OUR CITY, YOUR PAPER
No one covers the city like the Daily News. For more than a century, New York’s Hometown Newspaper has been your eyes and ears — and your voice. Do you have a story you think we should tell? Call us at (212) 210-NEWS or email us at news@ nydailynews.com. This is your paper, and we are committed to covering the issues that matter to you. Here are some of our top stories from the past week:
Cold case cracked: The decades old cold case mystery of a missing pregnant New Jersey teen ended this week with her one-time boyfriend and accused killer in handcuffs. Luis Sierra, 63, of Ozone Park, Queens, was arrested Wednesday for the 1976 strangling and dismemberment of 15-year-old Evelyn Colon (image), whose body was found in three suitcases dumped on a Pennsylvania river bank. The case went unsolved for 45 years until authorities discovered a DNA match between the victim’s bone and Evelyn’s nephew — and family members soon steered investigators toward her ex-boyfriend.
Puff, puff, pass: New
York legalized pot on Wednesday after Gov. Cuomo signed legislation to regulate the sale of recreational marijuana for adults. The new law also promises to expunge the records of people previously convicted of possession. “This is a historic day in New York — one that rights the wrongs of the past by putting an end to harsh prison sentences, embraces an industry that will grow the Empire State’s economy, and prioritizes marginalized communities so those that have suffered the most will be the first to reap the benefits,” Cuomo said.
Anti-Asian attack: A convicted killer kicked an Asian woman walking along a Manhattan street then stomped on her head Monday — the city’s latest episode of anti-Asian violence. The assailant, Brandon Elliot — who was released from prison 16 months ago after doing time for fatally stabbing his mother — rushed up to the 65-year-old Filipino woman walking along W. 43rd St. near Ninth Ave, and screamed, “F—- you. You don’t belong here!” disturbing surveillance video shows. The victim’s daughter later thanked the mysterious stranger who distracted the attacker and stopped the racist assault.
Vaccine expansion: New Yorkers 30 years and older are now eligible for the COVID vaccine — and everyone 16 and up will be eligible for the lifesaving shot this week. As of Saturday, the state has administered more than 10.1 million doses of vaccine with about 20% of the population fully immunized. The rate of inoculations are also expected to ramp up as the Biden administration pours hundreds of billions of dollars into producing, distributing and administering shots.