Regional Briefs – June 22, 2015

Feds Want 2 1/2 Years in Prison for Former Rep. Grimm

NEW YORK – Federal prosecutors are asking that former Rep. Michael Grimm be sentenced to up to 2 1/2 years in prison for tax fraud, while the defense wants no more than 12 and 18 months, The Associated Press reported. The Republican represented Staten Island until December. Sentencing is on July 17.

NYC Has New Plan to Ease Landmark Backlog

NEW YORK – The Landmarks Preservation Commission has a new plan for its backlog of 95 applicants, some of which have been around for 50 years, the Wall Street Journal reported. Each will get its own public hearing this fall, with a final decision by the end of next year.

Driver in Holland Tunnel Shoots With Machete

NEW YORK – A Brooklyn motorist in a road rage took a machete on another driver in the Holland Tunnel, The Associated Press reported. The two got into an argument while entering the tunnel late Wednesday night. The second man’s vehicle was damaged but he got the shooter’s license plate number and the driver was arrested.

Teen Dies When Massive Stone Slab Accidentally Falls

BERKELEY, N.J. – A teenager was killed early Saturday when a stone slab weighing 650 pounds fell on him outside a business that makes countertops, The Associated Press reported. The 17-year-old was found outside Stone N’ Counters, which was closed at the time, and it’s not clear why he was at the site.

Court: Man Properly Denied Gun Due to Wife’s Record

TRENTON – A man was properly denied a gun permit because his wife is a convicted felon whose access to firearms is a threat to public safety, ruled a state appellate court, The Associated Press reported. The man had said he would keep the guns out of his wife’s control.

Animal Control, Firefighters Free Deer Stuck in Well

FRANKLIN PARK, N.J. – A deer is back in the wilderness after firefighters freed it from a 6-foot-deep well Wednesday afternoon, The Associated Press reported. But it took about 45 minutes, using ropes and snares, to raise the deer.

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the June 22nd, 2015 edition of Hamodia.