Author: CNN

WCBS

By Jennifer McLogan

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    LONG ISLAND, New York (WCBS) — A massive porch pirate ring has been busted on Long Island.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office says 14 men face charges for allegedly targeting 31 communities over two years, including Brentwood, Central Islip, Shirley and Deer Park. Investigators said they tracked the suspects from October 2023 to February of this year, when they say the ring was infiltrated and broken.

The suspects allegedly hacked computer systems to find out when phones and electronics would be delivered to the homes of Verizon and AT&T customers, then sent runners to steal them. The DA said the defendants had customers’ names, addresses, device types and FedEx shipment tracking numbers.

“They were gaining access to the tracking numbers as well as the deliveries, and through that they could tell which would be an electronic device from AT&T and Verizon,” Suffolk County DA Ray Tierney said.

More than 200 cellphones and tablets were stolen as part of the ring, authorities say.

The 14 suspects are mostly from the Bronx. Tierney said stolen goods were taken to a fencing location on University Avenue in the borough, and then to a stash house on Quimby Avenue. The suspects took videos of hundreds of boxed and bagged phones and then allegedly sold them in multiple locations across the globe.

In November of this year, Glenn Bernhard was a porch pirate victim. Law enforcement is still determining if his family is among the dozens of victims whose deliveries were tracked and stolen.

“It could have been violent. He grabbed the package out of my hand, and took off. He ran into a car. The plate on the car was stolen,” Glenn Bernhard said. “It’s a well organized bunch of people to hack into everybody’s computer.”

“The hacker was able to get into my account,” Erica Bernhard said.

Adam Schwan of Sandwire says AI technology can help thwart pirates in coordination with home security systems.

“Mimics human beings, watches the cameras, and tells them to leave when they shouldn’t be there,” Schwam said.

If you’re expecting a package, be vigilant.

“With porch pirates, modern, current day pirates, you have to track your own packages,” Schwam said.

You can track them in real time and be there to retrieve them.

Suffolk County authorities say they are working with the NYPD and federal agents, and that additional porch pirates will be arrested.

The 14 defendants face 50 felony charges. Authorities said several of the incidents involved violence or deception. In one incident, a FedEx driver was shoved to the ground.

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WJZ

By Adam Thompson

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    ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Maryland (WJZ) — A 58-year-old man was arrested for allegedly pointing a gun at children Christmas carolers in front of his Anne Arundel County home this past weekend.

Three 12-year-old girls were spreading holiday cheer in the Epping Forest neighborhood when they knocked on the door of Paul Brian Susie, who lives in the 1700 block of Point No Point Drive in Annapolis.

According to charging documents obtained by WJZ, the man showed up in a bay window next to the home and pointed a handgun at the carolers, sending them running away.

Susie admitted he was the man involved in the incident, documents showed. Officers located the loaded gun in a safe.

He was charged with three counts each of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment, the Banner reports, along with one count of wearing and carrying a handgun while under the influence.

“It’s an assault because pointing a handgun at an individual is a threat of violence against that individual, a threat to their safety,” said Anne Arundel County Police spokesperson Marc Limansky.

Susie was released from custody after posting a $10,000 unsecured bond. He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on December 17.

An officer wrote in charging documents that, “Given Susie’s reckless behavior in pointing a loaded firearm at a group of non-threatening twelve year old’s he could clearly see on his well-lit stoop, his loud and belligerent behavior during my conversation with him, and his admission of consuming an alcoholic beverage I know through my training, knowledge, and experience Susie was likely under the influence.”

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KYW

By Alexandra Simon, Dan Snyder

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Inside a West Philadelphia hair salon Tuesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a law solidifying protections against hair discrimination in the state.

The CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” prohibits discrimination based on a person’s hairstyle, type or texture. Pennsylvania is the 28th state to pass a version of the CROWN Act.

Shapiro signed the legislation at the Island Design Natural Hair Studio, which specializes in creating and caring for natural hairstyles.

“This is a place where the community gets nurtured, and folks get to walk in and walk out looking and feeling their absolute best,” Shapiro said. “I think that’s noble work.”

“Wearing our crown is very important to me,” said Lorraine Ruley, who has owned Island Design Natural Hair Studio for 24 years.

Ruley has had lots of clients come to her salon to have their braids taken out or locs cut because their hairstyles were considered “unprofessional.”

House Speaker Joanna McClinton, who worked on the CROWN Act legislation for six years, said she changed her hair while in law school over the same concerns. U.S. Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes, a West Philadelphia native who now represents parts of Pittsburgh, was the lead sponsor on the bill and said the fight will help improve lives across Pennsylvania.

“Hair discrimination has taken confidence from our children, but that ends today,” Mayes said. “Hair discrimination has taken dignity from workers, but that ends today. It has taken access to economic opportunities, hopes and dreams, but that begins to end today.”

According to the governor, in 2022 more than 900 complaints of racial discrimination based on hair were made to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

The bill passed in the state Senate on Nov. 19 by a vote of 44-3, eight months after receiving the bill from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

At the federal level, the CROWN Act was first introduced in the House of Representatives in 2021 and passed in the chamber in 2023.

Last year, the CROWN Act was reintroduced in both the House and Senate, but has not yet been passed in Congress.

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KCBS

By Nicole Comstock, Dean Fioresi

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    HERMOSA BEACH, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Disturbing video captured the moments that a group of teenagers on e-bikes attacked a man seemingly at random outside of a pizza shop in Hermosa Beach last week.

Locals say that the group targets people at random, surrounding them in a circle before harassing or assaulting them. They believe that the teens are being protected because they’re minors, even as the encounters become increasingly violent.

The latest incident happened in an alley near the pizza shop, as the victim, a man in his 60s, was walking home with a slice of pizza. The violent encounter saw six teenagers attack the man, ending the beating by stomping on him while he laid on the ground.

“He was fighting back as best he could, but you could tell he was gonna be facing severe injuries and he needed medical help there,” said Matt Terrill, a good Samaritan who jumped in to help the man.

He said that he called 911 and tried to assess the man’s injuries while he spoke with paramedics.

“They immediately transferred me over to the live ambulance team that was on the way so they could get prepped for what was going on,” Terrill recalled.

He says that the man was hospitalized with a concussion, and Hermosa Beach police now say that they’re investigating the incident as an assault.

Some residents are skeptical that anything will be done.

“It is pervasive and it continues to go on without any form of recourse,” said Tracy Robinson. She says that the increasingly dangerous incidents have been reported to police time and time again, including the time that they allegedly launched fireworks at people on the pier and chased a man on a motorized scooter while hurling objects at him.

“It was actually a friend of mine who was on his Vespa, and the e-bike kids were coming after him with big stones and rocks,” Robinson said.

She says that the teenagers have yet to face consequences from any of the incidents, and is one of many in the community who are concerned that if something doesn’t change, someone innocent could end up dead.

Hart Cardoza says that he was victimized by the group in early November.

“All of a sudden, I get whacked on the back of the head,” Cardoza said. “Bleeding profusely. Concussion. Fourteen staples.”

He says that the e-bikers surrounded his car and stabbed his tires before hitting him over the head with a collapsible baton, near the same spot that Friday’s attack took place. He says that he hasn’t received any new information on the investigation from Hermosa Beach police after filing a report.

“I have no doubt there are more of us out there that have reported or have tried to report, and there’s no follow-up,” Cardoza said.

HBPD officers say that they are currently working on another press release on the incident, which they expect to be released early Tuesday.

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WCBS

By Jenna DeAngelis

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — Did New York City leaders know about the 9/11 toxin dangers more than two decades ago?

The truth could lie in dozens of boxes allegedly containing undisclosed documents about Ground Zero toxins that were uncovered 24 years after the terror attacks.

The Uniformed Firefighters Association, which represents active and retired FDNY members, and its legal team held a news conference Monday in Lower Manhattan to demand answers from Mayor Eric Adams and other city officials about the 9/11 records.

Sixty-eight boxes containing “Ground Zero toxin records” were recently uncovered, according to the firefighters union.

“New York City firefighters demand to know who in New York City government hid those documents all the way back in the beginning and continue to keep those documents held all these years,” Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said.

While union officials have not seen the documents, lawyers for the 9/11 Health Watch advocacy organization said they reviewed two dozen boxes last week.

Attorney Andrew Carboy said each box contains about 5,000 pages of records concerning the Department of Environmental Protection’s response in 2001.

“What was in them? Broadly speaking, two categories. Asbestos air testing in the immediate week following September 11, and chemical and metal contamination records of testing that was done in the days and weeks following the attacks,” Carboy said. “The type of risk assessment we have requested and should be getting, we have not seen yet.”

Carboy said the documents also include a City Law Department letter that reads, in part, “must be preserved to serve as evidence in the event future WTC-related legal actions are brought against the city.”

In July, the New York City Council took action to get the documents disclosed, which ultimately led to their release.

“It’s bittersweet because it took litigation, [Freedom of Information Law] requests, and it took the Department of Investigation through the efforts of [Councilmember] Gale Brewer to compel the city to find these documents,” attorney Thomas McManus said.

The legal team said its original request for documents was denied in 2023 and they were allegedly told by the Department of Environmental Protection that it did not have the documents.

“That totally underscores what a lie it was for DEP to have told us there were no records,” Carboy said.

The union leaders want all of the boxes of documents to be made available and are demanding to know why information was hidden.

“That wasn’t the only betrayal. Years later, we had to go down to Washington to fight for the World Trade Center Health Care Program. Had these documents been available then, it could have helped prove our case to get that lifesaving health care more available quickly. It would have been less of a fight. It would’ve also helped the doctors to help diagnose people had they had all the documents at the time,” Ansbro said.

Ansbro developed skin cancer years after responding to Ground Zero and lost his father, an NYPD member, to 9/11-related cancer.

“Throughout all the years of going down to Washington to try to get health care for sick first responders and civilians, this information could have helped,” he said.

“This is inexcusable,” said Michael Barasch, a 2-time cancer survivor and lawyer for the 9/11 community. “This should have been divulged to the public. We’re adults, we could handle it. We could have made our own decisions whether to go back to school, whether to go back to work, whether to go back to their homes.”

To date, more than 400 members of the New York City fire department have died due to 9/11-related illnesses.

A City Hall spokesperson said, in part, “Mayor Adams has been unwavering in his commitment to ensuring victims, their families, first responders, and survivors receive the care and services they deserve.”

“While we cannot comment on the specifics of pending legislation, the city has begun turning over documents to plaintiffs’ counsel,” the spokesperson added.

Carboy said the legal team filed to seek sworn testimony from DEP and other city officials in their push for answers for the thousands of people impacted. He said the team is still waiting to review the remaining boxes.

The union said it plans to continue pushing until all documents are made public.

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WCBS

By Carolyn Gusoff

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — As winter approaches, virtual reality is being used to help train drivers to navigate dangerous weather, especially snow squalls.

At Hofstra University on New York’s Long Island, drivers are strapping on simulation goggles and grabbing the wheel to learn how to navigate treacherous whiteout conditions caused by the sudden burst of snow.

“Snow squalls are the most dangerous type of winter weather driving phenomenon,” said Jase Bernhardt, a Hofstra meteorology professor.

With a $100,000 grant from the National Safety Council, Bernhardt created the virtual reality driving simulator to help teach the public to just get off the road when there is an emergency snow squall alert.

“You can see the snowfall is rapidly escalating. The visibility is getting much lower. I can barely see ahead of me. So if there is a car ahead of me that’s stopped, I may not be able to stop in time,” Bernhardt said. “You’ll also notice there is a car going really fast. That’s kind of a bad peer pressure that there’s always someone in bad weather that keeps driving.”

The simulator is scientifically accurate to help create muscle memory.

Adalia Rezkie, a Hofstra student, wanted to learn how to drive in snowy weather and gave the simulator a try.

“It was a bit scary because you see the snow piling up and then you can’t really see what’s ahead,” Rezkie said.

Bernhardt, a trained meteorologist, believes virtual reality has a unique ability to teach people about dangerous weather.

“It can be a little horrifying for people because you’re driving along, at first it’s a very normal looking day … and with the VR, we kind of want to scare people a little bit. It’s kind of good that people are reacting scared, because real life is very scary and very dangerous,” the professor said.

AAA Northeast agrees the life-saving information is needed.

“I don’t think we’ve had a lot of snow in the last few years and we tend to forget these things, and there is a lot of aggressive, bad driving going on,” AAA’s Robert Sinclair said. “So the simulator is going to be excellent I think.”

“If you slow down, you can get rear-ended. If you pull over in the shoulder, that’s like the most dangerous thing,” Bernhardt said.

Bernhardt’s free virtual reality simulator has been downloaded thousands of times from the Meta store.

It has been out for about a month and is available in Spanish, along with a free web version.

A snow squall is a sudden, intense burst of snow that comes on quickly and does not last long – usually just 30 minutes to an hour. It’s often accompanied by strong winds, which can cause visibility to drop sharply, making it difficult to see and drive.

Unlike a regular snowstorm, which can go on for hours, a snow squall can happen in a flash. It’s especially dangerous because it could catch people off guard. The combination of heavy snow and gusty winds can make roads slippery and create whiteout conditions.

A snow squall warning is typically issued when the squall is expected to hit within 30 minutes to an hour. If you’re in an area under a snow squall warning, it’s a good idea to be prepared for quick weather changes, slow down and avoid traveling if possible until the squall passes.

Justin Lewis contributed to this report.

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WBZ

By Penny Kmitt

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — Businesses in Massachusetts are getting more creative to deal with the shortage of pennies.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Treasury stopped minting pennies because making the one-cent coins became too expensive.

Theo Christo has been stashing away pennies at his breakfast restaurant, Theo’s Cozy Corner, in Boston’s North End for months. He hopes to give his customers exact change for as long as possible.

“I prefer to be cash-only, so I don’t have to deal with fees, credit card fees,” he told WBZ-TV.

But that’s getting harder. Businesses are struggling to make change.

“The restaurant industry is literally an industry of pennies,” said Stephen Clark of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.

He said businesses are now torn. Do they round up and risk frustrating customers or round down and lose money?

“Anytime you’re talking about profit margin or menu price, it comes down to pennies and how you’re actually making the difference between staying in business and going out of business. If you lose a lot of pennies, you’re going to feel the financial strain of that,” Clark said.

He added that Congress will need to decide how cash transactions should work without the penny, especially in states like Massachusetts, where businesses are required to accept cash payments.

“We need national guidelines to say, well, this is how we handle it,” he said.

Several national chains are doing away with the penny. McDonald’s told CBS News some of their restaurants now round cash payments to the nearest nickel.

That means a $1.22 order becomes $1.20, while a $1.23 order jumps to $1.25.

GoTo Foods, the parent company of popular brands like Cinnabon and Carvel, told CBS News it’s “recommending that franchisees round cash transactions in the guest’s favor.”

“With everything being so expensive these days, it’s really just growing more and more insignificant,” Mo, a visitor from Seattle, told WBZ about his stance on the penny. He’s noticed more cash-only spots in Boston than in other cities.

So would he pick up a penny on the sidewalk?

“I probably would for nostalgia’s sake, but not for the sake of saving that penny,” he said.

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WJZ

By Kaicey Baylor

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    PARKVILLE, Maryland (WJZ) — A wooden community food pantry built by Girl Scouts in Parkville was stolen and quickly returned.

Neighbors behind the Parkville Community Fridge said the pantry, which sits by a community fridge, disappeared between Friday night and Saturday morning.

Kim Becker, the troop leader for Girl Scouts Troop 1159, said her troop built the wooden pantry on November 15.

It’s unclear who removed the wooden pantry.

Becker alerted the Bmore Community Fridge Network to help track down the missing pantry. Becker said she even started a donation fund, thinking she would have to replace it.

However, on Monday morning, she learned the pantry had been returned.

“I’m disappointed that someone took the pantry,” Becker said. “I think the silver lining is that now more people know about this pantry who need it. More people can come and donate because they weren’t aware.”

Becker is grateful that community members jumped into action.

“I really wanted to show the kids that there might be a bad actor in the community every once in a while, but people will step up, and neighbors will help neighbors if we just ask,” Becker said.

Becker said neighbors have already started to restock the pantry.

She said the roughly $700 raised will be used to build a new pantry. Those funds will also be used to stock the shelves, making sure the Parkville community has food ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

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WCCO

By John Lauritsen

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — For many veterans, experiencing a war together creates a special bond, but eight decades after World War II, two veterans are just starting to form their own.

For more than a century, 102-year-old Les Schrenk and 101-year-old Casey Bukowski didn’t know each other.

“I corresponded with so many of the POWs I was with and every one of them is gone for a good number of years now,” Schrenk said.

But a couple of weeks ago, Schrenk got a pleasant surprise. Even though he lives in Bloomington, Minnesota, and Bukowski lives near Buffalo, New York, friends of the veterans got to talking and realized the two had a lot in common.

“Actually, unbelievable. Because I had doubts about what would occur and how to approach this thing,” Bukowski said.

When Bukowski flew to Minnesota for Schrenk’s birthday, his gift was memories and a lot of coincidences. Both men realized they were staff sergeants during World War II. Both were gunners on B-17s and both their planes were shot down on the same day: Feb. 22, 1944.

“I lost my eye at that time and had a shrapnel wound and I was knocked out,” Bukowski said.

After bailing out with parachutes, the Germans captured Schrenk in Denmark and Bukowski in Germany. Then they ended up in the same prison camps at the same time.

“That’s amazing. We were practically shaking hands, and yet, we didn’t know each other,” Bukowski said.

They were subjected to the same brutal conditions, and Schrenk and Bukowski were forced into the infamous 86-day German death march, which many of their fellow soldiers didn’t survive.

“We all had very severe dysentery, fleas, lice, and bed bugs. And, of course, the cold,” Schrenk said.

“Actually, they told us that was the worst winter in many years. The coldest winter,” Bukowski said.

From the pains of war to the joy of liberation. The British freed Schrenk around the same time American soldiers liberated Bukowski.

“Finally, for us, the war was over, and we were able to think of going home,” Bukowski said.

Though they were likely just feet from each other in the prison camps and on the death march, it took 81 years to finally meet.

One more coincidence — in both their flight crew photos taken during the war, Schrenk and Bukowski are standing in the same spot: back row, second from left.

“We each brought our own memories back to each other,” Bukowski said. “We were together but didn’t even know it.”

“We are both quite mobile and can clearly remember what happened even 80-some years ago,” Schrenk said.

Schrenk and Bukowski met at the Air Force Museum in South St. Paul. They want to thank Schrenk’s friend, Mike Johnson, and Bukowski’s friend and fellow veteran, Jared Cummings, for connecting them. Next year, the group is planning a trip to Poland to visit the camp sites where Schrenk and Bukowski were held prisoner.

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