Washington, DC - The Bush administration is about to propose far-reaching new rules that would give people with disabilities greater access to tens of thousands of courtrooms, swimming pools, golf courses, stadiums, theaters, hotels and retail stores. The proposal would substantially update and rewrite federal standards for enforcement of the Americans With Disabilities Act, a landmark civil...

New York - Michael Behn, a former federal prosecutor, said, “The pharmacies nationwide had a pill flipping scheme.” Behn helped expose how Walgreens exploited a Medicaid loophole. To save taxpayer dollars, Medicaid limits how much it pays for popular forms of drugs. But it doesn't bother to set price-ceilings on rarely-used versions. Take generic Zantac, or ranitidine, for...

Palm Beach Gardens, FL - As Rabbi Dovid Vigler's arm sweeps across the cavernous empty firehouse, it's almost possible to see, as he does, how grand it will be. There will be a sanctuary with a soaring high ceiling and a balcony overlooking a social hall for weddings and parties. This vacant firehouse will be the new home of the Gardens Shul, a Chabad congregation. "Our dream is to make it...

Albany, NY - The number of calls to the state's Smoker's Quitline quadrupled to nearly 10,000 calls during the week of June 2, when the full $2.75-a-pack tax kicked in, New York Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines said. Fewer than 2,300 people called for help during the same week in 2007. Smokers calling the Quitline requested nearly 7,900 kits the week the new tax was introduced compared...

Brooklyn, NY - All our exes live in … Brooklyn? Yes, divorce cases are soaring in Kings County — up a whopping 30 percent since 2003. The surge covers uncontested divorces — which numbered 5,489 in 2004 and jumped to 7,035 last year. Contested divorces — the ones that get ugly — are up five percent, according to Tom Kilfoyle, the clerk at the Adams Street courthouse. And no one...

New York City - A shortage of medics and a surge in heat-related 911 calls left the city struggling to respond to medical emergencies last week - and the dangerous situation could worsen as summer intensifies and more FDNY EMS workers jump ship to become firefighters, sources told The Post. Dozens of ailing people waited more than an hour for a response after dialing 911 last week. During one...

Borough Park, NY - NYPD of the 66th Pct are calling for a level one mobilization for a bank robbery of the Apple Bank on 13th Avenue and 45th Street, NYPD ESU are also requested for the perp search. Perp is a Hispanic male wearing a grey Yankee shirt with #13 on the back...

Lakewood, NJ - A Lakewood yeshiva student who masterminded a sweepstakes scam has been caught, police said, but the Clifton senior citizen who fell victim to the con is still out $35,700. On May 30, a 78-year-old Clifton resident came into police headquarters to report that he had been the victim of a sweepstakes fraud, police Detective Capt. Robert Rowan said Thursday. The man said that on May...

Mclean VA- State Department officials said last week Thursday they have no plans to close a Saudi-financed Islamic school in Northern Virginia that has failed to eliminate violent and intolerant language in textbooks. "They told us they would revise the textbooks by the 2008 school year," State Department spokesman Rob McInturff said. "We don't plan to take additional action apart from the...

Gilboa, NY - When Barbara Kraus and her husband, Joe, built their retirement home 10 years ago, her family’s 203 acres was still the peaceful countryside where she’d dreamed as a teenager under night skies ablaze with stars. Now, they say, the peace and the darkness have been shattered by noise and lights of a nearby summer camp. The Krauses and seven other neighbors are fighting to stop...

London - A neo-Nazi postman who targeted the Attorney General, government figures and others, in an Anthrax hoax has been jailed for four years. Brazilian-born loner Jefferson Azevedo, 45, posted waves of packages containing caustic soda and letters filled with "racist and depraved" threats to his victims. Azevedo's targets included Government figures and an elderly man whose family was wiped...

New York City - A trip to Jackson Heights, Queens, will get you some good food, - and likely, a parking ticket. The neighborhood, along with adjacent East Elmhurst, is the parking ticket capital of New York, according to new numbers obtained by the Daily News. Cops and traffic agents have doled out a stunning 20,848 parking tickets in the 115th Precinct in Queens so far this year - the...

Sao Paulo, Brazil - McDonald's restaurant in Sao Paulo, Brazil will become kosher for a day. The fast-food restaurant in the Barra Funda neighborhood will offer kosher meals today. According to the JTA, the store was specially prepared under rabbinic supervision on Saturday night and the non-kosher utensils will be placed back right after the event. Some of the kosher items on the menu...

New York City - Blocking the box could get more expensive for New York City drivers. The City Council is backing state legislation that would raise the penalty for cars that creep into congested intersections, become stuck and prevent traffic from moving. It is a familiar — and, for many drivers and pedestrians, infuriating — sight in Midtown Manhattan. Right now, obstructing traffic at...

Plainville, CT - They don't climb tall buildings in a single bound, but the mysterious "Gas Men" are super heroes to some fed-up motorists. The unknown duo were dressed in sunglasses, baseball caps, khakis and matching green golf shirts when they gave Gayle Kilburn a $100 bill as she filled up her car at a Citgo in Plainville. They also handed her a card that read "Re-Fueling Our Community"...