Coney Island news stories on Newser

Toilet Paper Being Rationed in Coney Island Bathrooms

Matt Cantor — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:08:05 CDT

New York City’s financial woes seem to be taking a toll on its toilets: Public restroom attendants are rationing toilet paper on the Coney Island boardwalk, the New York Post reports following an on-site investigation. With dispensers left empty, women must form “ration lines” to get their squares, while men’s...

Kobayashi Freed After Night in Brooklyn Jail

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:14:37 CDT

Japanese eating champion Takeru Kobayashi has been freed after a night in a New York jail over a hot dog scuffle. Kobayashi wore a black T-shirt bearing the message "Free Kobi" as he pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn today to charges of obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, trespassing, and...

Kobayashi Arrested After Chestnut Wins Hot Dog Contest

M. Morris — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 15:23:50 CDT

Joey Chestnut won the Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest today at Coney Island but had to share the spotlight with archrival Takeru Kobayashi, who did not compete and was arrested for trespassing at the end of the event, reports the New York Post . Chestnut gobbled "only" 54 dogs in...

CNN Duped by 140-Year-Old Hot Dog

Harry Kimball — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:08:50 CST

CNN happily ran a story recently on a 140-year-old hot dog and bun discovered intact, encased in ice, during demolition of the restaurant where the first hot dog was supposedly made. But the news network apparently forgetting that not everything is as it seems on Coney Island. The “1 st...

Coney Island Muscleman, 104, Killed by Minivan

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:44:18 CST

A famed Coney Island strongman was cut down by a minivan at the age of 104 yesterday as he returned home with his daily newspapers from a Brooklyn deli. Joe Rollino, known as "Kid Dundee" in his boardwalk heyday, "was a relic in the neighborhood," said a friend. "There's not...

5-Legged Puppy Has Amputation to Foil Suit

John Johnson — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:17:44 CDT

And you thought the story of the five-legged puppy and the Coney Island freak show couldn't get any stranger. The woman who swooped in at the last minute to save Lily from the fate of becoming a public spectacle says the dog has had her fifth leg amputated, the Charlotte...

5-Legged Pup Saved From Freak Show

Mary Papenfuss — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 08:21:58 CDT

A good-hearted pet lover paid $4,000 to outbid a Coney Island operator to save a five-legged puppy from life in a freak show, reports the New York Daily News . North Carolinian Allyson Siegel, 45, called the owner of the Chihuahua terrier mix when she learned the puppy would be...

Nathan's Champ Scarfs 68 Dogs to Defend Title

Katherine Thompson — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:23:01 CDT

Champion eater Joey Chestnut pulled off a three-peat by downing 68 hot dogs in Nathan's Coney Island contest yesterday, the New York Daily News reports. Chestnut's rival Takeru Kobayashi consumed a mere 64 franks in the annual faceoff. There was little suspense during the 10-minute bout, as Chestnut developed a...

Coney Island Rides Hit Auction Block

Drew Nelles — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 18:43:41 CDT

Ever dreamed of owning your own theme-park ride? With 10 of Coney Island’s famed Astroland Park rides now for sale online, your chance has arrived, the New York Post reports. The Astrotower will set you back $99,000, while the Top Spin will leave your wallet $499,000 lighter. Altogether,...