BY WILLIAM SHERMAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Daily News reporter William Sherman in front of the Empire State Building.
In one of the biggest heists in American history, the Daily News “stole” the $2 billion Empire State Building.
And it wasn’t that hard.
The News swiped the 102-story Art Deco skyscraper by drawing up a batch of bogus documents, making a fake notary stamp and filing paperwork with the city to transfer the deed to the property.
Some of the information was laughable: Original “King Kong” star Fay Wray is listed as a witness and the notary shared a name with bank robber Willie Sutton.
The massive ripoff illustrates a gaping loophole in the city’s system for recording deeds, mortgages and other transactions.
The loophole: The system - run by the office of the city register - doesn’t require clerks to verify the information.
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The Small House Movement
by Tara Darby
Is the “bigger is better” mentality fading in terms of real estate? Are the days of McMansions coming to an end? Well, it seems for some homeowners it is. There’s a new movement out there that’s creating quite a buzz among environmentalist and folks seeking a simpler life. It’s called the Small House Movement and it might just be the next small thing.
These homes bring a whole new meaning to up close and personal since most are less than 1000 square feet, some are even less than 100 square feet.
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Boone’s Proposed Water Intake Environmental Assessment Finds Special Concern Mussels
Story by Kathleen McFadden
Earlier this month, Boone voters overwhelmingly approved a $25 million bond referendum for a new water intake facility on the South Fork of the New River in the Brownwood area near Todd. Town staff has now turned the focus to an environmental assessment currently underway.
According to Town Manager Greg Young, engineering firm WK Dickson mailed a “scoping” letter to the 18 agencies and departments who will review the assessment, including U.S. Fish & Wildlife, in mid-October. The document outlines the scope of the project—hence the term “scoping” letter—and provides a number of specific project parameters. Read More from High Country Press »
The Road to Four
Say goodbye to the folks, pack as many Thanksgiving leftovers as possible into your car and get back to Boone this Saturday—you’ve got a football game to watch. No. 2-seeded ASU will host the South Carolina State Bulldogs at 12:00 p.m. Saturday in a first-round playoff game at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
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