*The days of the cursing cabbie may be over. A NYC city cab driver has been fined $1,000 for launching a foul-mouthed tirade at another cabbie.

*Lawmakers in Suffolk County want to join some state governments that are sending drivers a message: Stop texting while driving. The county Legislature passed a measure Tuesday that would bar drivers from tapping out text messages while behind the wheel, unless they used voice-recognition technology. Violators could be fined $150.

*A prominent Flatbush Askan will be hosting a closed-door fundraiser for NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson tonight. YWN will have a video & photo crew on the scene to capture it all.

*New York might not be able to afford all of the huge building projects planned in Manhattan, from Ground Zero to west midtown, Gov. David Paterson said on Wednesday.

*All New Jersey children would have to have health insurance and all taxpayers would have to annually prove they have health insurance under a proposal to be weighed for the first time today by senators.

*The state Public Service Commission will hold a series of public hearings to give people a chance to comment on Orange and Rockland Utilities’ proposed electricity rate hike.

*This Sunday, May 18, will be the Flatbush Hatzolah Chinese auction – at Shaarei Zion on Ocean Parkway and Avenue T. Click on the following link to purchase tickets http://www.hatzolohauction.org/?AID=FOVJJ

*Despite the seatbelt law, many New York City drivers still don’t buckle up. A Hunter College study finds that 15 percent of the city’s drivers don’t wear seatbelts. When the statistics are expanded to include cabbies, the number of unbuckled drivers jumps to 20 percent.

*The day starts off cloudy and damp, but the sun will break through this afternoon. Temperatures in the low 70s will make for a pleasant afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. But the clouds roll back in at nightfall and forecasters say temperatures will dip down to the 40s overnight in Friday.

*Effective Monday, May 19, 2008, Street Cleaning/Alternate Side Parking Regulations will be temporarily suspended in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn’s Community Board 6 until further notice as the Department of Transportation (DOT) installs signs with new, reduced regulations.

*Police were hunting Wednesday night for two men wanted in a string of robberies in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Authorities said these two men robbed a total of eight locations, including convenience stores, grocery stores, and a McDonald’s.

*NJ Transit riders will soon be able to voice complaints, or speak up about their brilliant ideas – in an online suggestion box beginning June 1.NJ Transit says it hopes it will inspire customers to share their ideas for new and improved services on the road, rails and at stations.

[Due to a technical difficulty, the Baltimore / Washington DC roundup was not able to be posted.]

(YWN Desk – NYC)