An appellate court ruled the City of New York cannot limit its liability in the 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash that left 11 dead and injured over a hundred others. This ruling upholds last year's decision from a U.S District Judge; the city could appeal with the Supreme Court, but the Staten Island Advance says "that option doesn't seem likely." The city had wanted to cap the amount of the awards to the value of......

Seems as though the Staten Island Ferry riders have had enough of the preachers that give unsolicited sermons during their daily commutes. Today one of them stood up to a preacher, and garnered much applause for the act. The Ferry Forum has been abuzz about the preachers, and today one poster explained the above video: "This morning I'm sitting in the back of the boat and the preacher is preaching telling us what sinners and......

Photograph of the Staten Island Ferry fish tanks by AllwaysNY on Flickr The new fish tanks at the Staten Island Ferry terminal have already prompted two complaints. But not the kind you think: The Staten Island Advance reports "two ferry riders expressed their annoyance that they missed their ride because they were too busy admiring the fish and didn't hear the announcements the boat was boarding." Which means the $750,000 fish tanks are a......

Photograph of Staten Island ferry fishes through fish eye by urbanblitz on Flickr A reported fish fatality in the Staten Island Ferry's newly installed $750,000 fish tanks has spurred a lively discussion about what could be happening to the scaly creatures on SILive's forums. One poster wrote the fish death (perhaps the second) was "possibly a princess parrot fish...By 7:30AM it hadn't become a meal yet, but some of his buddies were starting to......

Almost five years after the horrifying incident where the Staten Island Ferry crashed into wooden pilings at a pier, the city will pay $6.5 million to a man who lost part of his right leg. Shriram Agni was on the front of the boat when the ferry crashed, and his right leg was "sandwiched between collapsing seats." Agni's leg, six inches below the knee, was amputated due to complications and he learned to walk again......

A trio of helpful hustlers have hit the streets of New York and are pulling scams on city residents. All in the name of education! Hidden cameras catch their tricks and viewers of their show, The Real Hustle, can learn how to avoid and prevent the sketchy situations. The episodes have included a scary look into the cash machine hustler's mind, the real deal behind too good to be true apartment listings, and an eavesdropping......

Staten Island Ferry, by General Erin at Flickr Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: missing children on 12th Ave. in Brooklyn, an overturned tractor trailer on the eastbound BQE in Queens, and an armed robbery on West 42nd St. in Manhattan. The contraband room at JFK International: it's like a freegan's vision of heaven. The clock atop the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower (now One Hanson Place) started ticking today at noon. A man was......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a train derailment at 86th St. and 20th Ave. in Brooklyn, an overturned crane at 100th St. and Rockaway Beach Blvd. in Queens, and an amputation on Hylan Blvd. on Staten Island. A guy who jumps off buildings for fun says that security guards caused him "severe emotional distress" when they prevented him from leaping off the Empire State Building, so he's suing the ESB's owners for $30 million.......

The MTA has been making an effort to warn commuters to watch their step going up and down the subway stairs, but it’s not just because they care so much about your safety – it’s because they can be held liable for your nasty falls. A former doorman has been awarded $7.67 million in damages resulting from a spill he took on the stairs of a Bronx subway station back in 1998. In this case......

A report released by the Center for Immigration Studies shows that foreign born immigrants living in New York are socioeconomically closer to the average citizen than elsewhere in the country. The study says that New York immigrants are more likely to be in the country legally, have health insurance and tend to be better educated. The New York Times reports that the states with the widest income gaps between immigrants and citizens are California, Texas,......

A group of influential paisans from Staten Island, drunk on the idea of starting the first vineyard in contemporary New York City, have been on a wine-tasting tour of Tuscany, researching vineyards to figure out the best way to bring their brain-child back to their home borough. Yes, you read that correctly – according to today’s Times, you’ll soon be able to step off the Staten Island Ferry and pick up a bottle of Fresh......

Citing the unsightly damage that pigeon poop does to the city, City Council Member Simcha Felder announced a bill proposal to fine people $1000 for feeding pigeons. Some of Felder's key remarks and findings: "Stop feeding pigeons!" "If people like pigeons... feed [them] in your house and let them crap all over the place in your living room." A pigeon creates about 25 pounds of poop annually. "[The pigeons] may go elsewhere. Let them......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a missing patient at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, a car vs. overpass on Kings Highway in Brooklyn, and a truck explosion on 64th Rd. and 108th St. in Queens. A sharp-sighted deckhand on a Staten Island Ferry spotted a pistol sticking out of the pocket of a dim-witted passenger snoozing on a Sunday morning ferry. The passenger, who was arrested, had a long record of criminal weapons possessions.......

Yesterday we took a National Park Service tour of Governors Island. The tour was just of the sites controlled by the Parks Service known as the Governors Island National Historic District and not of the whole island which is under the control of various local, state and federal agencies, so all the good stuff on the southern end of the island like the abandoned PX, bowling alley and Burger King weren’t on the tour.......

EXPLORE: Last call to visit the historic Governors Island this season! Free ferry rides depart hourly right next to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Sitting 800 yards off the southern tip of Manhattan and about 400 from the Brooklyn waterfront, it isn't often you can get a view of the city and a house like that one to the right all from the same place. All Weekend // Governors Island // More info here READING:......

The NYCLU and ACLU are suing the Transportation Security Administration and Jet Blue over an incident where a passenger was forced to cover/change his shirt, which had Arabic lettering. Last year, Reid Jarrar, an American resident of Iraqi descent, was taking a JetBlue flight at JFK when a TSA official asked him to over his shirt, which read "We Will Not Be Silent" in both English and Arabic. The shirt's message is taken from the......

Esquire has a story written by the person who discovered Spalding Gray's body which ends with this quote from Gray's wife, Kathleen Russo: "No, please, do whatever you like. You don't have to be tasteful. This is Spalding Gray. All he ever talked about was his own death." The 28-year old internet developer, Robin Snead, was with a friend at the Brooklyn waterfront in March 2004 and noticed "some feet poking out from under the......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: A train derailed on Otto Rd. in Queens, a stabbing at Rockaway Blvd. and Broadway in Brooklyn, and a sexual assault at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn. Visitors to the New York-New York hotel-casino in Las Vegas got an extra dose of big city verisimilitude last night, when shots rang out in the casino's mezzanine. Three people were struck, but none were seriously injured before the gunman was tackled.......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Israel Baseball League Opening Day (Sunday. 11:00 a.m., 4::30 p.m., WNET 13; 10:00 p.m., WLIW 21) This special looks at the newest professional baseball league’s opening day where the Modi’in Miracle played the Petach Tikva Pioneers in the first Israeli professional baseball league. Concert for Diana (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., WNBC 4) Princes William and Harry are the driving forces behind this concert featuring their favorite musicians perform......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a water rescue at Emmons Ave. and Knapp St. in Brooklyn, a serious assault on West 37th St. and 11th Ave. in Manhattan, and a bank robbery on Flatlands Ave. in Queens. The body of the Ecuadorian man who was killed in a bar fight earlier this week will be returned home at the expense of a businessman, also from Ecuador, who appreciated the man's abbreviated attempt to support......

With much fanfare, the city announced a new public space recycling pilot program last month at the Staten Island Ferry Terminals. Six locations across the city are getting blue and green recycling bins to encourage people to separate their glass bottles and newspapers from regular trash. Not a groundbreaking idea, an important step for the city to expand its recycling efforts. We hope the pilot program works, but there's some doubt about New Yorkers'......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a large sinkhole at University Ave. in the Bronx, a carjacking on Foch Blvd. in Queens, and a hanging on Park Ave. in Manhattan. Not only was Gov. Corzine not wearing his seatbelt, his state trooper driver was doing 91 m.p.h.(!) right before the crash. The speed limit on the Garden State Parkway is 65 m.p.h. Nine people were injured this afternoon when the Staten Island Ferry made a......

In Congressional testimony in Washington D.C. yesterday, deputy NYPD commish Richard Falkenrath told lawmakers that he wakes up every morning braced for another terrorist attack. The method of attack? Simultaneous detonation of satchel bombs. Falkenrath, who was testifying in front of the Homeland Security Committee on a mass transit bill, also told House members that there have been 22 bomb threats and 31 leads related to subway attack plots this year. The proposed bill......

A judge has ruled that the city cannot limit the amount of damages in the Staten Island Ferry crash. The city wanted to cap the amount of awards at the value of the ferry itself, which is $14.4 million. But U.S. District Judge Edward Korman said, "The city's failure to provide a second pilot or otherwise adopt a reasonable practice that addresses the issue of pilot incapacitation was plainly a substantial factor in causing the......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: 10-75 at the Milford Plaza Hotel, DOA floater in Bay Ridge, and a water main break in East Midtown. Barclays, the bank that just bought naming rights to the Atlantic Yards arena, is demanding newspapers retract stories that mention Barclays' past involvement in slavery. The NY Times speaks to an "expert on the early British Empire" who says that all banks at the time had relationships with the slave......

Update: some late breaking news-- an LIRR train hit a pedestrian in Queens-- all service on the LIRR is shut down between Penn Station and Jamaica, but the subway is "cross-honoring" LIRR tickets. Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a small crane collapse in Williamsburg (pix here!), a DOA floater at the Staten Island Ferry terminal, and a police car MVA in Bay Ridge. Gowanus Lounge scores renderings of the forthcoming Whole Foods-- 4th Avenue......

Speaking of the legal system, the tugboat that helped during the Staten Island Ferry crash in October 2003 is now asking for $8 million in rewards. According to "ancient maritime law," mariners are encouraged to help other boaters in distress, with financial compensation as a reward, and now the Dorothy J.'s owner and crew believe they are entitled to the money. The city is arguing the ferry was never in danger of sinking and that......

The Times today has an interesting story on the continuing issues that have been troubling the slowly reemerging commercial ferry business here. Earlier this week New York Water Taxi announced that it was going to have to raise the cost of a trip between Jersey City and Wall Street from $6 to $9, much to the dismay of the 2,000 odd commuters who ride the boats daily. The increase was, the Times says, due......

-- Apparently the Astoria Blackout was just the tip of the iceberg: Gotham Gazette has a pretty horrifying look at the current state of NYC infrastructure. -- Anorexic Brooklynites, we've found your perfect apartment! -- 106 degrees in Hell's Kitchen? That sounds about right. And how about some smoking Pslope manholes? -- That is one angry looking kitty! -- More followup on that big jewel heist in Soho yesterday: two crooks were nabbed, but......

It's hot, humid, and I want to go to the beach. What are my options? Well, Gateway National Recreation Area is right in our neck of the woods, extending in three New York City boroughs and into northern New Jersey. It is a good place to start your quest for the perfect patch of sand and cooling waters. Queens: Jacob Riis Park 2 to Flatbush Ave., Q35 Bus to Riis Beach Staten Island: Great Kills......