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Former NYC Mayor Giuliani remembers best friend Bernie Kerik as 'true patriot': 'Much better for knowing him'

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Former NYC Mayor Giuliani remembers best friend Bernie Kerik as 'true patriot': 'Much better for knowing him'

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Rudy Giuliani, who served as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, mourned the death of former New York City Police Department Commissioner Bernard “Bernie” Kerik on Thursday, describing the grief of losing his “best friend” and a “true patriot” as “inexpressible.”

Kerik died at 69 years old “after a private battle with illness,” according to FBI Director Kash Patel. 

Kerik and Giuliani were prominent figures during and after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City due to their leadership roles in the city, and they quickly became close friends.

“On September 11th, Bernie Kerik and I saved each other’s lives. If we weren’t already friends, that bound us together forever. He was my best friend, a true Patriot, and one of the bravest men I’ve ever known,” Giuliani wrote in a statement.

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BERNARD KERIK, FORMER NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER AND 9/11 FIGURE, DIES AT 69 

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani (right) mourned the death of Bernie Kerik, former NYPD commissioner and his best friend, on Thursday in a long statement describing his grief as “inexpressible.” (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Giuliani said Kerik was at his side “within 20 minutes of the attack” on 9/11 and “never left.” 

The first collapse trapped both of them in a building for what Giuliani thinks was 20 to 30 minutes, but they were able to escape safely with “substantial additional assistance” and “extraordinary bravery” – an attitude that Giuliani said “permeated the way” for recovery over the next four months.

“Bernie’s leadership helped guide the people of a very frightened city to draw from their inherent individual strength as Americans and children of God,” Giuliani said on Thursday.

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He also praised Kerik’s career in law enforcement, specifically pointing out his role as Commissioner of Rikers Island, where he was able to reduce violence in the prison by 90%, and his role as NYPD commissioner, where he reduced crime in the city.

“He was driven by an unwavering love of this country and a commitment to serving others. He was one of the most decorated New York City police officers of his time,” he said.

New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (center) is flanked by New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik (right) and the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management Director Richard Scheirer (left), before dedicating a public viewing platform overlooking the site of the World Trade Center attacks in New York City on Dec. 29, 2001. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

FORMER NYPD COMMISSIONER CALLS ON POLITICAL LEADERS TO ‘GET OUT THERE’ AND ‘DEESCALATE’ VIOLENCE 

Kerik’s 35-year career has been recognized with more than 100 awards for meritorious and heroic service, including a presidential commendation for heroism by President Ronald Reagan and two Distinguished Service Awards from the Department of Homeland Security.

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He was considered for the role of Homeland Security chief in 2004, but lied to the White House during vetting, which ultimately led to him pleading guilty to eight felonies, including tax fraud, in 2009. He spent about three years in prison, then moved to home confinement and, later, supervised release.

President Donald Trump pardoned him of the convictions in 2020.

Kerik is survived by his wife, two daughters and one son, who is also a “brave and accomplished” police officer, Giuliani said. (Mireya Acierto/Getty Images)

Kerik worked with Giuliani again to investigate claims of election fraud following the 2020 presidential election.

 

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Giuliani expressed his condolences to Kerik’s wife, his two daughters and his son – who is also a police officer – and said he believes all of Kerik’s friends and admirers are “much better for knowing him.”

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.

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Boston, MA

Boston sports anecdotes aplenty feature on new YouTube channel

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Boston sports anecdotes aplenty feature on new YouTube channel


Sports

Front Row to Boston Sports shares stories from the past by area media legends, including the Globe’s Bob Ryan and Dan Shaughnessy.

The Front Row to Boston Sports channel has launched on YouTube. screenshot

When reminiscing about sports moments and personalities of days gone by, the familiar anecdotes are often a joy to hear again and again.

Even better, though, is when there are fresh new stories to be told by those who were there.

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The new YouTube channel Front Row to Boston Sports offers both familiar tales and ones you may not have heard before, as told by four of the most connected journalists and best storytellers in the modern annals of sports in this region.

Legendary former sports anchors Mike Lynch (Channel 5) and Bob Lobel (Channel 4), along with Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy and former Globe columnist Bob Ryan, have teamed up to share the funniest, most heartfelt, and illuminating tales from their storied careers, from press row and the locker room.

The project is the brainchild of Peter Brown, a former news director at Channel 4, where he spent 22 years before moving on to an accomplished career in public affairs and communications.

“You come from a news background, you’re always thinking about what’s the best way to tell a story,” he said. “What better story is there to tell than those about Boston sports? Everyone who is from here or has lived here is in some degree a fan. I thought a look back at some great moments and some behind-the-scenes details that only the most plugged-in reporters would know would be a fun thing to do.”

So Brown reached out to Alan Miller, a former sports producer at Channel 4 who worked with Brown during the local news heyday in the 1980-90s. Miller, who later worked at the Globe and in the Channel 7 newsroom before retiring in May 2024, has long been one of the most well-liked figures in the Boston sports media landscape, someone who knows everyone and whose word is as good as a signature on the dotted line.

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Miller thought it was a super idea, and reached out to his close friend Lobel, along with Lynch, Shaughnessy, and Ryan. They all said yes immediately.

“We basically said, just tell us your best stories,” said Miller. “We wanted the stories that maybe you couldn’t tell on TV or in the newspaper, but the ones you might have told your buddies at the bar. The ones about what people are really like and what gets said behind the scenes. The ones about relationships. These were the four perfect guys to tell those.”

Currently, there are eight clips posted on the channel, ranging in length from just longer than three minutes (Ryan talking about his top five all-time Celtics) to 13 minutes (Shaughnessy sharing an assortment of Terry Francona stories). One of Lobel’s clips includes an emotional discussion of Ted Williams, while Lynch is especially insightful talking about Bill Belichick’s candor off camera during their old Bellistrator segments.

Brown and Miller plan to sprinkle out a few new clips each week. Since the project has been in the works for approximately a year, they were able to build up a catalogue of 30 clips before launch.

Miller said there’s another reason that everyone involved wanted to be part of the project — the fear that institutional knowledge about Boston sports isn’t what it used to be because of the changing media landscape.

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“When I was at Channel 7, John Havlicek died, and I think there were about three people in the newsroom who knew how John Havlicek was,” he said. “It’s not their fault, a lot of them are 20-something kids and half of them are from out of town.

“But there can be a real lack of knowledge about the past. And Boston sports, as you know, has an amazing past. You’d like the legacy and the memories to stay alive.”

Bonkers ratings in Boston

It’s no surprise that Patriots television ratings have risen this season corresponding with the team’s return to prominence.

But even if the rise in ratings is logical, some of the heights that they are reaching — or returning to, a half-dozen years after Tom Brady’s final season in New England — are remarkable.

Take last Sunday’s 35-31 loss to the Bills, which aired at 1 p.m. on CBS as a regional broadcast. The game had a 31.4 household rating and 78 share in Boston.

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That household rating — the percentage of households in a defined area tuned in to a program at a given time — is the highest for any Patriots game on any network since the regular season finale against the Dolphins in 2021. That also happens to be the last season the Patriots made the playoffs.

The 78 share — the percentage of households with television in use — is reminiscent of the viewership the Patriots enjoyed during the dynasty. As noted here previously, the Patriots averaged a 35.3 household rating and 66 share in 2018, their most recent Super Bowl-winning season.

Nine of the Patriots’ 14 games have aired on CBS this season. Those broadcasts have averaged a 25.7 household rating and 73 share, up 35 percent from last year (19.0/59) through the same span.

Overall last Sunday, the 1 p.m. slot — which also included the Chargers-Chiefs matchup — was a massive success for CBS, averaging 18.9 million viewers across the games. That made it the most-watched regional window on any network in 37 years.

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Chad Finn

Sports columnist

Chad Finn is a sports columnist for Boston.com. He has been voted Favorite Sports Writer in Boston in the annual Channel Media Market and Research Poll for the past four years. He also writes a weekly sports media column for the Globe and contributes to Globe Magazine.





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Pittsburg, PA

City residents staunchly oppose proposed property tax increase

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City residents staunchly oppose proposed property tax increase






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Connecticut

Woman suffers life threatening injuries in Rocky Hill house fire

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Woman suffers life threatening injuries in Rocky Hill house fire


A woman was rushed to the hospital after being seriously hurt in a fire Saturday in Rocky Hill.

This all unfolded during the late morning hours at a home on Main Street.

Fire officials say they had to rescue the woman from the home and her injuries are considered life threatening.

Hoarding conditions did a play a factor in the fire, according to the fire department.

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No other injuries were reported. Further details pertaining to the fire weren’t immediately available.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.



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