New York - U.S. stocks fell, capping a second straight weekly loss, as a record drop in retail sales and weaker demand for mobile phones raised concern about the depth of the recession. Sears Holdings Corp., Home Depot Inc. and Office Depot Inc. sank more than 7.6 percent on government data showing sales at retailers declined 2.8 percent last month. Qualcomm Inc., the biggest maker of...

Rockland County, NY - Rockland Sheriff’s Detective Shlomo Koenig recently got kudos from the U.S. Secret Service for helping investigated people dealing in child pornography on the Internet. Koenig, a member of the Rockland Sheriff’s Computer Crime Task Force, has been named “2008 Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer of the Year” by the Secret Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in...

Borough Park, NY - In the ongoing leadership dispute in the Satmar Community of Borough Park, is a case that concerns competing claims to to take control of the Board of Trustees of the United Talmudic Academy of Borough Park. which includes the Boys and Girls School. The NYS Supreme Court second Appellate Division ruled on the case Welz vs Schwimmer The 4 judges reversed a lower court...

Postville, IA - The former leader of a controversial meatpacking plant has been arrested again, this time on a federal bank-fraud charge. Sholom Rubashkin, 49, who ran the Agriprocessors, Inc. plant for years, was arrested in Postville this morning, said Bob Teig, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office. Rubashkin was scheduled to appear in court in Cedar Rapids at 11 a.m. today. Rubashkin...

New York - If I am I because you are you and you are you because I am I, than I am not I and you are not you. However, if I am I because I am I, and you are you because you are you than I am indeed I and you are indeed you—Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk. I have done my best to avoid the new Facebook phenomenon for the longest time. Until finally my wife told me that this can be an effective...

Argentine - Federal Judge Ariel Lijo also summoned Menem's brother, Munir; a federal judge previously in charge of the investigation; two former intelligence agents; and two former police officers in the case. The suspects are accused of trying to hide Syrian-Argentine businessman Alberto Jacinto Kanoore Edul's alleged role in the country's worst terror attack, which also wounded 200 people at...

Albany, NY - Congestion pricing, the West Side Stadium, Albany has already done its share to kill Mayor Michael Bloomberg's most ambitious plans. Now state lawmakers could throw a roadblock in front of the mayor's plan to run for a third term. The New York Times says Brooklyn State Senator Kevin Parker plans to introduce legislation today that would prevent city officials from running for a...

New York - The effects of the sagging economy can be seen everywhere. Housing prices are dropping significantly in many areas, and in the areas where the prices have not dropped, sales have dropped significantly. Baalei Simcha are cutting down on party expenses – photographers and Videographers are being canceled – replaced by Uncle Yossi with a video camera or a digital camera for...

New York - While Jewish people are often thought of as wealthy residents, the reality is that there are more than 244,000 individuals in Jewish households in New York City living in poverty, including 52,000 children. Recognizing the growing impact of the economic crisis on the Jewish poor of New York City and their ability to afford basic nutritious food, the UJA-Federation (United Jewish...

London - While Shabbat itself is a haven of peace and quiet, the few minutes leading up to it on a Friday afternoon have caused quite a bit of noise in one Jewish area. A Shabbat siren has been announcing the imminent arrival of the Sabbath in Stamford Hill in North East London. In fact, it is not a siren, but rather, a selection of music and songs being played over a number of...

Lakewood, NJ - After three years of court wrangling, a judge has thrown out four ordinances that permitted land swaps between the township and a real estate agent, saying they failed to explain why the deals were in the public's best interest. The ordinances will likely not be revisited, township officials said. In September 2005, local government critic Yehuda Shain sued to block the exchange...

Chicago, IL - As the press pool following President-elect Barack Obama waited for him to emerge from his Transition Team headquarters in Chicago Thursday afternoon, someone else's motorcade of three SUVs emerged from the same underground garage. This development coincides with NBC news quoting two Obama advisors saying that Obama was considering Sen. Hillary Clinton for the position of...