Pigeon Moves Into NYC Apartment; Beware The L Train Pants Slasher; E-Cig Crackdown Ahead: PM Digest

NEW YORK, NY — It's weirdly cold and dreary outside, but at least we're still nuke-free, right? Here are the top 15 local news stories worth reading and talking and knowing about on Wednesday, April 19, as pulled from our 28 neighborhood Patch sites across NYC.

New Brooklyn Coffee Shop Will Double As Moving Company

Because who doesn't need to mainline some caffeine on moving day?

Crown Heights Homeless Shelter Opening Blocked AGAIN By Brooklyn Judge

This is the third time the controversial new shelter has been blocked in court.

PICS: Pigeon Moves Into Williamsburg Apartment, Builds Nest In Pasta Strainer

The dangers of leaving your window cracked when you go out of town.

NYC Plans To Raise Cigarette Prices To Highest In Nation, Restrict E-Cig Sales

De Blasio revealed a package of five anti-smoking bills at a dramatic press conference this afternoon.

NYC Bakery Workers Plan Citywide 'Day Without Bread' To Protest Immigrant Firings

Can you imagine an entire day in New York City without bread?

Soon, North Brooklyn's Mountains Of Trash Will Be South Brooklyn's Problem

Relief is on the horizon for Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick communities "overburdened" with nasty, noisy garbage processing centers. Neighbors in Gowanus and Gravesend won't be so lucky.

Taxi Hails Plummet On Upper East Side After Opening Of Second Avenue Subway

A new study shows one of the Upper East Side's richest traditions may be a fading art.

Upper Manhattan Bike Lane Plan Revived

The plan for a new bike lane along Dyckman Street stalled last year after local business owners came out against it.

Death Of NY Judge 'Suspicious,' Police Say

Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam's dead body was pulled from the Hudson River last week. The Harlem resident was remembered as a "humble pioneer."

NYPD Lieutenant: Driver In Fatal East Village Crash Should Be 'Held Accountable'

No charges have been filed yet against the truck driver who killed East Village cyclist Kelly Hurley.

Historic Bed-Stuy Brownstone Has Wall Painted Black By Neighbor, Angry Owner Says

Bed-Stuy homeowner Evette Simmons wants to take her neighbor, a real-estate developer, to court for covering an outside wall of her historic brownstone in black paint.

Brooklyn Principal Kicked, Punched 7-Year-Old Student: Police

Machael Spencer-Edwards is facing charges of assault and menacing after allegedly attacking a student who had slapped a teacher, police say.

L Train Bandit Slices Pants Of Sleeping Passengers

Police are looking for a man who has stolen five wallets and two cellphones from L train passengers by slicing holes in their pockets.

Controversial Charter School May Be Coming To Clinton Hill

Locals are outraged over a developer's plans to build a charter school next to an affordable housing complex in the neighborhood.

Murder Suspect Says He Killed Queens Jogger 'To Let My Emotions Out': Report

Karina Vetrano was found dead near a jogging trail in Spring Creek Park last summer.