Urbanite

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn vowed Wednesday to override the mayor's veto of a so-called "living wage" bill that would call for higher wages for certain building workers.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg struck down the legislation, calling it a "throwback to the era when government viewed the private sector as a cash cow to be milked." The bill apply to building workers...

Yesterday, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy signed legislation abolishing the death penalty for future crimes, making the Nutmeg State the 17th in the nation to outlaw executions and the fifth state in five years to repeal executions.

"In the last 52 years, only two people have been put to death in Connecticut - and both of them volunteered for it," said Malloy, according to CNN.

The...

Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair and ESPN Sports Day Check out live music and more at the Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair on Greenwich Street. Then head to N. Moore St. for the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day for jock-related fun! (Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., FREE, Greenwich St. btwn Chambers and Hubert sts., N. Moore St. btwn Greenwich and West sts., Tribecafilm.com)

Theater

'Marry Harry'...

These days, the model of a pirate is based on Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. But in theaters Friday, there'll be a new swashbuckler giving him a run for his money.

In "The Pirates! Band of Misfits," the new stop-frame animated feature from Aardman (makers of "Chicken Run"), the dashing Pirate Captain (voiced by Hugh...

The union representing MTA employees blasted the transit agency Wednesday for its decision to move out of the old NYC transit headquarters in Brooklyn and let NYU build a new tech campus on the site.

Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen said giving away the building, for which the MTA pays the city $1 in rent, "incomprehensible." Employees now work at 2 Broadway in the...

Earlier this week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo nominated former Gov. David Paterson to join the MTA's board. Paterson spoke with amNewYork Wednesday about what makes him good for the job and how he plans to make ensure the cash-strapped transit agency exhibits "financial discipline."

How will you improve the MTA board?

Often the board gets frustrated with the executive branch, and at...

Floral prints are always a warm-weather must-have, and this spring, buds are going big and bold.

At New York Fashion Week's spring 2012 runway shows, prints ranged from Pop-inspired petals at Diane von Furstenberg, to large colorful blooms at Peter Som, to oversized black-and-white blossoms at Tracy Reese - and have now made their way to the stores. Next stop: your closet....

A word of advice to interior design junkies: Clear your schedule this weekend. Housing Works' annual Design on a Dime benefit kicks off today and features more than 50 of the world's top interior designers, who create unforgettable room vignettes with new merchandise, which is donated and then sold for 50% to 70% off retail. In line with the organization's mission, all benefits from Design on a...

Who's says only some people get to be hot? I think that everyone has a hot factor - they just may need a little push. I'm excited to announce that my latest book, "I Can Make You Hot: The Supermodel Diet," just came out this week, and it's filled with advice on health, fitness and style.

So, if you want to look and feel your best, here are some instant get-hot tips from the book:

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Newt Gingrich is set to bid adieu to yet another presidential campaign.

Gingrich will suspend his third presidential campaign Tuesday in Washington, D.C., a senior campaign source told NBC News, after Mitt Romney swept all five primaries Tuesday, including Delaware, where Gingrich had invested what little was left of his campaign.

The date was chosen to give his family time to travel...