By Colin Campbell 10/31/12 6:24pm

sandy recovery

(Photo: Wikimedia)

Tomorrow, LaGuardia Airport Joins JFK in Reopening

When Hurricane Sandy overwhelmed New York City, the airport infrastructure naturally shut down along with everything else. As with the subway and bridge systems, however, it seems airplane travel is returning to normalcy.

Earlier today, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced the reopening of two airports in the metropolitan area, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty, to limited traffic, with the fate of LaGuardia Airport remaining uncertain as officials sought to repair and inspect the facility in the wake of flood damage. But that ambiguity did not last long; Governor Andrew Cuomo just declared LaGuardia will open too. Read More

By Colin Campbell 10/31/12 5:29pm

Education

(Photo: Getty)

NYC Schools Will Be Closed Thursday and Friday

At a press conference earlier today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced public schools will continue be closed on Thursday and Friday, but will “hopefully” be open again on Monday of next week.

“Schools will remain closed for students tomorrow and Friday,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “However, on Friday we ask all teachers, administrators and school staff to report to work. Friday, Chancellor Walcott and the Department of Education will have lots of things to do to get ready for next week.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 10/31/12 2:05pm

commuting

subway map

Limited Subway Service to Begin Tomorrow; Here’s the Schedule

Update 11/1 8:22:As of Friday morning, there will be service on the M and No. 7 trains has been restored in Queens and Brooklyn, though there is still no subway service into Lower Manhattan. You can read more about the changes to the service here.

Original post: At a press conference earlier this afternoon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and MTA Chairman Joe Lhota announced that New York City’s subway system will restore service on a number of lines, leaving out a swath of territory south of 34th Street in Manhattan. Lower Manhattan was left out, they explained, because of the mass power outage in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

“It’s been an extraordinary amount of time and a lot of work and a lot of lack of sleep, but we’re going to continue to do it,” Mr. Lhota said. “Our goal is to, every day, get this service back to normal, back to the situation we were used to last week, and if not, even better.”

View the working transportation lines below, including other parts of the MTA, courtesy of Mr. Cuomo’s office: Read More

By Colin Campbell 10/31/12 1:23pm

de-watering

Flooded. (Photo: Getty)

Army Corps to Begin Pumping Water Out of Lower Manhattan Tomorrow

According to Senator Chuck Schumer, the federal government will soon begin the arduous task of returning floodwaters back to the Atlantic Ocean after Hurricane Sandy’s surge flooded key transportation arteries earlier this week.

“In the past hour, I have received an update from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about the federal de-watering efforts happening in New York City,” Mr. Schumer said in a statement this afternoon.   Read More

By Colin Campbell 10/30/12 2:37pm

The Aftermath

28 Photos

A man surveys the remains of a flooded store.

More Photos: The Day After Storm Sandy Struck

The death toll from Hurricane Sandy last night has climbed above 30 and is likely to increase as emergency workers continue to survey the extensive damage across a number of states. “The worst is over,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said in an interview earlier today. “I believe the worst may be for New Yorkers when they realize the extent of the damage….We don’t have the final number of fatalities because we haven’t found everyone yet.” Read More

By Jim Hanas, Steve Huff, Kelly Faircloth and Jessica Roy 10/28/12 9:10pm

riding the storm out

surferswtf

[Liveblog] Hurricane Sandy

As Hurricane Sandy approaches, our staff is out in the city, reporting on preparations and the storm’s impact. Refresh the page as needed, since this post will remain open and updated with the latest.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30

[5:59 p.m.] Highlights from Mayor Bloomberg’s presser:

  • “Coney Island Hospital is being evacuated.”
  • City parks are closed Read More

By The Editors 10/23/12 7:55pm

Editorials

Gillibrand for Senate

Kirsten Gillibrand was an obscure U.S. representative from upstate when then-Governor David Paterson selected her to fill Hillary Clinton’s old Senate seat in 2009. In the years since, Ms. Gillibrand has done much to raise her profile and to establish herself as more than an accidental senator.

She deserves a new, full term of her own. The Observer endorses her candidacy over that of her Republican opponent, Wendy Long.

There is much to recommend about Ms. Gillibrand. Read More

By Kim Velsey 10/10/12 6:52pm

Welcome to New York

He hates Manhattan!

Andrew Sullivan Hates Miserable, Money Sucking “New York Shitty”

Andrew Sullivan has never been shy about expressing his opinion and when it comes to New York—where he’s lived for all of two weeks—he’s not pulling any punches.

In a Daily Beast post written today—entitled, what else? “New York Shitty”—Mr. Sullivan tells us just how much he hates this horrible city. He hates it a lot. He hates the crowds, he hates his apartment, he hates the internet here and he even hates his cell phone service. Most of all he hates how much he’s paying to hate all these things. Read More

By Drew Grant 9:30am

Sex-Ed

Or at least your kids are... (NY Post)

Dept. of Health Forgets to Tell Public About Students Being Given Birth Control, Plan B in Classrooms; New York Post Forgets to Be Outraged

When we shamefully tell our grandchildren that yes, we were the generation that gave legitimate attention to arguments over “legitimate rape” (which is when a woman’s body fights the attacker’s sperm with its laser ovaries), at least we’ll be able to say that we were there when Rupert Murdoch’s conservative New York Post finally gave up the ghost and tepidly supported birth control and Plan B for high school students who forgot to put the aspirin between their legs.

It’s a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. Read More