New York, New Jersey, Connecticut News: June 2012

Saturday 23 June 2012

Rielle Hunter: 'I Believed I Could Help Him'

Why did Rielle Hunter accept an invitation from John Edwards, a married man, to join him in his hotel room one fateful day in 2006?

"I went there because I believed I could help him," Hunter told "20/20's" Chris Cuomo in an exclusive interview.

Hunter reveals the details of her first meeting with the then-presidential candidate and the six-year affair that became the biggest political sex scandal of a generation in her bombshell tell-all, "What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter, and Me," to be published June 26. Hunter recently sat down with Chris Cuomo for her first interview since Edwards' acquittal on charges of accepting illegal campaign contributions.

In the book, Hunter writes that, as a budding spiritual advisor, she believed she could help him merge his public persona -- which she said appeared shallow and aloof -- with his deeper private persona, so that he could present himself more authentically.

Watch Chris Cuomo's interview with Rielle Hunter tonight on "20/20" at 10 p.m. ET.

The story of their love and scandal began with that hotel encounter.

"He rounded the street corner and it came out of my mouth: 'You're so hot,'" Hunter recalled.

Hunter is well aware that others might take her desire to "help" to mean something else.

"From the outside world looking in, (it's) like, 'Boy, did you sure help him,'" she told Cuomo.

Eventually, Hunter said, Edwards persuaded her to come sit with him on the hotel room bed.

"Something happened internally with me. I responded... I have not experienced it or felt what was happening before. Ever. An intensity like a rock concert. A lot of energy," she told Cuomo.

PHOTOS: Rielle Hunter, John Edwards and Their Daughter

That energy was strong enough that the man who would soon be a candidate for president of the United States risked it all to be with her.

"We could not get enough of each other on the telephone," Hunter said. "If we were not together, we would be talking on the phone about four hours every night. We couldn't hang up."

Any doubts she had about sleeping with a married man were helped, she said, by his insistence that his storybook marriage with Elizabeth Edwards was just that -- a story.

"Their marriage was ruined before I got there. Years before I got there," Hunter said. She said Edwards told her he had had other mistresses -- that she was not the first.

To the public, meanwhile, Edwards presented an entirely different appearance.

"I was disgusted with myself for being in love with a man who was going on national TV with his wife -- and lying," Hunter said.

While Edwards was hot on the campaign trail, Hunter discovered that she was pregnant. Hunter said Edwards had a "gracious" reaction when she told him the news, saying he would support her and that he wouldn't tell her what to do.

"I think he thought the timing was terrible," she said, but Edwards was "kinder and more gentle than I thought he would be."

Hunter called the February 2008 birth of their daughter Quinn, now 4, "difficult and incredible."

"It's like the polar opposites of the pain and agony and oh my God, how difficult it is. But the blessing that comes out of that (is) amazing," she said.

But amid her amazement, Hunter was also devastated by Edwards' initial denial that he was Quinn's father. In an interview with ABC News' Bob Woodruff on Nightline in August 2008, he insisted that he was not Quinn's father. Still, Hunter said she understands why Edwards lied.

"What it meant, though, to me, is that he was temporarily insane. I mean, he had really gone off the deep end a bit there," she said, "but it was painful to witness."

Hunter said at one point she was asked to sign a confidentiality agreement requiring her to keep the identity of Quinn's father secret from everyone except Quinn. She refused.

"I didn't want my daughter growing up under a lie," she said.

View the original article here

Lebron James' triple-double lifts Heat to NBA title

MIAMI -- Music blared and confetti fell, the only celebration LeBron James really wanted in Miami.

Not that one two summers ago, the welcoming rally where he boasted of multiple titles, perhaps without realizing how hard it would be to win just one.

He dreamed of this moment, with teammates surrounding him and the NBA championship trophy beside him.

"You know, my dream has become a reality now, and it's the best feeling I ever had," James said.

James had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, leading the Miami Heat in a 121-106 rout of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night to win the NBA Finals in five games.

Ripped and ridiculed for the way he announced he was leaving Cleveland and taking his talents to South Beach, it's all worth it now for James.

Best player in the game. Best team in the league.

And now, NBA champion.

"I'm happy now that eight years later, nine years later since I've been drafted, that I can finally say that I'm a champion, and I did it the right way," James said. "I didn't shortcut anything. You know, I put a lot of hard work and dedication in it, and hard work pays off. It's a great moment for myself."

And for his teammates, who watched the Dallas Mavericks celebrate on their floor last year.

James left the game along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh for good with 3:01 remaining for a round of hugs and the start for a party he's been waiting for since arriving in the NBA out of high school as the No. 1 pick of the 2003 draft. James hopped up and down in the final minutes, shared a long hug with opponent Kevin Durant, and then soaked in the "MVP! MVP! chants during the raucous postgame.

"I wanted to become a champion someday," James said. "I didn't know exactly when it would happen, but I put in a lot of hard work."

He was a choker last year, the guy who came up small in the fourth quarter, mocked for "shrinking" in the moment while playing with what he called "hatred" in trying to prove his critics wrong.

He came to Miami seeking an easier road to the finals but found it tougher than he expected, the Heat coming up empty last year and nearly getting knocked out in the Eastern Conference finals this time by Boston. Facing elimination there, James poured in 45 points on the road to force a Game 7 and the Heat won it at home.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever done as a basketball player," James said. "You just put a lot of hard work into it and you hope that one day it will pay off for you."

This time, with a chance to clinch, the Heat took control in the second quarter, briefly lost it and blew the game open again in the third behind their role players, James content to pass to wide-open 3-point shooters while the Thunder focused all their attention on him.

The disappointment of losing to Dallas in six games a year ago vanished in a blowout of the demoralized Thunder, who got 32 points and 11 rebounds from Durant.

Bosh and Wade, the other members of the Big Three who sat alongside James as he promised titles at his Miami welcoming party, both had strong games. Bosh, who wept as the Heat left their own court after losing Game 6 last year, finished with 24 points and Wade scored 20. The Heat also got a huge boost from Mike Miller, who made seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points.

That all made it easier for James, the most heavily scrutinized player in the league since his departure from Cleveland, when he announced he was "taking his talents to South Beach" on a TV special called "The Decision" that was criticized everywhere from water coolers to the commissioner's office. James has said he wishes he handled things differently, but few who watched the Cavs fail to assemble championship talent around him could have argued with his desire to depart.

In Miami he found a team that didn't need him to do it alone, though he reminded everyone during this sensational postseason run that he still could when necessary. He got support whenever he needed it in this series, from Shane Battier's 17 points in Game 2 to Mario Chalmers' 25 in Game 4.

In the clincher it was Miller, banged up from so many injuries that he limped from the bench to scorer's table when he checked in. He made his fourth 3-pointer of the half right before James' fast-break basket capped a 15-2 run that extended Miami's lead to 53-36 with 4:42 remaining in the first half.

The Thunder were making a remarkably early trip to the finals just three years after starting 3-29, beating the Mavericks, Lakers and Spurs along the way. With Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and James Harden all 23 or younger, the Thunder have the pieces in place for a lengthy stay atop the Western Conference.

But their inexperience showed in this series, a few questionable decisions, possessions and outright mistakes costing them in their franchise's first finals appearance since Seattle lost to Chicago in 1996. Westbrook scored 19 but made only four of his 20 shots, unable to come up with anything close to his 43-point outing in Game 4, and Harden finished a miserable series with 19.

"It hurts, man," Durant said. "We're all brothers on this team and it just hurts to go out like this. We made it to the finals, which was cool for us, but we didn't want to just make it there. Unfortunately we lost, so it's tough."

Nothing they did could have stopped James, anyway.

Appearing fully recovered from the leg cramps that forced him to sit out the end of Game 4, he was dominant again, a combination of strength and speed that is practically unmatched in the game and rarely seen in its history.

Wade skipped to each side of the court before the opening tip with arms up to pump up the fans, then James showed them nothing wrong with his legs, throwing down an emphatic fast-break dunk to open the scoring. He made consecutive baskets while being fouled, showing no expression after the second, as if he'd hardly even known he was hit. Drawing so much attention from the Thunder, he started finding his wide-open shooters, and the Heat built a nine-point lead before going to the second up 31-26.

Oklahoma City got back within five early in the third before consecutive 3-pointers by Chalmers and Battier triggered a 27-7 burst that made it 88-63 on another 3-pointer by Miller. James didn't even score in the run until it was almost over, hitting a pair of free throws after he was flagrantly fouled by Derek Fisher while powering toward the basket.

Gone was the tentative player who was mocked for shrinking on the big stage last year, too willing to defer to others who didn't possess half his talents. This time, he was at peace off the court and attacking on it, vowing to have no regrets and playing in such a way they wouldn't be necessary.

Miami had outscored Oklahoma City by just 389-384 over the first four games, but the Thunder were buried under a barrage of 14 3-pointers, tying the NBA record.

"They just hit 3s after 3s. They got it going and we couldn't stop them," Thunder center Kendrick Perkins said. "Things just didn't go our way."

Notes: Miami became the third team to sweep the middle three games at home in the 2-3-2 format. The Detroit Pistons took all three from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004 before the Heat did it against Dallas in 2006. ... Coach Erik Spoelstra tied Pat Riley for the Heat franchise record with his 34th postseason win. He is 34-22, while Riley was just 34-36. ... The four-game losing streak that Oklahoma City finished the season with was its longest of the season. The Thunder had dropped three straight games to Memphis, Miami and Indiana from April 2-6.

---
FOR MORE NEW YORK SPORTS CLICK HERE TO VISIT ESPN NEW YORK

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

sports

View the original article here

Christie puts brakes on GW carpooling crackdown

Eyewitness NewsNEW JERSEY (WABC) -- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is putting the brakes on the Port Authority's crackdown on drivers who carpool across the George Washington Bridge.

Christie is intervening on behalf of commuters, an aides says, because he thinks Port Authority police are being heavy-handed.

Drive across the GW into Manhattan, and you pay a $12 cash toll, or $9.50 with EZ-Pass. But there is a cheaper way. Grab a couple of people waiting at the bus stop near the base of the bridge, then pay the carpool rate.

That will cost you just $6, or $3.50 with EZ-Pass.

Recently, many people who do this have gotten tickets from Port Authority police. They say drivers dangerously cross lanes, trying to make it over to the bus stop. They also get in the way of the buses that stop there.

But now, the governor has asked police to ease off. Port Authority police at the bridge reportedly have been told to stop issuing summonses to drivers who do nothing but pick up people.

Fort Lee's mayor thinks that maybe there could be a specific area for these type of pickups. He is discussing options with Port Authority officials.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more New Jersey News »

new jersey, george washington bridge, chris christie, new jersey news
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

View the original article here

I Love New York T-Shirts - A History

Sandusky trial deliberations enter 2nd day

GENARO C. ARMASBELLEFONTE, Pa. -- As jurors deliberated for more than eight hours on charges Jerry Sandusky sexually abused 10 boys over a 15-year period, new accusations of abuse were leveled against the former Penn State assistant coach by a pair of new accusers, including his adopted son.

Just a few hours into deliberations, Matt Sandusky - one of Sandusky's six adopted children - came forward for the first time to say in a statement that his father had abused him. The statement didn't detail the alleged abuse.

Meanwhile, Travis Weaver, a man with a civil lawsuit pending against Jerry Sandusky, told NBC's "Rock Center with Brian Williams" that Sandusky abused him more than 100 times over four years starting in 1992, when he was 10.

Weaver, 30, was named as John Doe in the lawsuit filed in Philadelphia in November.

Sequestered during deliberations, the jury was under orders from Judge John Cleland to ponder only the case placed in their hands Thursday afternoon after hearing starkly different portrayals of the case's facts during closing remarks. Deliberations were scheduled to resume Friday morning at 9 a.m.

Prosecutors have called the 68-year-old Sandusky "a serial, predatory pedophile" whose charity for at-risk youth, The Second Mile, was his source of likely victims who would be dazzled by gifts, grateful for his attention and - perhaps most importantly - unlikely to speak up. His arrest in November ignited a scandal at Penn State that led to the dismissals of beloved Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno and the university's president.

"He molested and abused and hurt these children horribly," Senior Deputy Attorney General Joseph McGettigan III told the jury in closing statements Thursday. "He knows he did it and you know he did it.

"Find him guilty of everything."

The defense portrays Sandusky as the hapless victim of a conspiracy to convict him of heinous crimes. They explain the 48 charges against him as the result of an investigatory team out for blood and accusers who willingly played along in hopes of securing a big pay day.

"They went after him, and I submit to you they were going to get him hell or high water, even if they had to coach witnesses," defense attorney Joe Amendola said in his animated and impassioned closing remarks.

The elder Sandusky, who faces life in prison if convicted of the allegations, was smiling and chuckling to himself as prosecutors wrapped up closing remarks. His wife, Dottie, leaned forward in her seat with a concerned look, resting her chin in her hands.

Some of the eight alleged victims who testified described showering with the longtime assistant; others spoke of lengthy relationships featuring lavish gifts and out-of-state trips. One testified he felt at times like Sandusky's son, at others his "girlfriend."

A second alleged victim - a foster child at the time police say he was abused - said Sandusky threatened he would never see his biological family again if he told anyone he was forced to perform sex acts, but later took it back and claimed to love him.

One accuser testified to receiving what he called "creepy love letters" from Sandusky. "I know that I have made my share of mistakes," read one handwritten note. "However, I hope that I will be able to say that I cared. There has been love in my heart."

The defense argued the longwinded letters were only the manifestation of a personality disorder characterized by excessive emotionality and attention seeking.

Two of the alleged victims have never been identified by prosecutors. The charges related to them come through other witnesses, including Mike McQueary, the former assistant coach who said he saw Sandusky having anal sex with a boy in a football facility shower. It was McQueary's testimony that touched off the massive scandal that rocked Penn State and forced a re-examination of the role of college administrators in reporting alleged abuse.

After more than eight hours of deliberations Thursday night, the jury returned briefly to the courtroom to ask Cleland if they could rehear testimony from McQueary, and Dr. Jonathan Dranov, a friend of the McQueary family who testified that McQueary gave him a different account of what he saw.

Cleland told the jurors that McQueary's testimony was about two hours in length and Dranov's was about 20 minutes long, and suggested they revisit the McQueary testimony Friday.

Sandusky has denied the allegations, but did not testify in his own defense. Jurors are aware, however, of the denials he gave NBC's "Rock Center" just after his arrest. In it, Sandusky seemed to stumble at times and struggled to give direct answers to questions about his conduct.

Asked if he was sexually attracted to boys, Sandusky told NBC's Bob Costas: "Sexually attracted, you know, I, I enjoy young people. I, I love to be around them. ... No, I'm not sexually attracted to young boys."

McGettigan seized on that, and said: "I would think that the automatic response, if someone asks you if you're a criminal, a pedophile, a child molester, or anything along those lines, would be: 'You're crazy. No. Are you nuts?'" Prosecutors said Sandusky used gifts and the allure of Penn State's vaunted football program to attract and abuse vulnerable boys who came from troubled homes, often ones without a father figure in the house.

As during his opening statements, McGettigan during his closing put up smiling pictures of eight accusers when they were children; all testified at trial that Sandusky molested them. Standing behind Sandusky, McGettigan implored the jury for a conviction.

"What you should do is come out and say to the defendant that he molested and abused and give them back their souls," McGettigan told jurors. "I give them to you. Acknowledge and give them justice."

Amendola argued that Sandusky was targeted by investigators who coached accusers into making false claims about a generous man whose charity gave them much-needed love.

"So out of the blue (after) all these years, when Jerry Sandusky is in his mid-50s, he decides to become a pedophile? Does that make sense to anybody?" Amendola asked rhetorically.

Closing statements came after seven days of testimony, some of it explicitly describing alleged abuse suffered at the hands of Sandusky, including touching in showers, fondling and in some cases forced oral or anal sex. One alleged victim - a foster child at the time - testified that Sandusky threatened him, telling him he would never see his family again if he disclosed the assaults.

The jury, which includes nine people with ties to Penn State, had begun deliberating when Matt Sandusky's attorneys issued a statement alleging that Sandusky abused one of his six adopted children.

"During the trial, Matt Sandusky contacted us and requested our advice and assistance in arranging a meeting with prosecutors to disclose for the first time in this case that he is a victim of Jerry Sandusky's abuse," Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici said in the statement. "At Matt's request, we immediately arranged a meeting between him and the prosecutors and investigators.

"This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt and he has asked us to convey his request that the media respect his privacy. There will be no further comment."

Karl Rominger, one of Jerry Sandusky's lawyers, declined comment.

Matt Sandusky went to live with Sandusky and his wife as a foster child and was adopted by them as an adult.

Shortly after Jerry Sandusky's arrest, Matt Sandusky's ex-wife went to court to keep her former father-in-law away from their three young children. Jill Jones successfully obtained a restraining order forbidding the children from sleeping over at their grandparents' home.

Around the same time, details emerged that Matt Sandusky had attempted suicide just four months after first going to live with the couple in 1995. He had come into the home through The Second Mile.

Shortly after the suicide attempt, Sandusky's probation officer wrote, "The probation department has some serious concerns about the juvenile's safety and his current progress in placement with the Sandusky family," according to court records supplied to The Associated Press by his birth mother, Debra Long.

Despite those concerns, probation and child welfare officials recommended continued placement with the Sandusky family, and the judge overseeing his case agreed.

During testimony last week, an accuser known as Victim 4 said Matt Sandusky was living at the Sandusky home at the time he stayed there overnight and testified that Jerry Sandusky came into the shower with the two boys and "started pumping his hand full of soap." Matt Sandusky shut off the shower and left, appearing nervous, the witness said.

---
Associated Press writers Michael Rubinkam and Maryclaire Dale contributed to this report.

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

jerry sandusky, child sex abuse scandal, penn state nittany lions, u.s. & world news

View the original article here

Man swipes Dali painting from art gallery

Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK -- Police are looking for a suspect who stole a $150,000 Salvador Dali painting from a Manhattan art gallery.

Police say the man walked into the Venus Over Manhattan art gallery on Madison Avenue posing as a customer and removed the watercolor and ink painting from the wall, put it in a bag, and fled.

Police say the suspect was wearing a black and white checked shirt and dark colored jeans. It happened on Tuesday.

The 1949 painting, called "Cartel des Don Juan Tenorio," was part of the gallery's inaugural exhibition.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

new york city, new york news

View the original article here

Friday 22 June 2012

2 men rescued from water off Coney Island

Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- Two men were pulled from the waters off Coney Island Friday morning.

One of the men, in his 40s, jumped off the pier at Coney Island just after 7:30 a.m. Another man, in his 60s, went into the water to rescue him.

They were both rescued by a boat, rushed to the beach and taken to Coney Island Hospital.

The man who initially jumped in is in stable condition. The man who attempted to rescue him is critical.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

new york city, new york news

View the original article here

Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo expecting baby boy

Nick Lachey and his wife Vanessa Lachey are expecting a baby boy, the host revealed on her personal website on June 21.

"Nick and I are incredibly excited to share the news that we are expecting a baby boy," Vanessa wrote on her website. "We can't wait to meet him soon!"

Nick Lachey, a 38-year-old former 98 Degrees singer, announced the pregnancy on the ABC show "LIVE! with Kelly," which he guest-hosted with Kelly Ripa on March 5. Vanessa Lachey, 31, is set to give birth this fall.

Vanessa told fans in March that she was hoping to have a boy Tweeting, "#ToBeClear @NickSLachey & I are praying for a healthy baby First & Foremost! I just always envisioned a boy 1st to take care of his siblings."

Vanessa Lachey rose to fame as an MTV personality and co-hosted the ABC competition series "Wipeout" last year. She describes herself on her Twitter profile as a "Host by day, Wifey by night, Wanna-be Mommy all the time."

Nick Lachey told OnTheRedCarpet.com in mid-June 2011: "We want to have a family and we're very excited about that, so I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't take too long. At least that's my hope. I'm getting up there. I gotta start pumping them out."

Vanessa Lachey had told OnTheRedCarpet.com around the same time, before their wedding, that the two wanted to "start having babies" after she filmed "Wipeout" in September 2011.

The two dated on and off for about three years before they announced their engagement in November 2010. They went public with their relationship soon after she appeared in his music video "What's Left of Me," which was released in 2006. The clip depicts Nick Lachey's marriage and divorce to Jessica Simpson, who is played by Vanessa Lachey.

Nick Lachey and Simpson were married between 2002 and 2006. The 31-year-old pop singer, who is also a cast member of the new NBC show "Fashion Star," recently welcomed daughter Maxwell Drew with fiance Eric Johnson.

She and Nick Lachey starred on the MTV reality show "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica," which documented their married life together. His and his current wife's wedding was also televised, as part of a TLC network special.

View the original article here

Having the Perfect Getaway to New York

Cutting energy costs in the kitchen

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's no wonder that grilling out is so popular in the summer, because who wants to hang out in a hot kitchen?

We've got ways to be wise about using energy in the kitchen.

The coolest and most energy efficient way to cook your food is with a microwave, which uses two-thirds less energy than your stove.

But not everything can be cooked in a microwave, so if you must use your stove, do it wisely. Always cover your pots to keep in heat and warm food up more quickly.

"Use the burners that you absolutely need," Con Edison spokesman Michael Clendenin said. "In other words, not a huge burner. Use a smaller burner if it's enough to heat up the pot that you're cooking with."

And crock pots aren't just for winter stews. They can be a low-energy way to make dinner without heating up the entire kitchen.

When it comes to keeping food fresh, the rule of thumb for the refrigerator is to keep it half full. It keeps the cold air circulating. The freezer, however, should be completely full, even if you need to fill it with ice. The fuller it is, the less energy you use to keep foods frozen.

Another cooking tip is to turn off your stove or oven two to three minutes minutes shy of the recommended cooking time, and let the residual heat do the rest. And keep the oven door closed.

To find out more about Con Ed's Green Team program, visit ConEd.com/ThePowerOfGreen

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more Consumer News »

consumer news, lisa colagrossi
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

View the original article here

Man fatally shoots, stabs man who shot him

Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- A Bronx man is believed to have gunned down the suspect who shot him in the leg when he opened the door of his Parkchester apartment.

The 23-year-old man was apparently shot in the leg after opening the door of his Unionport Road home just after 1 a.m.

Authorities say he then grabbed and knife and a gun and returned fire, shooting and stabbing the suspect.

The suspect was pronounced dead, and the resident initially shot in the leg was in stable condition at Jacobi Medical Center.

Marijuana and other drug paraphernalia were found in the apartment.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

new york city, bronx, shooting, stabbing, new york news

View the original article here

Thursday 21 June 2012

New York City - Vacation Ideas For Everyone

1 found dead; Search continues for other missing swimmer

Eyewitness NewsPERTH AMBOY, N.J. (WABC) -- The summer scorcher is sending thousands of people seeking relief from the blistering heat to the Jersey shore. But with the cool water, the heat and humidity are creating dangerous rip currents.

The search for two missing swimmers resumed Thursday, one day after dozens of people had to be rescued. The body of a 23-year-old Irvington man who went missing off the beaches of Asbury Park was recovered Thursday morning, but crews continued to search for an 18-year-old from Bayonne who vanished in the waters off Seaside Park around 3:30 p.m.

The Asbury Park victim had swam out to save his sister, who was pulled from the water by lifeguards. The heat led to record crowds, and all those extra swimmers kept lifeguards busy. At least 30 swimmers were rescued Wednesday.

A father and son are being called heroes after they saved a little girl and her cousin from the rough currents of the Raritan Bay.

The current pulled the two children out past the pier in Perth Amboy. That's when Hector Hernandez and his son Joshua went in and rescued 9-year-old Laneija Smith and the other child.

"I saw her go down, and that's when I knew it wasn't a joke," Hector Hernandez said. "And that's when I jumped in."

Joshua swam even farther out to save the cousin.

"I seen them jumping up and down, and then I seen them go under, and then they jumped back up one more time and take a breath," he said. "So I just jumped off and went in. I guess it was just instinct. Because I have a little brother, so I would've felt terrible if something happened...I wouldn't call myself a hero. I just did what was right."

Laneija is now in the intensive care unit at St. Peter's University Hospital. Doctors expect her and her cousin to make full recoveries.

"If he didn't have enough courage and step up as a man and go in there and save my daughter, she would not be alive," dad Thomas Smith said.

Officials warn swimmers against venturing too far out. They stress that if you get sucked into a current, do not swim against it. Move with it until you can safely swim to shore.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM NEWSCOPTER 7 OVER SEASIDE PARK

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

new jersey, perth amboy, seaside park, water rescue, drowning, new jersey news

View the original article here

Mom who lost kids, parents in Stamford fire speaks out

Lilly, 10, and twins Sarah and Grace, 7, Badger died in a house fire in Stamford on Christmas Day 2011.

Eyewitness NewsSTAMFORD -- The woman whose three daughters and parents died in a Christmas Day fire said she considered putting fireplace ashes blamed for the blaze outdoors about an hour before flames swept through the home.

But Madonna Badger said in an interview aired Thursday on NBC's "Today" show that the bag of ashes didn't seem dangerous because her boyfriend, Michael Borcina, ran his hands over them before putting them on top of a plastic bin in a mudroom. She said she glanced at the bag as she walked up the stairs on the way to bed early that morning.

"I remember thinking to myself, 'I should put that outside. I should put that outside,'" Badger said. "Then I remembered thinking, 'No, but I watched him put his hands through it.'" The fire in Stamford killed 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah Badger, 9-year-old Lily Badger, and their grandparents Lomer and Pauline Johnson. Badger disputed an Associated Press report that the ashes were taken out of a fireplace so the children would not worry about Santa Claus coming down the chimney. The AP reported on Jan. 3 that the ashes were removed out of concern for Santa, citing two officials briefed on the investigation.

"I don't know where that came from," Badger said.

About an hour after going to bed, Badger awoke to choking smoke and frantically tried to find her children. She climbed up scaffolding that was installed outside the home for a renovation project and opened a window to Grace's bedroom.

"I opened that window and the smoke that hit me was just the blackest ... like an ocean," she said in the interview, in which she broke down crying several times. "There was embers and all kinds of stuff in it."

Badger, a New York City advertising executive, said she tried several times to hold her breath and put her head in the window, but the smoke was too much.

"I couldn't get in the window and I'm just screaming for somebody to help me," she said, adding that she couldn't see Grace or the other girls. "It was the blackest smoke I've ever seen. If I could have seen them, I would have gone in.

"It's impossible to describe how it is that you can't go in and save your own children, but I couldn't get through that smoke. I couldn't," she said.

She said she then saw Borcina - his eyes burned shut - running around the yard yelling for the girls and telling them to jump to him from upper floors. She said firefighters dragged her away from the home for her safety.

Badger was brought to a hospital and said it took three hours for a doctor to tell her that her children had died and her parents probably wouldn't survive, either.

Asked whether the house had working smoke alarms, Badger said, "My understanding was that I had an operable fire and smoke alarms." When she was awoken by the fire, she said she didn't hear any alarms going off.

"Nothing. It was silent," she said.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THECHRISTMAS DAY FIRE

---
Online: Public schools fund, Windward fund

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

connecticut, stamford, fire, northern suburbs news

View the original article here

Caught on video: Students bully elderly bus monitor

ROCHESTER -- Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised online for an elderly upstate New York bus monitor who was taunted and verbally abused by students.

The incident was captured in a 10-minute video posted to YouTube showing Karen Klein trying her best to ignore the stream of profanity, insults and outright threats directed at her.

By early Wednesday the video had gone viral and since been viewed more than 1.2 million times.

CLICK HERE to see the video on YouTube. WARNING: Contains vulgar language.

Klein told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that she "was just trying to ignore them and hope they would go away."

The Greece bus monitor didn't report the incident, but school officials notified police when they learned of the video. An investigation has been launched.

By midnight Wednesday, the international crowd funding site Indiegogo.com had raised over $95,000 to send the grandmother on a vacation.

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM ---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

bullying, u.s. & world news

View the original article here

Worker critical after Staten Island trench collapse

Eyewitness NewsSTATEN ISLAND (WABC) -- A construction worker is in critical condition following a trench collapse on Staten Island.

The site is located at Travis Avenue and Victory Boulevard in the Bulls Head section.

The worker was transported to Staten Island University Hospital in cardiac arrest.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

new york city, staten island, collapse, new york news

View the original article here

Excessive heat warning issued for New York area

Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- With temperatures climbing into the high 90s, an excessive heat warning was issued for New York City and other parts of the area as an unusually early hot spell heralded the official start of summer, with people wilting at graduation ceremonies, students trying to learn in suffocating classrooms and authorities warning folks to check on elderly neighbors.

The official start of summer set records in some spots and got awfully close in others.

Health officials warned residents to drink water, stay out of the sun and in air conditioning, and to monitor the condition of pets. Public cooling centers have been set up in dozens of cities for those without air conditioning. Con Edison is asking residents in Brooklyn and Queens to conserve energy and turn off non-essential appliances after it reduced voltage by 5 percent to protect equipment and to keep everything running smoothly with the added stress on the power grid.

Forecasts called for temperatures to again hit the high 90s Thursday across the Northeast. Elementary and middle schools in the Hudson Valley planned to dismiss students early because of the heat.

INTERACTION: TO KEEP COOL IN THIS HEAT I _____.

Several relatives of high school graduates were treated for heat exhaustion at an outdoor ceremony in North Bergen and taken to a hospital, police told The Record of Bergen County. Ambulances were on standby at the event, which was held outside to accommodate about 5,000 people, said Capt. Gerald Sanzari of the North Bergen Police Department.

In Howell, school officials made Wednesday the last day of the school year instead of Thursday, citing the heat. And at nearby Wall High School, people attending the graduation ceremony will be able to watch a remote broadcast inside the air-conditioned building.

More than 450 cooling centers were opened around New York City, which is under a hot weather advisory with an expected high of 94 degrees. Mayor Michael Bloomberg encouraged people without air conditioning to seek out the cooler spaces or visit the city's beaches.

The city's 1.1 million public school students are still in session for another week, and just 64 percent of classrooms are air-conditioned. The city is leaving it up to teachers and administrators to monitor the situation in each school, Bloomberg said.

"There's nothing unsafe about it," Bloomberg said. "It may be a tiny bit uncomfortable, but these are young, strong people, and we're not going to ask anybody to stay in a building where we think it becomes dangerous."

On Long Island, Suffolk County SPCA chief Roy Gross cautioned against keeping pets in vehicles, noting temperatures can reach 120 degrees within minutes.

"Your pet can quickly suffer brain damage or die from heatstroke when trapped in these high temperatures," he said.

Tips and Resources to Beat the Heat>

As temperatures rise, residents are advised to avoid strenuous activity, drink plenty of non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated fluids, and take precautions against suffering heat-related illness.

Children, older adults, people with disabilities and pets are most at risk during excessive temperatures.

Health officials suggest the following heat related emergency safety tips:

Stay indoors in air conditioning as much as possible If you do go outside stay in the shade If your home is not air conditioned, spend at least two hours daily at an air conditioned mall, library or other public place Wear sunscreen outside, along with loose fitting light colored clothes that cover as much skin as possible Drink water regularly even if you are not thirsty. Limit alcohol, and sugary drinks which speeds dehydration Never leave children or pets alone in the car Avoid strenuous activity, or plan it for the coolest part of the day, usually in the morning between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m or in the evening. If you exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each hour. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. If you are used to regular exercise, just keep in mind the symptoms of heat illness when exercising and stop or rest if any occur. Take a cool shower or bath - BUT be careful because sudden temperature changes can make you feel dizzy or sick. Be a good neighbor, check on elderly and people with disabilities in your community who may need assistance keeping cool. Use a fan only when the air conditioner is on or the windows are open. Fans alone will not keep you cool when it is really hot outside. Fans work best at night to bring in cooler air from outside.

Additionally, residents should contact their local and/or county offices of emergency management regarding any open air-conditioned senior centers or cooling stations.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, older adults and people with disabilities are more at risk for heat because they do not adjust as well as young people to sudden changes in temperature; they are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that changes normal body responses to heat; and they are more likely to take prescription medicines that impair the body's ability to regulate its temperature or that inhibit perspiration.

The CDC also offers the following tips for older adults, persons with disabilities and/or their caregivers:

Visit older adults who are at risk at least twice a day and watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Encourage them to increase their fluid intake by drinking cool, nonalcoholic beverages regardless of their activity level.

Warning: If their doctor generally limits the amount of fluid they drink or they are on water pills, they will need to ask their doctor how much they should drink while the weather is hot.

Take them to air-conditioned locations, if they have transportation problems.

Heat is often referred to as the "silent killer," in contrast to tornados, hurricanes and other natural hazards with more dramatic visual effects.

---
MORE INFORMATION

New York City

The City will open air-conditioned cooling to help New Yorkers beat the heat. Cooling centers are air conditioned places, such as Department for the Aging senior centers, Salvation Army community centers, and public libraries that are open to the public during heat emergencies. Cooling centers will be open Wednesday and Thursday. To find the cooling center closest to you, call 311 or visit NYC.gov.

New Jersey:

Please log on to Ready.NJ.Gov, visit the National Weather Service Heat Safety Page (http://www.weather.gov/om/heat/index.shtml), or call 211.

Bergen County

There are several designated Cooling Centers open throughout the county. Additionally, Public libraries, shopping centers, recreation and senior centers also provide respite from the high temperatures.

County Administration Building
Multi-Purpose Room, first floor, One Bergen County Plaza
(201) 336-7300
(8:30 am to 5:00 pm)

Rutherford Senior Center
55 Kip Center (201)460-1600
(8:30 am to 4 pm)

The following cooling centers will be open through Friday, from 10:00 am through 6:00 pm as needed:

Northwest Bergen Multipurpose Senior Activity Center
46-50 Center St., Midland Park, NJ
(201) 445-5690

Bergenfield Senior Center
239 Murray Hill Terrace, Bergenfield, NJ
(201) 387-7212

Southwest Bergen Multipurpose Senior Activity Center
147 Hackensack St., East Rutherford, NJ
(201) 935-8920

Community Transportation can be reached by calling: (201) 368-5955

Fair Lawn has also announced the opening of three cooling centers that will be open throughout this week's heat wave.

Community Center: Wednesday through Friday - 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Senior Center: Wednesday through Friday - 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fair Lawn Library: Wednesday and Thursday - 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hoboken

The City of Hoboken will open a cooling center at the Multi Service Center, 124 Grand Street, from 9am to 10pm on Wednesday, June 20. The National Weather Service is forecasting high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s and heat indices in the 100 to 104 degree range during Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Jersey City:
CLICK HERE for list of cooling centers and pool locations in Jersey City.

Westchester County:

Health Department website: WestchesterGov.com/health

Yonkers:
There are cooling centers in Yonkers at the following locations:

Peter Chema Center, 435 Riverdale Avenue, 10am-4:30pm Charles Cola Community Center, 945 North Broadway, 10am-3:30pm Coyne Park Community Center, 777 Mclean Avenue, 10am-3:30pm Yonkers Riverfront Library, 1 Larkin Center Grinton I. Will Library, 1500 Central Park Avenue, 9am-9pm (regular hours)

For more information on city cooling centers or for any additional assistance, please call the mayor's Help Line at 377-HELP.

New Rochelle:

The Hugh Doyle Senior Center on 94 Davis Avenue will offer extended hours on Wednesday and Thursday as a Cooling Center on Wednesday, June 20 and Thursday, June 12 from 8 AM - 6 PM. The New Rochelle Public Library will also be open Wednesday 10 AM-6PM and Thursday 9AM- 8PM. For further information on the cooling center, contact the Hugh Doyle Senior Center at 235-2363.

Clarkstown:
Cooling centers located at:

Central Nyack Community Center, 58 Waldron Avenue, Central Nyack, 845-358-2500, M-F 8am to 10pm, Saturday 11am to 6pm, Sunday Closed Congers Community Center, 6 Gilchrest Road, Congers, 845-268-9700, M-F 8am to 10pm, Saturday 11am to 6pm, Sunday 11am to 6pm Pascack Community Center, 87 New Clarkstown Road, Nanuet, 845-371-6650, M-F 8am to 10pm, Saturday 11am to 6pm, Sunday Closed Street Community Center, 31 Zukor Road, New City, 845-634-3039, M-F 8am to 10pm, Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday Closed

New York State Ozone Information:

Elevated heat and humidity can also lead to unhealthy ozone levels. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forecasts daily ozone conditions on its website, Dec.NY.Gov, for the New York Metropolitan area, which includes Westchester County. Air quality updates are also provided daily on the New York State Air Quality Hotline at 1-800-535-1345.

Con Edison

Customers can report power interruptions or service problems, view service restoration information and the outage map online at ConEd.com, as well as on their mobile device. They also may call 1-800-75-CONED promptly if they are experiencing any service difficulties.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ACCUWEATHER FORECAST

CLICK HERE TO SEE AND SEND PHOTOS ---

Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more AccuWeather »

hot weather, heat, humidity, new york city, new jersey, accuweather
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

View the original article here

George Zimmerman reenacts shooting

"He took my head and slammed it against the concrete several times, and each time I thought my head was going to explode and I thought I was going to lose consciousness," George Zimmerman told police the day after he shot and killed Trayvon Martin.

"I started screaming for help," but Martin pressed his hands over Zimmerman's mouth and nose, he said. "He told me to shut the f&#k up, and I was suffocating."

Zimmerman told police he was lying on the ground, but his head was on the concrete.

"I didn't want him to keep slamming my head on the concrete so I kind of shifted. But when I shifted my jacket came up…and it exposed my firearm. That's when he said you are going to die tonight. He took one hand off my mouth, and slid it down my chest. I took my gun aimed it at him and fired."

The latest and most detailed account yet of what happened in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26 comes from a voice stress test that Zimmerman passed, along with a video re-enactment, a handwritten statement and audio interviews conducted in the days after the shooting by investigators.

The material was released by Zimmerman's attorney today on the website gzlegalcase.com, a website managed by the Zimmerman defense team.

Watch George Zimmerman Reenact the Shooting of Trayvon Martin

The relatively consistent statements portray a man trying to convince investigators that he was in a life and death struggle that left him with little choice but to kill the unarmed teenager.

The documents also show that in the days following the shooting, the lead investigator was not accepting Zimmerman's version of events and recommended that charges be filed against Zimmerman.

"I shot him, and I didn't think I hit him because he sat up and said, 'Oh you got me. You got me, you got it,'" said Zimmerman during a nearly 20-minute re-enactment shot by investigators at the scene of the shooting the next day.

Watch George Zimmerman's Lie Detector Test

In the video Zimmerman, 28, gives a blow by blow description of how the fight began and depicts Martin as the aggressor, a key point as his legal team builds his defense on Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law.

Zimmerman said he was driving to buy groceries when he spotted the unarmed teen walking near a house that he knew Martin did not live in and called police to report a suspicious person.

"I just felt like something was off about him…and there's been a history of break-ins ... so I said you know just better to call. I kept driving and I passed him, and he kept staring at me and staring around," Zimmerman said.

Read George Zimmerman's Handwritten Statement

He took investigators to the house where he first spotted the teen and got on the phone with police. At that point he says he lost sight of Martin.

With bandages clearly visible on the back of his head and nose in the video, he took investigators through the neighborhood showing them where he was when the responder told him that he did not have to follow Martin. Zimmerman says by the time of the request he was no longer in his car and wanted to figure out exactly where he was in the subdivision, so that the officer dispatched to the scene could find him.

"I was walking back. I didn't see anything again, came back to my truck and when I got to right about here, he yelled from behind to me."

"He said, 'Yo, you got a problem?' and I turned around and said no I don't have a problem," said Zimmerman.

View the original article here

Nick and Drew Lachey announce '98 Degrees' reunion performance

Nick and Drew Lachey have announced that their popular 1990s boy band 98 Degrees will be reuniting - for one night only.

The two will team up with former group members Justin Jeffre and Jeff Timmons for a one-time gig at the Summer Mixtape Festival in Hershey, Pennsylvania in August. Drew and Nick Lachey, brothers in the band, announced the news on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS FM morning radio show on Wednesday.

"We're very excited about the opportunity," Drew said. "We've been toying around with the idea for a couple years of, 'If we got back together, when would be the right scenario,' and this music festival right here just kind of seemed like the right time to get back together and do a show and kick the tires and see how it feel."

The 35-year-old singer's brother Nick also took to his Twitter account to announce the news of the performance.

"Big announcement with @RyanSeacrest today. Felt like 2001 all over again! Can't wait for August 18th in Hershey. Be there. #98degrees" he Tweeted.

The band formed in the late 1990s and split in 2002. The group is known for hits such as "I Do," "Because of You" and "Give Me Just One Night." The singers had four successful studio albums and have performed together at special events, such as on Nick & then-wide Jessica Simpson's 2004 "Family Christmas" TV special, after the split.

Nick, 38, also explained on the show why he had previously denied the rumors that the group would be reuniting for a tour.

"I didn't say we weren't going to do it, but there was some speculation about a full tour happening this summer and our fans have been kind of eager to see us get back together," he said. "I just wanted to make sure that they understood that a full tour wasn't happening this summer, but obviously very excited to announce that we're doing this big festival in Hershey in August. So, that will be our one and only appearance."

Nick and wife Vanessa are expecting their first child together. The television personality recently played a game with her Twitter followers where she exchanged photos of her followers' baby bumps for a photo of her own.

Minnillo posted a silhouette photo of her own pregnant figure. The 31-year-old is seen from the side sitting in shallow water in an ocean backdrop. She made it her new Twitter background picture (See photo).

For more information on the music festival where 98 Degrees plans to reunite, visit Summer Mixtape Festival's website.

View the original article here

2-year-old girl found dead in New Paltz home

Eyewitness NewsNEW PALTZ -- Authorities say they're investigating the death of a 2-year-old girl at a Hudson Valley home.

Police say that officers responding to a report of a missing child arrived at the home in New Paltz around noon Wednesday and found a member of the family with the child.

Police aren't saying yet what might have caused the girl's death. They also aren't identifying who lives in the house.

Members of the state police and Ulster County sheriff's deputies were working with New Paltz police on the investigation.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more Northern Suburbs News »

new paltz, ulster county, child death, northern suburbs news
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

View the original article here

John Bryson resigns as Commerce Secretary

WASHINGTON -- Commerce Secretary John Bryson says he is resigning after suffering a seizure earlier this month in the Los Angeles area.

President Barack Obama says in a statement that he has accepted the resignation and thanks Bryson for the "invaluable experience and expertise" he brought to the administration.

Bryson says in a letter to Obama that he is concerned his seizure "could be a distraction" from his performance as secretary and says the nation would be better served by "a change in leadership" at the department.

Earlier this month, Bryson transferred his functions and duties as secretary to Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank, who is now acting commerce secretary.

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more U.S. & World News »

u.s. & world news
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

View the original article here

Missing 5-year-old South Ozone Park boy found safe

Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- Police in Queens have found a 5-year-old boy who apparently walked out of his apartment early Thursday.

Zackary Nazario was found in the vicinity of Rockaway Boulevard and the Van Wyck Expressway, about 24 blocks east of where he disappeared.

He is reportedly in good condition and is being brought back to his mother for evaluation.

Authorities say Nazario walked out of his home on Rockaway Boulevard and 118th Street in South Ozone Park around 1:30 a.m., while his 23-year-old brother, who was watching him, ran out to the store.

When he returned, the boy was gone.

Police, several with K-9 dogs, had been searching in alleyways, basements and even opened a locked icebox. A helicopter scoured rooftops from the air.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

new york city, queens, ozone park, missing children, new york news

View the original article here

Top Things to Do in New York City

Tuesday 5 June 2012

3 Rye teens charged in 'Freshman Friday' hazing

Eyewitness NewsRYE (WABC) -- Three Westchester County high school students are facing criminal charges for alleged hazing, and police are widening the investigation.

Authorities are asking other possible victims to come forward after the arrest of the Rye High School students.

Sean Pinson and Tristan Scragg, both 17, and 16-year-old Max Meyerson are charged as adults with hazing, assault and unlawful imprisonment.

Police say they confronted several 8th graders who will be freshmen at the school next year and forced them into a car on Friday.

They allegedly drove to them to a wooded area and beat two of the victims with a paddle.

Investigators say there were welts and bruises, and the beating seemed to go on for awhile. That's why the felony assault was charged.

The alleged incident is part of what students at the school refer to as Freshman Friday, where incoming students are targeted.

Some students told Eyewitness News that the ritual is common knowledge among the students.

"It's been happening for a number of years," one student said. "They don't usually do anything about it, the cops."

Parents who are hearing about the incident aren't surprised that police are now involved.

"If it did happen, the police should be right on top of it," one parent said.

The Rye schools superintendent sent an e-mail to parents Monday night, saying the school takes the situation very seriously and the students face severe disciplinary consequences at the school, as well as in the legal system.

Here is the full text of the letter:

Dear parents,

This evening, we were informed that Westchester County police have charged three Rye teenagers - all juniors at Rye High School - with unlawful imprisonment, assault, and hazing in an incident last Friday afternoon at the Village Green and Marshland Conservancy. The acts were allegedly committed against several Rye Middle School 8th graders.

As superintendent of schools, and speaking for the principals of Rye Middle School and Rye High School, we are greatly disturbed by these allegations. We share our deep concern to the alleged victims and their families. Though this incident occurred outside of the school day and off school grounds, we must stress that there is, quite simply, no place in our schools or society for violent acts like those that have been alleged.

While this is, first and foremost, a serious legal matter for the young men who have been arrested, these students will also face severe disciplinary consequences as students of the Rye public schools.

Some have suggested that these alleged acts are part of an annual 'tradition' at Rye High School. Let me be clear: just because a small handful of students choose to believe that this is the case, does not make it a fact. Our school district and our educators put a premium on student safety, respect, and dignity, and work diligently each day to inspire these traits in our students.

We will provide more information on this serious matter as we learn more of the details. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Dr. Edward J. Shine ---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

rye, westchester county, assault, northern suburbs news

View the original article here

Disney announces new nutritional ad standards

Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK -- Disney says its programming will no longer be sponsored by junk food.

The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday that it will become the first major media company to ban such ads for its TV channels, radio stations and websites intended for children. That means kids watching Saturday morning kids' shows on the company's ABC network will no longer see ads for fast foods and sugary cereals that don't meet Disney's nutrition standards.

The guidelines won't go into effect until 2015 because of existing advertising agreements.

First Lady Michelle Obama called the announcement a "game changer" in a statement.

"With this new initiative, Disney is doing what no major media company has ever done before in the U.S. - and what I hope every company will do going forward," Obama said.

Disney sais its guidelines are aligned with federal standards to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables and reduce the intake of sodium, sugar and saturated fat.

The company also introduced its "Mickey Check" seal of approval for nutritious foods sold in stores, online and at its parks and resorts.

"The emotional connection kids have to our characters and stories gives us a unique opportunity to continue to inspire and encourage them to lead healthier lives," Disney CEO Robert Iger said in a statement.

Public health and childhood obesity experts cautioned that the effectiveness of any ban will be in how junk food is defined by the company. Previous attempts by the food industry to regulate marketing to children have been criticized as being too generous in which products were allowed.

But Aviva Must, chairwoman of the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts School of Medicine, said Disney could succeed where government thus far has made little progress.

"There seems to be limited taste for government regulation," said Must, who has studied childhood obesity for decades. "So I think a large company like Disney taking a stand and putting in a policy with teeth is a good step."

Studies have long established a direct link between junk-food advertisements on television and childhood obesity, and a legitimate ban could have far-reaching public health effects, said Dr. David Ludwig, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children's Hospital.

"Elimination of junk-food advertisements will not make television viewing a physically healthy activity," he said. "But elimination of advertisements will substantially reduce the harm of television viewing in childhood."

Disney Magic of Healthy Living partners with parents and inspires kids and families to lead healthier lifestyles. This initiative includes engaging content, useful tools, as well as nutrition guidelines that pair the fun of Disney's stories and characters with a well-balanced portfolio of foods and healthier lifestyle choices. Disney's nutrition guidelines, which were first introduced in 2006, were developed with the help of experts and align to federal standards. For more information, please visit: TheWaltDisneyCompany.com/mohl.

Disney is the parent company of WABC-TV.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

health news

View the original article here

The Trend: MLB Draft, Barack Dubs and a Flying (Dead) Cat

Good morning!

Happy Towel Day! Yes, there is such a thing. Carry a towel with you wherever you go and no one will think it odd. And if anyone does think it odd, you can tell them it's a tribute to the novelist Douglas Adams, who wrote The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy.

Hitchikersguide

There is even a website dedicated to the event. You can even send us or Tweet us your towel photos if you wish. The commemoration started two weeks after Adams died in 2001. And if you want to know why, read chapter 3 of Hitchhikers, and you will find yourself asking, where's my towel?

Star Wars marks its 35th Anniversary today, so if you walk around in a Darth Vader costume today, it's okay too.

Grammy-winning folk musician Doc Watson is listed in critical condition after falling at his home, making him a top search on Google this morning. The blind singer and guitarist known as a master of the flatpicking-style of guitar playing is being treated at a hospital in North Carolina. The 89-year-old Watson has won several Grammys and received the National Medal of the Arts.

Chris Brown has rolled out a steamy trending video called Sweet Love. The song is from his upcoming album Fortune, due out on July 3.

While Warren Buffett is all hot on buying up newspapers, one of the nation's oldest is cutting back. The (New Orleans) Times Picayune is ending daily publication and plans to offer three printed issues a week starting in the fall. New Orleans will become the largest metro area in the nation without a daily newspaper. This is the digital age.

Memorial Day is also trending as we mark the unofficial start of the summer season with beaches and barbeques and fun times, but lest we forget that Memorial Day is about the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country.

AP120524141625
Army Specialist John Finner, 23, left, of Sikeston, Missouri, and Army Specialist Kevin Wilson, 23, of New York City, soldiers with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, or "Old Guard," place flags before each grave in preparation for Memorial Day, during the annual "Flags-In" at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on Thursday, May 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Most Americans today have little direct connection to the military, and so perhaps the holiday should take on even greater meaning. Less than 1 percent of our population serves in the U.S. military (just a couple of million) compared to the 16 million men and women who wore a uniform during World War II. Pew Research Center found that only a third of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have an immediate family member who had served in the military. As Ben Patton writes in a blog post this morning, perhaps the best way to spend this Memorial Day is to try to spend a few minutes with a veteran. "Give him or her a chance to talk. And listen."

You may have seen the photo of President Obama bowing to a 5-year-old boy who is touching the president's hair to see if it feels like his. The photo has gone viral after appearing in an article by the New York Times.

Obamaboyphoto
(Pete Souza/The White House)

The boy, Jacob Philadelphia, is the son of a former Marine who was leaving the White House staff three years ago and asked for a family photograph with the President. You can read the full story behind the photo on the Times website.

A viral video out of Mexico shows a reporter appear to be using someone to fake a wind storm by having them kick dirt in the air. The translation, according to one commenter, the reporter is actually saying the person is kicking the dirt in the air to demonstrate how windy it is. The video has nearly a million views since this writing.

This next video shows a helicopter take off fail. Fortunately, a major accident was avoided.

This viral video tries to answer the question why is yawning contagious?

This guy can put a lot of stuff in his hair.

Maru, YouTube's most popular cat with 200k subscribers and 150 million views, is celebrating a 5th birthday.

And finally, the salsa dancing dog!

That's the trend!

Enjoy the holiday weekend,

Bob

View the original article here

Venus to pass sun in once-in-a-lifetime event

OSKAR GARCIAHONOLULU -- Stargazers around the world are setting up special telescopes and passing out cardboard eclipse glasses to view the once-in-a-lifetime celestial cameo of Venus passing in front of the sun.

The transit of Venus - a planetary spectacle that won't occur again until 2117 - won't be enough to significantly block the sun's light, but it will give Earth's closest star a moving beauty mark. Venus is currently Earth's closest neighboring planet, although Mars occasionally has that distinction.

"In terms of rarity, to be here at a time when it's happening, you almost have to look at it," said Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory, who saw the last transit in 2004. "It ain't going to happen again in my lifetime."

The transit is happening during a 6-hour, 40-minute span starting just after 6 p.m. EDT in the United States. What you can see and for how long depends on what the sun's doing in your region during that exact window, and the weather. Those in most areas of North and Central America will see the start of the transit until the sun sets, while those in Western Asia, the eastern half of Africa and most of Europe will catch the transit's end once the sun comes up.

Hawaii, Alaska, eastern Australian and eastern Asia including Japan, North and South Korea and eastern China will get the whole show since the entire transit will happen during daylight in those regions.

Don't stare directly at the sun without eclipse glasses, a properly filtered telescope or a strong welding visor. Permanent eye damage could result.

Astronomers across the globe are using the rarity of the moment to spark scientific curiosity among the public, and to document the transit with the latest technology available.

Sul Ah Chim, a researcher at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute in the central South Korean city of Daejon, said he hoped the event will help people see life from a larger perspective and "not get caught up in their small, everyday problems."

"Most people consider 105 years to be a very long time," Sul said. "But when you think about it from the context of the universe, 105 years is a very short period of time, and the Earth is only a small, pale blue spot."

In Hawaii, university astronomers planned viewings at Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor and Ko Olina. At Waikiki, officials planned to show webcasts of the transit as seen from telescopes from volcanoes Mauna Kea on the Big Island and Haleakala on Maui.

NASA planned a watch party at its Goddard Visitor Center in Maryland with solar telescopes, images from its Solar Dynamics Observatory Mission and expert commentary and presentations. The observatory will produce "Hubble-quality" images, according to NASA's website.

Groups of scientists from the University of North Texas planned to watch from points in Alaska and Hawaii to recreate the 1769 expedition of British Capt. James Cook, who used the transit to calculate Earth's distance from the sun. The scientists will use atomic clocks, GPS and high-end telescopes to take measurements, and will use high-end video gear to capture time-lapse video.

Experts from Hong Kong's Space Museum and local astronomical groups were organizing a viewing Wednesday outside the museum's building on the Kowloon waterfront overlooking the southern Chinese city's famed Victoria Harbor. The transit begins there around 6 a.m. local time.

The transit also coincides with a national holiday in South Korea. Choi Hyungbin, head of the Daejon Observatory, said he was expecting more visitors than might otherwise come out to watch the transit. Local media urged curious residents to visit observatories for the event, reiterating the danger of looking directly at the sun.

This will be the seventh transit visible since German astronomer Johannes Kepler first predicted the phenomenon in the 17th century. Because of the shape and speed of Venus' orbit around the sun and its relationship to Earth's annual trip, transits occur in pairs separated by more than a century.

It's nowhere near as dramatic and awe-inspiring as a total solar eclipse, which sweeps a shadow across the Earth, but there will be six more of those this decade.

---
ONLINE:

Get more information about how and where to see the transit of Venus at nasa.gov and space.com

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

science & technology

View the original article here

Entire New Jersey family charged in drug bust

Eyewitness NewsLINDEN (WABC) -- An entire family in New Jersey is under arrest for allegedly running a drug ring just feet from a school and recreation center.

Police say the narcotics squad raided the Wildman family apartment on Price Street in Linden on Friday.

Inside, they allegedly found 116 oxycodone pills, heroin, marijuana, a stolen gun and $2,500 in cash.

Oren Wildman, 51, his 46-year-old wife Evette and their three children - Oren Jr., Ashley and Darius, are all facing multiple charges.

Investigators believe 23-year-old Oren Jr. was the ring leader. Darius and Ashley are 22 and 21, respectively.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

new jersey, linden, drug bust, new jersey news
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

View the original article here

Rikers correction officer shoots girlfriend, kills cop, self

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- A local police officer responding to a domestic violence call was fatally shot Monday by a New York City correction officer who critically wounded his former girlfriend before taking his own life, authorities said.

Officer Kevin Ambrose went to the woman's Springfield apartment around 1 p.m. after she called 911 to say her former boyfriend, against whom she had just obtained a restraining order, was nearby and she feared for her life, Springfield police Commissioner William Fitchet said.

Ambrose arrived in a one-man patrol car and found 29-year-old Charlene Mitchell and 35-year-old Shawn Bryan, of Hempstead, N.Y., outside, Fitchet said. They went to Mitchell's apartment, where, Fitchet said, Bryan pushed Mitchell inside, followed her and slammed the door on Ambrose, who tried to get inside. Bryan shot Ambrose through the door, opened it and fired at him again, then shot Mitchell, Fitchet said.

Fitchet said Bryan, who worked at the Rikers Island correctional facility, apparently shot himself in the chest in his car outside Mitchell's apartment building. Officers arriving to back up Ambrose found all three.

Fitchet said Ambrose and Bryan were pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center and Mitchell was in critical condition there late Monday after undergoing surgery.

Mitchell had obtained the restraining order, to be served on Bryan, about 45 minutes before the shootings. The Springfield Republican newspaper reported that the court ordered Bryan to stay at least 100 yards from Mitchell and to have no contact with her or their 1-year-old child and to surrender his firearms to police. Police said the order allowed Bryan to pick up some of his belongings from Mitchell.

The New York City Department of Correction said it was "shocked and saddened" by what happened Monday and expressed its condolences to Ambrose's family.

"Each of us takes an oath of office to preserve and protect the lives of others," Correction Commissioner Dora Schriro said in a statement. "This is an unspeakable tragedy."

Ambrose, a 36-year veteran, is the first Springfield officer killed on duty in nearly 27 years. Fitchet said he is survived by his wife, two children and a grandchild.

Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni said Ambrose "served as a hero."

"His career choice made him a hero," he said. "His actions today made him a hero."

Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno ordered flags on municipal buildings lowered in memory of Ambrose, who he said "wore his badge with honor and integrity and served our city with a tremendous amount of pride and passion."

The last Springfield officers shot and killed on duty were patrolmen Alain Beauregard and Michael Schiavina, gunned down while making a traffic stop in 1985.

Springfield, with a population of about 153,000, is the largest city in western Massachusetts and the third largest in the state. It is about 90 miles west of Boston and about 25 miles north of Hartford, Conn.

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

rikers island, hempstead, new york city, long island, police officer killed, murder suicide, shooting, u.s. & world news
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

View the original article here

Must See Places in New York

Taxi Medallions For Yellow Cabs of New York City

Interaction: Nutritional standards for advertisements

Welcome to the Eyewitness News Interaction blog. When there's a topic worth discussing, this blog is the place to start. Click on COMMENT under the post to write your opinion on the topic. Be sure to include your name and location. We'll review it, and we may publish it here or use it on Eyewitness News on WABC-TV Channel 7 in New York!

You can expect to see fewer ads for junk food on children-oriented programs after The Walt Disney Company announces that all products advertised on its child-centered TV, radio and web sites will have to comply with a new set of nutritional standards. So we want to know, do you think that limiting the ads children see to only healthy foods will affect the products they ask for? Will it lead to healthier eating? Send us your thoughts, and your response could appear on Eyewitness News.

A Florida mom is facing child abuse charges after she flew into a rage and started choking a boy who had bullied her daughter online. She says she called police and was told they couldn't do anything. CLICK HERE to read more on the story, and then send us your thoughts. We want to know, what is the best way to deal with online bullies? What should this mom have done before things got violent?

Two military moms are stirring debate after a picture surfaced of them breastfeeding their children in uniform. Eyewitness News wants to know what you think. Post your comments (below) and they could appear on Eyewitness News First at 4.

Wabc_060112_militarybreastfeeding

What are your thoughts on the proposal to ban extra large sugary drinks in New York City? Post your comments and they could appear on Eyewitness News.

What Questions do you have about the dangers in the drinks?

Do celebrities have the right to snap at photographers when out in public? A photographer claims Justin Bieber struck him after he snapped photos of him and his girlfriend at a Los Angeles shopping center. Eyewitness News wants to know what you think. Post your comments (below) and they could appear on Eyewitness News.

How do you prevent from being eaten up by mosquitoes during the warm weather? Everyone seems to have their own different methods so Eyewitness News wants to hear from you. Post your comments (below) and they could appear on Eyewitness News.

Is it a good idea for high school’s to hand out condoms before prom? A Brooklyn high school is doing just that. Eyewitness News wants to know what you think. Post your comments (below) and they could appear on Eyewitness News.

How have high profile child disappearances like the Etan Patz case changed the way you parent? Eyewitness News wants to know what you think. Post your comments (below) and they could appear on Eyewitness News.

Was the sentence given to Dharun Ravi in the Rutgers spying case fair or too lenient? Ravi was sentenced to 30 days in prison (could serve less for good behavior), in a case that gained national attention after the death of Tyler Clementi. Eyewitness News wants to know what you think. Post your comments (below) and they could appear on Eyewitness News.

Airlines are reserving a growing number of window and aisle seats for passengers willing to pay extra. That's helping to boost revenue, but also making it harder for friends and family members who don't pay the fee to sit next to each other. At the peak of the summer travel season, it might be nearly impossible. So we want to know, would you be willing to pay extra money to fly with your travel companions? Or just say goodbye and the gate and see you when we land? Let us know your thoughts, and your response could end up on Eyewitness News.

CLICK HERE for more on the story

document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js'%3E%3C/script%3E"));COMSCORE.beacon({ c1: 2, c2: "6035669", c3: "", c4: "http://wabc.typepad.com/interaction/", c5: "", c6: "", c15: ""});

View the original article here

Crowds cheer Queen on last day of Jubilee

ROBERT BARRLONDON -- Pealing church bells, artillery salutes and crowds cheering "God save the queen!" greeted Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday on the last of four days of Diamond Jubilee celebrations honoring her 60 years on the throne.

Poignantly, the queen was without Prince Philip, her husband of 64 years, who was hospitalized on Monday for treatment of a bladder infection.

At a morning service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, praised the queen for bringing happiness to the nation. His thoughts were seconded by jubilant crowds that cheered royals major and minor as they made their way to and from the church.

"We are marking six decades of living proof that public service is possible and that it is a place where happiness can be found," Williams told the royals and dignitaries filling the vast landmark church designed by Christopher Wren in the 17th century.

The queen returned to Buckingham Palace in the afternoon, braving the first few drops of rain in an open carriage, later to appear on the palace balcony with the present and future of the monarchy: her heir Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Prince William, the second-in-line, and his wife Kate, and William's brother Prince Harry.

There were more cheers as a noisy Lancaster bomber, four Spitfire fighters and a Hurricane fighter - all recalling the nation's battle for survival in World War II - emerged from the leaden skies to fly over the palace. They were followed by nine jets spewing red, white and blue smoke.

The crowds, forming a sea of bobbing umbrellas, stretched all the way down the Mall, the wide road leading to Buckingham Palace. As the Irish Guards doffed their bearskin hats to lead three cheers for the queen, the 86-year-old monarch beamed.

The Jubilee affirmed the nation's unmatched skills for staging impressive ceremonies, evoking the power and swagger of its vanished empire. The celebrations demonstrated as well the misery which some Britons will endure - even sleeping outside in a cold rain - in pursuit of a good time.

Philip's absence caused some hasty rearrangement of preparations but seemed not to dampen the high spirits. Prince Edward, who made a brief visit to the hospital, reported that his father was "getting better."

Williams paid tribute to the queen for her service to the nation and Commonwealth. It was not a role she chose, but one thrust upon her when her uncle David, King Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936. The queen's father became king and Elizabeth, the elder daughter, was destined to reign.

Within the constraints of a constitutional monarchy, the queen's life has been one of ceremonial duty, world travel and the pleasures of great wealth. She has also been the mother of family that has produced turbulent marriages and traumatic divorces.

"Dedication to the service of a community certainly involves that biblical sense of an absolute purge of selfish goals, but it is also the opening of a door into shared riches," Williams said.

"I don't think it's at all fanciful to say that, in all her public engagements, our queen has shown a quality of joy in the happiness of others; she has responded with just the generosity St. Paul speaks of in showing honor to countless local communities and individuals of every background and class and race," Williams said.

"She has made her public happy and all the signs are that she is herself happy, fulfilled and at home in these encounters."

Attired in an outfit of fine silk tulle, embroidered with tiny mint green star-shaped flowers embellished with silver thread, the queen was a small, elegant figure, rarely smiling and often solemn as she followed the service.

As she left the cathedral, the queen paused near a tablet commemorating the Diamond Jubilee service of Queen Victoria in 1897.

Following the service, the queen went to the thousand-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Parliament complex, to join 700 guests from the various Livery Companies - the guilds which originated in the Middle Ages.

Prince William sat at the Worshipful Company of Engineers and Arbitrators table, while his wife Kate was placed with the Master Glovers and Pattenmakers. Prince Harry dined with the Fruiterers and Gardeners.

With most of Tuesday's events indoors or under cover, there was less worry about the precarious weather, which has ranged from unseasonably cool to downright foul, as rain poured during Sunday's grand procession of boats down the Thames.

The queen will close the Diamond Jubilee celebrations with a rare address to the nation, to be broadcast at 1700 GMT (1 p.m. EDT) in Britain and throughout the Commonwealth.

The two-minute address, recorded on Monday, will also be available on the Royal Channel on YouTube, the palace said. Other than the annual Christmas Day broadcasts, the 86-year-old monarch has rarely spoken directly to the nation.

Twin sisters Margaret and Dorothy Roake were standing in the Mall more or less where they had been standing on coronation day in 1953. "The coronation was fabulous and this is really special, it makes you feel a reality in being British," Margaret Roake said.

Benedict Cleotes, 40, from the Philippines, said he came to the Mall at 4 a.m. to claim his spot. "Seeing the queen is very special to me and I want to have something to tell them in the Philippines. They will be jealous," he said.

Among the early arrivals at the cathedral were four women from Jedburgh, a Scottish town near the English border, who displayed a large Union Jack flag.

"We've been saving for three years to come here," said Marion Kingswood, 69. "Apart from the royal wedding, there's been nothing like it. Sixty years is such an achievement."

Barry Dandy, 71, and his wife flew in from Sydney, Australia, to join in the celebrations.

"They showed a preview of the River Pageant on Australian television and my wife said, 'I'd love to be there,'" Dandy said. "It's been great to take part in the celebrations."

The Very Rev. David Ison, the dean of St. Paul's, said Philip would be remembered in the prayers.

"We were already going to say prayers for the Duke of Edinburgh and it will have an added poignancy as we hope he will make a swift recovery," Ison said.

A few anti-monarchist demonstrators were outside the cathedral with slogans including "Republic Now!" or, in a shot at the cost of maintaining the monarchy, "9500 Nurses or 1 Queen?"

Royalists in the crowd responded noisily, chanting "God save the queen!"

Along the parade route, 70-year-old Margaret Barker said Philip's absence would put a damper on the queen's day.

"She's got the rest of her family around her but when you think of all the planning there's been for this and how long they've been together, it seems very sad that he can't be with her today," Barker said.

Tourist Cassandra Past, 20, from New York, said she expected the queen to keep her chin up despite worries about her 90-year-old husband. "She is the queen, and she sort of has to put on a good face for her country and her people," Past said.

---
AP's David MacDougall contributed to this report.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THE QUEEN'S JUBILEE

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

london, queen elizabeth, royal family, u.s. & world news

View the original article here