What to Know
- Nearly 100 people and pets had to be rescued from flooded homes in one New Jersey community as relentless storms bashed the tri-state
- 'Real Housewives of New York City' star Bethenny Frankel broke her silence on the death of her longtime friend Dennis Shields
- A group of black girls were told they weren’t welcome in an aquarium gift shop in NJ in an incident one woman says was racially motivated
Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018
Happy Tuesday! There could be a little bit of relief from all this wet weather today, but we're still predicting scattered storms and showers around the tri-state area. As always, get the latest forecast at nbcnewyork.com/weather.
1. Dozens Rescued From Floods as Relentless Storms Blast Region
Nearly 100 people and pets had to be rescued from flooded homes in one New Jersey community as relentless storms bashed the tri-state.
Authorities said about 70 homes flooded in Brick, where flash floods submerged vehicles and row boats were brought in to help save stranded drivers before noon.
Over in Little Falls, New Jersey, officials said 190 homes were damaged and 32 are uninhabitable. Forty-five people had to be rescued, and there were 21 fire calls; the scenes of devastation prompted a visit from Gov. Phil Murphy, who declared a state of emergency for the township.
Local
Officials say cars from a nearby dealership floated during flooding over the weekend, blocking water from the overflowing Peckman River and sending it into an area where flooding wasn't supposed to happen.
Read more here.
2. Bethenny Frankel Breaks Silence on Trump Tower Death of Longtime Friend
"Real Housewives of New York City" star and entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel broke her silence on the death of her longtime friend and one-time boyfriend Dennis Shields in an Instagram post as she bid farewell at his funeral.
Frankel shared a photo of Shields and her late dog Cookie cuddling on a bed, sleeping peacefully. She captioned it, "Rest In Peace my sweet babies who gave me endless unconditional love.
Shields, 51, was found dead of an apparent overdose at Trump Tower last week.
Shields and Frankel had known each other for more than three decades, but didn't start dating until 2016.
Read more here.
3. Black Girls Asked to Leave NJ Gift Shop in Alleged Racist Incident
A group of black girls from a summer camp were told they weren’t welcome in an aquarium gift shop in an incident one of the women who runs the camp claims was racially motivated.
Attiyya Barrett, who helps runs a program called Princess to Queenz, told News 4 New York seven girls from the program went into the gift shop at Jenkinson’s Aquarium, in Point Pleasant Beach, on Friday and were told by an employee that they couldn’t be there without a chaperone.
When the girls came back with a 32-year-old chaperone, the employee allegedly asked them to leave because the chaperone “looked like one of them,” Barrett said.
Jenkinson’s Pavilion has suspended the employee who asked the girls to leave, pending an investigation, a spokesperson told News 4 in a statement.
Read more here.
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