GPS Lets Drivers Elude Red-Light Cams, DWIs

NEW YORK, NY — It’s a scofflaw’s dream – new GPS software that alerts New York City drivers to red-light cameras, speed traps and DWI checkpoints so they can steer clear of cops and traffic tickets.

“The system gives you enough time to correct any dopey thing you’re about to do,” said Brooklyn subway conductor John Carlson, 49, who bought the software from Pennsylvania-based PhantomAlert last year, and said it “absolutely” has helped him avoid tickets.

Video – MTA Reconsiders Weekend Service Cuts

NEW YORK, NY [NY1] — The MTA now says a plan to cut back weekend subway service can be avoided, if Albany lawmakers act on a plan to shore up the agency’s $1.2 billion budget gap.

Last week, the MTA said it was moving forward with plans to reduce the scheduled frequency of weekend subway service on most of the lettered lines, beginning in June.

Mayor: State is Stealing our Stimulus Package

NEW YORK, NY — Mayor Bloomberg was screaming highway robbery last night after Albany announced the city would get $1.9 billion in the first allocation of federal stimulus funds – at least $200 million less than he was counting on.

“The mayor has repeatedly said he was concerned that federal stimulus money meant for the city would get lost in Albany, and we are already seeing a clear example,” declared Stu Loeser, the mayor’s spokesman.

State Slaps Dr. Do-Good

The state is trying to shut down a New York City doctor’s ambitious plan to treat uninsured patients for around $1,000 a year.

Dr. John Muney offers his patients everything from mammograms to mole removal at his AMG Medical Group clinics, which operate in all five boroughs.

“I’m trying to help uninsured people here,” he said.

His patients agree to pay $79 a month for a year in return for unlimited office visits with a $10 co-pay.

But his plan landed him in the crosshairs of the state Insurance Department, which ordered him to drop his fixed-rate plan – which it claims is equivalent to an insurance policy.

Brooklyn Bridge Repairs to Cost Much more than Expected

BROOKLYN, NY — Major repairs to the crumbling Brooklyn Bridge, which are scheduled to begin this summer and close parts of the span for three years, will now cost up to $200 million more than originally anticipated.

Rehabbing the degrading bridge will cost up to $500 million, according to the Department of Transportation — a hike from the $300 million that the agency said it would need to fix approaches, ramps and anchorages, repaint the bridge and replace barriers and railings, the New York Post reported on Sunday.

Buried … NYC Preps for More Than 1 Foot of Snow

NEW YORK, NY — March is roaring in like a lion, with most of New York and New Jersey under a winter storm warning for heavy snow from Sunday night to Monday evening. The storm could dump more than a foot of snow on New York City.

Cop Killer Gets Life in Prison and then Some

BROOKLYN, NY — One of the men found guilty of killing a rookie cop in Brooklyn was sentenced today to life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

Dexter Bostic, 36, was convicted in December of gunning down Officer Russel Timoshenko in July 2007 after he and his partner, Herman Yan, injured, pulled over a stolen BMW SUV in Crown Heights.

MTA Planning to Cut Weekend Subway Service

NEW YORK, NY — The MTA will cut weekend subway service even if it gets a state bailout, officials said Monday.

And, for the first time in six years, the number of weekday riders dropped 2% in January, suggesting job losses have begun to thin the throngs of straphangers riding the rails.

L Train Goes Fully Computerized Today

NEW YORK, NY — Robo train is finally pulling into the station next week [today].

Starting Tuesday [today], L line trains will be fully controlled by a computerized signal system, officials said Friday.

FBI Director Warns of Terror Attacks on US Cities

WASHINGTON, DC — FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III today warned that extremists “with large agendas and little money can use rudimentary weapons” to sow terror, raising the specter that recent attacks in Mumbai that killed 170 people last year could embolden terrorists seeking to attack U.S. cities.

Fifth Grader Making Case Against Homework

CORAM, NY [CBS] — Even though he’s just a fifth grader, 11-year-old Ben Berrafato is challenging – seriously challenging – one of this country’s most enduring and widely held beliefs: The belief that kids need homework.

Experts Warn NYC In For Big Quake

NEW YORK, NY — The Big Apple is due for the Big One.

The trio of earthquakes that surprised New Jersey over the past month has seismologists wondering what’s next – and they say it doesn’t look good.

Food Fight: Brooklyn Co-op Mulls Israel Ban

Located in the heart of Brooklyn, near Prospect Park, the Park Slope Food Coop is at the nexus of the borough’s many diverse Jewish populations. From the liberal Jews of Park Slope to the Hasidic Jews of Crown Heights, the coop is one of the few places in Brooklyn where Jews of all denominations converge in a shared mission: to buy natural foods at reasonable prices.

But the co-op’s unusual Jewish character is being tested by a proposal to ban products bought from Israel, such as the persimmons and red peppers that are currently in the produce aisle.

City Plans First Public Toilet for Grand Army Plaza

BROOKLYN, NY — The city is moving towards placing Brooklyn’s first official public toilet in Grand Army Plaza — finally bringing some relief to the heart (and other organs) of the borough.

NY Post Cartoon Seems to Link Obama to Dead Chimp

NEW YORK, NY [AP] — The New York Post is standing behind a cartoon that some have interpreted as comparing President Barack Obama to a violent chimpanzee gunned down by police.

New York Only to Get Hotter, Rainier and More Flood-Prone

NEW YORK, NY — New York will be hotter, rainier and more likely to flood in the coming decades – with sea levels possibly rising more than four feet, a panel of scientists said Tuesday – “All of the evidence from the science community is that the seas are going to rise,” said Mayor Bloomberg as he unveiled the panel’s report.

NYPD Learns Lessons from Mumbai Terrorist Attack

NEW YORK, NY — Cops with helmets, heavy vests and assault rifles approached the building where hostages were being held. One barked orders as cops bounded across the street with military precision to cover each other at cross-angles.