VOS IZ NEIAS

VOS IZ NEIAS Breaking news and community news that might be to your curiosity as it happens, before you get it from your news source.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Monsey, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Monsey, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ Hatzolah requesting Medics on a rush for a motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian bucher that was struck by a car service on Route 306 and Maple Avenue, aided is unconscious.

U/D: 22:48
20-year-old male is in likely condition, transported to Good Sam Hospital, NYSD Recon Team notified.

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Synagogue Fire+

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Synagogue Fire+ A fire Friday night that started in the kitchen of a 3 story brick 35x50 occupied synagogue at 272 Avenue "O" and East 7th Street, had the FD working all hands, and all searches throughout were negative.

Friday, March 31, 2006

Manhattan Bridge +Falling Debris+

Manhattan Bridge +Falling Debris+ A piece of metal debris fell off from under the Manhattan Bridge down onto the southbound of the F.D.R. Drive and onto the windshield of a yellow taxi driving by and hitting the driver, NYPD units on the scene checking to see if there is any more debris in danger of falling, EMS requested for the driver that's injured.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Partial Collapse+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Partial Collapse+ Hatzolah on the scene at 960 45th Street between 9th and 10th Avenue's in Boro-Park for a brick wall and roof from a shed that collapsed on a child in the rear yard of a building, Hatzolah on the scene requesting Medics on a rush for the child that sustained serious head trauma, FD also responding.
No need for special collapse units.

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident on Brooklyn Avenue and Stearling with a pedestrian that was struck, Hatzolah responding.

Orange County, NY +High Speed Pursuit+

Orange County, NY +High Speed Pursuit+ New York State Police of Troop "F" are in hight speed pursuit of a motorcycle in access of 120MPH, pursuing from Route 17 eastbound Monroe, NY onto the NY State Thruway south bound.

U/D: 13:17
NYSP are passing now exit 14 of the I-87 southbound, Ramapo.

Manhattan, NY +Jumper Off G.W. Bridge+

Manhattan, NY +Jumper Off G.W. Bridge+ A person jumped off mid-span upper level off the George Washington Bridge, PAPD, ESU, Aviation-15 and Harbor on the scene.

U/D: 12:47
PAPD has an abandoned vehicle on the bridge, and ESU reporting female jumper floating in the water on the NJ side and possibly DOA.

U/D: 12:54
Awaiting Harbor for removal.

U/D: 12:59
Body recovered by US Coast Guard, and will take body to the Ross Dock at One Hudson Drive in NJ, and requesting ALS to the scene for the pronouncement.

Monsey, NY +MVA+

Monsey, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident minor in nature on Route 59 and Main Street, with Rockland Paramedics, Ramapo Valley Ambulance Corp and Hatzolah BLS and ALS on the scene with one elderly aided that possibly had a heart attack, C.P.R. In progress and on the way to Good Sam Hospital, Ramapo PD also on the scene.

Motorola To Introduce Kosher Phones In The United States

kosher phones

Talks are under way with Motorola, to introduce a " Kosher phone " to Jewish communities in the United States and other nations possibly later this year.

"There's interest out there in a conservative phone," said Abrasha Burstyn, the chief executive officer at Mirs Communications Ltd., an Israeli subsidiary of Motorola Inc. and pioneer of the kosher mobile that debuted last year.
The phones carrying the seal of approval from rabbinical authorities have been one of the most successful mergers of technology and centuries-old tradition in the ultra-Orthodox community.
The kosher phone is stripped down to its original function: making and receiving calls. There's no text messaging, no Internet access, no video options, no camera. More than 10,000 numbers are blocked. A team of rabbinical overseers makes sure the list is up to date.

That made Motorola think bigger. Talks are under way to introduce a kosher phone to Jewish communities in the United States and other nations possibly later this year.

Rockland County, NY - Thruway Roadwork Scheduled For This Summer

Rockland County, NY - More roadwork is coming to this portion of the New York State Thruway this summer.

Two sections of the Thruway - Exit 11 to the western end of the Tappan Zee Bridge, and the 6-mile stretch from Exit 14 to Exit 15 - will be repaired and repaved. Twelve bridges along the Thruway in the county also will be fixed, and a second left-lane will be added to northbound Exit 14B (Airmont Road). The project will be completed late next year.
The pavement replacement project will be similar to work the Thruway did between exits 14 and 11 last year, said the Thruway Authority's division director for the Hudson Valley.

Work is expected to begin in the late summer, and will be done at night and in the early morning.

Apopka, FL - Holocaust Stunt Upsets Parents

Apopka, FL - Parents have angrily protested to the head teacher of a Apopka Florida school after their children had yellow stars of David pinned to their clothing so that they could better understand what it was like to be a Jew during the Holocaust.

Eighth graders at Apopka Memorial Middle School were made to empathize with the plight of Jews under Nazi rule in World War Two for Holocaust Remembrance Day.
But the incident upset some parents and children. Father John Tinnelly said that his son, who wore a yellow star, was told to stand at the back of the class and not allowed to sit down. "He was forced to go to the back of the lunch line four times by an administrator," Mr. Tinnelly said.
When his son came home, he was crying. "I said, 'What are you crying about?'" said Mr. Tinnelly. "He said, 'Daddy, I was a Jew today.'"
"They were told that they could not use the water fountains," Mr. Tinnelly said. "There was even a sign supposedly at one water fountain [saying] if you're wearing a yellow star, you can't use this water fountain."

Monticello, NY - Luxury Condo Will Cost $17M, Rise 7 Stories

Monticello, NY - Planning Board approved the biggest building to be constructed in Sullivan County in decades, a 92-unit luxury condo complex seven stories and 174,000 square feet, just off West Broadway overlooking Monticello Raceway. And construction begins next month, and expected to be completed by May 2007.

The complex, will be shaped like a "Y," with each of the extensions rising seven stories. It will be built on 4 acres, in a quiet, wooded area on Dunbar Road near Route 17B.
New York investors are funding the project.

London, England, UK - Jewish School In Battle To Stay Open

London, England, UK - A Jewish school is fighting back against Barnet Council's attempts to close it down.

Beis Medrash Elyon took over a residential building on Golders Green Road in 2004 and began operating as a school, despite not having planning permission.
The council served it with an enforcement notice demanding it close down in April last year but the school for 40 boys is now challenging the decision via a public enquiry.

A council spokesman said. "We rejected the application as losing homes goes against the Mayor's London plan and our own policies. We also don't believe that all alternatives were considered before the school was opened at that site."
"Thirdly, residents have expressed concerns about extra noise and disturbance at the site."

Last week plans to turn the building next door to the school into a rabbinical college were approved by councillors, to operate daily until 7pm after being reassured by the rabbi in charge, David Herz, that little disturbance would be caused.
The rabbi said: "We will not have more than 15 students and it will be for rabbinical training, students learning to serve the Jewish community.
"If you are looking for something which will leave people in peace, this is the first on your list."
But neighbour Florence Suskin, who has lived on the road for 40 years and complained against both the school and the college, branded the decision "disgusting".
She said: "There is screaming and shouting and we don't use the front of our house because of the high school.
"There are bikes on the pavement and 40 footballs mysteriously disappeared from our garden."
Rabbi Lebovich, from the school, said: "I do feel for the lady next door because she has less peace and quiet now but these are boys from the local community. They are not vandals and boys will be boys. Ninety-nine per cent of time they don't do anything wrong."

Arab Americans Criticized Sen. Charles Schumer For Denigrating Arabs

Senator Schumer (D-N.Y.), was quoted last week as defending his opposition to a now-scuttled deal that would have allowed a Dubai company to manage six U.S. ports. “Let’s say skinheads had bought a company to take over our port. I think the outcry would have been the same,” Schumer said.

The Arab American Institute described Schumer’s remarks as deplorable. “Sen. Schumer’s brazen remark runs contrary to the Democratic Party’s principles of inclusion and diversity,” it said in a statement. “The senator owes Arab Americans an apology.”.
Schumer’s office did not respond.

Kingston, NY - Kiryas Joel's Security Officer Running For Ulster County Sheriff

Kingston - Two people are already in the race for Ulster County sheriff and that's before the incumbent even makes up his mind about running.

Democrat Paul Van Blarcum, who lost the election in 1998 but made a strong showing, announced his candidacy this week.
And James Korosi of Highland, a political newcomer who has worked on Kiryas Joel's security force and a one-time correction officer who was fired from the Ulster County Sheriff's Office, he wants the Republican nomination for the job. He's even willing to face the incumbent Republican, Richard Bockelmann, in a primary. He said Bockelmann has got to go.

Bockelmann said he fired Korosi last year for not being available to work often enough as a part-time correction officer. Korosi confirmed he was fired.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Monsey, NY +Serious MVA With Entrapment+

Monsey, NY +Serious MVA With Entrapment+ A motor vehicle accident with a tractor trailer in to an auto with the aided female pinned in the vehicle at Route 59 and Robert Pitt Drive, PD on the scene requesting FD for the extrication, Hatzolah BLS and ALS all on the scene.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Watermain-Break+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Watermain-Break+ DEP is requested for a water main break at 16th Avenue and 47th Street. 16th Avenue between 46th and 47th Street's is closed down.

Iran - +Series Of Earthquakes+

Tehran, Iran - +Series Of Earthquakes+ At least 66 people have died and more than 1,200 have been injured after a series of earthquakes in western Iran.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on Division Avenue and Wilson Street, Hatzolah responding.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - One Million Square Feet To Be Add To The Waterfront

Williamsburg Getting Edgy

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - Over one million square feet to be developed on the Williamsburg Brooklyn waterfront at North 5th to North 7th Street's, from Kent Avenue to the East River, in a mix of mid-rise buildings and high-rise towers. Known as “The Edge,” the project of 1,000 residential units will be built with over 100,000 square feet of retail space and parking for over 1,000 cars.

A waterfront esplanade will be built along the river, with a recreational and water taxi pier built into the river from North 6th Street. Construction will commence by the spring of 2006.

Cairo, Egypt - +Ship Accident+

Cairo, Egypt - +Ship Accident+ The U.S. Navy says American divers and helicopters are heading to a local ferry with about 150 souls on board, that was involved in an accident and sunk in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Bahrain.

U/D: 16:46
Bahrain's interior minister says 48 bodies have been recovered so far from the sinking ferry and at least 63 people survived.

Manhattan, NY +MVA Involving Homeland Security MOS+

Manhattan, NY +MVA Involving Homeland Security MOS+ A motor vehicle accident on the F.D.R. Drive and Houston Street, involving an agent of Homeland Security with minor injuries, MOS being transported to St. Vincents Hospital. Traffic is backed up with heavy delays on both directions.

Israel - Three Israelis Killed By Suicide Bomber Dressed As A Observant Jew

Israel - three Israelis were killed when a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated explosives in a car at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Kedumim, located west of Nablus.

The vehicle blew up next to the Kedumim gas station. The three Israeli casualties had apparently picked up the suicide bomber, who was likely dressed as an observant Jew, as he was hitchhiking on the road. He then exploded in their car killing all four.

U/D:
It was later learned that the car had "four" occupants. Details were a while in coming because of the flames that engulfed the car, which burned for a long time before anyone was allowed to go near it. Identifying the victims was therefore a difficult task.

The occupants were the owners, Rafi and Helena HaLevy, both 60, of Kedumim; Reut Feldman, 20, from Herzliya; and Shaked Lasker, 16, in addition to the terrorist.
The murderer, who was dressed as a religious Jew, apparently entered the car near Karnei Shomron, possibly together with the other two hitch-hikers, and the car drove east towards Kedumim.

Just outside Kedumim, the terrorist detonated his explosive, which was estimated at 10 kilograms, and all inside were killed instantly.

Ellenville, NY +Large Brush Fire+

Ellenville, NY +Large Brush Fire+ FD on the scene with a large and fast moving brush fire on Route 52 (Ulster Heights Rd) and Towne Road , COMMAND is requesting a 2nd Alalrm and all man power from Woodburne, Napanoch and Kerhonkson, and the Brush Truck to respond to the scene.

New York, NY - Unemployment Rate at 5 Year Low

New York, NY - The city's unemployment rate has hit a five-year low, 5.3 percent, according to data from the State Repartment of Labor.

The February 2006 unemployment rate is down from 5.5 percent the previous month, 5.9 percent a year ago and 7.8 percent two years ago. It's the lowest since March 2001, when it also stood at 5.3 percent.
The number of employed New Yorkers in February surpassed the record set the month before, up 20,600 to 3.6 million.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city is "making great strides in creating jobs for all New Yorkers. In the past year alone, the number of New Yorkers with jobs increased by more than 106,000, and prior to 2001 the last time the unemployment rate was as low as 5.3 percent was 1988,'' Bloomberg said in a statement.

Borough Park, Brooklyn +Motor Vehicle Accident+

Borough Park, Brooklyn +Motor Vehicle Accident+ A MVA on the corner of 57th Street and New Utrecht Avenue, Hatzolah on the scene.

Poland - Government Wants Name Change For Auschwitz

Poland - The new conservative government wants to change the official name of the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz on the Unesco world heritage registry.

The government, led by the Law and Justice party, hopes to change the name from Auschwitz Concentration Camp to the Former Nazi German Concentration Camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, Culture Ministry spokesman Jan Kasprzyk said.
Polish officials have complained in the past that foreign media sometimes refer to Auschwitz – a death camp located in occupied Poland where Nazi Germany killed 1.5 million people – as a Polish concentration camp.
That phrasing deeply offends sensitivities in Poland, which was subjected to a brutal occupation by Adolf Hitler’s forces.
“In the years after the war, the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was definitively associated with the criminal activities of the national-socialist, Nazi regime in Germany. However, for the contemporary, younger generations, especially abroad, that association is not universal,” Kasprzyk said.
“The proposed change in the name leaves no doubt as to what the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp was.”

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Armed Robbery+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Armed Robbery+ A armed robbery of the Febko Shoe Store at 13th Avenue and 44th Street, PD and Shomrim on the scene investigating reports of someone in the store that was robbed at gun point, but no one injured.

Port Kent, NY - Bottled Water Company's Products Recalled

Port Kent, NY - State officials have recalled bottled water that is possibly contaminated with dirt and coliform bacteria, said Roger Jakubowski, owner of North Country Spring Water Ltd. of Port Kent, N.Y.

New York Health Department spokesperson said state authorities had not confirmed any illnesses tied to the tainted water.
The FDA said coliform bacteria violate the New York sanitary code and indicate other harmful bacteria might be present.
In addition to the coliform were diatoms -- material like clay and that could indicate a problem with the company's filters.

Lipetsk, Russia - Jewish Communal Property Vandalized

Lipetsk, Russia - The building of the Jewish Community Center, which was intended to host the first Synagogue in the entire Lipetsk Region, was vandalized.

Vandals drew a Fascist swastika on the property with permanent paint. Located near to the building’s main entrance on the brick fence surrounding the building, this horrific symbol is visible to all passers-by and a particular eyesore for local Jews and others who suffered at the hands of the Nazis during World War Two.

The Jewish Community Center and Synagogue of Lipetsk will celebrate their official inauguration soon, immediately following the completion of construction works. That is expected to take place this autumn.

New York City, NY - Loaded Gun For Show-And-Tell

New York City, NY - Two sixth-graders both 12, at a Brooklyn junior high school were suspended for bringing a loaded .45-caliber handgun into their public school building
for show-and-tell.

No shots were fired and no one was hurt in the incident at IS 78, on 1420 E. 68th Street in the Mill Basin section of Brooklyn.

One student had bullets in his possession and another had the automatic handgun. Officials said the student brought the weapon in for show-and-tell but another student spotted the gun and told school security officers.

Staten Island, NY +Truck vs Insurance Building+

Staten Island, NY +Truck vs Insurance Building+ An accident at 939 Huguenot Avenue and Amboy Road with a truck that went into the All State Insurance Company building, all occupiedd are out from the truck with minor injuries, PD and FD are on the scene

Ramapo, NY - Inspection Of Preschool Trailer Finds No Big Problems

Ramapo, NY - The town's inspection of a trailer used for a preschool program at Yeshiva Mosdos Chofetz Chaim construction site yielded a few concerns, but no imminent sign of danger.

Three Building Department inspectors visited the Grandview Avenue site, where the yeshiva is building a school and apartments for adult students and their children. The developer has been cited by the town for using the trailer without a site plan and certificate of occupancy. Those charges are pending a review by the Zoning Board of Appeals in May.

"There are still a number of things we are looking into," Town Attorney Michael Klein said, "but there does not appear that there is any significant safety concerns."

Not Enough Parking Spots In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - A livery cab driver was stabbed and beaten with a pipe after arguing over a parking space at 236 S. Second St. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn yesterday.

Paramedics found Osmin Vargas doubled over in pain, after he had jumped out of his black Lincoln sedan with another man and confronted as many as four people over a parking spot, who beat and stabbed him as much as eight times.
Vargas, 31, was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was in stable condition. NYPD of the 90th Pct have no one arrested yet.

Bronx, NY +N/B Bruckner Exp. MVA Traffic Alert+

Bronx, NY +N/B Bruckner Exp. MVA Traffic Alert+ A serious MVA with an overturned auto with a 7-year-old child ejected from one vehicle out onto the roadway, child is conscious and alert and is on the northbound Bruckner Expressway at White Plains Road near the Throgs Neck Bridge, PD and ESU on the scene advising EMS and all other units to respond the wrong direction on the Bruckner.

Monsey, NY - Two Charged In Alcohol Sting

Monsey, NY - Two clerks were charged after police, in conjunction with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, checked Monsey stores for compliance with state alcoholic beverage laws.

A 26-year-old Monsey man, employed by Grapevines Fine Wines & Spirits on Route 306, and a 20-year-old Spring Valley man, employed by Saddle River Deli on Saddle River Road, were each charged with prohibited sale of alcohol to a minor, a violation.
When an undercover 16-year-old tried to buy alcohol without identification at Grapevines, the clerk brought the flask of vodka outside, Sgt. Robert Lancia said. Both stores will be referred to the state Liquor Authority.

The Society says they will do more undercover operations like this.

Seattle, Washington - New Test To Detect Rare Health Disorders

Seattle, Washington - Researchers at the University of Washington have devised a simple blood test that they say can detect rare disorders, progressive genetic diseases known as 'lysosomal storage disorders'.

These disorders can cause symptoms ranging from gross enlargement of the liver to mental retardation. Some 40-50 of the disorders are known, and in total they affect one in 5,000 people. Gaucher disease, one of the more common afflictions, affects a little more than one in 1,000 Ashkenazi Jews.

The researchers say their screening method can now detect seven of these diseases. Cambridge-based company Genzyme, which sells treatments for three of the diseases, hopes to see the screen made a routine part of newborn testing.

Newborn babies with these diseases can be healthy, because there has been little time for this material to build up. Blood tests are available for cases where lysosomal diseases are suspected.

New York, NY - Cabbie That Returned $1M In Jewelry, Is Honored

New York, NY - Last August, A City taxi driver Hossam Abdalla has found in his cab a case that contained nearly a million dollars' worth of gold, diamonds and titanium, and he soon start working on getting it back to the Jewish jeweler from Montreal who left it in the taxi.

Now Abdalla was named New York's cab driver of the year, at a Taxi and Limousine Commission ceremony. "Honesty for me is everything," says the Egyptian immigrant who's been driving since 1999.

Most of the drivers honored were recognized for returning lost property. One of them returned a camcorder and videotape documenting a child's recovery from cancer.

Williamsburg Bridge Closed Down +Traffic Alert+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - Williamsburg Bridge +Traffic Alert+ A 5 car motor vehicle accident at the outer lanes Manhattan bound of the Williamsburg Bridge, has the NYPD of the 90th Pct shutting down the outer lanes for traffic until all its cleared, and requesting multiple EMS busses to respond.

U/D: 08:13
Outer lanes still closed, inner roadway down to just one lane of traffic, still waiting for 2nd EMS bus to arrive.

Iraq - Histage Journalist Jill Carroll Released

Baghdad, Iraq - Abducted American hostage reporter Jill Carroll, kidnapped in Iraq January 7, has been released by her kidnappers in Iraq and is in healthy condition.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Punches Police Officer

Washington, DC - Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) with her cell phone in hand punched a U.S. Capitol Police officer in the chest after he mistakenly pursued her for failing to pass through a metal detector.

The cop is pressing charges and the USCP are waiting until Congress adjourns to arrest her.

The entire incident is on tape.

Orange County, NY - +Judge Rosenwasser Stepping Down+

Orange County, NY - +Judge Rosenwasser Stepping Down+ The Montgomery Republican Justice Stewart A. Rosenwasser said that he's resigning his post as an Orange County Court judge, a little more than halfway through his first 10-year term, he was elected in 1999.

He's been visibly disgusted by the political intrigue that swirled up to his neck during his three unsuccessful campaigns for state Supreme Court, including one that was cut short in 2003 by infighting among his fellow Republicans.
Last year, Rosenwasser thought he had nailed down a seat on that court, but his hopes were dashed by a recount that dragged out until mid-December.
"It can probably be summed up this way: I'm a goal-oriented guy," Rosenwasser said. "When I set goals for myself that have not been attainable, based on the results of the last three years, I set new goals for myself."

Rosenwasser plans to return to private law practice, this time joining forces with Chester lawyer Benjamin Ostrer.
His resignation takes effect on May 1. Gov. George Pataki has the power to appoint a temporary successor, who will have to stand for election in November.

Washington, DC - +I.R.S. Building Evacuated+

Washington, DC - +I.R.S. Building Evacuated+ The IRS building has been closed and evacuated due to an electrical fire.

Miami, FL - +Former Lobbyist Sentenced+

Abramoff 2 sentenced to five years, 10 months

Miami, FL - Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff sentenced to five years, 10 months in prison (70 months).

U/D: 17:18
The Senate has passed legislation to reduce congressional ties with lobbyists and make lobbying activities more open.

Toronto, Canada - Suspended Palestinian Aid

Toronto, Canada - Canada has suspended assistance to the Palestinian Authority because the new Hamas government refuses to recognize Israel.

Rockland County, NY +Palisades Pkwy Traffic Alert+

Rockland County, NY +Palisades Pkwy Traffic Alert+ A car fire at northbound of the Palisades Interstate Parkway, north of the state line, is causing heavy delays and some lane closures, FD requesting M/A pumper from Tappan to the scene.

Ramapo, NY - State Investigates Preschool Program

Ramapo, NY - The state is investigating allegations that a preschool program at Yeshiva Mosdos Chofetz Chaim construction site on Grandview Avenue is operating without a child-care license or registration, required under state law.

State inspectors were at the site and are reviewing their findings to determine what to do next, a spokesman for the state's Office of Children and Family Services said, "Every time we receive allegations, we take the strongest possible action that would provide for the safety of children, we will continue to review the findings of our investigation based on the type of care that is provided there.".

South Nyack-based attorney Dennis Lynch, who is representing the developer, said he and his client had not been notified of any investigation. "We believe that their claim, as reported through the media, is completely without merit," he said. "This is a pre-existing grandfathered use, and the state agency has no jurisdiction when a preschool is associated with a religious or educational program. This is not the first time the state agency has acted improperly."
Town Attorney Michael Klein said the town's building inspectors had an appointment to inspect the trailer. If there is an imminent health or safety concern, the town could seek an injunction with the state Supreme Court, he said.
Town Fire Inspector Thomas Buckley said that an electronic alarm connection between the trailer and the county's emergency dispatching unit, required by state law, had not been completed. The town had approved an application for the connection but had not been notified that the system was installed and ready for inspection.

Newton, MA - Strip Mall To Be Kosher

Newton, Massachusetts - The owners of the kosher Bodavi Bakers and nearly century-old Gordon & Alperin meat market are bringing a new deli, larger meat market and pizzeria - each of them kosher - for a all new all kosher strip mall in Newton that will open after Passover.

The new stores will cater to the area’s large number of Orthodox and Conservative Jews who are keeping kosher. They will all be overseen by three mashgiachs, full-time supervisors for the Kashruth Commission of the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts. A mashgiach remains on site whenever the businesses are operating, allowing the stores to advertise the KVH (Kosher Vaad Harabonim) symbol.

St. Petersburg - Neo-Nazis Attack And Injure Jewish Student

St. Petersburg - Around 300 anti-fascists, members of liberal parties, and human rights activists held a march in the city to protest growing racist violence. A group of neo-Nazis shadowed the demonstrators and then attacked three students.

A Jewish student was beaten with particular savagery-he ended up with head trauma, several cuts and bruises, and torn up clothes.

Police detained six people; they have not yet been charged.

Artyom, Russia - Jewish Community Center Vandalized

Artyom, Russia - Jewish leaders were shocked to discover recently that their new community center had been trashed during the night. Valuable books, furniture, video equipment and other items worth a total of 100,000 rubles were destroyed or damaged beyond repair.

Police detained two youths who are under the age of 15. Since the youths come from poor families (one of them was described as barely being able to afford to eat), the Jewish community leadership decided not to demand compensation, but reached an agreement with the vandals' parents that the youths will clean up their mess and do what they can to restore the damage they caused.

Louisville, KY - Legislature Too Wrapped Up In Religion, Jewish Leaders Say

Louisville, KY - The leaders of Louisville's Jewish community have taken Kentucky legislators to task for what they see as an excessive amount of religious overtones to the legislative session and related events.

A letter cited as examples bills authorizing the posting of the Ten Commandments and the motto "In God We Trust" at the Capitol; a governor's prayer breakfast at which only Christians spoke.
"We believe that our elected officials should focus less energy on legislating religion itself, and should spend more effort on legislating good policies based on the fundamental moral values shared by all our citizens," the letter said in part.
A lead signee of the letter, said various events created "a whole feeling of perhaps marginalizing not just the Jewish community, but a lot of other communities."

Bronx, NY +Bicyclist Struck+

Riverdale, Bronx, NY +Bicyclist Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a bicyclist that was struck and is unconscious at West 239th Street corner of Independence Avenue, Hatzolah responding requesting ALS Medics on a rush.

U/D: 07:51
Hatzolah now canceling the ALS units, due to city is already on the scene, the rest of the units to continue on in.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Brooklyn, NY +Motor Vehicle Accident+

Brooklyn, NY +Motor Vehicle Accident+ A MVA with a few victims, on Ocean Parkway and Church Street, Hatzolah responding with a few units, and 2 busses.

U/D: 21:21
Hatzolah on the scene canceling all busses.

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY +Man Robbed and Beaten+

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY - A perp had stolen a cell, radio and wallet, from a man walking on Carroll Street in Crown Heights, after the robbery he injured the victim seriously, PD and Shmira on the lookout for the perp, hatzolah responding for the aided on Carroll Street and Troy Avenue.

New York, NY - More Remains Discovered Near WTC Site

New York, NY - Construction workers cleaning toxic waste from a vacant skyscraper near the World Trade Center site have found more bone fragments and human remains.

The city medical examiner's office plans to extract DNA from the latest remains to be recovered from the former Deutsche Bank building and try to match it against a database of the 2,749 people killed at the trade center on September 11, 2001, said a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner's office.

Fire Department crews had inspected the building in the months following the attacks, but the new remains were found in recent weeks by crews doing a more thorough cleaning before construction workers begin dismantling the building in May.

Israel's Election Results

Jerusalem, Israel - Projections by Israel's three main media stations show acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's centrist Kadima Party winning Israel's election, but not getting enough parliament seats to govern alone.

U/D: 15:48
Ehud Olmert's Kadima Party won the most seats in Israel's election, but fared worse than polls had suggested.

Kadima won 29-32 seats in the voting for Israel's 120-seat Knesset, according to exit polls. As a result of the vote, which saw a record-low turnout 63.2 percent, Olmert is likely to continue as prime minister, a job he assumed on an interim basis after Ariel Sharon suffered a debilitating stroke Jan. 4. The Labor Party, led by Amir Peretz, was second, with 19-22 mandates. The biggest loser was Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, which won no more than 12 seats and could trail Yisrael Beitenu, a hawkish party led by Avigdor Lieberman that won 12-14 seats.

The other big surprise was the six to eight seats won by the Pensioners Party.

Newburgh, NY - Homeland Security Raids Local Delis

Newburgh, NY - Agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security led raids on four Newburgh delis and arrested three men, breaking up a massive money-laundering ring that sent thousands of dollars a week to Yemen.

Federal authorities became interested when investigators found the stores were transferring sizeable amounts of money to Yemen, whose lax banking laws have made it an attractive money-laundering destination for terrorists.

The men were also cashing out federal WIC cards and food stamps and selling cigarettes at the delis without state tax stamps.

Washington, NY - Federal Reserve Raises Interest Rates

Washington, NY - The Federal Reserve announces it is boosting a key interest rate by 1/4 point to 4.75 percent, the highest level in five years to make sure inflation remains contained.

Staten Island, NY - Plan to Ease Traffic Congestion

Staten Island, NY - Driving on the island will soon get a little easier, thanks to a comprehensive plan to improve traffic announced by the Mayor. "Staten Island is our fastest-growing borough, and its infrastructure has not kept up with its phenomenal growth," he said.

The plan includes: 1) Increased bus and train service. 2) A study of 10 major intersections. 3) More intersections allowing right turns on red. 4) More park-and-ride facilities. 5) A study of a possible South Shore fast-ferry service

Israel - Police Report Just Minor Disruptions At Elections

Israel Orthodox jews blocking votes 03/28/06

Israel - The Police Chief said that they have recorded 130 incidents related to elections today, and added that police would remain on highest alert due to terror warnings. There were a few incidents in the Orthodox sector, which along with the Arab sector is considered most sensitive, but nothing remarkable, the chief said.

This morning dozens of Orthodox Jews arrived at various voting sites in Jerusalem waving banners and campaigning against the elections. Police forces scattered the crowds forcefully, and one protestor was held for questioning.

A similar incident occurred in the afternoon near Musyuf Road in Jerusalem. Meanwhile in Beit Shemesh dozens of Orthodox protesters attempted to block entry to a ballot site but were scattered by police.

Also was a dummy bomb discovered at a bus stop at one Hotel Junction on in Jerusalem this afternoon. Police sappers were called to the scene to check out the suspicious backpack with wires hanging out of it. A note reading “Only Baruch Marzel” was found in the bag.

Bronx, NY +Traffic Court Pepper Spray Released+

Bronx, NY +Traffic Court Pepper Spray Released+ Multiple EMS units and ESU responding for multiple victims that were sprayed and overcome by pepper spray when an NYPD Officers mace spray sprung a leak in traffic court at Cortona Avenue and Frodham Road.

London, UK - Furor As London Mayor Calls US Ambassador "Crook"

London, UK - London's mayor, already fighting suspension for comparing a Jewish journalist to a concentration camp guard, landed in fresh hot water for likening the U.S. ambassador to a "chiseling little crook.".

Mayor Ken Livingstone has been quarrelling with the U.S. embassy since last year, when it announced it would not pay the "congestion charge" fee imposed on cars entering the city center.

The embassy says the charge is a tax and that diplomats are immune under treaty.
Livingstone says the charge, one of his flagship policies, is a road toll which diplomats have to pay.
"It would actually be quite nice if the American ambassador in Britain could pay the charge like everybody else and not skive out of it like some chiseling little crook," the mayor said.

Woodridge, NY - +Trapped Under Tree+

Woodridge, NY - +Trapped Under Tree+ In Camp Morris on Camp Morris Road an aided male is trapped under a fallen tree back in the woods, PD on the scene requesting Woodridge and Moutaindale FD and Rescue for the extrication, and EMS to respond on a rush, Medevac Stat Flight enroute.

New York, NY - JFK Airport Helicopter Service Opens

copter28.02/27/06

New York, NY - A helicopter commuter line, made its debut, offering passengers bound for John F. Kennedy International Airport a way to bypass street gridlock.

U.S. Helicopter Corp.'s airport shuttle between Wall Street and the American Airlines terminal at JFK takes eight minutes. The one-way cost is $139 now and $20 more after May 1. And they plan to expand its service to LaGuardia and Newark (N.J.) Liberty airports and the 34th Street heliport later this year.

Concord, NH - Ecstasy Sale Yields Six-Month Prison Term

Concord, NH - Joshua Meier, 21, has been sentenced to six months in federal prison after pleading guilty to selling the recreational drug ecstasy.

Prosecutors said Meier pleaded guilty to selling the drug to an undercover police officer. After that Meier will be on probation for three years and will be tested regularly for drug use.

New York, NY - City Warns Of Passover Price Gouging

New York, NY - The city warns New Yorkers to be on the lookout for price gouging before the Passover holiday.

The Department of Consumer Affairs is urging people to report any unusual price spikes on kosher for Passover foods.

Officials say there have been fewer complaints about unfair pricing in the past few years, but still warn businesses they can be inspected at any time.

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Motor Vehicle Accident+

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Motor Vehicle Accident+ A MVA on Avenue "C" and East 7th Street, with some injuries to a patient with a cardiac history, Hatzolah responding.

Goshen, NY - Village Wants Law So Religion Could Join Town Business Zones

Goshen, NY - The law before the Goshen Village Board names no religious group. But it was clear to both sides that packed Village Hall last night: They came to talk about Chabad of Orange County.

In response to Chabad a group of Orthodox Jews, led by Rabbi Meir Borenstein, who violated local zoning laws last year by operating a religious school and prayer center in a business district storefront, the village wants to amend its zoning law to allow religious groups to set roots or expand in downtown business zones.
Village leaders say the change is needed to conform with a 2000 federal law that prevents local zoning from infringing on Americans' right to worship.

But several speakers said last night that they were worried that allowing more religious organizations on Main Street would open the historic village's fragile business district to a wave of nonprofits.

Chile - Charges Expected Against Driver in Bus Crash

Chile - The driver of the bus that crashed in Chile last week, killing 12 tourists from New Jersey and Connecticut and injuring two others, is likely to be charged with involuntary manslaughter this week, according to prosecutors in Chile.

New York, NY - Anti-Terror Plan For Underwater Subways

New York, NY - The MTA plans to bolster underwater subway tunnels with layers of concrete and dirt to stop any flooding from a bomb blast.

Two MTA committees approved a $17.1 million contract for a Staten Island marine firm to build the anti-terror bulwarks. "It provides additional structural hardening protection ... a barrier between the top of the tunnel and the riverbed," said the vice president of the MTA's Capital Construction Co.

Officials wouldn't provide details of the project for security reasons, but the MTA has 14 underwater subway tunnels, many dug through solid rock. They run under the East River, the Harlem River and the Newtown Creek on the Queens-Brooklyn border.
The MTA committees also approved $80 million worth of work to add 399 surveillance cameras and 425 motion sensors to the system to thwart terror attacks.

Wasington, DC - White House Chief Of Staff Resigns

New White House Chief Of Staff 03/28/06

Washington, DC - White House chief of staff Andy Card has resigned and will be replaced by budget director Joshua Bolten.
Bush announced the changes in an nationally broadcast appearance in the Oval Office.

"I have relied on Andy's wise counsel, his calm in crisis, his absolute integrity and his tireless commitment to public service," Bush said. "The next three years will demand much of those who serve our country. We have a global war to fight and win."

Card, 58, stood stoically with his hands by his sides as Bush lauded his years of service through the Sept. 11 attacks, war and legislative and economic challenges. Gripping the podium, Card said in his farewell: "You're a good man, Mr. President." Card's eyes were watery. Card said he looks forward to just being Bush's friend. Bush then gave him five quick slaps on the back and the two walked out of the Oval Office together.

Ramapo, NY - Yeshiva Developer Contests Increased Town Fees

Ramapo, NY - The developer of a yeshiva with adult student housing on Grandview Avenue has complained that the municipal fees were too high.

Rabbi Aryeh Zaks, representing Mosdos Chofetz Chaim, wants the Zoning Board of Appeals to review a more than $20,000 increase in the fees.
"I hereby request a review of an arbitrary capricious subjective uninformed illegal outrageous and improper action taken by the currently suspended building inspector or one of his subordinates," Zaks wrote in a letter to the zoning board.

A building permit application dated Dec. 15, 2005, showed that Mosdos Chofetz Chaim estimated the cost of its construction at $6 million, for which the town levied a fee of $54,046.
Such fees, based on a project's size, pay for inspections during construction.
This old figures on the building permit were crossed out and new ones were wrote in, after Robert Rhodes, a longtime critic of the yeshiva project, wrote in January to Brian Brophy, the now-suspended building inspector, (he was suspended after State Police said they found $6,400 in $100 bills and marijuana in his glove box) that the construction cost estimate was too low.

The construction estimate was raised to $8.4 million from $6 million, and the town's fee was increased to $75,617 from $54,046.
No notations were made on the document to indicate who made the changes, and no one knows who crossed it out.

Zaks' complaint about the increased fee is to be heard by the zoning board on May 4.
And at the same meeting, the board will review Zaks' complaint over a violation issued by the Building Department for a preschool program operating at the construction site.

New York, NY - Schools Brace for Student Surge On Lower Manhattan But Not In Williamsburg, Brooklyn

New York, NY - The already packed schools in Lower Manhattan and parts of the Upper East Side are facing increased crowding as the combination of rising birth rates and the construction of apartment buildings already has created an increased demand for public school slots.

Public school enrollment is expected to fall by almost 9% citywide by 2014, but some neighborhoods in Manhattan can expect to see a 25% rise in the number of students.

But not in Williamsburg, Brooklyn which boasts one of the highest birthrates in the city, and more and more new apartments are in the pipeline or have already come on the market in the area in the last few years, due to many of the area's chasidic Jewish families send their children to religious schools, leaving empty classroom seats in public schools.

Manhattan, NY +Major Delays 59th St Bridge+

Manhattan, NY +Major Delays 59th St Bridge+ A fatal motor vehicle accident by a off-duty police officer who was driving while intoxicated on the Queens bound lower level of the 59th Street Bridge, is causing major gridlock delays, HOV reversal lane is lifted for today.

Nutley, NJ - Pieces Of FedEx Jet Fall From The Sky

Nutley, NJ - Pieces of an engine covering from a FedEx Corp. jet flying from Newark to California fell to the ground

No one was injured and the plane was able to land at its destination safely.

FedEx flight 1020, a DC-10 model aircraft, departed Newark Liberty International Airport when four pieces of an engine cover tore off and dropped to the ground, with the biggest piece -- about 8-feet by 5-feet -- fell on a street in this residential community. The other pieces were 5-by-3 feet and a narrower, 3-foot-long piece; the fourth has yet to be examined by the federal agency.

Monday, March 27, 2006

NY NJ +G.W. Bridge Truck Fire+

NY NJ +G.W. Bridge Truck Fire+ On the upper level of the George Washington Bridge NJ bound PAPD on the scene of a truck fire, Fire Department enroute.

Brooklyn, NY - Torah Cover Finds Home

Brooklyn, NY - A Torah cover lost during the Holocaust was returned to family members today.

The heirloom, looted in 1938, arrived after the Vienna City Council voted unanimously to transfer the item from the city’s Jewish Museum to a Chasidic congregation, Congregation Adas Yereim in Brooklyn.

The 35 recipients who accepted the artifact were descendants of Miriam Wesel, who commissioned the cover before fleeing to the United States.
The New York State Banking Department’s Holocaust Claims Processing Office facilitated the five-year negotiation process.

Manhattan, NY - Civil Rights Activist Found Stabbed To Death

Manhattan, NY - The Reverend Philip M. Mann, 68, a Harlem civil rights activist, was found stabbed to his chest to death in his apartment at 1295 5th Avenuethis and 111th Avenue evening, NYPD of the 23rd Pct and ESU are on the scene.

U/D: 03/29/06
A Brooklyn man was arrested last night and charged with stabbing to death a minister.

The man, David Jordan, 44, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of the pastor, the Rev. Philip Melvin Mann, 68. The police said the men knew each other.

Santa Cruz, CA - String Of Hate Crimes Investigated

Santa Cruz, CA - Campus and city police of Santa Cruz are investigating an escalation in vandalism and hate crimes in the community, and in and around the UC Santa Cruz campus.

A Jewish student found a star of David with a slash through it on the door of her dorm room at the UC.
And additionally swastikas and offensive slogans have been spray painted on local establishments.

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A serious motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian elderly female that was struck in a hit-and-run by a SUV at Avenue "U" and Ocean Avenue, NYPD of the 61st Pct on the scene searching for the vehicle, Hatzolah on the scene requesting ALS to rush in for a confirmed amputation of a leg. NYPD Highway-2 AIS Unit also responding, for a poss job.

Alexandria, VA - On Stand Moussaoui Says He Knew Of Plan Attack

Alexandria, VA - Al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui testified today that he and would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid were supposed to hijack a fifth airplane on Sept. 11, 2001, and fly it into the White House.

Moussaoui's testimony on his own behalf stunned the courtroom. His account was in stark contrast to his previous statements in which he said the White House attack was to come later if the United States refused to release a radical Egyptian sheik imprisoned on earlier terrorist convictions.

Southampton, L.I., NY - Trouble For Shuls With Zoning Regulations

Southampton, L.I., NY - the ZBA has been conducting hearings since 2004 on an application by the small Shul at 214 Hill Street (one of three small home-based synagogues in the vicinity facing community opposition and zoning struggles) for a special-use permit.

The house is outside the village's business district, where Village code is more stringent for religious institutions than private homes, requiring more off-street parking and greater setbacks from yards.

Fearing noise, traffic and parking problems on weekends, a half-dozen neighbors on Hill Street hired a law firm to represent a claim that the Shul house fails to meet provisions of the code.
Last fall, the Shul withdrew its application, and some members since have purchased a property behind the building to give it more land to help meet village requirements.

Privately, village officials say the matter is likely to end up in court - no matter what the ZBA decides.

Vilnius, Lithuania - Real Estate Broker Found Guilty In Helping Nazis, But To Frail To Do Jail

Vilnius, Lithuania - An 85-year-old man deported from the U.S. was found guilty in his native Lithuania of having helped Nazis round up Jews during World War II, but a court deemed the man too frail to do jail time.
Algimantas Dailide is a retired real estate broker from the Cleveland, OH area.

"The defendant was fully aware he was committing crimes against Jews, but did not personally take part in killings or torture," the judge said. "For the last 60 years, he did not commit any crimes. Dailide does not pose a threat to society and is too infirm to serve a prison sentence."

Ex-President Clinton's Driver Was On The Lam

A Pakistani national who had dropped off the feds' radar screen for six years popped up behind the wheel of a presidential motorcade.

Shahzad Qureshi, 42, was in one of three cars awaiting ex-President Bill Clinton at Newark Airport when a Port Authority cop checked licenses and found his Immigration and Naturalization Service warrant. After Qureshi had skipped a residency-status hearing in 2000, a deportation order was issued. He's being held pending INS processing.

Bronx, NY +Cross Bx Expwy Traffic Delays+

Bronx, NY +Cross Bx Expwy Traffic Delays+ A motor vehicle accident with a tractor trailer vs a vehicle on the Cross Bronx Expressway eastbound at White Plains Road blocking the left and center lanes, traffic backed up all the way across the George Washington Bridge.

New Haven, CT - Man Found Shot To Death In Cemetery

New Haven, CT - Police are investigating the shooting death of a young black male whose body was found in the Mishken Yisrael Cemetery, when members of the Mishken Yisrael's synagogue were patrolling the cemetery.

Police said the man was between 18 and 20 years of age and was shot multiple times, and its unclear whether the man was shot at the cemetery. No arrests were made.

Moscow - Synagogue Attacker Gets 13 Years

Moscow - The Moscow City Court has found guilty and sentenced 21-year-old Alexander Koptsev, who stood accused of a brutal attack on worshippers at a Moscow synagogue, to 13 years imprisonment in a high security prison.

The court dropped the charges of provoking interethnic hatred, but left the charge of attempted murder of two or more persons for reasons of ethnic enmity.

U/D: 18:59
But Russian Jewish groups are very upset, and they have sharply criticized the verdict.

Mosul, Iraq - Attack At A Military Base

Mosul. Iraq - A suicide bomber has attacked inside a US-Iraqi joint military base in the northern city of Mosul, with at least 40 people feared dead.

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +MVA+

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on East 15th and Avenue "M", Hatzolah on the scene, requesting a coordinator to the scene.

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY +Major Water Main Break+

Water Main Break 2 Bay Ridge 03/27/06

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY +Major Water Main Break+ A large sinkhole 12 feet by 12 feet was created in middle of the street corner of 73rd Street and 4th Avenue, caused by a large water main break with a Jeep SUV that was swallowed into the hole, the driver female self extricated and has no injuries, PD, ESU, DEP, OEM, FDNY, Keyspan and Con-Ed are all on the scene. The vehicle inside the hole is resting on a main gas line.
There is no gas or water in a 5 block radius, they might shut off the electricity as well.

FD on the scene requesting power to be shut off to the transit system northbound and southbound of the "R" lines between 95th Street and 36th Street, due to water streaming into transit.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Spring Valley, N.Y - Skullcap Keeps From Serving in Coast Guard

Spring Valley, N.Y - Mr. Rosenberg, a 34-year-old tire technician and a certified pilot signed up for the Coast Guard Auxiliary last year, hoping to fly on search-and-rescue missions and the like. He underwent a full military background check. He had several sets of fingerprints taken. He passed the boating test and the written course.

"But as soon as I got sworn in and got ready to put on the uniform," Mr. Rosenberg said, "the commander came to me and said it's going to be a problem."

The problem was on top of Mr. Rosenberg's head. He is a Hasidic Jew, and he wears a skullcap at all times except when showering or swimming. The skullcap clashed with the uniform. Wearing a visible piece of religious garb violates Coast Guard regulations. It says so in the Coast Guard manual.

Mr. Rosenberg's main skullcap, a black velvet model, is about six inches across. On occasions when Coast Guard protocol calls for wearing the official cap, including most outdoor activities, it would conceal the skullcap. But indoors, auxiliarists are not supposed to wear their caps.

Mr. Rosenberg said his flotilla commander, tried to accommodate him. "Is it possible," Commander Ramirez asked in an e-mail message, "that you could wear a 'miniature' yarmulke, small enough to be concealed by your hair?"

It would have to be very small indeed. Mr. Rosenberg is bald on top.

Commander Ramirez referred the matter to his supervisors, to no avail.

A relative referred Mr. Rosenberg to a state assemblyman in Brooklyn, Dov Hikind, who has many Orthodox constituents. Mr. Hikind wrote on March 7 to the commandant of the Coast Guard, that turning away a willing volunteer might not be a good idea. The commandant has not responded. But as it turns out, the Coast Guard's uniform board has its annual meeting this week in Washington.

One item up for discussion is whether to relax the restrictions on religious accessories to bring them in line with armed forces policy. The policy chief for the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Steve Minutolo, said he expected a change.

"Do you know how long my beard is?" Mr. Rosenberg asked. He reached under his chin, undid a hidden black rubber band, and pulled and teased and pulled and teased until two long locks of hair flowed down from his chin to his navel.

"You just have to keep it up," he said. Because the rule is, as long as he keeps his beard less than half an inch long. Or at least, as long as it looks as if he does.

Hamburg, Germany - Dozens Injured During Airbus Superjumbo Drill

Hamburg, Germany - Thirty-three people suffered minor injuries Sunday during a crucial evacuation drill for the new Airbus A380 superjumbo jet.

One man broke his leg and 32 other people suffered minor injuries during the exercise in which 853 people and 20 crew members from airline Lufthansa AG exited the plane on slides in a darkened hangar.

Aviation authorities mandate specific evacuation times for jet models, and the drill was a critical test for the jet, which will be the world’s largest passenger model when it begins commercial service.

US DOT Taking On Mission To Standerized All Cars To Have Backup Sensors

Nationwide, more than 100 children died last year after being hit by vehicles as they backed up. And legislation in Congress aims to prevent these accidents by requiring devices that alert drivers when someone is behind their vehicles.

Cameras and sensors already are offered on some new models, but it would be up to the U.S. Department of Transportation to decide what should be the norm.

Last year President Bush signed a law directing the Transportation Department to start collecting data on these accidents. The department also was told to study backup safety technology.
"Those were significant strides forward," said Janette Fennell, president and founder of Kids and Cars, a nonprofit group based in Kansas, "But that was just laying the groundwork."

While the fate of the latest legislation is uncertain, advocates are encouraged by its bipartisan support Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, and Sen. John Sununu, R-New Hampshire, are co-sponsors.
If passed, it would give automakers three years to make the safety devices standard.

Trenton, NJ - Democrats Dump Arab-American Candidate

Trenton, NJ - Democrats pulled an Arab-American candidate from their election ticket amid a furor over comments he made four years ago that some interpreted as sympathetic to Palestinian suicide bombers.

At the urging of state party leaders, including Gov. Jon S. Corzine and U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, Passaic County Democrats withdrew its endorsement of Sami Merhi for freeholder, a member of the county's legislative body. They chose a school board member to run in his place.
"I'm in shock, feeling betrayed," Merhi said. "They should be ashamed of themselves."

The Lebanese-born Merhi made the comments at a September 2002 Democratic fundraiser U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, where he condemned the Sept. 11 terrorists "as cold-blooded murders" and "crazy fanatics.". When asked whether he would apply the same label to Palestinian suicide bombers who target Israelis, Merhi said, "I can't see the comparison."

Montreal, Canada - Police 'Too Busy' To Investigate Nazi Graffiti

Montreal, Canada - The black paint was still fresh on the swastikas when members of the Chai Centre walked into their synagogue on de Courtrai Avenue for Shabbas morning prayers.
On the walls and windows of the synagogue, the vandals had left five swastikas, and three "SS" signs - synonymous with the dreaded Nazi death squads.

But when a member of the congregation called Montreal police Motzei Shabbos, he was told constables were "extremely busy" and a patrol would only be made available the other morning. And for the 150 Jewish faithful, the graffiti and the lack of response by authorities, served as a grim reminder that anti-Semitism is evident - even in Montreal, home to more than 85,000 Jews.

Ramapo, NY - Preschool Investigated

Ramapo, NY - A state investigation is under way into the operation of a preschool program in a trailer at a yeshiva construction site on Grandview Avenue.

Mosdos Chofetz Chaim, which is building a school as well as apartments for adult students and their children on the property, already has been cited by the town for using the trailer for a preschool program without a site plan and certificate of occupancy. It's the yeshiva's position that it ran a town-approved preschool on the property in a different structure and that it had simply transferred the use to the trailer after construction began.
The preschool was permitted to continue operating, pending the review of the zoning board May 4.

Jerusalem, Israel - Gerrrer Hasidim Set Ablaze A Storage Facility

Jerusalem, Israel - Police report Hasidim affiliated with the Gerrer sect set a Jerusalem storage facility ablaze, a facility belonging to the Satmar sect. According to the report, the damage resulting from the blaze amounted to some NIS 500,000.

According to Army Radio, the motive was Satmar’s adamant opposition to participation in the upcoming election while Gerrer hassidim are urged to come out and vote.

New York City, NY - DOT Arrest Offical For Pocketing Money From Meters

New York, NY - City officials have arrested a Department of Transportation parking-meter supervisor for pocketing quarters from the meters.

Bronx resident William Ramirez, 53, was charged with petit larceny and official misconduct and faces up to 1 year in jail for grabbing $60 in quarters.
Investigations Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said Ramirez "used his position as a DOT supervisor to 'shortchange' the city of revenue from parking meters." "As a result of his illegal actions, he will find himself parked in a city jail."

Toronto, Canada - Anti-Semitism Stays High

Toronto, Canada - The number of anti-Semitic incidents remained high in Canada in 2005, according to a new study, continuing a deterioration that began after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

There were 829 anti-Semitic incidents in Canada in 2005, a slight decline from the peak of 857 in 2004, according to the annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents.
There has been almost a threefold increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents reported since 2001.

Baghdad, Iraq - U.S. Forces Collide With Shi'ite Militia

Baghdad, Iraq - U.S. troops mounted two raids with 20 gunman killed in a clash involving U.S. troops at a radical Shiite mosque with shi'ite militia in eastern Baghdad. Also did the U.S. arrest 41 Baghdad Interior Ministry personnel after raiding an Interior Ministry building and finding 17 non-Iraqi prisoners, and freeing them from a secret bunker complex there.

U/D: 15:12
Baghdad police have confirmed that 30 bodies, most beheaded, were found near a village north of the capital.

Sea Gate, Brooklyn, NY +Unusual Crime Scene+

Sea Gate, Brooklyn, NY +Unusual Crime Scene+ A body of a 56-year-old male has been found DOA from unnatural causes on Maple Avenue in the Sea Gate section of Brooklyn, NY, PD are on the scene and conducting an investigation, Hatzolah and Chesed She'll Emes also on the scene.

Queens, NY - City To Conduct Terror Response Exercise Today

Queens, NY - If you hear loud noises or see flashes of light or extra emergency vehicles in Queens Sunday, don't panic – it's all part of an exercise being conducted by the Office of Emergency Management.

The exercise, codenamed Trifecta, will test the way police, fire, and other emergency responders deal with a simulated terrorist attack on the city's public transit system.

The drill will take place in the Maspeth Rail Yard. Maspeth Avenue will be closed during the exercise from Rust Street to 49th Street. There may also be some extra traffic on Rust Street between Flushing Avenue and 43rd Street during the day.

Set-up starts around midnight and the exercise runs from around 10 a.m. Sunday through 6 p.m.

Monroe Township, NJ - Mourns Those Killed in Chile

Monroe Township, NJ - The leader of a Middlesex County synagogue recalled 10 senior citizens who were killed when their tour bus plunged off a Chilean road Wednesday.
Speaking to a crowd of almost 400 people, including Gov. Corzine, Cantor Eli Perlman, the spiritual leader of the Jewish Congregation of Concordia, where six of the victims had worshiped, recited the names of the dead, at service in the synagogue.

Manhattan, NY +Fire in Correction Facility Bldg.+

Manhattan, NY +Fire in Correction Facility Bldg.+ A fire broke out on the 4th floor of the 12 story Metropolitan Federal Correction Center Jail at 150 Park Row where suspected terrorists are held with two inmates with asthmatic symptoms passed out from smoke, all other 269 inmates and 8 employees from the north wing are accounted for and have been evacuated to a safe area, fire has been located coming from the ductwork and is DWH.

U/D: 13:09
Waiting for mechanic to turn on fans to alleviate the smoke condition.

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident on the service road to Ocean Parkway and Avenue "L" with one pedestrian that was struck by a SUV Hatzolah ALS on the scene, EMS also on the scene.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +MVA Involving Hatzalah Ambulance+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +MVA Involving Hatzalah Ambulance+ A Hatzalah member responding with Ambulance B-01 to a cardiac arrest in Boro Park, Brooklyn was involved in a MVA at 16th Avenue and 51st Street. No injuries reported, coordinator requested to the scene.

Manhattan, NY - In The City Just The Lower East Side Doesn't Have An Eruv

Manhattan, NY - Strung together out of poles and wire, is the symbolic boundary known as an eruv by a group of rabbis who decided last fall to extend an uptown Manhattan eruv southward.

Formerly, the eruv had run from 125 Street to 56th Street; by summertime, it will stretch to Houston Street.
But one area conspicuously left out of the eruv is the Lower East Side. And some in that neighborhood are asking, why not us?
Juda Engelmayer, the owner of Kossar's Bialys, a 70-year-old bakery, said he had seen the local Orthodox community dwindle. And if they build an eruv "People will say, 'Hey, I'll come down here, there's an eruv, I can carry,' " Mr. Engelmayer said. "And maybe a community would grow down here again.

But unlike most other Manhattan neighborhoods, the Lower East Side has traditionally shunned the eruv.
"It's like a taboo word," said Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, manager for religious life at the N.Y.U. Jewish center, who helped organize the eruv's extension to Houston Street. "There are strong voices on the Lower East Side who are opposed to putting up an eruv, and we didn't really have an interest in butting heads with them."

The strongest of the anti-eruv voices was once Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, who was considered by many the leading authority of his time on Jewish law. Rabbi Feinstein, who died in 1986, believed that no eruv could ever be erected in Manhattan - the island's street layout and traffic patterns made it impermissible, he said - and his influence was such that it was unthinkable for any Lower East Side rabbi to contradict him.

"Rav Moshe was the rule, and when it came to Jewish law, no one could touch Rav Moshe's toenails," said Azriel Siff, the rabbi at Chasam Sofer, a synagogue on Clinton Street. "As a result, the Lower East Side never had an eruv and never will have an eruv." Nor, he added, does it need one: "The Lower East Side survived for hundreds of years without an eruv."

Queens, NY +3 Car Motor Vehicle Accident+

Queens, NY +3 Car Motor Vehicle Accident+ A motor vehicle accident between 3 vehicles on Rockaway Turnpike in front of the mall near East 3rd Street, Hatzolah on the scene.

Harriman, NY - NY State Police Vigorously Enforcing The Speed Limit

Harriman, NY - In the wake of recent fatal accident on the New York State Thruway I 287, The superintend of the NY state Troopers announced they will swamp with dozens of undercover, and marked police cars along the stretch on the highway monitoring and vigorously enforcing the speed limit.

Kedem Wine on NY Times List for Recommended Wine Under $20

The surprising sweetness in Baron Herzog's charming 2005 Jeunesse cabernet sauvignon recalls Manischewitz. The wine's name (meaning "youth") suggests Beaujolais nouveau. The grape variety originated in Bordeaux. The lush fruitiness is Californian. Thus this Central Coast red, from the Royal Wine Corporation's new winery in Oxnard, Calif., can provide hints of nostalgia and modernism at Passover seders, wich you could get for $10.95 and delivered citywide.

Sevastopol, Ukraine - Holocaust Monument Vandalized

Sevastopol, Ukraine - A Holocaust memorial has been vandalized, words like "skinhead"; "Adolf Lives"; and "Glory to Russia" were painted on the monument at night.

The monument was put up in 2003 using the funds of the local Jewish community and has been vandalized several times before. Jewish leaders have officially requested that police investigate the incident.

New Springville, Staten Island, NY - Agency Worker Faces Arson Charge

New Springville, Staten Island, NY - An Elm Park woman whose son died in a horrific car crash last year stands accused of intentionally setting Wednesday's fire inside the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services.

Korisha Shipley, 55, of Elm Park, who has worked for the agency for 13 years, was charged with arson and criminal mischief after videocameras inside the agency's second-floor offices at 2795 Richmond Ave. caught her leaving a filing closet moments before a small blaze broke out inside.

Mrs. Shipley, pleaded not guilty during her arraignment in Stapleton Criminal Court. She is also a suspected of being responsible for other incidents that have taken place over the past two weeks at the agency. "These incidents included bomb threats, setting of small fires and disturbing graffiti."

But she and her husband steadfastly denied the charges. "They're scandalizing my wife's name and it's ridiculous," and she feels she is being made a scapegoat. "They cannot pin it on anyone else and are using the loss of my son and medications I take against me," she said.
She says that she sees a psychologist and a therapist, and noted that she takes prescribed medications -- but only at night to help her sleep.
"I never take them to work," she insisted.

UK- Man, 79, Guilty Of Racial Abuse

UK - Some orthodox Jews on holiday at Walcott Beach in north Norfolk were racially abused by a pensioner who hurled insults at them and spat in their direction, magistrates decided.

William Galbraith, 79, was found guilty of racial aggravation and was given only a 12-month conditional discharge, and ordered him to pay costs of £150, because of his previous good character.

He was accused of throwing stones to encourage his dog to run close to the 14-stong Jewish group, scaring the children, and spitting at them, calling them "you people" and saying "go home [swear word] Jews", Jew lies.

But Alan Wheetman, defending him, said Galbraith had been using the language of his generation when he described the group as Jews and was being punished because he was not in step with today's terminology. "We live in an increasingly politically correct society and we have to be extremely careful not to cause offence because it can get us into trouble," he told the court.

"Our children learn the careful consideration of using words but Mr Galbraith was brought up in a different time. "He adopted the word usage of the day. In Mr Galbraith's day it would have been quite common this language. And he said Galbraith's reference to the accusations against him as "Jew lies" did not mean he thought all Jewish people were liars.

But Fergus Harold, prosecuting, said: "What may have been acceptable 60 years ago was not acceptable now.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +MVA Involving Yeshivah School Bus+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +MVA Involving Yeshivah School Bus+ A motor vehicle accident involving a Yeshivah school bus (without any children aboard) and a vehicle on Classon Avenue and Flushing Avenue, person in vehicle was pinned and extricated by FDNY and transported to area hospital by EMS no other serious injured, NYPD of the 90th Pct are on the scene awaiting tow.

Goshen, NY - New Religious Entity Casues Stir

Goshen, NY - Rabbi Meir Borenstein attend a public hearing for his plans to convert a downtown office building into a home and a synagogue for Chabad of Orange County.

The rabbi, who moved to Goshen two years ago with his wife, Rivka, and believed, that his religion comes before all else, has been operating a religious school and prayer center out of 32 N. Church St., where he rented space for a retail store, defying a Village of Goshen law preventing the use of downtown buildings for religious purposes. He conducted classes and prayer services in the retail shop before closing it down last year.

Borenstein at the hearing admitted he had held religious activities at the retail store, last year. But he said he did so only after his attorney informed the village that the restriction on religious activities in downtown buildings violated federal law.
Planning Board attorney Michael Donnelly said Borenstein had a valid legal argument, which is why village attorneys told him that Goshen would likely amend the zoning law. But that acknowledgement did not give the rabbi permission to operate a religious school and prayer center, he said. Borenstein was unrepentant about his actions. His devotion to his religion did not allow him to wait around until the village changed the law, he said.

But Borenstein said, "you can't tell a Jewish person not to pray for a year, because we need to deliberate on a legal issue," he said. "A Jew without Torah, a Jew without prayer, is like a person without food."

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Borrows $4 Million For New Recovery Center

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Officials have borrowed $4 million through bonds to finish building a massive convalescence center for mothers behind the village fire station.

They plan to cobble together state and federal grants, a mortgage and private donations to pay off the debt in one year, Village Administratorsaid.
The entire project is expected to cost $9 million.

 
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