The Knicks have agreed in principal to trade three-time slam dunk champion Nate Robinson to the Boston Celtics for backup guard Eddie House, who previously played for Coach Mike D'Antoni in Phoenix. Robinson was an at times electric and mostly well-liked player with the New York fans, but had been butting heads with Coach D'Antoni all season, resulting in a prolonged banishment on the Knicks bench for much of December. more ›

A 2004 lawsuit that claimed Salvation Army tried to spread its Evangelical message through government-funded socials services came to a settlement today. From now on NY City agencies will monitor the organization to make sure it's maintaining proper church-state separation. “This agreement protects the religious freedom of all New Yorkers who rely on faith-based organizations for crucial government-funded social services,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NY Civil Liberties Union, the group that brought the suit. “No one should be subject to proselytizing because they need foster care, adoption, child care or H.I.V. services.” more ›

A pair of tiny southeastern Queens neighborhoods have finally been linked to the city's sewer system, meaning the water that goes down residents' drains will no longer be dumped directly into a creek that terminates in Jamaica Bay. "When I first moved here, they told me, 'You're all getting sewers soon,'" said Lenny Zamiello, 88, a retired carpet and linoleum installer. "That was 60 years ago." more ›

Not only did PETA set up shop outside of the Westminster Dog Show at MSG again this year, with the Grim Reaper making an appearance—but they even got inside and nearly stole Sadie the Scottie's thunder! What did sweet Sadie ever do to PETA? more ›

All State Senator Pedro Espada wanted to do today was announce his proposal to finance a rent freeze on some rent-regulated apartments by helping landlords get out of rent regulation. But as you can see, some protesters had to come along and steal his thunder! Activists from the Tenants & Neighbors group and other critics say Espada's proposal is actually more of a sweetheart deal for property owners than for tenants. One protester managed to get behind Espada at City Hall, holding this sign as TV cameras were rolling, and WNYC describes what happened next: more ›

This morning the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions invaded our subways, and presented straphangers with a special performance by the brass section of the Amsterdam-based Royal Concertebouw Orchestra. The above scene took place on the Holland-themed, and wrapped, Grand Central-Times Square shuttle; and while we're told by the Dutch that this "delighted" passerby, we're guessing there was at least one person annoyed they didn't get a seat. more ›

An Upper East Side woman named Anna Dove loves birds. How much? She had her last name changed to Dove, from Kugelmas (she's also behind National Pigeon Day). That much. But while the 63-year-old Dove may love birds, her fellow humans don't love her. In fact, a neighbor recently caught her feeding pigeons near his apartment on East 93rd Street and became so enraged that he grabbed her bag of seeds and tossed it; the confrontation was allegedly violent enough for a passerby to call 911. more ›

East Side residents are accusing the city of trading a precious bit of green space for a little bit cash. The Parks Department is considering allowing a winter-time tennis bubble to operate year-round in the tiny Queensboro Oval at the corner of 59th Street and York Avenue—meaning neighbors wouldn't be able to access the park tucked beneath the Queensboro Bridge unless they paid a fee. more ›

Storefront psychics are a notoriously sketchy lot, but that doesn't stop some people from enjoying visiting one for a bit of fun. But you know you've probably stepped over a line when you start filling jars with cash just because one tells you to. That's what happened to Dane Chan, who is suing Greenwich Village fortune teller Sylvia Mitchell, of "Zena Psychic." Chan claims that Mitchell conned her out of nearly $10,000 in late 2008, while Chan was going through personal problems, such as a recent breakup, under the guise of "cleansing" rituals to rid her of "impurities." And nothing filthier than lucre! more ›

Even wildly popular parks like Jones Beach and Niagara Falls could be among the state parks facing closure due to funding cuts, officials tell the AP. Last year, 100 of New York's 178 state parks and 35 historic sites had to cut services and reduce hours. This year, closures are "unavoidable" because of a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. "It's going to be pretty bad. As bad as I've ever seen it," predicts Robin Dropkin, executive director of Parks & Trails New York. more ›

We originally thought this Craigslist ad threatening to poison area dogs was a cruel joke, but could there be a real-life Cruella behind it? The listing was put up earlier this month, warning, "I am hiding dog poison at dog runs," and has since been removed—but the NY Post reports that the city’s Parks Department is taking it seriously, and has put dog owners on notice in all five boroughs. more ›

After two days of closing arguments from defense lawyer Richard Murray (during which the judge asked him to stop rambling), prosecutors are closing out the trial of three officers accused of participating in the sodomy of a man during his arrest in 2008. Prosecutor Charles Guria insisted this afternoon that Michael Mineo is the victim here, and derided the defense's claim that he self-inflicted his anal injuries in order to sue the city. "Before there were lawsuits, Michael Mineo was showing blood on his hands," Guria reminded jurors today, City Room reports. more ›

It's no surprise why TV news divisions love winter weather events like Snowmageddon/Snowpocalypse 2010—keep hyping it, viewers keep tuning to see what will unfold! Storm Field, weather man (and son of Dr. Frank!) tells the NY Times, "There was a point — I think this goes back 20 years or more — when you had consultants coming in, telling stations weather was something important and you should move it up in the show.... I had these moments where I thought they wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t get on the air like Crazy Eddie and scream, ‘It’s coming, it’s coming, white death from the sky.’" Wait, like this infamous AccuWeather.com guy? more ›