New York Local News - ABC News Radio

Long Island Is Fastest Growing Economy in New York State

Louis Milman — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:37:39 +0000

(NEW YORK) -- Long Island has the fastest growing economies in New York State, according to new information from the State Department of Labor.

According to the Wall Street Journal, private sector jobs in Nassau and Suffolk Counties grew at a rate of 2.9 percent in April, higher than both New York City's growth rate and the state's average rate. April was also the fourth consecutive month in which Long Island grew jobs at a rate of over two percent.

However, while the overall job numbers look good -- Long Island has gained back more than the number of jobs lost during the financial crisis -- many of the jobs added in the past year are in low-wage industries, according to the Journal.

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Maine Man Arrested in Brooklyn Murder Case

Louis Milman — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:23:46 +0000

(NEW YORK) -- A 20-year-old man from Maine was arrested on Thursday in connection with the death of a Brooklyn teen.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Christian Ferdinand is accused of smothering 14-year-old Shaniesha Forbes with a pillow after she told him that she was pregnant with his child and refused to have an abortion.

Forbes was found dead in Brooklyn on January 6. She was not pregnant at the time.

Ferdinand allegedly took Forbes' body to Gerritsen Beach where he burned her clothing and body, says the Journal.

Ferdinand has been charged with murder in the case after he reportedly confessed to his role in Forbes' death.

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Hofstra Student Among Two Killed in Home Invasion

Anselm Gibbs — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:06:40 +0000

(NEW YORK) -- A Hofstra University student is dead, along with a suspect, following a home invasion in Uniondale early Friday morning.

The incident was reported around 2:30 a.m. at a home located on California Avenue. Police said in published reports that an armed suspect, wearing a ski mask, forced his way into the home, where there were multiple occupants. At some point one occupant was allowed to leave.

That person reportedly called the police and when officers arrived at the scene, shots were fired. Both the suspect and a female student were killed.

It wasn't immediately clear who fired the fatal shots.

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New York City Gifted-and-Talented Program Questioned

Louis Milman — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:29:30 +0000

(NEW YORK) -- The method used by New York City Department of Education to determine eligibility for its gifted-and-talented program has been questioned after critics say too many children qualified for the program.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the program, which aims to select students with high ability and tailor instruction to their level, has children take two tests. Students in the 99th percentile are selected for the program.

Still, because there are frequently more qualifying students than spots, those in the 99th percentile must still participate in a lottery.

When a new test was implemented this year, issues arose when 11 percent of students met the qualifications set for the program, placing 2,800 students in the lottery for 300 spots, according to the Journal.

City officials assure parents that they will review the methods used in advance of next year's test. They will also compare the results of New York City children with those considered gifted throughout the country.

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Judge Rejects City Plan to End Program for Superstorm Sandy Victims

Louis Milman — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:57:27 +0000

(NEW YORK) -- A judge rejected New York City's plan to end its hotel-sheltering program for people displaced by superstorm Sandy by the end of the month.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Judge Margaret Chan ruled that the 913 remaining victims still being housed in New York City hotels deserve sheltering beyond May 31, the date the city had set.

Lawyers for the displaced had argued that the caseworkers employed by the city were unprepared and provided little aid and few housing options.

The city has said that it has spent $60 million on the hotel-sheltering program, including $15 million on caseworker services, says the Journal. The city hopes that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the costs of the program.

FEMA's hotel-sheltering program ends on May 29.

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Maine Man Charged with Murder of Teen Found Burned on Beach

Anselm Gibbs — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:56:20 +0000

(NEW YORK) -- A Maine man has been arrested in the death of 14-year-old Shaniesha Forbes, whose naked body was found burned on a Brooklyn beach in January.

Christian Ferdinand, 20, of Limestone, Maine, has been charged with second-degree murder in Forbes' death.

The teenager went missing on January 4, and her body was found on Gerritsen Beach two days later, police said in published reports. A medical examiner determined that Forbes died of "homicidal asphyxiation."

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Three Anti-Gay Assaults Last Week

James Grebey — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:22:33 +0000

(NEW YORK) -- There were three anti-gay assaults in Manhattan last week, The New York Post reports.

The first occurred on May 5, when a gay couple was attacked by Knicks fans outside of Madison Square Garden. One of the men’s noses was broken in the assault, while the other suffered an injury to his hand.

On May 8, a 35-year-old man was allegedly beaten up by men who yelled anti-gay slurs at him as he was leaving a bar on Christopher Street at 1:45 a.m. He was not seriously hurt.

Police also say that they arrested two men for beating up two gay men near Madison Square on Friday.

A gay rights activist was assaulted in Union Square on May 7, but police do not believe that was a bias-incident. The victim, Queen Amor, was assaulted after she went to apologize to 20-year-old Jamal Morrison after she bumped into him well. Morrison did not take the apology well, attacking Amor instead.

Amor does believe that this was bias incident, however, and Morrison reportedly was yelling slurs at her during the attack.

According to the Post, all three are being investigated by the NYPD.

Police Looking for Man Who Fatally Stabbed Another Man Sunday

James Grebey — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:52:06 +0000

(NEW YORK) -- Police are searching for a man who fatally stabbed a man in Queens early Sunday morning.

Police say that on Sunday, May 12 at 3:50 a.m., Stephen James, 21, approached officers at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 123 Street. James was holding his stomach, and told police that he had been stabbed.

James was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was initially listed as being in stable condition with a non-life threatening injury. However, later that day his condition was upgraded to critical, and James died Monday morning.

Police, who began an investigation when James was first taken to the hospital, are continuing the investigation to try to find James’ killer.

The police have identified the person in this video as a person of interest in the case, and are asking anyone who has information about him to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Four Charged in Brooklyn in Nationwide Medicare Fraud Crackdown

Anselm Gibbs — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:25:50 +0000

(WASHINGTON) -- Four people in Brooklyn have been charged as part of a nationwide crackdown on Medicare fraud.

The Department of Justice says a total of 89 people in eight cities across of the U.S. have been charged, stemming from their alleged involvement in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $223 million in false billings.

Two Brooklyn doctors are among those charged in fraud schemes involving $9.1 million in false claims, according to the Department.

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Kiosk Worker Stabbed in Face During Robbery

James Grebey — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:52:46 +0000

(NEW YORK) -- A kiosk worker on the upper West Side was seriously injured when robbers stabbed him in the face, The New York Daily News reports.

The victim, a 23-year-old man, was working on a sidewalk near Amsterdam Avenue and West 60th Street early Tuesday morning. At 3 a.m. the two suspects attacked him. The man was stabbed several times in the face before his attackers fled the scene. They had stolen $100.

No arrests have been made yet, and police are looking for these two men.

The victim was taken to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.