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Hunter Walker

By Hunter Walker 12/28/12 6:29pm

Blast From The Past

Patrick Ewing circa 1985. (Photo: Getty)

Could Patrick Ewing Be Coming Back to New York?

After over a decade playing and coaching in other cities, Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing might have a shot to return to New York, the home where he spent fifteen seasons building his Hall of Fame career with the Knicks. However, the speculation surrounding Mr. Ewing doesn’t involve his old team, it is centered on the Knicks’ new outerborough rivals, the Brooklyn Nets, who are in the midst of a sudden makeover of their coaching staff and could have newfound room for Mr. Ewing on their bench. Read More

By Hunter Walker 12/27/12 10:44am

Baywatch

The beached whale struggling in the water near the shore in Breezy Point yesterday. (Photo: Getty)

Whale Beached in Breezy Point Presumed Dead

Residents in Breezy Point, which was devastated by Hurricane Sandy, were hoping the rescue of an endangered finback whale that washed up on the beach there yesterday would provide a happy ending to what has been an incredibly difficult year for the neighborhood. However, it was not meant to be. Rob DiGiovanni, the executive director and senior biologist of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, which was attempting to help save the animal, told The Observer the whale did make it off the beach, but it seems to have died.

“As of right now, the animal was lost last night,” Mr. DiGiovanni said. “It looks like it moved a little off the shore, relocated and it does appear to be dead.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 11/27/12 10:38pm

Basketball Diaries

Deron Williams getting a shot past Carmelo Anthony during the Nets' win over the Knicks Monday night. (Photo: Getty)

Why I Nixed the Knicks

Back in high school, one of my favorite clothing staples was a Knicks jersey adorned with Latrell Sprewell’s number eight. I wistfully remembered this as I pulled a black jersey bearing the same digit from the rack in a Midtown Modell’s last month. This time, the number on my back would represent a player on a different team, Deron Williams, the star point guard of the nascent Brooklyn Nets. Read More

By Hunter Walker and Colin Campbell 11/05/12 10:40am

Reality TV

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Mob Wives Star Crashes Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort

According to a volunteer helping to distribute resources to victims of Hurricane Sandy last Friday, Drita D’Avanzo of VH1′s reality show Mob Wives, and her camera crew made a surprise appearance at a place where volunteers were distributing supplies to victims of Hurricane Sandy on Staten Island. According to a volunteer with the relief effort who spoke to The Observer, her arrival was “not well received.”

“So she walked up and volunteers thought it was another news crew filming people helping out. ” the volunteer said, providing a photo of the occasion. “But then a boom mike lurked over our heads. Notice in the picture everyone turning their backs on her and walking away. She was not well received and was able to clear a hot coffee stand on a cold day in 2 seconds.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 10/29/12 11:42am

When The Levee Breaks

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Water at the base of the Carroll Street Bridge as seen from the bridge on Union Street.

Photos: One of America’s ‘Most Extensively Contaminated Water Bodies’ Is Flooding

With the combined effects of the surge from Hurricane Sandy and high tide, the Gowanus Canal broke its banks this morning in multiple locations and flooded over many of the streets in mandatory evacuation Zone A along its shores. The Observer was on hand to take pictures of the waters. It was far worse than anything we witnessed with the initial Sandy surge at high tide last night. Read More

By Hunter Walker 10/28/12 11:57pm

Rock You Like a Hurricane

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Inside the Gowanus Canal Evacuation Zone

Many of the blocks along the shores of the toxic Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn are designated as part of the mandatory Hurricane Sandy evacuation Zone A. Though the city gave orders for residents of this area to leave their homes starting at 7 p.m., we spotted quite a few people out on the streets when we walked into the zone earlier this evening, including curious gawkers, emergency workers and neighbors who are becoming increasingly fearful that the notoriously polluted canal could overflow.  Read More

By Hunter Walker and Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke 10/26/12 5:29pm

typos

Harry Reid (Photo: Getty)

Harry Reid Misidentified as a Republican After Car Crash

As the news broke that Nevada Senator Harry Reid was in a car accident, a major paper in his home state, the Las Vegas Review Journal, mistakenly identified the Democratic Senate Majority Leader as a Republican.

“U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, R-Nev., 72, was taken to the emergency room at University Medical Center in Las Vegas Friday afternoon following a traffic accident,” the story initially said. Read More