Latest news with #Morano
Irish Independent
25-04-2025
- Irish Independent
‘The sight of any authority sent waves of fear through me' – undocumented workers face issues with minimum wage and healthcare
Today at 21:30 Imelda Morano spent 15 years as an undocumented worker in Dublin. During this time, she worked any job that would pay her in cash – a creche worker, a carer, cleaner and front desk at a laundry. She remembers working well over 40 hours for as little as €6 an hour and at times only got two days off in a month. 'I moved to Ireland from the Philippines in 2007. I was a single mum with a young son and at the time I was paying bills, paying for his education and supporting my own mum who had an illness,' she said. 'It was hard to make ends meet so when the opportunity came to move to Ireland, I took it.' Ms Morano's sister already worked in Ireland as a nurse. Her plan was to find a job that would sponsor her during the three months she could legally remain in Ireland on a tourist visa. 'I got paid in cash, I knew it was below minimum wage, but I had no right to speak up as an undocumented worker. I was just happy to have a job at all, just happy to be here at all. They were taking a risk by allowing me to work at all. I didn't want them to be at risk either,' Ms Morano says. 'The sight of any authority sent waves of fear through me – even while riding the bus, when the inspectors would come in, I thought they were checking for passports. 'I was careful never to get sick. I couldn't really access healthcare and I was scared to go to the doctor because they would try and find me in the system. I couldn't make myself too visible to other people.' Last year, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found 2,108 Irish employers in breach of employment law. The food service (821), followed by the wholesale and retail trade sector (485) had the most number of breaches. The food service sector alone saw €453,172 in unpaid wages. Other sectors like hair and beauty, beverages and construction also saw a higher number of breaches. A spokesperson from the WRC said that under the Employment Permit Acts, it is a criminal offence to employ a worker without either an Employment Permit or the appropriate permission issued by immigration services. 'Where non-compliance is detected and undocumented workers are encountered in the course of an inspection, the employer may be prosecuted for breaches of the act,' they said. ADVERTISEMENT 'Employee details may also be referred to immigration services with a view to ensuring that the immigration status of the worker is regularised.' Ms Morano was undocumented until 2022 when the regularisation scheme kicked in. The scheme helped regularise people who had been undocumented in Ireland for at least four years at the start of the scheme. She now works for an Irish charity that supports children with intellectual disabilities. 'I can't explain to anyone how much it has changed my life. It's just nice knowing that I belong in Ireland. I get to pay taxes now and contribute to this country that saved me. Before I simply lived and worked here, but now I feel visible, I exist,' she said. 'When I got my papers, I finally got to travel to the Philippines and see my mum and son after nearly 15 years. It was the most emotional day of my life. 'I got to be at my son's graduation. He's 29 now, he's a full-fledged dentist putting up his own clinic soon in our home town. He's proof that my hard work and sacrifice really paid off.'
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Radio talk show host running for City Council on Staten Island latest target by far-left vandals comparing Republicans to Nazis
A radio talk show host running for City Council on Staten Island became the latest New York pol targeted by far-left vandals comparing Republicans to Nazis. The hateful act was discovered Friday, after a vandal defaced one of Frank Morano's campaign lawn signs with 'NAZI SCUM' scrawled under his name, at the corner of Richmond Road and Morley Avenue. 'Any sort of vandalism, any sort of graffiti, is just horrible, but when it's this kind of hate speech, it goes beyond the pale,' said Morano, who is running in an April 29 special election to represent the borough's South Shore, following an unrelated press conference where he and other Republicans rallied in support of law enforcement. Morano, host of WABC-AM's 'The Other Side of Midnight,' said he was targeted because of his party affiliation, as upstate police search for a vandal who taped three swastikas Thursday in front of New York State Republican Party headquarters in Albany. He told The Post Saturday that having someone label him a Nazi because he's a Republican is 'insulting' and 'hurtful,' adding he believes the GOP 'is leading the way in terms of fighting against Nazism and fascism.' Staten Island Republican Michael Tannousis said the person who first discovered the latest vandalism is Jewish and a U.S. Army veteran, making the incident even more troubling. 'We will not accept this on Staten Island,' he added. The NYPD didn't return a request for comment.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NYC council candidate, radio host Frank Morano admits he was duped into helping romance scam artist get out of prison
First time caller, long time fraud. A local radio host running for City Council admitted he was duped into helping a romance scam artist get out of prison only for the ex-con to show he was anything but reformed once he was set free. Frank Morano, the host of 770 WABC 'The Other Side of Midnight,' said in a resurfaced clip from his Jan. 6 episode that he wrote a 'really good letter' to the state Parole Board to help get felon Robert Giuliano, 49, sprung from prison. Morano, who is running in an April 29 special election for a vacant council seat on the south shore of Staten Island, said he helped out after a friend told him Giuliano — who he didn't mention by name — 'listens to him every day' and 'loves the show.' 'I am persuaded that his whole incarceration was largely a misunderstanding,' the candidate told the Parole Board after a call with the con, who had been behind bars for six years. But as soon as he was out there were 'red flags,' Morano said. 'I invited him to an outing with some of my friends,' Morano said. 'But then he starts messaging some of my friends. Can they each give him some money to take 30 orphans to an MMA fight,? And he'd be all over social media, traveling all over the place, taking photographs with beautiful women.' Giuliano — who was released on June 4 of last year, according to state records — had allegedly scammed thousands of dollars from travelers by promising to book them into luxury hotels and to score hot tickets to exclusive events through his bogus company 'Giuliano Group Concierge.' He'd pocket the cash or check into the swanky hotels himself and let his victims pick up the tab, according to the accusations. Giuliano was convicted of identity theft, falsifying business records and fraud. Morano said the ex-con, once free, even changed his phone number several times. As it turned out, Giuliano was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona last December after local authorities said they got a tip about his felony warrant out of New York. He was on the New York Department of Correction's Most Wanted Fugitive list for forgery, grand larceny and identity theft. The website also said Giuliano is a 'multi-state' offender and is known for targeting women in romance scams. He was extradited from Arizona to New York. 'He's arrested again. If you put his name in any of the search engines all testimonials pop up of women that were scammed by him or that he tried to scam,' he said on his show. 'You do all these bad things. You make these women fall in love with you and then you use them for money.' Morano admitted he was duped by 'flattery.' But he vowed to never help a prisoner again after getting 'duped' and 'scammed' by a 'professional con artist.' Contacted by The Post Sunday, Morano claimed the clip has resurfaced as part of a 'smear attack' by his opponent Griffin Fossella, the son of Borough President Vito Fossella. The two are competing to replace former Councilman Joseph Borelli, who stepped down. 'I think people will see this for what it is – a political smear attack by my flailing opponent, who refuses to even show up for the people he wants to represent,' Morano said. 'I will continue to focus on the issues that matter to the residents of the South Shore, like reducing crime and protecting the quality of life. Happy to debate this and all these issues when Griffin finally comes out of the candidate protection program.' Morano added that he has the backing of the lion's share of law enforcement unions. David Catalfamo, a spokesman for Fossella, shot back. 'Morano helped spring one of New York's Most Wanted—he belongs on Hochul's Parole Board, not representing Staten Island,' the spokesman said.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Radio host Frank Morano, son of Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella slugging it out to represent NYC's most conservative Council district
A radio talk show host is in dogfight with a baby-faced Staten Island scion 13 years his junior to represent NYC's most conservative Council district. Republican Frank Morano, host of WABC's 'The Other Side of Midnight,' has already locked up endorsements from the Staten Island GOP, all of the borough's Republican elected officials and key members of President Trump's inner circle in his campaign to serve the South Shore. But his path to victory in the April 29 nonpartisan special election is no sure thing. His stiffest competition: fellow GOPer Griffin Fossella, who comes from a long line of Island power brokers, from his late great-great grandfather, Congressman James O'Leary, to his dad, Borough President and ex-Rep. Vito Fossella. Morano, 40, said he 'never expected the race to be a cakewalk' but isn't losing sleep competing against the 27-year-old Fossella, or a family dynasty. 'I think Staten Islanders aren't going to be fooled by a candidate with the same last name who uses a similar campaign slogan ('Staten Island First') and the same color lawn signs as his father,' said Morano. He claims Fossella has repeatedly ducked debating him. Fossella insists he's had scheduling conflicts. Both Morano and Griffin Fossella are lifelong Staten Islanders who have nearly identical campaign platforms: including opposing congestion pricing and NYC's sanctuary city policy, advocating for the NYPD to hire thousands of more cops, and pushing for mass-transit affordability. The two, along with longshot Democrat Clifford Hagen, are vying to replace former Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island), who was term-limited and stepped down in January from the $148,000-a-year gig to take a job as a lobbyist. The winner would serve the remaining months of Borelli's term, which expires at year's end — and take a huge advantage into the November general election for a new four-year term. Fossella said it would 'humbling' to win the 51st District Council seat once held by his father in the mid-1990s. 'I think public service is in my blood, and to serve the people of Staten Island would be a dream come true,' he said. On a local level, both also vehemently oppose a project to build a hotel at the corner of Richmond Valley and Arthur Kill roads because many residents are concerned it will ultimately become a homeless shelter. President Trump – who is wildly popular on Staten Island — appears to be staying out the race, but Morano has scored key endorsements from former Trump advisors Roger Stone, Michael Caputo, Corey Lewandowski and Trump's former White House chief Steve Bannon. Fossella's endorsements include former Long Island Rep. Peter King, former Brooklyn state Sen. Marty Golden and John Catsimatidis, a billionaire who owns WABC-AM. Griffin Fossella got his first taste of politics working on Catsimatidis' 2013 mayoral campaign. Morano and the younger Fossella's political war chests are nearly identical. Both said they've raised over $50,000 and expect to qualify for another $200,000-plus in public matching funds. Fossella boasts he's 'the only lifelong Republican in the race' – a dig at Morano being a former leader of the state's now-defunct Independence and Reform parties before registering as a Republican. Vito Fossella couldn't be happier — and jabbed his son's opponent, saying he's 'incredibly proud of Griffin's decision to step forward as the only true Republican in the race — committed to preserving Staten Island as a great place to live and raise a family for generations to come.'
CBC
09-04-2025
- CBC
Police investigate damaged tombstones at Windsor cemetery
New | Emma Loop | CBC News | Posted: April 9, 2025 12:39 AM | Last Updated: Just now Roughly a dozen tombstones were knocked over Police in Windsor have launched an investigation after roughly a dozen tombstones in a local cemetery were damaged. Staff at the St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Cemetery have wrapped the tombstones, knocked off their stone bases, in yellow caution tape. Windsor police confirmed that they received a report on Monday "indicating that headstones had been knocked over" at the cemetery. "This occurrence is in the early stages of investigation," a Windsor Police Services spokesperson said. One local woman who visited the cemetery on Sunday said the scene overwhelmed her. "I just couldn't get over how anyone could do that towards someone's resting space. They're in their final place," said Wendy Morano, who was there with her husband to visit her twin sister's grave. Morano posted a video of the tombstone damage to social media, where fellow Windsorites reacted with sadness and anger. A representative for the cemetery said the damaged tombstones have been marked and will be repaired when the ground dries out in the coming weeks. It's not the first time the cemetery has been vandalized. In 2014, thieves damaged around 50 crypts when they removed vases and other items, leaving flowers and mementos on the ground. The cemetery is home to decades-old graves, including those of veterans who served in the First and Second World Wars. Morano said she and her twin were both born "very premature," and her sister did not survive. "This is my only way to be with my sister," she said. "I never got that opportunity with her dying young." Her sister's grave was not damaged, Morano said, but the experience of seeing the destruction nearby left her feeling traumatized nonetheless. Morano said she posted the video so that other people whose family members are interred there would know to check on their loved ones' tombstones. "I couldn't imagine those poor people," she said. She said she wants the public – and those who might be responsible for the damage – to know that there is already "so much hatred in our world right now." "We just need to do better."
