Man guilty in cruise scam
Man sentenced in cruise ship scam — A Dobbs Ferry, NY, man who claimed that he was blinded in four separate cruise-ship accidents — all in the same eye — pleaded guilty yesterday to charges he fraudulently tried to get $500,000 in insurance for the latest “mishap.” Brian Calen faced up to 15 years in state prison for second-degree insurance fraud and second-degree attempted grand larceny. Westchester County Judge Sam Walker said he would give the 48-year-old day trader shock probation — five years’ probation that would include up to four weekends in the county jail — when he sentences him April 20.
TSA ponders tolls at security checkpoints — Travelers may soon be given the option of paying a toll if they want to move through airport security checkpoints faster. Just as state and local governments use tolls to make drivers pay for the roads they ride on, the federal Transportation Security Administration is considering charging travelers to cover the cost of a technology intensive program that lets them move more quickly through airport security checkpoints.
New Jersey jet plows into building — A Chicago-bound chartered jet that never got off the ground at Teterboro Airport hurtled through a fence, a snowbank and across a six-lane highway before punching a hole in a New Jersey warehouse early yesterday, but all 11 people on board survived the crash. The Challenger CL-600, built by Canadair, came to rest with its nose in the warehouse after hitting two cars on busy U.S. 46 about 7:20 a.m. The plane had been headed for Midway Airport in Chicago.
Travel agent charged with racketeering — A Rocky Hill man has been accused of racketeering for a series of thefts from clients of his New Britain travel agency, according to Chief State’s Attorney Christopher L. Morano. Dariusz J. Szteborowski, 40, of 200 Cold Spring Road, was charged with one count of violating the Corrupt Organiza-tions and Racketeering Act, one count of larceny in the first degree, and one felony count of issuing a bad check.
Cell phone motorists drive like retirees — Talking on a cell phone makes you drive like a retiree — even if you’re only a teen, a new study shows. A report from the University of Utah says when motorists between 18 and 25 talk on cell phones, they drive like elderly people - moving and reacting more slowly and increasing their risk of accidents. “If you put a 20-year-old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone, his reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver,” said David Strayer, a University of Utah psychology professor and principal author of the study. “It’s like instant aging.”
What’s a baggage handler without his penis? — Trouble began as soon as Baggage Handler, a statue of a suitcase-toting naked man surrounded by luggage, was installed in a turnaround at the marina in this lakeside resort town. A plate was installed over the genitalia, then was removed because it drew attention to the groin area and looked silly. Now vandals have bashed away the penis on Michael Hermesh’s 6 1/2-foot epoxy-impregnated plaster statue, broken the ankles and knocked over the 24 suitcases.