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'Prepare With Care': Health Officials Urge Food Safety Ahead Of Thanksgiving 'Prepare With Care': Health Officials Urge Food Safety Ahead Of Thanksgiving
'Prepare With Care': Health Officials Urge Food Safety Ahead Of Thanksgiving As millions of New Yorkers prepare to cook their Thanksgiving feasts, health officials are urging people to remember the tenants of food safety. The New York State health and agriculture departments offered up several tips to help keep family and friends safe from foodborne illness this holiday season. “The Department works hard all year long to ensure the safety of our food supply at our stores and food manufacturing facilities, but food safety is also so important at home,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Richard Ball. “We urge everyone who is cooking for their loved ones this Thanksgiv…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
Jackpot! $4M Lottery Prize Claimed By Albany LLC Jackpot! $4M Lottery Prize Claimed By Albany LLC
Jackpot! $4M Lottery Prize Claimed By Albany LLC Someone’s holiday season just got significantly brighter. An Albany-based limited liability company (LLC) has claimed a $1,000 a Day for Life prize for matching all six numbers in the CASH4LIFE game. Claiming the whopping prize was the Pinkey Esmond LLC, which opted to receive the cash value of the annuitized prize in a single lump-sum payment. The LLC scored a total of $4,285,683, New York Lottery officials said. The top-prize was from the drawing held on Monday, Aug. 14. Lottery officials said the lucky ticket was purchased in Brooklyn, at the Church Blue Sky Deli located on Churc…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
Turkey Day Saved: NYer Martha Stewart Clarifies Thanksgiving Plans Turkey Day Saved: NYer Martha Stewart Clarifies Thanksgiving Plans
Turkey Day Saved: NYer Martha Stewart Clarifies Thanksgiving Plans The homemaking guru and queen of Thanksgiving has spoken: she’s canceled the holiday get-together at her home, not the holiday itself. No need to fear — Thanksgiving is not actually canceled, Northern Westchester County resident and cooking icon Martha Stewart has announced, days after she professed that she was simply “turkeyed out.” In a three-slide Instagram carousel posted on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 21, she clarified to worried fans that she had not, in fact, given up the festive holiday altogether. Earlier Report: Katonah Resident Martha Stewart Cancels Thanksgiving “What…

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by Sophie Grieser
Lifestyle
Feast Without Fuss: Thanksgiving Dinner Served At These Capital Region Restaurants Feast Without Fuss: Thanksgiving Dinner Served At These Capital Region Restaurants
Feast Without Fuss: Thanksgiving Dinner Served At These Capital Region Restaurants Skip the cooking and dirty dishes and spend Thanksgiving at one of these local restaurants serving up their own holiday feasts. The following eateries have announced that they will be open Thursday, Nov. 23, and serving traditional Thanksgiving meals: Montgomery County Raindancer Restaurant - 4582 NY-30 in Amsterdam. Serving their regular dinner menu and a traditional turkey dinner from noon to 7 p.m.  Meal includes sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, sausage stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and choice of tossed or Caesar salad. Cost is $30.99. Accepting takeout orders …

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
NY's Own Martha Stewart Cancels Thanksgiving NY's Own Martha Stewart Cancels Thanksgiving
NY's Own Martha Stewart Cancels Thanksgiving Iconic homemaker and longtime New Yorker Martha Stewart said in an interview that she’s canceling Thanksgiving this year. Too much turkey? New, updated story - Turkey Day Saved: Martha Stewart Clarifies Thanksgiving Plans On Thursday, Nov. 16’s episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” the Northern Westchester County resident and lifestyle guru revealed that she will not be hosting Thanksgiving this year. “Oh, I gave up Thanksgiving,” Stewart told Clarkson during her interview. Related: Martha Stewart's Bedford Home Available To Rent For Thanksgiving-Inspired Vacation “Nine gues…

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by Sophie Grieser
Lifestyle
Gilgo Beach Murders: Notorious 'Happy Face Killer' Reveals Letter He Says Rex Heuermann Wrote Gilgo Beach Murders: Notorious 'Happy Face Killer' Reveals Letter He Says Rex Heuermann Wrote
Gilgo Beach Murders: Notorious 'Happy Face Killer' Reveals Letter He Says Rex Heuermann Wrote A letter from prison allegedly written by Gilgo Beach serial murders suspect Rex Heuermann has been shared by notorious "Happy Face Killer" Keith Jesperson.Jesperson, now 68 years old, murdered at least eight women in the United States during the early 1990s. The former truck driver is in prison in Oregon. Heuermann is behind bars on Long Island, at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead. In a video posted by the Okaloosa County (Florida) Sheriff's Office (where Jesperson admitted to having committed one of the murders), he says he wrote to Heuermann. "Like I …

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
NY 13-Year-Old Sent Home After 'Stunning' Performance On 'The Voice' NY 13-Year-Old Sent Home After 'Stunning' Performance On 'The Voice'
NY 13-Year-Old Sent Home After 'Stunning' Performance On 'The Voice' Stunning wasn't good enough for judges on NBC's "The Voice." Despite giving a near-perfect performance of Sia's "Unstoppable," 13-year-old Orange County resident Julia Roome, of Warwick, was sent home during the Knockout Rounds of the show last week. "I was just stunned by what you did," John Lennon said after a bout of crying. "A performance like that you can win 'The Voice.'" She and fellow contestant Lennon VanderDoes were both "knocked out" by Alexa Wildish's performance of Cher's "Believe." "There's no steals or saves left which makes this — I don't even have words for it," said Nia…

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by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
Great Scott! ‘Rocky Horror’ Actor Barry Bostwick Appearing At Albany Theater Great Scott! ‘Rocky Horror’ Actor Barry Bostwick Appearing At Albany Theater
Great Scott! ‘Rocky Horror’ Actor Barry Bostwick Appearing At Albany Theater Creatures of the night, it’s time to prepare your rubber gloves and toilet paper. Actor Barry Bostwick, who played the overly optimistic Brad Majors opposite Susan Sarandon in the cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” is coming to Albany’s Palace Theatre. Bostwick, age 78, will be on hand for a special holiday-themed production by The Kids of Albany on Tuesday, Dec. 12, dubbed “A Rocky Horror Christmas Show.” “‘Tis the season to get weird!” the group said on Facebook. “Join us for a night of Rocky Horror madness with a holiday twist.” Based on the 1973 musical “The Rocky Horror …

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
Lights, Camera, Action: Actors Wanted For Film In Region Lights, Camera, Action: Actors Wanted For Film In Region
Lights, Camera, Action: Actors Wanted For Film In Region If you live in or around e Hudson Valley and have ever dreamed of being a part of “The Godfather,” a new casting call might just be for you. It’s an offer you can’t refuse. A new mafia-themed short film is looking for Hudson Valley actors to portray four leading roles for its December shoot in the Dutchess County village of Wappingers Falls, according to a casting call posted on Backstage. The movie, currently unnamed, will follow five mafia members as they convene for what they believe to be a business meeting – they soon find out, however, that they’re suspects in the murder of one of…

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by Sophie Grieser
Lifestyle
SNL Needs Muscular Man, Person With 70s Haircut As Extras SNL Needs Muscular Man, Person With 70s Haircut As Extras
SNL Needs Muscular Man, Person With 70s Haircut As Extras If you're a muscly man or still rocking a 70s-style haircut, "Saturday Night Live" needs you. The NBC show is looking for extras for an upcoming episode, according to a new casting call. The muscular man should be between 18 and 40 years old, while the person with 70s hair should be between 18 and 75. The gig pays between $220 and $1,700. Click here to apply.

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by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
$35K Winning Lottery Ticket Sold At Watervliet Convenience Store $35K Winning Lottery Ticket Sold At Watervliet Convenience Store
$35K Winning Lottery Ticket Sold At Watervliet Convenience Store A winning lottery ticket worth over $30,000 was sold at a convenience store in the region. The top-prize-winning TAKE 5 ticket, worth $35,415, was sold in Albany County at the Stewart’s Shops in Watervliet, located at 186 Troy Schenectady Road. It was sold for the evening drawing held Tuesday, Nov. 9, New York Lottery announced. TAKE 5 numbers are drawn from a field of one through 39. The drawings are televised twice daily at 2:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Winners have one year from the drawing date to claim their prize money. Players can check their numbers on the New York Lottery website.

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
Restaurant In Region To Appear On 'Kitchen Nightmares,' Watch Party Planned Restaurant In Region To Appear On 'Kitchen Nightmares,' Watch Party Planned
Restaurant In Region To Appear On 'Kitchen Nightmares,' Watch Party Planned A restaurant in the region that closed a short time after filming an episode of Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares," is slated to be featured on the show's upcoming episode. The Love Bites cafe, which was located in Ulster County, will  be featured on the show that is known to rip apart a restaurant, and its owner, at 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 13 on Fox. The restaurant in Saugerties was run by childhood sweethearts who "have trouble separating their work and personal lives," according to Fox. To help celebrate the beloved restaurant, wedding photographer and food blogger Jason Bover, wh…

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by Kathy Reakes