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Is the smell of marijuana really so pervasive in a small Long Island city that they have to institute a law about smoking it in public? It’s a simple question, but one that drew differing opinions along the streets of Glen Cove. “You smell it a lot when you go into the city, no doubt. But you don’t have that feeling here,” resident Kathy Sempecos told NBC New York. Marijuana Nov 25 It's possible to get addicted to marijuana. Here's what to know Guns & Weapons Oct 20 Supreme Court will consider whether people who regularly smoke pot can legally own guns New York Aug 15 Marijuana shops sue New York after they were allowed to open too close to schools The mayor of Glen Cove didn’t exactly agree. “Our parking garage when we leave every night reeks of the smell of marijuana,” said Mayor Pam Panzenbeck, adding that the smell of pot has been a constant source of complaints. As a result of those complaints, the city council on Tuesday voted unanimously to create a city code banning pot smoking in public places. While the ban has supporters, some in the city along the north shore of Nassau County argue that it seems to target weed smokers unfairly. “If you can smoke cigarettes outside, you should be able to smoke weed outside, too. The same thing,” one resident said. It also leads to the question: How can Glen Cove prohibit pot smoking in public places when marijuana is legal in New York? “The state sets guidelines, and we have the right to set our own local guidelines,” Mayor Panzenbeck said. Starting Jan. 1, police will target violators, issuing tickets with a first-time fine of up to $100. Places that will be impacted by the ban include playgrounds, beaches, outdoor dining areas and sidewalks. “A lot of times you’re out with your family trying to have a good time and then you smell the smell of marijuana,” said Edward Rodriguez. The mayor says Glen Cove residents can still smoke in their homes or yards or private property, calling it a quality of life issue that needs to be addressed. “People don’t want to be breathing in marijuana smoke. They don’t want their children exposed to it,” said Panzenbeck. The state’s Office of Cannabis Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Panzenbeck said she hopes other municipalities will follow Glen Cove’s lead on the matter.

A New Jersey man who was hailed a hero for seemingly trying to rescue his neighbor from her burning home is now accused in her murder, according to investigators. In an unbelievable twist, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office said that a months-long investigation determined a July 25 fire that killed 82-year-old Virginia Cranwell in her Kempershall Terrace home was intentionally set, and the man who lives next door is believed to be the killer. Over the summer, police and fire units in Fanwood responded to a 911 call about a house fire just after 1:30 a.m. First responders found the Cranwell inside the home, and she was pronounced dead shortly after. The county medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide. While her neighbor, 70-year-old William Ahle, was initially believed to have tried to help Cranwell, he was arrested and charged Thursday in her murder. He also faces first-degree burglary and second-degree aggravated arson charges as well. Attorney information for Ahle was not immediately available. In July, Ahle’s son described his father’s supposed heroics. “He just looked, saw the flames, went in. He apparently opened the bedroom door and all the flames just burst out, he fell backwards and I guess that’s how he got all his burns,” Matthew Ahle said in the immediate aftermath of the fire. “I’m happy he tried, he tried his best. I can’t imagine anyone else who would do that.” The senior Ahle was briefly hospitalized with second-degree burns as a result of the fire. His son said his father was so well-known and liked in the neighborhood, he was the “street mayor.” calls to Ahle’s son and wife by phone were not returned. There was no answer at the family’s door. Many neighbors did not wish to speak about the arrest, and those who would talk did not want to be identified. “Since the fire, you know, we all just thought he was a hero,” one neighbor said. “I feel bad for the family, I really do like them.” Prosecutors have not shared a motive for the alleged killing. Ahle was being held at the Middlesex County jail pending his next court appearance.

The Bronx man charged with shooting Jets player Kris Boyd appeared in a New York City court late Tuesday, a day after authorities tracked him down at an apartment complex in the Buffalo area. Frederick Green, 20, was arraigned on charges including attempted murder following the Nov. 16 shooting outside a restaurant in midtown Manhattan. He did not enter a plea, according to prosecutors. Boyd was taken to the hospital in critical condition but has since been recovering. Green was held without bail. His attorney did not immediately return a request for comment. Police say Boyd was shot in the abdomen just after 2 a.m. while out on the town with two other New York Jets’ players, Irvin Charles and Jamien Sherwood. As the players sat outside the restaurant, a group of men making fun of their clothing approached them, prompting a fight, according to court records. Surveillance footage then shows Green covering his face with a mask, removing a gun from his backpack and firing two shots in the direction of Boyd, according to prosecutors. Minutes after the shooting, video showed Green leaving the scene in a white BMW, prosecutors said. He fled the city the following day, cutting off his hair, ditching his phone and deleting his social media to avoid detection, according to prosecutors. On Monday, the U.S. Marshals Service tracked Green down to an apartment complex near the University of Buffalo. As police surrounded the location, Green attempted to jump out of a window, prosecutors said, before eventually surrendering to police. Boyd was hospitalized after the shooting, but a few weeks later visited the Jets’ facility, surprising teammates and attending a special teams meeting. According to prosecutors, he continues to deal with complications from the shooting and may need additional surgeries. They said a bullet fragment entered a vein and lodged in his pulmonary artery, before making its way into one of his lungs. The Jets signed Boyd earlier this year, but he was injured during a practice this summer and has not yet played for the team. He played his first four seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2023 before joining Houston’s practice squad later that season. NFL Nov 19 Jets coach Aaron Glenn gives update on Kris Boyd health amid NYC shooter search New York City Nov 16 Jets player Kris Boyd shot outside NYC restaurant after reported fight

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered diplomatic correspondence to stop using the Calibri font and return to the more traditional Times New Roman effective Wednesday, reversing a Biden administration shift to the less formal typeface that he called wasteful, confusing and unbefitting the dignity of U.S. government documents. “Typography shapes how official documents are perceived in terms of cohesion, professionalism and formality,” Rubio said in a cable sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates abroad Tuesday. In it, he said the 2023 shift to the sans serif Calibri font emerged from misguided diversity, equity and inclusion policies pursued by his predecessor, Antony Blinken. Rubio ordered an immediate return to Times New Roman, which had been among the standard fonts mandated by previous administrations. “The switch was promised to mitigate accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities,” the cable said, asserting that it did not achieve that goal and had cost the department $145,000 but did not offer any evidence. Since taking over the State Department in January, Rubio has systematically dismantled DEI programs in line with President Donald Trump’s broader instructions to all federal agencies. The Trump administration says the goal is to return to purely merit-based standards. Rubio has abolished offices and initiatives that had been created to promote and foster diversity and inclusion, including in Washington and at overseas embassies and consulates, and also ended foreign assistance funding for DEI projects abroad. “Although switching to Calibri was not among the department’s most illegal, immoral, radical or wasteful instances of DEI it was nonetheless cosmetic,” according to Rubio’s cable obtained by The Associated Press and first reported by The New York Times. Education Nov 25 Trump administration excludes nursing, teaching from ‘professional' degree list. Here's why National Park Service Dec 6 Trump administration alters national parks' free-entry days, cutting MLK Day and Juneteenth “Switching to Calibri achieved nothing except the degradation of the department’s correspondence,” he said, adding that it also clashed with the typeface in the State Department letterhead. According to a separate memo sent to department employees, the return to Times New Roman takes effect Wednesday and all templates for official documents are to be updated to remove the offending Calibri font. The only exceptions are documents prepared for international treaties and for presidential appointments, which are required to use Courier New 12-point font, the memo said. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

A security guard remains on life support nearly two months after a Long Island hospital patient allegedly attacked the 62-year-old during an overnight shift. On Wednesday, Eduard Lopez pleaded not guilty to a grand jury indictment charging the man with three counts of felony assault and two county of misdemeanor assault. If convicted, the 28-year-old, of Freeport, faces up to seven years in prison. Lopez is being represented by a legal aid attorney, who did not provide a comment following Wednesday’s hearing. At one point during the hearing, it appeared that Lopez began to cry. Sonya Coriolan, the victim’s wife, was at the hearing. She said her husband’s condition has not improved since the Oct. 16 attack at Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre. “There is no change in the status of my husband. We’re still praying for a miracle. He is still hospitalized. He’s still on life-support,” said Coriolan. “I’m not giving up I believe in miracles, I’m just gonna stand beside him and hope and pray that he gets out of this.” Her husband, Gardy Coriolan, was working the overnight shift when a patient became irate with a doctor after midnight. His family says he tried to help the doctor, and ended up getting assaulted. “I was told he was hit center mass in the chest. He was hit in the face numerous times and he fell and went into cardiac arrest,” the victim’s wife previously said. Prosecutors said Lopez punched Coriolan in the face, causing him to fall onto a hospital bed. “I was notified that he has 90% brain damage and that it’s a possibility he will never wake up,” Sonya said. Coriolan is a retired New York City correction officer who has worked for nearly three decades at the hospital. His family has urged prosecutors to upgrade the charges, but that hasn’t happened. “I want attempted murder. This individual should do jail time. I want him to be taken away from his family and put in jail like my husband‘s been taken away from his family,” Sonya said. Coriolan was always concerned something like this would happen, according to his family, because incidents with patients seemed to be happening more often. “He talked about the people that were coming into the hospital. They had physical fights with the staff,” said the victim’s daughter, Melanie Adams. “He was constantly intervening and breaking fights up.” Coriolan’s wife said “his words were exactly that somebody’s gonna get hurt or somebody’s gonna die here.” In a statement, Mercy Hospital said “the security team responded quickly and safely de-escalated the situation. A short time later, one of our security officers experienced a medical emergency. We remain focused on ensuring the well-being and safety of everyone in our emergency department.” Bail for Lopez was set at $250,000, which the victim’s wife was pleased with. “I’m partially satisfied with the fact that they increased the bail. Of course I would’ve liked to see the charges upgraded, but as long as I know that he’s gonna be incarcerated, I’m a little happy about that,” Sonya Coriolan said.