Regional Briefs – July 17, 2015

Texas Gov. Accosted At JFK by Traveler

NEW YORK – A traveler at JFK airport on Tuesday night cursed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over his moral stances as Abbott was waiting with his wife and daughter to board a flight, the Austin American-Statesman reported. When troopers told him to leave, the man yelled, “I’m going to see you on the plane.” JetBlue banned him from the flight.

11 Flights Over N.J. Lit by Lasers Within Two Hours

NEWARK – The FAA is investigating after 11 commercial flights were lit by lasers while flying over New Jersey between 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, AP reported. There were no reports of injuries. Lasers can temporarily blind pilots; their use is a federal crime.

Senate President’s Town Adopts Law: No Protests

WEST DEPTFORD, N.J. – The hometown of New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney adopted a new law Wednesday: No picketing within 100 feet of a home and no more than 10 protesters for an hour every two weeks. Three Democrats voted in favor and two Republicans opposed. Sweeney is a Democrat.

Oldest Irish-Born Woman Dies at 113 in New York

SYRACUSE – The oldest Irish-born person in recorded history died last week at 113 at a Syracuse nursing home, The Associated Press reported. Kathleen Rollins Snavely was the 16th-oldest person in the world. She was 19 when she arrived in the U.S. and settled in Syracuse.

Trump May Be Riding High, But Not in New York

NEW YORK – Donald Trump may be riding high in presidential polls, but 71 percent of New Yorkers view him unfavorably and 55 percent say he is the candidate they least want to be president, according to a Siena poll out Wednesday.

Pataki Raised Smallest Amount of GOP Field

NEW YORK – George Pataki raised $256,000 in the last quarter, the smallest haul of any presidential hopeful, Bloomberg reported. A Siena poll shows that 14 percent of New Yorkers have their former three-term governor as their top choice — but only six percent say he’s their last choice.

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the July 17th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.