Back in April, the New York Attorney General’s office filed a lawsuit against Sprint, alleging the wireless provider deliberately under-collected sales tax in an effort to remain competitive. Now, Sprint has revealed that it is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission over these same allegations. [More]
SEC Investigates Sprint Over Allegations It Failed To Properly Collect Sales Tax
By August 2, 2012
NYC Movie Theaters Fight Back Against Mayor’s Big Soda Ban
By July 6, 2012
While hit new movies might make millionaires out of actors, directors and key grips, movie theaters often make little to no money on the actual ticket sales of high-profile, first-run movies. Instead, they depend on those movies to bring in customers to pay big bucks for huge drinks and buckets of popcorn. Thus, you can imagine why theater owners in New York City aren’t exactly doing somersaults in celebration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban of large sodas. [More]
Woman Spends Night In Jail Over 10-Year-Old Traffic Ticket
By June 19, 2012
Back in 2002, a 17-year-old New Jersey driver received a ticket in New York for not having her insurance card on her. And even though she apparently didn’t pay the fine, she was able to renew her license and commute by car to New York City ever day for the last six years. That is, until she was arrested last week. [More]
Coke: No Link Between Sugary Drinks & Obesity
By June 8, 2012
While there is little doubt that the obesity rate in the U.S. has risen in recent decades, there is a lot of finger-pointing and “not me”-ing when it comes to placing blame. And with NYC Mayor Michael “I’ll just have water” Bloomberg trying to put the smackdown on high-calorie sodas, Coca-Cola is letting it be known it won’t fold without a fight. [More]
NY Lawmakers Want To Do Away With Anonymous Online Comments
By May 23, 2012
Anonymous hate-mongering,name-calling and venom-spitting has been around the Internet since before many of the people reading this post even had an e-mail address. While most of us have just come to accept that this is part of the cost of having an online community, state lawmakers in New York have drafted legislation that intends to do away with anonymous commenting. [More]
Average Foreclosure In NYC Area Now Takes Longer Than 3 Years
By April 27, 2012
Aside from being the title of a totally rad Olsen Twins movie, the phrase “New York minute” implies that things move rapidly in the Big Apple. One exception is the home foreclosure process, which can drag out to more than 1,100 days in the NYC metro area. [More]
Hero Or Scoundrel? 92-Year-Old Pirates DVDs To Send To Troops Stationed Overseas
By April 27, 2012
Making a copy of a new DVD to send to a loved one stationed overseas with the armed forces is something many people would consider just fine. Making thousands of copies of that same DVD for sale on street corners would likely earn some frowns from the public. But what about someone — especially an adorable nonagenarian World War II vet — who makes thousands of copies for the sole purpose of entertaining the troops? [More]
Supreme Court Decides At Least Some NYC Apartments Will Remain Affordable
By April 23, 2012
For more than 40 years, finding a rent-stabilized apartment in New York City has been like winning the lottery. Earlier this morning, the U.S. Supreme Court shot down a challenge to the rent-stabilization regulations, meaning at least a million city residents will continue to pay rent that is only a fraction of what their neighbors pay [More]
Water Bill Jumps From $62 To $1,400. Will Cost $180 To Have Meter Inspected
By April 19, 2012
When your quarterly water bill goes up a few thousand percent after the city installs a new meter at your house, you’d think the utilities folks would want to take a look at that meter because it’s either broken or your house is about to float away. But not in New York City, where it will cost you $180 just for the privilege of having that meter inspected by a human being. [More]
NY Attorney General Files $300 Million Lawsuit Against Sprint
By April 19, 2012
Earlier today, the Attorney General for the state of New York accused the folks at Sprint-Nextel Corp of deliberately failing to collect more than $100 million in sales tax from customers — and now he wants the nation’s third-largest wireless provider to pay up. [More]
Culinary Bill Shock: Beware The Secret $275 Truffle Pasta Special!
By April 9, 2012
There’s a small, innocuous-looking cafe on Madison Ave that you may find yourself considering on your next meander through New York City. Watch out, says BoingBoing, whose Rob Beschizza wandered into the place on a lark, you’re about to get socked with hidden charges. How bad could it be? Behold: [More]
Report: More Than 200 Items A Day Stolen From Passengers At JFK Airport
By March 27, 2012
JFK International in NYC isn’t just one of the busier airports in the country, it’s also reportedly the place in the Big Apple for passengers to have stuff stolen out of their bags. [More]
NYC Taxis To Finally Clear Up The Whole On/Off Duty Thing
By February 29, 2012
For years, people trying to hail a cab in New York City have been confused by trying to decode the many permutations of taxis’ “Off Duty” lights. If those words are illuminated, the cab may still be available, but only if the medallion number light is also on — and if you happen to be heading in the direction the cab is driving. It’s confusing enough to NYC residents, and downright confounding to most visitors. But that’s all about to be cleared up. [More]
NY To Require That Banks Send Decision-Makers, Not Mouthpieces, To Foreclosure Proceedings
By February 22, 2012
Like many states that are trying to both expedite judicial review of foreclosures and keep as many people in their homes as possible, New York has enacted new measures, like requiring that bank lawyers verify foreclosure paperwork and that all homeowners receive legal assistance. But a big problem keeps coming up that continues to cause delays — no one in the room actually has the authority to change a loan agreement. [More]
Anti-SOPA Protests Planned Around The Country Today
By January 18, 2012
Even though the House Judiciary Committee has moved its planned hearing on the Stop Internet Piracy Act from today until February — perhaps hoping that we’ll all be too hungover from Super Bowl beer and wings to care — that’s not going to stop people who are peeved about SOPA and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act, from taking to the streets to have their say. [More]
Vodka Company To Take Down Billboard After Complaints Of Anti-Semitism
By November 23, 2011
Yesterday, we brought you the story of the Wodka (a brand of Vodka and not a typo) billboard that advertised “Christmas Quality” at “Hanukkah Pricing,” which more than a few folks took as playing up the stereotype that Jewish people as cheap. After initially attempting to defend the ad by claiming that the idea was to say Hanukkah’s eight nights of festivities are a better bargain than the one day of Christmas, the makers of Wodka announced last night that they will be taking the billboard down. [More]
Foreclosure Mill That Mocked Homeless For Halloween Is Shutting Down, Blames NY Times
By November 22, 2011
Remember that foreclosure mill law firm in NY state that got caught mocking the homeless during Halloween? They subsequently apologized, but that couldn’t keep the firm afloat, and last week it was announced that the company was closing. So whose fault is this? Well, the NY Times’ fault, obviously. [More]
After Last Department Store Leaves, Town Decides To Start Its Own
By November 14, 2011
After the last department store in town went bankrupt in 2002, the townsfolk of Saranac Lake, NY, faced the daunting prospect of having to drive 50 miles away just to purchase underwear. Rather than give up or give into complaining, they pulled themselves up by their mud boots and decided to build their own store, and it just opened. [More]
