a soaking windy day left behind aid major mess in the area. apple pushing back. the company says it will fight in order to help investigators to get information on the san bernardino shooters. pope francis had to scold overzealous people during his visit to mexico. "today in new york" starts now. good morning everyone. wednesday morning, february 17th. i'm darlene rodriguez i'm michael gargiulo chlg let's check in with chris sim owe. >> it's finally calm. we talked about the heavy downpour of rain yesterday and the strong wind gusts. it came through with a gusto. cooling down a little bit. not bitterly cold. 34 in franklin, 35 in high bridge. in the city, mid and upper 30s. same thing in long island. cold spot, westhampton down to 29. the hudson valley still above freezing. leftover clouds, there's the front that came through with the

still residual moisture. some clouds this morning. i think the cloud cover will thin out at times for breaks of sunshine for today. a couple of flurries early on to the north and east of town. look for skies to become partly cloudy by noon. upper 30s flirting with 40. just a couple of notches above normal. more on the forecast in a bit. first check on the midweek commute. wednesday morning, lauren? >> we'll take a look at the george washington bridge. a little slow-going inbound upper level. delays should ease out soon. two lanes are closed outbound under the apartments towards the bridge. that's not causing a delay. we have roadwork off 78 for the 78 westbound ramp to the new jersey turnpike. it's shut down right now because of construction. otherwise, things in the area moving along nicely. next weather and traffic update on the 4s. >> lauren, thank you. an apartment building fire in

floor apartment at 44 park avenue after ash burton. a photo shows the damage. several people had to leave through the fire escape. one resident and eight firefighters were treated for minor injuries. the cause of the fire under investigation. firefighters say smoking may be to blame. whole foods is recalling cheese that may be contaminated with listeria and ultimately could be deadly. the specialty cheese is -- only one store sold it in new york. it poses a serious threat to chirp, the elderly and pregnant women. mayor de blasio dismissed the talk of closing riker's island. yesterday, the mayor called it noble but too expensive and a logistical nightmare. that puts him at odds with governor cuomo. they want to close the troubled complex. the mayor says that would cost billions of dollars.

for mexico's migrants when he celebrate across the u.s. border. the pontiff will perform the service at the juarez fair ground. nearby in texas it will be simulcast in sun bowl stadium. >> yesterday the pope had an awkward moment. he was merely toppled. the pope gave them a loud scolding. all right. happening now, from the heavy rain and the strong winds that pushed through the area, the storm of parking lights like this near citi field flooded. in the bronx, also covered with water. some cars were left stranded. fortunately, it appears that most of the major flooding has subsided this morning. heavy rain wasn't the only thing falling from the sky. a news vehicle from our sister station in connecticut was hit by a sheet of ice that flew off of a box truck. connecticut state police say they received similar reports of other cars also hit by flying

>> that's really oongerous. we've seen it happen in different places. 4:34. time for weather and traffic on the 4s. chris, the fact that we've seen it all in the past 72 hours. >> in a short period. a couple of seasons came on through. now we're lows closer to where we should be. had between 1 to 2 inches of rain in a short period of time. all of that is gone. the wind is fwon. cloudy chilly start but the cloud should break for sun in the late morning, early afternoon. temperatures back in the low 40s. much less wind will be the noticeable difference. 39 in murray hill. 37 in city island. through the hudson valley, poughkeepsie holding on to 37. the temperatures will likely slide down a few more degrees before sunrise and bounce back into the 40s. first forecast, mostly cloudy now. not too bad. 36 at 8:00 a.m. forecasting a high of 44 with a mix can have cloud and sunshine. other changes in the seven-day

we'll look at that in a little bit. lauren is here with the travel. >> next week, no 4, 5 or 6 trains between grand central or atlantic terminal overnight. 5 service end in manhattan. the 2, the n and the r are the options. buses, two detours. nj transit, routes 41 and 405. alternate side of the street parking rules in effect today. next weather and traffic update on the 4s. >> lauren, thank you very much. a push to prevent budget cuts that lawmakers and police leaders say could lead a major blow to fight terrorism in new york city. katherine creag is in times square with what's happening today and what the concern is. >> reporter: local lawmakers, national lawmakers as well are saying that the proposed cuts would be devastating. this program pays for the training of police officers, also firefighters and also when

officers in the subway stations, like the ones here in times square, when they're checking the bags, they're looking at people, controlling, that program would be cut as well. it's being partially cut in new york city. in president obama's proposed cut there's $3 million in cuts to anti-terror across country. half of the money received last year could be cut. senator chuck schumer, a vocal poen oent of the cut in light of the attacks in paris and san bernardino, california. he says extremists become more dangerous. he said new york city is always a prime target. we'll hear from senator schumer lafrter on today. a big press conference is scheduled about 10:00 this morning at police headquarters with mayor de blasio, the police commissioner, chuck shierm and others.

the main missions of the nypd. >> reporter: it certainly is. you see all the training and drills that they do. that's part of this program that could be cut. >> the money for it. kat, thanks so much. also new, apple is going to fight an order to unlock a phone used by unof the san bernardino shooters. syed farook and his wife died in a shootout after they reported shot and killed 14 of his co-workers. since then, investigators haven't been able to get past apple's security features and unlock it. a judge ordered apple to help out. california band members perform their first show in paris since the november terror attack that occurred during that i concert. the eagles of death metal gave an emotional performance for the survivors. they tweeted a picture out with a caption, thank you for this, paris. >> gunmen opened fire during their show at the bataclan theater. 89 people were killed in the

new this morning, a judge is once again denying bill cosby's request to have his case thrown out. the judge refused to dismiss the case earlier this month denied cosby's appeal of that decision yesterday. the comedian is accused of drugging and assaulting a woman in philadelphia in 2004. his lawyers argue a previous district attorney promised he wouldn't be charged in the attack in exchange for a deposition. president obama insisting it's his duty to nominate a justice. he spoke out yesterday. on friday, scalia qua's body will lie in repose at the courthouse. his funeral will be saturday. the president says the next step is clear. >> the constitution is pretty clear about what is supposed do happen now.

supreme court, the president of the united states is to nominate someone. >> many senate republicans vow to stop any attempt by president obama to fill the seat. presidential politics going to dominate television tonight. donald trump and john kasich will be at town hall meetings on msnbc. governor kasich appears at 7:00 p.m. followed by trump at 8:00. the rest of the gop field, they'll be at a cnn town hall event. a photo tweeted out by jeb bush is the talk of the internet. .45 semiautomatic pistol made in south carolina. the caption simply reads, america. the photo has been retweeted thousands of times with thousands of comments from piers morgan and edward snowden. a dog takes over manhattan. >> best in show dog tonight of 2016 is the german short hair pointer.

>> what a day for california journey. won best in show at the 140th westminster kennel club dog show last night. today c.j. will head to the top of the empire state building and visit for the traditional winner's steak. >> talk to someone who loves dogs. >> beautiful dogs. >> pointers are gorgeous. look at him. congratulations cj. enjoy that steak today. we should get in on that. the local county giving people a break on hundreds of thousands of parking tickets. plus, a tinder scam. how investigators say the man used the app to steal thousands from multiple women. taking a look at the day ahead as we dry out. we'll have weather and traffic on the 4s coming up. the belt parkway there. don't forget, follow us on facebook, twitter and instagram, michaelg4ny, darlene4ny. you're watching "today in new

four things to know this morning. there's a big cleanup job across the area. power still out for many people after the wet, windy day yesterday. chris will tell us what to expect in the day ahead in a moment in weather and traffic on the 4s. a consumer alert. general motors is recalling 200,000 vehicles because of faulty takata airbags. they're in the saturn from 2008 and 2009.

go to nbc.com for full details. anyone who lives near indian point, the nuclear plant is planning a siren test today. putnam, rockland countys may hear it. the test will last four minutes starting at 10:00. the carnegie deli was closed for a year after con ed discovered an illegal gas hookup. the mayor will be there. they're offering free slices of cheesecake with entrees today. 4:44 right now on this wednesday morning. calmer, gentler weather pattern the next few days. i think we earned that after the last couple of days this week. clouds will filter on out as we go through the day today allowing for sunshine. it's colder but quiet tomorrow. seasonably cold. nothing brutally cold. a milder weekend. back into the 50s for saturday and sunday. a big change compared to last weekend. right now, it's chilling down a little bit.

the freezing mark. there might be a little residual moisture in some locations. for the most part, the wind dried everything up last night. 37 in the city, well above freezing. same thing in bridgewater, trenton. morristown at 36. cloud still lingering across the area. snow flurry activity popped up over fairfield county, portions of east and westchester county as well. that will be for the next half hour or so. it should dissipate and not amount to much of anything. decent day with sun and clouds. high temperature getting back into the low and mid 40s. chilly night tonight. back into the 20s. a colder day tomorrow with a high of 37. it will be a sunny day tomorrow. 37 we can bear to being in the sub zero temperatures last weekend. sunshine fades behind clouds on friday. not a big deal. another quiet day. about 40 degrees should do it. heading into the weekend, we're

51 to 54 the range for saturday and sunday. could be a spot shower passing by on saturday, especially early in the day. early next week, monday looks like a miss. later tuesday night into wednesday, there could be a coastal storm. right now, warm enough to be mainly rain. looks like a rainmaker right now. we will keep an eye on it. that would be for late tuesday night into wednesday the way it looks now. here's the seven-day forecast. ups and downs with the temperatures. 44 today. 37s tomorrow. all quiet days. mild again on saturday. a i brief shower at 54. sunday into monday, could be another brief shower. the highs 5 is and 49. not bad. tuesday, late rain at night with a high of 43 degrees. let's see if there are any early woes out there for the commuters. >> no woes. things are moving along nicely. we have roadwork. we have the hackensack river drawbridge is open. that should reopen shortly. something to take note of.

jersey turnpike today. the truck lanes are shut down northbound between interchange 8 and 14. use the car lanes if you need to get anywhere. the long island expressway in queens by the grand central parkway. things moving along nicely out there. no accidents right now. nothing too major in the way. no delays and alternate side of the street rules are in effect. weary travelers are finally home after what was supposed to be a 3.5 hour flight turned into a 28-hour ordeal. we told you yesterday morning how delta flight 944 from the dominican republic was supposed to land at kennedy but was di vered to manchester boston airport in new hampshire. passengers spent the night in a hotel. then their flight was diverted again. it ended up in boston because of heavy turbulence. >> that was a scariest part. puts your life in perspective. >> the flight attendants, even others said it was too rough to

made a good decision. safety. >> the passengers finally landed at kennedy airport last night. some travelers refused to risk another flight and took the train home. roosevelt island man accused of using a popular dating app to find women to scam. brandon kiehm met two women on tinder and swindled them out of $26,000. he said he needed money to pay for a family member's cancer treatment and swiped a card of a dog walker and stealing $13,000. >> the nypd is looking for a woman with an eye for expensive watches. two times she met men in the meat packing district and went back to their hotel. once they were asleep, she takes off their watch and leaves. the watches apparently were worth more than $50,000 each. right now, police are looking for a man who punched a tourist in the face leaving him

it happened around 3:30 monday in front of the staten island ferry terminal in lower manhattan. the woman from arkansas tried to sell fake tickets to the statue of liberty. when he declined, another man came up and punched him. the pair then ran away. the police shot a man who they -- police arrived at the home on mountain laurel road early tuesday morning. chris andrews refused to drop his weapon and lunged at an officer. that's when he was shot and killed. his wife and three children, 12, 13 and 15 are all treated for slash and stab wound. the woman who claims former governor eliot spitzer choked her at the plaza hotel has made similar charges in the past. her former lawyer tells news 4 he dropped her as a client because of "ethical issues with her allegations." spitzer denies spoking travis.

not returned e-mails for comment. in new jersey, governor chris christie outlined his 2017 budget plan in front of a full legislature. his proposal is for $34.8 billion. it's about a billion dollars more than last year. it includes nearly $2 billion in pension funding for public workers. critics say that's only about 40% of what is needed. a budget has to be passed and signed before july 1st. nassau county is willing to cut a deal with drivers with unpaid tickets. according to news day, the county is offering amnesty to nip who hasn't paid their ticket before 2014. the original fine would be cut in half, penalties and late fees dismissed. but certain other fees and surcharges will have to be paid. the amnesty program begins next monday running through may 22nd. 4:50 right now. police are searching for a gunman. lionel mclean was shot in the head and the body about 7:20

he was found unconscious in front of an apartment building on hancock street in bedford-stuyvesant. he was rushed to the hospital where he died. no word why he was shot. police want your help to find the man in this video. a security camera caught him knocking down over a religious statue outside a church and walking away. that's in williamsburg. it's actually the third time the statue at that church has been vandalized. a doctor is accused of punching a child on the ski slopes in new jersey. the suspect was skiing with his own child on sunday. the 12-year-old victim fell on to the pair and that's when police say the doctor went into a ski rage, punching the boy and hitting him with a ski pole. the man faces assault charges. a florida teenager is once again facing charges for posing as a doctor. police say 18-year-old malachi love robinson set up his own office in west palm beach.

to lure customers. an investigator posed as a patient, was given a physical exam by the teenager before he was arrested the teen was cited in october also. you wonder you come in with a young person and wonder if he had a medical degree. >> clearly, they did. >> i know doctors are getting younger and younger. >> that may be taking it too far. still to come, a health scare on an ivy league campus. >> a story not to miss. a man lost his wallet got something back, but it's not what he expected. not the turkeys either. speaking of the turkeys, attacked by turkeys. where they're taking over an entire neighborhood.

4:54. time for weather and traffic on the fours. lauren had an interesting night. a bartending class for a story she's doing. >> shaking. >> she knows this now. >> you never shake the gin. that's what i learned. >> news you can use. an interesting morning. finally things are not going to be interesting. a bit quiet. look at yesterday's totals. between 1 and 1.5 inches. central park 1.4. newark about the same. is.29 in laguardia. part of the area approached the 2-inch mark again. that's gone, the rain is gone. wind is gone. that's good. it's all pretty good news.

cool. for tonight, chillier. mostly clear. feels more like winter again. 26 in the city with teeps in many suburbs north and west. this shot of chilly air doesn't last long. by the weekend, 50s again. >> 50s. >> shaken not stirred. >> that's why we call it fun city. >> there aren't too many problems on the roads. fast track maintenance on the 4, 5, 6. no trains between grand central and atlantic avenue in both directions. trains ending early -- you have alternate options. the major commuter lines. lirr, transit, path, on or close to schedule so far. again, one or two trains pulled off for each of those. so far so good. the mayor of mt. vernon says the sports under dome will reopen now that operator promised to repair and eventually replace the facility. it's a big soccer facility.

snow last month from the january 23rd blizzard. it collapsed also back in 2010. mayor richard thomas says the operator has agreed to address concerns about the structural integrity of it. is the unidentified student was admitted to the hospital and is expect today recover. the university is working with health officials to identify people with close, extended contact with the student. anyone who may have been exposed will be given preventive treatment. in new jersey, health officials are alerting people about a raccoon with rabies. animal control officers captured the wild animal in woodbridge township in the avenel community. if you believe you encountered the infected animal, call the local health department. real life angry birds ruffled the feathers of a postal worker in new jersey.

mailman on he is plan add drive yesterday. they didn't hurt him but gave him a scare and the turkeys held him hostage. when officers arrived, they shooed the birds away. chick-fil-a opening a second new york city location. it will take up two stories and more than 5,000 square feet. west 46th and 6th avenue. the new location expected to be designed for to-go orders. scheduled to open on april 2nd after the chain's first new york city location experienced a few problems. the one on 6th avenue in harold square closed voluntarily for five days after it was cited for health code violations. a man who lost his wallet at a brooklyn concert got some of his stuff back along with an interesting note. riley riley flaherty believes he dropped it at kipgs theater. he received an envelope

credit cards with an honest note. it read in part, i kept the cash because i needed weed. the metro card because the fare is $2.75 now and the wallet because it's kind of cool. >> the note was basically i'm a good guy but i'm kind of giving you the middle finger and keeping everything that would have currency behind it. >> the king's theater offered flaherty free tickets to an upcoming concert and told him to leave his wallet at home. remember that record setting billion dollar powerball jackpot that you didn't win? the florida winners are coming forward today. it was bought at a supermarket in melbourne, florida. the winners will be revealed in a press conference this afternoon. so if they take the lump sum payment, they'll get a check for $329 million. happening today, a rare comic book featuring the first appearance of spider man goes up for auction.

number 15 from 1962. it has spider man on the cover. it's estimated to sell for 4 $400,000. a long island man bought it for $1200. he hopes to buy his late father's farm in cal ver ton. good investment on his part. there you go. it's 5:00 a.m. take us with you if you're heading out the door. >> download the "news 4 new york" app on your mobile device. our next hour starts right now. the storms left behind a mess and this morning some people are in the dark. others have a major cleanup on their hand. apple fighting a judge's order to help the investigation into the san bernardino shootings. important warning. cheese sold at a local whole foods could cause a potentially deadly case of food poisoning. we'll tell you about that. "today in new york" starts now. good morning everyone. 5:00 a.m. on this wednesday, february 17th. i'm michael gargiulo. i'm darlene rodriguez. storm team 4's chris cimino here