WCBS-TV New York

A cruel hoax has turned to unbearable torture for the mother of a murdered Long Island woman, as she was taunted by text messages from her daughter's phone. The mysterious texts portrayed a cry for help from the missing woman who, in reality, was already dead. For a grieving mother, it's been a brutal one-two punch of anguish. Full Story »

Friday's bone-chilling cold temperatures were a harsh reminder that Old Man Winter will do whatever he pleases, even if it's still fall. A bitter blast of cold has "real-feel" temperatures hovering in the single digits in parts of the tri-state, and it's not much warmer everywhere else. It's a real shock to the system for anybody who thought they had a few more weeks to adjust, including Times ... Full Story »

Jean Lambert is a Massapequa mom in mourning. She and her husband, grieving the overdose death of their beloved son Adam last year, were among parents in the community demanding answers from physician Dr. Saji Francis, who was arrested for peddling prescriptions. "Parents are outraged sir. You took a Hippocratic Oath. You have five children of your own," Lambert said. Dr. Francis, who was out on ... Full Story »

Arrested for a crime he didn't commit. A Queens man was taken away in handcuffs after being misidentified as a robber. It's a terrible thing to be charged with a crime you weren't a part of, but 21-year-old Keith Falu is fortunate after the truth was discovered in his case. "I was thinking the worst. I was thinking that this was it, and I was going to go to jail for something I didn't do," he ... Full Story »

A middle school was evacuated and two other schools were placed on temporary lockdown in Middlesex County after live ammunition was found on the premises Friday afternoon. There was panic and fear across South River as the three schools were locked down by police. Parents gathered, uncertain what was going on. Full Story »

They were the cemetery crimes that shocked us all -- burials in the wrong graves, body parts stolen and sold. And CBS 2 HD is seeking answers in another burial mix-up. It's a family's nightmare saying goodbye to a loved one only to find they've been misplaced. It nearly happened to the Ragone family's beloved matriarch, 92-year-old Veneranda. Full Story »

Here we go again. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is talking service cuts and a budget crunch. Even though the MTA got a state bailout it is still financially challenged, with a 343 million budget gap. Now, you may pay for it in another way. Full Story »

Do you think you know a lot about the effects that frigid temperatures can have on your body? Remember when we were little kids, and they always told us to make sure we wear a hat or keep our heads covered when we were out in the bitter cold? Well, how much of your body's heat do you actually lose out of the top of your head? CBS 2's John Elliot hit the chilly streets to bust a popular cold ... Full Story »

What a way to start the Hanukkah this year in Midtown Manhattan! Mayor Michael Bloomberg was hoisted up in a cherry-picker to help Rabbi Schmool Butman light the world's largest menorah at the Grand Army Plaza on 59th Street. It's 32 feet high and 4,000 pounds. Full Story »

They were going nowhere fast. A Brooklyn travel agent has been arrested, accused of scamming clients out of thousands of dollars for trips that were never booked. Fatma Aly said she's innocent. Aly said her husband ran off with nearly $80,000, and claims he's the one who often collected money from Fatma Travel clients -- with no record of the transaction. And that's when the whole mess started. Full Story »

Tens of thousands of homeowners facing foreclosure are flocking to the Javitz Center this weekend. A mortgage modification event is underway, led by an organization that is determined to save the American dream of owning a home. Distressed homeowners are looking for help, and are willing to do just about anything. Full Story »

The day after a shocking shootout in Times Square, CBS 2 is learning more about the gunman killed by police and the illegal weapon the suspect was using. Raymond Martinez, a 25-year-old aspiring rapper, died living his own tough lyrics. He was fatally wounded while trading shots with a plainclothes city cop Thursday morning in Times Square, his final moments caught on tape as he continued to ... Full Story »

A $200,000 grant will help preserve the last column pulled from the World Trade Center rubble after 9/11, officials announced Friday. Now rusted and fragile, the 58-ton steel column that marked the end of the nine-month recovery effort will eventually be on display in the museum being constructed at ground zero. Save America's Treasures, a not-for-profit preservation organization, donated the ... Full Story »

Quarterback Mark Sanchez has been ruled out, as expected, for the New York Jets' game at Tampa Bay, along with cornerback Dwight Lowery and offensive lineman Robert Turner. Sanchez sprained the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Buffalo last Thursday. Coach Rex Ryan decided to sit him against the Buccaneers earlier this week. Kellen Clemens will start in his place. Full Story »

A 16-year-old boy accused of running down a nurse outside a Syracuse hospital has been charged with assault and reckless driving. Police said Andre Escobar surrendered Friday, two days after a surveillance video of the hit-and-run was released. He's also charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle. Investigators got an anonymous ... Full Story »

According to the National Weather Service, The wind chill temperature is how cold people and animals feel when outside. Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold. WCBSTV.Com has compiled more information to help you fight the big chill, including tips on how to dress and what to do if you get caught out in the cold. Here's The Latest Forecast Full Story »

A fund manager accused of cheating investors of more than $100 million has pleaded guilty to fraud charges, admitting he lied to hundreds of investors about the health of his business. James Nicholson entered the plea Friday to securities fraud, investment adviser fraud and mail fraud before Judge Richard Sullivan in federal court in Manhattan. He admitted carrying out the fraud between 2004 and ... Full Story »

You better bundle up if you plan on being outside Friday. A bitter blast of cold air coupled with powerful winds settled over the tri-state, producing temperatures below freezing for most of the area. Across the tri-state we're seeing the coldest temperatures of the season, and whipping winds are making things even worse. Temps will be in the low 30s, but west winds of 20 to 25 mph, with gusts ... Full Story »

After five years of political struggle, a bill requiring greater accountability from public authorities is about to be signed by Gov. David Paterson. The law will require the authorities — long criticized as a shadow government — to open their books for independent audits. Board members will also have a clear legal duty to serve the authority and the public, rather than the governor, mayor or ... Full Story »

A federal judge in Rochester is weighing punishment for an investment fund manager who helped run a $33 million Ponzi scheme that cheated more than two dozen investors across the country. John Montana could get up to 12 years in prison Friday for conspiracy, fraud and money laundering during the investment scam from July 1999 to July 2001. The 57-year-old Staten Island man was convicted along ... Full Story »

A prosecutor says police found a murder victim's underwear in the suburban New York apartment of the next-door neighbor accused of killing her. Rockland County prosecutor Stephen Moore spoke Thursday after Eric Lau pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and burglary in the Nov. 29 killing of Jami Erlich. During a bench conference, Moore told the judge Lau beat Erlich and slit her throat in her ... Full Story »

President Barack Obama says he needed to set a deadline to start withdrawing U.S. forces so the Afghans wouldn't assume their country would be "a permanent protectorate" of the United States. Obama told CBS's "60 Minutes" that his decision to start bringing forces home by July 2011 was a signal the United States would not protect the country forever. Obama has said the U.S. commitment to ... Full Story »

Police say they've found a missing Yale University lab technician who reportedly works at the building where a graduate student was killed in September. West Haven police say 47-year-old John DiNello was found safe near his home in West Haven at about 6:30 a.m. Friday. No other details were released. University spokesman Tom Conroy said DiNello hadn't shown up for work in four days and hadn't ... Full Story »

The mayor railed against gun violence on Friday, one day after a street peddler died in a shootout with police outside a hotel in bustling Times Square. Raymond Martinez, 25, was killed by a plainclothes police sergeant Thursday after trading gunfire in an area crowded with tourists and holiday shoppers. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was asked about the shooting while appearing at a Manhattan charity ... Full Story »

An earlier switch problem in Wantagh is causing delays of up to 20 minutes in both directions for Babylon Branch commuters, CBS 2 HD has learned. All westbound trains will stop in Jamaica for customers needing to transfer to New York or Brooklyn. Full Story »