Regional Briefs – July 1, 2015

Doctor Admits to Taking $60,000 in Bribes 

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – Federal prosecutors say a southern New Jersey doctor has admitted taking $60,000 in bribes in return for referring pain cream prescriptions and falsifying health records on behalf of a pharmacy.

James Morales pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to accept kickbacks and commit health-care fraud. The 45-year-old Toms River man now faces up to five years in prison when he’s sentenced Oct. 5.

Bus Driver Fired After Taped Texting Behind Wheel 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A bus driver has been fired after a passenger videotaped him texting on the New Jersey Turnpike while driving between Philadelphia and New York City.

The video shows the driver’s hands on the phone, which rests on the center of the steering wheel.

Passenger Delvan Bradford started taping in the New Brunswick area. He tells WCAU-TV in Philadelphia they could have been killed or injured on the trip to Chinatown.

United Nations Secretary General to Obtain NYC ID Card 

NEW YORK (AP) – United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is becoming the proud owner of a New York City municipal identification card.

The card provides documentation for anyone who can prove New York City residence. It also offers discounts at scores of cultural institutions.

The ID was launched earlier this year. It’s a creation of Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. It’s aimed at those who don’t have a government-issued identification, including the elderly, homeless and immigrants.

Ban applied for his own card Tuesday during a news conference with the mayor at the United Nations. It usually takes a few weeks to process.

The secretary general estimated that he’s lived in the city for about nine years. He says the card will make him “a real New Yorker.”

Police: Crash Kills Two, Injures Two in Central New York 

GEDDES, N.Y. (AP) – Authorities say two people are dead and two others are injured after a single-car crash in central New York.

Police in the town of Geddes say the crash happened around 2:00 a.m. Tuesday on Interstate 690 where a Chevrolet Lumina veered off the highway and wrapped around a light pole.

The driver, 24-year-old Heather Ringquiest of Baldwinsville, and her front-seat passenger, 32-year-old Patrick Long of Liverpool, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say firefighters extricated two women from the backseat. A 24-year-old is listed in serious condition at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse while a 31-year-old is listed as stable at the same hospital.

Everyone in the car was wearing a seatbelt.

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