Storm brings heavy rain and wind to NYC, flight delays to La Guardia and JFK

Dan Good

A storm system has brought rain and wind to the region, with travel delays expected across the northeast today.

Better bring the umbrella.

A storm system brought gusty wind and heavy rain to the northeast this morning, making for a messy New York City commute and causing travel delays across the region.

A five-story scaffold fell about 1:30 a.m. in Bensonhurst. No injuries were reported from the incident.

The structure broke away from a four-story building in that is under construction and fell onto electrical wires. It also damaged an SUV that was parked across the street.

The storm also flooded roadways in New Jersey, forcing officials to close lanes on I-287 southbound in Harding Township, Morris County, as well as NJ 35 northbound in Old Bridge Township, Middlesex County.

Meteorologist Patrick O'Hara at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly says about an inch of rain has fallen across the state, although there's been an inch and a half in northern sections.

The rain is expected to taper off before the afternoon.

Wind gusts of 50 mph are expected to lower to gusts of 40 mph.

The wind is downing tree limbs and power lines. Atlantic City Electric is reporting 14,423 customers without service, mainly in Cumberland and Salem counties.

Jersey Central Power & Light has 5,513 homes and businesses without service, mostly in Ocean County.

Officials are urging drivers to slow down on bridges due to the high winds.

According to weather.com, rain should fall until the early afternoon, but the wind should continue, likely leading to widespread air delays.

The storm should drop temperatures into the 20s during the next few days, worrisome cold for city residents and Christmas travelers.

The Federal Aviation Administration says some flights arriving at La Guardia Airport on Friday morning are delayed an average of nearly three hours each. Flights heading to John F. Kennedy International Airport were not permitted to take off until after 7:15 a.m. due to high winds.

The NWS has issued a high wind warning for the city and Long Island, forecasting winds gusts up to 60 miles per hour.

The NWS has also issued storm warnings starting Friday and lasting until later Saturday afternoon for an area stretching from New York's southwest corner to the Rochester area. Friday's rainfall will give way to snow storms that will dump between 2 inches and more than a foot in some areas in the Buffalo-Niagara region, depending on elevation and proximity to the Lake Erie shoreline.

Blowing snow could be a problem in some western areas as winds hit 20 mph to 30 mph.

Several inches of snow is expected to fall in parts of central New York and the Adirondacks.

Newark Liberty International Airport officials issued a weather statement this morning stating that travel disruptions are likely - and urging travelers to contact their airline to check on flight statuses.

The same storm system dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of the midwest.

With AP

AP

The storm system is seen on a NOAA satellite image.

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Cuba lashes out against U.S. fines on foreign banks

The Cuban government Thursday denounced what it called the “unjust and illegal” multi-million dollar fines the U.S. government slapped on two foreign banks for violating Washington’s sanctions on the island.

The U.S. actions show that its “ferocious persecution of financial and commercial transactions by Cuba and those with legitimate relations … has only changed but has hardened,” a Foreign Ministry official said in a statement.

The British-based HSBC bank agreed to pay $1.9 billion to the U.S. government last week to settle accusations that it laundered drug money through its Mexican and other branches, and violated U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba.

The next day Washington announced that Japan’s Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ bank had agreed to pay $8.6 million to settle what the Cuban statement called “a supposed violation of the unilateral sanctions of the United States against various countries, including Cuba.”

Under the trade embargo, banks cannot move Cuban funds through U.S. financial institutions or handle U.S. dollar deposits for Cuban entities or citizens. Cuba is subject to other sanctions as well because it is on the U.S. list of countries that support international terrorism.

The Foreign Ministry statement noted that the sanctions came one month after the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly for the 21st time to condemn the 50-year-old trade embargo against Cuba.

While the HSBC settlement was reported to be one of the largest ever, the U.S. Treasury Department has hit several other foreign banks in recent years for violating sanctions on Cuba and other countries, especially Iran.

The Netherlands’ ING bank agreed to a $619 million settlement earlier this year. Credit Suisse agreed to pay $539 million in 2009. And the Swiss UBS bank was hit with a $100 million settlement in 2004.

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Florida schools buy emergency toilets for extended lockdowns

TRINITY --
The Seven Spring Middle School eighth-graders warily eyed the white plastic bucket.

Is it for carrying cleaning supplies? Moving mulch?

Then they noticed the black plastic seat on top. Their eyebrows raised, their noses crinkled, as it dawned on them that this was a portable toilet, designed for use during emergency lockdowns in classrooms without restrooms.

"It's a terrible idea," Justin Anahory, 14, said, shaking his head. "No. I'm not going to use it."

"Never. Unh-uh," agreed Sydney Steele, also 14. "I would just hold it."

What if the students had no choice but to remain in their classroom for long hours for, say, extended hurricane conditions?

"I doubt a hurricane would keep us here a couple of days," Sydney said, noting she hardly will use the school bathrooms, much less a mini portable potty behind a tarp wall held up with duct tape.

"It might be a good idea," chimed in Mariah Guy, 15. "But it's still disgusting."

In recent months, the Pasco County school district has been distributing these "emergency response classroom kits" to schools that don't have restrooms adjoining the classrooms. For the most part, that means middle and high schools.

So far, they've given out 2,249, with another 552 remaining in the district warehouse. The total cost for the kits, which also include toilet paper, hand wipes, trash bags and latex gloves, was $64,876, or about $23 each. The money came from a two-year federal emergency management grant.

The Hernando, Hillsborough and Pinellas school districts have not made similar investments, and have no plans to do so.

"Along the food chain, that's probably somewhere below an amoeba," Hernando superintendent Bryan Blavatt said.

Pasco's grant also has paid for the emergency response plans revisions, and for other supplies such as bottled water and first aid kits. Student services director Lizette Alexander said it has helped the district improve its readiness.

"Try not to make it a joke," Alexander said of the bucket toilets. "When it is needed, it is needed terribly. It is not a joke. It is preparedness."

Still, it did create some laughter among Seven Springs middle schoolers as they discussed its pros and cons. Most had not seen the kits before and didn't know they were in the school.

Eighth-grader Brandan Comito, 14, sized up the bucket and wondered about its weight capacity.

He sat on it and found it held him up, but complained about the seat being too small.

"It needs to be thicker," he said, drawing chuckles from friends, who also wanted to test it out.

The kids engaged in detailed conversations about the logistics of the potty, ranging from concerns about germs to the aesthetics of such a bucket in mixed company.

"What if it gets filled to the top?" asked seventh-grader Kylie Renzetti, 12.

"It could be used as a weapon" against any intruder causing a lockdown, responded eighth-grader Dylan Johnson, 14.

Seventh-grader Devin Bird was not alone in his inability to get past the notion that kids might have to use the contraption "in front of people," never mind the tarp.

"It's a bit weird," he said.

Perhaps so, acknowledged schools superintendent Kurt Browning, who only learned Tuesday of the kits ordered by the previous administration. The buckets have been the brunt of jokes on Facebook since they arrived in schools.

But "if you've got to go," he said, "you've got to go."

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Upstate brewery to produce 'Game of Thrones' beer

COOPERSTOWN — A new line of beers linked to the hit HBO drama "Game of Thrones" is being produced for the series by an upstate New York brewery.

Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown will bring out Iron Throne Blonde Ale in time for the premiere of the show's third season on March 31. The company says another beer will be released in the fall and others are planned for future seasons.

Company officials say the brewery's Belgian-style beers are a good fit for the series, based on the George R.R. Martin fantasy novels set in a medieval-like time of jousts, wars and intrigue.

Ommegang officials say the beers will be named and crafted to directly tie into "themes and nuances" of Westeros, the fictional realm where Lannisters, Starks and various other factions battle for supremacy.

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Survey shows better lending climate

Most Miami-Dade businesses believe they have easier access to borrowed money amid a slowly improving economy.

That’s one result from a recent survey of executives by Miami’s Bilzin Sumberg law firm. The online survey of about 200 top executives was conducted during the second half of 2012.

Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they thought the financing environment had improved since 2011, with venture capital funds and community banks identified as the top sources of potential capital. Fifty-two percent called the economy “growing slowly,’’ compared to 7 percent describing it as “strong and growing.” Only 16 percent described the economy as weak.

DOUGLAS HANKS

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Weather alert: South Florida cold front to bring low-50s by Friday night

As if right on cue, a cold front is moving in as Christmas nears.

Thursday night lows in South Florida will drop to the mid- to upper-60s. And then, by Friday night, say “ahh.”

Friday night lows are forecast to dip to near 50, according to the National Weather Service in Miami-Dade. The cool will be accompanied by a breeze with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Saturday night will remain chilly, in the mid-50s. Temperatures will gradually warm Sunday and Monday, Christmas Eve.

The Christmas Day forecast for Tuesday? Mostly sunny, with highs around 80.

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What If Nothing or Nobody is to Blame for Lanza? Guns, Video Games, Autism or Authorities

What if there is nobody or nothing to blame for Adam Lanza‘s heinous acts? Other than Lanza, of course.

What if school security and the school psychiatrist kept an eye on Lanza since his freshman year? The Wall Street Journal has a compelling narrative about the red flags addressed.

What if he had a form of autism that has little or no link to violent behavior? Lanza may have had Asperger’s syndrome but, even so, that is not a cause.

What if it’s too simple to lay the massacre at the feet of the gun lobby? Reader Larry Kelly tweets that shaming Aspies “makes about as much sense at stigmatizing the NRA. Pick an enemy … any enemy. Let outrage and fear rule.”

What if Lanza wasn’t provoked by video games? David Axelrod, a close friend an adviser of President Obama, tweeted last night: “In NFL post-game: an ad for shoot ‘em up video game. All for curbing weapons of war. But shouldn’t we also quit marketing murder as a game.”

When I asked whether he was laying groundwork for a White House initiative, Axelrod said no: “Just one man’s observation.” A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonytmmity, said today that Axelrod was not a stalking horse for Obama on this issue.

What if Lanza’s mother did everything she could, short of keeping her guns out her adult son’s reach? What if he wasn’t bullied?

What if there is nobody or nothing to blame? Would that make this inexplicable horror unbearable?

What if we didn’t rush to judgement? What if we didn’t waste our thoughts, prayers and actions on assigning blame for the sake of mere recrimination? What if we calmly and ruthlessly learned whatever lessons we can from the massacre — and prevented the next one?

A parting thought: What if it wasn’t one thing, but everything, that set off Lanza?

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Angelina Jolie to Direct Unbroken Film

Angelina Jolie is in final negotiations to direct her second film, Unbroken, based on the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympian-turned-World War II prisoner of war, according to Deadline.

Video: Angelina Jolie Talks Kids, 'Blood and Honey'

"I was so moved by Louie Zamperini's heroic story, I immediately began to fight for the opportunity to make this film," said The Oscar-winning actress in a statement. "Louie is a true hero and a man of immense humanity, faith and courage. I am deeply honored to have the chance to tell his inspiring story."

Adapted from Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, the feature film will tell the real-life tale of American Olympic distance runner Louis Zamperini, who was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese Navy during World War II.

Unbroken will be the second film directed by Jolie. The 37-year-old made her debut in 2011's In The Land Of Blood And Honey.

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French judges keep Strauss-Kahn pimping charges

PARIS — French judges decided Wednesday not to drop pimping charges against former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, his lawyers said. They quickly vowed to appeal.

The case is the last remaining legal headache involving alleged sex-related crimes for Strauss-Kahn. The 63-year-old one-time Socialist presidential hopeful resigned from his IMF job in May last year and saw his international reputation collapse after a hotel maid accused of him of trying to rape her. A settlement was reached in that case last week.

In a statement after a court in the northern city of Douai retained the preliminary charges, Strauss-Kahn lawyer Henri Leclerc lashed out at investigating judges in the case. He claimed the charges against Strauss-Kahn were not specified, that some evidence was hidden from the defense team, facts were twisted and definitions of the legal term "pimping" were created with no basis in law.

Outside the Douai courthouse, Frederique Baulieu, another defense lawyer, told reporters: "We are certain that Dominique Strauss-Kahn will be cleansed of all charges against him."

Strauss-Kahn was hit in March with preliminary charges of "aggravated procurement in an organized gang" in an investigation into a hotel prostitution ring in nearby Lille that was said to involve prominent city figures and police.

The case against Strauss-Kahn hinges on whether he knew he was partying with prostitutes, and whose money was used to pay them. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers have said he attended "libertine" gatherings, but didn't know some women present were paid.

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iOS apps you need right now

If you’ve just gotten an iPhone 5 or an iPad Mini, you’re going to want to play with it. And if you’re looking for apps to try out on your new iOS device, these old and new favorites are perfect — not to mention cheap or free.

PHOTOTOASTER

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: PhotoToaster is one of the best ways to add effects to your images, and features an excellent interface layout for giving your images a really cool look.

The bad: Like many apps, PhotoToaster has begun to add in-app purchases, but there are several included filters that do the job nicely.

The cost: 99 cents

The bottom line: There are tons of image editors in the App Store, but PhotoToaster is easy to recommend, with its slick and simple interface, helpful menus to get you started and extremely impressive results.

ANGRY BIRDS STAR WARS HD

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: Angry Birds Star Wars does just enough with new worlds and new Star Wars-themed birds to add variation to an already great game mechanic.

The bad: The app is not universal to both phones and tablets, so you’ll need to purchase it twice if you want to use the game on both.

The cost: $2.99

The bottom line: With new birds, new powers andnew levels to explore set in the Star Wars universe, this is a worthy purchase, even if you’ve played the previous games.

NETFLIX for iOS

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: Great-looking streaming shows and new interface elements make browsing through scenes easier.

The bad: The streaming library is only a fraction of the larger DVD library. You still can’t add to or change your DVD queue via the app.

The cost: Free

The bottom line: If you don’t mind the limited streaming library, the Netflix app is a great way to watch movies, and the new interface elements make it easier to use.

FIFA SOCCER 13

4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)

The good: Not only the best soccer game, but the best sports game on an iOS device. New skill moves are easier to pull off, making them integral to the game. Precise controls and fast-paced action make for excellent gameplay.

The bad: Skill levels still feel too far apart. Poor camera selections make playing on an iPhone difficult, with very small players forcing you to bring your iPhone much closer than you’d like.

The cost: $6.99

The bottom line: If you want a great soccer game for iOS, FIFA 13 hits the mark on almost every level. With tons of teams, new skill moves, and online multiplayer, this is the sports game to beat on iOS.

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