An especially gloomy report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors says that property values across the U.S. could decline by $1.2 trillion next year, slashing tax revenue by $6.6 billion.
NEW YORK
60 Minutes Tackles The Menu Labeling Controversy
By 11.19.07
60 minutes aired a lengthy report last night on the menu labeling controversy, and all the usual suspects were in attendance.
"$25,000 Dessert" Restaurant Closed Due To Cockroaches, Sewage, Mouse Droppings, Fly Infestations
By 11.15.07
New York’s famous Serendipity 3 restaurant, home of the world’s most expensive dessert (the $25,000 “Frrozen Haute Chocolate”), has been shut down by the New York City Health Department after the restaurant failed two health inspections in a month.
Cuomo Subpoenas Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac In Home Appraisal Inflation Investigation
By 11.8.07
New York Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo has subpoenaed the nation’s two largest financiers of home mortgages, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in his investigation into the “systemic fraud” that has infected the business of real estate appraisals.
Home Depot Employee Caught Issuing Store Cards To Fake Customers
By 11.7.07
Criminals beware. You can be charged with “first-degree id theft” even if the “person” you’re “ID thefting” is Harvey the Rabbit.
New York Sues First American For Conspiring With WaMu To Inflate Home Appraisals
By 11.1.07
New York Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, announced today that he’s suing one of the nation’s largest real estate appraisal firms for conspiring with Washington Mutual to artificially inflate appraisals.
Man To Run NYC Marathon Carrying Textbooks To Protest High Cost Of College Texts
By 11.1.07
We know how much our readers hate expensive textbooks, so meet Andre Ditto, the 47 year-old vegan personal trainer who is going to run the NYC marathon carrying 30lbs of textbooks both to protest the high cost of college textbooks and as a promotion for ebook retailer CaféScribe.
Stuck With Dermot Management, A Modern-Day Slumlord
By 10.30.07
A reader writes:
A major NYC real estate corp [Dermot Management] is seriously fucking its tenants, myself included, and I just signed my lease a week ago and am now stuck with these bastards.
Site Of Most Infamous Mob Murder In NY History Is Now A Starbucks
By 10.29.07
The site of the most infamous mob murder in New York City history is now a Starbucks, but does anyone care? Nah. We certainly don’t care… but it’s a chance to learn about a mob murder:
Best Buy Sells You A Box Of Bathroom Tiles Instead Of Hard Drive, Won't Issue Refund
By 10.29.07
Sam says that he went to BestBuy.com and bought a hard drive for in-store pick up. What he got was a box of bathroom tiles. Now Best Buy is saying he’d better take it up with manufacturer and that they’re not going to issue a refund and that Sam should just take his loss. We don’t think he should. We think it’s not legal to sell someone a box full of bathroom tiles instead of a hard drive.
Chinatown Busses Now Offering WiFi, Guaranteed Seating
By 10.28.07
Chinatown busses, often the cheapest way to travel between Washington, New York, and Boston, are starting to outclass their established rivals by offering free WiFi service. One new entrant, Vamoose Bus, is even offering guaranteed seating – which can’t be found on Greyhound or any other Chinatown bus.
Unlicensed Dentist Dumps Ill Patient On Brooklyn Street
By 10.26.07
The New York Daily News is reporting that a phony dentist dumped an ill patient on the curb after botched oral surgery. The patient, Colette Villemin, is on life support after suffering what may have been an allergic reaction during surgery. She’s suffered heart and brain damage and may not survive.
New York City Proposes New Menu Labeling Regulations
By 10.25.07
NYC just isn’t giving up. They’ve rewritten the menu labeling regulation so that rather than making the menu rules dependent on whether or not the restaurant was already supplying nutritional information, all restaurants with more than 15 locations nationally will be required to put calorie info on the menus. This change puts them in accordance with federal law.
Verizon Worker Stole Customer's IDs
By 10.25.07
A woman who worked at a Verizon store at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, NY is accused of stealing the identities of more than 25 customers and using their personal information to obtain credit cards.
Verizon To Pay $1 Million To Customers After Falsely Advertising Data Plans As "Unlimited"
By 10.23.07
According to NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Verizon Wireless has agreed to reimburse $1 million to customers for wrongful account termination after falsely advertising their wireless plans as “unlimited,” when in fact the company sets limits and terminates the accounts of heavy users.
The $400,000 Wedding Florist Lawsuit: Dirty Vases and Brown, Wilted Flowers
By 10.22.07
We briefly mentioned a lawsuit in which a bride (who happens to be a lawyer) was suing her florist for $400,000 after she was disappointed with the wedding flowers she paid $30,000 for.
Tomato Juice Spill Causes Massive Delays At LaGuardia
By 10.22.07
Lines the length of city blocks filled New York’s LaGuardia airport Saturday morning after a careless worker spilled tomato juice onto one of the five x-ray machines in the American Airlines terminal. A TSA spokesman cast the tomato juice’s victory over the machines as a failure of science, saying: “That’s the risk you take when you deal with technology.” Passengers were understandably pissed.
When CBS 2 HD told one woman the reason for the delays, she asked if we were “kidding,” but it was no joke. The Transportation Safety Administration confirmed the spill knocked out one of the five units that screen thousands of passengers here each day.
