NEW YORK (AP) - A teacher has received a warning letter from the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board for assigning her fifth graders to write Christmas cards to an inmate.
The cards contained the children's names and in some cases addresses. They were intercepted by a corrections officer.
According to The New York Times, Melissa Dean escaped harsher punishment because she resigned in June.
Dean taught at P.S. 143 in Queens. Last December she told her class to write the cards to people who were lonely.
Instead, she sent the cards to a friend, John Coccarelli, serving time for illegal weapons possession. Prosecutors say he was also charged with possessing child pornography but it was not brought to trial because he pleaded guilty to a charge calling for a longer sentence.
Thursday, May 16 2013 6:47 PM EDT2013-05-16 22:47:54 GMT
The MTA and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the A train subway will run its route all the way to the Rockaways starting May 30, seven months after Superstorm Sandy washed away the track support bed.
The MTA and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the A train subway will run its route all the way to the Rockaways starting May 30, seven months after Superstorm Sandy washed away the track support bed.
Thursday, May 16 2013 6:06 PM EDT2013-05-16 22:06:34 GMT
A smuggling ring that made a fortune selling more than a million cartons of untaxed cigarettes in New York may have funneled some of the illicit proceeds to terrorist groups, authorities said.
A smuggling ring that made a fortune selling more than a million cartons of untaxed cigarettes in New York may have funneled some of the illicit proceeds to terrorist groups, authorities said.
Thursday, May 16 2013 1:17 PM EDT2013-05-16 17:17:42 GMT
Several New York lawmakers are sounding the alarm about security and safety lapses at day care centers across New York City.
Several New York lawmakers are sounding the alarm about security and safety lapses at day care centers across New York City. In a report released Thursday, dozens of daycares cited by the Dept. of Health for serious and critical health code violations since 2010, have not fixed the problems and continue to operate without penalty.
Wednesday, May 15 2013 11:08 PM EDT2013-05-16 03:08:35 GMT
A judge in Manhattan put the brakes on the so-called Taxi of Tomorrow because the Nissan-built minivan does not come in a hybrid version -- a violation of the city code.
A judge in Manhattan put the brakes on the so-called Taxi of Tomorrow because the Nissan-built minivan does not come in a hybrid version -- a violation of the city code.
Tuesday, May 14 2013 9:54 PM EDT2013-05-15 01:54:43 GMT
The FDNY must subject itself to court supervision for five years to ensure it does not discriminate against blacks and Hispanics in its hiring practices, a federal appeals court said.
The FDNY must subject itself to court supervision for five years to ensure it does not discriminate against blacks and Hispanics in its hiring practices, a federal appeals court said.
Tuesday, May 14 2013 3:59 PM EDT2013-05-14 19:59:22 GMT
USDA photo
The tree-killing Asian longhorned beetle has been eradicated from Manhattan and Staten Island, but remains a problem in Brooklyn, Queens, and parts of Long Island.
The tree-killing Asian longhorned beetle has been eradicated from Manhattan and Staten Island, but remains a problem in Brooklyn, Queens, and parts of Long Island, according to state agriculture officials.
Tuesday, May 14 2013 7:59 AM EDT2013-05-14 11:59:08 GMT
Fox 5 News looked at two years of inspection reports at both public and private schools, from kindergarten through high school, and found some of the schools with the most critical violations.
Fox 5 News looked at two years of inspection reports at both public and private schools, from kindergarten through high school, and found some of the schools with the most critical violations. We also pinpointed some school cafeterias with ongoing health code issues.
