MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS EARLY BIRD NEWS

Monday, January 25, 2016

AMERICAS EARLY BIRD NEWS

EXCLUSIVE COP VESTS PUT ON ICE: $60M that Cuomo planned to spend on police gear went to snow plows, other expenses instead

A plan by Gov. Cuomo to spend $60 million for police vests and body cameras got plowed under when lawmakers failed to reach a deal on criminal justice reforms, the Daily News has learned.

EXCLUSIVE Stabbings, slashings go from bad to worse at Rikers Island — spiking 49% in 2015

Here's some news the de Blasio administration has no intention of trumpeting anytime soon: The number of stabbings and slashings at Rikers Island and other city jails spiked by 49% in 2015, records show.

New York City slowly returns to normal after mammoth blizzard brings near-record snowfall

Blizzard-battered city residents began digging their way out from under near-record snowfall Sunday as the Big Apple began its big thaw.

Severe turbulence injures seven on board American Airlines flight from Miami to Milan

The turbulence struck as Flight 206 cruised about 300 miles off the Newfoundland coast — tossing several crew members and passengers located in the back of a Boeing 747 as it plunged.

SHE'S A MOMSTER! Khloe says Kris Jenner 'a f---ing liar'

SEE IT Oregon motorcyclist kicked by cop awarded $180G to settle excessive force claim

The jury awarded Justin Wilkens $180,000 on Jan. 14 to settle his excessive force claim in the August 2012 incident, the Register-Guard reports. .

Grisly 17-minute video shows ISIS militants practicing before carrying out Paris terror attacks

New ISIS video of the extremists who carried out the Paris attacks shows the extent of planning that went into the massacre.

Deranged man cuts off woman’s hand, then hacks her to death with machete in the Bronx

Emergency workers found Carmen Torres-Gonzalez, 59, shortly after 4 p.m. in a fitfh-floor hallway outside her apartment in the NYCHA-run Mott Haven Houses on E. 141st St., near Willis Ave., cops said.

NO HORSING AROUND: Blake gives sweetheart Gwen new pet

LOVETT Joseph Bruno gives private ‘pep talk’ to Senate GOP after his $1M campaign gift

Joseph Bruno, who recently gave the Senate GOP campaign committee more than $1 million, addressed his former conference.

BAN, WHAT BAN? Russian gangster pulled over during NYC’s travel restrictions — and charged with DWI

A Russian gangster was arrested after cops spotted him drunkenly blow through red lights while speeding around Brooklyn during the emergency travel ban Sunday morning.

Philadelphia's former police chief to aid in Chicago reform

Charles Ramsey has twice invited federal reviews of those agencies similar to the civil rights investigation into the Chicago Police Department that the Justice Department announced last month.

Brooklyn man, 32, thinks gun is unloaded, puts it to friend's head and shoots him dead

Maciej Gorecki, 32, was charged with manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon for killing his friend and neighbor, 37-year-old Zdzislaw Golabek, in his Sunset Park apartment.

DRIFTS & DESTRUCTION: Massive blizzard left 30 dead, flooded towns, snarled traffic all over the East Coast

Most of the people who died either suffered heart attacks while shoveling snow or unknowingly inhaled carbon monoxide while inside their cars, officials said Sunday.

DION'S PAIN: Celine attends memorial service for brother

EXCLUSIVE Sheldon Silver’s former top aide is out of her $180,000-a-year taxpayer funded job

Judy Rapfogel left the payroll as of Jan. 13, officials said. A Silver employee since 1976, it was not clear Sunday whether she put in papers for a pension some say may hit six figures.

Dozens of deaths blamed on rare cold snap in Taiwan

An unusually cold weather front has been blamed for killing 57 mostly elderly people in Taiwan's greater Taipei area.

TREADING WATER: Jeb Bush defends Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder for trying to fix Flint water crisis

Jeb Bush praised and defended disgraced Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder for his response to fallout resulting from the Flint water crisis.

DOLE NO! Company withdraws packaged salads after listeria outbreak spreads to six states, killing 1 person

Dole Fresh Vegetables announced a recall of its packaged salads Friday after a listeria outbreak from one its facilities spread to six states, killing one person and infecting 11 others.

Donald Trump regains his lead in Iowa over Ted Cruz, poll shows ahead of caucuses

GOP 2016 front-runner Donald Trump continued to hammer Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, as a new poll showed the bombastic billionaire having regained his lead in the critical early-voting state of Iowa.

Pint-sized heroes return Ruffalo's lost phone, wallet

5 WORST STORMS IN NYC HISTORY: Weekend blizzard reaches historic levels with second heaviest snow total since 1869

Saturday's killer blizzard will go down at one of the five worst snow storms in New York City history.

Israel’s former President Shimon Peres rushed to hospital with chest pains

Ayelet Frisch said medics treated him at his home Sunday night and detected a “light irregular heart rate.” She said the doctors decided he should spend the night in hospital for observation.

Hillary Clinton defends campaign as rival Bernie Sanders surges in polls: ‘There is so much interest and energy’

Just one week before the pivotal Iowa caucuses, Hillary Clinton maintained she was the best Democratic candidate.

Egypt says King Tut mask was scratched, sends 8 to trial

King Tut hasn’t been around for a few thousand years, but his power remains.

17-year-old charged with murder in mass shooting at school, home that killed four in western Canada

Police charged a 17-year-old boy with four counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder in a mass shooting in Canada.

SAINT THAT A FIGURE! Kim shows off post-baby body

EXCLUSIVE 'EMBARRASSMENT': Evidence vanishes in case of two NYPD officers killed by black radicals in East Village in 1972

NYPD investigators will mark the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Police Officers Rocco Laurie and Greg Foster this week.

Metro-North train collides with snow plow in Stamford, Conn.

The train smashed into the plow truck shorty after 11 a.m.

WALK RIGHT IN: Kennedy Airport allowed passengers to exit without going through Customs for second time in recent months

Passengers arriving at Kennedy Airport on an international flight were allowed to exit the busy hub without going through Customs.

LUPICA Yoenis Cespedes deal is winning move by Sandy Alderson and Mets

You always have to start with the economy of baseball, where you can hardly ever spend your way to the World Series.

Former upstate pol, 74, allegedly stalked 24-year-old woman because she owed him $45,000

A former county legislator in upstate New York has pleaded guilty to coercion after allegedly stalking a woman 50 years his junior.

Autos

2016 BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo

Unwisely overlooked, the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo might just be the ultimate crossover vehicle.

2016 Subaru Forester

You’re looking at one of the smartest, most practical vehicles you can buy: the 2016 Subaru Forester.

2016 BMW 340i xDrive Sedan REVIEW and TEST DRIVE

The best just got better with the BMW 340i xDrive Sedan

BMW's logo is not what you think it is

Most people think the German luxury automaker’s blue and white logo is a stylized airplane propeller in motion. They're wrong.

Driving stick? Pros and cons for manual transmissions

With the proliferation of automatic transmissions and continuously variable transmissions fitted with shift paddles and the like, finding a bonafide manual transmission in just about any car is almost like finding a needle in a haystack.

2016 Honda Civic: TEST DRIVE and REVIEW

The 10th generation Civic is better than ever, but do its improvements eclipse the Accord?

New York

EXCLUSIVE Queens senator wants Albany to require NYC to cap property tax increases

Sen. Tony Avella said he will put the suggestion directly to Mayor de Blasio Tuesday when Hizzoner testifies at a joint state legislative budget hearing.

EXCLUSIVE Livery drivers get help with aches and pains of long hours with wellness program

Liat Forti stood before a roomful of Uber and luxury car drivers and asked them to name their biggest pain in the behind

Hometown Heroes in Transit award nominees exemplify ‘New York values’

These transit workers have dashed across electrified third rails and confronted crazed passengers to improve the commuting experience.

New York to research cannabis for kids with severe epilepsy

The studies will be open to 100 children and young adults whose epilepsy has resisted other treatments. The drug, Epidiolex, is not yet FDA-approved but is in trials. It will be free for qualifying patients.

Empanada Mama in Manhattan destroyed in four-alarm fire

Firefighters needed to dig out snow-covered hydrants to battle the blaze, which broke out on Ninth Ave. near W. 51st St. in Manhattan at about 8:47 a.m. and burned for nearly three hours.

LATEST FROM AROUND NEW YORK

EXCLUSIVE Judge who ruled on stop-and-frisk program unconstitutional sought to oversee lawsuits against FanDuel, DraftKings

A seven-judge panel will hear arguments Thursday in Fort Myers, Fla., to determine which federal judge will preside over the class actions filed in more than 10 states, court documents show.

EXCLUSIVE UFC pros join latest push to legalize mixed martial arts in New York

Days after mixed martial arts star Ronda Rousey hosted “Saturday Night Live,” supporters will kick off the latest effort to legalize her controversial sport in New York.

Ex-member of South Bronx funk band ESG suing sister, publishers for $85M

A founding member of influential South Bronx funk band ESG is still struggling to get millions of dollars in royalties — including money from a song considered one of the most sampled in modern music.

N.Y. attorney general makes lobbying data easier to access

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has relaunched a website containing public information to match lobbying disclosures with specific legislation proposed and passed by state lawmakers.