Was it the way he ate his cannoli in the cafeteria? A Long Island substitute teacher has filed a federal discrimination complaint after he claims he was fired because of a rumor that "he was a member of the witness-relocation program." The Post reports that Alexander Piccirillo feels he was unfairly singled out by the Quogue school district "due to his Italian ethnicity and age." more ›

While yesterday's helicopter crash claimed the lives of nine, one pouty teenager who didn't feel like taking a chopper ride may have been what prevented a double-digit death toll. Italian tourist Paola Casali was eager to share how her 13-year-old son's reluctance to take a Liberty Tours helicopter led the pair to be running just late enough to miss out on the tragedy. The 42-year-old woman visiting from Rome had reserved seats for her and her son on the tour that would be taking off soon after noon. But when the boy was dragging his feet, the two did not arrive until 12:40, just in time to see the aftermath of the accident. She suggested their tardiness was due to potential divine intervention saying, “What is so strange is that this morning Lorenzo felt so nervous and did not want to fly today. He wanted to stay behind in a Starbucks." Casali hung around and talked with other witnesses who had showed up at Liberty and learned that no more tours were being given yesterday. One tourist said that they would simply come back today, telling WABC 7, "I guess if it happens today, it won't happen tomorrow." more ›