Biz Sues Vaad + NYPD Looking For Suspects In Times Square Beating

Rise and shine Five Towns!

In today's Daily, learn why a Cedarhurst business is suing the Vaad Hakashrus of the Five Towns, read about an Inwood man who received $1.7 million in a wrongful conviction settlement and get the latest on the antisemitic Times Square attack of a Lawrence man.

First, today's weather will be mostly cloudy all day with a high of 67.

Today's top news from the Five Towns:

1. Lisa Fickenscher has a story about several Five Towns businesses that claim rabbis from the Vaad Hakashrus of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway retaliated against them when they began using rival kosher certification providers. Chimichurri Charcoal Chicken in Cedarhurst filed a lawsuit which claims the Vaad told community members to avoid eating there after they stopped using the Vaad certification, along with Keneret Fresh Market in Hewlett and Cedarhurst's Five Fifty Restaurant. (New York Post)

2. Andrew Dedinsky and Melissa Klein report that the man accused of assaulting Lawrence native Joseph Bergen said in jail that he wasn't sorry and he would do it again. The NYPD release photos of four other men wanted in connection with the beating, which happened last Thursday in Times Square and appeared to be motivated by antisemitism. (New York Post)

3. Tom Robbins tells the story of Shuaib O’Neill from Inwood, who was wrongly convicted and later exonerated of a weapons charge, arrested by NYPD officer Joseph Cruzado. According to this investigative article, New York City has settled $2.6 million in lawsuits involving Cruzado. O'Neill received a $1.7 million award. (The New Yorker)

Events Around the Five Towns:

• A mobile vaccination site is scheduled at the Five Towns Community Center from 3 to 6 p.m. Registration is here.

Five Towns Notebook:

• Nine fifth-graders at Ogden Elementary School won first place at the New York State Art Teacher Association's Olympics of the Visual Arts: Mischa Zhang, Lia Vaknine, Shai Cohen, Johanna Zack, Noor Mayan, Brandon Arias, Jordan Caeser, Mahi Patel, and Nisa Zorluoglu. (Hewlett-Woodmere schools)
  
• With the Summer Olympics coming up, guess how many Long Islanders have ever won an Olympic medal: 35, and three were from Lawrence (Raymond Barbuti in track and field, Robert Livingston in ice hockey and Robert Minton in bobsleigh) and one from Hewlett (Eric Ridder in sailing.) (Newsday)

That's today's five minute must-know Five Towns recap. Check back tomorrow to keep updated and informed. If you know of something that should be included in the Five Towns Daily, drop us a note at fivetowns@patch.com!

-Jackie

About me: I am a lifelong Long Islander who has covered local news for over a decade. I'm a busy working mom who loves to share nearby news to inform, educate, inspire or just make your daily life a bit easier.