Long Island University lost its qualifying game to James Madison University in Dayton, and was eliminated from the NCAA tournament. The Blackbirds trailed for most of the game, but a run early in the second half gave them a brief lead. A 9-0 run by James Madison put LIU in an eight-point deficit from which...
Author: Ryan Book (Ryan Book)
Brooklyn Man Improperly Convicted of Murder to be Released
David Ranta, a man jailed for the killing of a Brooklyn rabbi in 1990, will be released as soon as Thursday when evidence came to light suggesting that detectives improperly handled his case. The murder of Chaskel Werzberger gripped the city, and Ranta, who was a drug addict and unemployed, was convicted for the crime...
Kingsborough Ranked Third Best Community College
The Aspen Institute has ranked Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn as the third best community college in the country. Aspen reported that 26 percent of the school’s attendees transfer to four-year colleges, more than twice then national average. The placement comes with a $100,000 award, which will be used to supplement scholarships. Read more at...
Boyland Facing More Federal Charges
Brooklyn assemblyman William Boyland Jr., already facing bribery charges, has been served with three counts of mail fraud. The charges stem from accusations that Boyland falsely attained tens of thousands of dollars in travel reimbursements for trips he did not take. Boyland was booked for bribery when he went to meet undercover FBI agents to...
Prospect Park to Turn Waste to Fertilizer
A proposed update to the restrooms at Prospect Park’s historic Wellhouse building will convert human waste to fertilizer for the park. The system will take the outgoing product from the bathroom and combine it with woodchips for use in the park. The project will cost an estimated $1.8 million dollars to complete. One hurdle: New...
Firm Proposes Old Warships as Storm Surge Deterrent
The Terreform ONE design firm has recommended that the U.S. government sink several of its retired warships around the Brooklyn coast as a method of preventing storm surges like the one seen during Hurricane Sandy. The areas between the downed ships and the shore would become something similar to salt marshes found across the New...
Greenpoint Leads, Bushwick Lags, in Speeding Tickets Given
NYPD data shows that police in Greenpoint gave out the most speeding tickets in 2011, while Bushwick had the least. Officers in the 94th Precinct area of Greenpoint assigned 555 tickets during the year, compared to just eight tickets from the 83rd Precinct in Bushwick. Brooklyn Precinct-based officers handed out a total of 2,873 tickets...
Cops Involved in Flatbush Shooting Have Past Experience with Civil Rights Lawsuits
The two NYPD officers involved in the shooting of Kimani Gray have previous history with civil rights-based lawsuits. The NYPD has paid a total of $215,000 over three lawsuits: one involving Sgt. Mourad Mourad, and two involving officer Jovaniel Cordova. All lawsuits were filed by plaintiffs who alleged that the officers had stopped them and...
Brooklyn Assemblyman Eligible for Court-Appointed Lawyer
A Brooklyn judge has reversed an earlier ruling and deemed Brooklyn Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. eligible for a court-appointed lawyer for his ongoing bribery case. Judge Sandra Townes had originally ruled that Boyland was not deserving of legal counsel paid for by taxpayer dollars, but has changed her mind based on the assemblyman’s current financial...
Brooklyn Court Charges 19 in Money Laundering Scheme
A Brooklyn Federal Court filed indictments against 19 individuals charged with laundering narcotics proceeds from the Colombian drug market. Twelve individuals were arrested in Colombia, four around the tri-state area, and three were already in police custody. The indictments allege that the accused laundered tens of millions of dollars in narcotics proceeds, beginning in 2006....