ve got to take some precautions today.” Please be safe, folks.
EDIT: Updated the link to the PDF. Also, be sure to check our post about the New York Times’ interactive map showing this information.
Delis and hotdog stands are barred from selling a 20-ounce lemonade, but the 7-Eleven a few feet away remains free to sell Big Gulps.A lawsuit filed against New York City • Asking a court to block the infamous soda ban that’s supposed to take effect in March. A number of key groups, including the American Beverage Association and the National Restaurant Association, went ahead with the lawsuit, which was widely expected, on Friday.
Want the keys to the city of New York? Some dude is selling them on eBay, according to the New York Post. In fact, an undercover Post reporter paid $149.95 for this set, buying them from a retired locksmith with an eBay profile.
In a significant blow to New York City’s use of stop-and-frisk tactics, the Bronx district attorney’s office is no longer prosecuting people who were stopped at public housing projects and arrested for trespassing, unless the arresting officer submits to an interview to ensure that the arrest was warranted.
Prosecutors quietly adopted the policy in July after discovering that many people arrested on charges of criminal trespass at housing projects were innocent, even though police officers had provided written statements to the contrary.
By essentially accusing the police of wrongfully arresting people, the stance taken by Bronx prosecutors is the first known instance in which a district attorney has questioned any segment of arrests resulting from stop-and-frisk tactics.
“This is exactly what prosecutors should be doing before proceeding with criminal prosecutions — namely making sure that formulaic statements by police officers actually have some basis to support the arrest and prosecution,” explains Legal Aid Society’s Steven Banks.
Tornado confirmed in NYC: So, tornadoes aren’t just a midwestern thing. With confirmed reports of a storm touching down in a beachfront area of Queens (above) and a tornado watch for all five boroughs lasting until 9 p.m., looks like New Yorkers are getting to experience certain things for the first time. Fortunately, nobody was injured in this one, though it did cause some damage and power outages. Other natural disasters they’ve had to deal with lately? An earthquake (which was really more of a DC thing) and a tropical storm. (image by Joey Mure, via AP)
EDIT: Worth pointing out that tornadoes aren’t completely unheard of in NYC (just somewhat rare), as a 2010 storm took out hundreds of trees in Brooklyn. (ht ohheybill)
Details are starting to emerge about a shooting near the Empire State Building earlier this morning. The latest reports have at least 10 victims confirmed, including the suspect, who was shot and killed by police officers.
Pretty crazy stuff this morning. The New York Post describes the shooting as a disagreement between co-workers that got out of hand.
Knife-wielding man shot, killed by police in Times Square: The shooting, which took place at 3 p.m. Saturday, happened after the man reportedly threatened tourists and bystanders, was sprayed with pepper spray, and attempted to rush police. “He continued to advance on uniformed officers, refusing officers’ repeated commands to drop his weapon,” said police spokesperson Paul J. Brown. The shooting happened at a particularly rough hour for something like this — at a point in the week when Times Square is loaded with tourists. (photo by Lincoln Rocha for The New York Times)
EDIT: Via MegsOkay, here’s video of the shooting.
One of the perks of being an early employee...
Over the last 90 days, the Digg...
#FMMDI (at 30 Rockefeller Plaza)
Thanks. I guess my thoughts are as follows:
1. I think...
Two Months Ago I set out to interview the principal cast...
This guy’s name is Gen. Keith...
ATTENTION TUMBLR! I promised myself that I would have one of these once I finally moved to New York City, and huzzah! Here I am. And so, in honor of our own ShortformBlog’s brief visit to this wonderful city, I invite you to join me on Thursday evening for some good drinks, a couple wonderful Tumblrs (this time, with name tags!), and of course, me.
WHEN: Thursday, July 19th, 6pm - bust
WHERE: Bleecker Heights Tavern, 296 Bleecker Street (above the Five Guys - yes, you have to go into the Five Guys)
RSVP: Message me, email me, or just show up!BE THERE OR BE SQUARE. YOU CAN’T SAY YOU DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS HAPPENING THIS TIME.
It’s true. I’ll be there. You should stop by. — Ernie @ SFB
In case you missed this earlier, here’s another quick notice. And, good news, SFB’s very own Chris Tognotti will make an appearance here as well! It’ll be great!
Yowza.
As long as this storm is cleared up by the time of tomorrow’s Rebloggable Round Table meetup in NYC. That’s all we ask, Mother Nature.
ATTENTION TUMBLR! I promised myself that I would have one of these once I finally moved to New York City, and huzzah! Here I am. And so, in honor of our own ShortformBlog’s brief visit to this wonderful city, I invite you to join me on Thursday evening for some good drinks, a couple wonderful Tumblrs (this time, with name tags!), and of course, me.
WHEN: Thursday, July 19th, 6pm - bust
WHERE: Bleecker Heights Tavern, 296 Bleecker Street (above the Five Guys - yes, you have to go into the Five Guys)
RSVP: Message me, email me, or just show up!BE THERE OR BE SQUARE. YOU CAN’T SAY YOU DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS HAPPENING THIS TIME.
It’s true. I’ll be there. You should stop by. — Ernie @ SFB
35 Years Ago, New York City Blacks Out
On a muggy dog-day evening last week, a vagrant summer storm knocked out high-voltage power lines in the near New York exurbs—and within the hour returned 9 million people to the dark, heat and disquiet of a pre-electric age … And it underscored once again the fragility of urban American in the last quarter of the twentieth century—a state of dependence so total that a burst of lightning could shut down the nation’s largest city as surely and nearly as completely as a neutron bomb.
Newsweek, July, 25, 1977
This is what DC was like two weeks ago, except with laptops, power outlets and sniping.
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
