Bad buzz is building against a popular phone company on Long Island. As Verizon tries to upgrade its services, residents in Mineola are fed up with what they are calling "unnecessary noise." John and Ida Ferreira are used to loud noises: they own a bird shop. They live next to Long Island Rail Road train tracks. "This is nothing. The train is nothing for me," Ida said. Nothing said the Ferreiras compared to the sudden ear-splitting sounds -- day and night they complain -- recently coming out of a building expansion bordering their block along 13th Avenue.
There's more trouble at Toyota as the automaker's "Prius" brand has come under scrutiny for possible brake problems. Toyota said it's investigating but hasn't made a decision on a recall. That, as thousands of Toyota mechanics are being re-trained to deal with a previous re-call involving sticky accelerators on a number of other popular models. CBS 2 HD got a first hand look at how Toyota is attacking the problem in our area.
The president's proposal to spend billions to spur job creation is winning support at one of the fastest growing companies in New York. Don't let the skull and bones on the door fool you. Recent hires for the bioreactor room at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals count themselves lucky.
The supermarket wars have a new combatant in New Jersey -- a brand new Walmart supercenter with fruits and vegetables, clothing and home goods. And while these stores have popped up in other states, it's all new for North Jersey residents.
There was good news in the numbers out from the State Department of Labor on Friday morning. Employers cut a net total of 11,000 jobs in November -- that was down from 111,000 the previous month. And the unemployment rate dropped slightly to 10 percent. But within those numbers, a split is emerging: the number of long-term jobless -- those out of work six months or longer -- is growing.
All across Long Island, homeowners are getting a welcome surprise in the mail -- a credit on their bill from the Long Island Power Authority. And homeowners say the extra savings couldn't have come at a better time. Maria Loria plans to look smashing this Christmas in her new sweater. The long time Mineola resident bought it in part with the LIPA credit she got right before Thanksgiving.
In such a tough economy stores are doing their best to reel in customers, with most offering deep discounts. And in some places shoppers grabbed more than they could carry. CBS 2 HD decided to get a firsthand look at the Roosevelt Field Mall. Retailers offered big bargains for shoppers willing to battle the Black Friday crowds.
Consolidated Edison has "shock" in store for customers this holiday season -- another round of hikes for what is already America's priciest electricity. The utility's 3 million customers in New York City and Westchester County are about to be "juiced" again … and again ... and again. The utility has unveiled a plan to raise your rates three times over the next three years.
For the first time in its more than 80-year history, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will not be on Broadway. It will take a somewhat altered route. It will also take a few extra turns. When the parade's floats and balloons step off this week, the route will be a new one, making some people thrilled, and others disappointed.
Shop now or later? With the struggling economy some holiday shoppers are wondering whether there will be better deals out there after "Black Friday." CBS 2 HD saw one Target all decked out with holiday decorations, getting ready for the busiest shopping day of the year. But some shoppers told us they may not be doing the bulk of their gift buying on that day.
A gender bias suit has been leveled against a New York institution. A popular store on 34th Street has been charged with discrimination by several women who say the make-up of the store's male dominated sales staff is no accident. For camera and audio buffs, B&H Photo can be a Disneyland of delights but now the iconic New York electronics store is being sued for allegedly barring women from the far side of the sales counter.
The price of a precious metal has reached a record high. It's a modern day gold rush -- and that's creating a lot of opportunity for both buyers and sellers. All along the diamond district jewelers are not only selling, they're buying as customers look to cash in on gold's record price. They said it's good for everyone.
The holidays may be weeks away, but high shopping season is here. And the most popular toys and products are already flying off store shelves. CBS 2 HD has some advice on what parents should do. A robotic toy hamster is the hot toy of the season. But try finding it.
On Long Island another alleged Ponzi scheme is unraveling. Investigators say the damage could run as high as $50 million. Bankruptcy court trustee Ken Barnard has the daunting task of following the money, investigating at least four separate business enterprises run by 35-year-old Laurie Schneider of Oceanside. Her alleged Ponzi scheme bilked dozens of people out of tens of millions of dollars.
Happy Holidays? Bah Humbug is more like it! At the major airports around the New York City area, airline passengers are reacting to a "new fly charge" over the major holidays that many are calling sneaky. With no formal announcement American, Continental, US Airways, Delta and United imposed an extra $10 fee for most flights during the busiest travel days of the year.
A small-time money manager who did business out of a shabby storefront in Brooklyn was charged Tuesday with running a $40 million Ponzi scheme that secretly diverted client money to unauthorized ventures, including a mail-order pornography business. Federal prosecutors and the Securities Exchange Commission said Philip Barry, 52, ran the scam without detection for 31 years until the economic downturn bankrupted him last summer.
A group of Brooklynites have found a unique way to grow their own food. They've planted crops on the roof. It saves money and they say if more people did it, it would help save the planet, too. Fifty feet above the sidewalk, with the New York City skyline as a backdrop … tomatoes, peppers and green beans are thriving.
Buying booze in New Jersey is about to get a little more expensive -- and it's all because of the state's budget problems. An increased tax will cost residents every time they raise their glass. Mike Chedid spent Friday re-pricing his inventory of hard liquor and wine -- the fallout from New Jersey's new so-called "sin tax" that'll hit liquor stores, restaurants and bars starting Saturday.
Fierce flames ripped through a Con Edison Power Plant Substation in Queens Friday Morning, knocking out the power in hundreds of surrounding buildings and threatening the safety of an entire neighborhood. The three-alarm fire broke out near the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 244th Street in Douglaston. It destroyed one of the two Con Ed transformers used to power thousands of homes, and filled the neighborhood's air with toxic smoke.
Even as New York rushes to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in federal stimulus money for roads and bridges, billions more awarded for the likes of education, weatherization and criminal justice remain untouched. A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office identified more than $3 billion awarded to New York but unspent at the end of June.
General Motors may be headquartered in Detroit, but it's road to bankruptcy reorganization runs right through Manhattan. GM's company-owned dealership in Harlem filed for bankruptcy just before the parent company on Monday, allowing the automotive giant to use New York's court system, known for it's expertise in handling massive Chapter 11 filings like Enron and WorldCom. The papers were filed in lower Manhattan and by lunchtime taxpayers were the proud new owners of what was once a jewel of American industry.
For years, investment scammer Bernie Madoff fooled everyone. Now, the secretary who worked beside him for decades is spilling the swindler's secrets in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine. For more than two decades, Eleanor Squillari of Staten Island had a view from the inside only a very few family members had.
The family of a worker killed during a shopping stampede at Walmart is blasting a settlement reached with the retail giant. Walmart will pay $2 million instead of facing prosecution. Walmart's deal with prosecutors avoids criminal charges in the trampling death of a temporary employee last November during frenzied post-Thanksgiving "Black Friday" sales.
Chrysler's chapter 11 bankruptcy makes the struggling automaker eligible for another $8 billion in federal aid. The question is: What will this mean to Chrysler buyers and sellers? Dealerships across the tri-state area took a deep breath on Thursday. Phones were ringing off the hook in Hempstead. They'd just heard President Barack Obama speak and wondered what bankruptcy protection will bring to one of America's most storied automakers and to the locals here who buy, sell and drive Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge.
The state of our economy is causing many families to re-think career options and opportunities. Statistics show men are losing their jobs at a higher rate than women. For some women who have chosen to stay at home with their children, the time has come for them to consider re-entering the workplace.
In four months 2.6 million jobs have been lost. Many employers say they're still not ready to hire, but they're focusing on keeping their current headcounts. Instead of firing, they are offering furloughs. Lynette Seymour's boss gave her a choice: lose her job or take unpaid time off to save it.
Bernard Madoff's wife visited him in the Manhattan jail where he has been held since pleading guilty to orchestrating perhaps the biggest Ponzi scheme in history. News reports said Ruth Madoff arrived around 4:40 p.m. Monday for her first visit to the Manhattan Correctional Center. She said nothing to reporters before or after her roughly 90-minute stay.
Americans seems to be sugar-coating the sour economic times. Big-name candy makers say profits are up. While other small businesses are struggling, candy store owners in our area say all is well in candyland.
It's problem affecting millions of people these days -- unemployment. But on Tuesday, one man tried to turn the stigma out of being jobless on its head -- by creating, of all things, the "Unemployment Olympics." At Tompkins Square Park on Tuesday, more than 30 downsized, laid off or just plain fired folks competed in office-inspired events designed to bring a little lighthearted levity to their lives during a difficult time.
