City Room

New York Today: Seeking the Homeless

By ANNIE CORREAL and ANDY NEWMAN

What you need to know for Friday and the weekend: helping those on the streets, brutal cold, snow ahead, and an ancient statue in Queens may have been looted from Italy.

Plan to Redevelop Brooklyn Sugar Factory Hits Snag: De Blasio

By CHARLES V. BAGLI

Anthony Lanzilote for The New York Times

The former Domino Sugar refinery in Brooklyn.

A $1.5 billion proposal to redevelop Brooklyn’s Domino Sugar plant is in jeopardy as officials ask for a higher quota of affordable housing units.

Andrew Kelly/Reuters

Gov. Chris Christie

Christie Allies Joked of Disrupting Traffic at a Rabbi’s House

By SERGE F. KOVALESKI and MATT FLEGENHEIMER

Two people who were pivotal in the plan to close access lanes to the George Washington Bridge wrote of creating traffic problems in front of the home of a New Jersey rabbi, documents show.

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U.S. Prosecutors Interview Christie’s Spokesman

By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM

Michael Drewniak was critical to the administration’s response as the controversy over the lane closings at the George Washington Bridge grew, according to a legislative panel.

Rangel Will Face Rematch of Tough 2012 Primary

By KATE TAYLOR

State Senator Adriano Espaillat fell short of ousting Representative Charles B. Rangel, the 22-term Harlem Democrat, in 2012.

De Blasio Seeks to Halt 3 Charter Schools From Moving Into Public Spaces

By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ

Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York said that he would reverse a decision by Michael R. Bloomberg to provide free real estate to the schools so that they could open new programs.

For Drivers on Some City Bus Routes, Requesting the $2.50 Fare Can Be Dangerous

By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ

Unlike subway drivers who are shielded from passengers’ emotions by a thick metal door, many bus drivers are fully exposed to the moods of the fickle, and sometimes violent, New York City commuter.

Bin Laden Relative’s Lawyers Claim Mistaken Identity as Trial Nears

By BENJAMIN WEISER

A letter to the judge in the terrorism case against Sulaiman Abu Ghaith says that the government may have confused the defendant with a Guantánamo detainee.

At Council Hearing, Calls for New York to Offer Homeless Children and Families More Aid

By ANDREA ELLIOTT

Advocates, service providers and council members pressed the city to firm up a proposal for a rent-subsidy program and to improve services for children.

Kennedy Case Goes to Jury After Debate Over How Quickly a Sleep Aid Works

By JOSEPH BERGER

A clinical pharmacologist, the final defense witness, said people under the influence of a sleeping aid might “become impaired, but don’t know they’re impaired.”

Timetable Set for Rules on Wheelchair-Accessible Taxicabs

By COLIN MOYNIHAN

Amid concerns that New York City was not moving swiftly enough to make more taxis accessible to the disabled, a federal judge set a timetable for the publication of new accessibility rules.