Woodhaven Man Convicted in '06 Queens Shooting Rampage by Zachary R. Dowdy - Newsday

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A Queens jury Monday convicted a Woodhaven man who prosecutors said went on a rampage more than four years ago, shooting at over a dozen people and killing a Massapequa Park man while driving around Queens neighborhoods picking off victims at random.

Matthew Coletta, 38, of 85-26 98th St. in Woodhaven was convicted in state Supreme Court in Queens of one count of second-degree murder, 13 counts of second-degree attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and one count of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Todd Upton, 51, of Massapequa Park, was shot in the neck on the Cross Island Parkway while riding in the passenger seat of a minivan with his wife and daughter in the Aug. 25, 2006 attack. Upton died at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens.

In all, 13 people were shot and three people were seriously hurt.

'The defendant carved a bloody swath across Queens County during a violent six-hour shooting rampage in which he drove around randomly firing at individuals standing on the sidewalk or traveling in vehicles,' said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, in a statement. He will be sentenced Dec. 16 and could receive in excess of 25 years to life in prison.

Ex-Parks Chief Aims to Protect System by Bill Bleyer - Newsday.com

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Carol Ash will help create a nonprofit advocacy group that will also raise funds for projects in the nation's oldest parks system.

After Gov. David A. Paterson threatened earlier this year to close as many as 90 of the state's 213 parks and historic sites, parks Commissioner Carol Ash decided she could best protect the system from the outside.


Ash, who quit last month, is starting that effort by helping create the Alliance for New York State Parks, a nonprofit advocacy group that will also raise funds for projects in the nation's oldest parks system.


In her first public comments since leaving the administration, Ash told Newsday the Albany-based Alliance hopes to raise $10 million in private donations over the next few years while pushing hard for no further cuts.

We sustained cut after cut after cut of key personnel including police and maintenance workers," said Ash, who became commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in early 2007. "One of the things we will be advocating for loud and clear is the parks department simply cannot sustain more people cuts. If you include seasonal workers, we're down nearly 1,500 people" in two years.

Paterson plans to cut another 90 park employees by the end of the year. Ash said more cuts would result in deterioration of facilities that would drive away visitors. Long Island has more parks and more park visitors than any other region.

"I realized I could talk to the new administration much more fully" if she made it clear she was not interested in remaining as commissioner, Ash said.

She was encouraged by her discussions with the staff of incoming Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who announced in a pre-election position publication that "Keeping our parks open for eco-tourism, environmental education and recreation has obvious financial benefits."

Cuomo also said the agency must rely more on partnerships with not-for-profit organizations. "We're going to help him figure out ways to keep the parks open," Ash said.

The alliance is part of the nonprofit Open Space Institute, a land trust that has purchased more than 100,000 acres in the state to protect them. The initial staff consists of Ash, who will work part-time as an "adviser," and Erik Kulleseid, previously Ash's deputy commissioner for open space protection and now the alliance's director.

The group will fight future park funding cuts by helping to develop friends and users groups, and working in conjunction with the existing statewide park advocacy group, Parks & Trails New York. It will also identify a dedicated funding mechanism similar to Montana's vehicle registration surcharge or a plastic shopping bag surcharge in Washington, D.C.

After raising at least $10 million from corporations, foundations and individuals - something Ash is confident of doing despite the weak economy - she said "we will choose one, two or three projects around the state where we can actually make a difference."

Robin Dropkin, executive director of Parks & Trails New York, which advocates but does not provide funds for parks, welcomed the new group. "Parks are in such desperate straits that we need all of the advocacy organizations that we can muster," she said.

"We welcome the alliance's efforts to raise private support for park operations and rehabilitation of deteriorated public facilities," said acting parks Commissioner Andy Beers.

NYPD: Man Killed by LIRR Train in Flushing - Newsday

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 Emergency vehicles respond at the Broadway stop on the LIRR in Flushing, N.Y., where a man was struck by a train according to New York City police. Photo credit: Adam Abramson

A man was struck and killed by an LIRR train in Flushing on the Port Washington line, according to New York City police.

The incident occurred at the Broadway station late in the evening rush, and at least a dozen emergency vehicles responded to the scene.

There are 10 to 15 minute delays in both directions on the line, according to the Long Island Rail Road website.

Voice of the Yankees - Bob Sheppard Dies by Mark Herrmann - Newsday

And now...passing away....at age 99...legendary Yankees announcer....Bob Sheppard.

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Bob Sheppard, the renowned Voice of Yankee Stadium whom Reggie Jackson once called "The voice of God" for his intonations as public address announcer, has died at home in Baldwin. He was 99.

He died peacefully, surrounded by family members, early this morning, said his youngest son, Chris.

Sheppard, a former college football quarterback and later a speech teacher at St. John's University, began doing the public address announcements for Yankee games in 1951--when Joe DiMaggio still was playing and Mickey Mantle was a rookie--and lasted well into the Derek Jeter era. Health issues caused him to stop coming to the Stadium, but Jeter still has a recording of Sheppard announcing him every time he comes to the plate.

Sheppard also was the voice for Giants football games at the Stadium and continued when they moved to the Meadowlands. He was also a longtime lector at mass at St. Christopher's Roman Catholic Church in Baldwin.

Viewing will be Tuesday and Wednesday at Fullerton Funeral Home in Baldwin and a funeral mass will be held Thursday, the younger Sheppard said. A spokesman for the funeral home said no arrangements have been finalized and it is not clear whether the family will want the wake open to the public.feath

Report: Suffolk's Cesspools Imperiling Waterways by Jennifer Maloney - Newsday,com

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Suffolk County cesspools are imperiling the region's waterways, releasing high levels of nitrogen that moves into rivers and bays, causing algae blooms, fish kills and the explosive growth of invasive weeds, according to a report released Monday by Peconic Baykeeper.

The Quogue-based environmental group is calling for the county to overhaul its septic code to require periodic cesspool inspections, designate nitrogen-sensitive areas and create incentives for homeowners to replace antiquated systems.

Carrie Gallagher, Suffolk's commissioner of environment and energy, said the county this fall will release a water resources management report that is expected to recommend changes to the county's sanitation code, including limiting septic system installation to properties of 1 acre or larger. The code currently allows systems to be installed in some cases on half-acre lots.

PHOTOS: See photos of LI's waterways and septic system

POLL: Should Suffolk overhaul its cesspool policy?

"We all agree that nitrogen pollution is a problem and, yes, our current regulations and septic systems could be doing a better job at pollution reduction," Gallagher said.

Kevin McAllister, who heads the Peconic Baykeeper group, said revamping the county's cesspool policy is "politically sensitive, it's costly, but let's start talking about it. . . . With regard to development in Suffolk County, we have reached that tipping point. It's going to be the demise of our waters if we don't address it."

Four Long Island bays plagued by recurrent blooms of harmful brown tide algae were added to a state list of "impaired" waters in January; the draft list is expected to become final in July. The pollutant identified for the four bays - Great South, Moriches, Quantuck and Shinnecock - is nitrogen, caused by cesspools and storm water runoff tainted with fertilizer, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

DEC officials say more study is needed on the role cesspools and other sources of pollution play in causing algal blooms in the four bays before the state decides on the best approach to prevent future brown tides.

But the Baykeeper, along with local officials and the Long Island Liquid Waste Association, say Suffolk County's cesspool code lags behind codes in other counties and states. They say these codes are meant to protect drinking water but neglect the effects trace nitrogen levels can have on surface water.

Ed Warner Jr., a bayman and Southampton trustee, pointed to a Flanders homeowner cited by the county this month for a cesspool that has become exposed because of beach erosion on Flanders Bay.

"The tide comes up to the cesspool and the effluent is washing into the bay," he said. "We need to address these problems before they get to this point. It's time to get some more modern septic practices on Long Island."

So far, the Baykeeper's report has earned the endorsement of Suffolk Legis. Edward Romaine (R-Center Moriches) and the tentative support of Legis. John M. Kennedy (R-Nesconset), who said he favors stricter cesspool regulations, but worries about costs to homeowners. A typical septic system on Long Island costs between $3,000 and $4,000. Rhode Island, for example, has embraced high-tech septic systems that cost between $18,000 and $25,000.

Romaine said: "One of the things we need to look at is the best technologies available to reduce nitrogen escaping from septic systems."

Typical Long Island septic systems release nitrogen at a concentration of 40 mg per liter, according to the report. New alternative septic systems reduce nitrogen levels to 10 to 14 mg per liter, the report said. Sewage treatment plants reduce nitrogen levels to 3 mg per liter.

Man Killed in Queens Hit-and-Run by Daniel Edward Rosen -- Newsday.com

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A Queens man driving a scooter was killed during a hit-and-run late Saturday night, New York City Police said.

Youyun Zhou, 43, of Elmhurst was driving his Yamaha scooter west on Jamaica Avenue (80th Street and Jamaica Avenue) in Woodhaven when he was hit from behind by a Volkswagen sedan, police said.

Police gave the following account: The driver of the sedan drove off, but was arrested shortly afterward when a witness called in his license plate number to 911.

The driver, Gus Pappaeliou, 27, of 85-72 76 Street, Woodhaven, was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident, according to police.

Humpback Whale Entangled Off Rockaway Saved by David J. Lopez -- Newsday.com

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Freed Willy.

The humpback whale that became entangled in a lobster pot and netting south of the Rockaways has been released, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday night.

A rescue team out of Massachusetts cut the fishing gear, which had been wrapped around the whale's tail, and the whale was freed at 4:39 p.m. off the coast of Sandy Hook, N.J., the Coast Guard said.

"It does have serious injuries, but it is much better off than being anchored in the shipping lane," Teri Frady, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in a news release.

The rescuers, from the Massachusetts-based Center for Coastal Studies, began working with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration staff to free the whale at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

The Coast Guard learned of the trapped whale Wednesday afternoon and set up a 500-yard safety zone around it -- eight miles east of Sandy Hook, N. J., and near active shipping lanes. The Coast Guard Cutter Penobscot Bay and a vessel from the NOAA went to the scene to protect the animal.

The whale was described as a juvenile humpback, about 25 to 30 feet long, according to Jamison Smith, the large whale disentanglement coordinator for NOAA.

"It had curvature on its back from the weight of the gear pulling down on it, but the primary entanglement was the line wrapped around it tail, which caused a gash," said Teri Frady, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Smith said on Wednesday that the entanglement was "potentially life-threatening" and that freeing the whale could be "very dangerous both for the animal and for the rescuers." He said an entanglement happens in local waters "once every year or every other year."

The site was not far from where a family of 16 bottlenose dolphins stayed in two rivers near the Sandy Hook Bay for half of last year, sparking a heated debate over whether they should be removed or left to leave on their own.

Three of the dolphins died, and employees of a nearby restaurant said they saw about five leave the Shrewsbury River and go out to Sandy Hook Bay just before the river froze last month. The fate of the remaining eight dolphins is not known, but a helicopter search earlier this month failed to spot any dolphins, alive or dead.

Ackerman's Tart Tongue Wins Him Popularity, Scorn by Tom Brune -- Newsday.com

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(CNP Photo)

It was in 1984 during a debate over school prayer that first-term Rep. Gary Ackerman discovered how powerful his tart tongue could be.

"Let's say in the middle of a math test, a student stands up and says 'God damn the teacher, I hope he burns in hell,' " said Ackerman about a bill to deny federal money to schools that banned student prayer.

"If a teacher tells him to shut up, all of Indiana could lose its (federal education) funding."

Recalling that comment Friday, Ackerman, 66, a Democrat from Roslyn Heights, laughs. "I said that on the (House) floor, and my office had an apoplectic fit. People from Indiana wouldn't stop calling."

But now it's television producers who won't stop calling. Ackerman has become the go-to congressman for network and cable news shows looking for someone who can be angry and funny about high-flying executives and inept regulators as the economy collapses.

Ackerman has been on CBS's "Face the Nation," "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and, with some regularity, Fox News.

They sought him out for his glib, quick-witted remarks on Caroline Kennedy's quest for Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat and outraged comments on auto executives' perks and Securities and Exchange Commission failures.

"DNA in this business can take you just so far. You know, Rembrandt was a great artist. His brother Murray, on the other hand . . . wouldn't paint a house," he said on "Face the Nation," making its host Bob Schieffer nearly fall over laughing.

Afterward, he said, his made-up Murray Rembrandt was the most Googled item for days.

At a House hearing, Ackerman ripped the auto execs for flying planes to Washington to ask for a bailout. "Couldn't you have downgraded to first class or something, or jet-pooled . . . to get here? It's almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo."

Ackerman has always been funny, smart and interesting, said New York political consultant Hank Sheinkopf and Nassau County Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs. But he's just getting the national limelight now.

"It's like show business," Ackerman said. "You work doing whatever you do, then somebody recognizes you and you become a star."

Sheinkopf agreed, saying Ackerman would remain popular with pundits "so long as he has a fast-moving tongue and a fast-moving set of metaphors."

Over the years, Ackerman has cultivated a flamboyant image, with the fresh carnation in his lapel and a quirky, but often direct, sense of humor.

He asked for a urine sample from an official who argued at a hearing in favor of worker drug testing. He also held up red- white-and-blue socks in a debate on a flag-protection amendment.

Sometimes his acerbic comments create controversy. The town of Utica took umbrage at his comment that "I don't do Utica," on why he wasn't seeking the vacant Senate seat. Kennedy's friends took offense at his comparison of her name recognition to J.Lo's popularity.

"I've been doing it all my life," he said. As a kid in his family, "I was the funny guy."

"It's just me," he said. "Sometimes, I say the funniest things when no one is around. I think something funny, and I start laughing."

When people ask who writes his jokes, he said he replies, "After I say it, everybody."

But now, he admits he feels pressure: "Everybody is looking to me to say something."

Ackerman stressed he also has a serious, studious side, though he acknowledged he won people's thanks for dressing down the SEC for failing to detect Bernie Madoff's suspected $50-billion Ponzi scheme.

"We're going through some serious things right now, with a lot of people going through tremendous angst and pain, and looking for consolation," he said. "But it is also part of life to find humor in things. If you can laugh in the face of adversity, you've got it made."

NYPD: Man, Woman Dead in Queens Stabbing -- Newsday.com

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Police say two people are dead after a stabbing in Queens, but details of the case remain under investigation.

A 57-year-old woman was discovered with multiple stab wounds on Sunday afternoon, and investigating officers reported a 64-year-old man also was unresponsive when they arrived.

Both were declared dead at the scene in the Clearview section of Queens. The medical examiner is working to determine how they died.

A police spokesman says he has no more information on the incident.

Robert Licata, Award-Winning LI Journalist, Dies at 50 -- Newsday.com

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Flags flew at half-staff over Hofstra University yesterday in remembrance of a professor who friends and colleagues called a consummate journalist and teacher.

Robert Licata, assistant professor of journalism, media studies, and public relations at the college, died Sunday of kidney failure. The Bellmore resident was 50 years old.

Licata spent 21 years as a producer of Cablevision's news shows on News12 Long Island. Cablevision is the parent company of Newsday.

"He loved being behind the camera," said his wife, Paula Ganzi Licata.

From 1981 to 2002, he produced weekend and feature pieces for the cable news show, including a highly-regarded 1994 documentary on the history of Levittown, according to News12 officials.

He won many journalism awards from the Press Club of Long Island and the Fair Media Council, and was once nominated for an Emmy, a Hofstra University press release said.

"Bob Licata was a terrific guy with a great sense of humor and he loved the news business as much as anyone I've ever worked with," said Patrick Dolan, president of News12 Networks. "He will be missed."

In 1997, Licata joined Hofstra's School of Communications as an adjunct instructor for broadcast journalism. In 2005, he was named full-time assistant professor, and won the communication school's 2007 Teacher of the Year.

As a teacher, he was known for his passion for news - something he often passed onto his students, colleagues said. Len Thon, a Hofstra colleague and longtime friend, said Licata was often seen in his office flipping through the news channels with newspapers spread across his desk.

Those who knew him remarked on his boundless energy and good humor.

"It was not possible to not like him," Thon said. "If you were waiting for a bus, you would be his friend in two minutes."

His wife of 23 years, who is a freelance writer, said he was "interested in everything." She called him a good man with a good heart. "I'm thankful that he gave me such a wonderful life," she said.

Licata grew up in Howard Beach, and attended New York University. He received his master's degree at Hofstra University in 2004.

In addition to his wife, Licata is survived by his father, Sam Licata of Howard Beach, and brother, Richard Licata of Los Angeles. He was predeceased by his mother, Nancy Licata.

Visiting will take place 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today and tomorrow at the N.F. Walker Funeral Home, 2039 Merrick Ave., Merrick. Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Friday at Bellmore Presbyterian Church, 2740 Martin Ave. (corner of Bellmore Avenue), Bellmore.

Bio from Hofstra website...

Robert Licata, Assistant Professor (MA, Hofstra University) is a 25-year veteran of broadcast news from both sides of the camera. As an undergraduate in NYU's School of the Arts, Professor Licata shared classes with acclaimed film directors Chris Columbus and Spike Lee, but it was the television newsroom that beckoned. Fueled by his keen interest in programming and news, Professor Licata's producing and writing talents were tapped for a diverse body of producing at Cablevision, and he became one of the pioneers in the development of News 12 Long Island. He is the recipient of awards from the Long Island Press Club and the FOLIO's. Professor Licata has also produced promotional videos showcasing musical artists, worked with the foundation that became The American Museum of the Moving Image, and sat on several media panels. In addition to teaching journalism and media studies, Professor Licata is an active journalist with ongoing multimedia projects for Newsday, including the recent "Our Natural World" series and the current weekly television program "Act Two," a joint venture with Newsday and PBS channel 21, complementing his academic research in contemporary multigenerational issues. These projects have received local and regional recognition.

Plane Crash Hudson River: Jet crashes into Hudson River -- Newsday.com

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A US Airways plane en route from LaGuardia airport to Charlotte, N.C., with 151 people on board crashed into the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan Thursday afternoon, sending passengers fleeing for safety in the frigid waters and startling thousands of New Yorkers.

The Federal Aviation Administration said all passengers were rescued safely from the crash.

"The left engine just blew," said passenger Jeff Kolodjay, 31, of Norwalk, Conn., who was in seat 22A. "The pilot said you've got to brace for a hard impact." Kolodjay said passengers hit their heads against the roof when the plane crashed.

Government officials said the plane had hit a flock of birds that disabled two engines, and the federal Department of Homeland Security said there is no apparent link to terrorism.

According to FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown, the US Airways Flight 1549 had taken off from LaGuardia Airport en route to Charlotte, N.C., shortly before 3:30 p.m.

Bill White, president of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on the West Side, said one of the museum's employees saw the plane struggling over the Hudson just north of the museum and thought it was having engine problems.

The plane crashed between 3:44 and 3:48 p.m., federal aviation officials said. The plane went into the water near 48th Street, and was carried south by the outbound tide, White said.

Alberto Panero, a passenger interviewed on CNN, said: "I actually grabbed one of the seats and some people grabbed the inflatable ones. It seemed like immediately there were folks coming to us."

"People were bleeding all over the place," passenger Kolodjay said. "I was scared."

After the crash, Kolodjay said passengers crowded onto the wings, and then people started getting onto life rafts. According to Kolodjay, women and children got onto the rafts first, and then the men did.

Ferry boats and other harbor crafts quickly converged around the partially-submerged aircraft and passengers wearing yellow life vests were sitting in life rafts.

Media reports said people responding on ferries tossed life vests to the plane.

"They threw the jackets to us. At first there was a little bit of panic," Panero said.

Some people quickly took charge, he said.

"Once people realized that we were going to be OK, people calmed down," Panero said.

A federal investigation team was en route to New York Thursday evening.

"We're launching a 'go team' to go out this evening to LaGuardia and to the Hudson River site," said Terry Williams, a spokesman for the National Transporation Safety Board, a federal agency charged with investigating aviation crashes.

NTSB board member Kathryn Higgins will being leading the investigation team, which will include approximately 12 specialists and investigators. She will be holding a news conference at Hangar 6 at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday night.

The jet slowly sank into the river, with just its tail section visible as of 4:40 p.m.

New York City firefighters and other rescue workers are still on the scene; it was not immediately clear if there were injuries. The plane carried 146 passengers and a crew of 5.

"I just thought, 'Why is it so low?' And, splash, it hit the water," said witness Barbara Sambriski, a researcher at The Associated Press.

"I saw what appeared to be a tail fin of a plane sticking out of the water," said Erica Schietinger, whose office windows at Chelsea Piers look out over the Hudson.

"Wow, thank the Lord and thank the pilot," said Alberto Panero, a passenger quoted on CNN. "I can't believe he managed to land the plane safely."

Terry Williams, a spokesman for the National Transporation Safety Board, said they're "launching a 'go team' to go out this evening to LaGuardia and to the Hudson River site."

Thursday's crash bore an eerie resemblance to a September 1989 crash when a USAir flight to Charlotte slid off the end of a LaGuardia runway during takeoff and crashed into the East River.

US Airways officials released an emergency number for family members of people on the plane, 800-679-8215.

amNewYork and The Associated Press contributed to this story

Charges Upgraded for 4 Drivers in LIE Racing Case by John Valenti -- Newsday.com

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Charges against four drivers police said were racing at more than 100 mph on the Long Island Expressway in October have been upgraded from misdemeanors to felonies, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said Monday.

One of the cars involved, a 2001 BMW, had a license plate that read: "HEYOFFCR."

The incident took place at about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 1 and involved six cars, according to Nassau police. The chase began near Exit 48 on the Nassau-Suffolk border and ended near Exit 37 in Roslyn, where police managed to stop four of the cars.

Two others fled.

The arrested drivers, identified by police as Anil Isaac, 22, of Richmond Hill; Rajesh Prashaud, 21, of South Ozone Park, and brothers Ziad Mohamed, 21, and Riad Mohamed, 19, of South Ozone Park, had the charges against them upgraded in an indictment returned by a Nassau grand jury yesterday.

Anil Isaac was arrested for reckless endangerment, speeding in excess of 100 mph and failing to comply with an officer's attempts to stop and pull him over on Oct. 1 at 2:00 a.m in Roslyn on the Long Island Expressway, police said. Issac, 22, was operating a 2001 BMW with a vanity license plate "HEYOFFCR." In addition to numerous vehicle and traffic law violations, he was charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment 2nd degree, reckless driving, unlawful fleeing a police officer and illegal speed contest. His vehicle was impounded at the scene, and he was arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead. (NCPD / October 1, 2008)

Rajesh Prashaud was arrested for reckless endangerment, speeding in excess of 100 mph and failing to comply with an officer's attempts to stop and pull him over on Oct. 1, 2008 at 2:00 a.m. in Roslyn on the Long Island Expressway, police said. Prashaud, 21, was operating a 2004 Infiniti. In addition to numerous vehicle and traffic law violations, he was charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment 2nd degree, reckless driving, unlawful fleeing a police officer and illegal speed contest. His vehicle was impounded at the scene, and he was arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead. (NCPD / October 1, 2008)

Ziad Mohamed was arrested for reckless endangerment, speeding in excess of 100 miles per hour failing to comply with the Officer's attempts to stop and pull him over on Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at 2:00 AM in Roslyn on the Long Island Expressway. Mohamed, 21, was operating a 2004 Nissan. In addition to numerous vehicle and traffic law violations, he was charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment 2nd degree, reckless driving, unlawful fleeing a police officer and Illegal speed contest. His vehicle was impounded at the scene, and he was arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead. (PDCN / October 1, 2008)

Riad Mohamed was arrested for reckless endangerment, speeding in excess of 100 mph and failing to comply with an officer's attempts to stop and pull him over on Oct. 1 at 2:00 a.m. in Roslyn on the Long Island Expressway, police said. Mohamed, 19, was operating a 2006 Mazda. In addition to numerous vehicle and traffic law violations, he was charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment 2nd degree, reckless driving, unlawful fleeing a police officer and illegal speed contest. His vehicle was impounded at the scene, and he was arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead. (NCPD / October 1, 2008)

According to Rice, the four now face charges of first-degree and second-degree reckless endangerment, as well as third-degree unlawful fleeing of a police officer and what were described as "numerous traffic and equipment violations." Each of the four now faces a maximum of seven years in prison if convicted.

"Driving like this on the Long Island Expressway is essentially vehicular Russian roulette," Rice said in a statement. "When you drive like this, at some point someone is going to get killed, and it's usually an innocent driver just going to work or out to dinner."

Rice noted that in addition to driving at "a high rate of speed," the defendants were observed "weaving in and out of lanes and creating a dangerous situation for other motorists."

The attorney for Riad and Ziad Mohamed, James Kousouros of Kew Gardens, said to be convicted in felony reckless endangerment cases, defendants must be found to have exhibited "depraved indifference" to human life.

"It is our position that the conduct that is being alleged in this case does not by any standard rise to the standards of reckless endangerment in the first degree," Kousouros said. Speeding, even at 100 mph, he said, "has been repeatedly found not to satisfy that extreme burden, and we believe we will be victorious on this issue."

He said all the defendants are college graduates from good families. "They are all good kids," he said.

Prashaud's attorney, Anthony Martone of Kew Gardens, said he was "very confident" Prashaud would be exonerated.

In addition to the BMW, the cars involved were a 2006 Mazda RX8, a 2004 Nissan, a 2004 Infiniti.

The four defendants are free on bail. They are scheduled to be back in court on Jan. 16.

Isaac's attorney, Edward Gallison, could not be reached for comment.

Staff writer Carl MacGowan contributed to this story.

Environmentally Protected Sand Dune was Bulldozed and Hauled Away by a Billionaire, Lawyers say by Mark Harrington -- Newsday.com

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Ronald Baron's beachfront property on Further Lane in East Hampton. (Photo by Doug Kuntz / October 30, 2008)

The billionaire owner of the nation's priciest land parcel has suspended construction work on his beachfront Further Lane property after East Hampton Town last week investigated claims an environmentally protected sand dune had been bulldozed and hauled away.

Lawyers for financier Ronald Baron, who owns the property through a trust, said he agreed to suspend work as a courtesy to the town, even though nearly all of the excavation work is done, and a concrete retaining wall lies in place of the dune. The 40-acre waterfront parcel was sold last year to Baron, a Forbes-listed billionaire, for $103 million, a U.S. record.

On Friday, an attorney for Baron, Leonard Ackerman of East Hampton, disputed the notion that the dune was environmentally protected, calling it "a pile of dirt."

But Larry Penny, director of natural resources for East Hampton Town, begged to differ. He said the 100-yard-long, 15-foot-high dune was in fact a 3,000-year-old "fossil dune," which requires a natural resources special permit to change in any way.

"He can't touch that dune without a permit," Penny said Saturday, noting it is part of a 3.5-mile secondary dune that runs through oceanfront East Hampton.

"It was one of the first dunes to form in the double dunes area when that sand material came on shore 3,000 years ago," he said.

The excavation dispute was first reported in the East Hampton Star.

Even temporary structures on the dune require a special permit. Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, who lives nearby, is waiting for a permit to put up a tent on the dune temporarily, Penny noted.

Had Baron actually filed for a permit, Penny said, "they would not have let him remove everything. This guy just jumped the gun." Penny said he suspected the dune was removed to provide a better waterfront view. Ackerman disputed that claim.

Though construction was voluntarily halted, Penny said it should remain suspended "and they should be made to get a special permit." He'd also like to see mitigation work done to replace as much of the dune as possible.

Ackerman countered that no violation or permit is needed because "we believe we acted in an environmentally permissible way under the code." The material removed, he said, "would not qualify as a dune under the code."

But Penny said he sent Baron a letter a year ago warning him of the need for a special permit after he noted dune excavation of an adjacent, Baron-owned parcel in East Hampton Village, which does not require a permit. Penny said he's certain the recent removal was a "clear violation" of the town rule, though it's up to the town ordinance enforcer to render a judgment. Ackerman said no such violation or notice had been issued as of Friday. Fines associated with violations of the permits, Penny said, are "pittances" consisting of "a few hundred dollars."

Another meeting between Baron's lawyers and the town is planned for this week.

A Baby Boom of Clams in Great South Bay by Jennifer Smith -- Newsday.com

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Efforts to restore the Great South Bay's decimated clam population seem to be paying off, with surveys showing a 4,000 percent rise since 2006 in the amount of baby clams nestled on the bottom of a major section of the bay.

Divers estimated more than 270 million juvenile clams this summer in the central Great South Bay, where the Nature Conservancy on Long Island has been working to revive hard clams at a 13,400-acre preserve off West Sayville. The preserve makes up about 20 percent of the 64,000-acre bay.

Environmental advocates and Long Island officials called the results a promising first step but cautioned that much work lay ahead to heal the bay, which has been plagued by algal blooms and other water quality problems for decades.

This summer Suffolk County saw its worst brown tide bloom on record, a concern because the algae produces a chemical that can make it difficult for bivalves to feed.

But we are on the right track," Carl LoBue, a senior marine scientist with the Nature Conservancy, said Thursday at a news conference in West Sayville. LoBue said the group would continue over the next few years to bolster the adult clam population and "make sure that the little baby clams . . . live long enough to survive and reproduce on their own" in about two years.

With the help of $1 million from Suffolk County, the Nature Conservancy has spent $3 million to sow millions of adult clams at its preserve over the past four years. The goal: kick-start a clam baby boom by increasing the overall density of clams across the bay bottoms.

Researchers were concerned that this summer's prolonged brown tide bloom would stunt or kill juvenile clams produced by those efforts. To their relief, the 2008 surveys recorded a jump from less than one juvenile clam per square meter in 2006 to more than three juveniles per square meter.

Citing the blooms and a more than 99 percent decline in local clam harvests since the 1970s because of overharvesting and pollution, the state asked the federal Commerce department in September to declare a commercial fishery failure for the Great South Bay. That designation could give more access to federal money for research and restoration. The department has yet to issue a decision.

Yesterday Brookhaven Supervisor Brian X. Foley and other officials urged the Commerce Department to approve the request. "The bay is still in great peril," Foley said.

In recent weeks, local and state officials have been meeting on a topic not much discussed since the clam population crashed in the mid-1980s: enforcement of shellfish regulations, to prevent the juveniles from being harvested before they get a chance to spawn.

"This is great news, but let's hope they're still out there three years from now," said Bill Hamilton, vice president of the Brookhaven Baymens Association. "We're going to need law enforcement to stay on top of that. . . . And let's hope all the environmental conditions improve so they have a chance."

5-year-old Queens Girl Recovering After Gang Shooting by Colleen Long -- Newsday.com

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A 5-year-old girl walking with her parents along a residential street in a neighborhood rife with gang-related violence was shot in the back after she was caught in a rumble, police said Tuesday.

The girl suffered a collapsed lung and was hospitalized in stable condition after the incident Monday evening in the Ridgewood neighborhood in Queens.

About 10 members of the notorious Bloods gang walked up behind the family, possibly to brawl with members of a rival gang known as the Trinitarios, police said.

The girl's father saw a man on a stoop in front of them draw a machete, and he started to run for cover with the family when the girl was struck in the back, police said.

A 28-year-old man also was wounded in the shooting and was hospitalized in stable condition.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at least two guns were used in the attack.

There have been previous gang disputes between the Bloods and its offshoots and the Trinitarios in the area and in bordering neighborhoods, Kelly said. Additional police patrols have been set up, and detectives and narcotics officers are watching the area.

"The gang division is focused on that area," Kelly said.

Police arrested a 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy who supposedly are members of the Trinitarios and were involved in the dispute. Police said they believe a member of the Bloods gang shot the girl, but they didn't release the person's identity.

Crime remains 3 percent lower this year than last year, but there was a slight increase in crime from last year in the three precincts where the gang violence is occurring, police statistics show.

The New York Post reported last week that a new offshoot of the Bloods gang known as the Pretty Boy Goonies has been clashing with the Trinitarios since September, fighting for turf in Rodney Park under the Brooklyn- Queens Expressway near the Williamsburg Bridge, not far from Ridgewood.

City Councilwoman Diana Reyna said the groups have been fighting in broad daylight, wielding machetes and screwdrivers. The Trinitarios are a Dominican gang, and the Bloods were founded in Los Angeles.

Report: Joba Chamberlain Arrested for DUI -- Newsday.com

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Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain was arrested early Saturday morning for DUI, according to report from the Gannett News Service.

According to the news service, the hurler was arrested near his hometown of Lincoln, Neb.

The story quotes Deborah Collins, from the Nebraska State Patrol, who said the pitcher was pulled over after apparently speeding. The spokeswoman told the paper an officer arrested Chamberlain after the odor of alcohol was detected and spotting an open container of alcohol in the front seat of a 2006 BMW 2006 75i.

Chamberlain was arrested, and charged with driving under the influence, having an open container and speeding, the news service says.

Who's Cooking..? Rosalie Joseph by Rosemary Olander -- Newsday.com

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ROSALIE JOSEPH

Lives with her husband, Thomas, in East Farmingdale, where they raised three children, Thomas, Matthew and Danielle. Works as a hairdresser at Jupiters Salon in Wantagh.

Why did you recently find yourself making pasta con le sarde? It's a Sicilian dish usually served on St. Joseph's Day in March. But it's one of our favorite dishes - half my family is Sicilian - so we make it all the time. Recently I made it for our family reunion; our first reunion was featured in a Newsday story about Italian food 35 years ago.

What was the reunion like? There were 100 people, at the East Farmingdale firehouse. And everybody made their specialty. We had cubanelle peppers stuffed with ricotta; pizza rustica; my bow-tie pasta lasagna; ziti with eggplant; pizza di grana; artichoke pie . . . penne alla vodka and even homemade wine . . . and Italian pastries.

What's your kitchen personality? I'm always prepared for company. I have a reputation to uphold: When you come here, you're always well fed.

Does that reflect your upbringing? I grew up in Ozone Park. We all lived on the same block: On my father's side, my uncle had a vegetable and fruit stand called Schembri's; on my mother's side, the DiPalmas, they were butchers.

Do you remember the first meal you ever cooked? I took a cooking class in school and made spaghetti with marinara sauce and garlic bread. After that, whenever we would visit family, my mother would say, 'Do you want Rosalie to cook?' And I'd make the marinara sauce and garlic bread.

How has your cooking changed over the years? My husband is German, a meat-and-potatoes man. I've diverted to making pot roasts, roast beef, pork roasts. I had to learn on my own.

Any cooking disasters along the way? When I was first dating my husband I was making French fries, so I decided to deep-fry the hamburgers. It was not good! They were full of oil and hard as rocks.

What would you whip up for unexpected guests? I always have some kind of frozen pasta - tortellini or ravioli - and sauce. Add a meat, and there's any amount of possibilities. And I always have an entire prepared meal in the freezer . . . Usually I also have frozen homemade manicotti crepes.

PASTA CON LE SARDE - For Recipe Click here...

Disaster Status Sought for Great South Bay Clams - by Jennifer Smith - Newsday.com

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Clam harvests in the Great South Bay were in steep decline by the time brown tide arrived on Long Island in 1985, but this year's historically most widespread algae bloom has generated renewed concern and an unprecedented attempt to involve the federal government.

Speaking today at a Patchogue dock against a backdrop of water darkened by brown tide, Sen. Charles Schumer and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian Foley called on the federal Commerce Department to provide disaster relief for the Great South Bay.

Declaration of a commercial fishery failure could provide greater access to federal money for research and restoration of a bay that has still not recovered from the collapse of the hard clam population.

Congress set aside $13.9 million for research and assistance to New York and Connecticut lobstermen after the Commerce Department declared a failure of the Long Island Sound lobster fishery in 1999.

What makes the declaration sought by Schumer, Foley and local baymen different from most issued by the department is that the initial crisis here occurred more than 30 years ago. Typically, declarations are sought by state governors in response to sudden crises such as the toxic red tide blooms in 2005 that shut down New England shellfishing.

Back in its 1970s heyday, the Great South Bay was second only to the Chesapeake Bay for harvesting clams, eels and crabs, said clammer Florence Sharkey of Patchogue. "We watched it diminish so that only one of us [in her family] are still working on the water out there," Sharkey said.

Schumer said clam landings had since declined by 95 percent in the Great South Bay, dropping from 100 million bushels in 1985 to less than 5 million in recent years. He, Foley and local baymen seek the declaration based on that decades-long decline, which Foley said had cost the local economy as much as $63 million.

They also cited recurring blooms of brown tide algae, which produces a chemical that makes it hard for clams to feed and shades out the light needed by aquatic plants that provide critical habitat for young fish. Researchers are concerned that this year a bloom of unprecedented scope and intensity that has clouded waters from Massapequa to Shinnecock could do further harm to the shellfish that remain.

"If we don't act fast, the damage could be irreversible," Schumer said.

No statute of limitations exists for declaring a fishery failure. But officials with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the division of the Commerce Department that reviews such requests, said they were revising the rules to clarify the parameters for determining disasters.

"I would say back when the trend was first noticed, that's the time to request some kind of assistance with the commercial fishery," said Steve Aguzin, a fisheries service management and program analyst. "Over the course of 10 to 20 years, if it [fishery landings] drops significantly and it's never returned, I'm sure that these fishermen probably found another livelihood."

Bayman George Rigby, 49, of Moriches, said the number of clammers working the South Shore had dwindled to little more than a handful since he began fishing commercially in 1974, when thousands had permits to clam. Those who remain in the business have had to expand their horizons, harvesting in waters all along the North and South shores.

He said he wants Commerce to declare a fishery failure because it could provide grant money for more research. The letter Schumer's office faxed to Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez yesterday is just the first step in the process. It also involves an extensive review of harvest and economic data to determine whether the declaration is warranted.

Aguzin of the National Marine Fisheries Service said such data are usually supplied by the state seeking the declaration. A Schumer spokesman said his office had not yet sent those numbers but would supply them as requested.

Gas Prices Drive LIers to Ride Bikes by Danny Teigman -- Newsday.com

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In order to beat the ever increasing price of gasoline, Scott Azar, 20, has been riding his bike instead of driving his SUV to work and to run errands. (Newsday / David L. Pokress / July 1, 2008)

The warm summer weather has traditionally inspired Long Islanders to bicycle for fun, but this year many are getting out of their cars and onto bikes for a practical reason: to save money as fuel prices soar.

The car-bike swap has not gone unnoticed at area bike shops, where some shop owners say sales are up over a year ago, as are the number of repairs to old Schwinns and other classics, and accessories like baskets. Many say the increase is due to gasoline prices.

Scott Azar, 20, of Oceanside, knows all about that. Since starting his summer job at Cinellis Pizzeria and Grill, 1.5 miles from his mother's home, the SUNY Oneonta senior bikes to work, sharing the road with pedestrians, cars and other bicyclists every morning.

Azar, who has always paid for his 1996 Chevy Blazer's gas, first became price-conscious after his many drives upstate to his college. He soon took to biking on Long Island and cut back on his fuel costs. "When I came home, doing all my errands, going to work ... [it was] killing me," Azar said.