JENNIFER PELTZ and VERENA DOBNIK, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of revelers crowded into New York City's Times Square to watch the crystal-covered ball make its annual descent, ringing in the start of 2013.
The festivities joined a slew of others around the globe, from fireworks in Sydney and Hong Kong to the first public countdown in years in Myanmar.
New York City's countdown was the first in decades without television host Dick Clark, who died in April. One of the crystal panels on the ball was engraved with his name.
Some concerns from 2012 linger — even in Times Square, some revelers checked their cellphones to keep up with news of lawmakers' efforts to skirt the fiscal cliff combination of expiring tax cuts and across-the-board spending cuts that threatened to reverberate globally.
Hours before New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Rockettes help usher in the new year, Times Square was teeming with revelers wearing plastic "2013" glasses and snapping photos.
Organizers say an estimated million people were expected to cram the district to see the ball drop and countdown to 2013.
The ball is covered with 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles and illuminated by more than 32,000 colored LEDs.
Security was tight. Along with an army of uniformed and plainclothes officers, police inspected vehicles, enforced a ban on alcohol and checked handbags.
Police stressed there were no specific terrorism threats related to the celebration.
NY hospital celebrates its first baby of 2013
Not long after the champagne corks started popping and confetti was tossed into the air, a Brooklyn family welcomed a new addition that was a local hospital's first baby of 2013.
New York Methodist Hospital says that Jungmin Oh and Benjamin Brown of the borough's Park Slope neighborhood became the parents of daughter Gena at 12:54 a.m. Tuesday.
The baby weighs 7 pounds, 2 ounces and is 19.5 inches long.
Thursday, June 20 2013 6:10 AM EDT2013-06-20 10:10:08 GMT
The driver of the vehicle that left several people injured and a trail of destruction in the area of 2nd Avenue and East 4th Street in the East Village has been arrested.
The driver of the vehicle that left several people injured and a trail of destruction in the area of 2nd Avenue and East 4th Street in the East Village has been arrested.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 6:51 PM EDT2013-06-19 22:51:22 GMT
Franklin Reyes, 17, was in court Wednesday. He is charged with the death of 4-year-old Ariel Russo.
Franklin Reyes, 17, was in court Wednesday. He is charged with the death of 4-year-old Ariel Russo. He is accused of driving without a license, then fleeing police, jumping a curb, and hitting Ariel and her grandmother as they were walking to school.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 11:13 AM EDT2013-06-19 15:13:37 GMT
A father and son who admitted they were pimps have been acquitted in New York of sex trafficking after several prostitutes testified they were treated well.
A father and son who admitted they were pimps have been acquitted in New York of sex trafficking after several prostitutes testified they were treated well.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 7:07 AM EDT2013-06-19 11:07:13 GMT
Photo courtesy of @N42_21_W71_04)
Riders should anticipate some changes but "near normal" service on the Long Island Rail Road for the morning rush.
Riders should anticipate some changes but "near normal" service on the Long Island Rail Road for the morning rush. Crews have been working to repair tracks and switches after Monday's derailment.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 6:07 AM EDT2013-06-19 10:07:22 GMT
NYC
Nearly 3 million New Yorkers' homes are now in evacuation zones that cover more than a third of the city's population, under new maps released Tuesday.
Nearly 3 million New Yorkers' homes are now in evacuation zones that cover more than a third of the city's population, under new maps released Tuesday.In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, officials said last month, the number of zones would double and encompass about 600,000 more residents.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 8:34 PM EDT2013-06-19 00:34:07 GMT
It's a sight that can trigger dread. The low-battery message appears on your cell phone when there's no charger around.
It's a sight that can trigger dread. The low-battery message appears on your cell phone when there's no charger around. Now New York City has teamed up with AT&T to install 25 solar powered charging stations over the summer.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 4:55 PM EDT2013-06-18 20:55:38 GMT
A man accused of fatally shooting a gay man walking with a companion in New York City's Greenwich Village pleaded not guilty.
A man accused of fatally shooting a gay man walking with a companion in New York City's Greenwich Village afterward claimed that he opened fire because the victim "thought he was tough in front of his bitch," prosecutors said in court papers Tuesday.
WTXF-TV 330 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19106-2796
