Also, Pataki likely to back Paladino despite "degenerate idiot" insult.
View full sizeResidents in the Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn circle around a car crushed by a fallen tree Thursday. A brief but severe storm swept through New York City, uprooting trees and damaging cars.From The Associated Press:
Residents, utility crews and railroad workers cleaned up debris Friday after a brief but fierce storm barreled through New York City, tearing up trees, stripping roofs from homes, disrupting train service and killing at least one person.
The National Weather Service planned to spend the day investigating whether a tornado touched down Thursday evening during the storm. Tornado warnings had been issued for Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens.
Officials at Long Island Rail Road, the nation's largest commuter rail line, said crews worked through the night to clear tracks of fallen trees, which caused service to be suspended temporarily between Penn Station in Manhattan and Jamaica, Queens. Full service was restored around 5 a.m. Friday. Some early-morning rush hour service on the LIRR's Port Washington branch was affected before the trains began running again on Friday.
» Read the full story: Weather service to probe if tornado hit NYC [Associated Press]
In other state news
» Cuomo on debates, e-mails and whether he’s an insider [New York Times]
» Governor says state layoffs to start by end of year [Albany Times Union]
» Political pit bull Paladino brings sidekick Duke [Buffalo News]
» "Degenerate idiot" Pataki likely will back Paladino despite insult [N.Y. Daily News]
» Former museum chief to pay $1 million to settle state pension scam probe [N.Y. Post]