John Asbury

New York

Staff Writer at Newsday

New Yorker by way of Colorado and SoCal. Breaking News Reporter for @Newsday [email protected]

Articles

TikTok 'Chromebook Challenge' prompts warnings from LI school officials, police

5 days ago | newsday.com | John Asbury

Several Long Island school districts are warning about a new TikTok trend that shows students tampering with their school-issued Google Chromebooks, which can cause them to catch fire.
Emergency and weather alert text system launched by NYS

6 days ago | newsday.com | John Asbury

New Yorkers can now sign up for emergency and weather alert text messages from the state ahead of hurricane season, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced on Thursday. The state's text system, dubbed Triple Three Triple One, allows residents to text their county name to 333111 to receive the emergency and weather alerts. Residents in New York City can text their borough or "NewYorkCity" to receive location-specific warnings and alerts.
OIG: Time sheet fraud committed by 2 former LIRR workers

6 days ago | newsday.com | John Asbury

Two former LIRR employees were accused of submitting fraudulent time sheets — one while flying to Texas and the other claiming $1,200 in false overtime, according to the MTA inspector general. Officials said an LIRR gang foreman claimed hours he didn’t work and was swiped out by a colleague while he worked a side real estate job.
Gilgo Beach killings: Rex Heuermann's vault disassembled, door removed from home

6 days ago | newsday.com | Grant Parpan |John Asbury

A basement vault belonging to accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann was disassembled Thursday as his family prepares to sell the Massapequa Park home where he lived during what prosecutors have alleged was a decades-long killing spree. The large Pentagon door to the walk-in vault featured Heuermann’s initials "RAH" on it. It was pulled through Bilco doors by a team of five movers and hauled away on a trailer hitched to a Ford Super Duty 350 shortly before noon Thursday.
Wilkens Adonis, who pleaded guilty in narcotics death of toddler son sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison

1 week ago | newsday.com | John Asbury

A Holbrook man on Wednesday was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison for the death of his 14-month-old son, who ingested drugs left out in his parents' bedroom. Wilkens Adonis, 39, pleaded guilty in March to second-degree manslaughter after his son Joseph was found unresponsive in the home on Jan. 3, 2024.
Animal neglect charges after 28 cats found dead in Bohemia home

1 week ago | newsday.com | John Asbury

Suffolk County SPCA officers charged a Bohemia man on Tuesday with 18 misdemeanor counts of animal neglect after officers found 28 dead cats in his home. Stephen Glantz, 75, was charged with nine counts of failure to provide sustenance and care to animals and nine counts of neglect of an impounded animal, the SPCA said. Officers went to the home on Saturday after receiving complaints and found 61 adult felines living in poor conditions.
Judge's order restores $1B in education cuts by Trump administration

1 week ago | newsday.com | John Asbury

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration, restoring nearly $1 billion in COVID-19-era education grants to New York, 15 other states and Washington D.C.The states had filed a lawsuit last month against the U.S. Department of Education after Secretary Linda McMahon canceled funding from three COVID-19 grants: Homeless Children and Youth, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief and Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools.
New York state to pay off $6 billion pandemic debt

1 week ago | newsday.com | John Asbury |Michael Gormley

The state will pay off a more than $6 billion pandemic-era debt to the federal government that’s been a burden on employers and has blocked an increase in unemployment insurance benefits to laid-off workers, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday. She said the state’s takeover of the federal debt will be part of a state budget expected to be voted on this week. Employers have been paying an added cost for their share of unemployment insurance since 2023.
Empty school bus overturns in Westbury after crash, no students on board

1 week ago | newsday.com | John Asbury

Nassau County police responded to a crash involving an empty school bus Friday afternoon in Westbury. Police said they were called to the crash at Old Country Road and Carman Avenue at 1 p.m. It involved a small school bus that overturned after colliding with another vehicle. Police said the school bus did not have any students on board and both drivers were treated for minor injuries. The Westbury school district did not immediately respond to a call for comment.
Brian Woehr, of Lindenhurst, had child porn, police say

1 week ago | newsday.com | John Asbury

Suffolk County police are asking for any potential victims to come forward after a Lindenhurst man was charged on Wednesday with possession of child pornography. Police charged Brian Woehr, 40, with two felonies of promoting a sexual performance by a child and possession of a sexual performance of a child under 16. Police said they received a tip from the state Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.