Queens Man Indicted On Charges From December Shootings
A Queens man was indicted Wednesday on charges he killed two people and injured a third in a shooting rampage last month. Damel Burton, 34, seen above, has been indicted on two counts of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree attempted murder. The Queens district attorney said Burton shot to death 18-year old Keith Murrell, apparently in retaliation for a fight. He then boarded a Q111 bus and allegedly opened fire again, killing Marvin Gilkes and wounding another man. Read More: NY1
Man charged in NY Fed Reserve software theft
U.S. prosecutors arrested a Chinese computer programmer on charges he stole software code valued at nearly $10 million from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Bo Zhang, 32, of Queens, worked as a contract programmer at the bank. He was accused of illegally copying software to an external hard drive, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. district court in Manhattan. Authorities said the software, owned by the U.S. Treasury Department, cost about $9.5 million to develop. A New York Fed spokesman said in a statement that the bank immediately investigated the suspected breach when it was uncovered and promptly referred the matter to authorities. Read More: MSNBC
Queens aims for Apple core
Queens might be on the verge of getting a bite of the Apple. A real estate developer is in preliminary talks with Apple about opening one of the brand’s iconic stores on bustling Austin St. in Forest Hills. Heskel Group Chairman Yeheskel Elias said if a deal is reached, the sleek store could open in as little as a year. It would be only the second Apple location in the city outside Manhattan. A Staten Island store opened in 2005. “I will do anything I can to bring Apple in,” Elias said. “Queens has to have an Apple store.” Apple spokeswoman Michaela Wilkinson said the company has “made no announcements” on new stores outside Manhattan. But Elias said a broker for Apple reached out to him several months ago to discuss potential store locations in Forest Hills. Read More: Daily News
Brooklyn and Queens see home prices tumble in 4Q
It wasn’t such a merry end to 2011 for Brooklyn and Queens homeowners. Fourth-quarter prices fell in both boroughs and sales activity slumped in Queens, as worries over the economy had buyers hitting the pause button. “The market in Queens and Brooklyn is stable, but fragile,” said Michael Guerra, managing director of Brooklyn for Prudential Douglas Elliman. The median price of a Brooklyn home dropped 4.3% from last year to $454,383. The number of transactions increased 6.1% to 1,558. Read More: Daily News
Mark Wahlberg apologizes for ‘insensitive’ 9/11 remarks
Box-office badass Mark Wahlberg created the perfect storm of controversy yesterday, saying in a new interview that “it wouldn’t have went down like it did” if he had been on one of the airplanes hijacked on 9/11. But the Tinseltown tough guy quickly backed down, using a second take to “deeply apologize to the families of the victims” for his “insensitive” remarks, which read as if they came straight out of a lousy action-movie screenplay. Read More: New York Post
JFK, La Guardia and Newark terminals among worst in world
Three area airport terminals were cited as among the worst in the world yesterday — with Kennedy’s Terminal 3 earning the dubious distinction as the most miserable layover location on the planet. The former Pan Am terminal — which now houses Delta Air Lines — took home the dubious dishonor for its “endless immigration lines,” crummy food and shopping options, and dank environment, according to the travel Web site Frommer’s. Read More: New York Post
President Obama In Manhattan Today For Fundraisers
As his re-election campaign ramps into full gear, President Barack Obama is heading to the city today for a series of fundraisers. He’s expected to arrive at John F. Kennedy airport around 4 p.m. As usual, his visit will mean street closures and frozen zones whenever his motorcade is on the move. The president’s first stop will be a fundraiser at Daniel restaurant on the Upper East Side, followed by an event at Spike Lee’s home then a visit to the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Read More: NY1
