News on wstcwnlk.com

Regional Headlines

The Latest

(Undated) -- Here's the latest on stories making at this hour: Fireworks take centerstage after the sun sets tonight. State Senators stay in Albany this weekend for special session. Staten Island ferry crash is blamed on electrical transformer failure. And the Nathan's hot dog eating contest takes place today on the Coney Island boardwalk.

Macy's Shifts Fireworks Show To The Hudson

(New York, NY) -- Hundreds of thousands of spectators are heading for Manhattan's West Side this evening to watch the patriotic display of colors and sounds. Macy's annual Fourth of July fireworks show is shifting locations to the Hudson River to mark the four-hundredth anniversary of explorer Henry Hudson's landing in New York Harbor. New Yorkers will be able to clearly hear the pop, bang, and crackle of each of the 40-thousand fireworks set off during the nearly half-hour-long presentation. Police are closing down the West Side Highway to traffic beginning at 4:30 p.m. from 23rd Street up to 57th Street. Six barges are taking up position between 23rd and 60th Street. The FDNY Marine fire boats will entertain New Yorkers with a water show at 7 p.m., while the Air National Guard will make a flyover shortly before the fireworks speculator gets underway.

State Lawmakers Stay In Albany For Long Fourth Of July Weekend

(New York, NY) -- Governor Paterson again took on the role of mediator in Albany in a closed door meeting with warring Senate leaders. But the hour-long sit down did not produce a deal to end the three-and-a-half-week-long power-struggle over the chamber. The Senate remains evenly divided and gridlocked with each side holding 31-votes. Meanwhile, state Senators will not get paid for attending special sessions this weekend, but they will have time to celebrate the extended Fourth of July weekend. Governor Paterson is scheduling a special session for 11 a.m. on Saturday and a 6 p.m. session on Sunday.

Staten Island Ferry Crash Is Blamed On Electrical Transformer Failure

(New York, NY) -- City transportation officials are blaming a failed electrical transformer for the hard ferry docking at the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island on Wednesday. The control for engine power failed on the John J. Marchi [[ MAR-key ]] ferry, triggering three other motors to shut down as well. The investigation into what caused the chain reaction failure continues. The crash left 15 people with minor injuries.

Queens Man Dies After Hit-And-Run Accident

(New York, NY) -- The search continues for a hit-and-run driver involved in a fatal collision in Queens. It happened at the intersection of 149th Place and Sanford Avenue in Flushing just before 4 a.m., Friday. The 41-year-old Hyun He Kim was found lying unconscious on the ground and died a short time later. So far, no arrests have been made.

Stores Give Deep Discounts To Draw In Customers

(New York, NY) -- City stores are looking to cash in on the Independence Day crowds coming to watch the fireworks show on the Hudson this evening. Businesses are offering deep discounts, including buy one-get-one-free promotions in order to boost sales in the sluggish economy. This shopper says the deals were too good to pass up. Outlets are looking to clear out warehouse space and leftover summer items.

A Statue At A Staten Island Is Vandalized

(Staten Island, NY) -- Police are searching for vandals that damaged a statue outside the Assumption Roman Catholic in New Brighton on Staten Island. The pastor of the church discovered the heads of both Joseph holding the baby Jesus were snapped off the statue. The heads were later found on the church's lawn. No repairs can be made until Monday.

Whitney Offers Fourth Of July Discount

(New York, NY) -- An Upper East Side museum plans to honor the Fourth today dropping admission price to four-dollars. The Whitney Museum of Art is also showcasing Jasper Johns' Three Flags and The Brooklyn Bridge from Joseph Stella. The normal ticket price is 15-dollars. The Whitney is located on 75th Street and Madison Avenue and opens at 11 a.m., this morning.

Elephants Flatten Competition In Cross-Species Eating Competition

(New York, NY) -- A day before the annual competition for the famed Mustard Belt, three entrants from Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest took on a new attraction to the Coney Island boardwalk. Three Ringling Brothers Asian elephants joined in the first cross-species eating competition. Hot dog eater Eric "Badlands" Booker says taking on an elephant is not an easy feat. The pachyderms trampled the competitors in the six-minute chow-down. Bunny, Susie, and Minnie ate a combined 505 buns, while the humans ate 143. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey hosting its Boom-A-Ring show until September on West 21st Street on the Coney Island boardwalk.

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Features Two Seasoned Weiner Killers

(Brooklyn, NY) -- A jaw-biting rematch takes place today on the Coney Island boardwalk. California native Joey Chestnut puts American pride and the famed Mustard Belt on the line, taking on Japanese gastronomical sensation Takeru Kobayashi, a six-time champion. The rival simmers over in the traditional Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Chestnut seeks his third title after biting off 66 dogs in 2007 before beating Kobayashi to an extra round last year to be declared the winner. This is the 94th year of the Brooklyn tradition.

###
Pat Wallace/Mike Watts/Jennifer Pulsone/Glenn Schuck/rm NY) LI) HV) NJ)

New York City Summary (1st)

07/04/2009 02:26:56

Copyright © 2009
Metro Networks Communications Inc., A Westwood One Company

send to a friend view as printer-friendly RSS feeds