Is this that silver lining? New statistics out Saturday show a significant drop in city-wide crime after Hurricane Sandy hit early this week. Murder, rape, robbery, assault, grand larceny, and car thefts all dropped by double-digit percentages. Murder was down by 86 percent following the storm, and the crime total is down 31 percent. Unfortunately robberies did increase by 3 percent. The NYPD was in full force across the city in the early days after the storm, directing traffic and patrolling darkened neighborhoods.

The residents of what is likely to be the presidential election’s most critical swing state are already casting their votes. With a few days to go, 1.6 million people in the state have already voted for president. About a million of the votes cast have been absentee ballots, which are now at an 85 percent return rate for those mailed out. “Voting has gone smoothly in Ohio, and we expect that trend to continue through the close of the polls on Election Day,” Secretary of State Jon Husted said. A statewide poll released Saturday found Obama leading Romney by a significant six points in the Buckeye State.

Sandy may be over, but her damage sure isn't. Gas-station shortages may take several days to be fully resolved, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a briefing Saturday. The announcement comes after what has already been days of long lines and shortages at gas stations across the tristate area, despite Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement that the U.S. Department of Defense would begin opening fuel stations in New York City and on Long Island. Bloomberg attempted to assuage anger over the extended power outages by shifting blame to the Long Island Power Authority. “[LIPA] has not acted aggressively enough to restore power,” he said.

Shhh, don’t tell Paul Ryan—nobody likes to be the second choice. Campaign insiders told Politico on Saturday that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie—recently heard proclaiming that he “doesn’t give a damn about presidential politics”—was Mitt Romney’s top pick for vice president up until the GOP nominee’s overseas trip this summer. Romney was so close to picking Christie that some campaign workers thought the decision had already been made, making the announcement that his running mate would be Paul Ryan a surprise even for his own staff. The Romney campaign denied the report, simply saying “it’s not true.” Seems that there's no love lost between Romney and Chrisite now—and Romney did get the benefit of talking up the P90X workout.

We haven't seen the last of Big Bird--or his Muppet friends. Around a thousand protesters turned out for the Million Puppet March on Capitol Hill on Saturday to demonstrate against Mitt Romney's promise to cut funding to Public Broadcasting Services. There were Big Birds, Kermits, Elmos, and Miss Piggies in attendance, along with some humans holding signs like “Puppets for Peace” and “Keep Your Mitts Off Big Bird.” “We’re just making it clear that public media matters, and it’s something that we want to see supported and we still want to see federal funding of,” said co-organizer Michael Bellavia.

The nanny suspected of stabbing two young children to death in a Manhattan apartment last month was arrested and charged with two counts each of first- and second-degree murder Saturday. The New York deputy police commissioner said Yoselyn Ortega was arrested after officers conducted a bedside interview at Weill Cornell Medical Center, where the 50-year-old remains hospitalized and under police guard. Ortega recently awoke from a medically induced coma.

Rebels in Syria announced on Saturday that they have launched a major attack on the Taftanaz airbase in the northern part of the country. Video released on the Internet showed fighters raiding the base, which lies in a strategic zone between the cities of Aleppo and Damascus. The operation's speculated intention is not just disabling the base, but taking control of it. The offensive took place one day before a crucial meeting in Qatar with the opposition.

Officials at Tisch Hospital's NYU Langone Medical Center announced on Saturday that "almost all" practices are set to reopen on Monday. Some doctors, though, will still have to see patients at alternate locations and are unsure how long it will be before they return to the hospital. NYU Langone Medical Center was one of two medical centers to be evacuated during the height of Hurricane Sandy after seven backup generators failed on Monday night.

One more way Facebook's debut on the market has been a debacle: keeping talent at the company. As the company has become publicly traded--and a more established brand--Facebook has started the careers of many a young engineer, but keeping them has been a whole different story. Even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has admitted the company has an employee morale problem--especially with its share price taking a nosedive immediately after its record debut--and has even has increased the number of shares given to new hires. But it's more than just about having a less hip cafeteria: as the young talent goes to other companies, Facebook stands to fall behind.

Ladies, rejoice! Leonardo DiCaprio is newly single after breaking up with his latest tall, blonde girlfriend. Victoria's Secret Angel Erin Heatherton and the actor had been dating since December 2011 until splitting. DiCaprio is currently in New York filming The Wolf of Wall Street and was spotted partying with a group of models on Wednesday night.

Christina Aguilera (a Staten Island native!) joined fellow singers Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi Friday night to help raise money to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy. The “Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together” telethon on NBC will benefit rebuilding and relief efforts in the areas most devastated by the storm. “We are here for you. We will do whatever we can to help. We will not leave any one of you behind, because every single one of you matters,” Aguilera said. The all-star trio is urging viewers to help Red Cross efforts by texting REDCROSS to 90999 (for a $10 donation) or by going online and pledging funds.

Some marathoners aren’t taking no for an answer. Despite the annual New York City marathon’s cancellation Friday, a handful of participants said they will put their months of training to good use and will still follow the marathon’s route. One runner and his friends started a Facebook event encouraging others to “run it anyway for ourselves ... The show must go on.” Before you judge, he is also planning to volunteer for storm-cleanup efforts.

Officials in Pennsylvania reported on Friday that reports from a test of drinking water from a private well near a natural-gas extraction site were incomplete, leaving out data indicating the presence of toxic metals in the water. The scientist in charge of the tests claims that her lab tested for a variety of metals but only reported on those requested by the state government. The information was provided during a lawsuit charging that fracking and storing the resulting wastewater near the well had contaminated the drinking water and made at least seven people sick.

The dark days are over. After almost five days with no electricity, parts of lower Manhattan had their power restored Friday afternoon around 5 p.m. According to electrical provider ConEdison, nearly 65,000 customers now have power again. Local residents posted on Twitter about celebrations in the streets. “Honking and cheering. People going bonkers,” said @caitlin_thomps. “People are cheering,” reported @somebadideas.

At least 39 unarmed men in their teens and 20s were killed in an assault by Nigerian troops on Friday. The killings occurred during an ongoing campaign against Boko Haram, an armed group that wants to create an armed state in the north. The victims all lived in Maiduguri, a city widely seen as the stronghold of the group. The troops raided four neighborhoods in the city, allegedly rounding up young men and executing them on the spot.

Even though economic data released Friday for the month of October showed an increase in 171,000 new jobs, economists said on Friday that the data are unlikely to have any impact on Tuesday's presidential election. Obama supporters have hoped that the news will aid the incumbent's campaign, which has been struggling with the economic woes of the past few years, in its final days. But according to a poll of 45 economists, the modest increases will have little to no effect on the election, with 24 saying impact would be "neutral" and another 15 saying it would be "insignificant." On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said that U.S. payroll grew in October, although the unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 7.9 percent.

Just when they thought they were safe, some patients recovering from the meningitis linked to a fungus-contaminated drug are falling ill again. Sufferers of the new infection are now coping with epidural abscesses, infections near the base of the spine where the drug was initially injected. Although the abscesses are localized, they are painful and occurred despite the strong antifungal medications patients were already taking, forcing them back into the hospital for more treatment and surgery. Over 400 cases of the meningitis have been reported nationwide so far.

Those nonstop ads in Ohio come at a cost. According to a new analysis of campaign-spending disclosures by non-affiliated organizations, outside groups spent over $500 million in October alone. The top three spenders—American Crossroads, Crossroads GPS, and Restore Our Future—spent $173 million alone. All three groups support conservative causes, and the bulk of the money went to ads that target President Obama. But the Democrats also raised big bucks: the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA brought in $75.5 million in October.

The U.S. Defense Department announced Friday that it will send 24 million gallons of fuel on tankers to storm-ravaged areas of New York and New Jersey. While many officials have insisted there is "no reason to panic" over a fuel shortage, less than 40 percent of the areas gas stations are operating at full capacity and frustration over the gas shortage has caused long lines at pumps in the affected areas, with lines stretching for miles in some areas. On Friday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie  ordered a gas-rationing system until further notice. In New Jersey, Christie told residents to go south to look for gas, saying that while only 25 percent of stations north of Interstate 195 are operating, 90 percent of those south of the highway are in service.

Poll results released Friday show that 55 percent of respondents feel that the United States is on the "wrong track", with just 43 percent saying they are comfortable with the country's trajectory. But don't worry, Obama supporters: an incumbent has survived almost identical poll results before. In 2004, 55 percent of those polled were dissatisfied and 41 percent felt fine. This might mark the only time Bush's second victory has given hope to liberal voters.

Is it all going to come down to Ohio? In a statewide poll released Saturday, Obama currently holds a six-point advantage of 51 percent to Romney's 45 percent. But in Florida, the race gets close: polls there indicate the president only has a two-point advantage, 49 percent to the challenger's 47 percent. Both states are key in this election, and the current numbers seem to indicate that Tuesday night will be very interesting indeed.

President Obama made a visit to FEMA’s headquarters Saturday to detail the lengths the government will take to ensure disaster aid is swift and efficient, and he insisted hurricane relief is his most important priority, despite being days away from Election Day. “We don’t have any patience for bureaucracy, we don’t have any patience for red tape...We are going to put not just 100 percent but 120 percent behind making sure that they get the resources that they need to rebuild and recover,” he said.

Marriage equality apparently means something different to France's leading prelate. Cardinal of Paris André Vingt-Trois said on Saturday that the country's plans to legalize gay marriage would profoundly affect its egalitarian society—and not in a good way. He claims that allowing same-sex marriage only benefits a few, but not all, citizens. The announcement was made at an annual congregation of France's bishops at Lourdes, a major pilgrimage site. If the law passes, France will be the 12th country to legalize gay marriage.