Free Republic

It is as iconic an image from the criminal underworld as the Tommy gun, or the getaway car, a grim last act for the unfortunate soul whose life is about to end in a new pair of footwear. Cement shoes.

It's the stuff of mafia lore -- a doomed target thrown into the depths of the ocean, with his feet encased in cement. And yet, on an unseasonably cool morning in Brooklyn, a body with so-called "cement shoes" washed ashore this week, igniting the mystery of who committed the crime, and why. Authorities have identified the body as that of a 28-year-old suspected gang member named Peter Martinez. Martinez was found wrapped in "black plastic bags, his arms were tied behind him, and his feet were submerged in poured concrete," said New York Police Chief of Department Robert Boyce. Martinez'...

The president visited the Pathways in Technology Early College High School in Crown HeightsPresident Barack Obama praised Brooklyn on Friday for being forever "cool" and noted that it has drawn generations of immigrants seeking better opportunities, which he said should inspire the nation's approach to education. Obama spoke at the Pathways in Technology Early College High School, known as P-Tech, which he praised for graduating students with a high school diploma and an associates degree. The school opened in 2011 in a rough stretch of Crown Heights. "What's going on here at P-Tech is outstanding, and I'm excited to see...

**Graphic Warning Obaba & Obama pictured on link. ** Finding renews doubts the board will be able to handle mayoral election later this year. Nearly six months after President Obama began his second term, the votes of some 1,600 Brooklyn residents who went to the polls were not counted until this week, the Daily News has learned.