Michael Balsamo, Author at Valley News - Page 5 of 5

An Occupy Wall Street activist takes part in the fifth anniversary of the movement in Zuccotti Park in New York on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Occupy Wall Street Remembered 5 Years Later

by Deepti Hajela Associated Press, and Michael Balsamo Associated PressSeptember 17, 2016

Emergency officials work near the scene of an explosion in Central Park, New York, Sunday, July 3, 2016. A firework that exploded when a 19-year-old unwittingly stepped on it Sunday in Central Park, seriously injuring his left foot, didn't appear to be designed to intentionally hurt people, police officials said. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Authorities: Central Park Explosive Wasn’t Meant to Hurt Anyone

by Michael Balsamo Associated PressJuly 4, 2016

FILE - In this July 4, 2015 file photo, Joey Chestnut, left, and Matt Stonie compete in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest men's competition Saturday in the Coney Island section in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Stonie came in first eating 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Chestnut came in second eating 60 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.For decades, the showmen behind the annual contest have been teling reporters the tradition began in 1916 with a showdown between patriotic immigrants on the Coney Island boardwalk. That would make this year's contest a centennial, of sorts, except for an inconvenient truth: the backstory was invented in the 1970s by PR men trying to get the hot dog stand on the map. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg, File)

The Legend of the Hot Dog-Eating Contest

by Michael Balsamo Associated PressJuly 2, 2016

HOLD FOR STORY. In this April 25, 2016 photo, Maureen McCormick, left, chief of vehicular crimes at the Nassau County district attorney’s office and Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas speak about the rise in synthetic drugs and its impact on drugged driving during an interview in Mineola, N.Y. As synthetic drugs become more popular, prosecutors in New York and a dozen other states are finding themselves stymied by a law that allows them to charge drivers with drugged-driving only if they’re under the influence of something on an official list of banned substances. (AP Photo/Michael Balsamo)

Drugged Driving Lists Lack Synthetics

by Michael Balsamo Associated PressMay 2, 2016