On Tuesday, the New York City Transit Museum opened a small exhibit dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of Metro-North Railroad in its Annex at Grand Central Terminal. It features some artifacts from both the pre-MTA takeover (which created Metro-North) days to today and provides a Cliffs Notes version on how the railroad that serves the northern suburbs and Connecticut operates. It also touches, albeit a bit too briefly, on how the railroad is like the......

Photograph of Barack Obama at a rally in Virginia Beach by Rick Bowmer/AP Barack Obama won yesterday's Maine caucus, with about 57-60% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's approximate 40-42%. This makes Obama's fourth win in a row, after sweeping the Democratic contests in Louisiana, Nebraska, and Washington yesterday. About 8 inches of snow fell in Maine, but voters were still lined up outside some doors. Politico's Ben Smith writes:Obama's victory comes despite being......

Philadelphia 105 Knicks 77: On Tuesday, the Sixers fired their GM and President. On Wednesday, they lost to Boston, a team that is currently 17-2. On Friday and Saturday they swept a home-and-home against the Knicks, a team that desperately needs to start over again. It’s time Jim Dolan, if you even care anymore. It’s time Isiah Thomas, if you care about anything beyond your current job. Long ago the Garden was a magical place......

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? We're definitely setting our DVR to record The Martha Stewart Show. She’s got a three great New York Italian chefs on today: Odetta Fada of San Domenico, Lidia Bastianich of Felidia and Del Posto, and pastry chef Gina DePalma of Babbo. On Tuesday she’s got cookbook editor Judith Jones, and on Wednesday, New Orleans chef Susan Spicer (Monday-Friday, 1pm, NBC). But the prime time highlight might be a......

On Tuesday afternoon, 72-year-old Reinaldo Herrera was hanging Christmas lights outside his Westbury home and went inside to get more lights. Suddenly, a 21-year-old gang member stormed in, threatening him with a gun and demanded cash and jewelry. Somehow, Herrera managed to overpower the would-be robber; the senior said, "When he say, 'Give me the ring, give me the watch, give me the money,' I put my hands on him, strong, to the floor." He......

The Reverend Al Sharpton, speaking out against the beating a black man in Staten Island, announced that he will organize a protest march in the next few weeks. He said, "New York is becoming worse than Louisiana. We're going to Staten Island, Jena, Washington - and we're going to bring out numbers like you've never seen before." On Tuesday, Skylar McCormack, who is black and had been with some white friends, was attacked by......

iTunes/Starbucks Partnership Launches Sony Bravia Ad rip off Artists work MLB & Joost Partnership Zune 2.0 And finally iTunes/Starbucks Partnership Launches On Tuesday the announced Apple & Starbucks partnership, to offer wireless iTunes in store experiences, launched in 600 locations in Seattle and New York City. Laptop (both Mac and PC), iPhone and iTouch users will be able to purchase music from the iTunes music store wirelessly at participating locations. What is really interesting......

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? Tonight on No Reservations (10pm on the Travel Channel), Anthony Bourdain goes to Tuscany. Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (the US version of his BBC show) is on Wednesday at 9pm (Fox). This week, Ramsay makes over Dillon’s in NYC—this is the makeover over which Ramsay was sued (and charges were subsequently dismissed). Want your restaurant Ramsified? Go to the show’s website for a downloadable application form. On Top......

This week on food-TV, we've got: Tonight on No Reservations (10pm on the Travel Channel), Bourdain goes to Buenos Aires and Patagonia, Argentina. On Top Chef, Episode 11 airs Wednesday at 10pm (Bravo). Chef Jimmy Canora is the guest judge. Frank Bruni blogs about the show in the Times, calls Howie “the season’s best villain, the toque you’d love to choke.” And Bourdain is guest judging again this week as well; says that this episode......

Yesterday, a housekeeper found a female body wrapped in garbage bags and stuffed under a bed in Room 608 of the Hotel Carter. The woman, described as a white woman in her 20s, was not carrying any identification and the ME's office is conducting an autopsy to determine her cause of death; WABC 7 says that the woman suffered a blunt trauma to the head, but it's unclear if it's the cause of death. The......

In recent years, Third Avenue in Brooklyn has seen three children killed by vehicular traffic. Last year, 4-year-old James Rice was fatally struck by a Hummer at Third Avenue and Baltic Avenue, and in 2004, PS 124 Juan Estrada and Victor Flores were fatally struck by a vehicle as they crossed Third Avenue at Ninth Street, just blocks away. On Tuesday, arts organization Groundswell Community Mural Project unveiled a mural at Third and Butler:......

On Tuesday, a Con Ed executive faced a number of irritated City Council members seeking answers about the July 18 steam pipe explosion in Midtown. Senior vice president William Longhi said that the investigation could take another two or three months, but City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said, "You may not have all the answers and all the Ts crossed and all the Is dotted. I can accept that. But I cannot accept that you......

Porn on the 4th of July The theme to this summer's outdoor concert season seem to be coming up with new ways to deal with rain. While Manu Chao embraced it and Cheeseburger/Oxford Collapse had to cancel because of it, the New Pornographers just kind of went on despite it. First, indie one-hit wonder Midlake opened with a perfectly serviceable set. After came out the newly bearded A.C. Newman and the gang to play a......

On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing about landmarks designation for the Domino Sugar Factory, a complex of buildings on the Brooklyn waterfront. Overall, preservationists, community members, and the developers agreed that preservation is important. The only question is how much should be preserved: While the main refinery building will almost certainly be landmarked given support, there's debate about the surrounding area. Some preservationists, though, want to expand the landmarks designation. However,......

Mets 8, Twins 1: The Mets went 16 days between wins that came on days other than a Friday. What does that prove? Nothing, except that they hadn't been winning that frequently. John Maine put together a good start Monday, however, and the Mets followed suit. Carlos Delgado improved on his .290 on-base percentage by going 2-for-4 with a home run. The other half of Brothers Carlos, Carlos Beltran, took until the eighth inning to......

On Tuesday, the New-York Historical Society scored a victory at the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), which unanimously approved a scaled-down plan to renovate the building's exterior. In spite of unrelenting criticism from local Community Board 7, the LPC panel affirmed the appropriateness of modifications such as:- A recessed glass entrance vestibule with two new portals adapted from current windows at the Central Park West entrance. - Wider main staircase and free-standing graphic kiosks......

On Tuesday "The Oprah Winfrey Show" became a platform for the Hip-Hop community to respond to the Don Imus controversy with a panel discussion featuring Russell Simmons, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Kevin Liles, Common and more. Should musicians lose their jobs or their contracts for using words that are considered racist and sexist? As seen in the video clip below, the former EIC of Essence Magazine thinks so. She is met with many who disagree, however,......

Betty and Bob Matas, along with cab driver Doulgas Guldeniz, are well on their near-cross-country trek to Sedona, Arizona from Forest Hills. And not only are the Matases' cats Cleopatra and Pretty Face along for the ride, so is Daily News reporter Peter Donohue! We hope that Ford Escape taxi is big enough for everyone - apparently Cleo and Pretty Face hate each other. The Daily News had the charming story about the trio......

Is beating up a 14-year-old a new low in irrational rap rivalries gone worse? On Saturday, rapper Tony Yayo, who is also a member of 50 Cent's G-Unit, turned himself into police. Yayo and some other men were accused of assaulting a 14-year-old boy on 25th Street. And it wasn't just any regular 14-year-old boy - the boy happened to be the son of Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond, head of a rival music management company Czar......

Despite the warm winter weather, coat drives have not lost momentum this season in comparison to coat sales. This week, there are several more creative ways to give. On Tuesday, January 9, New York Cares wraps up its 18th year of coat collecting with the Weatherproof® Garment Company’s Coat-The-Rink-Skate-A-Thon. The day begins early when a few lucky volunteers (which could include you) will take to the ice with Olympic figure skater Sasha Cohen at 6:30am.......

With the Citigroup buying the naming rights to the new Mets Stadium, MTA executives are hoping to hitch a ride on the company's money train. On Tuesday, the Daily News reported that the MTA will be in discussions with Citigroup about renaming "two MTA stations: the Shea Stadium stops on the subway and commuter railroad systems, an authority spokesman confirms." There were two opinions in the article: An MTA board member who said he would......

On Tuesday, the American -ists will be celebrating democracy and hitting the polls, letting politicians know what they really think. It just made us wonder: if it were up to the -ist-a-verse, what would we be voting for? Londonist votes for better skincare, alternative spaces for art, cute little birds and the men who keep them, and concrete. Lots of concrete. Shanghaiist votes for one of the Bee Gees and Air Supply (it's a......

As the summer air cools into fall and peach season passes into apple, there's no better place to observe the changing of the season's than in a backyard garden enjoying swell food. Chestnut, whose white French doors sit invitingly on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, is just the antidote for a meal whose inviting atmosphere is as addictive as you will find its food. Inside, exposed beams and wood planks are complimented by candlelight;......

As we mentioned yesterday in Extra, Extra, this week brought Manhattan preservationists some bad news and some bad news with a side of hope. First up, the bad but slightly hopeful news. On Thursday morning the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York shocked a number of folk when they, with no warning, started to demolish St. Brigid's Church on Avenue B and 7th (above), which at 157-years-old is one of the oldest houses of......

Thanks to Midtown Lunch for tipping us off -- today Chipotle is giving away free burritos at its new location on 48th between 6th & 7th Aves next Tuesday: That’s right…. the day has finally arrived. Wednesday, the Chipotle on 48th St. between 6th and 7th avenue is opening to the public- and to celebrate (as all new Chipotles do), Tuesday is free burrito day. That’s right. On Tuesday, from 11am to 8pm, everyone willing......

Apparently bad behavior by real estate developers isn't limited to Brooklyn. On Tuesday, the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission awarded protected status to the old PS64 building on Ninth Street. The building had been occupied for 20 years by CHARAS/El Bohio, a community organization, until it was bought by Gregg Singer. He announced plans to strip the building of its architectural details and turn it into a 19-story university dorm, outraging just about everyone in......

Remember that New York magazine article from two weeks ago, about older women robbing the cradle and going after underage boy? Well, there have been two new cases that are certainly doozies: On Tuesday, a 40 year old female teacher at a private Montessori school was charged with statutory rape and sodomy after it was revealed she had been having sex with underage male students who were only 12 and 13 when the affairs started.......

They say that history repeats itself, but this is re-dunk-u-lous. Moynihan Station, the long-planned Penn Station expansion into the Farley Post Office that is intended to make up for the destruction of the late, great, original Penn Station (above) hasn't even been built yet but developers are already vying to build a new Madison Square Garden on top of and around it. And yes, this would be MSG number 5 for those of you......

...this week has got it all. Kick it off tonight at the South Street Seaport Museum (Melville Gallery, 213 Water Street), as the New York Review of Science Fiction Readings presents Robert Freeman Wexler (his latest novel is Circus of the Grand Design) and Gregory Frost (with his latest, Attack of the Jazz Giants). The reading starts at 7PM and the suggested donation is $5. Tomorrow night (4/5), head down to KGB Bar (85 E.......

This week at the movies, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that the new releases are seriously scrapping the bottom of the quality bucket. How many weeks now has it been that we've had this complaint? The good news is that, as per usual, there's load of other fascinating movie related events In New York to sink your teeth into with relish. Someday soon someone should tally up the release record......