Stories from AM New York

New York City added 4,700 retail jobs in the first quarter of 2013, according to a report by Eastern Consolidated.

New York City's unemployment rate ticked down to 8.4% last month, marking a four-year low in the number of jobless residents.State data for April released Thursday showed that New York City added 36,500 private- and public-sector jobs from March to April, causing the unemployment rate to drop from 8 ...

Staten Island's City Council delegation doesn't want ferry riders to wait an hour to get on a boat any longer.The three Staten Islanders on the Council said legislation will be introduced on Wednesday to ensure that there is ferry service every half-hour, 24-hours a day, seven days a week. That means no more long waits for riders who have the misfortune of barely missing the boat ...

The city's public advocate unveiled an immigration reform plan Thursday that he said gives hardworking transplants in the Big Apple a chance at living the American dream.Bill de Blasio, a mayoral candidate, joined several state and city elected officials and made a legislative request for bills that would help all immigrants living in the city, including one that would create a citywide ID card for all residents ...

Why do we do it?We know the odds of any number of things - being crushed to death by a vending machine (1 in 112 million), becoming homeless (1 in 450) or being struck by lightning (1 in a million so) are far better than our odds of winning the Powerball jackpot (1 in 175 million).Yet, once the jackpot swellsmore than $100 million, even the skeptical seem willing to surrender their dollars in the hope they can indeed become "that kind of rich ...

The Triple Crown talk inevitably begins roughly five seconds after the latest 3-year-old wins the Kentucky Derby. This year, its trainer Shug McGaugheys colt Orb who will continue to chase history at the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore.

Its been a wild couple of weeks for Tesla Motors, the rapidly-growing manufacturer of electric cars.

Amid reports of a complete shake-up at the judges table on American Idol, first-year judge Keith Urban announced that he wanted to stay on the Fox show.

Straphangers will be able to hitch a ride to the Rockaways on A train again this summer, transit officials said Thursday.After six months since superstorm Sandy struck New York, full service to the A line will be restored May 30 "as to what it was the day before the storm," said MTA interim director Tom Prendergast ...

Wanted: Some gifted and talented test administrators who can competently select students for the city's most elite academic programs.At the moment the kings of slapstick seem to be running the show -- and, unfortunately, the joke is on some of the city's brightest children.Last month the city announced that a processing error mistakenly eliminated 2,700 kids -- some as young as 4 years old -- from consideration for coveted places in New York's citywide gifted-and-talented programs ...

Parents in New York have taken a shine to Michael and Sophia. Those names were the most popular in the state in 2012 for the second year in a row, according to the Social Security Administration.There were 1,384 Michaels and 1,406 Sophias born in New York State last year.For boys, Jacob and Jayden round out the top three names for boys ...

Lynette Carolla hosting a girls night at Sons of Essex to promote her and husband Adam Carollas new sangria

Social networking services Facebook Inc and Twitter are coming to Google Glass, the wearable computer made by the Internet search company.Google Inc announced on Thursday a half-dozen apps specially designed to work on its Glass devices. News network CNN, fashion magazine Elle, as well as online apps Tumblr and Evernote were among the half-dozen new apps for Glass unveiled during Google's annual developer conference in San Francisco ...

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 3 stars

Sound of Music Even with the demise of Smash, it would appear that NBC still has a fond spot for Broadway. It was confirmed Monday that the previously announced live broadcast of a new production of The Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood will be broadcast on Dec. 5. No word yet on the other cast members or how exactly this is going to work...

Frances Ha 4 stars Directed by Noah Baumbach Starring Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver Rated R Playing at Lincoln Plaza and IFC Center

What happens when uptown meets downtown? Plenty, according to Upper East Sider Daniel Benedict and downtowner Stephen Werther. Their new Bleecker Street Arts Club is a dynamic art gallery with immersive programming in a social setting, cultivating a niche creative community of art lovers and collectors with its progressive initiatives...

The name-calling continues in the West Village. Bike racks appeared recently for the city's new bicycle sharing program and hundreds showed up for a community board meeting with complaints about safety and sanitation. Biking advocates labeled my neighbors "rich white people" with NIMBY attitudes (I may be white but I'm certainly not rich), while locals called the activists "plants" and asked where they lived ...

Augustine 2.5 stars Directed by Alice Winocour Starring Soko, Vincent London Not Rated In French with English subtitles Playing at the Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center and Film Forum

Black Rock 3 stars Directed by Katie Aselton Starring Katie Aselton, Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth Rated R Playing at Village East