It's happening in Colorado right now. A boy climbed into an helium balloon that his parents were building, untied the rope, and took off. No one knows how to get him down. Updates in comments, boy's missing after balloon lands

As expected, Bloomberg has won the bidding for Businessweek magazine, beating out the investment firm ZelnickMedia. They ended up paying more than the cost of McChicken, after all.

Barack Obama knows that the Nobel Peace Prize is as often given as encouragement as it is for accomplishment. So he starts off humble, says he'll accept the award, and moves on to his international relations to-do list.

The trial of Brooke Astor's son, who was charged with defrauding her because he's a greedy old prick: that was still going on, this whole time! Until now, because the verdict's in.

A tipster tells us that someone jumped in front of the L train at First Avenue, and that the line's been shut down. If you know more, email us. [Pic via] UPDATE: MTA's vague service alert below.

Breaking servicey alert for Manhattanites: There's an unexplained "smoke condition" in a midtown subway tunnel. Click through for the full alert.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the liberal Supreme Court Justice who in February said she beat pancreatic cancer, was hospitalized after falling ill in her court office. The 76-year-old had just received intravenous iron therapy and felt faint.

Robert Byrd, the Senate's oldest member, was rushed to the hospital today after a fall in his McLean, Va., home.

CNN just reported that the Coast Guard fired on a "suspicious" vessel on the Potomac in D.C., but the Coast Guard says it was a training exercise and no shots were fired.

Three or four men hijacked a Mexican airliner carrying 104 passengers. The plane is sitting on a runway at the Mexico City airport. A "square box" has been found onboard, and all passengers have reportedly exited the plane.

It's a joyous night for the New York Times: the Pahjwok news agency, a subscription-only Afghan service, reports that foreign fighters have rescued Stephen Farrell, the paper's second reporter to have been kidnapped by the Taliban in recent months.

An alert tipster sends us this dynamic pic of a burning cab near Times Square, just moments ago. The NYT asks, and our readers answer. Another shocking inferno image after the jump.

Olympic stoner Michael Phelps has been involved in an automobile accident in downtown Baltimore.

Woah: it's being reported that a small plane and a helicopter have crashed over the Hudson River. NY1 and CNN have the story, we'll be updating as we get more. The Twitteratti are all over this. Update: Bloomberg's statement.

4 people are confirmed dead and at least ten more wounded by gunfire after a man opened fire inside of a LA Fitness center in Collier township, a few miles southwest of Pittsburgh.

This evening, a gunman opened fire on a Tel Aviv recreation center/cafe dedicated to supporting the area's gay community. Reports now list three dead, twelve injured, and most targets minors. And there's no question that this was a hate crime.

CNN is reporting that the Cambridge Police Department has dropped all charges against Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, who was arrested last week outside his home for disorderly conduct.

What's that? A car chase, in Houston? Studio B With Shep Smith was on the case! It is, as always, delightful. Though it wasn't as exciting as last week's, you wouldn't know it from listening to Shep.

Governor of Russia's Neighboring American Atate and failed Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin is going to resign from her office as Alaska's Supreme Asskicker And Number One Mom. She's not going to be running for a second term.