City Schools To Begin Lockdown Drills
Thursday, May 09, 2013
City schools will now be required to conduct lockdown
drills each year, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and the Connecticut school
shootings.
The Department of Education confirms Schools Chancellor
Dennis Walcott sent a letter to principals Wednesday informing them of the new
policy.
NYC bike share program to begin Memorial Day
Thursday, May 09, 2013
New York City has set a date for starting its
bike-sharing program -- Memorial Day.
The program will start with 6,000 bikes at 330 stations
in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. There are plans to expand it eventually to
10,000 bikes and 600 docking stations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
Syria: Thousands of rebel fighters defect to al-Qaeda
Thursday, May 09, 2013
The Free Syrian Army (FSA), the main opposition group, is
losing fighters and capabilities to Jabhat al-Nusra, an Islamist organization
with links to al-Qaeda that is emerging as the best-equipped, financed and
motivated force fighting Bashar Assad's regime, The Guardian reported Thursday.
Evidence of the growing strength of the Islamist
organization underlines the dilemma for the US, Britain and other governments
as they ponder the question of arming anti-Assad rebels.
Ringleader Semen Domnitser found guilty in $57M fraud at Claims Conference
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Semen Domnister, the former Claims Conference employee
who was charged with leading a $57 million fraud scheme at the Holocaust
restitution organization, was found guilty.
Domnitser and two others, Oksana Romalis and Luba
Kramrish, were found guilty on all counts Wednesday by a U.S. District Court
jury in Manhattan. Their trial lasted four weeks.
Rockland to open 800,000-square-foot mall called Shops At Nanuet
Thursday, May 09, 2013
A new mall is set to open in Rockland.
The 800,000-square-foot Shops At Nanuet mall is now under
construction on Route 59.
Brooklyn DA Announces Home-Based Jail Alternative For Female Prisoners
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes is joining
advocates for women in announcing a program that will let some female prisoners
serve their sentences at home.
The Justice Home Program is the first of its kind
allowing 45 women facing jail time for non-violent crimes to retain custody of
their children while serving their sentences at home, Hynes said.
Israel - Baby left in car dies
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
An 11-month-old baby from the village of Musmus died
Wednesday after she had been left in the family car for hours.
Police launched an investigation of the incident and the
baby's father, in his 30s, was taken to questioning for suspicion of negligent
homicide and neglect of a helpless minor.
Israel - Electricity rate to rise 6.3%
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
The Public Utilities Authority (Electricity) plenum
yesterday approved a 5.5% hike in the electricity tariff, which will come into
effect on Thursday, May 16.
The hike is less than the 6.5% hike expected,
because the strengthening of the shekel against the dollar made a last-minute
reduction in the rate hike possible.
However, the electricity tariff for
households will rise by 6.3% to NIS 0.5403 per kilowatt/hour, and to NIS 0.6321
per kilowatt/hour, including VAT. The tariff will rise by a further NIS 0.005
in June, when the VAT hike from 17% to 18% will come into effect.
Electricity tariffs peaked at NIS 0.6388 per
kilowatt/hour in 2009.
The latest rate hike brings to a peak the wave of hikes
which began with the cut-off of Egyptian natural gas in early 2011, which
forced Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) (TASE: ELEC.B22) to use more expensive
diesel and industrial oil to generate electricity. Since May 2011, the
electricity tariff has been raised by over 30%. The extra cost of electricity
which has been rolled over on to consumers is estimated at NIS 8 billion, and
will only be full covered by 2014. For this reason, despite the start of gas
flow from the Tamar field, it will not be possible to begin cutting the
electricity tariff before 2015.
There has been no formal investigation into Israel's
preparations in the event of a cut-off of Egyptian gas, nor have any lessons
been drawn by the government from the crisis.
The Public Utilities Authority says that there will only
be a new review of electricity rates this year if there is a major change in
the shekel-dollar exchange rate or in the cost of fuels for the generation of
electricity. It defines a "major change" as a 3.5% change in the
electricity tariff. In the absence of such a major change, the next update in
the electricity tariff will be in April 2014.
N.Y. - Groundbreaking for new Rhinebeck Jewish Center
Monday, May 06, 2013
Congregation members in Rhinebeck along with elected
officials gathered for laying of the cornerstone for Northern Dutchess County’s
first Synagogue and Jewish Center.
The Center will include a synagogue, a multipurpose room,
a Hebrew school, facilities for Shabbat dinners, and the Jewish experience for
children.
Strauss unit expanding Virginia hummus factory as sales sore
Friday, May 03, 2013
As the popularity of hummus sores in the US, Strauss
Group Ltd. unit Sabra Dipping Company, which makes the chick pea
paste in the US, has opened an R&D facility in Chesterfield County,
Virginia, and is also expanding its adjacent hummus production facility - the
world's largest. Sabra is owned equally with PepsiCo.
Sabra broke ground on the next phase of its manufacturing
facility, an $86 million investment to meet the continued increasing demands
for hummus. The company expects the addition of capacity will create an
estimated 140 jobs over the next few years. Sabra currently holds 60% of the
refrigerated flavored dips category in the US.
Jewish leader says he was beaten at Budapest soccer match
Monday, April 29, 2013
The head of Hungary’s Raoul Wallenberg Association said he was
beaten at a soccer match in Budapest.
Ferenc Orosz told the Hungarian news agency MTI during a conference
Monday on hate speech that “first he was verbally assaulted and then his nose
was broken after a match at Budapest’s Puskas Stadium which he attended with
his family” the previous day.
Tnuva to sell cottage cheese in US
Monday, April 29, 2013
Inspired by Strauss' success with Sabra hummus, Israeli food maker
Tnuva is planning to take the United States by storm with its cottage cheese.
Yedioth Ahronoth has learned that the company is working on a plan
to penetrate the American market with the Israeli soft white cheese through a
local dairy farm that will be trained by Tnuva as a subcontractor.
Brooklyn-Born Car Designer Working On Horseless Carriages
Sunday, April 28, 2013
There’s a new push under way to eliminate the horse-drawn
carriages in Central Park.
Animal rights groups are behind the new prototype horseless
carriage being work on by a Brooklyn-born exotic car designer. The carriage
would be modeled after the electric cars from the early 1900s, 1010 WINS’ Glenn
Schuck reported.
City Deploys Agents to Police Bike Lanes Ahead of Bike Share Launch
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Ahead of next month's launch of a new bike share program, the
city’s Department of Transportation is deploying so-called "street safety
managers" to restore order back to bike lanes and make sure cyclists — and
pedestrians — are obeying traffic signals.
One World Trade Center To Reach Full Height On Monday
Sunday, April 28, 2013
The final pieces of One World Trade Center's spire will be raised
on Monday, making the skyscraper the country's tallest building at 1,776 feet.
Installation of the spire began in December.
Visitors: Meron a Disaster Zone
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Tens of thousands of people are waiting to leave Meron after
celebrating the holiday of Lag Ba’Omer at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
Many are growing anxious as they remain stranded for hours in the heat, with an
inadequate supply of drinks.
Due to traffic congestion buses are unable to make their way in
and out of the parking lots near the holy site at an adequate rate.
Holiday bonfire draws Thousands to Kiryas Joel
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews filled the Village of Kiryas
Joel late Saturday night to celebrate the holiday of Lag Baomer.
The event, marked with a large bonfire, song and dance, is
believed to be the largest such celebration of the holiday in the United
States.
Woman Unknowingly Transports 30 Pounds of Marijuana Over Border
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Drug smugglers are always looking for new ways of moving
their products across borders. One woman in San Diego unwittingly became part
of their latest ploy for moving large quantities of marijuana across the border
between Mexico and the United States.
Anti-Semitic incidents rise by 4 percent in Canada
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Anti-Semitic incidents in Canada rose last year by nearly
four percent, an annual review shows.
B'nai Brith Canada's yearly audit, released this week,
shows anti-Semitic acts in the country increased from 1,297 incidents in 2011,
to 1,345 cases in 2012 -- a 3.7 percent jump.
Tunisia ups security ahead of Jewish pilgrimage
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Tunisian police have upped security on the island of
Djerba ahead of the anticipated arrival of hundreds of Jewish pilgrims to the
El Ghriba synagogue.
The pilgrims are expected to arrive on the island of
Djerba on April 25, according to the Italian news agency ANSAmed. The news site
Tunivisions reported security will be much tighter than in previous years.
Lag BaOmer Police Hotline for Meron Pilgrims
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Over 1,000 police officers will be deployed in advance of
the mass pilgrimage of some 250,000 worshippers to Meron, site of the tomb of
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai on Sunday, Lag BaOmer.
The police will operate an information hotline starting
Friday, 1700-5000-679.
Only vehicles of Meron residents are allowed in starting
Thursday morning.
All other transportation
will be accommodated in nearby
parking areas, with regular free shuttle
service on Lag BaOmer.
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