Regional Briefs – July 17, 2016

France Truck Terrorist Visited Brooklyn Mosque in 2014

BROOKLYN – Mohamed Bouhlel, the Tunisian terrorist who carried out the truck massacre in Nice last week, had posted on social media that he had visited an Islamic center in Brooklyn in 2014, the Daily Caller reported. The Islamic Mission of America is at 209 Joralemon St.

Cuomo Campaign Raises Total to $19 Million

ALBANY – Burnishing his war chest ahead of his third-term election in 2018, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign reported Friday raising $4 million over the past six months for a total of $19 million. They spent almost $1 million during the period.

Armed Man Arrested for Online Threat Against Police

BUFFALO – A Buffalo man who threatened police the day of the Dallas ambush was arrested on a federal charge with a potential sentence of five years in prison, The Associated Press reported. Arthur Jordan, 23, was carrying a loaded pistol and he resisted arrest. He had posted, “Let’s Start Killin Police Lets See How Dey Like It.”

NYC Council Designates Pepsi-Cola Sign a Landmark

QUEENS – The NYC Council on Thursday voted to landmark the neon Pepsi-Cola sign that adorns the Long Island City waterfront, calling it an “irreplaceable piece of the urban landscape,” The Associated Press reported. The sign was built in 1940 atop a Pepsi bottling plant which has since been razed.

Driver Made False 911 Call In Bid to Avoid Arrest

DEPTFORD, N.J. – A man with an arrest warrant stopped by police Friday called 911 to report an armed robbery at a nearby mall, hoping the two officers would leave him and respond to the mall, The Associated Press reported. But the cops remained on scene and determined Darnell Lewis was the caller.

Man Has NJ’s First Case Of West Nile in 2016

TRENTON – Health Department officials confirmed a Camden County man has New Jersey’s first human case of West Nile virus of the year, The Associated Press reported. The 48-year-old remains hospitalized after exhibiting symptoms of mosquito-borne virus on July 8.

This article appeared in print on page 13 of the July 18th, 2016 edition of Hamodia.