American Scene

NEW JERSEY

Ex-skate champ sentenced in meth case

JERSEY CITY | Former U.S. figure skating champion Nicole Bobek was ordered to spend five years on probation for her role in a New Jersey methamphetamine ring, a sentence that she said would give her a chance to get her life back on track.

“Nothing but positive things can come out of this,” she said outside the Jersey City courtroom where she was sentenced Monday. “It’s been a long 1½ years. I’m looking to get back onto that ice.”

The 32-year-old pleaded guilty in June to a charge of conspiring to distribute crystal meth. She was among 28 people accused last year of running a network that allegedly distributed $10,000 worth of methamphetamine per week.

The leader of the group, Edward Cruz Jr., was sentenced last week to 16 years in prison.

NEW YORK

Street crossers to get countdowns

NEW YORK | From Park Avenue to Queens Boulevard, about 1,500 city intersections are getting countdown crosswalk signals to help millions of pedestrians know how much time they have to cross streets.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and other city officials on Monday announced that the signals would be phased in starting this month after a pilot program at 24 intersections.

“Crossing the street shouldn’t just be a judgment call,” Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said. “And these kinds of countdown signals really help take the guesswork out of getting across our corridors safely.”

SOUTH CAROLINA

Tots drown in car; mom faces charges

ORANGEBURG | The bodies of two toddlers were recovered Monday from a car submerged in a South Carolina river, and their mother was charged with leaving the scene as authorities investigated whether it was an accident.

Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams said the boys, ages 1 and 2, were recovered from the North Edisto River after the car was found near a rural boat landing.

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