Wednesday News

• Paying your respects to Michael Jackson in NYC

  More mourning

• School board gives Joel Klein full authority

  A reinstituted city Board of Education, in one of its first official acts, voted to give Schools Chancellor Joel Klein supreme authority to run the country's largest public school system.

• Maloney's Senate run potentially bruising to Gillibrand

  WASHINGTON - Rep. Carolyn Maloney's decision to run for U.S. Senate in next year's Democratic primary sets up a potentially bruising challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand at a time when the New York State Democratic Party is reeling.

• Elmont property owners sue over 'blight' designation

  Two Elmont landlords are suing the Town of Hempstead over its decision to designate their properties as blighted in order to bring in a new supermarket, part of an effort to revitalize the area.

• Again, no progress in Senate stalemate

  ALBANY - No progress was reported Wednesday in breaking the State Senate deadlock as only one side showed up to a public negotiating session.

• Roosevelt man, 87, missing for second time in 2 days

  The family of an elderly Roosevelt man has raised the alarm - once again - after he went missing for a second time in the past two days, Nassau police said.

• Sewer victims mourned as investigations begin

  The father and son killed by toxic fumes at a Queens waste transfer plant were mourned Tuesday at an emotional funeral.

• Fans gather to pay tribute to Jackson at the Apollo

  Outside the Apollo

• Cops: 7 people saved from sinking boat near Setauket

  Braving rain, wind and rough seas Tuesday night on the Long Island Sound, Suffolk police rescued seven people, including three children, from a sinking boat off Old Field Point, police said.

• Michael Jackson tribute at Apollo draws thousands

  Michael Jackson's memorial at the Apollo Theater yesterday was, like nearly everything else in his life, a singular spectacle, filled with sing-alongs and stomping feet, lots of dancing and a few tears.

• East Northport residents: Intersection is unsafe

  A few years ago, Thea Mansuetto was so fed up with - and frightened by - vehicles whizzing by her driveway on Bread and Cheese Hollow Road, just 200 feet north of Pulaski Road, that she doubled the width of her driveway so she would have enough room to turn around and exit front end first.

• Suozzi in talks with Paterson for OK on cigarette tax

  Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, in an attempt to gain support for a $2 per pack cigarette tax, said he is negotiating with Gov. David A. Paterson to give nearly half of any county revenue earned from the tax to the cash-strapped state to make up for any anticipated loss of revenue from sales.

• LI photographer: Michael Jackson looked great recently

  LONDON - Michael Jackson looked in perfect health and gave an electrifying performance two days before his death during rehearsals for his planned comeback concerts, a Long Island photographer said Tuesday.

• Source: Bernard Madoff did not act alone

  As Bernard Madoff cools his heels in a Manhattan jail cell waiting to begin his 150-year prison sentence, legal sources believe that a number of new indictments may develop as a result of Wall Street's biggest Ponzi scheme.

• LI hospitals fare well in state infection report card

  Long Island hospitals generally fared well in the state's report card on hospital-acquired infections, a problem that affects nearly 2 million people nationwide and causes an estimated 100,000 deaths.

• Nassau deal to defer month's pay for correction officers

  Nassau County correction officers will defer a month's pay over the next 18 months as part of a tentative new labor contract, officials said Tuesday.

• Dan Janison: Citizens are the losers in Albany's political games

  Suspicions between Team Democrat and Team Republican have grown so thick by now that it took only seconds for a surreal drama to develop over what a veteran senator called his casual stroll through the chamber of New York's upper legislative house.

• Cops: Truck driver not to blame in fatal accident

  The dump truck that tipped over and killed a Fort Salonga woman is being inspected for a possible brake failure, and Suffolk police said they don't expect to charge the truck driver.

• What LI doctors say about acetaminophen

  Dr. Kenneth Abrams, senior vice president for clinical operations for the North Shore-LIJ Health System based in Manhasset, said recommending lower acetaminophen doses is "a good thing for patients and for the public." Banning prescription combination painkillers which contain acetaminophen, "might be going a bit too far." "Many episodes of pain can be managed with lower dosages," Abrams said. "The vast majority of the time, regular strength Tylenol is going to be just as effective for us."

• Cold Spring Harbor Lab eyes Sudoku in DNA research

  Sudoku, an 81-box numerical sequence puzzle, may be just a coffee-table conundrum to some, but for Cold Spring Harbor scientists it is the guide to hastening the way DNA is coded.

• J.D. Power report: JetBlue tops in customer satisfaction

  For the fourth consecutive year, JetBlue Airways has earned the highest marks in customer satisfaction for low-cost airlines from J.D. Power and Associates.

• State Senate begins passing bills

  ALBANY - A Republican senator's walk through the back of the Senate chamber Tuesday as 31 Democrats were convening a regular session was used by them to establish a quorum and begin passing bills.

• Thousands show up at Apollo to celebrate Michael Jackson

  Michael Jackson's memorial at the Apollo Theater Tuesday was, like nearly everything else in his life, a singular spectacle, filled with sing-alongs and stomping feet, lots of dancing and a few tears.

• Southampton shark has no bite

  Shark! Well, sort of.

• Joye Brown: A chance - finally - to move ahead on Nassau's Hub

  If you stood in the right place and squinted Monday, it looked like U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi and Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray were at the circus.

• LI record executive's memories of Michael Jackson

  For Ron Alexenburg, Michael Jackson will always be both a global superstar and the sweet teenager who used to play with his children on the floor of his Long Island home.

• Ruth Madoff: 'I feel betrayed and confused'

  In her first public comments since her husband's arrest in December in a massive Ponzi scheme, Ruth Madoff seemed to seek solidarity with victims.

• Garbage truck crushes car, kills Fort Salonga woman

  A Fort Salonga woman was killed Monday morning in East Northport after a garbage truck overturned onto her car, crushing it, police said.

• Some basics on bottlenose dolphins

  Why are they here?

• For some Madoff victims, 150-year sentence not enough

  Dozens of Bernard Madoff's victims walked to nearby Thomas Paine Park Monday after he was sentenced, where they rallied amid posters castigating the convicted financier and government officials.

• Scientists: Dolphins' local swim a good sign for LI

  The bottlenose dolphins that swam into the Long Island Sound while they chased fish are a good sign that the Sound's waters are clean and well stocked with herring, scientists said Monday.

• Madoff apologizes to victims of his Ponzi scheme

  He was sorry.

• Proposal would remove ban on HIV foreigners' entry

  The federal government moved one step closer to officially ending its long-standing ban on HIV-positive individuals visiting or moving to the United States, a move hailed by gay rights and AIDS advocates Monday.

• Health Dept.: Third swine flu death in Suffolk

  A Babylon man who died Monday became the third death in Suffolk linked to swine flu.

• Experts: Ruling won't stop Sotomayor confirmation

  The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision for the white New Haven firefighters' reverse bias lawsuit isn't likely to stop the expected Senate confirmation of New York Judge Sonia Sotomayor as a justice, experts said Monday.

• Facing state mess, Suozzi won't discuss layoffs

  A day after declaring that state legislation "must by passed before June 30" to bail Nassau County out of its budget mess, County Executive Thomas Suozzi refused Monday to disclose further layoff plans if the state fails to act.

• Elmont man who refused to attend trial is convicted

  A jury convicted an Elmont man of committing identity theft Monday without hearing a single word spoken in his defense.

• After crash, expectant mom has baby

  Mom and baby are doing fine.

• GOP in court in Albany in new challenge to Dems

  ALBANY - A State Supreme Court judge Wednesday refused to grant Republicans' request for a temporary restraining order against an ally of Democratic leader Sen. Malcolm Smith.

• Mastic man killed in collision with truck

  A Mastic man was killed Wednesday in a motorcycle accident when he collided with a tractor-trailer in Yaphank, Suffolk police said.

• Cops: West Islip men had 75 cases of fireworks in van

  New York City police arrested two 26-year-old West Islip men Tuesday afternoon when they found 75 cases of fireworks in their van, police said.

• USGA begins moving out of Bethpage

  In front of the Bethpage Golf Course clubhouse Tuesday, workers tore down the tall, green-mesh fences that herded the massive crowds during the eight-day U.S. Open event. And behind the large white tents where corporate sponsors once entertained their guests, drivers in rental trucks began reclaiming food machines, tables and chairs, and other equipment.

• Lawyer seeks 12-year sentence for Madoff

  The thirst for "mob vengeance" should be ignored and Bernard Madoff sentenced to 12 years in prison, an effective life sentence for a man of his age, the Wall Street swindler's defense attorney said Tuesday.

• Dan Janison: Albany power war may be headed for court showdown

  ALBANY - The Senate power war, now in its third week, may be headed for a new and potentially explosive court showdown.

• After golf, Open's about shoppers snagging bargains

  It was all over but the shopping Tuesday at the now-sunny Bethpage State Park golf course, where the 2009 U.S. Open was dismantling itself on the still rain-muddied grounds. The big white Merchandise Pavilion drew the crowds with offers of half-price golf shirts, towels and teddy bears.

• Suffolk lawmakers table proposed police cuts

  The Suffolk Legislature balked Tuesday at authorizing seven police layoffs and a $5.5- million cut in police salaries to force the Suffolk PBA to make $6.8-million in concessions.

• Melville man sentenced in fatal shooting

  A man who shot two men within two hours in July 2007 - killing one - was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison for second-degree murder and weapon possession Tuesday in Riverhead.

• Poll: Support growing for same-sex marriage

  ALBANY - More than half of voters now back same-sex marriage, according to a poll released Tuesday.

• Police: Cop drove at 'excessive speed' before crash

  Skid marks and damage done to the tree hit by Quogue Village police officer Richard Kappel indicates he was going at "an excessive speed" when he crashed a borrowed sports car, killing himself and a passenger, according to Det. Sgt. Randy Hintze of the Town of Southampton Police.

• Wife of crash-victim professor taken off life support

  Psychologist Ilene Wasserman was a slight woman, so petite that her colleagues jokingly nicknamed her "Birdie."

• Chaos in State Senate

  After Tuesday's chaotic meeting of the State Senate that featured rival presiding officers, Gov. David A. Paterson angrily ordered another special session for Wednesday.

• Vote unlikely on sex abuse bill Catholic Church opposes

  As the state Assembly wrapped up its regular session Tuesday, it appeared unlikely that controversial child sex abuse bill would be voted on, advocates and officials said.

• Joye Brown: Providing hope for abandoned babies

  Timothy Jaccard was on the job Sunday evening when he got a telephone call.

• Brooklyn apartments next to collapsed building razed

  One day after a four-story Brooklyn building collapsed into a heap of rubble, Jose Diaz could only stand and stare as emergency workers began to tear down his own building - which is next door - as a safety precaution.

• Phil Mickelson's fans cheer and moan

  Giddy middle-aged men were the majority of fans trailing Phil Mickelson Monday at Bethpage Black, cheering on his triumphs and groaning with his slip-ups, all the while holding out hope he could win the U.S. Open.

• Son, colleagues recall Stony Brook prof killed in crash

  Aaron Carr had planned on going to university orientation on Thursday with his parents. Instead, a weekend crash police say was caused by a drunken driver has left the 20-year-old to now plan their funerals.

• Extended U.S. Open play boosts LI businesses

  Monday's extra day of play at the U.S. Open meant a boost in hotel and restaurant revenue for Long Island's sagging economy as well as an unexpected bonanza for the sponsor of the event, officials said.

• Separate car crashes kill 2 Suffolk cops

  Flags at two Suffolk police departments flew at half-staff after car crashes killed two officers, both former U.S. military personnel, and cast the police forces and the men's families into mourning.

• Golf fans skip work to attend U.S. Open

  If workplaces with golf fans as employees seemed empty Monday, that's because many of them took the day off to enjoy the end of U.S. Open week, which stretched into an eighth day because of rain delays.

• Girlfriend testifies against suspect despite threat

  Marilyn Gomes spent three days in jail last year because she refused to tell a grand jury what she knew about her boyfriend's involvement in a killing.

• Suffolk cop killed in crash was Marine veteran

  Seven-year veteran Suffolk police Officer Robert Bowen was a battle-tested and decorated veteran of the Iraq war, bringing experience in one of the nation's most revered fighting forces -- the Marines -- to his patrols of Suffolk County, where his superiors said he also served with distinction.

• Quogue Village police officer honored posthumously

  Richard Kappel, an eight-year member of the Quogue Village Police Force, was honored as a fallen hero Monday as the flag at village hall flew at half-staff and residents went into mourning.

• LI high school graduation rates rise

  Graduation rates are up on Long Island and elsewhere, but large numbers of teens continue to fall short of academic standards intended to become requirements within the next three years.

• State Senate showdown Tuesday

  ALBANY - The deadlocked State Senate will meet this afternoon on orders from Gov. David A. Paterson, though whether bills are adopted remains very much in doubt.

• Authorities target Madoff allies with lawsuits

  Federal regulators and a special trustee went after key business allies of swindler Bernard Madoff, accusing Cohmad Securities Corp. and its officials in lawsuits with participation in the massive Ponzi scheme.

• State seeks $2M from lawyer in pension fraud

  After months of stalled negotiations, the New York State attorney general's office announced Monday that it plans to file its first charges of civil fraud in the statewide pension scandal against Centerport attorney Lawrence Reich and is seeking at least $2 million in back salary, pension and health benefits.

• Levy announces more police patrols at Timberline Park

  Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy Monday announced Suffolk Police will increase patrols at the Brentwood park where 13-year-old Wilson Batista Jr. was shot last week, but the boy's family said they don't believe the effort is in good faith.

• Police seek person who abandoned baby in Hempstead

  Nassau police want to know who abandoned a healthy newborn girl in the vestibule of a Hempstead apartment building late Sunday.

• From newsrooms to living rooms, kidnapping stunned all

  The day Steven Damman vanished from an East Meadow market in 1955, Joan Bookbinder remembers, terror invaded her life and that of countless young mothers.

• Some scenes from the U.S. Open in Bethpage

  Nelson Sedano was born in a country where children dream of stardom in soccer, but he's hoping to groom his 3-year-old son to be a professional golfer.

• John Barnes: I'm waiting to hear if I'm Steven Damman, LI tot missing since 1955

  A Michigan man who claims he was abducted from in front of an East Meadow store 54 years ago said Wednesday that online photographs led him to believe he found his birth mother.

• Detective: I was 'always bothered' by 1955 disappearance

  It was a case that always dogged him.

• Islanders radio voice Bob Lawrence dies at 70

  On April 26, Bob Lawrence and his wife, Rebecca, made the trip from their South Jersey home to Long Island for a reunion at WGBB-AM in Freeport, where Lawrence served as the longtime voice of the Islanders and program director. He let little on about his three-year battle with lung cancer, opting instead to address the crowd and tell them how honored he had been to know them.

• Unfinished business in the gridlocked Senate

  The Senate leadership fight has endangered dozens of bills affecting local governments on Long Island.

• Timberline Park in Brentwood has a history of violence

  Timberline Park, one of few recreation spots in Brentwood, is a neighborhood gem, with baseball diamonds, basketball courts, a playground and a swimming pool. But as a 13-year-old boy lay in critical condition Tuesday night, officials acknowledged that the park has a history of violence.

• Scenes in and around the U.S. Open

  All aboard the "Tiger Express"!

• Judge on coup: Resolve this yourselves

  ALBANY - A State Supreme Court judge Tuesday refused to rule on who controls the State Senate, urging senators to resolve their differences themselves.

• Steven Damman, lost since 1955, may have been found

  A Michigan man who claims he was the toddler snatched from in front of an East Meadow store in 1955 probably is the boy, according to the father of the child who disappeared.

• Partisan wrangling grinds Senate to a halt

  ALBANY - Even though a judge dismissed the lawsuit seeking to void last Monday's coup, the State Senate remained stalled by partisan wrangling.

• From newsrooms to living rooms, kidnapping stunned Island

  The day Steven Damman vanished from an East Meadow market in 1955, Joan Bookbinder remembered, terror invaded her life and that of countless young mothers.

• New mother becomes Nassau's first swine flu death

  A young woman with swine flu who had just given birth died Tuesday, becoming the first death in Nassau County linked to the outbreak. Meanwhile, New York City announced seven more swine flu-related deaths.

• Boy, 13, in grave status after he's shot playing ball

  A 13-year-old Brentwood seventh-grader remained in grave condition late Tuesday night after he was shot in the eye as he played basketball in a park with friends.

• Autograph hounds try to collect their favorites

  Nick Tangredi stuck out his white U.S. Open flag, already covered with some two dozen signatures, as two players walked from the 18th hole to the clubhouse.

• Locals hope Bethpage Black stumps pros

  Before being awarded the 2002 U.S. Open, the Black Course at Bethpage State Park was overgrown, underused by golfers who didn't care for its no-carts policy, and unknown to out-of-towners who now sleep outside the course in their cars to snag a tee time.

• Report cites Levittown schools for poor budgeting

  A scorching new state audit report cites Levittown school officials for "a history of poor budgeting practices" - including repeated annual operating deficits, routine use of cash reserves to pay operating expenses and millions of dollars in cost overruns.

• Experts: Sotomayor would be part of 'law and order' bloc

  WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, as a U.S. District Court judge in Manhattan in 1998, had a choice of sentencing convicted drug dealers Oscar and Hernan Moreno to 40 years in prison for powder cocaine or to life for crack cocaine.

• Dan Janison: Breaking the deadlock in Albany is no game of chance

  ALBANY

• Sergio Garcia winning over crowds at Bethpage Black?

  In his return Tuesday to Bethpage Black, Sergio Garcia hit nothing but grace notes. On the course, he did the walk-and-sign for autograph seekers between holes, smiling when they shouted encouragement in Spanish, even if it was tinged with a Brooklyn accent. In his media interview, Garcia praised New York crowds for their passion and made note of his success in the area, finishing fourth in the 2002 Open and winning twice in the old Buick Classic at Westchester Country Club.

• City: Death of frail Rikers inmate was a homicide

  The New York City medical examiner's office ruled the death of a frail Rikers Island inmate who had been subdued by several guards a homicide, Newsday has learned.

• Cop admits helping Wyandanch crack dealer

  A New York Police sergeant admitted Tuesday that he illegally used a city police computer to get registration information on two cars for a Wyandanch crack dealer in return for a pair of sneakers worth $20 and a discount on several other pairs.

• PCB worries spur warnings on eating local weakfish

  For the first time, the state Health Department has added local weakfish to its list of fish it cautions people not to eat too often because of concerns about the chemicals known as PCBs.

• Beatrice E. Smith, lifelong Babylon resident, dies at age 106

  Beatrice Ethel Smith, a lifelong Babylon resident, died at her home at age 106, a relative said Tuesday.

• LIRR fare hike begins Wednesday for daily tickets

  Starting Wednesday, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad customers will pay about 10 percent more for daily tickets, as the first fare hike enacted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to plug its $1.8-billion budget deficit takes effect.

• LI school districts stand to lose state pre-K money

  Thousands of additional 4- and 5-year-olds on Long Island could be getting free preschool classes if the school districts where they live had chosen to take state money earmarked for the service, according to a new report that recommends expanding future access through greater cooperation between the public and private sectors.

• Bayville bans bonfires, will impose fines

  The bonfires that have long been staples of Fourth of July celebrations along Bayville's waterfront were banned Monday night at a special meeting of the village board.

• Joye Brown: Skelos, adept at waiting, could still come out ahead

  There's something state Democrats ought to know about our local boy, Dean Skelos.

• State Assembly may vote on sex abuse bill

  A bill allowing lawsuits by people who say they were sexually abused as children could be voted on today in the state Assembly, although even if it passes its fate in the Senate is uncertain amid the chaotic leadership battle there.

• Dan Janison: Dean Skelos set up Senate deadlock

  ALBANY

• Health professionals team gives relief at U.S. Open

  In 10 years as a caddie, Kevin Morris has schlepped across thousands of holes of golf, a practice he said leaves him, at best, "physically OK, mentally very tired."

• Shirley man convicted of assaulting cop in DWI

  The packed Mineola courtroom was silent Monday as the jury foreman stood to read the verdict in the case of the man charged with slamming drunk into the back of a Nassau police car.

• Senate stalemate continues as Monserrate returns to Dems

  Chaos continued to engulf the State Senate Monday, with a key senator's decision to switch sides producing a historic stalemate that nobody appeared willing to break.

• David Letterman apologizes, Sarah Palin accepts

  Finally, an apology.

• MetLife blimp pilot gets unusual view of U.S. Open

  Of the tens of thousands on scene to watch this week's U.S. Open, Jeff Capek will share the most unusual vantage point.

• Suozzi: Senate mess jeopardizes Nassau, union deal

  The deal between the county and most of its union employees to help close a huge budget gap and prevent layoffs is in jeopardy, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi said Monday, because of the turmoil in the State Senate.

• As heroin use rises, so does concern about it

  Calls to treatment centers and crisis hotlines about heroin abuse continue to climb on Long Island, according to experts who said many of the calls are from parents who fear their children are using the drug.

• 2 Brookhaven residents are LI's first swine flu deaths

  Two Brookhaven residents have become the first people on Long Island whose deaths have been tied to the swine flu.

• Ex-programmer dismayed by Wall Street creation

  As Michael Osinski hauls in heavy metal cages from Peconic Bay, he's the picture of an East End oysterman in his waders and a weather-beaten hat. But a few steps away, inside his home office, is a bulky old computer that tells the story of Osinski's previous life.

• U.S. Open phone, PDA ban leaves some in withdrawal

  Rick Brindell is so used to having his BlackBerry at his hip that he could almost feel it vibrating, even though he spent the morning Monday at the U.S. Open without it.

• Judge declines to rule on NY Senate chaos case

  The judge who may hold the fate of the state Senate leadership in his hands is known as a deliberative jurist with little interest in intervening in political disputes.

• NYC limits IDs for marriage license after trick by 2 men

  The city clerk's office will no longer accept state-issued benefit cards from couples wanting to wed - after two men, one dressed like a woman, duped the agency and obtained a marriage license - a city spokesman said.