MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS EARLY BIRD NEWS

B.B. KING DEAD AT 89: Blues legend, whose guitar prowess inspired generations, passes away in his sleep at Las Vegas home

The thrill is truly gone. Blues giant B.B. King, whose six-string genius shaped generations of guitar gods from around the globe, at 89 in Las Vegas, his attorney announced early Friday. He was born Sept. 16, 1925. read full story »

APPRECIATION Skilled bluesman B.B. King took genre into the American mainstream and remained active on music scene late in his career

HINCKLEY: B.B. King was quick to tell anyone who asked that he was not the most skilled bluesman of the 20th century.

CAFETERIA TRYST: Lunch lady allegedly had sex with H.S. student, 16, and his older brother: cops

Joi Taylor, 32, allegedly had a tryst with a 16-year-old she met in March, the same month she started working as a lunchroom monitor in Proviso West High School in Hillside.

Wreckage of missing U.S. Marine helicopter spotted in Nepal mountains

The Nepalese army says a helicopter has spotted the wreckage of a missing U.S. Marine chopper in the mountains northeast of Kathmandu.

Upstate NY woman pleads guilty to helping boyfriend kidnap, abuse pair of young Amish sisters

Nicole Vaisey and boyfriend Stephen Howells were charged last year by federal prosecutors with coercing and sexually exploiting the Amish girls, then ages 7 and 11, and some other children

A MAN AND HIS GUITAR: Relive B.B. King's prolific career

Dept. of Education employee, 27, tried to seduce undercover officer posing as 14-year-old: cops

Jonathan Blum, 27, was charged with attempted rape, attempted criminal sex act, attempted endangering the welfare of a child and trying to send at least one indecent picture to a minor, authorities said.

Drunk dad let his unlicensed daughter drive home from concert, then took the wheel himself: cops

The daughter of Jason Phipps, who only has her learner’s permit, hit a parked Jeep in the lot of Alpharetta’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheater but just drove off anyway.

Four found dead, including child, inside CEO's D.C. home after ‘very suspicious’ fire: officials

The house is owned by Savvas Savopoulus, the CEO of American Iron Works, a building materials manufacturer based in Hyattsville, Md.

EXCLUSIVE Bronx man says Jay Z owes him $7M for Roc logo design

EXCLUSIVE State Senate Democrats group urging delegation against bill outlawing online gaming

A group of state Senate Democrats is asking New York congressional delegation to bet against a federal bill that would outlaw online gaming.

Ex-Fla. science teacher, a mom of two, pleads guilty to having sex with 14-year-old student

Irene Khan, a previously married mother of two, confessed to initiating sexual relations with the teen after jotting down his phone number.

EDITORIAL Correct to the core: Study confirms that New York's standardized tests are telling hard truths about student achievement

Parents and unions claim to be shielding students from the distortions of high-stakes testing.

COSBY ON 'GMA': Embattled comic appear on Friday

'JUSTIFIED' IN USE OF DEADLY FORCE: No charges for white Illinois cop who killed armed black teen

Officer Eric Hill was justified in shooting Justus Howell, of Waukegan, on April 4, despite concerns of racial bias that arose after a coroner reported Howell had been shot in the back twice.

Secret Service agents were 'likely' alcohol-impaired when crashing into White House: report

The agents were “more likely than not” impaired by alcohol when they drove a government vehicle through a secure area at the White House.

OPINION The other racial divide in policing: Depts. have long been discriminated against African-American cops

Jonathan Zimmerman: In 1898, African-Americans in Baltimore demanded that the city’s all-white police force hire black officers. The police commissioner

MAN BEHIND THE TRAIN: ‘Unabashed nerd’ Brandon Bostian reportedly ranted about lack of safety controls

The engineer behind the controls of an Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia has written online about the need for better rail safety.

EDITORIAL John Boehner off the rails if he thinks Amtrak derailment had nothing to do with funding

Against all evidence, House Speaker John Boehner is clinging to the absurd notion that Tuesday’s fatal Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia had nothing whatsoever to do with money.

Amtrak was supposed to install device that would have slowed speeding trains at site of Philly derailment: records

An April 2014 Amtrak progress report on the safety technology states installation of the system between Newark and Philadelphia had an “expected finish” date of December.

SEEKING ALTERNATIVES: Airfares between New York City, Washington soar in wake of Amtrak crash

Some airlines have jacked up one-way prices to over $1,000 for coach seats from Kennedy Airport to Washington’s Dulles International.

New York

Assembly committee head criticizes Cuomo for withholding state aid for 16 NYC homeless shelters cited for violations

"Cutting off funds for shelters, as the governor has done, is only hurting the poorest New Yorkers," Assemblyman Social Services Committee Chairman Andrew Hevesi told the Daily News.

Sister of Bronx shooting victim vows to fight for tougher penalties for killings after killed gets just 14 1/2 years

Jose Portorreal shot Frankie Faison twice in the back in Pelham Parkway on Apr. 26, 2011—steps from a public library—with bullets meant for someone else, prosecutors said.