Officials with the firefighter union on Wednesday accused the FDNY of fudging its emergency response time numbers.

The union analyzed response time data from the last two weeks and found that the FDNY excluded the amount of time it takes a caller to reach an operator through the city’s beleaguered 911 call system.

“They’re not counting the time a 911 caller spends with the 911 operator,” union head Steve Cassidy told the Daily News. “The time is significant — over a minute.”

Both the FDNY and the NYPD are understaffed and have been known to rely on forced overtime to handle their call volume, which is up 20% from 2009.

The post FDNY accused of underreporting response time appeared first on Metro.us.

By the time officials said Ground Zero toxins might have caused cancer, Adan Gonzalez was already dying from his.

Gonzalez, 69, died last month from throat cancer, which his daughter Paola Gonzalez said he developed after two years of volunteering at Ground Zero.

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  PHOTOS: Adan Gonzalez, 9/11 volunteer who died from throat cancer

More than a decade after the attack, many 9/11 responders are ill after spending months and years toiling in the toxic dust surrounding the attack site.

So many contracted cancer — a study last month found responders have a 15 percent higher rate of cancer; 2012 data showed an average age of 44 — that the Zadroga Act, a fund that compensates people who are sick, announced 50 covered cancers in September.

But Gonzalez, an immigrant who came to the city from Colombia without knowing English and “believed in the American dream,” his daughter said, was already sick — he received his diagnosis that month.

His story, she said, is “all too familiar” for 9/11 responders.

John Feal, who runs the FealGood Foundation that assists responders, told Metro that 1,300 have died – and that number is climbing.

Just last week, the names of five police officers who died – most under age 50 – from 9/11-related diseases were added to a memorial wall at One Police Plaza.

Gonzalez, a photographer for more than 45 years, volunteered with the Red Cross at Ground Zero, his daughter said, giving out food to first responders and taking photos for the aid group.

“He loved his country,” she said. “He put his life on the line without expecting anything in return.”

In June, she’ll head to Washington, D.C., hoping to talk to politicians about ending the red tape she said added to her father’s suffering.

Her father “was getting the run around” during his illness, she said, waiting on answers to questions about whether his illness qualified. Years after Zadroga was passed, others told Metro they had not received funds.

“He died waiting for that,” she said.

Follow Alison Bowen on Twitter @reporteralison

The post Cancer kills 9/11 volunteer months after feds approve coverage appeared first on Metro.us.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly honored six deceased officers at police headquarters Friday.

Names of the officers were added to the department’s Hall of Heroes memorial wall inside One Police Plaza at a Police Memorial Day ceremony.

Kelly called all six men “heroes.”

“They gave their lives in service to the public,” he said.

Five of the officers died from illnesses related to working at Ground Zero, with four of those men dying at or before age 50.

These men were Capt. Dennis Morales, Lt. Christopher Pupo, Sgt. Garrett Danza, Detective Alick Herrmann and Officer Denis McLarney.

Detective Fermin Archer, whose name was also added to the wall, died after he was injured in a car wreck while on duty.

“Today, we add six members of the world’s greatest police department to the Hall of Heroes,” Bloomberg said. “These officers rushed to assist us when we were in harm’s way, and they always put the safety of others above their own. We remember them with tremendous pride and gratitude.”

Morales joined the NYPD in 1992, serving in several precincts and the Emergency Service Unit. His 18-year career included 93 arrests and six excellence recognitions. He died in July at the age of 50.

Pupo worked in precincts as well as the Internal Affairs Bureau and Emergency Service Unit. His more than 200 arrests also included 33 department honors. He died in June at the age of 40.

Danza worked in the department’s communication division, making nearly 200 arrests and recognized four times for his service. He retired in 2003 and died in 2012 at age 58.

Herrman became an officer in 1986. He made nearly 400 arrests during two decades as a cop, from Brooklyn to Queens to the vice and auto crime divisions. He was recognized six times for his work and died in 2011 at age 49.

McLarney was a police officer in Brooklyn and was recognized four times for his work in precincts and the Brooklyn Court Section. He died in March at age 49.

Archer worked in the New York City Transit Police Department since 1985, also working in the commissioner’s office and the District Attorney’s office. He made more than 100 arrests and was recognized several times for excellence. He died at the age of 48.

The post City honors six fallen NYPD officers in Hall of Heroes appeared first on Metro.us.

Steve Bonano has protected New York in many different ways — from helping to clean up at Ground Zero after Sept. 11 to heading security at the Barclays Center.

Now, the Navy veteran, who has been a cop for decades, is struggling with a form of blood cancer related to 9/11.

He urgently needs a bone marrow transplant.

A bone marrow registry drive will start Tuesday, continuing through Wednesday, at 345 Jay St., for anyone who would like to see if they are a possible match.

All it takes to register as a potential donor is a cheek swab, organizers said.

No reservation is necessary. Anyone can stop by between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The post Ground Zero responder needs bone marrow transplant for 9/11-related cancer appeared first on Metro.us.

A mysterious piece of rope entwined in the landing gear found behind 51 Park Place last week was apparently tied there by NYPD personnel who first responded to the scene, Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne reported on Monday.

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  Possible 9/11 landing gear found behind 51 Park Place

The discovery of the landing gear was first reported via a 911 call last Wednesday, April 24. An officer who responded to the call reportedly found a length of rope on the group nearby and wrapped it around the machinery in an attempt to move the heavy object while looking for a serial number or other identifying marking.

A Boeing Company technician also identified the landing gear to NYPD Crime Scene detectives Sunday night as a trailing edge flap actuation support structure from a Boeing 767. The NYPD believes it is from one of the two airplanes destroyed on September 11, 2001, but has been unable to deduce which one.

The NYPD provided this illustration of where the machinery found being 51 Park Place would have been located on the landing gear of a Boeing 767, like the two planes that hit the World Trade Center towers in the 9/11 attacks. Credit: NYPD.

Various investigative law enforcement agencies were setting up at the site today, as the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner prepared to sift for human remains.

The NYPD anticipates that process could be completed by Wednesday, at which point they will attempt to extract the airplane part. It will be kept in police custody until a decision is made for the longterm.

In the past, the National Transportation Safety Board has sometimes taken similar parts, or they have been treated as historic artifacts and kept in museums. The New York State Museum in Albany currently has the piece of landing gear that smashed through the roof of the neighboring building at 43-45 Park Place on the day of the attacks.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post VIDEO: Landing gear rope mystery solved appeared first on Metro.us.

UPDATE: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has postponed the raising of the last pieces of the World Trade Center spire due to high wind conditions today.

Metro’s original story is below.

Construction crews are scheduled to raise the last pieces of One World Trade Center’s spire this morning, making it just feet from becoming the tallest tower in the Western Hemisphere.

The 408-foot spire and a steel beacon that will be added at a later date will complete the tower at 1,776 feet.

The spire will serve as a world-class broadcast antenna, the Associated Press reports.

The 104-story tower is expected to open for business in 2014.

Completion of the spire comes just days after police discovered a piece of landing gear, believed to be from one of the planes that crashed into the twin towers, behind the Park 51 Islamic cultural center.

The post (UPDATED) Delay in raising last pieces of One World Trade Center appeared first on Metro.us.

For a night, the most famed rivalry in sports was put on hold.

The Yankees honored the Red Sox and the city of Boston following Monday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon by playing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” after the third inning of their Tuesday night game against the Diamondbacks. The Red Sox have a tradition of playing the song, written about President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, in the middle of the eighth inning of each home game at Fenway Park.

The gesture by the Yankees was reminiscent of the Red Sox playing Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” during September 2001 home games following the 9/11 attacks on New York City.

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  Yankees honor Boston with ‘Sweet Caroline’ at Stadium

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  PHOTOS: Acts of kindness and heroism at the Boston Marathon

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  PHOTOS: Front page news headlines from Boston Marathon coverage

The post Yankees honor Boston with ‘Sweet Caroline’ at Stadium appeared first on Metro.us.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said he will sue the city after he said students were sent to the emergency room when they showed behavioral problems.

De Blasio planned to file a lawsuit Tuesday for data surrounding such incidents.

His concern, he said, is that with inadequate mental health services in schools, more educators are simply dialing 911 when students have outbursts.

This means more kids at the hospital instead of at school — and possibly more traumatized children, he said.

The State Supreme Court lawsuit demands documents from 2005 to 2010, including age, ethnicity and behavioral problems of each child. He also wants to know how much parents had to pay for each incident.

“This is wasteful, hurtful and wrong,” De Blasio said. “As a parent, I’d be furious if one of my kids was sent to an E.R. because the school didn’t know how to handle them. This is a disturbing reality for thousands of kids and parents.”

About one-third of schools have mental health services for students struggling with behavioral issues, according to De Blasio.

The post De Blasio sues city for students’ emergency-room records appeared first on Metro.us.

New York City plans to start sifting through earth and debris recovered from the World Trade Center site on Monday to look for the remains of victims from the attacks of September 11, 2001, officials said on Friday.

The city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Friday advised families of the dead about the new sifting operation, the first since 2010, a spokeswoman said in a statement.

The Medical Examiner’s office has identified remains of 1,634 people out of 2,752 killed when suicide hijackers crashed into the twin towers, leaving more than 1,000 families without any physical remains of those who died.

After the initial cleanup of the site, the city scaled back operations to search for remains, drawing criticism from families of the dead, who said they could not properly grieve. The city widened its search again in 2006.

The next search will comb through 590 cubic yards (451 cubic meters) of excavated material taken from and near the World Trade Center site, said Caswell Halloway, deputy mayor for operations, in a memo to Mayor Michael Bloomberg made public by the Medical Examiner’s office.

Much of the site known as Ground Zero is a construction zone for new skyscrapers and a memorial where the twin towers once stood.

The building under construction known as One World Trade Center has surpassed the Empire State Building as the tallest in New York and, when completed, would be the tallest in the Western Hemisphere at 1,776 feet.

The post New York to resume search for remains from September 11 attacks appeared first on Metro.us.

When an 87-year-old female at Glenwood Gardens, a retirement center and nursing home, collapsed the nurses followed protocol and called for emergency medical help.

The 911 dispatcher pleaded with the nursing home staffer to perform CPR, but the nurse refused, saying it was against the facility’s rules.

The elderly woman had troubled breathing, so the 911 dispatcher became desperate for someone to perform CPR until the paramedics arrived.

“As a human being … is there anyone there that is willing to help this lady and not let her die?” The 911 dispatcher asked.

“Not at this time,” the nurse responded.

The dispatcher asked if the nurse could find anyone, a passerby to perform CPR saying that the woman would likely die if CPR was not performed.

“Is there a gardener or any staff that doesn’t work for you? Flag someone down on the street.”

The elderly woman died at the hospital.

Glenwood Gardens released a statement after the incident:

“In the event of a health emergency at this independent living community our practice is to immediately call emergency medical personnel for assistance and to wait with the individual needing attention until such personnel arrives. That is the protocol we followed.”

Despite having followed protocol, the retirement center will launch an internal investigation into the matter.

It is not yet clear whether CRP would have saved the woman’s life.

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

The post 911 dispatcher pleads with nurse who refuses to perform CPR on elderly woman appeared first on Metro.us.

Louis Segna reportedly made over 400 false calls, including one about a subway explosion, because he was upset about the noise hipsters were making outside his home on Bedford Avenue and N. Seventh Street.

The post Cops arrest Williamsburg resident for making false 911 calls appeared first on Metro.us.

Two years ago, George, 49, was one of the 9/11 responders ecstatic when Congress passed the Zadroga Act, which created a fund to help him with ailments lingering from work at Ground Zero — lung problems, piles of pills on his counters.

But nearly two years to the day — Saturday — of the passage, the health problems remain, but no help has been added to his wallet.

“We’ve not seen one dime,” his wife Cynthia, 46, told Metro.

John Feal, who heads the FealGood Foundation to assist responders, said about 1,300 responders have died since 2001 — 200 since 2010 alone, he said.

Those responders could have benefited from the funds, he said.

In a letter to responders, a frustrated Feal said officials are “out of excuses,” adding, “Enough is enough already.” He expressed hope that funds would arrive in January and urged responders to make sure their paperwork was filed.

Sen. Charles Schumer called the delay “outrageous,” demanding that Victim Compensation Fund officials move “heaven and earth” to distribute funds.

Sheila Birnbaum, who heads the fund, hopes to begin payouts in January. Many forms submitted were not filled out correctly — a Department of Justice spokesperson told Metro today that they have not received one completed application since they began accepting them in October 2011.

George suffers from respiratory issues he attributes to inhaling toxic dust on “the pile.” He also constantly fears the cancers invading many of his colleagues’ bodies, which were added to the list of covered illnesses in September.

The Georges filled out forms nearly immediately, two years back. Just last week, Cynthia spoke with their attorney, only to hear again that they were still waiting.

“I’m tired of it,” she said. “I’m done. I’m done waiting.”

Their family is still in the same situation as two years ago, she said – trying to get by and balance pills, hospital co-pays and ever-steeper gas prices just to get to the doctor.

“Everyone’s still strapped, and it’s still the holiday season, and you’re still trying to make ends meet, and you’re getting nowhere,” she said.

She continued, “Someone says, ‘Don’t forget 9/11 heroes,’ but they have. They really have, because it’s more torture that you’re making people go through on a daily basis.”

Alex Sanchez, who has lung problems after cleaning at Ground Zero, helped other cleanup workers get Zadroga information at a forum Saturday at Elmhurst Hospital Center.

“They’re seeking answers, because everyone has waited for such a long time,” he said.  “These men and women have yet to receive a dime.”

The post Two years later, 9/11 responders still waiting for help appeared first on Metro.us.

Despite reports of a reconciliation between Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, the British “Twilight” star was recently enjoying the company of another woman, according to the Daily Mail. Pattinson and some pals hit up a New York City nightclub earlier this week, though the actor spent most of the night getting cozy with a mystery blonde. “He had his arm around [the girl] at one point, and they chatted for most of the night,” a source says. “They looked like they were having a great time, and the girl was making him laugh a lot.”

You know who’s not thrilled about Ashton Kutcher’s new romance with Mila Kunis? Demi Moore, according to Us Weekly. “She’s not psyched about Ashton and Mila,” a source says. “She was always insecure over the course of her marriage, so yeah, it’s hurtful that he’s with someone he knew the whole time he was with her.” While Kutcher and Moore separated last November, the pair’s divorce has yet to be finalized.

Justin Bieber had his computer and camera stolen from backstage during a tour stop in Washington state this week, he announced on Twitter. “Yesterday during the show me and my tour manager Josh had some stuff stolen. Really sucks. People should respect other’s property,” he posted. “I had a lot of personal footage on that computer and camera and that is what bother me the most.” It’s unclear just how “personal” that footage is, but so far there have been no reports of anyone looking to sell anything compromising from Bieber’s collection.

Just because Ben Affleck is no longer with former fiancée Jennifer Lopez, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t keep in touch. “We don’t have the kind of relationship where she relies on me for advice, but we do have the kind of relationship where there will be an e-mail saying, ‘Oh, your movie looks great,’” Affleck tells the Hollywood Reporter. “I remember when she got ‘American Idol.’ I said, ‘This was really smart. Good luck.’ I touch base. I respect her. I like her. She’s put up with some stuff that was unfair in her life, and I’m really pleased to see her successful.”

The post Thursday gossip roundup: Lindsay Lohan said her mom was on cocaine during fight appeared first on Metro.us.

In New York City, the World Trade Center Memorial site is filled with family members paying tribute to loved ones who lost their lives that day.

A somber ceremony began this morning at 8:39 a.m. Once again this year, the name of each victim is read aloud. It will conclude at 12:30 p.m.

(Photo by Mile Dixon/Metro)

(Photos by Getty Images)

People pause outside of the World Trade Center.

An American flag sits in the name of Frances Ann Cilente during memorial ceremonies.

Pilsoon Kang, who’s lost her son, Joon Koo Kang, stands at the memorial during memorial ceremonies for the eleventh anniversary.

Christine Gonda places a picture of firefighter George Kane in the engraving of his name at the South Pool.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, speak with Miah Afsaruddin during ceremonies.

An honor guard carries the World Trade Center flag near the South Pool of the 9/11 Memorial.

A member of the military salutes while standing by the South Pool.

The post PHOTOS: Remembering 9/11 on the 11th anniversary appeared first on Metro.us.

But for the family members who lost a loved one in the terror attacks that changed the world, this day is no easier than the ten anniversaries before it. For them, the pain remains — even with time.

Jamie Hargrave lost his brother T.J. Hargrave, a Cantor Fitzgerald employee, on 9/11. His remains were never recovered. Hargrave was escorting his family into today’s commemoration ceremony where his brother’s daughter will read his name.

“It is brutally sad every year,” Hargrave told Metro. “It’s important we remember him. He was quite a man.”

When asked whether the pain of 9/11 gets easier with time, Hargrave responded, “Leading up to it and the time after, yes. This day, no.”

Myrtle Bazil carried a photograph of her daughter, Shevonne Olicia Mentis, with her into today’s ceremony. Mentis worked at Marsh & McLennan on the 93rd floor of the North Tower.

“We traveled on the train, I told her, ‘Bye, see you later,’” Bazil recalled as her eyes filled with tears. “Pain, the pain doesn’t go away.”  

Some family members acknowledged that with the 11th anniversary, the city has taken a significant step forward in moving on from the tragedy, but said the wounds are still fresh for those who lost loved ones.

“Like anything else, the memories die away to certain people and you can understand that,” Pat Marino, who lost his firefighter son Kenneth Marino in the WTC, told Metro. “But to the families, I think it’s going to stay just the same as day one. It doesn’t get any easier.”

For the first time, this year’s commemoration ceremony will not include speeches by elected officials — a change that most family members welcomed.

“It used to be like a political ploy when we came down here and I didn’t like it,” Marino said, joined by his wife Mary Ann. “It’s more focused on the victims.”

Crowd of observers thinner this year

Still, some people came to Lower Manhattan today simply out of respect.

Inside Zuccotti Park, 28-year-old Don Rogers came from his Belmar, New Jersey home to spend time near the site on this day. He said he noticed, though, that the crowd of observers is thinner this year.  

“I could see on TV, it’s just kind of another day,” Rogers, who was a senior in high school on 9/11, told Metro. “I think last year was more symbolic because it was ten years.”  

He didn’t lose a loved one in the attacks, but said he comes to the city on this day each year to remember, and plans to continue his personal tradition in the future.

“It affected so many people in New York and New Jersey,” Rogers said. “It just means a lot, more than anything, I think, in my lifetime will probably mean.”

The post For family members of 9/11 victims, time stands still on anniversary appeared first on Metro.us.

After years of sick responders pleading to have their illnesses covered, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health announced today that about 50 cancers will be covered under the World Trade Center Health Program.

“The publication of this final rule marks an important step in the effort to provide needed treatment and care to 9/11 responders and survivors through the WTC Health Program,” NIOSH director Dr. John Howard said in a statement released the day before the eleventh anniversary of Sept. 11.

In June, Howard ruled that the cancers should be added to the list of illnesses that are covered by the Zadroga Act, a $4.3 billion fund that compensates people who are ill from Ground Zero toxic dust.

The act is named for James Zadroga, who died of 9/11-related illnesses.

Cancers that will be covered include lung, colon, trachea and esophageal cancers.

The coverage will include both rescue workers and residents or people who were in the area and may have been affected.

Responders had previously been told cancer would not be covered.

About 1,000 people have died from 9/11-related illnesses, Reuters estimated. The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association reported earlier this year that 65 officers have died of cancer since 9/11, and that another 297 were diagnosed.

In the past seven weeks, three New York City cops, two firefighters and a construction union worker who toiled at Ground Zero died of cancer or respiratory illnesses, according to John Feal of the FealGood Foundation, which helps responders.

“2,751 lives were lost that day,” Feal said.” That’s sad, but they didn’t suffer
long. These first responders have been slowly dying for 11 years.”

“We’re burying guys left and right,” added Nancy Carbone, executive director of Friends of Firefighters, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that helps treat first responders. “This is an ongoing epidemic.”

Some had questioned whether enough research connected the cancers to toxins at Ground Zero.

But responders, and often their doctors, noted that responders had an alarming amount of unusual cancers.

Last year, a report in medical journal The Lancet found that firefighters who worked at Ground Zero had a 19 percent greater change of getting cancer.

“Today’s announcement is a huge step forward that will provide justice and support to so many who are now suffering from cancer and other illnesses,” New York Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer said in a joint statement released this afternoon.

The post Feds cover some 9/11-related cancers appeared first on Metro.us.

Relatives of victims of the 2001 and 1993 attacks have been invited to attend a commemoration ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial plaza at the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan, beginning at 8:39 a.m.

The program will begin with music by bagpipers and drummers and the National Anthem performed by the Young People’s Chorus of New York City.

At 8:46 a.m., the first moment of silence will be held to mark AA Flight 11 striking the North Tower.

Moments of silence will continue throughout the morning in observance of the second plane hitting the South Tower, the plane that struck the Pentagon, the flight that went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, as well as when each tower fell.

Once again this year, each victim’s name will be read aloud. This is the first anniversary, however, where politicians will not be speaking during the program.

The ceremony is expected to conclude at 12:30 p.m.

The post 9/11 ceremony schedule appeared first on Metro.us.

Rother McLennon said he “specifically asked for little turkey and little ham, a lot of cheese and a lot of mayonnaise” at the Grateful Deli in East Hartford, Connecticut — Or at least that’s what he told the operator when he dialed 911 after the deli got the order wrong.

To clarify that this phone call from McLennon was actually taking place, the dispatcher asked, “You’re calling 911 because you don’t like way that they’re making your sandwich?”

“Exactly,” McLennon said, according to NBC Connecticut.

The dispatcher advised McLennon not to buy the sandwich, but it seemed his concerns went further than just that particular order.

“I mean, I just want to solve this the right way. Her sister made it, but she left,” McLennon (in all seriousness) explained. “They are playing games with me, so I was just wondering if you could come by… I just want it resolved and I want to be able to come back here and get the regular sandwich that I ask for.”

Is that so much to ask?

Again, the dispatcher, remaining patient, told McLennon to not buy the sandwich in the future.

Not satisfied with that strategy, McLennon said, “I’ll look at it before I buy it,” he said.”

The deli’s owner said McLennon ordered 14 sandwiches and employees made them to his specifications, but then he didn’t want to pay for them. Instead, he used the deli’s phone to call 911.

After the incident, McLennon called the deli to apologize and reassure them that he would be coming back for more sandwiches in the future, which we are sure they were thrilled to hear.

The post Rother McLennon: Connecticut man calls 911 over incorrect sandwich order appeared first on Metro.us.

FRIDLEY, Minn. (AP) – Police say a Minnesota mother and her boyfriend shaved the head of her 12-year-old daughter and made her run up and down the street in a diaper because she wasn’t getting good grades.

A neighbor called police Monday night after a crowd of about 50 people gathered in Fridley, near Minneapolis, to watch the girl, who was also wearing a tank top.

Police say the girl was crying and hysterical when an officer approached her.

The couple was arrested. Officials say they were laughing on the way to the county jail, and questioning why police got involved in the incident.

The girl and three younger children have been placed in foster care.

Oklahoma Man Arrested For Talking Dirty to Emergency Operators

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City police have arrested an elderly man for allegedly calling 911 operators to discuss the birds and the bees.

According to a police report, Clyde Dorain Hobbs, 72, called 911 on Saturday, May 5 at least 17 times. The report reveals Hobbs made sexually oriented comments to the emergency operators each time he called.

Police say it isn’t the first time they’ve arrested Hobbs for calling 911. Records show he’s been arrested three previous times. The report states when officers arrived to Hobbs’ home, he was “very belligerent and rude.”

Classes Axed After Body Spray Sets Off School Fire Alarm

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) – Officials are saying one student’s “overabundance” of body spray in a locker room triggered the schools fire alarm.

Firefighters were called to Middletown High School shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday.

Officials say the excessive use of scented body spray created a mist cloud below a heat sensor, which tripped the alarm.

Officials deemed the call a “routine accidental.” No word on whether the student was spoken to about the proper use of fragrance.

Arkansas Child Lodges Arm In Gumball Machine

An Arkansas toddler reaching for a sweet treat instead found firefighters reaching out to rescue him from the grasp of a gumball machine.

Terrell Parks Jr., 2, was out shopping with his father when, like most toddlers, he was lured in by the line of candy machines near the front of the Texarkana store where they were shopping.

Terrell reached into the machine so far that Fire Rescue had to be called in. They couldn’t just butter him up and slip the arm out…the rescue team needed to dismantle the machine to free the boy.

When his arm was freed…Terrell was still holding onto that gumball.

NY Man Shoots Friend In The Leg…At His Request

STOCKHOLM, N.Y. (AP) – Police say a northern New York man had his friend shoot him with a rifle because he was interested in knowing what it feels like to be shot.

State police say the shooting occurred around 5 p.m. Sunday in the rural town of Stockholm when 25-year-old Shawn Mossow gave in to his friend’s repeated requests and shot him once in the right leg with a .22-caliber rifle.

The 24-year-old is expected to make a full recovery. Police haven’t released his name.

Mossow was charged with reckless endangerment. He’s being held in the county jail on $10,000 bail.

Teachers Dancing Behind Students

Teachers at a Massachusetts charter school had some fun behind students who believed they were participating in a documentary.

Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School teacher Mike Penney told students he was making a documentary for the school’s annual student film festival, in which the teachers typically have an entry.

While the students were talking to the camera about topics like their favorite classes, teachers at the school snuck into the background and busted out some dance moves.

“It’s pretty rare that we get one over on them,” Penney said of the students, who he said weren’t aware of the practical joke until the video was screened at the film festival, itself.

The post Weird news roundup: Don’t call 911 for phone sex appeared first on Metro.us.

The statistics, first reported in the New York Post, show that 297 cops who worked at Ground Zero have been diagnosed with cancer.

Lung cancers are most prevalent, according to the PBA data, but others are cancers of tongue or nasal passages.

The number of cops who are applying for cancer-related disability pensions also tripled.

Many first responders who worked on “the pile” are concerned that the toxic dust they worked around will affect their long-term health.

The city is working on its own study about cancer among responders, and a Department of Health spokeswoman said they will submit the study to a journal by March.

The post New data shows 9/11 cops with cancer at average age of 44 appeared first on Metro.us.

Metro’s original story is below:

Oh, Mark Wahlberg — how are you so awesome and so dumb at the same time?

In an interview in the February issue of Men’s Journal that will undoubtedly haunt him for the rest of his career, Wahlberg reflected on the tragedy of 9/11, saying things would have gone differently if he — the former ’90s rapper, Calvin Klein underwear model and modern day screen star — had been aboard one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center. (Wahlberg was booked on one of the doomed flights, but never got on board.)

You see, actor Mark Walhberg would have stopped those terrorists dead in their tracks. He would have beat them right up! Then he would have hopped behind the controls, and he would have landed that plane. He just knows it.

“If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did,” Wahlberg says in the interview. “There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.’”

Sure, Marky Mark. Sure. 

We can appreciate Wahlberg’s ambition and we get that he wants to be a hero. But we can’t help but feel his comments are disrespectful to the passengers who lost their lives that day, especially those aboard United Flight 93, who famously stormed the cabin and brought down the plane in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Look, Wahlberg — we know you are a real tough guy from a tough guy part of town in Boston, which is, you know, tough and all… but you’re just one guy. You may be a fighter (sorry, couldn’t resist), but you’re just one guy.

Below, a look at the #WahlbergHistory meme: 

[View the story "#WahlbergHistory" on Storify]

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Last year, the two brothers squared off in an overtime win by the Jets in Cleveland, but the real battle began in the days leading up to the game. During his midweek press conference last fall, Rex Ryan entered and took the podium with a pillow under his shirt and a blonde wig on, clearly poking fun at his brother’s portly shape and long locks. This year, given the fact that the game takes place on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and will be played just minutes from Ground Zero, the brothers have ratcheted down the talk.

“He knows that it’s 9/11. He can poke fun and obviously last year that was good for him and I love him, but that’s just the way he is,” Rob Ryan said on Monday. “But if he does I’d be surprised.”

For his part, Rex Ryan sidestepped any chances to further up the banter and trash talk between the two, choosing to remember that he too watched the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on television. Both brothers recall being worried about a cousin, Matthew Russo, who was a firefighter in New York. Russo was not called to the site of the attack that day and has since retired.

But the Jets head coach feels the pressure of the game resonating as he realizes that his team represents a city still very much coming to terms with the senseless act of terrorism that perfectly crisp and peaceful Tuesday morning. Last week, the Jets visited Ground Zero to pay their respects to the victims of the World Trade Center attacks.

“I feel it. It’s different,” Rex Ryan said. “The significance of it, it’s stronger. I don’t know.”

Adding further emotion to the season opener for both teams is that Buddy Ryan, their father, will be in attendance on Sunday night. Buddy Ryan is currently battling cancer and is scheduled to have surgery Sept. 16.

“Anytime you got cancer again, it’s a huge concern,” Rex Ryan said.

But to understand the dynamic of the two, there is only one person to turn to in the Jets locker room — safety Brodney Pool. In 2009, Pool played for Rob Ryan in Cleveland before joining the Jets the next year for Rex Ryan’s second year as head coach of the team. He has interacted with both Ryans and understands the dynamic that makes them among the brightest minds in the NFL.

And the quirkiest.

“They’re both similar, both a lot alike. The same sense of humor and type of jokes,” Pool told Metro. “Both of them use the ‘F Bomb’ a lot too.”

Pool remembers that prior to meetings with his defense in Cleveland, Rob Ryan would play YouTube videos to lighten the mood. It was “just usually something crazy or stupid, something to laugh at,” but Pool sees similar personality traits in his current head coach that he observed while in Cleveland, watching Rob Ryan.

“If you just gave Rex grey hair, pretty much they’d be exactly alike,” Pool said.

There is an identity and a common bond forged between the two. Football, their common love, gives the Ryan brothers a universal language and a common reason to bring it extra hard this Sunday.

“You can’t be any closer than what we are. We’re a pretty tight family. Dad’s got another bout with cancer that just came up. He’s constantly fighting that and that just happened last week,” Rob Ryan said. “This game is important to him and he’s going to get operated on after the game. He wants to see these two rams bat heads and we’re going to get after it.”

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer for news all season long.

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A panel at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health deemed they have “insufficient evidence” to link cancer to Ground Zero toxins. Federal researchers ruled that cancers will not be covered by the $4.3 billion allocated by the James A. Zadroga Act.

No exact number exists for the number of first responders who have cancer, and those studying the issue — like researchers at the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program — declined to give out data before research is finished.

But John Feal, a first responder who helped get the Zadroga Act passed in Congress, estimates that “hundreds, if not thousands” of his fellow responders now have cancer.

Jeff Stroehlein, 47, a 17-year firefighter who worked on Ground Zero, was diagnosed with brain cancer in March. “This is unbelievable,” said his wife, Margaret, 40, of the federal government’s decision. “I wanted to cry.”

Just last week, the Stroehleins spent $700 on medicine not covered by their insurance.

“We’re sick and dying, we’re not stupid,” Feal told Metro. “I don’t need a doctor with 12 years of college telling me that 9/11 didn’t cause these cancers.”

A second review of cancer will be done in 2012.

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Brian Schroeder said he was too drunk to remember sneaking into the chapel on East 30th Street in October and setting the fire. None of the human remains temporarily housed there were affected by the blaze, but photos left behind by grieving family members were destroyed.

The 27-year-old Texas native accepted a no-jail plea deal to the crime. But the city’s Chief Medical Examiner, who is in charge of the remains, said Schroeder, who now lives in New York and works at a nonprofit, caused $180,000 worth of damage.

His attorney, Alan Lewis, argued in court that he can’t afford to pay it all back. Yesterday, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge gave Schroeder a choice: Pay $50,000 by Sept. 21, or do jail time, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

Sally Regenhard, whose firefighter son Christian’s remains are housed at the chapel, said Schroeder is merely getting yet another pass. “He got a slap on the wrist,” she said. “I don’t think there’s anyone else  who could set a fire and get away with this.”

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Let us use the Twitter of Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers running back, as a test case. First, let us establish his Truther bonafides:

That tweet has since been deleted, but now let’s go to the tape:

.bbpBox65166153525379072 {background:url(http://a3.twimg.com/a/1304436748/images/themes/theme1/bg.png) #C0DEED;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px} p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}

“One side”? Oh dear. What would the other one be? Quick, say something about God to make up for it.

.bbpBox65180241353646080 {background:url(http://a3.twimg.com/a/1304436748/images/themes/theme1/bg.png) #C0DEED;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px} p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}

OK. I kind of see where you’re coming from.

.bbpBox65180868850884608 {background:url(http://a3.twimg.com/a/1304436748/images/themes/theme1/bg.png) #C0DEED;padding:20px;} p.bbpTweet{background:#fff;padding:10px 12px 10px 12px;margin:0;min-height:48px;color:#000;font-size:18px !important;line-height:22px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata{display:block;width:100%;clear:both;margin-top:8px;padding-top:12px;height:40px;border-top:1px solid #fff;border-top:1px solid #e6e6e6} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author{line-height:19px} p.bbpTweet span.metadata span.author img{float:left;margin:0 7px 0 0px;width:38px;height:38px} p.bbpTweet a:hover{text-decoration:underline}p.bbpTweet span.timestamp{font-size:12px;display:block}

Aww, that was sort of eloquent. Now you’ve almost converted us.

We don’t think, as Mike Florio does, that Mendenhall should be fined or fired for his remarks. The notion that people shouldn’t celebrate the death of any other human being may not be a mainstream opinion this week, but it’s hardly one that deserves punishment.

But when it comes to 9/11 Trutherism, Mendenhall needs to educate himself. Read some Popular Mechanics, man, and grow up!

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10 years later, how did both men react to the news of Osama bin Laden’s death? Let’s compare:

Letterman on 9/17/01 spoke with typical Midwestern acidity: “We’re told that they were zealots fueled by religious fervor. And if you live to be a thousand years old, will that make any sense to you? Will that make any goddamn sense?”

Last night, though, Dave was far more exuberant: “That didn’t take long!”

Unlike Letterman, Stewart in 2001 was an up-and-comer just earning his stripes: “I am sorry to do this to you. It’s another entertainment show beginning with an overwrought speech of a shaken host, and television is nothing if not redundant.”

Last night, though, it was as if Stewart was a cartoon character celebrating the death of a long-time nemesis — which, in a sense, he was.

Which do you prefer?

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A dozen men and women spoke out yesterday against plans to entomb the unidentified remains of 1,123 victims of the World Trade Center attack inside a museum, seven stories below ground-level.

“Bloomberg doesn’t own the rights to our loved ones’ remains,” said Long Island resident Rosemary Cain. Her son George, a firefighter, died in 9/11.

“For months we waited and prayed for him to be recovered,” said Cain. “I will not allow the city of New York to put him back in that hellhole.”

Cain said she and others were promised a “tomb-like” above-ground structure — open to the public, but with an adjacent private area for families to grieve.

Yet in the current proposed plan for the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, visitors would pay to visit the repository holding the remains. Family members would still have a private room for paying their respects, but it would only fit eight or ten people at a time.

Families say they were never part of the discussion. “We will never agree to dishonoring our son’s remains by placing them in the basement of a museum,” said Sally Regenhard, who lost her son Christian. “The 9/11 families were never consulted.”

Follow Emily Anne Epstein on Twitter at @EmilyatMetro.

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Friedlander, now a healthy 27-year-old hedge fund analyst, is one of about 30,000 New Yorkers who were under 18 and regularly breathed the air near Ground Zero, according to victims’ advocacy group 9/11 Environmental Action. Today, the group is hosting a public forum about the effects 9/11 had on children’s health.

“Any child who had a real exposure at that time, who was in the dust cloud, or who had repeated dust exposure, I’d be pretty concerned for those kids,” said Dr. Elizabeth Fiorino, a World Trade Center Environmental Health Center pediatric pulmonologist.

After 9/11, Lower East Side resident Maria Muentes noticed her baby daughter, Alexia, coughing constantly; she then developed bronchitis. “Over the years, it seemed to get worse instead of better,” she said.

Now, Alexia, 11, regularly visits the WTC program at Bellevue Hospital Center. She gets government-funded treatment that was extended under the 9/11 health bill, passed in December.

Children of responders also seek psychological treatment after watching their parents become ill.

Long Islander Cyndi George said she worries about her two daughters, exposed to toxins when they hugged their father Ken after he came home dusty from Ground Zero.

“How do they deal with the fact if anything does happen to him?” George said.

Children at risk

Any child exposed to Ground Zero’s toxic fumes — whether from inhaling downtown air or touching a responder’s dusty coat — can enter the WTC program.

“We worried about very young children crawling around on contaminated carpets, kids jumping up and down on contaminated sofas,” said Kimberly Flynn, 9/11 Environmental Action director.

“There’s no question this happened.”

Follow Alison Bowen on Twitter at @AlisonatMetro.

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Several 9/11 family members objected to the Cordoba Initiative’s involvement in “Performing Tribute,” a play about six personal narratives of 9/11. The Cordoba Initiative, a major backer of the Park51 mosque, secured space for the play at the Interchurch Center in Harlem.

“None of us object to ‘Performing Tribute,’” said Rosaleen Tallon, 39, who led the charge against the play. “We did not want 9/11 manipulated by the Cordoba Initiative.” Tallon lost her brother in 9/11.

Tallon said she and dozens of others opposed to the mosque would have attended the performance.

“Nobody can know why they canceled it, but I personally think they were afraid of controversy,” said Tallon.

Donna Kaz, the director of the play, insisted the play was canceled due to overcrowding.

“Some people think the Muslim community is insensitive to 9/11, and that’s not true,” said Kaz. “This was a way to start a dialogue.”

“They canceled an event because too many people wanted to attend? I’ve never heard that one before, but I’m glad it’s canceled,” said Peter Gadiel, whose son died in 9/11. 

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