WCBS-TV New York

Maybe this is what the "new normal" is going to be for Atlantic City's 11 casinos. The revenue plunge that has battered nation's second-largest gambling market for the past three years seems to be slowing, but casinos are still winning less than what they did before slots parlors started popping up in Pennsylvania and New York. October revenue figures were down 6.5 percent compared to a year ago ... Full Story »

A philanthropist who made billions of dollars off Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme signed a will leaving the bulk of his fortune to charity. Jeffry Picower drowned after suffering a heart attack in the swimming pool of his Palm Beach, Fla. mansion in October. Unlike other Madoff investors, he died a rich man. The trustee unraveling Madoff's financial web says Picower withdrew $7 billion from his ... Full Story »

Bumpers across the tri-state are about to become a bit more colorful as the state's Department of Motor Vehicles unveiled its newest license plate design Tuesday. The "Empire Gold" design features a mostly golden-tinted plate with a navy bordering and lettering, along with a small, navy state silhouette in the center. The thicker blue border atop the plate features the words "New York" in gold ... Full Story »

The battle over New York State's gaping budget deficit is not the only fight now brewing in Albany. Governor David Paterson is calling on state lawmakers to vote on a same-sex marriage bill, and he wants the Senate to do it this week. There have been candlelight vigils all around the state, from Union Square to the state capital, as Paterson asked the state legislature to approve a same-sex ... Full Story »

A Massachusetts transit worker is being praised for her quick thinking at the controls of her train in Boston. A chilling video captured a drunk woman's close call with death after she fell on to tracks, into the path of an oncoming train. The MBTA surveillance system captured the scene at Boston's North Station shortly before 11 p.m. on Friday night. Full Story »

A TV news producer accused of blackmailing David Letterman in exchange for keeping quiet about his sexual affairs was only trying to sell the late-night comic a screenplay, the producer's lawyer said Tuesday. Robert J. "Joe" Halderman's attorney asked a Manhattan judge at a hearing to dismiss the attempted first-degree grand larceny charge. Gerald Shargel said that Halderman was merely trying to ... Full Story »

The NYPD is investigating another letter filled with white powder on Tuesday, this one sent to the German consulate. Similar envelopes were sent to three other foreign consulates yesterday afternoon. "It's just another variety of the craziness that surrounds the fringe of our society at this point, I'm sorry to say," said Manhattan resident Judith Foster. Full Story »

Estimating his legal bills will reach $2.5 million, former New York Senate leader Joseph Bruno is asking friends and supporters to contribute to his legal defense fund. In a letter mailed last week, Bruno is renewing his request for financial support. He has already spent nearly $700,000 from campaign funds for his defense against eight federal fraud charges, and he has a balance of about $700 ... Full Story »

A former student held a school administrator hostage for more than an hour Tuesday morning, then surrendered to police without firing a shot. CBS 2 HD learned the man in custody is Christopher David Craft of Pine Plains and the hostage was Stissing Mountain Middle School Principal Bob Hess. Pine Plains Town Supervisor Gregg Pulver said the 42-year-old gunman was a former student at the school ... Full Story »

The TV news producer accused of blackmailing David Letterman has asked a New York City judge to dismiss the extortion case against him. A lawyer for Robert J. "Joe" Halderman says the TV producer was only trying to sell a screenplay when he contacted Letterman. Halderman appeared Tuesday in a Manhattan court. Prosecutors say he demanded $2 million to keep quiet about the late-night comic's ... Full Story »

John "Junior" Gotti has decided he'll attend his trial after all. The federal trial in Manhattan was temporarily halted Tuesday after Gotti told U.S. marshals that he didn't want to be there. The reason was not immediately clear. The defense lawyer said it was news to him. Full Story »

Health officials say a second person has died in Oneida County from complications linked to the H1N1 virus. County health officials would only identify the individual as an adult with an underlying medical condition that contributed to the death. In July, an adolescent with an underlying medical condition died at University Hospital in Syracuse. Full Story »

Moms-to-be will do anything to keep their babies out of harm's way, but what if the mother had to undergo emergency heart surgery? Now, imagine a very pregnant woman having to undergo heart surgery and deliver her baby – at the same time. It was an extremely rare case, even by major medical center standards, that became an amazing story of survival. Full Story »

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is being treated for a rare form of leukemia, and the basketball great said his prognosis is encouraging. The NBA's all-time leading scorer was diagnosed last December with chronic myeloid leukemia, he told The Associated Press on Monday. The 62-year-old Abdul-Jabbar said his doctor didn't give any guarantees, but informed him: "You have a very good chance to live your life ... Full Story »

An advocacy group says thousands of New York City children have languished in foster care for years. The group, called Children's Rights, says the problems include Family Court delays; inadequate casework; and a lack of urgency throughout the child welfare system. Commissioner John B. Mattingly says the Administration for Children's Services is working to shorten foster care stays. Full Story »

An investigation is underway Tuesday morning into what may have been an act of terrorism at three separate buildings in Manhattan. It's never a good sign when members of the FDNY's Hazardous Materials unit go through the trouble to don their protective suits. Fire officials say someone sent three envelopes filled with white powder to three foreign consulates. They were all postmarked from Dallas ... Full Story »

CBS 2 HD has learned suspicious letters with white powder were sent to two international missions and a consulate in New York City on Monday night. A red decontamination tent was set up by the FDNY outside the French Mission at 47th Street and Second Avenue as teams were set up to check all the people in the building for a possible contaminant. The tent at the French Mission was one of three set ... Full Story »

For the past five years the number of women being arrested for drunk driving has been on the steady increase. And all too often, children are on board, unfortunately, being injured or even losing their lives. Now one local police agency is fighting back -- designing better ways to catch potentially dangerous moms. Diane Shuler. Carmen Huertas. Ann Marie Ciarcia. All mothers, all charged with ... Full Story »

With games coming at Boston and Cleveland, Utah's road trip is about to get tougher. At least the Jazz won in New York -- which lately has been as tough as any stop for them. Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko each scored 23 points, and the Jazz won at Madison Square Garden for the first time in more than five years by beating the Knicks 95-93 on Monday night. Full Story »

A rash of robberies in Central Park ended with people held up while jogging and strolling the trails. Now there's a reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspects. The NYPD released sketches of two of them on Monday night. A day after the latest mugging, Central Park was its usual packed place with runners and walkers in the lit and not so lit paths. Full Story »

Governor David Paterson called an unusual joint session of the Legislature Monday to implore recalcitrant lawmakers to close the state's huge budget gap before New York runs out of money. To some lawmakers it's nothing more than a photo op to help Paterson get re-elected. But the governor is dead serious. He said if the Legislature doesn't cut the budget now the state could run out of money by ... Full Story »

A high-ranking Long Island police officer who has been on the force for three decades says he's been benched because he's black. Willie Dixon says he made history as the first black assistant chief in the history of the Hempstead Village police department, but now feels as if he's living in a bygone era: the alleged object of racial discrimination. Full Story »

Across the Hudson River where property taxes are a hot button issue, homeowners in one New Jersey town know how to get more bang for their buck. What's Harding Township's secret? Lawmakers keep those taxes down and residents happy. It's a secret the residents don't want the rest of the state to know about -- how they've managed keep their property taxes down. Full Story »

On Long Island, a Suffolk County mother is facing charges for alleged cruelty to animals, and they could be upgraded to felony charges. In an eerie scene Saturday night, investigators found a backyard burial ground, with the remains of at least 20 animals, behind the woman's house. The remains were brought out in black plastic bags. Authorities first found several dogs that were alive, despite ... Full Story »

The holidays may be weeks away, but high shopping season is here. And the most popular toys and products are already flying off store shelves. CBS 2 HD has some advice on what parents should do. A robotic toy hamster is the hot toy of the season. But try finding it. Full Story »