Free Republic

County chairs seek alternative to Nan Hayworth for run against Hudson Valley DemWhen Assemblyman Greg Ball dropped out of the race to unseat Democratic Congressman John Hall last month, most political observers assumed that the path was clear for Nan Hayworth, a wealthy ophthalmologist who had the backing of the National Republican Congressional Committee.But in the past few weeks, Republican officials in the 19th Congressional District, which covers suburban counties north of New York City, have revolted from the directives from Washington and begun hunting for an alternative.Several names have emerged as potential Hayworth challengers, among them David McFadden, a...

After repeated fits of rage at home a 16-year-old is about to head upstate to what's been described as one of the most brutal juvenile detention facilities in New York. "I am a single mom. My son's father is deceased so it's been hard for me. I depend on the state to help me out and I feel like I haven't gotten anywhere," his mother told NBCNewYork.com. She says her attempts to get her son counseling close to home failed. "My son is an adolescent he's going through puberty he's overall a good kid. He might be a little misguided...

NIAGARA FALLS -- A New York State-based plan to create a high-speed rail system that could link up with Niagara, Hamilton and Toronto caught the attention of Niagara politicians this week. "I was invited to come speak about ... the potential for connections to our Canadian neighbours, and really improving inner-city passenger rail and high-speed passenger rail connecting Toronto, Montreal, New York City and the mid-west, the entire eastern seaboard," Don Hannon, director of integrated modal services for the New York State Department of Transportation, said outside the regional planning committee meeting Wednesday. He's a member of the High Speed...

A cold-hearted animal killer stabbed his mother-in-law's feline to death with an umbrella, and then told relatives: "It was only a cat, who cares?" lawyers said Friday. Lordtyshon Garrett, 31, terrorized the 9-pound pussycat by poking and beating her, leaving the pet with injuries as severe as if she had fallen off a high-rise building or been hit by a car, animal experts said. In a futile attempt to fight back, the 4-year-old feline, Madea, bit and scratched the plastic umbrella. The ASPCA found the cat's DNA on the umbrella and used it to pin the crime on Garrett, whose...

In Budget Fight, Paterson Withholds Aid to Localities By KAREEM FAHIM December 13, 2009 Gov. David A. Paterson announced on Sunday that he would unilaterally withhold $750 million in scheduled payments to schools and local governments, saying that strong action was necessary to protect New York State from insolvency. The reductions of 10 to 19 percent in aid will affect schools and social service providers, health insurance payments, cities and counties. Mr. Paterson said the withheld funds were not “a cut” or an “impoundment” — perhaps drawing a legal distinction because only the Legislature is empowered to make permanent budget...

ALBANY - Gov. Paterson called it a "day of reckoning." Lawmakers slammed it as just bad theater. Paterson on Sunday announced plans - first reported in Sunday's Daily News - to shortchange the state's cities and schools 10% of the $1.9 billion in state payments due Tuesday. New York City will lose at least $84million in funding under Paterson's plan to withhold payments to keep the state afloat this month. "I can't say this enough: The state has run out of money. We are $1 billion short," he said. For the city that means its school aid payment will be...

Excerpt from Article Port Chester police have been turned away by Westchester County officials after detectives asked for a lab test on what they believe is a bottle of acid, while the county blames budget cuts for refusing a service relied upon by police departments throughout Westchester. ******************* Detectives in Port Chester sent a bottle labeled “ACID” to the county after a bizarre Thanksgiving-day incident in which 63-year-old Jeffrey Borsk of Greenwich showed up at a Regent Street home with the bottle and threatened to throw it on a young girl who answered the door unless she gave him a...

A Times Square bloodbath was narrowly avoided because the machine-pistol-toting thug who fired at a cop flipped the gun on its side like a character out of a rap video, causing the weapon to jam after two shots, law-enforcement sources said yesterday. When scam artist Raymond "Ready" Martinez held the MAC-10-style gun parallel to the ground, it caused the ejecting shells to "stovepipe," or get caught vertically in the chamber, the sources said. The gun is designed to be fired only in a vertical position. If he had fired the weapon -- which had another 27 rounds in the clip...

They do their dishes in the shower, sit sideways on the toilet and need to watch their weight just to fit into their bathrooms. But these cramped New Yorkers wouldn't have it any other way. A week after The Post told the story of Zaarath and Christopher Prokop and their 175-square-foot micro-studio on Sunday, other New Yorkers lined up to share their tales of living small, including a 55-square-foot apartment in Hell's Kitchen and a 90-square-foot home on the Upper West Side. "To me, it's all about location," said Eddie Rabon, 24, who lives in a microscopic Hell's Kitchen abode....

A new Muslims of America (MOA) terror training video has been uncovered by the Christian Action Network. This video show members of MOA participating in paramilitary style training on their compound in upstate New York, near the town of Hancock. Click the link to see the exclusive new tape.

VALLEY STREAM (WPIX) - A Nassau County jewelry store owner was shot in the torso as he faced three would-be robbers and, amazingly, was able to detain one suspect until police arrived. At 7:11 p.m., three suspects -- a woman and two men -- attempted to rob Papandrew Jewelers, located at 11 Sunrise Highway at Franklin Avenue in Valley Stream. One man, Edward Hamilton, 24, of Brooklyn, produced a handgun and the store owner retrieved his own gun from behind a display case, according to police. The two exchanged gunfire when Hamilton jumped over the display case. The store owner...

More than 100 motorists are stranded on the Thruway between Dunkirk and the Pennsylvania border, locked in by blowing snow since 1:30 a.m. when the Thruway closed. State police have managed to make contact with many motorists, and "there are no medical emergencies at this time," one trooper told The Buffalo News. Many motorists stuck in the snow have been in contact with state police by cell phone. State police on ATVs and Chautauqua County Sheriff's deputies on snowmobiles are trying to reach the stranded motorists. "We can't get aviation up in the air because of the poor visibility. But...

According to Gannett News, the the Saudi Arabia government has agreed to pay the legal fees for accused killer Abdulsalam S. Al-Zahrani.Al-Zahrani is charged with the stabbing death a week ago of Binghamton University professor Richard Antoun.

Raymond Martinez was running a common scam on the throngs of holiday tourists in Times Square, pushing shoppers to buy his CDs, police said. But Martinez was no ordinary peddler, they said: He was carrying a loaded pistol and had a handful of business cards from gun dealers in his pockets. The 25-year-old was shot to death by a plainclothes police sergeant Thursday after trading gunfire in the taxi area of the landmark Marriott Marquis hotel. Sgt. Christopher Newsom operates a task force that monitors aggressive panhandling and was patrolling with an anti-crime unit when he recognized Martinez and his...

A report released this week by the Center for American Progress (CAP) includes recommendations that could serve as a blue-print of sorts for a broad immigration reform bill being crafted by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Immigration subcommittee, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). An overhaul of the U.S. immigration laws has for years been a high priority for technology companies that say they need more H-1B visas and green-cards to hire high-skilled workers and keep the industry competitive on a global scale. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and others make yearly pilgrimages to Washington to make...

PEACE activists have carried mock coffins through New York to protest against President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. About 50 demonstrators walked from outside the United Nations to the military recruiting office on Times Square in central Manhattan. Walking to a slow drumbeat, they carried black cardboard coffins, the first of which was draped in the US flag. "Barack Obama does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, especially after his recent announcement that he will escalate the war in Afghanistan," said Will Travers, 30, who helped carry one of the coffins.

An undercover cop chased a Times Square scam artist through sidewalks crowded with holiday shoppers and tourists Thursday, exchanged gunfire with the suspect and killed him near a landmark hotel, police said. (snip) When the officer approached, the man took off running the streets and through the Marriott Marquis hotel's passenger drop-off area, Browne said. The sergeant pursued, and the man turned and fired with a Mac-10 machine pistol that held 30 rounds; he got off two shots before it jammed, Browne said. The officer returned fire, killing the suspect, Browne said. It's not clear how many shots he fired....

Call and E-mail The Networks--Demanding They Report the Chilling Truth About ClimateGate It is easily the biggest scandal in modern science, yet every major news organization is refusing to report the scandalous truth about the great global warming scam! The Media Research Center is calling on ALL members of the MRC Action team to call and email NBC, ABC and CBS News executives demanding they report the truth about this climate bombshell... (Click excerpt link for phone and email information...it's easy!)

Eliot Spitzer, who stepped down from the governor's office amid scandal, is now strongly considering a run for state comptroller.... Spitzer has in recent weeks had discussions with some Democratic donors and insiders about the position currently held by Tom DiNapoli.... A Democrat who spoke with Spitzer said, "He's seriously thinking about it." "He wants to run if he can," said another source. "He's still talking about it." Gov. Paterson backed the idea.

There are more sexy shenanigans at Brooklyn's Horndog High. The day after the Daily News reported that two James Madison High School language teachers were busted "undressed" in an empty classroom, sources said a third educator is being investigated for getting too personal with a student. Social studies instructor Allison Musacchio is under investigation for having an inappropriate relationship with a male student, sources said. It is the second scandal in as many days to rock the Midwood school where New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Major League ballplayer Frank Torre once walked the halls. School sources said they learned...

Liza Minnelli has struck a secret deal to end the sordid $100 million sexual harassment lawsuit by her former right-hand man. M’Hammed Soumayah had filed suit against the Oscar winner back in 2004, charging she’d beat him during booze-fueled rampages and forced him to have sex with her. "After many repeated attempts by Minnelli to compel plaintiff to have sex with her," the married father of two "eventually succumbed" after she threatened to fire him from his $283,000-a-year job as her chauffeur, the suit said. The purportedly pugilistic performer — who’d also been accused of beating her oddball ex-hubby David...

Two female Romance language instructors were tossed out of their Brooklyn high school after being caught "undressed" in an empty classroom, sources told the Daily News Tuesday.

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JOSEPH M. DEMAREST, JR., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), and JOHN P. GILBRIDE, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New York Field Division ("DEA"), announced that YUSEF SHABAZZ, of Middletown, New York, was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in prison for his involvement in a years-long conspiracy to distribute OxyContin in the New York City area. SHABAZZ, 69, pleaded guilty to narcotics conspiracy, the first count of the Indictment against him, in February 2009. Judge LEWIS...

The head of AT&T’s wireless unit said Wednesday that the carrier is working to improve its network for iPhone and other smart-phone subscribers in New York and San Francisco. Manhattan and San Francisco, particularly the city’s financial district, “are performing at levels below our standards,” Ralph de la Vega, chief executive of AT&T Mobility, said at an investors conference. Those two cities see especially high smart-phone penetration, which has put pressure on AT&T’s data network. The company expects to see gradual improvements in New York and plans to replace some microcells in San Francisco, he said. “This is going to...

I would like to know is who thought this was a good idea? In this year’s NYT’s Annual Holiday Gift Guide there is a section devoted to “Of Color | Stylish Gifts.” From the intro to the section. Somali fashion, do-it-yourself henna kits, children’s books that draw inspiration from the lives of Barack Obama and Sonia Sotomayor: it’s not hard to find gifts created for and by people of color this holiday season. Here are some possibilities. I had to read that twice. Because really New York Times? NYTPicker, who was the first to note the addition thinks there’s no...

Who's hot for teacher? Looks like the other teacher. Two female Romance language instructors were tossed out of their Brooklyn high school after being caught "undressed" in an empty classroom, sources told the Daily News Tuesday. Students at James Madison High School in Midwood were watching a talent show in the auditorium while Alini Brito and Cindy Mauro were speaking the international language of love, sources said. A janitor stumbled on French teacher Mauro, 33, and Brito, 29, a married Spanish instructor, and tattled to school officials on Nov. 20. Both tenured teachers were removed from the classroom and sent...

It started like any other ride on the F train for Oraia Reid. She stepped into a packed car in Park Slope, clutching a magazine and her purse, and sailed smoothly to the West Village, where she was set to give a speech about women's rights against sexual assault. Little did she know she'd be going there with a bit of firsthand experience. Reid, 32 -- who yesterday testified before a City Council committee about the subway groping epidemic -- hopped off the train at West 4th Street and began climbing the crowded stairs to the street. As she hustled...

A 100-year-old sex offender, convicted of molesting children, has been released from prison. But authorities say don't let his age fool you. "He's an unrepentant child sexual abuser," said Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita. This is Theodore Sypnier 10 years ago when he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing four children in the Town of Tonawanda. Now he's 100-years-old, out of jail on post-release supervision, and is still a big threat according to District Attorney Frank Sedita. Sedita said, "I want him away from society as long as possible. It doesn't matter to me that he's 100-years-old. He's evil. He's...

New York Times readers were treated to a rare dose of sympathy for Sarah Palin and her new book yesterday. Columnist Stanley Fish reviewed "Going Rogue", and cast it in a generally appealing light, while dispelling some of the most trumpeted criticisms of the former Alaska Governor's autobiography. Fish introduces his review with a humorous anecdote poking fun at some of the more deranged Palin-haters: Upon asking a customer service representative in a Manhattan bookstore where he could find "Going Rogue," the employee "looked at me as if I had requested a copy of 'Mein Kampf' signed in blood by...

Results from 34 swine flu victims in New York were released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in a December 7 bulletin. The swine flu symptoms and effects on the lungs of the victims were similar to the effects of the 1918 Spanish flu, which had an extremely high mortality rate around the world. Other reports of H1N1 infections deep in the lungs have been reported around the world, including Ukraine, China, Brazil, Norway, and the United States, in Iowa and Utah. These infections have been linked to a change in the receptor binding domain of the virus. Swine...

Protesters rallied outside federal courthouses in Lower Manhattan's Foley Square over the weekend to demonstrate against the Obama administration's decision to try Sept. 11 terrorism suspects there, an action about which the Homeland Security secretary said she was never consulted. Secretary Janet Napolitano testified to a Senate panel last week that White House officials did not contact her to assess the security risk of holding the trials in New York City before announcing it publicly. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas Republican, asked the secretary, "Were you consulted about the security issues that would surround such a trial before the attorney...

Following complaints to the Town Board about increased noise from the Kinderhook Sportsmen’s Club, officials and members of the club are speaking out about its roots and contributions in the community. Several neighbors told the board in October that the amount of shooting had risen markedly, and they wanted to know if the town could help find a compromise. The club, located on more than 50 acres off Fowler Lake Road in Ghent, was founded in 1954 and predates the town’s zoning laws. Club President Terence Toomey says that little about the club’s operation has changed recently. While a Wednesday...

Rudy Giuliani has just signed a major security consulting deal with the city of Rio de Janiero. Giuliani's company will be tasked with advising the government as to ways to provide security during the 2016 Olympics. Rio de Janiero is one of the most unsafe major cities in the world with 40 people dying in the month of October where drug wars played a significant factor.

If filmmaker Lawrence F. Brose goes to trial and wins an acquittal in his child pornography case, he will accomplish two firsts at Buffalo's federal court. He would be the first person ever arrested in a federal Internet child porn case to go to trial in Buffalo. He also would be the first person to emerge without a felony conviction. Every other person charged with such crimes in the federal courts of Western New York — including at least 189 men since October 2005 — has either been convicted or still has charges pending, according to court records. A few...

NEW YORK (CBS) --Audrey Johnson Was Longtime Companion Of Former Sixers Star World B. Free The longtime companion of a former NBA star was killed in Brooklyn while trying to stop an assault outside her family's home. The shooting happened right in front of 149 Clifton Place in Bed-Stuy. Police said 51-year-old Audrey Johnson had just come back home when she heard about a confrontation on the sidewalk in front of her home. She came outside to see what what happening. Her niece, Jeromeka Johnson, told CBS 2HD that the victim, who lives in East Orange, N.J., had returned to...

We converged on the House of Representatives in November with our Congressional House Calls – both in Washington, D.C. and their home districts – to let them know we don’t want this brand of health reform. We want reform that puts patients first. That bill passed by an extremely narrow margin, showing Congress is divided on this issue. Now the fight has turned to the Senate, and it’s down to the wire. We face hundreds of billions in escalating costs, new taxes, and government-forced health insurance backed by penalties of fines and jail time. We face the possibility of spending...

Congressman Eric Massa paid himself and his wife a total of $33,000 from his campaign funds during last year race for the 28th Congressional District.... federal records show Massa took a salary of $15,000 while his wife was paid $18,000 working as the campaign's treasurer. Massa raised $2.1-Million dollars for the 2008 campaign against former Congressman John Randy Kuhl.

Gay advocates will push to replace freshman Sen. Joseph Addabbo. Gay advocates are on the warpath after the state Senate killed same-sex marriage last week, and few Democratic senators who voted against the bill are safe from their wrath.After spending more than $1 million to help the Democrats retake the chamber for the first time in decades, powerful gay activists and donors say they'll support challengers against anti-gay-marriage senators in 2010. "It's going to be a bloodbath," one gay operative predicted. "We're going to use every single weapon in our quiver to take these people out. We either need to...

Franklin D. Roosevelt understood what it meant to be a core Democrat and maintaining his party’s ranks. He built winning coalitions around his policies by empowering previously suppressed groups, such as labor unions and urban ethnics. In the process, he created a 40-year dynasty for Democrats. Today’s bunch? Not so much. The problem for FDR’s party is that it hasn’t adapted swiftly enough to two realities – that jobs are the most important issue to the nation, and that the middle class (which Democrats claim to champion) is dissolving under its watch. It seemed that Democrats may be starting to...

Can't post libelous item itself, but here's the link to same. The left's shrill, hysterical panic, re: Sarah, continues.

Police say more than 1,500 protesters, including first responders and families of September 11th victims, spoke out in Downtown Manhattan Saturday against the decision to try alleged terrorists in the city. The 9/11 Never Forget Coalition held the protest in Foley Square to express opposition to Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to hold the trial in Manhattan Federal Court. 9/11 Victims' Families Protest City Terror Trials

NEW YORK, DECEMBER 5, 2009 — Several thousand protesters gathered at Foley Square in New York City to rally against Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and 4 other 9/11 co-conspirators as civilians in federal court. Despite bitter cold, strong winds and heavy rain the crowd stayed through the 2-hour rally. The event was organized by the 9/11 Coalition to Never Forget and featured speakers representing 9/11 family members, first responders and our troops. See our full post-rally press release, plus videos, photograph and links to local and national news reports here at 911NeverForget.Us.

<p>Several hundred people rallied in the rain near Manhattan's federal courthouse complex to protest the plan to put major terrorism suspects on trial in New York.</p> <p>The demonstrators, including 9/11 families and their supporters, gathered in Foley Square, just blocks from the site of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. They say a New York trial could again make the city a terrorism target.</p>

Abdulsalam Al-Zahrani has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Binghamton University Professor Richard T. Antoun.

Can't post link. Story is here

NEW YORK — Several hundred people rallied in the rain near Manhattan's federal courthouse complex to protest the plan to put major terrorism suspects on trial in New York. Demonstrators included the actor Brian Dennehy and a number of people who lost friends and relatives in the 9/11 attacks. One person held up a sign calling Attorney General Eric Holder "disgraceful and despicable."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Zeiser at bill.zeiser@gmail.com (516) 448-5489 Website: www.911neverforget.us SPEAKER LIST FOR THE 9/11 NEVER FORGET COALITION DECEMBER 5 RALLY When: Saturday, December 5th, 2009 12:00 noon; Where: Foley Square, New York City; Who: The 9/11 Never Forget Coalition, a diverse group of 9/11 victims, family members, first responders, active and reserve members of the military, veterans, and concerned Americans, is holding a major rally on December 5th to protest Attorney General Eric Holder’s plan to bring the 9/11 terrorist conspirators to trial in New York City. Confirmed speakers list: DAVID BEAMER David Beamer is the father...

A group of 9/11 families and their supporters are rallying in front of Manhattan's federal courthouse to protest the plan to put terrorism suspects on trial in New York. The protesters plan to gather in front of the lower Manhattan courthouse at noon. They say a New York trial could again make the city a terrorism target, and that the five should instead face a military tribunal. Other victims of the 9/11 attacks disagree. Lorie Van Auken lost her husband at the World Trade Center. She says its fitting that the accused answer charges a short walk from ground zero....

Story here. The suspect is named Abdulsalam Al-Zahrani.Ironically, his victim, Professor Richard Antoun is described as "a caring and gentle man who spent his life trying to dispel stereotypes about different cultures, especially Middle Eastern cultures"

A Brooklyn woman has been busted in a twisted plot to kill the love child of her husband’s mistress — by duping her into taking medicine to induce an abortion, police said. Kisha Jones, 31, allegedly became enraged when she found out her unemployed hubby was cheating and had sired a baby with his lover, Monique Hutner, 25, of Flatbush, sources said. So in late October, Jones allegedly launched a scheme in which she obtained a doctor’s prescription pad and tricked the then-seven-months-pregnant Hunter into taking a drug used to cause abortions. Cops said Jones called Hunter with a device...