Regional Briefs – May 24, 2016

Remains of WWII Marine From Upstate NY Identified

ALBANY – The remains of a New Yorker recovered along with those of 34 other Marines killed in a bloody Pacific island assault during WWII have been identified, the Pentagon announced Tuesday. Pfc. James B. Johnson, 19, of Poughkeepsie will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on May 31.

22 Students Evacuated After Bus Bursts Into Flames

PARAMUS, N.J. – A school bus driver safely evacuated 22 high school students Monday afternoon, minutes before the bus became engulfed in flames, The Associated Press reported. When Jose Rodriguez saw smoke, he ordered everyone out through the rear.

2 Smart Carte Employees Robbed at Newark Airport

NEWARK – Two Smart Carte workers at Newark Airport were bound Sunday by two masked suspects, who then fled with an undetermined amount of cash, The Associated Press reported. Smart Carte rents self-serve luggage carts.

9 New Patrol Boats for NY State Law Enforcement

ALBANY – Nine new patrol boats will be hitting the water from western New York to Long Island, The Associated Press reported. The vessels are paid for through a fund administered by the Coast Guard and will be used to enforce boater safety rules and navigation law.

National Grid Upstate Customers Get Rate Freeze

ALBANY – Delivery rates for National Grid’s 1.7 million electric and natural gas customers in upstate New York will remain frozen through March 2018, The Associated Press reported. In return, regulators will allow the company to borrow $2 billion to modernize its systems.

NY Bridge Inspector Arrested For Falsifying Safety Review

ALBANY – A state bridge inspector was charged last Wednesday with falsifying a safety inspection of an upstate New York bridge, The Associated Press reported. Akram Ahmad, 57, copied word-for-word from a 2012 report, listing deficiencies that had already been repaired.

This article appeared in print on page 26 of the May 25th, 2016 edition of Hamodia.