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High Levels Of Air Pollution Found Near Interstates In Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle High Levels Of Air Pollution Found Near Interstates In Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle
High Levels Of Air Pollution Found Near Interstates In Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle The first results of a multi-year study have found a concerning level of air pollution along busy interstate highways and manufacturing businesses in parts of Westchester, affecting nearby schools and childcare facilities.  The findings came from the statewide Community Air Monitoring Initiative conducted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which has been monitoring air quality in 10 disadvantaged communities across the state since the summer of 2022.  A meeting on the first results of the study, which has been taking a close look at air quality in the …

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
School District In Westchester Marks Highest Graduation Rate In Over 20 Years School District In Westchester Marks Highest Graduation Rate In Over 20 Years
School District In Westchester Marks Highest Graduation Rate In Over 20 Years A school district in Westchester has bounced back from a turbulent year by recording its highest graduation rate in more than two decades.  In an announcement on Friday, Sept. 20, the Mount Vernon City School District revealed its 2023-2024 graduation rate had climbed to 79.9 percent, a level not seen in over 20 years, according to the district.  The rate increased 5.6 percentage points over the previous school year, officials added.  Graduation rates for individual schools in the city were recorded as: Mount Vernon High School: 82.7 percent; Denzel Washington School of th…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Man Shot In Chest Near Fire Station In Mount Vernon: Suspect At Large Man Shot In Chest Near Fire Station In Mount Vernon: Suspect At Large
Man Shot In Chest Near Fire Station In Mount Vernon: Suspect At Large Authorities are investigating a shooting down the street from a fire station in Westchester that left a man hospitalized.  The incident happened on Tuesday, Sept. 17 around 9:30 p.m., when shots were fired at an apartment complex at 103 West 3rd Street in Mount Vernon, down the street from a Mount Vernon firehouse, according to city officials.  Officers who arrived at the scene of the shooting found several shell casings in the apartment complex's parking lot.  A man who was shot in the abdomen was taken to the Mount Vernon emergency room by "private means," officials said, …

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by Ben Crnic
News
Mount Vernon's Sean 'Diddy' Combs On Suicide Watch Before Sex Trafficking Trial: Report Mount Vernon's Sean 'Diddy' Combs On Suicide Watch Before Sex Trafficking Trial: Report
Mount Vernon's Sean 'Diddy' Combs On Suicide Watch Before Sex Trafficking Trial: Report Days after being federally charged with sex trafficking and racketeering offenses, hip-hop producer and New York native Sean "Diddy" Combs is on suicide watch as he waits for his trial in prison, according to a report by People.  Following his arrest, the 54-year-old New York City native who grew up in Westchester County in Mount Vernon was remanded to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on Tuesday, Sept. 17, where he has been placed on suicide watch, according to People.  The outlet reported that it is not known if Combs is suicidal or how exactly how long he …

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
22-Year-Old Driver Hits Patrol Cars, Officer's Arm During Chase Started In Mount Vernon: Police 22-Year-Old Driver Hits Patrol Cars, Officer's Arm During Chase Started In Mount Vernon: Police
22-Year-Old Driver Hits Patrol Cars, Officer's Arm During Chase Started In Mount Vernon: Police A 22-year-old man faces a long list of charges after leading officers on a long pursuit throughout multiple municipalities in Westchester, striking patrol cars and other vehicles in the process, police said. The chase began on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at around 9:30 a.m., when a Nissan Altima was seen speeding on the northbound Bronx River Parkway at Oak Street in Mount Vernon, the Westchester County Police Department said on Wednesday, Sept. 18. The officer who noticed the Altima caught up to the speeding car further north in Yonkers and tried pulling it over. However, the vehicle kept speeding a…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Partially Collapsed Auto Repair Shop To Be Demolished In Mount Vernon Partially Collapsed Auto Repair Shop To Be Demolished In Mount Vernon
Partially Collapsed Auto Repair Shop To Be Demolished In Mount Vernon A building in Westchester that partially collapsed is set to be demolished, city officials announced.  The building, which houses an auto repair shop at 217-225 South 4th Avenue in Mount Vernon, will be torn down on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and Thursday, Sept. 19, city officials said on Tuesday, Sept. 17.  The structure experienced a partial collapse on Thursday, Aug. 8 following heavy rain.  According to city officials, the demolition will limit vehicular and pedestrian access on South 4th Avenue between East 3rd Street and East 4th Street on Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. an…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Westchester's Sean 'Diddy' Combs Now Facing Sex Trafficking, Racketeering Charges: Feds Westchester's Sean 'Diddy' Combs Now Facing Sex Trafficking, Racketeering Charges: Feds
Westchester's Sean 'Diddy' Combs Now Facing Sex Trafficking, Racketeering Charges: Feds Following several lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and other abuses, successful hip-hop producer and New York native Sean "Diddy" Combs now faces federal sex trafficking charges, officials announced.  Combs, a 54-year-old New York City native who grew up in Westchester County in Mount Vernon, was arrested on Tuesday morning, Sept. 17 on a three-count indictment, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.  According to federal officials, beginning as far back as 2008, Combs ran a criminal enterprise that involved sex trafficking, forced…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Man Wanted In Fatal Mount Vernon Stabbing Nabbed After Fleeing State: Police Man Wanted In Fatal Mount Vernon Stabbing Nabbed After Fleeing State: Police
Man Wanted In Fatal Mount Vernon Stabbing Nabbed After Fleeing State: Police A man wanted in connection with a stabbing in Westchester that left a 37-year-old victim dead was caught in another state, officials announced.  Mount Vernon resident Ronald "Eueu" Hechavarria, age 34, was arrested in connection with a stabbing on Thursday, Aug. 1 that happened on Union Avenue in Mount Vernon, city officials announced on Monday, Sept. 16.  Earlier Report - 37-Year-Old Man Dies After Stabbing In Mount Vernon: Suspect At Large According to officials, on the day of the stabbing, at around 10:20 p.m., officers from the Mount Vernon Police Department responded to…

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by Ben Crnic
Sports
Motorcade, Ceremony Celebrates Mount Vernon's Own Olympic Gold Medalist Rai Benjamin Motorcade, Ceremony Celebrates Mount Vernon's Own Olympic Gold Medalist Rai Benjamin
Motorcade, Ceremony Celebrates Mount Vernon's Own Olympic Gold Medalist Rai Benjamin An Olympic gold medalist from Westchester will be presented with the key to his home city at the end of a day-long motorcade held in his honor following his standout performance in Paris.  A motorcade celebrating Mount Vernon native Rai Benjamin, who won gold in the men's 400-meter hurdles on Friday, Aug. 9 at the Paris Olympics, began on Tuesday, Sept 10 at 9 a.m. at Mount Vernon High School and will continue into the afternoon hours.  The motorcade will stop at all 16 schools within the Mount Vernon City School District before arriving at Memorial Field at 431 Garden Ave. a…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
21-Year-Old Who Caused Double-Fatal Westchester Crash Sentenced 21-Year-Old Who Caused Double-Fatal Westchester Crash Sentenced
21-Year-Old Who Caused Double-Fatal Westchester Crash Sentenced A 21-year-old man will spend years behind bars after he admitted to speeding at 100 mph and causing a crash that killed two friends and permanently disabled a third in Westchester County, authorities said.  Mount Vernon resident Anthony Rose, age 21, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years to seven-and-a-half years in the December 2021 crash. Rose pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault in April.  “The devastating consequences of the defendant’s selfish and reckless behavior killed two young people and permanently altered the life of another," We…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Season's First Positive Human West Nile Virus Cases Confirmed In Westchester Season's First Positive Human West Nile Virus Cases Confirmed In Westchester
Season's First Positive Human West Nile Virus Cases Confirmed In Westchester West Nile Virus has made its way to humans in Westchester, officials announced.  A New Rochelle resident and Mount Vernon resident both tested positive for the virus, making them the first confirmed human cases in the county this year, Westchester health officials announced on Thursday, Aug. 15.  According to Westchester Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, the confirmation came a little sooner than expected.  "These first cases of West Nile Virus are earlier than usual and should serve as a reminder to all of us to remove all standing water around your home every time a…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Court Upholds Westchester's Ownership Of Scout Cabin In Bronxville After Long Legal Battle Court Upholds Westchester's Ownership Of Scout Cabin In Bronxville After Long Legal Battle
Court Upholds Westchester's Ownership Of Scout Cabin In Bronxville After Long Legal Battle After a long battle, a court decision has affirmed that a cabin long purported to be exclusively possessed by a Boy Scouts organization is instead owned by Westchester County.  In an announcement on Monday, Aug. 12, county officials said that the Second Judicial Department of the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division upheld a decision affirming that the Scout Cabin at Scout Field in Bronxville belongs to Westchester County instead of the Bronxville Scout Committee.  The cabin, which sits on a 22.9-acre park within Bronxville, Mount Vernon, and Yonkers, was long claim…

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by Ben Crnic