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Children wept, parents shouted and a park official threatened to call the thing off when kids and parents turned an Easter egg hunt in Flushing Meadow-Corona Park, Queens, into chaos. Barricades, bullhorns and police officers didn’t stop the charging children clawing after chocolate eggs. The hunt lasted three minutes, after which the 360 pounds of […]
NICEVILLE — A 36-year-old convicted felon who accidentally shot himself was arrested for possessing a weapon. A witness told Niceville Police Department officers that the suspect was showing him the gun while his finger was on the trigger. The suspect then loaded the magazine, pulled back the slide and fired one round into his left […]
America, as reported on the nation’s police blotters: According to police, someone ran into Victoria’s Secret, grabbed $1,000 in bras and dashed out. —The Mercury News, San Jose
Thirty people were indicted in a $50-million-a-year operation distributing heroin in Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx. One of those indicted, Frank Lucas, was accused of running the operation from jail, where he was serving 70 years. Lucas was said to have considered a plan to murder his chief competitor in Harlem, Leroy (Nicky) Barnes. Meanwhile, three […]
SEATTLE —Today, Camel Press is pleased to announce A Black Sail by Rich Zahradnik has been recognized as a finalist in the mystery category of the 19th annual Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards. As part of their mission to discover, review, and share the best books from small, university, and indie publishers (and authors), independent […]
The Rikers Island jail, formally known as the Men’s House of Detention on Rikers Island, was branded “outmoded and inappropriate” by the Board of Correction, which advised phasing the jail out as a long-term detention facility. The board’s chairman said a phase-out would be “a matter of paramount importance” in the months ahead. –Brought to […]
Spring finally graced New York after the second coldest winter on record. The temperature reached 81 degrees, not quite breaking the record of 86 degrees set in 1945. Skateboarders, joggers, sunbathers and joggers were out in force. As was the elephant Konga, standing on her head in the middle of West 33rd Street. She was celebrating […]
President Carter called on Congress to amend the Constitution to abolish the Electoral College, substituting simple majority of the popular vote to elect the President. In an election reform message to Capitol Hill, he also proposed a massive relaxation of state laws restricting voter registration. –Brought to you by Lights Out Summer, set in 1977, […]
In its 120th year, the pickpocket and confidence squad, the oldest detective unit in the NYPD, was struggling because of staff shortages and rising crime. The number of detectives had been cut to nine from 19, while complaints involving pickpockets and confidence games jumped 5,000, topping 19,000 in 1976. The bunco squad estimated picked pockets […]
Agatha Christie is golden age, but is she cozy or bloody–hard boiled even? Okay, maybe not hard boiled, but according to a WSJ front page article, Christie staged “some of the world’s grimmest homicides” on paper that were then made bloodless for the screen. New TV productions commissioned by her estate bring back bloody Agatha. […]