Staten Island Advance

Redistricting Round Two: City Council Pushes Forward With New Commission Picks

The City Council today announced the key figures who will be charged with dividing up the city into new districts based on Census data. It's the next redistricting frontier! The announcement of the Council's appointments comes on the same day that important news broke in the statewide redistrict ... More >>

Anthony Bologna, Pepper-Spray Cop, Exiled to Staten Island

Anthony Bologna, the much maligned white-shirted NYPD Deputy Inspector who pepper-sprayed a group of women, including Chelsea Elliott and Kaylee Dedrick, as they protested with Occupy Wall Street back in September (they are each pursuing cases against him), has been transferred to Staten Island. As ... More >>

Bedbugs Visit Staten Island Jail

​Despite early rumors that this would be the "summer of bedbugs," we've heard relatively little as the doings of those adorable creatures this season, especially compared to prior years. Remember when they took over Victoria's Secret, Hollister, Hachette Filipacchi, the U.N., the Time Warner C ... More >>

Staten Islander Who Stole $22,000 From Government Given $120,000 Yearly Salary

​Karen Shaffer, a government employee (formerly with the Department for the Aging), admittedly stole more than $22,000 from the city between March 2009 and August 2010. Shaffer exploited the electronic payroll system, CityTime. Now, you'd think someone who stole a considerable amount of money ... More >>

Killing Mom and Dad on Staten Island

All-American kid Eric Bellucci fell into madness and violence, leaving his brother and sister behind to wonder if he could have been stopped

'Devil' Man in Staten Island Lights Poop-Covered Door on Fire

Charred door poop (Staten Island Advance/John Annese)​Okay, this is absurd because one of the following attacks would get the point across just fine: A Staten Island man by the name of Rasheen (Illuminati) Harrison (?) stripped naked, rubbed poop on the door of his pregnant ex-girlfriend's a ... More >>

Facebook Sued By Grieving Staten Island Parents

​Caroline Wimmer was murdered by Calvin Lawson in her home in 2009. While Lawson was sentenced to 25 years to life this past summer, Wimmer's parents' legal battles continue over the photos of Wimmer's dead body that were posted onto Facebook by the EMT who handled her corpse. Mark Musarella, ... More >>

Staten Islanders Finally Getting the Chance to Hail a Cab

​Staten Islanders have access to the best mode of transportation ever invented by mankind -- the Staten Island Ferry. Getting off of the island is easy, but getting around the island is more difficult because Islanders don't have a good rail service yet. Most Staten Islanders stick to cars, bu ... More >>

S.I. Borough President Caught Cursing On NBC

In an embarrassing moment for Staten Islanders everywhere, James Molinaro cursed on television yesterday morning. In a land where normalcy and kindness are held high above most everything else, it's surprising to see one of the island's leader make such a crazy mistake. Kidding, we love swearing!

Why the Mafia Still Matters

The feds' big new sweep is just one more try

Shaun Adorno's Killer? Cops Again Ask For Help.

Suspected killer of Shaun Adorno​The NYPD has re-released photos of a suspect in the murder of Shaun Adorno, the infamous Staten Island 31-year-old who answered the door at his Mariners Harbor home last July 23 and was assassinated by a slick-looking dude in a gray business suit.At the time, Adorn ... More >>

Shaun Adorno's Killer? Cops Again Ask For Help.

Suspected killer of Shaun Adorno​The NYPD has re-released photos of a suspect in the murder of Shaun Adorno, the infamous Staten Island 31-year-old who answered the door at his Mariners Island home last July 23 and was assassinated by a slick-looking dude in a gray business suit.At the time, Adorn ... More >>

Homeless Woman Gets Surprise $10,000 From Dead Ex-Boyfriend

Via The New York Post​Penny Martin, a Staten Island woman, recently came into some surprise money that rescued her from homelessness. A cool $10,000 in life insurance money was left to her by a deceased ex-boyfriend, which easily makes him the best ex-boyfriend of all time. She discovered the ... More >>

Keith Phoenix Convicted of Murder As a Hate Crime

Keith Phoenix was convicted of murder as a hate crime yesterday, for the 2008 killing of Ecuadorian immigrant José Sucuzhañay and the attempted assault of his brother Romel. Phoenix was found guilty in a retrial, after a holdout juror led to a mistrial earlier this year. Phoenix and his accompli ... More >>

9/11 Human Remains Found at Fresh Kills Landfill, City Says

Several news outlets are reporting that the city has found twenty potentially human remains in the former Fresh Kills landfill, while sifting through debris dumped there from the World Trade Center. The Staten Island Advance notes that the discovery of the remains was made public "in a one-line em ... More >>

Dope Lugs 49 Bags of Marijuana to Staten Island Hospital

Why is she smiling? Why do you think? This poster hangs in the Ganja Gallery bar, a legal dope dispensary in Boulder, Colorado."Medical" and "marijuana" don't yet go together in New York, as a 58-year-old Staten Island man recently discovered. He showed up at the hospital last Friday for treatment ... More >>

Michael McMahon, Staten Island Democrat, Only NYC Congressman to Vote No on Health Care Bill

Rep. McMahon​Only one New York City congressman, Michael McMahon of Staten Island and Brooklyn, voted 'no' on last night's historic health care reform bill, which passed with just a handful more votes than necessary. WNYC reports that McMahon "opposed an earlier House version of the bill and ... More >>

Rudy Giuliani Is Too Worried About Bernie Kerik's Kids

​The latest installment of the dangling tabloid conversation between Bernie Kerik and former person who took his calls Rudy Giuliani is in the Staten Island Advance. In the course of an interview about his blowing off yesterday's scheduled City Hall Michael Grimm endorsement appearance, Americ ... More >>

Anthony Illidge Slay Suspect Jahaad Chesson Says He was 'High As a Motherfucker'

View Larger Map DATE: Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2010. LOCATION: 17 Slaight St., Port Richmond, Staten Island. Jahaad Chesson, the accused killer of a Staten Island man told reporters yesterday he was "high as a motherfucker when I did it." The statement kind of, sort of sounded like a confession to the ... More >>

Staten Island Kid Threatened With Suspension for Two-Inch Toy Gun

​We know schools are supposed to be "Gun-Free Zones," but this is ridiculous. A Staten Island fourth grader, Patrick Timoney, was nearly suspended yesterday for having a LEGO set that included a toy gun that was all of two inches long. Principal Evelyn Matroianni caught him with the miniatur ... More >>

Barrett: Role of Public Advocate Gets Endorsement in FDNY Discrimination Finding; No Wonder Bloomberg Still Wants to Kill the Job

Bill de Blasio's job as public advocate: something Mayor Bloomberg would love to eradicate​One surprise in Mike Bloomberg's State of the City speech this week was his failure to say anything about the long-promised charter revision commission, which is expected, among other things, to act on o ... More >>

Susan Molinari to Challenge Kirsten Gillibrand?

The White House has effectively rebuffed all Democratic challenges to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, save for the exception of Jonathan Tasini and (possibly) Harold Ford Jr. And having lost Rudolph Giuliani as a contender, the GOP is now down to (maybe) Pete King. Or are they? The Staten Island Adv ... More >>

Why This Decade Sucked, Reason #10: Social Media Ruined the Internet

​ We will, in the closing days of this wretched decade, list the Top Ten reasons why it sucked, starting from the bottom. ​Remember back in the 90s, when you loved the internet? When you saw it through a child's eyes, and clapped with delight at dancing hamsters, cruddy Flash animation ... More >>

Staten Islander Says He Was Arrested for Making "Enemies Upstairs"; NYCLU Sues City

​Former Merchant Marine Kerry Sullivan runs the Natural Resources Protective Association, an environmental group advocating for a cleaner Staten Island, and has vocally opposed Borough President James Molinaro's attempts to muck it up with development, especially as regards the Stapleton Homep ... More >>

New York monkey meat smuggling case ends with probation

​Despite pleas for a stiff sentence from prosecutors and primatologist Jane Goodall, a New York woman who was convicted of illegally importing 720 pounds of baboon, endangered green monkey and warthog "bushmeat" into the country was sentenced Friday to probation.

Today's Alleged Drunk Driving Mother with Kids in Car

​"I drank apple martinis. I don't remember how many," cops say Jennifer Rivas, 25, of Staten Island told them when her Maxima crashed into a U-Store Self Storage at South Avenue Wednesday around 11 p.m. She had two of her children with her: a six-year-old "wandering by a fence at the facility, ... More >>

NASCAR abandons Staten Island

​International Speedway Corp. (ISC), whose plans to build a NASCAR track on Staten Island set off a "near riot" at a public hearing, announced the sale of the site to a Texas company at a $30 million loss yesterday.

Challenger Fights Staten Island Beep Over Lighthouse, Fish; Rudy Leaps In

​To our surprise, Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro has a challenger in this year's race, Democrat John Luisi, who has not only collected expected labor endorsements but also the backing of the local Independence Party, the Lenora Funlani org which has also endorsed Mayor Bloomber ... More >>

Debi Rose Campaign Joins Us in Accusing Mitchell Of Actually Running

Remember when we said that the Randy Mastro suit against the Working Families Party, charging they gave the Debi Rose campaign improper favors via Data and Field Services undercharges, might precipitate an attempt to revive the campaign of Ken Mitchell? Mitchell was defeated by Rose in the Democrati ... More >>

Anti-WFP Suit Charges Debi Rose Didn't Pay Enough for Services (or At Least Not Fast Enough) [Updated]

(Update: Dan Levitan of WFP has something to say about the "discounts," below the fold.) We've mentioned Data and Field Services, the election support outfit that was criticized by the Campaign Finance Board for giving discounts -- essentially in-kind contributions -- to Working Families Party candi ... More >>

Oddo Gets "Worst Street in Staten Island" Paved, Votes

​Staten Island Councilmember James Oddo (pictured) knows how to get votes. He poses today for the Staten Island Advance on "the 'worst street' on Staten Island," where paving is finally being done thanks to his intercession. Oddo declared Grasmere Avenue between West Fingerboard Road and Mose ... More >>

Snooty Weekly, Staten Island Daily Endorse Bloomberg

​The New York Observer and the Staten Island Advance today endorse Mayor Bloomberg's third term (the Advance "strongly," the Observer in a tasteful shade of salmon). The proletarian Advance shakes its head that some people, upset by Bloomberg's overthrow of term limits, are planning to vote a ... More >>

Thompson isn't only pol to write a "Dear Judge" letter

​On Halloween, Rudy Giuliani will join Mayor Bloomberg and Staten Island boro prez James Molinaro (pictured) at a big pre-election "Prelude to Victory" rally and fundraiser on Staten island. This is one place -- like Brooklyn's ultra-orthodox Borough Park where Team Bloomberg unleashed Gi ... More >>

Sanitation Commissioner's son ducks his sanitation job

​The News says they've obtained personnel records showing that John Doherty Jr., son of Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty, has been cited 12 times and had 128 hours of wages docked for unapproved absences from the job. The citations resulted from Doherty failing to document an emergency wit ... More >>

Western Beef for Real: Staten Island Woman, Knocked Out On Line, Sues Store for $1 Million

​The delightful Staten Island Advance informs us that in July Clivia Hayes was standing in line at the Stapleton Western Beef when the woman in front of her argued with the checkout clerk over the quality of some crabs. When Hayes muttered that the crabs "looked fine," she says, the woman hit ... More >>

Staten Island Man Indicted for Beating Chihuahua to Death

​It's been a while since we had a roasted-cat or a mutilated-dog story. So here ya go: Frank Coppola of (surprise!) Staten Island was indicted by a grand jury today for beating his girlfriend's chihuahua to death. Coppola "never got along with his girl friend's dog... and the feeling appear ... More >>

Banned for Cursing, Staten Island Golfer Sues Club, Association

​Gotta love Staten Island -- even the golfers are contentious. Christopher DeMenna of Bay Terrace is suing Richmond County Country Club and the Staten Island Golf Association because they banned him from a tournament after he cursed out an official. In September 2007, it seems, DeMenna got int ... More >>

Bloomberg Wants Troopers to Grab Senators and Make Them Pass Mayoral Control

As you may have expected, the state senate failed to pass anything like a reauthorization of mayoral school control before going on summer vacation -- though Democrats did attempt and fail to pass an alternative bill not to the Mayor's liking. This will require the Mayor's packed Board of Ed to do t ... More >>

Kitten Roasting Teen Speaks: "It's Dead, Bitch!"

17-year-old Cheyenne Cherry, who is accused of roasting a kitten in an oven to get back at her ex-roommate, has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and attempted burglary in the torture-killing of Tiger Lily (pictured) and break-in, during which she also broke up some furniture and stole DVDs and food ... More >>

West Nile Found in Bronx Mosquitoes; Staten Island Safe So Far

The Department of Health has detected West Nile virus in Bronx mosquitoes. The infected mosquitoes were collected at Ferry Point Park, and are the first West Nile carriers detected in the city this year. The DOH attributes 162 cases and 20 deaths to West Nile since 1999, when 62 cases of encephali ... More >>

Staten Islander Flees Meth Charges, Phones to Say: "California, Baby!"

Staten Island's David Fishbein is making a name for himself all over America. The 33-year-old Great Kills man and his companion, Melanie Peer, 37, of Toledo, Ohio [both pictured right] are being hunted by Mississippi police for running a meth lab in a hotel room in Ocean Springs. But the search wil ... More >>

In Staten Island Cycle of Violence, Hate Crime Victim Arrested for Mugging

Remember those three goons who went on a hate crime rampage last Election Night in Staten Island. and the guy they rammed with their car? Ronald Forte -- white, as it happened, though his assailants didn't seem to notice -- was in a coma for a while and still isn't doing too good. Yesterday morning ... More >>

EMT Who Posted Murder Victim's Death Pic Arrested

We never thought we'd feel actually sorry for Mark Musarella (pictured), the former EMT who took a picture of dead Staten Island murder victim Carolyn Wimmer and put it up on his Facebook page. But first he lost his job over the tasteless act, and then Wimmer's parents sued him, and now he's been ar ... More >>

Today in Staten Island: Man Steals Ex-GF's Phone, Answers Her Call, is Busted

John Davis, 49, apparently maintained a decent relationship with his ex-girlfriend, because on the afternoon of May 28 she consented to drive him to his home. On the way there she stopped at the bank and left the car to go to the ATM. While she was out, the woman alleges, Davis stole an envelope con ... More >>

Today in Staten Island: A/C Dispute Leads to Butter Knifing, Chest Biting

The Staten Island Advance brings us today's tale of passion from the Forgotten Borough: Two guys in New Dorp, Carlos Ordonez and Unnamed, couldn't resolve a dispute over the settings on an air conditioner. So Ordonez, taking the initiative and a butter knife, attacked Unnamed. Perhaps realizing that ... More >>

Vigil for Cat Stuck in Staten Island Tree

The Staten Island Advance is all over the story of Dottie the Cat. Dottie's human companion, Stacy Pizzurro, made a "desperate plea for help" when Dottie got stuck 50 feet up a tree on Monday and was still up there yesterday. Con Ed couldn't get a bucket truck to her because the tree is in a neigh ... More >>

Letters

Punch Drunk

Breaking Camp

Historic Bungalows Face The Bulldozer