Email Author Albert Samaha
Awards
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2012 - Education Reporting Awards/National Education Writers Association, published November 17, 2011
"Intentional Grounding"
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2012 - Salute to Excellence Awards/National Association of Black Journalists, published November 17, 2011
"Intentional Grounding"
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2012 - Best American Sports Writing Anthology/Houghton & Miflin, published November 17, 2011
"Intentional Grounding"
2013 Stories by Albert Samaha
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COVER STORY
Type Miscast: An Elmhurst Doctor's Type 2 Diabetes Misdiagnosis Results in the Death of a Six-Year-Old Girl
published October 2, 2013
The little girl could barely breathe. She lay on the hospital bed, her chest rising with each forced inhalation. Irma Nicanor held her... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
State Settles With Five Illegal Payday Lenders for Less Than $310K Combined
published Oct 01, 2013
Payday loans--short-term, high-interest cash advances that often target low-income communities--are illegal in New York state. A 1976 law made it a felony to charge borrowers an interest rate above 25... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Frank Galarza Brings Another Title to East New York's Starrett City Boxing Club
published Sep 30, 2013
When Starrett City Boxing Club in East New York opened in 1978, it was surrounded by dirt roads and blight. And in the marshes just out back, "people would dump things," says longtime trainer Ewart Ch... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Whisper's Lounge Faces Lawsuit for Fatal Shooting
published Sep 27, 2013
Dwight Lewis, 27, was shot and killed inside Whisper's Lounge, a Bronx night spot, last year. Now, his estate seeks to hold the club's owners responsible for not preventing the homicide. The venue "... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Stephon Huffman Gets 20 Years For His Role in Fatal Stabbing Over iPhone
published Sep 26, 2013
At around 11 a.m. on October 28, 2011, 17-year-old Patrick Dixon got off a bus in Jamaica, Queens. A group of young men followed him. They were about to try to steal his iPhone. There was a scuffle. ... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Jose Lagos, Upstate Latin Kings Leader, Sentenced to 40 Years for Ordering Murders
published Sep 25, 2013
In January, 26-year-old Jose Lagos pleaded guilty to orchestrating three murders in Newburgh between 2008 and 2011--he was one of three Latin King gang members ordering the hits. One of those shootin... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
NYPD Officers Suing Chopper Companies for Crash-Landing
published Sep 24, 2013
On September 22, 2010, an NYPD helicopter crashed in Jamaica Bay. The six officers onboard had been patrolling the sky because President Obama was in town for a meeting at the United Nations. Police... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Ferdinand Marcos Lawsuit: Some Abuse Victims Have Been Left Out
published Sep 23, 2013
In July 1974, two Philippines law enforcement officials arrested Emmanuel Umali. The men told Umali that he had committed "subversive acts" against the government. President Ferdinand Marcos had de... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
NYPD Creates Fake Facebook Profiles of Young Women to Spy on Suspected Gang Members
published Sep 20, 2013
As the New York Times reported on Thursday, the NYPD has a new anti-gun violence strategy called Operation Crew Cut. One part of this strategy involves keeping tabs on suspected gang members' social m... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Ken Norton's Unforgettable Night in the Bronx
published Sep 19, 2013
On September 28, 1976, Ken Norton and Muhammad Ali fought for the third time. More than 30,000 spectators filed into Yankee Stadium that night. The crowd would have been even larger if not for the N... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Damon Janes' Death Comes Amid Deeper Knowledge of Football Brain Injuries
published Sep 18, 2013
On Friday, in the third quarter a western New York high school football game, 16-year-old Damon Janes ran for a five-yard touchdown. A few minutes later, there was a big hit and Janes walked off the f... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Mayor Bloomberg's Net Worth Jumped 59 Percent In the Last Two Years
published Sep 17, 2013
Mayor Mike Bloomberg hasn't been going quietly. He's been spouting thoughts like that drunk guy who's stayed too long at the house party. Stop and frisk more minorities! De Blasio ran a racist campaig... More >>
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Despite State Ban, Federal Inmate Ronell Wilson Is Sent to Death Row
published September 18, 2013
In July, a U.S. District Court jury in New York sentenced Ronell Wilson to death for murdering two undercover cops in 2003. It was only the... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Shawn Jones, Accused of Shooting Ramel Gittens, To Stand Trial This Week
published Sep 16, 2013
In the two years since Ramel Gittens' murder, there have been street memorials, music video tributes, and relative peace between rival gangs. There has not yet been justice, though--only theories and... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Cops Find Drug Stash Inside DVD Player During Bronx Raid
published Sep 13, 2013
Cops'll tear a place up in a drug raid. Ripping up pillows. Busting through walls. Pulling down shelves. Of course, when the place is clean, there'll probably be a lawsuit coming. But then there ar... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Christine Quinn Won Four Percent of Votes in Majority-Black Neighborhoods
published Sep 12, 2013
In East New York, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn got 3.7 percent of the vote. In Brownsville, 3.3 percent. In South Jamaica, 3.2 percent. In Canarsie, 2.7 percent. In East Flatbush, 1.6 percent.... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Election Night At Brownsville's Betsy Head Park
published Sep 11, 2013
The parents sat along the long green benches at Betsy Head Park in Brownsville, watching their sons' Pop Warner football practice. Some discussed the kids' game on Sunday--that fumble at the end of th... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
How the NYC Mayoral Race Betting Odds Shifted in Two Months
published Sep 10, 2013
Just a couple of months ago, people were saying things like "I'm not a huge Weiner fan but I guess I'd rather vote for him than Quinn" and "The real question is, who faces Quinn in the runoff?" and "I... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
NYC School Arrests Down By a Third From Previous Year, Racial Gap Persists
published Sep 09, 2013
Over the past few months, New York City's "school-to-prison pipeline" got a surge of attention. It started in May, with a state report that concluded that "the overwhelming majority of school-related ... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Newark's 10 Day Stretch of 10 Homicides Reflects Drop in Cop Numbers
published Sep 06, 2013
During Cory Booker's first year as Newark's mayor, in 2006, there were 107 murders in his city. By 2009, that number was down to 68. That 36 percent drop in homicides helped establish the reputation t... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Oneida Indian Nation, of Upstate NY, Begins Radio Campaign Against "Redskins"
published Sep 05, 2013
The Washington Redskins have an offensive nickname. It's one of those things we'll look back on 20 years from now and find absurd. For now, however, there is debate, there is publicity, there is a r... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
High School Football Player Tried to Sit Out Practice Shortly Before Death, Says Lawyer
published Sep 04, 2013
The player is tired and tries to take a break during practice. The coach yells at him to get back in there. It's a familiar scene. But at one Staten Island field last summer, it may have been prolo... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Antiq Hennis Shooting: The Numbers Behind a Tragedy
published Sep 03, 2013
At around 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, 16-month-old Antiq Hennis was shot and killed while sitting in his stroller in Brownsville. Police have said the gunman was targeting his father, who was not hit. By t... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Bronx Woman Detained 15 Hours for Parking Citation She Already Paid, Says Complaint
published Aug 30, 2013
At 8 a.m. on October 12, Yocasta Reyes heard loud knocking on the front door of her Morris Heights apartment. Six police officers were there to arrest her. She spent the next 15 hours locked up in hol... More >>
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FEATURED STORY
Famous Tailor Mohanbhai Ramchandani Hid $3.2 Mill in Foreign Banks, Pleads Guilty to Feds
published Aug 29, 2013
Mohanbhai Ramchandani was about as well known as a tailor could be in New York. He's cut cloth for Rudy Giuliani, Ed Koch, Ricky Henderson, Patrick Ewing, and Walt Frazier, who once praised Ramchandan... More >>
