IC News!
May 29th, 2012
The following national news sources are spreading news of NYC:
[From the New York Times, newspaper]
[From the Wall Street Journal, newspaper]
[From the New York Post, newspaper]
[From CNN, on TV]
[From CNN, as a push notification to smart phones everywhere]
[From Sunday Morning, CBS News]
[From Fox News, on TV]
(As well as local affiliates everywhere are also repeating the national news.)
[HEADLINE the New York Times, newspaper]
May 27, 2012, Sunday Newspaper Headline
TRAGIC EXPLOSION AT THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
By: James A. Hernandez
[Photograph of the top floor of the Empire State Building from other nearby building, showing fire, smoke, and debris.]
During the height of tourism in Manhattan this weekend, a tragic explosion rocked the 102 floor of the historic skyscraper on Fifth and 34th at 11:30pm. Electricity flickered out through all of Manhattan briefly, and all nearby watched as the broadcast antenna toppled down onto nearby taxi cabs and pedestrians on W 34th street.
For nearly 15 minutes after the explosion, there was panic and confusion. All air traffic to JFK, LeGuardia, and Newark Airports was shut down and all planes grounded. The Subway lines for B-D-F-N-Q-R-V-W were all shut down near 34th Street Herald Square for the remainder of Saturday night. NYFD and NYPD responded immediately to contain the perimeter from debris, as did the National Guard. All radio stations and television stations went silent due to the damage to the critical broadcast tower atop the Empire State Building.
[Photograph of NYPD police officers heroically pulling a tourist from the debris on 34th street.]
At 11:45pm, Mayor Bloomberg made an announcement over all remaining media outlets not crippled by this explosion, as well as over Times Square citing that there was no attack upon our great nation, but rather that a gas main explosion sparked this tragic incident.
No names of the fatalities or injured have been disclosed to the press at this time, pending contact with families.
Atlantic Gas & Electric has not yet issued a statement about the incident at this time.
[From the Wall Street Journal, newspaper]
May 27, 2012, Sunday Newspaper Headline
GAS EXPLOSION ROCKS MIDTOWN LANDMARK
By: Randolph Windsor
[Photograph of the Empire State Building from the New York Public Library roof.]
For some time New York had taken significant steps towards improving safety procedures, yet this weekend has proven a worse case scenario in the neglect of utilities to manage their own services in a safe manner.
The Office of Mayor Bloomberg this morning issued a formal inquiry, likely to be a joint investigation by the FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Comission), on the nature of this gas leak tragedy.
[News article continues onto the fiscal implications of the incident, as well as further assumptions on the impact of inevitable litigation on Atlantic Gas & Electric over last night’s tragedy.]
[From the New York Post, newspaper]
May 27, 2012, Sunday Newspaper Headline
COLORFUL LIGHTS CAUSE FLAMES ACROSS NEW YORK SKYLINE
By: Jonathan Koborwitz
[This is front page news, and the picture on the front page has a dramatic moment caught in time of (perhaps Photo-shopped) sparks from the floodlight deck, and perhaps some blobs that could appear to be people on the red-lit tier.]
The ever-so charming constant light-shifting on the Empire State Building has been a point of contingency for years as critics say it causes an eyesore on the Midtown Manhattan skyline. Some say worse, it could be a fire hazard. Yet petitions to City Council on the matter have gone unheard in favor of it being a favorite tourist photography target.
“There is nothing wrong with the lights over the Empire State Building. I have no further comments on declining that ridiculous petition,” said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) as he was leaving a Broadway show later that night.
Earlier last year there was another Art Deco building in Manhattan that was lit on fire with green flames and sparks due to the excess of copper accents on the building during the cigarette riots (which burned down a night club called ‘Jiggles’ amongst other businesses), and some say that the Art Deco Empire State Building was no different.
“The vast majority of people are happy about this tragedy,” said one Councilman who chose not to be named, “and the subway interruption has crippled Manhattan.”
[From CNN Newsroom, on TV]
BREAKING NEWS: Live news feed from CNN News Anchor Brooke Baldwin:
“…now to an update on New York City where Mayor Bloomberg has just finished his press conference, citing a gas main explosion as the culprit for the damage to the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan. I want you to take a look at this video from last night that was posted to YouTube within minutes of the incident.”
[The video shows the end of the explosion on the building, and the broadcast antenna tumbling down below, and people running and screaming. It is obviously a cell-phone footage video.]
“Wow… that’s just terrible. Now we take you to Shane for current footage on the street…”
[The video shows the perimeter of 5th Ave and 34th Street blockaded off with fire trucks and other emergency and military vehicles, and there is a correspondent on the streets.]
[From correspondent standing in the blocked-off street of 34th Street near the CUNY Graduate Center, with the Art Deco building of the Empire State Building in the background.]
“Major Michael R. Bloomberg has authorized the arrest of any individuals that interfere with the NYPD and the National Guard as they work diligently on this Memorial Day Weekend to quickly pick up the wreckage and dig out those survivors of the broadcast tower’s debris.”
[Camera swings to a lady wearing an Indianapolis Colts sweatshirt and jeans, who looks like she’s had no sleep.] “This is Ella from Lafayette, Indiana, who was in the Heartland Brewery in the Empire State Building base just moments before the explosion. Tell me, what happened?”
[Eye-Witness] “We had just left having drinks and dinner here at the Empire State Building after seeing Spiderman the Musical, and were about to get a cab to head back to our hotel. We were having trouble hailing a cab on 34th Street, so we began walking to Madison Ave when we hear this BOOM! Then there was dust and debris everywhere, and fire! And we were so worried that…” [the lady has crazy-eyes and looks as she is about to describe some fairly ridiculous theories when the news anchor stops her.]
“As you can see, Brooke, it was a fairly trying evening for those having a night on the town in Midtown. Back to you.”
[Back to the news anchor] “Thank you, Shane. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, who shut down the lines for B-D-F-N-Q-R-V-W subways on Saturday night expect to have all final structural inspections done by Thursday of next week, as they work around the clock to ensure that no damage was done to the tunnels or tracks.”
[From CNN, as a push notification to iPhones, Driods, and Smart Phones everywhere]
11:30 pm, Saturday: “CNN: Explosion at Empire State Building.”
11:35 pm, Saturday: “CNN: NYPD and National Guard on scene of Empire State Explosion.”
11:45 pm, Saturday: “CNN: Mayor Bloomberg cites gas main and utility neglect for Empire State Building tragedy.”
7:00 am, Sunday: “CNN: 19 dead and dozens injured as debris is cleared from Empire State explosion.”
8 am, Sunday: “CNN: Subways in NYC delayed until Thursday of next week.”
[From Sunday Morning, CBS News]
[After a segment on Memorial Day across the nation as our country remembers its brave men and women who died while serving the United States Armed Forces.]
[Announcer.] “Welcome back to CBS News Sunday Morning, with our host, Charles Osgood.”
[The camera pans around to Charles Osgood sitting in front of the famous Sunday morning sun logo.
“Welcome back. This day we remember the greatness of our Nation. Many today speak of the tragedy last night with the Empire State Building. Today we will look back on the history of this great landmark of our Country, its completion and opening coinciding with the Great Depression as President Herbert Hoover turned on its lights for the very first time. We will look at its tragedies, including the 1945 plane crash, and its joyous occasions, and just what it truly means to the most famous of all American skylines, Manhattan.”
[The camera then goes into a dramatic collage of photographs showing the building of the Empire State building with vaudeville-style music, and goes through the eras, explaining the history of the building. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building]
[From Fox & Friends, on Fox News, on TV]
[Gretchen Carlson] “I think that it is indicative of how little this Obama Administration cares that they have not issued a press conference yet this morning to express their views on this news.”
[Steve Doocy] “Well, it goes to show that this significant neglect by this Independent Bloomberg cannot manage the city as well as Rudi Giuliani managed the city. Perhaps this will wake New Yorkers up to what really needs to be done to keep this city running properly, in spite of how terrible this tragedy is to all Americans.”
