New reports show the troubled agency mismanaged funds and is accused of wasting billions of dollars. But so far, the “P-A” is saying “N-O,” reports CBS 2’s Tony Aiello.

The toll hikes are hurting the average person right now.

“I think they should roll ‘em back. Raising the tolls was kind of crazy,” one commuter said.

WCBS 880′s Peter Haskell With Port Authority Reaction

There’s no question the toll hikes are unpopular, but are they unjustified given audit findings of epic mismanagement at the Port Authority?

Some New York and New Jersey lawmakers say yes — roll the toll hikes back.

“In these dire times, and to see the waste and mismanagement, it’s really offensive to all of us here,” N.J. Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle said.

Port Authority Chairman David Samson said he understands the frustration.

“I wouldn’t have voted for the toll increase last August if I didn’t think it was necessary and appropriate,” Samson said.

Samson said he supports the audit findings that call the Port Authority “a challenged and dysfunctional organization” … “in need of a top-to-bottom overhaul.”

Auditors blamed mismanagement on multi-billion dollar overruns rebuilding the World Trade Center site.

“The commuters of New York and New Jersey are getting shafted,” Port Authority critic Richard Hughes said. “The Port Authority is not doing its core mission, which is repairing the bridges and tunnels and improving the airports.”

However, the Port Authority insists every penny of the toll hike is going to transportation projects.

“Not a dollar of toll revenue has, is, now, or will go outside the interstate transportation network,” Executive Director Pat Foye said.

To insiders, the current troubles at the bi-state agency almost seemed inevitable given the political turmoil of the last decade, which saw five different governors in New Jersey and four in New York — each with his own priorities and filling Port Authority positions with his own people.

“And in the midst of that, went through seven different executive directors in that 10-year period. The last 10 years what this agency has gone through has been completely destabilizing,” Port Authority Vice Chairman Scott Rechler said.

Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below …

Sources told CBS 2′s Marcia Kramer that Archbishop Dolan feels betrayed after his meeting with the president on the issue late last year.

A Catholic group in Alabama filed the first lawsuit against the Obama administration’s new birth control regulations as the controversy got even more heated Thursday.

LISTEN: WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb reports

The president ducked questions about the contraception controversy that is bedeviling his administration. The reason may be the latest attack from Dolan, who, sources told CBS 2, feels he was stabbed in the back by the president after the two met to discuss the issue.

“He was worried about being at odds with the Church, especially when it came to health care and education and charitable outreach,” Dolan told Kramer.

Kramer: “He made promises to you that he apparently hasn’t kept?”

Dolan: “Well, yeah. I’m honest in saying I feel a bit let down.”

Sources close to Dolan told Kramer that the archbishop felt betrayed after a November meeting with President Obama to discuss the contraception issue. Sources said the president promised Dolan that he would “get most of what he wanted.”

Instead, the administration issued a directive forcing Catholic institutions like schools and hospitals to pay for things like birth control and the morning after pill for their employees. The nation’s 355,000 churches are exempt.

“He assured me my administration wants to work closely with you,” Dolan said.

But that experience has left Dolan leery of any compromises the Obama administration might come up with.

“You would not be surprised that I’m a little skeptical,” Dolan said.

Democrats say it’s not about religion at all, but rather giving women the freedom to make their own choices.

“One million people and their dependents are employees at religiously sponsored hospitals and another 2 million students and workers are at religiously sponsored colleges and universities — far too many women to exclude from crucial health coverage,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney said.

“My colleagues and I stand in solidarity with American women who have waited decades for equity in contraceptive coverage,” said Westchester Rep. Nita Lowey.

“No one is telling the bishops anything about the religious practices of the Catholic church,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler from Manhattan. ”What is at issue here is that the bishops want the ability to impose their religious beliefs on other people, on the employees of religiously affiliated hospitals and universities.”

WATCH: CBS 2′s Marcia Kramer reports 

But Republicans in Congress plan to make the birth control provision in the Obama health care law an election year issue.

“This is very straightforward. This is about whether the government of the United States should have the power to go in and tell a faith-based organization that they have to pay for something they teach their members they shouldn’t be doing,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) said Wednesday.

House Speaker John Boehner is already laying out steps to reverse the policy.

“If the president does not reverse the department’s attack on religious freedom, then the Congress acting on behalf of the American people and the Constitution that we’re sworn to uphold, must,” Boehner said Wednesday.

Most health care plans already cover contraception and according to surveys, most Catholic women use it and according to the Center for Disease Control, 99 percent of women will use contraceptives at some point.

“That’s the point of the Affordable Health Care Act, that all Americans will have access to the kind of health care they need,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois).

Obama is standing by the new policy, but said he is looking for ways to compromise, including one option where religious employers would not have to cover birth control so long as they refer employees to an insurer who would provide it.

The new policy is set to take effect in August. The controversy won’t go away until some compromise is reached, and now with the suit being filed some may wait to see if it is upheld or struck down.

Please share your thoughts below…

LISTEN: 1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera reports

The family of Jamie Taccetta is suing for $20 million in connection with her murder at Haven Drugs in Medford on Father’s Day of last year. Taccetta was killed along with three others by David Laffer during a robbery of the pharmacy.

Also named in the suit is the owner of Haven Drugs, the doctor who allegedly prescribed painkillers to Laffer and pharmaceutical companies that make the drug oxycodone.

Laffer robbed Haven Pharmacy to get thousands of pills to feed his drug habit.

Attorney John Ray, who is representing Taccetta’s two children, Miranda Malone and Kaitlyn Malone, says he thinks they’ll win against the drug companies unlike suits that have been brought against gun manufacturers that have been thrown out.

“Here, unlike guns, guns are not per say addictive, but drugs are and they know it,” said Ray.

“Winning in a lawsuit is not just about principle. It is also about acquiring money, and we’re wanting $20 million,” he added.

LISTEN: WCBS 880′s Sophia Hall On The Case

The suit also says police caused Taccetta’s death by failing to investigate Laffer’s gun license and not confiscating the gun he used in the murders.

“Everyone who was a part of this should suffer the consequences because if they would have done their jobs right, it would have been prevented,” said 16-year-old Miranda.

“Anybody who hurts my children and their mother will have to pay and suffer the consequences that they have coming to them,” said James Malone, father Of Miranda and Kaitlyn.

After pleading guilty, Laffer was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

His wife, Melinda Brady, was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Authorities said she drove the getaway car.

Legal expert Marc Gann with the Nassau Bar Association weighed in on the suit.

“I think it is an incredibly steep uphill battle to pursue an action like this. To hold other parties responsible for someone else’s criminal conduct, civilly, is a very, very difficult thing to do” he said.

Please leave a coment below…

Ex-Marine David Hassan served the country in Iraq, but couldn’t get a passport or other legal documents because of snafu on his birth certificate that he indicated he was female to New York City officials.

“I’ve been male my whole life,” Hassan told CBS 2′s Sean Hennessey on Wednesday night.

WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond On The Story

Hassan needed a letter from the hospital where he was born, admitting they made the mistake, before the city could correct the issue.  However, Lenox Hill Hospital initially only gave him a letter saying the birth certificate was “incorrect,” but didn’t admit fault.

“It’s kind of silly thing. Clearly, just, somebody not paying attention,” said Peter Madison, the attorney representing Hassan.

Lenox Hill Hospital and the city corrected the error on Thursday with apologies, and the retired Marine and current Ph.D. student at Rutgers University was thrilled.

“It’s pretty ridiculous that things had to happen this way. Yeah, seemed like a pretty simple thing, but a couple of different bureaucracies trying to protect themselves, which I understand, but I’m [glad] everything got worked out,” he said Thursday.

Now he can finally, at age 30, apply for a New Jersey’s driver’s license.

Richard D’Amato Jr. of Bayonne is charged with two counts of attempted sexual assault of a minor, two counts of attempted lewdness to a minor and child endangerment.

Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik tells The Record newspaper the 24-year-old engaged in chats with the officer and exposed himself by webcam on several occasions.

Berdnik says D’Amato told investigators he had signed a contract to teach at Rutherford High School just before his arrest Wednesday.

The teacher has been ordered held on $75,000 bail. It’s not clear whether he has a lawyer.

Sound off in our comments section below…

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Looking on the bright side, that may not be such a bad thing depending on who you ask.

Some are blaming the mild weather this winter on an increase in city crime last month.

Warm Weather To Blame For Crime? 1010 WINS’ Al Jones Reports

NYPD statistics show that major crimes in January 2012 increased by 5.7 percent as compared to January 2011. In northern Manhattan, the numbers are even higher — an 11 percent jump.

NYPD officials believe the unseasonably warm temperatures are to be blamed for for the uptick in criminal activity — including robberies, burglaries and grand larcenies, according to a DNA Info report.

“That is the only factor that seems to have changed. Last winter the city was buried in snow, and now there has been barely a snow flake,” one official told the website.

While colder weather have moved into the area the last couple of days, Monday and Tuesday saw temperatures at or above 50 degrees.

Walking along West 123rd Street in Harlem, Robert Grant told 1010 WINS’ Al Jones he’s noticed an upswing in crime, but says he is not alarmed.

“They be doing the stupid things, like not no serious crime. They fight each other and all that kind of stuff,” he said.

But others, like Herb Taylor, of Flatbush, Brooklyn think increased crime has a lot less to do with weather and a lot more to do with unemployment and lack of opportunity.

“I think it’s a lack of jobs, education — basically what it’s always been,” he said. “When I grew up, there was after-school programs, now there’s nothing but the streets,” he said, “and we all know what’s out in the streets — no good.”

A slight increase in crimes last year, broke a 20-year string of declines.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: Do you think weather is responsible for the increase in crime?

WCBS 880′s Levon Putney On The Story

“I’m gratified to hear that the President and the Secretary of Education have granted our waiver. I think that shows the great confidence they have in this administration and in [education] comissioner Cerf,” said Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday.

No Child Left Behind requires all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Obama’s action strips away that fundamental requirement for those approved for flexibility, provided they offer a viable plan instead. Under the deal, New Jersey will have to show how it will prepare children for college and careers, set new targets for improving achievement among all students, develop meaningful teacher and principal evaluation systems, reward the best performing schools and focus help on the ones doing the worst.

A state Senate committee is considering a law requiring children to stay in school until they are 18.

The other 9 states to receive the waivers are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The only state that applied for the flexibility and did not get it, New Mexico, is working with the administration to get approval, a White House official told the AP.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the states had not yet been announced. A total of 28 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have signaled that they, too, plan to seek waivers — a sign of just how vast the law’s burdens have become as a big deadline nears.

In September, Obama called President George W. Bush’s most hyped domestic accomplishment an admirable but flawed effort that hurt students instead of helping them. He said action was necessary because Congress failed to update the law despite widespread bipartisan agreement that it needs fixing. Republicans have charged that by granting waivers, Obama was overreaching his authority.

The executive action by Obama is one of his most prominent in an ongoing campaign to act on his own where Congress is rebuffing him. No Child Left Behind was primarily designed to help the nation’s poor and minority children and was passed a decade ago with widespread bipartisan support. It has been up for renewal since 2007. But lawmakers have been stymied for years by competing priorities, disagreements over how much of a federal role there should be in schools and, in the recent Congress, partisan gridlock.

For all the cheers that states may have about the changes, the move also reflects the sobering reality that the United States is not close to the law’s original goal: getting children to grade level in reading and math.

Critics today say the 2014 deadline was unrealistic, the law is too rigid and led to teaching to the test, and too many schools feel they are labeled as “failures.” Under No Child Left Behind, schools that don’t meet requirements for two years or longer face increasingly tough consequences, including busing children to higher-performing schools, offering tutoring and replacing staff.

As the deadline approaches, more schools are failing to meet requirements under the law, with nearly half not doing so last year, according to the Center on Education Policy. Center officials said that’s because some states today have harder tests or have high numbers of immigrant and low-income children, but it’s also because the law requires states to raise the bar each year for how many children must pass the test.

In states granted a waiver, students will still be tested annually. But starting this fall, schools in those states will no longer face the same prescriptive actions spelled out under No Child Left Behind. A school’s performance will also probably be labeled differently.

The pressure will probably still be on the lowest-performing schools in states granted a waiver, but mediocre schools that aren’t failing will probably see the most changes because they will feel less pressure and have more flexibility in how they spend federal dollars, said Michael Petrilli, vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank.

While the president’s action marks a change in education policy in America, the reach is limited. The populous states of Pennsylvania, Texas and California are among those that have not said they will seek a waiver, although they could still do so later.

On Tuesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said states without a waiver will be held to the standards of No Child Left Behind because “it’s the law of the land.”

Some conservatives viewed Obama’s plan not as giving more flexibility to states, but as imposing his vision on them. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee, said Thursday that, “This notion that Congress is sort of an impediment to be bypassed, I find very, very troubling in many, many ways.”

Duncan maintained this week that the administration “desperately” wants Congress to fix the law.

In an election year in a divided Congress, that appears unlikely to happen.

Kline, who was speaking at an event at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said that in the House there was some bipartisan agreement on how to fix No Child Left Behind, but in many areas there was disagreement. He said later in the day he would release Republican-written legislation that seeks to restore states’ authority in education.

California Rep. George Miller, the committee’s ranking Democrat, has said such partisanship “means the end” to No Child Left Behind reform in this Congress. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who chairs the Senate committee with jurisdiction over education, has said he believes it “would be difficult to find a path forward” without a bipartisan bill in the House.

A Senate committee last fall passed a bipartisan bill to update the law, but it was opposed by the administration and did not go before the full Senate for a vote.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Attorney Michael Warren has asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo to appoint the state’s Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, to take over the case.

WCBS 880′s Irene Cornell On The Case

Warren said his 30 years experience in civil rights cases tells him it’s next to impossible for a local district attorney to take on cases of police brutality.

Reed, who had to get staples in his head and stitches in his arm, said he still suffers the effects of the beating — which was caught on videotape and posted on YouTube.

“I’m feeling all right, but I just constantly have headaches, and I have back pain, and when I go to sleep, I really can’t even sleep any more cause I constantly have nightmares day after day after day. I have nightmares over and over,” Reed said on Thursday.

“He’s waking up in the middle of the night having bad dreams about them coming to kill him. You couldn’t fathom how I felt going to see him locked up and tears in his eyes telling me, ‘Mommy, I didn’t do anything,’” said Reed’s mother.

Warren calls what happened an unwarranted police assault of an unarmed teenager.

“It reminded me of a scene that you might see on the Discovery Channel where a bunch of lions are devouring a prey that they have brought down after the initial attack and are feasting on the prey,” said Warren.

Reed’s mother is calling for the NYPD to retrain their officers and conduct psychological evaluations on a regular basis.

“Just because you have authority, you’re not supposed to abuse it,” she said.

The officers from the 42nd Precinct involved in the incident have been stripped of their guns and shields and placed on modified duty.

Police say a 23-year-old man was hit by 1999 Suzuki Vitara while he was trying to cross Mosholu Parkway near Goulden Avenue in the Bronx back on Dec. 26.

Cops say the driver of the Suzuki took off and by the time EMS arrived, the man had died.

The name of the victim has not been released.

Police say they’ve now found surveillance video of that Suzuki from two days later on Dec. 28.

In the video, police say the car is seen being parked by a man on Review Place and West 238th Street. He gets out of the car and walks away, but then a few minutes later, the car is seen bursting into flames.

Watch the video below:

Investigators are trying to find the man in the video.

If you have any information on the hit-and-run or the car fire, call police or Crime Stoppers at  at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.

A port-wine stain (an area of skin in which the small veins under the surface are dilated, increasing the amount of blood in the veins and resulting in a reddish mark on the skin tissue that can thicken and continue to grow and protrude from the affected area), which was left untreated, caused tissue overgrowth on Clint Rami’s face and made him the target of bullies.

On Thursday, Rami will undergo an operation at Roosevelt Hospital to remove the growth and he hopes others, especially children, will be able to have the same opportunity.

“The most important thing is to believe in the support system, believe in yourself, and continue making life movements forward,” Rami said. “Don’t get depressed, don’t ask, ‘Why me?’ cause it will take a lot of years from you.”

Rami said he teaches his four children to accept themselves and be strong but he said in the end you have to do what’s right for yourself.

Rami said he was bullied his whole life because of his deformity and he hopes his story will inspire others to realize they are just like everyone else.

“For those in my age in group that went through that every day in high school and junior high school and elementary school it gave you choices — either you find a way to creatively make the best of the situation or you run and hide,” Rami said. “I chose to make the best of the situation.”

Dr. Milton Waner said he is seeing more adult patients suffering from port-wine stains come in for consultation.

Waner said many people have not sought treatment because of a lack of knowledge that treatment options exist and other physicians telling them to leave their port-wine stains alone.

He said patients also may not seek treatment because they simply get accustomed to living with the condition.

“Rami was not aware of the fact that somebody could help him and as soon as I told him that we could do something for him he became very emotional and this was a tremendous surprise,” Waner said.

Doctors performing the procedure say Rami’s case is very sensitive and even dangerous but once the surgery is over Rami’s face will be much more symmetrical.

A laser surgeon will correct any birthmarks that remain.

Though Rami isn’t his first patient, Waner said it’s a procedure he doesn’t do often.

“There aren’t many people who do this type of surgery. It’s not widely available and it’s not widely known.,” Waner said. “Treatment of these patients is not very well documented and for the most part, most surgeons don’t really know what to do so the procedures that I’m going to be doing are procedures that I’ve developed over the last few years.”

Port-wine stain birthmarks occur in about one out of every 1,000 people.

Police believe the suspect broke into five apartment buildings on that street between First and Second Avenues in December before moving north a couple of blocks.

Police said on January 22, the suspect broke into an apartment on East 29th Street where he allegedly stole a laptop, jewelry and the tenant’s pocketbook.

Two days ago, a 34-year-old man apparently awoke around 8 a.m. and discovered the suspect in the bedroom of his East 28th Street apartment.

Police said the suspect fled through the front door without taking anything.

The suspect appears to enter the apartments through rear windows.

The suspect is believed to be between 20- and 30-years-old and weighs between 160 and 170 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

(credit: Jamie McCarthy/ Getty Images)

The Long Island native shocked some with her aged appearance when she attended the amfAR New York Gala to kick off Fall 2012 Fashion Week at Cipriani Wall Street Wednesday night.

See Also: The 5 Best Bars & Restaurants For Celeb Sightings During Fashion Week

It’s no secret that the “Mean Girls” star has made more headlines recently for her trouble with the law than for any acting accolades.

See More Photos: Lindsay Lohan’s New Look

What is puzzling, however, is the motivation behind the look, which makes the star look quite older than her actual age of 25.

Proceeds from the event, hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker, benefited AIDS research.

What do you think of Lindsay’s new look? Sound off below…

WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs On The Story

“They could find any human remains that possibly were alive or passed and they would help find those individuals quicker than we could,” said post commander Joe Cognitori.

A statue of a German Shepherd will be erected at the memorial site, says Cognitori, in tribute of man’s best friend.

“I get the chills every time I think of the patriotism that went on those couple of days, those weeks and months and now,” Cognitori told WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs.

He said the dogs worked without saying no and their paws got worn and raw, adding that there is a reason why they’re called man’s best friend.

“This was an opportunity to make sure that they get recognized,” he said.

Now, two New York lawmakers say a similar tribute to the “real heroes” of the 9/11 attacks is long overdue and they shouldn’t take a back seat to millionaire athletes.

Republican Assemblyman James Tedisco and Republican Sen. Kenneth LaValle introduced a bill to create a license plate to honor the first responders and victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Until the Cuomo administration quickly unveiled the Giants plate design, the state had stopped offering new commemorative plates. That was in part because of a lawsuit by an advocacy group.

The new plate features the Giants and Super Bowl XLVI logos as well as the words “Super Bowl XLVI Champions” and are available for both passenger and commercial vehicles.

The Tedisco-LaValle bill would direct the fee revenue from a commemorative plate to charities benefiting the families of those killed in the attacks.

What do you think? Sound off below in our comments section…

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, EMS was called to a building on West 33rd Street near Surf Avenue in Brooklyn.

When they arrived, they found a baby girl, believed to be about 5-months-old, in the hallway on the seventh floor.

She was taken to Coney Island Hospital where she was listed in good condition.

Residents on the eleventh floor of the building told 1010 WINS the baby’s mother has a drinking problem.

One woman, who asked not to be identified, said the baby is a “beautiful” and “plump” girl and that her mother is a “very nice neighbor.”

“She has issues that she needs to address, not with the baby, just personal issues that she needs to address,” the woman said.

Witnesses said the mother was arrested around 2:30 a.m.

The mother has not been publicly identified by police.

No charges have been filed.

The investigation is still ongoing.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been 140 reports of problems with the Tassimo single-cup brewers dousing people, including 37 cases involving second-degree burns.

About 835,000 Tassimo coffee makers are on recall in the United States; another 900,000 are being recalled in Canada.

EXTRA: Coffee Maker Recall | T-Disc Recall

The problem stems from the coffee marker’s “T-disc.”

The plastic disk holds the coffee or tea and can burst while brewing — spraying hot liquid on whoever is standing nearby.

The recall also includes about 4 million packages of Tassimo espresso T-discs after 21 reports of problems.

CPSC says the plastic discs of coffee can become clogged, rupture and spray hot liquid.

Consumers can contact the company at 866-918-8763 for more information or visit its website.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Police say around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, 81-year-old Agripina Camacho was hit in the cheek while she was inside her Brooklyn apartment watching television.

“She started screaming, ‘I’m hit I’m hit,’” the victim’s son, Freddie Camacho, told CBS 2′s Jessica Schneider. ” That’s when I ran out of my room.”

LISTEN: 1010 WINS’ John Montone reports

Camacho said it’s a miracle the bullet lodged in his mother’s cheek and never got to her skull.

“It hit her right underneath the eye,” Camacho said.

He called 911 and his mother was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital where she is listed in stable condition.

After undergoing surgery, the victim will not be returning to the home she’s lived in for 30 years. Schneider reports Camacho is planning on staying with one of her grandsons.

Police determined the bullet came from somewhere on Jerome Avenue, flew threw the courtyard and went straight through the window of Camacho’s first-floor apartment on Barbey Street.

“This area was good and now it’s going downhill,” Camacho said.

WATCH: CBS 2′s Jessica Schneider Reports

Police are now stationed at the back and front of the building at the Belmont-Sutter Houses.

So far, there are no arrests.

WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau On The Story

Senate Republican leader John McKinney does not think Connecticut is on strong enough economic footing right to pull it off.

“I don’t see the turnaround happening as fast as Gov. Malloy perhaps does,” he said Thursday. “We cannot sustain this level of spending now. Just last week, we learned that housing sales, which are an important barometer of our economic performance, were the lowest at any time on record in the history of the state of Connecticut.”

McKinney believes consolidating state agencies and privatizing more state services would provide the cuts needed to further balance the budget before moving on to higher spending.

Where do you stand? Sound off in the comments section below!

The 48-year-old Lorenz was arrested early Wednesday morning. Police say they found him slumped over the wheel of his car and when they woke him up he drove away slowly and nearly hit a utility pole.

Officers say his speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol.

Lorenz hosts pregame and postgame shows for the Yankees and Nets. He was arraigned Wednesday at Norwalk Superior Court and his case was continued to Feb. 29.

According to The Westport Hour, Lorenz chose not to disclose his occupation to the court bail commissioner.

After his arraignment, Lorenz was reportedly asked if he was a host on YES.

“No. I get that all the time,” he replied, according to the Hour.

It’s not clear if he has a lawyer. A Yes Network spokesman declined to comment.

Please leave your comments below…

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Police said the suspects — two men and two women — stop to ask their victims for directions and then steal jewelry, cash and other items before fleeing.

In the first incident, police said the suspects stole a chain necklace from a 16-year-old boy on the corner of Himrod Street and Knickerbocker Avenue on Nov. 30, 2011.

On January 24, one of the suspects apparently stole a 72-year-old man’s necklace at the corner of Varet Street and Graham Avenue.

Police say four days later, two of the suspects robbed a 24-year-old man at gunpoint on Rockaway Parkway. Less than 24 hours later, police said the same two suspects stole electronics from a 57-year-old man on Fulton Street.

The last incident occurred on February 2.

Police said in that case, two of the suspects approached a 21-year-old man, displayed a firearm and made off with the victim’s iPhone.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).

Jesse Curtis Morton, also known as Younus Abdullah Mohammad, was charged last year with communicating threats and has been in custody since his arrest in Morocco in October.

At plea hearing Thursday in federal court in Alexandria, Morton pleaded guilty to conspiracy, communicating threats and using the Internet to intimidate.

Last year, another operator of the Revolution Muslim website, Zachary Chesser, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Chesser admitted he posted threats against the “South Park” creators for an episode that depicted the prophet Muhammad in a bear costume.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

WCBS 880′s Paul Murnane On The Story

Under the governor’s plan, another $128 million on education.

$40 million will go to 30 struggling school districts in the state. Some call that a windfall.

Another $4.5 million would go to the Bridgeport schools.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch sees it as an investment.

“We can’t have the worst school system in the state being surrounded by extraordinarily wealthy and privileged suburbs. That’s just a disconnect that’s totally un-American and we’ve got to fix it and it isn’t just all about the money, because with this new funding comes state oversight of failing schools,” said Finch.

Danbury stands to receive another $1.7 million and nearly $1 million would go to Stamford.

Malloy also wants additional funding for charter schools and an overhaul in teacher tenure.

Phil Apruzzese of the Connecticut Education Association believes Malloy’s view of the tenure system is flawed.

“It is not a job for life. It is not just earned by showing up,” Apruzzese told WCBS 880 reporter Paul Murnane.

Patrick Riccards of the reform group ConnCAN sees an effort to boost the quality of educators and greater accountability over dollars spent.

“And of the teacher we have in the classroom, whether they be in their first year or whether they be 30 years in the profession, are doing the job that’s required of them,” he said. “He’s focusing on teacher certification, what’s required for a teacher entering the classroom. He’s focused on educator evaluation. How do we know that those who are teaching our children are doing the jobs that they’re supposed to and that our children are learning.”

What do you have to say about education in Connecticut? Sound off in the comments section below!

About 40 students at the Lawrenceville campus were transported to area hospitals or treated at the school after experiencing symptoms of a gastrointestinal illness, according to the University’s website.

Many of the students have been discharged from the hospital and are back on campus.

Officials believe norovirus is to blame.

An outbreak began a week ago and is still ongoing at nearby Princeton University where about 60 students have been sickened so far.

Symptoms of norovirus include diarrhea, vomitting, nausea, and stomach cramping.

The university said it is cleaning all dorm bathrooms and buildings.

No classes or events have been cancelled.

To prevent the spread of the virus students are being urged to wash their hands frequently and avoid sharing drinks, food, eating utensils and cups.

A week after Hoboken denied MTV a shooting permit, Snooki and friends will be free to G-T-L right next door in Jersey City.

The show’s producer has been granted a permit to shoot for six weeks in a two-story home near the corner of Grove and Mercer streets, according to reports.

Production is set to begin this month.

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer said the city’s decision to deny a permit for a spin-off of the MTV reality show was based on the “negative impact it would have on the health, safety and welfare of our community.”

In a document on the City of Hoboken’s website, the mayor explained that because Hoboken is “geographically a very small city…onlookers and fans would find it very easy to follow the production through the streets…the density of our city does not lend itself to 24-hour activity as would be experienced by our citizens.”

The document goes on to say that “the constant presence of such a production would be an attractive nuisance causing crowds to assemble at every hour of the day and night.”

The “Jersey Shore” is now in its fifth season.

How do you feel about the “Jersey Shore” crew coming to Jersey City? Let us know below…

WCBS 880′s Sean Adams On The Story

A new sign to be tested in Garfield will flash and warn pedestrians that a second train is approaching.

At the Plauderville station, there’s a memorial of flowers and stuffed animals for a 13-year-old boy. Last fall, after a train passed, he slipped under the crossing gate, unaware that a second train was approaching from the opposite direction.

Commuter Vincent Matthews told WCBS 880 reporter Sean Adams on Thursday that he’s seen this before.

“I’ve seen it in the past… The conductor of the train yells out why it’s against the law and everything else, you could get killed,” he said.

NJ TRANSIT will also go to schools to educate children about railroad crossings and they’ll study using gate skirts to prevent pedestrians from ducking under.

LISTEN: WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb With Mayor Bloomberg

The mayor was asked by a reporter on Wednesday if he’d be interested in buying the team.

“Look the Mets are fun and I like going, I think Citi Field turned out fine,” he replied, according to the New York Observer. “Why anybody wants to own a sports team, I can’t figure out.”

Bloomberg said he already faces tough scrutiny from the press without owning a team.

“I like the Wilpons. They are nice people,” he added. “I’ve known the family for a while. I wish them — hopefully they work themselves out of their fiscal problems. I like to go and I like to have a beer, and some popcorn and enjoy.”

The Mets have been in financial turmoil following three seasons of losing records at Citi Field and a lawsuit filed by the trustee seeking to recover money for victims of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme.

A trial is scheduled for next month; the trustee is seeking $386 million.

A $200 million minority ownership deal with hedge funder David Einhorn fell through in September. The Mets are now trying to sell smaller shares of the franchise at $20 million apiece.

Do you think Mayor Bloomberg would make a good franchise owner? Sound off in the comments below…

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond On The Story

iPhone users will show up at Apple Stores here in the New York City area and around the globe to demand better protections for workers.

The Apple customers delivering the petitions to Grand Central and elsewhere around he world say they want the company to use it’s motto of “Think Different” when it comes to protecting its workers.

“I’m calling you right now from an iPhone. People love Apple. They’ve got great products, really durable, really ahead of the market. What they want is for Apple to be better,” Sarah Ryan of change.org.

Apple users began the petition drive following reports of worker deaths, child labor, and exposure to neurotoxins at Apple supplier factories in China.

“We really want Apple to keep creating these awesome products, but create them at the price of workers’ lives in China,” Ryan told WCBS 880 reporter Marla Diamond.

A quarter million users have signed on.

Apple has not commented on the petition drive or its labor practices.

The Indiana Health Department says two cases of measles have been confirmed in the state. Health officials say one of those infected with the disease was in Indianapolis two days before the game and says visitors to Super Bowl village might have been exposed.

“One of the infected individuals visited the Super Bowl festivities in downtown Indianapolis on Friday, February 3, but health officials report the individual did not go into the NFL Experience at the Indiana Convention Center,” the health department says on its website. ”Since these events included visitors from other states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been notified. State health officials are also working with health officials in New York and Massachusetts.”

Measles is highly contagious. Symptoms begin with a fever and cough and then a rash develops, but most Americans are vaccinated for measles as children.

For more information from the Indiana Health Department, click here.

WCBS 880′s Levon Putney On The Story

“None. Because what we’re talking about here is a constitutional amendment, which could not be ruled as unconstitutional,” said Christie on Wednesday.

He says if voters approve the measure, “I will be governed by the will of the people. I don’t understand why that’s such a radical proposal.”

There is a bill going through the legislature to legalize gay marriage instead of a public referendum vote. The Senate is expected to vote Monday on the bill and the Assembly is to vote on February 16.

“Let me be really clear again. If the bill comes to my desk, I am vetoing it,” said Christie.

Christie says he’s not trying to avoid deciding on the issue and doubts lawmakers have votes to override a veto.

“So, I am not attempting to avoid responsibility. What I’m attempting to do is to avoid a train wreck,” said Christie.

He says a train wreck would be another heated debate over gay marriage?

How do you feel about Gov. Christie’s proposal? Sound off in the comments section below!