3 sickened by Legionnaires bring suits
By Michael Horowitz
BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Two men and a woman, who say that they caught Legionnaires’ Disease in Co-op City, are suing the housing company and the former managing agents in the northeast Bronx community.
The litigants are among eight individuals with Co-op City connections who contracted Legionnaires’ Disease late last year.
An additional two Co-op City shareholders living in the same building, one in 2012 and the other in 2013, caught Legionnaires’ Disease, the city’s Health Department reported in March of last year.
Those suing include Ronald Hines Jr., a 29-year-old man from Co-op City, and Ralph Motta, a 44-year-old man who worked at the Bay Plaza shopping center, both of whom have been seriously debilitated. Neither Motta nor Hines has been able to work since being sickened by Legionnaires’ Disease in December, Bronx News has been told.
Catherine Durso, a Bronxite who visited Co-op City in October of last year, is also suing the Riverbay Corporation, Co-op City’s housing company, and Marion Scott Real Estate, Inc., the former managing agents for the nation’s largest housing complex.
Durso, like Hines and Motta, has had her lifestyle seriously compromised as a result of the severe form of pneumonia that she contracted, her attorneys claimed in a lawsuit that they filed on behalf of her and her husband.
The cooling tower at Co-op City was, late last year and early this year, contaminated by the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ Disease, the city’s Health Department officials said in January.
Since that time, Co-op City’s cooling tower has been decontaminated to the satisfaction of Health Department officials. The cooling tower at the Bay Plaza shopping center was also contaminated with the Legionnaires’ Disease bacteria in late 2014, before being decontaminated.
Despite assurances from Health Department officials, a number of Co-op City’s civic activists remain concerned about Legionnaires’ Disease, insisting that there could be additional problems with the community’s domestic water system, which carries water to Co-op City’s apartment through a series of pumps and connections that go from one floor to another in individual buildings.
Health Department officials have stated that they are confident that the Co-op City cooling tower was the source of the Legionnaires’ Disease, which eight individuals associated with the community contracted in late-2014.
Legionnaires’ Disease is not communicable, meaning it is not spread from one individual to another. Rather, the disease is spread through mists, such as those that can come from contaminated showerhead or water faucets.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
BRONX NEWS: Cold-Blooded Slay Over Stolen ATV
BRONX NEWS: Cold-Blooded Slay Over Stolen ATV: Cold-Blooded Slay Over Stolen ATV BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Zarnoff Taylor cared about his tricked-out all-terrain vehicle more t...
Cold-Blooded Slay Over Stolen ATV
Cold-Blooded Slay Over Stolen ATV
BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Zarnoff Taylor cared about his tricked-out all-terrain vehicle more than life itself. And as it turned out, more than the lives of the two men whom he suspected had stolen it.
Now, announced Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson, the 30-year-old Taylor will be spending the rest of his life with no possibility of parole for the murder of one of those men, and the attempted murder of the other.
After a two-week-long trial and just one day’s deliberation, on April 21st a jury found Taylor guilty of murder in the first degree (Class A-1 Felony) and attempted murder in the second degree (Class B Violent Felony).
On August 31st, 2015, he was sentenced by Supreme Court Justice John Carter to life without parole for the murder, consecutive to another 25 years in prison for the attempted murder.
Taylor's ATV was his pride and joy, the Yamaha Banshee’s tricked-out engine the envy of anyone who saw it. But when it went missing from the lot where he’d parked it, he and his buddies went looking. On April 16, 2010, Taylor brought 10 men in two vans to Soon Cycle on Ogden Avenue in the Mt. Eden section of the Bronx and found their suspects –
John Santiago (aka Juan Quinones)
and Jonathan Torres. Taylor kidnapped the two men at gunpoint, and drove them around for two hours, robbed them, beat them up and interrogated them, because he wanted to know if they stole his ATV.
Taylor found proof in their cell phones when he saw a picture of one of the two riding his bike.
He shot Santiago at point-blank range, but he wasn’t done with him. As Santiago was bleeding out, Taylor drove around, and tried to find out where his ATV was. They drove clear across the Bronx, ending up in an industrial area near Co-op City, where Taylor forced Torres to carry the gravely wounded Santiago from the van.
Then Taylor shot Torres a half dozen times, and pumped yet another six bullets into Santiago. Somehow, Santiago survived, with surgery replacing nearly all his blood volume. Torres did not survive.
Ironically, Taylor never recovered his stolen ATV.
One of the other men involved in
Taylor’s crime, Wader Mejia-Acosta, pled guilty in April to attempted robbery in the first degree and was sentenced to five years behind bars. The other, Adonis Jimenez, pled guilty to attempted robbery in the second degree and was sentenced to four years.
###
BRONX NEWS: Bronx has Taste of Italy
BRONX NEWS: Bronx has Taste of Italy: Bronx has Taste of Italy Get ready for a taste of Italy during a day of celebration in the Bronx. Arthur Avenue, the Little Italy of the...
Bronx has Taste of Italy
Bronx has Taste of Italy
Get ready for a taste of Italy during a day of celebration in the Bronx.
Arthur Avenue, the Little Italy of the Bronx, will be holding the annual Ferragosto celebration on Sunday, September 13.
The world renowned Little Italy restaurants will be on hand for fine out door dining. There will also be traditional and modern music performed; as well as street performers and activities for children.
The event kicks off at noon and runs until 6 p.m.
More information can be found by visiting http://www.ferragosto.com
Get ready for a taste of Italy during a day of celebration in the Bronx.
Arthur Avenue, the Little Italy of the Bronx, will be holding the annual Ferragosto celebration on Sunday, September 13.
The world renowned Little Italy restaurants will be on hand for fine out door dining. There will also be traditional and modern music performed; as well as street performers and activities for children.
The event kicks off at noon and runs until 6 p.m.
More information can be found by visiting http://www.ferragosto.com
BRONX NEWS: Push to Ban K2 Online
BRONX NEWS: Push to Ban K2 Online: Push to Ban K2 Online BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Stop selling dangerous synthetic weed online, a group of elected officials demanded. ...
Push to Ban K2 Online
Push to Ban K2 Online
BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Stop selling dangerous synthetic weed online, a group of elected officials demanded.
State Senator Jeff Klein, joined by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, City Council Members Ritchie Torres, Dan Garodnick, Ruben Wills, CEO of ACI Chemical Dependency Treatment Centers Warren Zysman and Lewis Cruz, a Bronx father whose son is addicted to K2, unveiled an alarming investigative report, “The Online Smoke Shop,”detailing the cyber market for K2.
In light of this investigation, the legislators demanded that major sites, eBay, Craigslist and Backpage, remove all K2 and K2 paraphernalia from their sites, and sent letters to their CEOs on Thursday.
“I have a message for eBay, Craigslist, Backpage and other sites: It doesn’t matter if K2 is sold in the corner store or in cyberspace, you need to stop the proliferation of K2 and start policing your websites. My investigation found that the Internet is both a virtual bodega and a chemists’ web warehouse. Disturbingly, sites not only peddle K2 — but also the materials needed to make it. On eBay my investigation even turned up pre-branded bags that we’ve seen on the streets of New York as ‘jewelry bags.’ Selling drug paraphernalia is against the company’s policy and I expect eBay and other sites to stop aiding dealers,” said State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx Westchester).
“This investigation clearly highlights that access to K2 is just as easy to get by just a click of a button,” said City Council Speaker Mark-Viverito. “Synthetic marijuana is a dangerous, unpredictable and illegal substance, and for too long, unscrupulous stores and online marketplaces have profited by peddling these deadly drugs to New Yorkers. I’m proud of the work the City has done, at the urging of the Council, to aggressively tackle this issue and I thank State Senator Jeff Klein for his work on this report. I look forward to working collaboratively with our state legislators to put an end to this widespread problem.”
“The Online Smoke Shop: Buying K2 Online,” found a budding market for K2 and its paraphernalia on Internet classified and auction sites like eBay, Craigslist and Backpage, where direct dealers are posting ads geared toward New Yorkers.
On Craigslist and Backpage, sellers posted classifieds using keywords like, “K2 Spice,” “herbal incense,” “herbal potpourri,” and “legal weed.”
The postings discovered on Craigslist and Backpage lured consumers to direct dealer sites, where the same K2 found in New York shops is available for purchase online. Direct dealer sites sell the product to individuals and in bulk and ship in discreet packaging, the investigation found.
On Backpage, one dealer brazenly posted a cellphone number to text for synthetic marijuana.
Direct dealer sites found in the investigation peddled a vast array of K2, including popular brands like, “Geeked Up,” “Smacked!” “Scooby Snax,” and “Bizarro.” The sites popped up on major search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo! Search and Ask.com when users entered terms like, “Buy K2 Spice,” “Buy herbal incense,” and “Buy synthetic marijuana.”
Dealers on these sites claimed their product was legal, but did not list ingredients.
Disturbingly, on eBay a search for “incense bags,” yielded sellers of pre-branded, Mylar K2 packaging seen on the streets of New York. In one listing, 1,000 empty, pre-branded, “Geeked Up,” bags sold for $119.95. The posting claimed the bags — labeled 4 grams and potpourri — was for the storage of “coins, jewelry, crafts and incense.”
Worse, the investigation discovered online cannabinoid dealers selling toxic ingredients sprayed on plant matter to make K2 — even ones that were recently banned in New York State. Most of the online chemical peddlers operate outside of the United States, but are willing to ship illegal chemicals to New York.
“The growing popularity and availability of K2 is alarming and disturbing. The administrators of these online forums where K2 is so easily accessible must take proactive steps to combat this hazardous epidemic and protect its consumers. The fact that this substance is being marketed to especially appeal to a younger generation is a disgrace. These online forums must take responsibility for what is being sold on their platforms, and should take into consideration the safety and well being of their patrons above all else. Buying and selling a dangerous and toxic substance in simple online transactions is unacceptable,” said Assemblyman Gjonaj.
“K2 poses serious health risks and has already taken an alarming toll on our communities, yet as Senator Klein’s report shows, remains easily purchased online. These are dangerous drugs that should be fully prohibited from all forms of retail, period. I applaud Senator Klein and the Speaker for their leadership on this issue and together, we will take every measure to halt all sales of synthetic marijuana,” said Council Member Torres.
“I think eBay and Craigslist know that potpourri doesn’t usually come with rolling papers,” said Council Member Garodnick. “While we work on keeping local businesses from selling K2 on the streets, these websites need to partner with us and limit access on the Internet.”
“Any pipeline that would enable one to obtain synthetic marijuana and similar drugs must be choked off completely, and the proliferation of these substances in any domain will not be tolerated. Senator Klein and his staff are to be commended for the work they have done to spotlight this particular issue, as we coordinate an effective response to halt the further advance of these dangerous substances. We expect responsible business owners and E-commerce companies who value the public’s safety to act swiftly to prohibit the sale of synthetics via their sites, and those who permit trafficking to continue should consider themselves forewarned they stand to suffer immeasurable losses for their negligence,” said Council Member Wills.
“What I've personally experienced from watching my son while on K2 is not a very nice feeling. Actually, it’s very heartbreaking. K2 needs to be banned period. All it is doing is killing the insides of an individual little by little. The hospital emergency rooms are just filling up with people who have been using this stuff. The people who are manufacturing and selling K2 should be punished. We have to stop it before it reaches our younger children. I support Senator Klein’s legislation in making K2 illegal,” said Cruz, whose son is fighting a K2 addiction.
“An alarming number of patients being treated for K2 use and abuse at ACI Rehab located in midtown Manhattan are adolescents, ages 12 to 22. The accessibility on the Internet and local stores, low cost and catchy names, such as “Scooby Snax,’ ‘fake weed,’ and ‘moon rocks,’ make K2 an attractive choice for young people. K2 can have very harmful effects including hallucinations, paranoia, seizures and spikes in blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. The variability of the presenting symptoms and the fact that it does not show up on standard drug tests make K2 use and overdose challenging to diagnosis. Keeping drugs like K2 off the streets is another important piece of the puzzle when it comes to the war on drugs. I fully support Senator Klein’s legislation to make K2 illegal in New York State,” said Zysman, CEO of ACI Chemical Dependency Treatment Centers.
“Jeff Klein is taking the lead on a serious issue that has been growing for a number of years. There is an unfortunate false perception that these synthetic drugs are safer than traditional street drugs but this is straightforward exploitation of our youth. The use of cartoon characters and flashy marketing make it clear who their targets are. Also, Internet service providers at various levels are not always the passive hosts of the illicit activity. Some Internet services continue to accept advertising money from drug sales even after being notified. Proactive enforcement and public information can change that,” said cybercrime researcher Garth Bruen.
Senator Klein has introduced legislation to criminalize the sale of synthetic marijuana. A seller caught with over 16 ounces could face up to 5 ½ years imprisonment if his bill passes. He also proposed cracking down on businesses by stiffening penalties in New York State’s business law. A business found selling one time would receive a $2,000 fine. On the second offense, that penalty would increase to $5,000. On the third strike, a business would lose its cigarette, alcohol and State lottery licenses.
Senator Klein also would add an analog statute to the state’s controlled substances law, making any analog of a Controlled 1 or 2 substance illegal. While the State Senate has passed this measure three times, the State Assembly has failed to take action.
#K2, #Synthetic #Weed
BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- Stop selling dangerous synthetic weed online, a group of elected officials demanded.
State Senator Jeff Klein, joined by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, City Council Members Ritchie Torres, Dan Garodnick, Ruben Wills, CEO of ACI Chemical Dependency Treatment Centers Warren Zysman and Lewis Cruz, a Bronx father whose son is addicted to K2, unveiled an alarming investigative report, “The Online Smoke Shop,”detailing the cyber market for K2.
In light of this investigation, the legislators demanded that major sites, eBay, Craigslist and Backpage, remove all K2 and K2 paraphernalia from their sites, and sent letters to their CEOs on Thursday.
“I have a message for eBay, Craigslist, Backpage and other sites: It doesn’t matter if K2 is sold in the corner store or in cyberspace, you need to stop the proliferation of K2 and start policing your websites. My investigation found that the Internet is both a virtual bodega and a chemists’ web warehouse. Disturbingly, sites not only peddle K2 — but also the materials needed to make it. On eBay my investigation even turned up pre-branded bags that we’ve seen on the streets of New York as ‘jewelry bags.’ Selling drug paraphernalia is against the company’s policy and I expect eBay and other sites to stop aiding dealers,” said State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx Westchester).
“This investigation clearly highlights that access to K2 is just as easy to get by just a click of a button,” said City Council Speaker Mark-Viverito. “Synthetic marijuana is a dangerous, unpredictable and illegal substance, and for too long, unscrupulous stores and online marketplaces have profited by peddling these deadly drugs to New Yorkers. I’m proud of the work the City has done, at the urging of the Council, to aggressively tackle this issue and I thank State Senator Jeff Klein for his work on this report. I look forward to working collaboratively with our state legislators to put an end to this widespread problem.”
“The Online Smoke Shop: Buying K2 Online,” found a budding market for K2 and its paraphernalia on Internet classified and auction sites like eBay, Craigslist and Backpage, where direct dealers are posting ads geared toward New Yorkers.
On Craigslist and Backpage, sellers posted classifieds using keywords like, “K2 Spice,” “herbal incense,” “herbal potpourri,” and “legal weed.”
The postings discovered on Craigslist and Backpage lured consumers to direct dealer sites, where the same K2 found in New York shops is available for purchase online. Direct dealer sites sell the product to individuals and in bulk and ship in discreet packaging, the investigation found.
On Backpage, one dealer brazenly posted a cellphone number to text for synthetic marijuana.
Direct dealer sites found in the investigation peddled a vast array of K2, including popular brands like, “Geeked Up,” “Smacked!” “Scooby Snax,” and “Bizarro.” The sites popped up on major search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo! Search and Ask.com when users entered terms like, “Buy K2 Spice,” “Buy herbal incense,” and “Buy synthetic marijuana.”
Dealers on these sites claimed their product was legal, but did not list ingredients.
Disturbingly, on eBay a search for “incense bags,” yielded sellers of pre-branded, Mylar K2 packaging seen on the streets of New York. In one listing, 1,000 empty, pre-branded, “Geeked Up,” bags sold for $119.95. The posting claimed the bags — labeled 4 grams and potpourri — was for the storage of “coins, jewelry, crafts and incense.”
Worse, the investigation discovered online cannabinoid dealers selling toxic ingredients sprayed on plant matter to make K2 — even ones that were recently banned in New York State. Most of the online chemical peddlers operate outside of the United States, but are willing to ship illegal chemicals to New York.
“The growing popularity and availability of K2 is alarming and disturbing. The administrators of these online forums where K2 is so easily accessible must take proactive steps to combat this hazardous epidemic and protect its consumers. The fact that this substance is being marketed to especially appeal to a younger generation is a disgrace. These online forums must take responsibility for what is being sold on their platforms, and should take into consideration the safety and well being of their patrons above all else. Buying and selling a dangerous and toxic substance in simple online transactions is unacceptable,” said Assemblyman Gjonaj.
“K2 poses serious health risks and has already taken an alarming toll on our communities, yet as Senator Klein’s report shows, remains easily purchased online. These are dangerous drugs that should be fully prohibited from all forms of retail, period. I applaud Senator Klein and the Speaker for their leadership on this issue and together, we will take every measure to halt all sales of synthetic marijuana,” said Council Member Torres.
“I think eBay and Craigslist know that potpourri doesn’t usually come with rolling papers,” said Council Member Garodnick. “While we work on keeping local businesses from selling K2 on the streets, these websites need to partner with us and limit access on the Internet.”
“Any pipeline that would enable one to obtain synthetic marijuana and similar drugs must be choked off completely, and the proliferation of these substances in any domain will not be tolerated. Senator Klein and his staff are to be commended for the work they have done to spotlight this particular issue, as we coordinate an effective response to halt the further advance of these dangerous substances. We expect responsible business owners and E-commerce companies who value the public’s safety to act swiftly to prohibit the sale of synthetics via their sites, and those who permit trafficking to continue should consider themselves forewarned they stand to suffer immeasurable losses for their negligence,” said Council Member Wills.
“What I've personally experienced from watching my son while on K2 is not a very nice feeling. Actually, it’s very heartbreaking. K2 needs to be banned period. All it is doing is killing the insides of an individual little by little. The hospital emergency rooms are just filling up with people who have been using this stuff. The people who are manufacturing and selling K2 should be punished. We have to stop it before it reaches our younger children. I support Senator Klein’s legislation in making K2 illegal,” said Cruz, whose son is fighting a K2 addiction.
“An alarming number of patients being treated for K2 use and abuse at ACI Rehab located in midtown Manhattan are adolescents, ages 12 to 22. The accessibility on the Internet and local stores, low cost and catchy names, such as “Scooby Snax,’ ‘fake weed,’ and ‘moon rocks,’ make K2 an attractive choice for young people. K2 can have very harmful effects including hallucinations, paranoia, seizures and spikes in blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. The variability of the presenting symptoms and the fact that it does not show up on standard drug tests make K2 use and overdose challenging to diagnosis. Keeping drugs like K2 off the streets is another important piece of the puzzle when it comes to the war on drugs. I fully support Senator Klein’s legislation to make K2 illegal in New York State,” said Zysman, CEO of ACI Chemical Dependency Treatment Centers.
“Jeff Klein is taking the lead on a serious issue that has been growing for a number of years. There is an unfortunate false perception that these synthetic drugs are safer than traditional street drugs but this is straightforward exploitation of our youth. The use of cartoon characters and flashy marketing make it clear who their targets are. Also, Internet service providers at various levels are not always the passive hosts of the illicit activity. Some Internet services continue to accept advertising money from drug sales even after being notified. Proactive enforcement and public information can change that,” said cybercrime researcher Garth Bruen.
Senator Klein has introduced legislation to criminalize the sale of synthetic marijuana. A seller caught with over 16 ounces could face up to 5 ½ years imprisonment if his bill passes. He also proposed cracking down on businesses by stiffening penalties in New York State’s business law. A business found selling one time would receive a $2,000 fine. On the second offense, that penalty would increase to $5,000. On the third strike, a business would lose its cigarette, alcohol and State lottery licenses.
Senator Klein also would add an analog statute to the state’s controlled substances law, making any analog of a Controlled 1 or 2 substance illegal. While the State Senate has passed this measure three times, the State Assembly has failed to take action.
#K2, #Synthetic #Weed
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