Staten Island Advance Top News

Local crime, politics, traffic & more from the Staten Island Advance

• First his leg, now his life
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 90-year-old Staten Island man who was "eaten alive" by two pit bulls last month, leaving him with injuries so severe that doctors had to amputate his leg, has died.

• Mexican merchants devastated
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The crumpled metal security gates and broken glass in front of three storefronts along Port Richmond Avenue stood out like wounds yesterday on what is otherwise a vibrant business strip, leaving shoppers and business owners in the largely Hispanic community feeling raw, vulnerable and targeted.

• Fall down elevator shaft ends in $2.25M settlement
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A fall of two and a half stories has left an Oakwood Beach elevator mechanic $2.25 million richer.

• GOP candidate takes city Health Department to task
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- GOP congressional candidate Dr. Jamshad Wyne yesterday slammed the city Health and Hospitals Corp. for not providing enough services on Staten Island.

• Helicopters and trucks to attack mosquitoes
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A week after the city said it found West Nile virus-infected mosquitoes in 41 traps across Staten Island, an assault on the bloodsuckers will begin tomorrow by air and land.

• Island Pakistanis hope for their homeland's future
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Pakistani-Americans living on Staten Island said yesterday they hoped the resignation of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf would help their homeland more closely embrace democracy and would advance the fight against terrorism.

• State senator makes a visit to St. George senior center
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Several senior centers on Staten Island are encouraging those older than 60 to stay healthy through new wellness activities.

• Uneasy anniversary of firefighters' deaths
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The oppressive heat of the packed firehouse in Greenwich Village seemed appropriate for the heavy hearts inside, as more than 100 people gathered to mark the anniversary of a deadly Manhattan skyscraper blaze that killed two New York City firefighters, one of them a son of Staten Island.

• West Brighton Houses residents, beset by violence, plead for help
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After two shootings in the West Brighton Houses over a 26-hour span, residents of the Castleton Avenue apartment complex are pleading for an end to the violence.

• Women of Achievement nominations
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island Advance celebrates women who selflessly give their time and talents to improve life for their fellow Staten Islanders.

• READING THE LABEL COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- About a dozen people in our region have confused bottles of torch oil with apple juice and other harmless liquids -- with fatal consequences in one instance.

• Pay phones here few, far between
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It's hard to tell whether the structure on the corner of Bradley Avenue and Victory Boulevard is an odd-shaped rusty trash receptacle or something else. A closer inspection reveals that it's actually a pay-phone kiosk, filled with fast-food wrappers, coffee cups and old newspapers. The receiver and keypad were long ago removed and replaced by garbage.

• Suspected strangler has new attorney
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Tottenville man accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend and burying her body in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey has dropped his Staten Island-based lawyer and hired a defense attorney from the Garden State who once prosecuted one of the Island's most notorious murderers.

• Art Lab scholarships available to kids, adults
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Art Lab, a not-for-profit on the grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden in Livingston, is offering scholarships for its fall schedule.

• Driver rams 3 businesses
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A mystery driver remains at large after smashing his pick-up truck into three storefronts along Port Richmond Avenue early this morning.

• Good news: Boat's rescue a community affair
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A. Romi Cohn has neighbors and the FDNY marine unit to thank for keeping his fishing boat afloat.

• Unsightly algae blooms detract from lakes' beauty
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Ah, summer in the park.

• West Brighton shootings leave 1 hurt, 4 arrested
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For the second time in as many days, gunplay wreaked havoc outside the West Brighton Houses apartment complex, sparking a massive police response and turning the streets outside the housing development into a crime scene.