Thursday’s Headlines: Google It — Our Google Story is National News

We were very happy to see the national media pick up on our exclusive story about Google's new Maps feature tipping off drivers to the locations of New York City's hard-fought speed cameras. NBC Nightly News did a web story and a video segment (alas, no mention of Streetsblog), both of which made a unmentioned case for public oversight, or at least debate, over who gets to decide what is in the interest of public safety and what is a private company just trying to make some money. The Daily News, Gothamist, Fox5NY, amNY and the New York Times also covered the controversy, with amNY and the Times giving us a hat tip, even.

Streetsblog followed the story today with Google finally breaking its silence.

Here's the rest of the day's news:

• The Daily News team of Clayton Guse and Dan Rivoli, the Post's Danielle Furfaro and Gothamist's team of Chris Robbins and Jake Offenhartz continued chasing the mysterious L train smell on Wednesday (well, it's not so mysterious, is it? It's a fuel spill — but it's still sickening passengers and transit workers). Meanwhile, amNY gave credibility to MTA claims that the fumes are no danger at all, a transit spin on the old cop adage, "Nuttin' to see here, folks."
• The Post reminded us that we still don't know what Gov. Cuomo's L-train repair plan really is.
• More outlets are covering the demand that the city retain all the bus lanes and pedestrian and bike safety improvements that were installed for the now-scrubbed L-train shutdown. The latest? amNY's Alison Fox covered Wednesday's TransAlt rally on 14th St.
• Thank goodness we have the New York Post covering the "crotchless bike shorts" controversy.
• And, finally, a trio of Daily News scribes celebrated their departure from the suffering tabloid on Wednesday night with the customary drinks and the awarding of the personalized fake wood. Editorial page writer Alyssa Katz (left in photo below) and longtime reporter Reuven Blau (center) are decamping for the new news site The City, while Albany Bureau Chief Ken Lovett is headed to a consulting firm in the capital. We wish them — and the newspaper they leave behind — the best of luck.