Regional Briefs – December 24, 2018

NY Expands Legal Aid for Illegal Immigrants

ALBANY – New York state is expanding a legal defense project for illegal immigrants launched in 2017 to include social and healthcare. “Project Golden Door” will set up attorneys in the state’s 10 regional economic development areas to respond to ICE raids.

Fundraising Started for Families That Lost 3 to Fire

BUFFALO – More than $16,000 were raised as of Monday for families of victims of an early Friday morning house fire, The Associated Press reported. Brianna Ross, 26, her niece Cianna Jones, 4, and nephew G’Shawn McGhee, 8, were killed. The children’s parents escaped, but the mother was seriously injured.

2,000 March in Annual Event Honoring US Military

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – About 2,200 veterans, members of the National Guard and relatives of active duty soldiers participated in an annual 4-mile march Monday to honor the U.S. military, The Associated Press reported. The event every Dec. 24 was first organized in 2004.

Stolen-Car Pursuit Ends in 3 Crashes, 5 Arrests

NEWARK – The driver of a stolen car struck three police cruisers during a pursuit Sunday that went through two towns and ended with the arrests of the five juvenile thieves, The Associated Press reported. The car was stolen in Hillside and the chase ended in Newark.

Hit-And-Run Driver Faces Murder Count

ASBURY PARK, N.J. – An 82-year-old driver who struck and killed a pedestrian in a hit-and-run was charged with murder, The Associated Press reported. Johnny Westbrook was driving the SUV that struck 63-year-old Daniel Rivera in Asbury Park, where both men live.

Car Slams Into Parking-Garage Wall, Injuring 4

YONKERS, N.Y. – Four people were injured when a car slammed head-on into a parking-garage wall in Yonkers, dislodging it from its supports and putting it in danger of pancaking onto the structure below, The Associated Press reported. Firefighters worked afterward to shore up several levels of the garage at the Cross County mall.