New York - Owning a car will become a little more costly in New York as increases of 25 percent for driver's licenses and vehicle registrations take effect Tuesday. The average registration fee will go from $44 to $55 and a standard eight-year license renewal will cost $64.50, up from $50. The cost of distinctive license plates will also rise 25 percent. The hikes are among 52 taxes and...

New York - Two lottery players who thought they'd both won $5 million jackpots on scratch-off games were told by Lottery officials they were the victims of a major mistake. Would you ever consider stiffing "Sopranos'" actor Vinny Vella? He says that what lottery officials are trying to do. "I think it's a smack in the face, what they're doing to me right here," Vella tells CBS 2. Vella...

Chicago, IL - Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says in a new book that White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel wanted his help in arranging to leave the Obama administration after two years to reclaim his seat in Congress. Blagojevich writes in "The Governor" that Emanuel spoke with him about whether it was possible to appoint a "placeholder" to the congressional seat Emanuel was giving...

Albany, NY - New York Gov. David Paterson is trying out a new look - he's lost the beard but kept the 'stache. When asked Monday why he shaved the beard he's had for as long as anyone remembers around Albany, he joked it came down to "more cutbacks." Paterson, who's seeking election in 2010, says his son suggested the change. He joked that the fresh shave wasn't inspired by a letter from a...

Brooklyn, NY - City Council candidate John Heyer has always said that this election is about the small things. Now he’s backing that up with a concrete way for voters to send in problem spots around the neighborhood – and get them fixed within a year. Starting today, on the new blog Heyer will display photos of common problems sent in by residents: broken traffic lights, potholes...

Bnei Brak, Israel - Billboards in the central city of Bnei Brak advertising the next season of the Israeli "Survivor" were "censored" by municipality workers. Notices were posted on the large signs with the words "This ad is illegal" written in bold red letters. The ads themselves were completely modest, and did not include any images of women. Municipality spokesman Abraham Tenenboim...

Manhattan, NY - Guards along the George Washington Bridge, one of the world's busiest crossings and a prime terror target , have apparently been dozing off on the job A cyclist heading over the bridge around today snapped photos of one guard inside his booth in an apparent state of REM. "I didn't even zoom in," Joey Lepore said. "I walked right up to the window." Lepore said this wasn't the...

Los Angles, CA - The Station Fire "has the potential" to affect Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 500-kilovolt transmission lines northeast of Acton, which could cause power disruptions. DWP officials say they have activated all area power plants to generate extra electricity, but the agency is urging its customers to conserve energy as much as possible. "The threat to these lines...

Los Angeles, CA - A massive fire in the Angeles National Forest nearly doubled in size overnight, threatening 12,000 homes Monday in a 20-mile-long swath of flame and smoke and surging toward a mountaintop broadcasting complex and historic observatory. The fire was the largest of at least eight burning up and down California after days of triple-digit temperatures and low humidity. The Los...

Europe - A Europe-wide ban on the production of 100 watt bulbs comes into effect from midnight, which means the beginning of the end for the traditional light bulb. It is part of a programme to reduce energy consumption and electricity bills. The 100 watt bulb is the second most popular bulb in Ireland behind the 60 watt. Traditional light bulb companies and the homebrands of major...

New York, NY - If the most powerful component of domestic abuse is the issue of control, then the ultimate component of the control issue in Jewish marriages is get-refusal. In a case of an abusive relationship, the woman in keeping with Jewish tradition, who has finally come to the decision that she must dissolve her marriage, can become the victim of continued abuse by her husband's refusal to...

New York, NY - New York City livery cab drivers can volunteer to allow police to randomly stop their cars to determine whether they or their passengers are safe. The program, launched today, comes after the fatal shootings of 4 area cab drivers in as many months. Police say drivers can voluntarily put a decal on the back windshield of their cab, allowing officers to stop the car at any time...

Borough Park, NY - Everyone knows Dalya Harel as a nitpicker, and, so far, that title has put six of her nine children through college. Harel, 48, actually has been combing nits, a.k.a. lice eggs, from people’s heads at her home for 25 years. Her technique involves combing conditioner-laden hair—to keep the bugs and eggs in place — with an ultra-fine lice comb imported from...

Tripoli, Libya - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi says much of Africa's violence is due to foreign meddling and that Israel in particular is to blame for stoking conflicts there. Gaddafi's comments came Monday during an extraordinary African Union summit scheduled to coincide with a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the coup that brought Gaddafi to power. he Libyan leader blamed much of...

New York - The International Atomic Energy Agency has produced another alarming report on Iran's nuclear programs, though it hasn't released it publicly, only to governments that would also rather not disclose more details of Iran's progress toward becoming a nuclear theocracy. Meanwhile, Iran intends to introduce a resolution, backed by more than 100 members of the so-called Non-Aligned...