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Puerto Rico Gov. Rosselló Leaving Office
Less than 24 hours before Gov. Ricardo Rosselló was expected to leave office, Puerto Ricans had no idea who would replace him as political chaos threatened to paralyze the island with a constitutional crisis. Rosselló has promised to step down at 5 p.m. Friday in response to huge street protests by Puerto Ricans outraged at corruption, mismanagement and an obscenity-laced chat that was leaked in which the governor and 11 male allies made fun of women, gay people and victims of Hurricane Maria. "It's frustrating. We're in limbo," said Jose Ramos, a taxi driver. "The island doesn't have a path forward." As one of his last acts, Rosselló put forward veteran politician and lawyer Pedro Pierluisi to fill the vacant secretary of state post, next in line for the governorship under the U.S. territory's constitution.
R. Kelly Due in NYC Court for Sex Crime Charges
R&B singer R. Kelly is due in a New York City court Friday for an arraignment on charges he sexually abused women and girls. The jailed Kelly was scheduled to appear at back-to-back hearings in federal court in Brooklyn, where he was expected to enter a not guilty plea and then seek bail. The hearings follow his arrest last month in a separate Chicago case accusing him of engaging in child pornography. Kelly, 52, is charged in New York with exploiting five victims, identified only as "Jane Does." According to court papers, they include one he met at one of his concerts and another at a radio station where she was an intern. The papers allege that Kelly arranged for some of the victims to meet him on the road for illegal sex. He had one victim travel in 2017 to a show on Long Island, where he had unprotected sex with her without telling her "he had contracted an infectious venereal disease" in violation of New York law, they say. Lawyers for Kelly have asked a New York judge to grant him bail so he can better fight the charges as they also seek his release in Chicago. Defense papers label his accusers "disgruntled groupies.
Family to Say Final Goodbye to Twins Who Died in Hot Car
The family of 1-year-old twins who died after being forgotten in a hot car will say one last goodbye to the toddlers at a service in Yonkers on Friday. The funeral for Phoenix and Luna Rodriguez will be held at Sinatra Memorial Home from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. They will be laid to rest just one day after a judge ruled there is no criminal case at this time against their father, Juan Rodriguez, who is accused of leaving the toddlers in a hot car for eight hours last week, killing both of them. Meanwhile, a new City Council legislation will be introduced in an attempt to prevent tragedies such as this from happening again. Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera is expected to make an announcement Friday morning.
Local
World's Largest Bounce House Comes to NYC
The biggest bounce house in the world is here! The Guinness Book of World Records’ largest-ever bounce house will be at Brooklyn’s Aviator Sports & Events Center from Friday through Sunday as part of its Big Bounce America tour. With 10,000 square-feet of bouncy fun and a 900-foot-long inflatable obstacle course, The Big Bounce America tour offers an exciting event for adults and children alike. Tickets range from $16-$30, with all age groups welcome. There’s even an adults-only section. Attendees can enjoy slides, ball pits, climbing walls, live DJs, confetti blasts and competitions.
