Political cartoonist Ranan Lurie and his Greenwich, Conn., power-broker wife Tamar have closed on an $11.45 million condo at 15 Central Park West, according to city records. Max Abelson broke the news of the sale on Jan. 8. Mr. Lurie back then told The Observer he looked foward to having one of the Google co-founders as his next-door neighbor.

Stormy outlook for insurance costs

Three severe weather events between March 2006 and December 2007 cost the industry more than $2.4billion.

Insurers must now decide whether those events were a symptom of permanent weather change or simply an aberration, "a bad year or two", Mr Greig said.

"If the former, then this will provide opportunities for new classes of insurance to be created to take into account the hazards related to changing weather.

"Premiums are likely to rise, and insurers need to socialise the new context in which they are operating to the community that depends on them for peace of mind."

Mr Greig said the community was already better informed about climate change and its effect on their lives.

"It is logical that this impact will extend to higher costs of insurance as a result of the changing environment," he said.

E.L. City Council postpones eminent domain decision

The East Lansing City Council postponed a decision on whether to use eminent domain to acquire property to build an alleyway along the 600 block of Virginia Avenue during its meeting Tuesday night.

East Lansing City Councilmember Roger Peters said he was uncomfortable making a decision until he re-examines the project.