[naviga:h3]Small plane lands on N.Y. rail line[/naviga:h3]

HICKSVILLE, N.Y. — A small, single-engine plane crashed on a Long Island railroad crossing Sunday, killing the pilot, injuring a passenger and shutting down service on part of the nation’s busiest commuter rail line, officials said.

Residents of a nearby senior living facility said they heard a loud noise and saw the craft on fire. Bystanders ran to the scene but had to get back because of the flames, Charles Terzano told Newsday.

“It just melted,” he said. “It was a horror, a real horror.”

The name of the pilot was not immediately released. The passenger, identified as Carl Giordano, 55, of New Vernon, N.J., had a broken jaw, cuts and bruises, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman said.

[naviga:h3]Freeman relative stabbed to death[/naviga:h3]

NEW YORK — Police arrested a 30-year-old man in connection with the fatal stabbing of actor Morgan Freeman’s step-granddaughter on a Manhattan street.

Lamar Davenport, of New York City, was charged with second-degree murder on Monday, a day after Edena Hines, 33, was found lying on the street with multiple stab wounds to the chest.

Police said the Davenport was in a relationship with Hines. She was found in front of her apartment building on West 162nd Street and was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital.

Freeman issued a statement saying that “The world will never know her artistry and talent, and how much she had to offer.” Hines had studied acting and was involved with teaching urban youth. She’s the granddaughter of Freeman’s first wife.

[naviga:h3]Dish, Sinclair avert blackout[/naviga:h3]

Dish Network and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced an agreement Sunday extending their contract, enabling the satellite TV provider to broadcast Sinclair’s local channels and averting a possible blackout.

Dish announced the eleventh-hour agreement on a short-term extension. The contract was set to expire at midnight Saturday. The agreement saved millions of customers from losing access to 153 local channels in 79 markets across the country, Dish said.

The extension allows the companies to continue negotiating a new retransmission agreement.