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​At least 31 are dead across Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Alabama after tornado storms ravaged the Midwest and South, essentially destroying towns. Today, the rescue effort continued, as parts of the South remained on tornado watch. "It's just nuts right here," National Weather Service meteorologist John Gordon told CNN during the storms. Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodwin told a CNN affiliate that they have "complete destruction." [CNN]

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​One or more thiefs attacked Congregation Rachel Degel Israel recently -- stealing silver Torah ornaments -- and cops want your help catching them.

The crims hit the Kew Gardens synagogue, located at 144-02 68 Drive, sometime between 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25.

The perps pilfered three silver Torah crowns and mini-crowns, three breastplates, four pointers, and one cup. 

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​Tyrone Hunter, who terrorized three Upper East Side women in a creepy 2010 crime spree, will spend anywhere from 18 years to the rest of his life in prison, the Manhattan District Attorney announced today.

Indeed, the deets of Hunter's crimes are chilling, and it's a good thing he's going to be behind bars for a long time.

Here's what he did: Hunter accosted a woman in the hall of her apartment building on East 69th Street on Nov. 24, 2010, around1:15 p.m. He forced her into her apartment, made her undress, blindfolded her, and then stole her jewelry, TV, and laptop.

Around 9 p.m. that same day, he followed another woman into her building on East 83rd Street. He placed his hand over her mouth and demanded cash.

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​A man busted into his ex-girlfriend's apartment Sunday -- threatening to kill the woman and her son with a meat cleaver before fleeing, cops say. Now, they want your help catching him.

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​Cops want to find the two scumbags who roughed up two Queens residents in several recent robberies.

On Jan. 12, one of the suspected perps (pictured here) followed a 58-year-old man into an elevator at 71-57 161st Street. Cops say he whacked the victim on the head and stole his money.

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​​Cops are on the lookout for a man wearing a Scarface jacket (no, really), and say that he and another man recently robbed a Bronx newsstand at gunpoint.

Around 7:15 p.m. on Jan. 6, the two suspected perps entered the shop at 1936 Crotona Avenue, and pulled out black handguns. The suspects, pictured here, took cash from the register and scratch-off lotto tickets, law enforcement officials say. They fled on foot.

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​According to police statistics, crime rates in New York didn't change overall in 2011 compared to 2012. Overall crime decreased by 0.8 percent through December 18 compared with the same period a year ago. There have been 102,445 felonies so far compared with 102,269 by the same time last year.

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​Actor John Malkovich of Being John Malkovich, among other things, has had his stuff stolen at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Prague. Malkovich was in the Czech capital to portray an Austrian serial killer in a play in the Prague Spring music festival. Now his passport and some personal belongings are gone. It's HIS PASSPORT, Schwartz! It's his passport! He will see you in court.

(What makes him think we won't be seeing what he's seeing...in court?)

[THR]

[@_rosiegray]

Burglary suspect

​Causing heartburn among a select few around the city in the past six weeks, a serial burglar has cut through security gates late at night and swiped cash from at least 17 little businesses in Manhattan, most of them restaurants, cops say.

Tips are welcome, not only at the restaurants. Tipsters can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips at nypdcrimestoppers.com or text info to 274637 (CRIMES), entering TIP577.

Phony 'Water Dept.' employees. Don't let them in!

​A trio of scumbag robbers posing as Water Dept. employees and victimizing the Bronx elderly are now linked to a similar case in the West Village, cops say. They talked their way into an 80-year-old woman's apartment at 87 Barrow Street on February 16. One of them distracted the old lady while the two others scooped up jewelry from her bedroom. She was unharmed; they fled.