FDNY Lieutenant Michael Davidson was laid to rest Tuesday, with thousands of firefighters and others attending his funeral at Manhattan’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Davidson, whose father is a retired FDNY firefighter and whose brother is a current FDNY firefighter, died fighting a five alarm fire in Harlem Thursday night. Davidson’s survivors include his wife Eileen and their four children, ages 7,6,3 and 1.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate Tish James, Comptroller Scott Stringer and Council Speaker Corey Johnson attended the funeral, with de Blasio and Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro giving eulogies. Council Members Bob Holden, Jimmy Van Bramer, Keith Powers and Joe Borelli, Rep. Dan Donovan and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer also attended.
Three Republican gubernatorial candidates pitched their candidacies to the Manhattan Republican Executive Committee Wednesday night, seeking the Committee’s endorsement in the developing race for the party’s 2018 nomination. Joe Holland, John DeFrancisco and Marc Molinaro each addressed the audience at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Republican Club for about 25 minutes, with 10 minutes for a speech and 15 minutes for audience Q&A.
Joe Percoco, former top aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo, was convicted today on three of the six bribery charges he faced in a federal trial. Percoco emerged from the courthouse with his attorneys, stopping to briefly speak with the assembled press before walking across Foley Square to the subway.
Governor Andrew Cuomo attended a campaign rally Sunday, supporting Assembly Member Shelley Mayer in her bid to win a state senate seat and the broader Democratic effort to attain a 32 seat majority in the 63 seat state senate. Mayer is running to succeed former NYS senator George Latimer. The special election to replace Latimer, elected Westchester County Executive in November, is on April 24th.
Latimer and New York State Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins joined Cuomo and Mayer in speaking at the rally.
Governor Andrew Cuomo and former vice president Al Gore appeared together at NYU Friday in an environmental protection themed presentation. Cuomo announced that he has formally requested that New York be excluded from the federal government’s expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling access and touted several other initiatives that he’s undertaken as governor.
A helicopter crashed in the East River Sunday evening, killing five of the six persons aboard. The crash, at about Manhattan’s 88th Street and close to Gracie Mansion, triggered an enormous rescue effort from the NYPD and FDNY. The pilot survived, but all five passengers died.
An NYPD diver jumps into the East River at the helicopter crash site. 3/11/18
The helicopter sank shortly after crashing, but the crew of a nearby tugboat lashed the wreckage to the tug. NYPD and FDNY rescue crews worked to extract the victims as the tug and helicopter floated downstream, with the five passengers brought ashore at the 36th Street ferry dock in Manhattan.
NYPD and FDNY personnel work to extract victims from the helicopter wreckage lashed to the tugboat Foxy 3. 3/11/18
We caught up with Joe Percoco this afternoon as he departed from his federal corruption trial on a small bit of good news for him. Today the jury, after several partial days of deliberation, advised the court that it is deadlocked and several jurors asked to be released from further service. Judge Valerie Caproni directed the jury to continue deliberating, although she released them early for the day and cancelled deliberations on Wednesday as a significant snowstorm is expected.
Percoco and his attorneys exited the federal courthouse at 40 Centre Street, with attorney Barry Bohrer speaking briefly with the press before the group headed across Foley Square to the subway. Percoco listened as his attorney spoke, but offered no comments of own.
Fresh, sunny in places. That’s how an Irish weather forecast might have described Rockaway Saturday afternoon as strong winds, cool temperatures and mostly bright skies greeted the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade kicks off a month of St. Patrick’s Day parades around the region.
Attendance by both elected officials and spectators was light this year, with a handful of Queens elected officials appearing. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, NYS Senator Joe Addabbo, Assembly Members Stacey Pheffer Amato and Michael DenDekker and Council Member Eric Ulrich marched, receiving a friendly reception. Mayor de Blasio, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Tish James and Council Speaker Corey Johnson did not attend, although James was reported to have attended the pre-parade breakfast. Senator Chuck Schumer has often attended past Rockaway parades, but neither he nor any other statewide elected official attended.
FDNY Lieutenant Michael Davidson was laid to rest Tuesday, with thousands of firefighters and others attending his funeral at Manhattan’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Davidson, whose father is a retired FDNY firefighter and whose brother is a current FDNY firefighter, died fighting a five alarm fire in Harlem Thursday night. Davidson’s survivors include his wife Eileen and their four children, ages 7,6,3 and 1.
