Three Dead In Fatal Queens Fire Three people were killed and four others hurt in a house fire in Woodside Queens this morning. FDNY Chief Vincent Mavaro says the cause is under investigation and explains the situation at 42-40 65th Street:The FDNY says the home had been given three violations from the City Building Department for an illegal subdivision in the basement. The names of the dead have not yet been released. The injured are being treated at the Cornell Hospital Burn Unit.
Union: NYC teachers pension checks canceled Bank of New York Mellon says it is working to correct a problem that caused the electronic cancelation of the pension checks of tens of thousands of retired New York City teachers and school staff.
New York City union officials say the cancelation was due to an error that occurred sometime Thursday night or early yesterday, just days after the checks totaling $185 million were deposited.
Queens Woman Given Maximum Sentence For Castrating Father A Queens woman is serving the max for castrating and smothering her father. Brigitte Harris was convicted on manslaughter this past September for the 2007 murder of her father Eric Goodridge, but was acquitted of the more serious charges. The judge sentenced Harris to five-to-15-years in prison, despite the jury seeking leniency in the case. The defense argued Harris had been sexually abused since the age of three.
Navy ship built with WTC steel to go into service The Navy is commissioning its newest battleship with a bow forged from steel that once held up the World Trade Center.The USS New York is to be placed in active military service during a ceremony on a Manhattan pier Saturday morning. Naval officials say the steel from the trade center attacked on 9/11 symbolizes that the United States will always persevere.The $1 billion warship was built near New Orleans by workers who themselves survived Hurricane Katrina.
Governor Paterson Calls On State Senators To Vote On Same-Sex Marriage Governor Paterson is calling state lawmakers back to Albany next week for a special budget cutting session. But the governor is also putting a measure to legalize same-sex marriage on the docket. The state Senate could take up the bill or shelve it during the extraordinary session, but the governor is calling on state lawmakers not to skirt the issue.
New York Senate majority will snub Gov. Paterson The Senate's Democratic majority won't attend Democratic Gov. David Paterson's address to a joint session of the Legislature Monday, when he will try to build support for attacking New York's latest fiscal crisis, according to state officials informed of the decision."We're not returning for a photo op" for Paterson, a senior Democratic official said of the governor, who is languishing in the polls as he seeks election in 2010. The official, who is close to the Senate's majority...
Crowds roar, bells ring out as NYC fetes Yankees Crowds roared and church bells rang in lower Manhattan on Friday as the Yankees' World Series championship celebration revved up with a ticker-tape parade.As the players on floats made their way through Wall Street toward City Hall Plaza, a loud roar rose above Broadway and confetti rained down on the parade.University of Delaware student Suzanne Giraud said she lost her voice celebrating the championship."Now I'm here to celebrate the guardians of the dynasty," she...
Police officers were placing steel barricades along the Broadway parade route, while crews have been working around the clock to set up a stage and viewing area near the steps of City Hall.
Mayor Bloomberg will present each Yankee with a Key to the City to mark the Bronx Bombers capturing the team's 27th...
New York Bankers Receive H1N1 Vaccines New York, NY -- Health officials in New York City are trying to explain why Big Apple bankers received H1N1 vaccines ahead of people in at-risk groups. New York Health Department spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti says the city distributed 800-thousand doses to more than a thousand providers and 200 doses had found their way to Goldman Sachs. She says 16 of the city's 25 largest employers had also been given the vaccine including Citi Group. The move...
Ex-NYC police commissioner Kerik pleads guilty White Plains, NY -- Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik today pleaded guilty to lying to the White House and said he would also admit to tax crimes. WOR's Mike Watts reporters on Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik pleading guilty to corruption charges: The guilty pleas to eight felony counts were made in federal court in White Plains. Kerik, who was jailed last month for sharing secret pretrial information, may be...
National News
Broader Measure Of Unemployment May Be Higher The unemployment rate may be much higher than the official ten-point-two-percent figure released Friday by the Labor Department. The New York "Times" reports in reality, more than one out of every six workers was unemployed or underemployed in October. That means 17-point-five-percent of the work force is unemployed, topping the previous post-Depression high of 17-point-one-percent in December of 1982.
Obama praises those who ended Fort Hood violence President Barack Obama said Saturday that the training designed to keep U.S. forces safe abroad prevented further deaths and ended the rampage at Fort Hood.He praised those who serve or have served in uniform and reminded the public of their diversity - a move designed to calm tensions around the suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan."They are Americans of every race, faith and station.
Police: Fla. shooting suspect was angry at company The engineer accused of fatally shooting one worker and wounding five others at the firm where he once worked appeared briefly in court Saturday and was ordered held without bond.A judge ordered that Jason Rodriguez, 40, be held without bail at the Orange County Jail in Orlando for Friday's shooting. His defense attorney, Bob Wesley, asked the judge that police and prosecutors have no contact with Rodriguez without his permission.
Suspect asked for advice on going to fight Muslims A Muslim leader says the Army psychiatrist suspected of going on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood asked him for advice on what he should tell soldiers who had concerns about going to fight Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan.Osman Danquah (oos-MAHN' dahn-KWAH') is the co-founder of the Islamic Community of Greater Killeen. He says he had a bad feeling about Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan after the two talked twice in late summer.
Decision day for health care in the House President Barack Obama is trying to close the deal in the House on his health care overhaul, facing a make-or-break vote that's certain to be seen as a test of his presidency.Obama scheduled a visit late Saturday morning to meet with House Democrats, who planned a rare weekend session.
Police: Fla. shooting suspect was angry at company Employees at an engineering firm recognized their former co-worker when he drew a handgun from under his shirt, police said, and shot his first victim dead in the reception area. He then walked into the office and unloaded several more rounds, wounding five other employees at the company that fired him two years ago.
Undefeated Zenyatta ready to race the boys A day after the top female horses took center stage at the Breeders' Cup, leading lady Zenyatta will face her male rivals in Saturday's $5 million Classic. Zenyatta's 13-0 career record is at stake as she also seeks to become the first female horse to win the 1 1/4-mile race.Life is Sweet didn't mind her stablemate's absence, especially considering the 4-year-old filly had lost three of her previous four races to Zenyatta.
Fort Hood, community mourn shooting victims A chaplain exhorted hundreds of mourners gathered at a candlelight vigil to not give up hope as Fort Hood and its surrounding community looked to each other for comfort after an Army psychiatrist allegedly went on a deadly shooting spree at the military base.A grief counseling center was set up Friday at the Killeen Community Center to help residents struggling to make sense of one of the worst mass shootings ever on a base in the United States.
Decision day for health care in the House President Barack Obama is traveling to Capitol Hill on Saturday to try to close the sale on his signature health care overhaul, facing a make-or-break vote in the House certain to be seen as a test of his presidency.
Police: Fla. shooting suspect was angry at company Employees at an engineering firm recognized their former co-worker when he drew a handgun from under his shirt, police said, and shot his first victim dead in the reception area. He then walked into the office and unloaded several more rounds, wounding five other employees at the company that fired him two years ago.
A tentative forecast track from the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami shows the storm could hit the U.S. Gulf Coast next week.
The warning means tropical storm conditions are expected on Grand Cayman in 24 hours or less.
Iran: 109 detained at opposition rally Iranian police have detained 109 people for "disturbing public order" during an opposition rally this week, the official IRNA news agency reported Saturday.Azizollah Rajabzadeh, a security spokesman, said 62 of those detained have been handed over to judicial authorities for trial and the rest have been released after questioning."Police detained 109 people who disturbed public order on the sidelines of the rally," he said.
Berlin inaugurates repainted Wall section The Berlin Wall's longest remaining stretch has been restored to its state of nearly two decades ago after artists repainted the colorful murals they created in the aftermath of the notorious barrier's opening.Berlin on Friday inaugurated the restored section of the concrete wall, which is known as the East Side Gallery and snakes along the bank of the Spree river for three quarters of a mile (1.3 kilometers).A popular tourist attraction, it boasts famous imagines such as a boxy East German...
2 coalition service members missing in Afghanistan Two NATO soldiers are missing in western Afghanistan after a routine resupply mission, the alliance said Friday.The two went missing on Wednesday, NATO forces headquarters in Afghanistan said in a statement. It did not specify their nationality or which province they had been in, or provide any details of the resupply mission.Military officials indicated that they did not suspect the case was similar to that of an American soldier who was captured by insurgents in eastern Afghanistan...
Embattled UN rethinking Afghan-Pakistan role KABUL -- The United Nations is sending about 600 foreign staff out of the country or into secure compounds because of the deadly Taliban attack on U.N. workers, warning the Afghan government Thursday that international support will wane unless it cracks down on corruption fueling the insurgency. The decision follows a drawdown of U.N. operations in Pakistan, casting doubt on whether the world body can operate effectively in this region with war raging on both sides of the border. The...
Paraguayan president hit with 3rd paternity suit ASUNCION, Paraguay -- A third woman has filed a paternity claim against Paraguay's Roman Catholic bishop-turned- president, her lawyer confirmed Thursday. Hortensia Damiana Moran, 40, a religious activist who worked on President Fernando Lugo's election campaign, went public with her allegation a year ago, but at the time said she would not file a formal claim on behalf of her 2-year-old son, Juan Pablo. But late Wednesday, Moran filed a petition asking a judge to order a...
Caribbean, Gulf spared widespread coral damage SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Lower-than-feared sea temperatures this summer gave a break to fragile coral reefs across the Caribbean and the central Gulf of Mexico that were damaged in recent years, scientists said Thursday. Unusually warm water in recent years has caused the animals that make up coral to expel the colorful algae they live with, creating a bleached color. If the problem persists, the coral itself dies - killing the environment where many fish and other marine organisms...
Norway seeks WTO help in disputed EU seal hunt ban OSLO -- Norway has joined Canada in asking the World Trade Organization to settle its seal hunt dispute with the European Union. Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said Thursday that Norway has formally requested WTO assistance in mediating the trade dispute, which erupted after the 27-nation EU banned seal products earlier this year. The ban goes into effect in August 2010. Stoere says the regulation runs "contrary" to trade obligations laid out by the WTO,...
Spanish hostages' wives: 3 crew taken ashore MADRID -- Pirates holding a Spanish trawler off Somalia took three crew members ashore Thursday to press Spanish authorities for the release of fellow pirates captured in connection with the month-old hostage drama, wives of two sailors said. Later, in a telephone interview broadcast by on Spanish TV, Ricardo Blach, the skipper of the hijacked Alakrana, said pirates on board had threatened to kill the three crew members taken ashore, if there was no progress in freeing the two...
Outrage over wall blocking free U2 Berlin concert BERLIN -- Irish rockers U2 returned to Berlin for a free mini-concert Thursday in front of the Brandenburg Gate, playing its classic singles and a duet with Jay-Z even as the show was obscured from public view by a nearly 6-1/2-foot (two-meter) high metal barrier. Bono greeted the crowd with the German words "Berlin, Du bist wunderbar!" (Berlin, you are wonderful!) and the band played a 30-minute, six-song set that featured "Sunday, Bloody Sunday," "One...
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