New York, New Jersey, Connecticut News

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

College student from VA missing in NYC

Web produced by Jennifer Matarese, Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- There is a worrisome search for a missing college student from Virginia who last seen in Manhattan celebrating the holidays.

They held a candlelight vigil in Virginia Tuesday night for missing college student, Ian Burnet.

They are desperately clinging to hope that he will return home safely and soon.

"No matter what has happened, if he's out there alive we want to welcome him back," said Mark Burnet, Ian's father.

The 22-year-old engineering junior at Virginia Commonwealth University jumped on a bus the day after Christmas to spend New Year's in New York.

He was staying with friends on W. 139th Street by Riverside Drive.

The next day he texted his father.

On the 30th, he apparently told a friend he was having a horrible time and then the cold, haunting silence.

Police found his cell phone later that day.

"If you could just come home, your parents, your parents love you," said Althea Bernheim, a relative.

Althea Bernheim, a relative in Jersey City, says the family is tortured by the unknown.

They have contact with the police and set up a Facebook page, which is drawing in volunteers like Pam Andes who has helped print and post more than 1,000 fliers in the area.

"I've never met him, but I feel the love for him and I want to find him," said Pam Andes, a volunteer.

Burnet graduated valedictorian from high school and was on a full scholarship to study engineering.

It's been a week and a half now of sheer agony for his family and there's still no sighting of their bright and talkative son.

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new york city, missing person, new york news, lucy yang

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Tuesday, 10 January 2012

NJ Assembly's GOP leader dies at Statehouse

TRENTON -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who had expected to deliver his annual State of the State message to the Legislature on Tuesday, abandoned those plans and instead delivered a eulogy for the Republican Assembly leader who collapsed at the end of a lengthy session and died.

A somber Christie appeared before the Legislature on Tuesday, about 14 hours after Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce collapsed and died on the last day of the 214th session.

"As you know, I was to come here today to report on the state of our state," Christie told the joint session. "I will fulfill that constitutional obligation by addressing you and our citizens more fully next week. For today, it's enough to say that the state of our state is getting better. Today our hearts are full of sadness." The GOP governor described DeCroce as a colleague, mentor and friend, and told lawmakers the Republican leader died "doing what he loved, serving the people of New Jersey. " But that "does not lessen the pain," he said.

On what was to be a day of pomp and circumstance with the swearing-in of new lawmakers, the Legislature largely abandoned its plans in favor of a somber, low-key event.

Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver broke down as she described DeCroce as a career public servant of the highest caliber.

The Assembly observed a moment of silence for DeCroce as the lawmakers were sworn in for a new term. Bagpipes played before the ceremony, and a small bouquet of flowers rested on the late legislator's empty desk.

DeCroce's name was read along with the names of other assemblymen and women during the swearing-in.

His widow, Betty Lou DeCroce, a deputy commissioner with the state Department of Community Affairs, was present.

DeCroce, 75, died after a busy night of voting that closed out the previous session.

Assemblyman Herb Conaway, the Legislature's only physician, said DeCroce had complained during the day of arm pain and feeling ill. He said he and state troopers tried unsuccessfully to revive the northern New Jersey lawmaker, administering CPR.

"He served admirably for many years and he will certainly be missed," Conaway said.

Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick also said he noticed DeCroce didn't seem to feel well on Monday during the marathon lame-duck session.

"But there was no indication that it was the result of anything other than it being a long day," Bramnick said. "It was 11 at night and no one was feeling too well."

DeCroce, who owned a real estate company and lived in Parsippany-Troy Hills, served in the Assembly since 1989 and became the GOP's leader in 2003. His district includes parts of Morris and Passaic counties.

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Questions over security for Jay Z and Beyonce baby birth

NEW YORK -- Through a rap verse, Jay-Z has confirmed the birth of "the most beautiful" girl in the world - his newborn daughter.

The song "Glory" made its debut on his social website Life and Times on Monday - two days after he and Beyonce reportedly gave birth to a daughter, Blue Ivy.

Reps for the superstars repeatedly declined requests for comment from The Associated Press about whether the birth had occurred, as first reported by E! News over the weekend. But Jay-Z's sweet song gives fans the details, and more: "You're my child with a child from Destiny's Child."

In the song, Jay-Z talks about where the child was conceived (in Paris) and even reveals that Beyonce had a miscarriage at one point.

"Last time the miscarriage was so tragic/We was afraid you'd disappear/But nah baby you magic."

The song's refrain is: "The most amazing feeling I feel/Words can't describe what I'm feeling for real/ Maybe I paint the sky blue/My greatest creation was you. You. Glory."

The sound of a baby's cries - perhaps Blue's - ends the song.

The song says it features "B.I.C." - which would be the initials of Blue Ivy Carter.

It's the first child for the power couple, who wed in 2008 in a private ceremony after a years-long courtship. Beyonce announced her pregnancy to the world last August at the MTV Video Music Awards with a simple rub of her swollen belly.

Celebs close to the couple have tweeted congrats. Beyonce's sister, Solange Knowles, tweeted Sunday morning: "The most beautiful girl in the world," while Beyonce's close friend Gwyneth Paltrow also tweeted: "Welcome to the world Blue! We love you already."

The couple reportedly gave birth at Lenox Hill Hospital on New York's Upper East Side on Saturday. While there were reports that the couple paid $1.4 million to rent a floor of the hospital for the birth, hospital spokeswoman Barbara Osborne said Monday that "no patient has the ability to reserve an entire floor of the hospital."

While she refused to confirm or deny that Beyonce had given birth there, she said that like other hospitals, suites are available and can be reserved.

One new mother, Rozz Nash-Coulon, said her twins, born Dec. 28, were in the neonatal unit, and starting Friday, intense security measures were implemented and it was a struggle to see her own children as security guards directed hallway traffic. She said a nurse told them Jay-Z and Beyonce were staying at the hospital.

"Once they checked in there was high security everywhere. It looked like the president was on our floor. The hospital's security cameras were taped over. Internal windows from the hallways into the ward were blacked out," said Nash-Coulon, 38.

Nash-Coulon said she and other parents are trying to mobilize to protest their treatment, which she called "disgusting." But Osborne said she had not heard anything about any complaints. She also could not confirm or deny reports that security cameras were taped over.

As for areas of the hospital being blocked off to some, Osborne said: "I can't specifically talk about that but I can tell you that visitors can be asked to leave a waiting area in our hospital for any number of reasons."

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(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Kayaker finds swimming dog that fled fatal crash

By TAMARA LUSHST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A man kayaking in the Gulf of Mexico rescued an injured dog that was swimming offshore after fleeing when his owner was struck and killed by a car.

The bizarre and sad tale unfolded Saturday afternoon on Siesta Key, a bucolic island community about 40 miles south of St. Petersburg that boasts some of Florida's most beautiful white sand beaches.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 53-year-old Donna Chen was jogging with her dog Barney, a Hungarian Vizsla.

As the pair jogged down the sidewalk, patrol officers said 22-year-old Blake Talman drove away from the nearby beach while drunk, got into one crash, and then drove away. That's when he struck Chen and her dog, officers said.

Chen died at the scene, but the dog ran away.

Later that afternoon, Rory O'Connor - a tourist from Bellingham, Wash. - was kayaking and fishing near Siesta Key when he spotted a dog swimming about a half mile offshore in the blue water.

"I pulled him into the kayak and he was really scared," said O'Connor. "He was shaking a lot. Had a bunch of wounds on his leg and was bleeding." O'Connor captured the rescue on a video camera that he uses to record his fishing adventures.

O'Connor took the dog ashore. His sister, who was on the beach with her family, identified the canine as a Vizsla and suggested the dog might have a microchip. The family then took the dog to a nearby vet.

The dog did have a microchip, and the veterinarian's office contacted Chen's family - and learned about the accident. It's still a mystery how or why the dog ended up a mile from where the crash happened and in the water.

O'Connor said Barney is recovering, and said he is thankful that the dog is back with the Chen family.

"We thought the dog was a very special dog," O'Connor told The Associated Press during a phone interview Tuesday.

Authorities say Talman was charged with DUI manslaughter and is being held at the Sarasota County Jail without bail. It's unclear whether he has retained an attorney. Police declined to comment on the dog because the case is a vehicular homicide and is under investigation.

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Caught on tape: Woman's bungee cord snaps

Eyewitness NewsCANBERRA, Australia -- An Australian tourist bungee jumping in Africa plunged 365 feet (111 meters) into a river when her cord snapped, but she managed to swim to safety with a broken collarbone and her legs tied together.

Erin Langworthy told Nine Network television news Sunday that she blacked out briefly when she hit the Zambezi River on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe on Dec. 31.

"I felt like I'd been slapped all over," the 22-year-old from Perth said.

Video taken of the jump shows the cord snapping and Langworthy smacking into the river before the current pulled her into rapids.

"You get sucked under and then you pop up so it's very disorienting - I didn't know which was up or down," she said.

She said the trailing cord repeatedly snagged, so she "had to swim down and yank the bungee cord out of whatever it was caught on to make it to the surface."

Langworthy swam through the rapids to reach the Zimbabwe bank.

Southern Province Police Commissioner Brenda Muntemba told the Post Zambia newspaper that Langworthy was treated at a clinic in Zimbabwe before being evacuated to South Africa.

The jump from the Victoria Falls Bridge is operated by Safari Par Excellence, whose website describes the bungee experience as "111 meters (365 feet) of pure Adrenalin!"

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Sunday, 8 January 2012

Giants beat Falcons 24-2 in wild-card game

By BARRY WILNEREAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Even Eli Manning's feet are dangerous.

Manning punctuated his best pro season Sunday by throwing for three touchdowns and scrambling for a 14-yard gain that woke up New York's offense. He sparked the Giants to a 24-2 rout of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC wild-card game Sunday, their first postseason victory since their Super Bowl upset of undefeated New England four years ago.

Next up is just as big a challenge for the Giants (10-7): the defending champion Packers in Green Bay next Sunday. New York lost 38-35 to Green Bay in December.

`'We know they are a good team," Manning said. "We played them tough here, did some good things here, we scored some points. We know offensively we are going to have to play strong, score some points."

The team that couldn't run the ball will be sprinting there, bringing along a defense the Packers (15-1) actually might fear.

Not to mention the offense led by Manning, who hooked up on a 72-yard catch and run by Hakeem Nicks in the third quarter that put away the inept Falcons (10-7). Manning also connected on a 4-yard TD with Nicks in the second period, and a 27-yard TD throw to Mario Manningham in the fourth quarter that finished it off.

The Giants are playing with more balance on offense and more stinginess on defense than they've displayed most of the season.

Their last postseason trip to Lambeau Field was a 23-20 overtime victory for the NFC championship two weeks before they upset the Patriots.

The tempo in the first playoff game at MetLife Stadium was set by New York's defense, which never allowed Atlanta to get going, and by the league's lowest-ranked rushing game, which ran for a season-high 172 yards, 92 by Brandon Jacobs and 63 by Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants averaged 5.5 yards a carry, 2 yards more than in the regular season.

For all of Jacobs' and Bradshaw's success, it was Manning's escape and 14-yard dash on third down in the second period that got the Giants rolling. Jacobs soon broke a 34-yard run, and Manning hit Nicks on a post pattern to put the Giants up 7-2.

"I don't think anyone is game-planning for me to run the ball," Manning said, "but obviously there were a couple of situations where you have to do it. I am not scared to do it."

The Giants never really had to look back as the Falcons bumbled their way to their third straight playoff loss under coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan.

New York was aided greatly by Atlanta's penchant for gambling on fourth downs - and failing. Twice the Giants stymied the Falcons on fourth-and-1 as Ryan's sneaks went nowhere. The defense also stopped Michael Turner, supposedly the most effective runner on the field, on a third-and-inches late in the third period.

Atlanta missed on a fourth-down try in overtime that cost the Falcons a game against New Orleans during the season. While they negated New York's recently revitalized pass rush for much of the day, the Falcons couldn't gain any traction on the ground, being held to 64 yards rushing.

"Our defense played great, kept us in the lead," Manning said.

Both offenses sputtered in the first half with an assortment of penalties, drops and poor throws.

When the Falcons wheeled out the no-huddle offense, though, they marched from their 10 to a fourth-and 1 at the New York 24. On the first play of the second quarter, Ryan was stacked up on his sneak.

But it turned out positively for the Falcons anyway.

Giants guard Chris Snee was called for holding, and, from his 13, Manning was pressured back into the end zone by James Sanders.

He threw the ball away to avoid the sack, resulting in a safety.

New York had its own fourth-and-inches run on its first touchdown drive. Jacobs ran over safety Thomas DeCoud on the play from the Atlanta 6.

Nicks caught his post pattern over Dominique Franks, the fill-in for injured cornerback Brent Grimes, to make it 7-2.

The Giants' most recent home playoff victory was a 41-0 rout of Minnesota for the 2000 NFC title.

Atlanta's last playoff win was in 2005 over St. Louis when Michael Vick still was the Falcons' quarterback.

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