Regional Briefs – May 19, 2016

1 Dead in Crash of Plane That Had Been Missing

WANTAGE, N.J. – One person died in a crash of a small plane that had been reported missing, The Associated Press reported. The wreckage was located Thursday in a wooded area off in Wantage, N.J.

No Restitution for Ex-Janitor In 2014 School Blaze

EDISON, N.J. – A judge will not force a janitor to pay restitution for tossing a cigarette into a trash can, igniting a blaze that gutted a school building, the Home News Tribune reported. Judge Gary Price said Tuesday he’s honoring an Edison Board of Education request not to pursue claims on Jerome Higgins.

Audit Faults $2.45M In Workers’ Pay Claims

ALBANY – New York auditors prevented 206 incorrect claims for $1.85 million in workers’ compensation and medical benefits last year while identifying 417 duplicate claims for $1.6 million paid over the past two years, according to a state Comptroller’s report. Of those, 66 have already refunded $220,000.

NYC Agrees to Pay Truckers Over Parking Tickets

NEW YORK – NYC has agreed to pay $14 million to resolve a federal lawsuit alleging that commercial delivery trucks were improperly issued parking tickets, the Daily News reported. The money will be divided among hundreds of companies that are union members.

Vendors Arrested for Fake Tickets to Statue of Liberty

NEW YORK – Nearly two dozen people were arrested for selling fake tickets to two of NYC’s biggest attractions, The New York Times reported. The vendors preyed on tourists to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island by instead selling tickets for ferries around New York Harbor that made no stops.

This article appeared in print on page 7 of the May 20th, 2016 edition of Hamodia.