Jewish & World News

The next big idea for a business that could help solve New York City’s energy problems may have been devised by three students from India who had never visited the city before this week. On Thursday morning, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced that the trio of students from the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras had won the inaugural NYC Next Idea contest, sponsored by the city’s Economic Development Corporation. The contest is one of the mayor’s initiatives to improve the city’s image as a place that is hospitable to entrepreneurs. The winners, who called their venture Greenext Technology Solutions, will receive $20,000 in cash and help in setting up their business in the city – if they decide to come New York and can obtain the necessary visas. Mr. Bloomberg used the announcement as an opportunity to reiterate his view that the federal government should make it easier for foreigners to come to New York to work. “No one can say for sure whether the finalists’ ideas will...

he Long Island couple who won a $162 million Mega Millions jackpot will today receive $1 million less of their winnings, the million bucks being put aside to pay back the public for a scam they ran while operating homeless shelters, sources said. A lawyer for Suffolk County got a court order last night – after officials went to a judge to get back the money they say William and Mary Morrison, of Miller Place, took under false pretenses in 2000, officials said. Suffolk County Attorney Christine Malafi ``received an order from Supreme Court to put aside $1 million in escrow from their winnings,’’ said Suffolk Department of Social Services commissioner Gregory J. Blass. Read more: NY POST

STATEN ISLAND (WABC) -- The row of television cameras didn't scare off the robbery suspect as he walked out of court this morning. 22-year old Naquan Thompson slid his wrist out of the handcuffs, bolted away from the chain gang and went sprinting down the street. He narrowly missed running into this young woman as he rounded the corner. Our own Ardina Seward captured the brazen escape on camera. Eyewitnesses alerted police, who went chasing after the suspect. Police sources tell Eyewitness News he was captured nine minutes later, on a train. Sources say Thompson suffered a broken ankle as he jumped from the Staten Island Ferry terminal onto the train tracks. Now, Thompson has a new charge to add to his rap sheet, escape. "He was thin, he was able to get out of the handcuffs," said NYC Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly. Kelly said officers don't want to tighten the handcuffs too much, for fear of injuring a suspect. He added that the department will...

Governor David Paterson unveiled a set of sweeping proposals to crack down on political corruption -- including term limits for all state office holders -- and promote financial stability, during his second State of the State Address today. "I stand before all New Yorkers with a bold and decisive plan to rebuild our State’s economy into a national model of ingenuity and strength, to rebuild our people’s confidence in the stability of our state," Paterson said in his second State of the State address, "To rebuild our manufacturing base to meet the energy standards of this enlightened age and to rebuild the trust that the citizens of this great state once had in their government." Paterson is calling for more ethics oversight and to limit statewide officials to two four-year terms and members of the state Legislature to six two-year terms. That reform would require an amendment to the State Constitution. The Reform Albany Act would also create an independent Gover...

Albany, NY - The state controller's office says the U.S. Postal Service has lost many of the 60,000 pension checks it mailed last week. The checks were mailed a week ago Monday to arrive by last Saturday. They are due the first business day of every month. "The post office signed for them, and that's the last we heard," said Dennis Tompkins, spokesman for Controller Thomas DiNapoli. "This is why we encourage people to have direct deposit." A Postal Service spokesman couldn't say what went wrong. The state is asking people to wait another day or two, and if their checks don't show up, to call the controller's office at (866) 805-0990 to have another one sent. Read More: Daily News