New York city mayor-elect Bill DeBasio is out to ban the iconic horse-drawn carriage rides around Central Park so beloved of tourists and romantics alike. NY Daily News: "We are going to get rid of the horse carriages. Period," de Blasio said in response to a question at his press conference announcing his schools chancellor pick Monday. "It's over," he said. De Blasio said he would work with existing drivers to set them up with alternative vehicles to ferry tourists around Central Park. De Blasio and advocacy groups who support him say it's inhumane to make the horses work the dangerous city streets, but drivers insist their horses are well cared for and there's no reason to end the industry. Celebrities have been driving the opposition to the horse-drawn carriage: The rides have long been the target of animal rights activists who say the horses are mistreated, and Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio, who takes office Wednesday, said Monday that he will follow up on a...(Read Full Post)