Yesterday, prosecutors said seven teens who attacked and stabbed Marcello Lucero (pictured) in Patchogue were specifically targeting Hispanics. ADA Nancy Clifford said, "In their own words, 'Let's go find some Mexicans to ---- up." Six of the teens were charged with gang assault as a hate crime, while one was charged with manslaughter as a hate crime and held without bail; they all pleaded not guilty. Newsday reports that Latino advocacy group Hispanics Across America may file a civil suit against the teens' parents, "Parents that teach their children hate are just as responsible as the kids who commit the crimes." And Lucero was remembered as a generous person who was excited about Barack Obama's presidential win; his brother said, "He saw it as a chance for people with brown skin to be seen as equals. Instead, my brother was killed because of his appearance." The NY Times has an editorial about Lucero's death, noting the anti-immigrant attitude encouraged by Republicans

Public art is everywhere these days, and Dylan Mortimer’s work may be the most provocative piece in the city at the moment. The NY Post reports that his prayer booths are located by the Roosevelt Island tram in Manhattan, and are meant to "get people talking." The Parks Dept. describes the interactive Public Prayer Booth as a synthesis of a telephone booth and a prayer station, where "the viewer can flip down a kneeler and engage in prayer." The artist, who is from Kansas City and a graduate of SVA, says, “My goal is to spark dialogue about a topic often avoided, and often treated cynically by the contemporary art world."

Last night, Senator Hillary Clinton was feted at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards, and joked to the crowd, "I’m grateful to Glamour because they liked my pantsuits, and that was one of the highlights of my presidential campaign." Also honored were actress Nicole Kidman, primatologist Jane Goodall, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Apparently Rice was looking forward to meeting Tyra Banks, a fellow honoree, and told the Daily News, "I want to go back to California, and I want to write a book on foreign policy and a book about my parents. I want to see what I can do to reach out to young people to get them involved and interested in the world and languages. We're a bit insular here in America." Here are some video highlights.

After spending thousands of dollars in legal fees trying to stop the NYPD from videotaping political demonstrations, the NYCLU was surprised and angered to learn recently that the police department had already changed its videotaping practices back in April 2007 without telling them. The Times reports that had lawyers known this, they would have dropped the lawsuit, because the NYCLU is okay with the more restrictive rules, which allow videotaping only where there is illegal activity or for crowd control. Now they're demanding that the city reimburse them for legal fees, and also give them a heads up when they make policy changes. The NYPD insists that they notified both the court and the NYCLU, but one of the lawyers tells the Times, "It reminds me of that cartoon where somebody is running at a wall over and over, and suddenly the door opens, and you realize nobody told you there was a door there." Photo cred.

There's a new New Year's Eve ball in town, and it's bigger and brighter than the one of year's past (12 feet in diameter, 11,875 pounds, and containing 32,000 LED lights and 2,668 pieces of crystal). One Good Morning America viewer, where it was unveiled earlier today (video), tells us that while it can "do patterns (sun, water, rainbow, American flag)"...it's "ugly" and lacking the charm that the old school ball had. However, the Waterford crystal sphere that will ring in 2009 will remain in Times Square year round! Crazy, right? Newsday reports that the ball will also be in place to "celebrate other holidays including Valentine's Day, the Fourth of July and Halloween." It's the seventh one in the 101-year history of the ball drop, and the several million dollar price tag is being taken care of "privately" (according the the ball's publicist!). Now, the big question is, when will we see the 9 riding the subway?

Wow, it's like L.A. Law meets Grey's Anatomy! In September, white-shoe lawyer Frederick Tanne sued his estranged wife, claiming she gave him herpes from an affair an accountant. For good measure, Tanne also sued her lover and her father, a doctor who Tanne accused of secretly prescribing herpes medication. But now a lawyer for the wife says his client tested "negative" for Herpes Simplex Virus 2. Tanne, who apparently has herpes, was suing for "pain, suffering, emotional, mental, psychological and physical injuries and loss of enjoyment of life." Plush: Herpes by Giant Microbes