Monday, June 30, 2014

Bronx Teen Indicted on Manslaughter Charge in Classmate’s Stabbing


A grand jury has indicted the Bronx teen accused of fatally stabbing his classmate on manslaughter charges.


Fourteen-year-old Noel Estevez was originally charged with second-degree murder, which would have meant he’d be tried as an adult in criminal court.


With the new charge, the case will now be moved to family court.


Estevez is accused of stabbing classmate Timothy Crump to death during an argument outside I.S. 117 in Morris Heights on June 18.


His first family court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.





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Sampson foe jumps on report embattled pol said just one word


ALBANY — After reading that state Sen. John Sampson uttered just one word from the Senate floor in the last legislative session, his primary-election opponent offered one word of his own: Resign.


Dell Smitherman, former political director of hospital workers’ Local 1199, said Sampson’s single comment of “Aye” in response to a voice vote was further evidence he doesn’t do much in Albany.


“These reports prove something that Brooklynites have known all along — John Sampson has been AWOL for years and failing to meet the basic requirements of his job,” charged Smitherman, who plans to face Sampson in September’s Democratic primary.


The Post reported last week that an analysis by the good-government group NYPIRG found Sampson (D-Brooklyn) had less to say from the Senate floor than any legislator.


Sampson is seeking re-election this year, even though he’s facing trial in 2015 on charges of embezzling funds while he was a court-appointed administrator.


Sampson spoke just once during a roll call vote in favor of the Dream Act to provide tuition aid to undocumented students. The bill did not pass.


Sampson, who also faces embezzlement charges, defended himself by saying he’s was devoting his energies to his district, and not to public speaking.Calls to Sampson were not returned Monday.


Sampson once held the title of majority leader when the Democrats controlled the body in 2009. He was kicked out of the Democratic caucus after his indictment last year.





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Police arrest 11 in NYC fireworks crackdown


Cops are cracking down on the booming illegal fireworks industry, arresting 11 people in the last week and confiscating thousands of dollars worth of fireworks ahead of the holiday weekend, police said.


People thinking of lighting up some sparklers for July 4th may want to reconsider, as Police Commissioner William Bratton said he is prepared to arrest anyone involved with the illegal explosives.


“This type of activity is not only illegal, but is extremely dangerous,” Bratton said. “Each year these endeavors regrettably result in property damage, injuries and even death.”


On June 23 cops raided an Ozone Park apartment and confiscated an artillery of firecrackers and arrested one on charges of dealing of fireworks worth over $ 3,000, police said.


In that bust, police seized 16 boxes of “Flaming Balls,” two boxes of “Artillery Shells,” two 196-shot “Fire Candles,” nine boxes of “Battery Shots,” 11 packets of six “Roman Candles,” four packets of “Bottle Rockets,” three packets of “Firecrackers,” two “Grenade Crackers,” and other assorted fireworks from the Queens home.


Then on June 18 and 19, cops busted three people and recovered $ 7,000 worth of fireworks that were being brought in illegally from Pennsylvania.


Since January, the NYPD’s Organized Crime Control Bureau has arrested dozens of people by targeting black-market firework sellers within the five boroughs and legal sellers outside of New York state, namely in Pennsylvania, who depend on New Yorkers to buy fireworks in bulk before bringing them back home to the Big Apple.


Through last Monday, city cops had fielded nearly 50 fireworks-related calls to the city’s 311 system, and almost 600 calls to 911, according to police.





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Alleged Gunman Dead, Two Others Critical Following Shooting in Gowanus


Authorities say a gunman took his own life after critically wounding two others in a shooting incident in Brooklyn Monday morning.


The shooting happened in an iron factory on 13th Street between Hamilton Place and Second Avenue in Gowanus at around 11:15 a.m.


The alleged gunman barricaded himself in a tool room in the building after the shooting, according to authorities.


Authorities say negotiators tried to speak with him, but the alleged gunman ultimately died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.


Witnesses who were inside the building told NY1 that the alleged gunman walked into the building and asked for work.


According to witnesses, the man was directed upstairs to speak with management, but he instead took out his gun and started firing.


Witnesses inside the building told NY1 that he fired at least five shots.


Both victims were taken to Lutheran Hospital and are expected to survive.


NY1 is keeping a close eye on the situation and will bring you more information as it becomes available.





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Alleged Gunman Dead, Two Others Critical Following Shooting in Gowanus


Authorities say a gunman took his own life after critically wounding two others in a shooting incident in Brooklyn Monday morning.


The shooting happened in an iron factory on 13th Street between Hamilton Place and Second Avenue in Gowanus at around 11:15 a.m.


The alleged gunman barricaded himself in a tool room in the building after the shooting, according to authorities.


Authorities say negotiators tried to speak with him, but the alleged gunman ultimately died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.


Witnesses who were inside the building told NY1 that the alleged gunman walked into the building and asked for work.


According to witnesses, the man was directed upstairs to speak with management, but he instead took out his gun and started firing.


Witnesses inside the building told NY1 that he fired at least five shots.


Both victims were taken to Lutheran Hospital and are expected to survive.


NY1 is keeping a close eye on the situation and will bring you more information as it becomes available.





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‘Beyond humiliating’: Woman filmed by banker during sex


Victims of a former Morgan Stanley investment banker accused of secretly recording their sex romps are speaking out, telling The Post they’re fed up with the way they’ve been portrayed by his pricey criminal-defense team.


John C. Kelly, son of celebrity lawyer John Q. Kelly, allegedly filmed three women in his apartment and theirs using a hidden Web cam to capture the steamy trysts without their knowledge.


Kelly’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, has claimed that the victim who first discovered the illicit recordings was a jealous stalker who only went to authorities after Kelly had her arrested for trashing his apartment. The Ivy League grad spent a night in jail before all charges against her were dismissed.


“It’s beyond humiliating,” said the victim, who knew Kelly for over a year. “It hurts, it’s a betrayal and it’s so shameful.”


But that woman says Kelly panicked after she confronted him with the footage she saw on his YouTube account. That’s when she discovered a flash drive Kelly had mistakenly left in her apartment containing sex sessions with each of the women, she said.


Kelly claims the videos were accidentally recorded by a “doggie cam” he set up to keep an eye on his prized puggle Maddie. Meanwhile, sources said, he’d labeled one of the steamy clips “India Research” in a flip reference to the ethnic background of one victim.


“What is this? An NSA doggie cam?” said one victim, 37. “These recordings were so clearly deliberate.”


“The videos are very shocking and disturbing,” said another victim, 34, who met Kelly eight years ago at a museum and thought they were in an exclusive relationship.


“It’s so creepy, because you can see him [on the video] setting them up, clicking away while we’re out of the room. And they’re angled in such a way that he’s showing off every intimate part of our bodies.”


Prosecutors have said Kelly can be seen on video setting up the camera while the women were out of the room.


Kelly faces 31 felony counts of unlawful surveillance and attempted unlawful surveillance and a dissemination charge for showing at least one of the videos to a pal for kicks, law-enforcement sources said.


The creepy videos were recorded between May 2011 and Dec. 31, 2012, and uploaded to private YouTube and Vimeo accounts, according to one victim’s defense lawyer, Daniel Parker.


Kelly would bring his laptop along when he visited the victims at their apartments, claiming he had work to do, the victims said. He would then allegedly leave the computer open on the nightstand or desk to face the bed.


Adding to their humiliation, each of the women had to review with strangers the tapes that captured their most intimate moments.


“People were crying when they saw them because they’re so violating — he would look at the camera and it was clear that we didn’t know what he was doing,” the 34-year-old victim said.


The third victim, 30, an Ivy League grad, declined to go into details of the case.


The handsome financier lost his job for writing bad checks in November 2013, according to FINRA.


His lawyer didn’t respond to requests for comment.





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GOP consultant who stole $750K to return to prison


ALBANY — John Haggerty, a GOP operative convicted of stealing $ 750,000 of former Mayor Bloomberg’s money, will go back to prison following a ruling by the state’s highest court.


The Court of Appeals ruled unanimously Monday that the conviction of Haggerty was proper.


Haggerty’s attorney, Paul Shechtman, argued it was never proven that the money Haggerty was convicted of stealing came directly from Bloomberg — a legal longshot that the court quickly rejected.


“We conclude the defendant’s challenge lacks merit,” the court said.


Haggerty was convicted of stealing $ 750,000 from a trust fund that belonged to Bloomberg.


The fund transferred $ 1.2 million to the state Independence Party, which acted as an intermediary to funnel funds to Haggerty for what was supposed to be an election-day ballot-security operation in the 2009 mayoral race.


Haggerty was convicted of stealing $ 750,000 to buy out his brother’s share of their late father’s house in Forest Hills Gardens.


A series of articles in The Post were the first to expose Haggerty’s actions.


Haggerty been out of prison during the appeal process. In 2011, he was sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison.





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At Least Two Critical Following Shooting in Gowanus


Fire officials say at least two people have been shot and are in critical condition following an incident in Brooklyn Monday morning.


The shooting happened at 13th Street and Hamiliton Place in Gowanus at around 11:15 a.m.


The alleged gunman is said to be barricaded in an office.


There were initial reports of a hostage situation, but NY1 is now being told that that’s not the case.


Additional units, including the bomb squad, are being called to the location.


Surrounding buildings are being evacuated.


NY1 is keeping a close eye on the situation and will bring you more information as it becomes available.





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Proposed Change to Alternate Side Parking Rules Goes Before City Council’s Transportation Committee


A proposed change to alternate side parking rules is going before the City Council’s Transportation Committee today.


The bill would allow cars to legally park again once the street sweeper passes by, rather than wait for the end of the normal window.


City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez of Manhattan re-introduced the measure earlier this year.


He previously introduced it in 2010, where it won the support of current Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.


NY1 spoke to some drivers who liked the idea.


“It would make perfect sense to allow them to park,” said one driver. “I mean, they come there for five minutes, street sweep, and then people got to wait like 40 minutes for the time to expire before they can leave their car.


“I think it’s a great idea,” said another. “Why would you wait? If the purpose is to clean the streets, clean the streets and let us go back.


“The sweepers come, like, an hour into your waiting, so you’d still have a wait, but it would help. It would definitely help,” said a third.


The Sanitation Department has raised some concerns about the bill, pointing out that sweepers often have to go back and re-do a street because all the cars hadn’t been moved.





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Scaffolding in place even though work hasn’t started in 5 years


The city has shelled out thousands of dollars a month since 2009 to rent sidewalk sheds to protect pedestrians from construction outside a Brooklyn courthouse — even though work has yet to start.


“In five years, we haven’t seen a soul doing any work. It’s a shame — all that money sitting out there,’’ groused a courthouse veteran.


“I wouldn’t mind if work was being done, but nothing. It’s sad, but that’s the way the city does business.’’


The Department of Citywide Administrative Services first informed courthouse workers in a memo in February 2009 that “sidewalk shedding will be installed around building . . . for approximately two months.”


The city then began paying a scaffolding company $ 2,862 monthly for the sheds outside the downtown entrances to Brooklyn’s supreme court for civil matters.


After 64 months, the tab is now more than $ 180,000 — yet none of the planned facade repair work has even started at 360 Adams St.


DCAS spokeswoman Julianne Cho said the job still has to be officially transferred to another city agency, the Department of Design and Construction, before work can actually begin. That should happen sometime this year, she said.



Signs posted on the construction sheds read “Twin and Swing Scaffolding.”Photo: Riyad Hasan



“The shedding was erected in 2009 per [the law] to protect the public, in preparation for facade repair and cleaning,’’ Cho said. “Since that time, funding has been obtained and design work completed for the intended repairs.”


The project involves cleaning and repairing the building’s exterior, mortar, and window supports, Cho said.


The Department of Design and Construction “will execute the required work, which will occur after the project is transferred from DCAS to DDC,” she said.


She did not respond to an e-mail asking why DCAS has moved at a glacial pace before beginning work.


Signs posted on the sheds read “Twin and Swing Scaffolding,” referring to a Long Island City company bought last year by Safway.


The shedding was put up the same year that the city’s new rule for facade inspection kicked in. The rule requires owners of buildings higher than six stories to hire engineers to inspect for cracks, loose bricks and other issues every five years.


The rule has caused the amount of city sidewalk sheds and scaffolding to shoot up, with the 2013 figure 25 percent higher than 2009.





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Cuomo Announces Plan to Drastically Reduce HIV Incidence


To coincide with the Heritage of Pride March, Governor Andrew Cuomo is announcing a plan to drastically reduce HIV rates in the state.


The plan to “bend the curve” focuses on improving available HIV testing and providing better treatment and tracking for those who are infected.


Its goal is to lower the number of cases in the State to around 750 a year by 2020.


Some of the main points of action deal with fast-tracking the process to get a test.


The plan gives people at a higher risk for infection access to preventative medicines.


The governor also hopes to improve care by allowing data collected by the Health Department to be shared with health care providers.





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50,000 use new app to order handicapped-accessible cabs


The city’s handicapped-accessible taxi program, where wheelchair and scooter-bound passengers can order yellow cabs using a smartphone, has been a success with more than 50,000 people taking advantage of the service is it’s first year and a half, according to data obtained by The Post.


That’s more than 150 a day and other cities like San Francisco and Chicago are studying New York’s system to better tailor their fleets to disabled passengers.


“They’re blown away,” said Victor Calise, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People With Disabilities. “Others cities are moving toward this model.”


The taxi dispatch program launched a year and a half ago, and wait times continue to plunge as more accessible cabs hit city streets.


Users of the program can also order an accessible cab through text message, the website, or calling directly.


Currently, more than 600 accessible taxis serve wheelchair-bound New Yorkers — up from 231 cabs when the program launched in 2012.


“It’s making a very real difference in people’s lives,” said TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi.


That number is only expected to increase after a landmark court settlement last December pushed the city to convert half its fleet into accessible taxis by 2020.


Mark Stecker, who writes the blog Wheelchair Kamikaze and has multiple scleoris, says more accessible taxis have given him more freedom . “[It] has really been a game changer for me,” he said.


Though all city buses are wheelchair accessible, many subway stations can’t accommodate wheelchairs.


“We certainly should have equal opportunities at getting cabs,” said advocate Edith Prentiss. “I’m not saying things are perfect, but it’s an improvement.”


Cabbies are reimbursed for the time they spend traveling to pick up handicapped passengers.


Naomi Torrisi, who started using the service to help her 96-year-old mother to travel to doctor’s appointments, was the 50,000th passenger.


“The cabs have been comfortable and state of the art,” she said.





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Sunday, June 29, 2014

Daily Blotter


Queens


■ Cops are hunting for two thieves who stole bicycles from two Astoria apartment buildings.


The pair gained access to an underground parking garage of a building at 35th Avenue and 30th Street at about 7:40 a.m. June 17 and removed a blue Cannondale mountain bike that was chained to a rack, according to police.


Then, in a crime caught on surveillance video at 8:30 p.m. June 26, the same two men forced open the basement door of another building, at 30th Avenue and 37th Street, and stole a Trek mountain bike, cops said.


■ A gang of sneaky thieves made off with $ 4,000 from a woman’s home in Far Rockaway, cops said Sunday.


The 37-year-old woman withdrew cash from the Bank of America branch at Central and Washington avenues in nearby Cedarhurst, LI, at around 12:15 a.m. May 1, police said.


The crooks, believed to be two men and two women, tailed the victim as she made the six-minute drive from the bank to her home, according to police.


Once the victim got into her house, there was a knock at the door.


One of the crooks told the woman that she had dropped some money near her car, police said.


When the victim went to pick up the bills that the thieves had dropped as a decoy, one of the men went inside the house and snatched an envelope full of cash from her purse, cops said.


The four thieves fled in a Chrysler Pacifica.




Staten Island


■ Police on Sunday released a picture of a thug who is wanted in the screwdriver stabbing of a good Samaritan who tried to break up a fight between the creep and his girlfriend.


The 36-year-old victim spotted John Mathews, 34, in a heated argument with the woman near the Annadale railroad station at around 3:45 a.m. Friday, according to police.


The would-be hero approached the raging beau, who then went after him, cops said.


Mathews pulled out a screwdriver and stabbed the man in the back several times, police said.


A bouncer at the nearby Play Sports Bar rushed over as the attacker fled in a 2003 Lexus.


The quick-thinking bar employee wrote down the car’s license-plate number, according to law-enforcement sources.


Cops traced the registration to a nearby home, but Matthews was nowhere to be found, police said.


The victim was treated at Staten Island University North Hospital for non-life-threatening puncture wounds, according to police.


Police are on the hunt for Mathews, who is described as 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds.


■ A man has been charged with stealing electronics from New Springville stores over seven months, authorities said Sunday.


The shoplifting spree began in November, when William Brown, 57, and three other people swiped two iPods from a Target display case, according to a Criminal Court complaint.


Brown returned to the same store at 6:43 p.m. May 4 — again with three cohorts — and distracted an employee while the other crooks lifted four iPod Touches worth more than $ 1,000, the complaint states.


The gang struck again at around 4:30 p.m. May 25 at a Sears in the Staten Island Mall, where Brown was a lookout while two accomplices fled with eight Samsung tablets, the complaint states.


Brown was busted Wednesday and slapped with charges of grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and petit larceny, according to a spokesman for DA Dan Donovan.




Brooklyn


■ Police on Sunday were on the hunt for three people who ripped off an AT&T cellphone store in Sheepshead Bay.


The trio entered the store on Kings Highway near Coney Island Avenue at around 2 p.m. June 13, according to law-enforcement sources.


The first of the three thieves, believed to be a 27-year-old man approximately 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, walked around the store opening all the display cases, according to police.


An accomplice, a man approximately 25 years old, followed behind, grabbing merchandise, cops said.


The second man lifted Bluetooth headphones, phone cases and portable speakers, police said.


They then handed some of the stolen goods to a woman, believed to be approximately 28 years old, 5-foot-5 and 130 pounds, before all three fled, according to police.





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Bronx Man Dies While Fishing on Long Island Sound


A Bronx man died Friday after jumping from his fishing boat in the Long Island Sound. NY1′s Lori Chung filed the following report.


“That was his main hobby. He would go to work; after work, straight fishing,”


Friends and neighbors say that’s how they’ll remember Jesus Ortega—a man who loved life on the water, always showing off his latest catch.


“He’s always in high spirits, always, and then for me to hear this… it really hurts,” said Cano Diaz, a friend of the victim.


Police say Ortega and another man were fishing in the Long Island Sound late Friday night when they saw another boat bearing down on them.


They jumped in the water to avoid being hit. The collision never happened—and while the other man was able to get back into their boat, Ortega remained in the water.


Emergency responders pulled the 46-year-old out of the Sound and rushed him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.


“He’s a good swimmer. I just don’t understand how he drowned like that. Cause he always put his safe belt—his how do you call that? His life guard. He used to have one all the time. They found him without one. It’s very…very… I can’t even talk because it’s so sad,” said


Here at the Castle Hill Houses where he was known as “Red,” friends say he’ll be missed.


“Family man, family man, you know, works hard,” said friend Azar Parker.


“The one thing that used to make me laugh a lot: he always walked around this neighborhood with a dog on his shoulder, and that dog never left his side,” another friend said.


Ortega’s family is now asking for privacy while they grieve.


In the meantime, the medical examiner is working to determine the exact cause of death.





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Man arrested after grandson goes missing on train


Police arrested a Brooklyn man whose 3-year-old grandson went missing after he fell asleep on a train, cops said.


Wiley Reynolds, 49, was picked up in Queens Saturday around 10:30 p.m. and charged him with failure to exercise control of a minor, cops said.


Reynolds fell asleep on a northbound F train Friday evening and discovered his grandson, Kah-yon, missing when he woke up in Queens, cops said.


Reynolds reported the boy missing eight hours after the boy was last seen, cops said. This was a factor in pressing charges against the grandfather, sources said.


The boy was returned to his Newark, N.J. home after another passenger found the boy, cops said.


The boy is unharmed.





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One Dead, Two Injured in Brownsville Shooting


One person was killed and two more were injured in an early morning shooting in Brooklyn.


Police say a 28-year-old man died after being shot in the back on Tapscott Street in Brownsville at around 4:30 a.m. Sunday.


Another man was also shot in the leg and a woman shot in the foot.


A neighbor described what she heard.


“It was just crazy how it happened. Back to back, ‘Pow, pow,’”


“I’m shocked at where it happened. I’m used to it being like on Union or something, which is the next block over there, not on this block,”


The two surviving victims were taken to Kings County Hospital and are listed in stable condition.


Police say the investigation is ongoing.





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Two young women attack elderly man in NYC


An elderly man was attacked by two young women in Williamsburg early Sunday, cops said.


The 79-year-old man was leaving a building at 125 Taylor St. at 1:25 a.m. when he was hit in the back of the head and knocked to the ground by Raven Small, 20, and Tatyana Bone, 18, cops said.


The victim suffered cuts and bruises to his hand, cops said.


Small and Bone were busted an hour later inside 125 Taylor St. and charged with assault, cops said.


It remains unclear what motivated the attack.





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New Yorkers March Through Manhattan to Celebrate LGBT Pride


The 44th annual Heritage of Pride March is making its way down Fifth Avenue.


Marchers—many of them in colorful ensembles—are making their way from 36th street down to Christopher and Greenwich streets.


Organizers say some 14,000 people are marching and as many as 2.5 million more are lining the streets.


They say the march isn’t just a celebration of LGBT pride; it’s also a way to honor those who’ve fought for gay rights.


“We do them honor when we walk through New York City proud, and we do them honor when we say, ‘we are not finished,’” said Rea Carey, who is Grand Marshal of the march.


“If you want to love a guy and you’re a guy, that’s fine. If you want to love a girl and you’re a girl, that’s fine. Like, why—who are we to judge?” said an attendee.


“I think New York is just the center of LGBT life and pride in the world. It’s amazing,” another attendee said.


After the march, there will be a firework show and Dance on the Pier at Pier 26.





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3 girls beat rival as witnesses cheer


Three teenage girls were caught on videotape brutally beating a female rival in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park — while several nearby boys not only didn’t intervene, they cheered on the attackers.


The troubling footage, aired on WPIX-TV’s Channel 11, showed the victim sitting on a bench before her attackers set upon her — punching and kicking her and pulling her hair.


Several boys can be seen hovering or passing by — and egging on the rampaging girls.


“Oh, oh, oh yeah, oh yeah!” screamed one boy, possibly the camera operator.


Other young male voices could be heard laughing and cheering during the 29-second recording.


The attackers appeared to leave, then one returned and kicked the victim again in the head with a pink sneaker.


“Oh yeah!” screamed a male voice in apparent approval of the final shot.


There was no date or time stamp on the video.





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New Yorkers Gear Up for Manhattan Pride March


Pride Weekend is in full swing.


New Yorkers are set to march in Manhattan Sunday.


People have been coming together at all different venues around the city to celebrate.


NY1 spoke with some people at The Flaming Saddle in Hell’s Kitchen.


“We have been planning for this for about a month now, so we are really, just, like, very excited to dive in head first and have as much fun as we can and just really live up the weekend,” one man said.


“We decided to go out for Pride weekend and we both moved here from Chicago—actually my girlfriend moved here, too, and this is our first pride weekend in New York so we are hitting all the bars we can,” another person said.


The march will begin at West 36th street and make its way down Fifth Avenue before turning right onto West Eighth and eventually ending at Christopher and Greenwich Streets.





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New Yorkers Gear Up for Manhattan Pride March


Pride Weekend is in full swing.


New Yorkers are set to march in Manhattan Sunday.


People have been coming together at all different venues around the city to celebrate.


NY1 spoke with some people at The Flaming Saddle in Hell’s Kitchen.


“We have been planning for this for about a month now, so we are really, just, like, very excited to dive in head first and have as much fun as we can and just really live up the weekend,” one man said.


“We decided to go out for Pride weekend and we both moved here from Chicago—actually my girlfriend moved here, too, and this is our first pride weekend in New York so we are hitting all the bars we can,” another person said.


The march will begin at West 36th street and make its way down Fifth Avenue before turning right onto West Eighth and eventually ending at Christopher and Greenwich Streets.





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Travel Deals and Steals for Sunday, June 29


Sea Pines Resort guests can enjoy riding a special trolley.Sea Pines Resort guests can enjoy riding a special trolley.

BARBADOS MAN-CATION


Put a guys getaway on the books this summer by taking a sports-inspired trip to Elegant Hotels.


Deal: Book “The Daddy Sports Camp” package at Colony Club, Tamarind and The House. This deal includes luxury accommodations, complimentary breakfast, waterskiing, sailing, windsurfing and lessons in cricket, golf and stand-up paddleboarding. The package starts at $ 175/night for travel through Sept. 30. A minimum seven-night stay required.


Experience: Learn both bowling and batting techniques with a 60-minute cricket lesson at one of the island’s famed fields. Take a swing at the prestigious Apes Hill Golf Club and venture out onto Barbados’ pristine turquoise waters to perfect those paddleboarding skills. Finish off an action-packed week with a Friday night trip to Oistins Bay Garden, a fishing village hub, for the ultimate local fish fry experience.


Book it! Visit http://ift.tt/1k2v3CR or call (888) 996-9948 to book.


HAPPY IN HILTON HEAD


There’s something for the whole family at the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.


Deal: Book the “Escape Vacation” package, which starts at $ 1,015 and includes seven days in a one-bedroom villa, and get all these great perks:


• $ 100 resort credit redeemable for golf, dining and activities.


The pool at the Aloft Washington National Harbor, which has a special “Capital Wheel” promotion to attract guests.The pool at the Aloft Washington National Harbor, which has a special “Capital Wheel” promotion to attract guests.

• Free golf for children 12 and younger on the Ocean Course (with each paid adult round).


• No charge for children 12 and younger on a one and one-half hour dolphin excursion cruise (with each paid adult).


• One complimentary family portrait session on the beach by Memory Lane Portraits ($ 125 value).


• One Eco-Adventure or activity for two people at the resort or Coastal Discovery Museum at Historic Honey Horn.


• Access for two to the Harbour Town Lighthouse.


• Convenient complimentary “pack and pick-up” grocery service at Harris Teeter-Park Plaza.


• Two hours of complimentary tennis per day at the Sea Pines Racquet Club.


This package is available through Sept. 30.


Aloft Washington National Harbor has a special “Capital Wheel” package.Aloft Washington National Harbor has a special “Capital Wheel” package.

Experience: With five miles of unspoiled beaches, 14 miles of bike and walking trails, 54 holes of golf and horseback riding, the acclaimed Lowcountry destination offers loads of family fun within the resort.


Book it! Online at seapines.com or by phoning (866) 561-8802


ENJOY A CAPITAL VIEW


There’s a lot to see in Washington, D.C. — especially from the dramatic perspecive of the Aloft Washington National Harbor Hotel.


Steal: Book the “Capital Wheel” package for rates starting at $ 229 per night. The steal includes two VIP combination passes to the Capital Wheel and The National Harbor Carousel ($ 45 value), overnight parking with in-and-out privileges ($ 13 value), a $ 20 food and beverage credit and 750 Starwood Preferred Guests bonus points per stay. This offer is valid through Sept. 30.


Experience: Over Memorial Day Weekend, the 180-foot Capital Wheel arrived in D.C. It’s now open daily year-round. This grand ferris wheel is the tallest observation wheel east of the Mississippi River. Riders can see the Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol, Potomac River, the White House, the Pentagon and more.


Book it! Visit aloftnationalharbor.com or call (877) 462-5638.


Conway Confidential is a content syndication provider specializing in travel, food and lifestyle.





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‘Insubordinate’ teachers instructed unapproved patriotic songs to kids


Two Coney Island pre-K teachers were “insubordinate” for teaching their students to sing a song honoring the American flag without permission, school officials declared.


The PS 90 teachers had their 5-year-olds practice singing “Stand up for the Red, White and Blue,” in addition to other songs planned for their moving-up ceremony.


“You were insubordinate when you made plans to alter the program without obtaining approval from me,” the vice principal said in a disciplinary letter to the teachers last week.


The rap comes after The Post reported that PS 90 Principal Greta Hawkins sent letters to three pre-K teachers warning that they faced disciplinary charges for teaching their kids the patriotic tune.


“It’s plain old retaliation,” said pre-K teacher Sharon Sturm, adding that she will appeal.





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GOP leaders’ reactions to U.S. border crossing issues sound ignorant


EL DIARIO OUT; JUAREZ; MEXICO OUT; IF USE ON LAM OR LAT; AND EL DIARIO DE EL PASO OUTAP Photo A young Juarez, Mexico boy peeks through the border fence into Sunland Park, New Mexico as Border Patrol vehicles pass by.

The ignorance was appalling and the bad faith shocking. And those are two very good reasons why the tragedy of the unaccompanied children pouring over the border cannot be resolved.


I am talking about what is going on in Congress, and if you think you’ve heard it all in relation to immigration, just wait until you hear the proposals of some GOP House members during the first day of a Homeland Security committee hearing Tuesday.


“Why aren’t we putting them on a bus like we normally do and send them back down to Guatemala?” Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers asked about the thousands of boys and girls being held in detention facilities. Send them all to Guatemala, right? Who cares…The man is not only mean — we are talking about children, for goodness sake — but completely ignorant that the law doesn’t allow minors to be deported right away but mandates they be turned over to the Department of Health and Human Services.


Then there is the proposal from the committee’s vice chair, Candice Miller (R-Mich.), to cut ties with Latin America:


“…No more financial assistance from the U.S. to the Centrals that are shipping their children here illegally and we need to reopen, reexamine, and perhaps repeal both NAFTA, which is the North American Free Trade Agreement, and I think we need to do the same with CAFTA, which is the Central America Free Trade Agreement,” said Miller, wanting to take matters a little too far, probably because she has no idea of what she is talking about. Amazingly she believes that international trade agreements that produce $ 17 trillion worth of goods and services are foreign aid.


Wait, there is more.


Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), the committee’s chair, doesn’t seem to realize that our southern neighbor is a sovereign nation. “If we can close the southern border in Mexico, that would solve 99% of our problems,” he said. OK, Mr. McCaul, how are “we” going to do that? Sending the Marines perhaps?


Yet, while those ideas were plainly stupid, one by Rep. Darrell Issa, (R-Calif.) was dripping bad faith. The House grand inquisitor wants Dreamers deportations to start again and is asking House Republicans to sign a letter demanding that President Obama end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the program that allows eligible young immigrants to live and work in the U.S. The GOP-controlled committee blamed DACA for the crisis at the border. It doesn’t matter to them that anyone who entered the country after June 15, 2007, is ineligible for DACA.


In fact, we all should wish the explanation for the children’s exodus was that easy — and that painless.


The truth is that Central America is exploding with poverty and hopelessness caused in large measure by Washington’s history of bullying those countries by invading them, overthrowing democratic governments and financing devastating armed conflicts. The worst of it all is the violence from murderous gangs and drug cartels fueled by the multibillion-dollar illegal drug market in the U.S.


And no, Obama’s supposedly permissive immigration policy is not the reason why the children are coming over. They don’t come pursuing some version of the American Dream. These kids are running for their lives, and as long as conditions don’t change in their countries they will keep coming because they have no other choice.


No matter what Issa and his ilk say, this humanitarian tragedy is not a domestic policy problem but a foreign policy one. It will not be resolved until Washington accepts its responsibility and begins to do the only decent thing: Investing on repairing some of the terrible damage done to those nations over the years, instead of spending billions on unfair and useless repressive measures.


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Unaccompanied minors flood into city’s immigration court


The humanitarian crisis of unaccompanied children crossing into the United States is hitting New York, with advocates scrambling to help them avoid deportation.


One advocacy group says it works with 30 new kids a month and expects the number to skyrocket within four months as the child immigrants are released from shelters.


There are 6,000 juvenile cases now in New York Immigration Court, said Claire Thomas, a lawyer working through the Safe Passage Project at New York Law School.


“Without a lawyer, I don’t know how a kid can do it,” Thomas said.


Hundreds of children are being housed in shelters in Westchester, including at the Children’s Village complex in Dobbs Ferry and at the Lincoln Hall boys school in Somers.


The Department of Health and Human Services said last week that it was reviewing sites for more shelters in New York.


The youths are sent here because they have relatives in the area. They stay until they are released to a sponsor.





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Boy and man shot in Coney Island


A child and an adult were shot in broad daylight in Coney Island, authorities said.


A boy, 10, and a man, 25, were walking in front of 2321 Mermaid Ave. at approximately 7 p.m. Saturday when a gunman opened fire, cops said.


“I heard the shots and rushed out,” says Abdulla Mohsen, 61, owner of the deli at West 24th Street and Mermaid Avenue, near the site of the shootings.


“I heard the little kid crying; he was shot in the knee. The man was shot in the arm,” Mohsen said.


Police did not know the gunman’s motive.


The victims, who didn’t know each other, were taken to Lutheran Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, cops added.


“They need more [police] bodies on the street,” noted neighbor Evelyn Rivera, 45.





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Prospect Park-goers call for a barbecue ban in the massive green space


If some Prospect Park-goers had their way, scenes like this would not happen in the park.Gabel, Pearl/Gabel, Pearl If some Prospect Park-goers had their way, scenes like this would not happen in the park.

This campaign is hardly burning up the charts.


A small but vocal group of Brooklyn residents is calling for a ban on grilling in Prospect Park, saying charcoal fumes and toxic smoke they emit is a public nuisance.


“It’s a toxic smoke issue — it affects people’s health and it’s an environmental issue,” said Park Slope resident Daz Ryan, who last week launched a Change.org petition, which had only garnered a lowly 13 signatures by Friday evening.


The petition, titled “Help Make Prospect Park Toxic Free By 2015,” urges Mayor de Blasio and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams to take action against the “toxic charcoal smoke rising from Prospect Park into playgrounds, nearby homes, and public walkways” or ban grilling altogether.


Ryan, who is in her 50s, said the hazardous smoke and fumes emanating from burning charcoal has seeped into her home near 14th St. for more than a decade, but that it has gotten far worse over the past five or six years.


“When it happens I’m forced to close all of my windows,” said Ryan, who claims the incoming smoke has even caused her carbon monoxide detector to sound.


Grilling in Prospect Park is only allowed in designated areas, but some park-goers wish it was banned all together.Natalie Musumeci/New York Daily News Grilling in Prospect Park is only allowed in designated areas, but some park-goers wish it was banned all together.

Grilling is only permitted in designated areas that are primarily located near the outskirts of the park, but Ryan says that the designated sections are way too close to residential areas and the populated park drives.


Other parkgoers who hope for a barbecue ban in the park because of garbage and pollution concerns say people often disregard the rules and illegally grill wherever they want.


“On any given beautiful day, the park is overrun by people with barbecues,” said Randi Lass, 47, a park clean-up volunteer, who said that people usually set up grills by the lake or under a tree, which is also not permitted.


She said aquatic life, herons, egrets, ducks, turtles, frogs and possums are affected by the fumes.


“Runoff from the charcoal wind up in the lake, threatening all living things that require the lake for sustenance,” she said, adding that the Prospect Park Alliance needs to more closely oversee the grills or implement a ban.


People who barbecue n Prospect Park often disregard these signs and grill wherever they want, locals say.Natalie Musumeci/New York Daily News People who barbecue n Prospect Park often disregard these signs and grill wherever they want, locals say.

Barbecue lovers were outraged by the grill aggression.


“This is everybody’s backyard,” said Laurence Checler, 45, who was cooking up burgers in the park on Thursday. “Not everybody has the privilege of having a backyard.”


A spokeswoman for the Parks Department declined to comment on the petition. Stefan Ringel, a spokesman for Adams, said the borough president “is currently reviewing this issue,” and De Blasio’s office did not return requests for comment.


With Marco Poggio


nmusumeci@nydailynews.com





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Saturday, June 28, 2014

No mass overdoses at Avicii concert with medics on hand


An army of cops and medics converged on the Barclay Center for Saturday night’s Avicii concert — but there was no repeat of the mass drug overdoses at the Swedish DJ concert three days prior in Boston.


Police with drug-sniffing dogs inspected bags, patted down music fans, and even confiscated some laser pointers, but neither the NYPD nor EMS had to respond to any emergencies.


“It was total overkill,” said one policeman on the scene.


“I saw a few drunk guys, but nobody going, like, overboard” said a 25-year-old New Jersey woman, who gave only her first name, Michelle.


“I smoked up before I got here,” she shared. “Nobody ever overdosed on weed.”


Avicci performed onstage without mentioning what had happened at his Boston concert Wednesday night, when more than two dozen people were taken to hospitals for overdosing on drugs, including Molly.


“They didn’t talk about Boston’’ onstage, said one concert-goer who was decked out in a Guy Fawkes mask.


A small group of tipsy women remained undaunted by the police occupation, staggering out of the concert after midnight yelling, “Avicii rules!’’


A young man smoking an e-cigarette summed it up: “It was fine, I don’t know why Boston sucks at life.”





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City Controller Stringer braces for more wrongful conviction claims


City Controller Scott Stringer said Saturday his office is bracing for more wrongful conviction claims, just days after approving a $ 41 million settlement for the Central Park Five.Bryan Pace/for New York Daily News City Controller Scott Stringer said Saturday his office is bracing for more wrongful conviction claims, just days after approving a $ 41 million settlement for the Central Park Five.

City Controller Scott Stringer said Saturday his office is bracing for more wrongful conviction claims, just days after approving a $ 41 million settlement for the Central Park Five.


“Our office will be confronted with claims related to issues like this over the next many years,” Stringer said at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.


“I just want everyone here to know, and this is my solemn promise, we will look at every (wrongful conviction) case on the merits.”


Stringer said the settlement, which provided some sense of closure to the five black and Latino men who were exonerated in the racially charged 1989 case, ends “a very difficult chapter in our city’s history. It is a difficult moment in our time, but I believe that justice has been served.”


Stringer said the settlement, which provided some sense of closure to the five black and Latino men who were exonerated in the racially charged 1989 case, ends “a very difficult chapter in our city’s history. It is a difficult moment in our time, but I believe that justice has been served.”Stringer said the settlement, which provided some sense of closure to the five black and Latino men who were exonerated in the racially charged 1989 case, ends “a very difficult chapter in our city’s history. It is a difficult moment in our time, but I believe that justice has been served.”

Other claims that are set to land on his desk may stem from the Brooklyn district attorney’s reviews of dozens of cases involving retired NYPD Detective Louis Scarcella.


Attorneys for three brothers filed notices of claim Thursday to sue the city for $ 150 million each after allegedly being framed by the scandal-scarred former cop and serving decades behind bars.


The convictions of eight inmates who were prosecuted by the Brooklyn DA’s office have been overturned this year.





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City Controller Stringer braces for more wrongful conviction claims


City Controller Scott Stringer said Saturday his office is bracing for more wrongful conviction claims, just days after approving a $ 41 million settlement for the Central Park Five.Bryan Pace/for New York Daily News City Controller Scott Stringer said Saturday his office is bracing for more wrongful conviction claims, just days after approving a $ 41 million settlement for the Central Park Five.

City Controller Scott Stringer said Saturday his office is bracing for more wrongful conviction claims, just days after approving a $ 41 million settlement for the Central Park Five.


“Our office will be confronted with claims related to issues like this over the next many years,” Stringer said at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.


“I just want everyone here to know, and this is my solemn promise, we will look at every (wrongful conviction) case on the merits.”


Stringer said the settlement, which provided some sense of closure to the five black and Latino men who were exonerated in the racially charged 1989 case, ends “a very difficult chapter in our city’s history. It is a difficult moment in our time, but I believe that justice has been served.”


Stringer said the settlement, which provided some sense of closure to the five black and Latino men who were exonerated in the racially charged 1989 case, ends “a very difficult chapter in our city’s history. It is a difficult moment in our time, but I believe that justice has been served.”Stringer said the settlement, which provided some sense of closure to the five black and Latino men who were exonerated in the racially charged 1989 case, ends “a very difficult chapter in our city’s history. It is a difficult moment in our time, but I believe that justice has been served.”

Other claims that are set to land on his desk may stem from the Brooklyn district attorney’s reviews of dozens of cases involving retired NYPD Detective Louis Scarcella.


Attorneys for three brothers filed notices of claim Thursday to sue the city for $ 150 million each after allegedly being framed by the scandal-scarred former cop and serving decades behind bars.


The convictions of eight inmates who were prosecuted by the Brooklyn DA’s office have been overturned this year.





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Homeless sweat sweltering shelter where AC is banned


Tenants in a city-funded homeless shelter fear they won’t survive the summer because the building’s managers forbid them from using air conditioners — even though they have two units cooling their own office.


The summer has just begun, and so far one woman at the Harlem SRO had to be taken to the hospital after passing out, one was robbed after leaving her door open for relief, and another has called paramedics a dozen times for heat exhaustion.


Since the tenement, which is on the corner of Broadway and 142nd Street, takes referrals from the city Human Resources Administration and Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the city pays the building’s owner approximately $ 56 per night per resident.


With about 100 down-on-their-luck New Yorkers living there, the total yearly cost to taxpayers is a whopping $ 2 million.


“I have to ride the subway to get cool,” said Frederick Jones, who suffers from asthma and has lived in the shelter since October 2012.


“When it gets over 90 outside, it’s 120 in the building. You’ve got people on oxygen machines, people with HIV, people on medication. It’s ridiculous.”



Leslie Miller claims the heat at the shelter has caused her health problems.Photo: Angel Chevrestt



Jones doesn’t know who owns the squalid tenement, but public records list the owner as 601-142 Realty LLC. That company is tied to Allen Wartski, a chronic tax deadbeat who in 2010 owed more than $ 25,000 in back taxes, according to public records. In 2010 alone, he owed New York State more than $ 25,000 in back taxes — a debt he took nearly a year to pay off. Wartski did not return calls, and a building manager refused to speak to The Post last week.


A spokesman for HPD blamed the landlord for not allowing AC, while an HRA spokesman said it is contemplating a push to force some SROs to require it.


“HRA places a very small percentage of our clients in Single Room Occupancy buildings,” said agency spokesman David Neustadt. “There are no federal, state or local laws that require air conditioning at SROs. However, as part of Commissioner [Steven] Banks’ review of all prior HRA policies and procedures, we are considering a change in this long-standing practice.”


The city should allow the current situation to persist a day longer, homeless advocates said.


“That building is not medically appropriate for people with HIV,” said Sean Barry, executive director of the advocacy group Vocal New York. “The city should move these people out into more appropriate housing.”


On one balmy morning last week, with temperatures outside hovering around 80 degrees, the mercury inside reached 93 by 10:30 a.m.


Wheelchair-ridden Magdeline Vaughan, 53, who suffers from emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is one of the worst hit residents. She’s been to the ER at least 12 times in the past two months.


“I can’t breathe,” she said. “It’s murder in here, and it’s going to get worse. I have no choice to call for an ambulance to take me to the hospital.”


When she and other residents offer to buy their own air conditioners, the managers tell them the building’s wiring will short out.


“That can’t be true,” said one resident who suffers from HIV. “They’re nice and cool in their office with their air conditioning, and we’re burning up in here.”





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Harlem Gay Pride Turns Out in Jackie Robinson Park


Jackie Robinson Park hosted to Harlem Pride Day Saturday.


The theme to this year’s event was, “There’s no place like home.”


The festivities featured vendors, food, and community outreach groups.


Organizers say participation is larger than ever.


“We are here to lift them up and to let them know this is not a death sentence. This is a way of life you should subscribe for. It’s what you’ve got,” said George Holder of the Gay Men’s Action Network.


“We’re hoping to have more camaraderie with other LGBT groups and we’re hoping to let people know about our very active ministry for the LGBT community,” said Paul David Wilkin of the Riverside Church Maranatha Group.


“This is a very important movement for our generation. This is a really big deal, what’s going on with the gay pride movement. I wanted to participate and be active in the community,” said another attendee.


Events continue all weekend and include a boat ride hosted by Harlem Pride and the pride march Sunday.





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Brooklyn Hit-and-Run Leaves One Dead, One Facing Charges


One man died and another is facing charges after a hit-and-run accident in Brooklyn Saturday.


Police say 32-year-old Bryan Loughran was found unconscious on Gerritsen Avenue around 2:45 a.m.


Police say the driver—51-year-old Michael Casale—fled the scene, but was later arrested at his house.


The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but neighbors NY1 talked to say drivers frequently speed on the street.


“Since I was a kid, you know, there were people who run up and down this street with no regard for anyone or anything. You know? So it’s sad, yet not surprising that something tragic like this has happened,” said area resident Joe Pena.


Casale is facing charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and aggravated unlicensed operation.





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Brooklyn Hit-and-Run Leaves One Dead, One Facing Charges


One man died and another is facing charges after a hit-and-run accident in Brooklyn Saturday.


Police say 32-year-old Bryan Loughran was found unconscious on Gerritsen Avenue around 2:45 a.m.


Police say the driver—51-year-old Michael Casale—fled the scene, but was later arrested at his house.


The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but neighbors NY1 talked to say drivers frequently speed on the street.


“Since I was a kid, you know, there were people who run up and down this street with no regard for anyone or anything. You know? So it’s sad, yet not surprising that something tragic like this has happened,” said area resident Joe Pena.


Casale is facing charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and aggravated unlicensed operation.





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Dwyane Wade tells Heat he will become a free agent


NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpiCorey Sipkin/New York Daily News LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade all elect to opt out of Miami Heat deals.

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are joining LeBron James in free agency.


They told the Miami Heat on Saturday that they are opting out of the final two years on their contracts, which means they are free to talk to any team starting Tuesday. It’s the same option James exercised earlier in the week.


The moves come three days after Bosh, Wade and James met at a posh Miami Beach hotel to discuss their futures.


Dwyane Wade opts to become a free agent and can negotiate with any team ... including the Heat.Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images Dwyane Wade opts to become a free agent and can negotiate with any team … including the Heat.

Bosh was owed $ 42.7 million and Wade was owed $ 41.8 million on the final two years of their contracts. Their moves provide the Heat financial flexibility to sign additional players while quite possibly being able to convince Bosh, Wade and James into staying.


Players cannot sign new contracts until July 10.





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