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Two men robbed near Central Park Two men robbed near Central Park

Updated: Monday, December 30 2013 8:41 AM EST2013-12-30 13:41:51 GMT

Tourists from all over the world flood New York in the days leading up to the New Year's eve festivities. But there's nothing to celebrate for one 25 year-old tourist from Pennsylvania and his friend.

Tourists from all over the world flood New York in the days leading up to the New Year's eve festivities. But there's nothing to celebrate for one 25 year-old tourist from Pennsylvania and his friend.

Updated: Monday, December 30 2013 7:12 AM EST2013-12-30 12:12:27 GMT

A former teacher, principal and superintendent could be the next New York City schools chancellor. Multiple reports indicate Mayor-elect Bill de Blasiohas selected CarmenFarina to lead the school system. The announcement is expected late Monday morning. Farina would face several challenges right off the bat including a new set of academic standards and negotiating a contract with the teachers union.

A former teacher, principal and superintendent could be the next New York City schools chancellor. Multiple reports indicate Mayor-elect Bill de Blasiohas selected CarmenFarina to lead the school system. The announcement is expected late Monday morning. Farina would face several challenges right off the bat including a new set of academic standards and negotiating a contract with the teachers union.

Updated: Monday, December 30 2013 6:35 AM EST2013-12-30 11:35:54 GMT

Billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg reportedly has spent $650 million of his own fortune on New York City over the course of three terms in office and that estimate is probably low.Bloomberg reportedly spent about $62,400 in 12 years for weekly cleanings of two large saltwater fish tanks in City Hall. He also made $23 million in campaign donations and has given a cool $30 million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2002.

Billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg reportedly has spent $650 million of his own fortune on New York City over the course of three terms in office and that estimate is probably low.Bloomberg reportedly spent about $62,400 in 12 years for weekly cleanings of two large saltwater fish tanks in City Hall. He also made $23 million in campaign donations and has given a cool $30 million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2002.

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NYC Christmas Tree removal and collection begins Monday

WESTPORT, Conn. -- Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe has asked for the temporary delay in the removal of the 15 trees at the entrance to Longshore Club Park.

"Since this is a new issue for me and my administration, Westport Tree Warden Bruce Lindsay will prepare for my review a written report outlining his analysis and confirming his recommendation that the trees be removed," Marpe said in a letter on Friday, Dec. 27. "I have the utmost confidence in, and respect for, Mr. Lindsay, who recently came to Westport with excellent credentials in this field. However, in view of the importance of this issue and the discussion which it has generated, I have requested that Mr. Lindsay temporarily delay the tree removal and to prepare this report. Upon receipt and analysis of the report, which of course will be shared with the public, I will determine the appropriate next steps. It is anticipated that a public meeting will be held to review the Tree Wardens analysis and recommendations."

Marpe recalled in the letter that the Longshore trees were initially planted 20 years ago and there are now about 75 younger trees lining the entrance.

"Most recently, in September 2013, Parks and Recreation Director Stuart McCarthy brought this matter to the Parks and Recreation Commission, which had a public meeting to discuss the need for the tree removal," Marpe wrote in the letter. "I look forward to receiving Mr. Lindsays report soon and sharing it with the public.

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Westport First Selectman Seeks Delay In Removal Of Longshore Trees

We live like calves inside these cow sheds, Manish Kumar, a resident of Chandrapuri village said while pointing towards the cow sheds in the village that are now inhabited by the villagers.

Around 72 kilometres (km) from Kedarnath, the village, which is in Rudraprayag district, was hit by flash-floods on June 16 and 17. Fifty-seven houses in the village got destroyed from the gush that entered the valley and within a few hours the space earlier occupied by residential buildings got bulldozed over by the Mandakini River.

More than six months after the disaster, many villagers reside in cow sheds and few others in tents.

Landless labourers and daily wage workers reside in the village where severe winters now approach.

While Kundan Lal, another resident of the village, prepares fire for the night, he is joined by seven other family members, all of whom live in two tents. The family has rotated between five villages post-disaster.

Though the district administration paid them money for rent but the bridge over the Mandakini River that passes beside the village got swept away during the disaster. Mr Lal said, We had to live in tents as there were not enough houses in the village.

Of the 3,100 buildings that were completely destroyed across the State in the mid-June deluge, 2,410 buildings are in rural areas.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna had earlier announced that the disaster-affected would be shifted to individual residences before winters set in but not much work regarding housing can be spotted in any of the disaster-hit areas across the State.

Survey of land which is geologically safe to construct buildings is going on in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, and Bageshwar districts, which were hit by the disaster.

While the State government is still working on housing issues, in Chandrapuri some private organisations are providing the villagers capital for the villagers to be able to construct houses.

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Villagers live in cow sheds, tents even as severe winters approach

AS hospitals form new partnerships throughout Washington state, patients should know exactly how their right to legal health services will be affected.

A lack of clarity with some policies has led many critics statewide to cast a negative and sometimes unfair light on mergers and affiliations between secular and religious hospitals.

To increase transparency and fill a trust void between some providers and patients, the state Department of Health has wisely revised two key regulatory rules to take effect on Jan. 23:

All hospitals undergoing a sale, merger or change in management structure must undergo a Certificate of Need review, which was formerly done only for health-care providers seeking approval to build new facilities or to expand services.

During the licensing process, all hospitals must clarify and post online their policies in four key areas of concern: admissions, nondiscrimination (particularly for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients), end-of-life care and reproductive health services.

This is a good time to take a step back and view the bigger picture.

The Vatican is not plotting a takeover of Washingtons hospitals. The boards of secular institutions are finding ways to operate in the era of the Affordable Care Act. Aligning with financially stable, Catholic-sponsored systems represents an opportunity to increase purchasing power, reduce expenses and become more sustainable.

But this means nonreligious hospitals are also subjecting their patient base to religious doctrine, which prohibits certain constitutionally protected procedures such as physician-assisted suicide and elective abortion. In reality, those services are more often provided outside hospitals.

The Department of Healths new rules should help remove surprise factors from future deals. Setting some common regulatory standards creates realistic expectations. It might even lead to the sort of creative solutions that protect access and referrals for patients.

For instance, Swedish Medical Center stopped performing elective abortions once it merged with Providence Health & Services in 2011. In response to the communitys demand for a full range of reproductive care, Swedish worked with Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest to establish a health center on its First Hill campus.

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Editorial: State sheds some light on hospital mergers

The 1876 Victorian stained glass window at All Saints Church at Great Melton, where the six saints have all been identified in answer to an appeal from church members. Around Jesus at the crucifiction, from left, in the left panel, St Ethelreda, St Ethelbert, and St Erkonwold. The centre panel depicts the Virgin Mary, left, Mary Magdalene, front, and St John. The other three saints in the right panel, St Alban (centurion), St Edmond, front, and St Withburga. Picture: Denise Bradley

Rebecca Gough Monday, December 30, 2013 11:17 AM

An appeal for help to identify a number of saints depicted in a church window has ended in success.

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All six figures on the stained glass of the east window at Saints Church at Great Melton have now been identified, after a number of calls from the public, historians and stained glass experts.

The window, made from Victorian glass from 1876, was erected in memory of rector Charles Eyres, who spent 25 years in the parish. It is thought that the window was made in London and clearly depicts six Norfolk saints around the cross in the scene of the crucifixion.

While St Edmund had already been identified, it is now known that he is joined by St Etheldreda, St Ethelbert, Bishop Erkonwold, St Alban and St Withburga.

Church warden Maggie Murrell said: Its been a great experience. The Stained Glass Window Society called me and weve had historians and people that have known the church over time.

Im amazed at the response - its been lovely to have the contact with all these people.

All Saints Church is part of the villages unusual religious history. Next to the existing church and in the same grounds are the ruins of St Marys Church, and, although the two churches stood next to each other, they served separate manors until they were brought together in the early 18th century.

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Appeal sheds light on six saints depicted in stained glass window

MOUNT OLIVE TWP. The year of 2013 was marked with the tragedy of drownings and fires but also with progress on the development front.

Here are some of the more important and dramatic news stories of the year.

Boys Drown

As they had done before, Nicholas Michael Cianciotto III and Clyde Schimanski III, both 15, of Budd Lake, went out ice fishing.

But on this evening of Monday, Jan. 7, the ice was too thin and the two boys fell through the ice believed to be one or two inches thick.

Emergency workers donned immersion suits and entered the frigid water but were unable to find the boys.

The only signs of the boys were a cell phone and backpack found floating on the water.

The next day, rescue workers used sonar to help locate the Cianciotto boy but the body of the Schimanski teen wasnt found until the next day. It was the first time anyone had fallen through ice on Budd Lake and drowned.

A memorial to the two boys was soon erected at the western end of the lake.

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Victory, tragedy mark Mount Olive in memorable 2013

Land Park-Freeport 3 Brm + Bonus room! Updated Throughout!
Remodel just completed! Three bedrooms with updated kitchen featuring new cabinets granite tops, gas range, tile flooring dishwasher. Living room...

By: virtualtourcafe

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Land Park-Freeport 3 Brm + Bonus room! Updated Throughout! - Video

Lorrel Boughton, RN, a nurse in Chilton Hospital's Operating Room, pioneered this new service with her certified pet therapy dog, "Brodie." They visited patients on a fourth-floor medical/surgical unit who opted for the therapy, and then headed downstairs to the Surgical Services waiting room to ease anxiety for visitors. According to Boughton, Brodie was "like a magnet."

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHILTON HOSPITAL

Bill Schaefer of Pequannock is one of the first patients to enjoy Chilton Hospital's new Pet Therapy Program. He is joined by Operating Room Nurse Lorrel Boughton, RN (left), Chilton Vice President and CNO Joanne Reich, DNPc, RN, MA, NEA-BC; and new friend, Brodie.

"Everybody in the hallways and lobby wanted to pet him," she said.

Boughton began training Brodie at the Ramapo Kennel Club in Butler when he was just 4 months old. At a year, he was eligible to take the pet therapy class and became certified upon passing a test. The certification class was taken at The Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs Inc., in Morris Plains. Dog trainers from Ramapo Kennel Club will be coming to Chilton in the near future with their dogs to help expand the program.

According to Boughton, the certification process is quite comprehensive.

"The instructors bang pots and pans and ring doorbells to test the dogs' calmness," she said. "In one of the exercises, you have to say, 'stay,' then leave the room for three minutes and come back. Also, they'll approach the dogs using wheelchairs and crutches and other things you'd expect them to be exposed to in a health-care setting to make sure they react appropriately."

Brodie, who is now just a little over 2 years old, has visited Cedar Crest Village in Pequannock, Morristown Medical Center, and Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute across the street from the hospital. He has also made appearances at a reading group for autistic children. In addition to pet therapy for patients, Morristown Medical Center also hold "Ruff Days," which are therapy dog visits to ease the anxiety of hospital employees. Boughton would like to look into a similar program for Chilton employees when there are enough pet therapy dogs and owners.

Many steps had to be taken before Brodie could visit Chilton. He needed a veterinarian's clearance to prove he had a complete physical and vaccinations. All medical requirements must be shown each year to prove eligibility.

Boughton had to do her share as well. She discussed the service with Chilton's administration and the Infection Control Department. The Medical Board then had to approve it. Boughton needed to also register as a volunteer. Brodie wears an Atlantic Health System (AHS) vest with the words, "Pet Therapy Dog" on one side and "Healing Paws," the name of AHS' pet therapy program, on the other.

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Chilton Hospital's 'Pet Therapy Program' helps patients heal in Pequannock

Wayne, NJ GAF, North America's largest roofing manufacturer, is honored to have won two awards in The MobileWebAward Competition. The awards are given by the Web Marketing Association to honor excellence in mobile websites and apps, recognize the individuals and organizations responsible, and showcase the best in award-winning mobile development.

Awarded "Best Manufacturing Mobile Application" was GAF Colors, an application that provides the user with easy navigation of the GAF residential-shingle portfolio by grouping residential shingles by color. The app provides stunning images of the shingles and allows the user to see all of the shingle-color options that are available to help beautify their home, all at the touch of a finger.

GAF Roofing Wizard received the award for "Outstanding Mobile Application." GAF designed its Roofing Wizard app to simplify the often-confusing process of selecting the right roofing system for one's home. The platform walks customers through the selection of shingle color, style, roofing system components, and warranty options, which helps roofing contractors more easily close sales with homeowners.

"It is truly an honor to be recognized as a leader in the newly emerging space of mobile platforms," stated Ted Marcopolus, Vice President of Marketing Services at GAF. "As a company, we focus on providing innovative solutions to our customers, and we are proud to contribute to that core-company value through our marketing efforts."

For 15 years, The Web Marketing Association has produced the annual WebAward Competition, the premier annual website-award competition that names the best websites in 96 industries, setting the standard of excellence for all website development. The organization is made up of Internet marketing, online advertising, PR, and top website design professionals who share an interest in improving the quality of online advertising, internet marketing, and website promotion.

To learn more about GAF, visit gaf.com.

About GAF Founded in 1886, GAF has become the largest roofing manufacturer in North America. The company's products include a comprehensive portfolio of steep-slope and commercial roofing systems, which are supported by an extensive national network of factory-certified contractors. Its success is driven by its commitment to Advanced Quality, Industry Expertise, and Solutions Made Simple for contractors, specifiers, and property owners alike. In 2011, GAF was the first roofing manufacturer to offer a Lifetime limited warranty on all of its laminated shingles and, in 2012, it introduced the GAF Lifetime Roofing System.

With a focus on social responsibility, GAF has developed Advanced Protection Shingle Technology, which provides superior durability and wind resistance while reducing the use of scarce natural resources. The company has also developed single-ply and asphaltic membranes with superior durability and high reflectivity to meet the most rigorous industry standards while helping commercial property owners and designers reduce energy consumption.

GAF also supports the roofing industry through CARE, the Center for the Advancement of Roofing Excellence, which has provided education to over 125,000 professionals. CARE's mission is to help professional contractors and distributors build their businesses through sales and management education, and to provide product and installation training to contractors, distributors, architects, property owners, and related industry personnel. For more information about GAF, visit gaf.com.

Alyssa Hall Marketing Communications 1361 Alps Road Wayne, NJ 07470 (P) 973-628-3301 http://www.gaf.com

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GAF Wins Two MobileWebAwards from Web Marketing Association

The brick facade of the main entrance to the former Mall at Shelter Cove, shown Thursday, is all that is left of the central section of the mall, which is being demolished and converted into an indoor-outdoor shopping area.

JAY KARR Jay Karr Buy Photo

Construction continues on smaller shops flanking either side of the Kroger and Belk stores that anchor the new 42-acre, outdoor Shelter Cove Towne Centre, at the site of the former Mall at Shelter Cove.

A handful of tenants have committed to leasing space at the shopping center. They include Jos. A Bank and GNC, which are already at the mall. A SERG Group restaurant, Heritage Fine Jewelry and Jake's Wayback Burgers also have committed.

Mall manager Roni Allbritton said Friday more tenants will likely be announced in coming months, and construction of the 290,000-square-foot center remains on schedule for completion in late spring or early summer.

The Kroger grocery store opened Dec. 11, a month earlier than expected and has seen heavy traffic, she said. A final phase of the project will add 210 apartments east of the mall with views of Broad Creek, and a relocated 5-acre park will bisect the shopping center.

The Town of Hilton Head Island has agreed to split the park's cost -- expected to be about $4.5 million -- with the developers.

Plans for the park are still being completed, and construction is expected sometime next year, Allbritton said. No timeline has been finalized for the apartments, but work is likely to begin sometime near the end of 2014, with completion in 2015, Allbritton said.

The $76 million project is expected to generate 450 jobs and $5.1 million in annual sales-tax revenue, according to developer Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial.

"We've gotten phenomenal response from the community and have been very pleased with the feedback," Allbritton said. "This is a project that has been sorely needed on the island, and it's been exciting to see the progress that has been made."

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Shelter Cove shopping center continues to take shape