For the first time in its 37-year history, a celebrity will be organizing the looks and sounds of the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show.

The show's producers announced Thursday that Usher helped curate this year's event by working on the score and designing the fireworks with the staff.

The 34-year-old R&B star said he was honored to be part of the team.

"I hope that through the... » more

Neil Patrick Harris is coming back to the Tonys.

The Emmy Award-winning actor is set to host the 67th annual Tony Awards on June 9for the fourth timew, organizers said Thursday.

Harris, star of CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother,” hosted last year to huge acclaim, and he said he thrilled to be back.

“It’ll be more impressive than ever – if my math is correct, it will be 267 times bigger... » more

The body of suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been entombed and is no longer in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, where it had been held at a funeral home, the Worcester Police Department said on Thursday.

The police did not disclose where the body had been moved.

The 26-year-old ethnic Chechen died in an April 19 gun battle with police, four days after he and... » more

Individuals employed around the world by a sophisticated cyber crime ring stole $45 million from thousands of bank automated teller machines within a matter of hours, using hacked debit-card data, U.S. prosecutors said on Thursday.

Members of the global criminal organization hacked into two credit card processors and used stolen data to make more than 40,500 withdrawals in 27 countries, during... » more

Tickets for the July 4 reopening of the Statue of Liberty went on sale Wednesday, as the monument will finally be back in service after its island sustained major damage from Superstorm Sandy.

The statue itself remained mostly unscathed from Sandy, but the superstorm ravaged the rest of the island, destroying docks and its plumbing and electrical systems.

"We are delighted that... » more

A new sentencing alternative provided by Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes and the Women's Prison Association will allow 45 city moms facing felony charges to serve out their sentences at homes while retaining custody of their kids and undergoing intensive supervision and treatment.

The mothers, who must be assessed as not presenting a risk to their communities, will be selected for... » more

After four years of negotiations and stalls, the City Council passed its paid sick leave bill Wednesday.

The 45-3 vote on the Earned Sick Time Act guarantees that the Council can override the expected veto from Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Under the bill's rules, businesses with 20 or more employees must provide at least five paid sick days starting April 1, 2014. Eighteen months later,... » more

A Columbia University football player was charged Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a fellow student while using racial slurs.

Chad Washington, 19, allegedly assaulted an Asian student outside a Columbia building on West 113th Street.

Washington, who is black, allegedly grabbed the victim by his collar and pushing up against the wall.

The victim didn't suffer any injuries, police... » more

The cliche of total strangers in an urban crowd who wind up madly in love is the staple of romcom movies, countless "Sex and the City" episodes and schmaltzy songs.

While most people meet their mates in school, at work, on line, through a shared activity or via mutual friends, the density of our pedestrian-friendly city ups the odds that you could fall in love with a stranger here,... » more

An Arizona jury found Jodi Arias guilty on Wednesday of first-degree murder in the death of her ex-boyfriend in a capital trial that riveted America for months with graphic sexual evidence and bizarre testimony.

Arias, who could face the death penalty as her case goes into the penalty phase of the trial, has admitted to shooting 30-year-old Travis Alexander, whose body was found in the shower... » more