Regional Briefs – January 16, 2015

Dog That Raised Alarm During Fire Found Dead

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. – A dog that alerted residents their apartment was on fire last Friday was found dead in the rubble, the Home News Tribune reported. Rocky Granata found Stella under a blanket. Granata had called for the dog to follow as they fled.

Official in GWB Scandal Seeks Fees in Lawsuit

NEWARK – An ex-Port Authority official at the center of the GWB scandal claimed in a court filing Wednesday his former employer should cover his legal fees, The Associated Press reported. David Wildstein received the infamous “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee” message.

NYC to Expand Dual-Language Programs in Public Schools

NEW YORK – New York City plans to expand school dual-language programs, with 25 new classes and 15 existing ones to be expanded. In each class, half the students will be proficient in English and half will speak another language, including Mandarin, French, Haitian, Creole, Hebrew, Japanese and Spanish.

Third Case of MRSA at Long Island High School

ROCKY POINT, N.Y. – A third student on the same sports team at a Long Island high school was diagnosed Tuesday with the bacterial infection MRSA, Newsday reported. The school said they’ve taken measures to sanitize the building. It’s the first case in the county nurses can recall.

Man Arrested for Pretending To Point Gun at Cops

NEW YORK – A Brooklyn man was arrested late Tuesday for pretending to point a gun at two police officers, The Associated Press reported. Unique Johnson, 32, was driving in Manhattan with several co-workers when he pulled up behind a police car at a traffic light, and pointed his cellphone like a gun. He said he was just showing his friends “how easy it would be to shoot a police officer.”

Mexican Billionaire Becomes Largest NY Times Shareholder

NEW YORK – Mexico’s Carlos Slim is now the largest holder of The New York Times Co. stock. The world’s second-richest person, worth $72 billion, recently spent $101.1 million to acquire a 16.8 percent company share. But the Sulzberger family still controls the company.

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the January 16th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.