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Former Corrections Officer From Westchester Took Bribes To Smuggle Drugs In Prison: Feds Former Corrections Officer From Westchester Took Bribes To Smuggle Drugs In Prison: Feds
Former Corrections Officer From Westchester Took Bribes To Smuggle Drugs In Prison: Feds A Mount Vernon resident and former corrections officer at Rikers Island has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to smuggle drugs into the jail, federal authorities announced.  Ghislaine Barrientos, age 37, admitted to her role in a scheme to bring narcotics, including cocaine and synthetic cannabinoids, into Rikers Island in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Wednesday, Jan. 8.  Barrientos, formerly employed by the New York City Department of Correction, conspired with others to smuggle cocaine, s…

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by Ben Crnic
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Remains Of Mom Of White Plains Girls Found Stuffed In Fridge, Family Speaks Out (EXCLUSIVE) Remains Of Mom Of White Plains Girls Found Stuffed In Fridge, Family Speaks Out (EXCLUSIVE)
Remains Of Mom Of White Plains Girls Found Stuffed In Fridge, Family Speaks Out (Exclusive) Laura Hughes moved to New Jersey from Virginia in 2023 with the hope of being closer to her two teen daughters. "We thought it was a new beginning," said Cornel Alston, the father of her girls. Instead, the family is left mourning Hughes' loss days after the discovery of her remains, found stuffed in a refrigerator in a wooded area of the Belleplain State Forest on Sunday, Dec. 22. The timeline around 50-year-old Hughes' death isn't adding up for Alston, who says authorities have given him little information, compounding the pain of the loss. The NJ Courts website shows that Christop…

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by Cecilia Levine
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'Everything's Gone': Deadly LA Wildfires Destroy Hundreds Of Homes, Causing Apocalyptic Scenes 'Everything's Gone': Deadly LA Wildfires Destroy Hundreds Of Homes, Causing Apocalyptic Scenes
'Everything's Gone': Deadly LA Wildfires Destroy Hundreds Of Homes, Causing Apocalyptic Scenes As wind-whipped wild fires spreading over thousands of acres ravage Los Angeles, many have shared their devastating experiences on social media, including a host of celebrities. The first blaze erupted late Tuesday morning, Jan. 7, in the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood.  Since then, hundreds of homes have been reduced to ashes, entire neighborhoods destroyed, and thousands evacuated. Over 1,000 structures and 25,000 acres have been destroyed. Panicked motorists abandoned vehicles in streets as they rushed to flee the inferno in apocalyptic scenes that seemed like something in…

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by Joe Lombardi
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Longtime NBC Washington Reporter Derrick Ward Dies At 62 Longtime NBC Washington Reporter Derrick Ward Dies At 62
Longtime NBC Washington Reporter Derrick Ward Dies At 62 Veteran NBC Washington reporter Derrick Ward has died at the age of 62 after suffering complications from a recent cardiac arrest, the station confirmed on Wednesday. Ward, a District resident, had been a staple in the community for years, having reported for NBC, as well as local station WTOP after getting his start in upstate New York .  He has been covering his hometown community since 2006. Ward was pronounced dead on Wednesday, Jan. 7 following the complications, his family confirmed in a statement. No further details have been provided. "We'll miss his writing, his reporting, h…

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by Zak Failla
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$400K In Fraudulent Transactions Found On Account Belonging To City In Westchester: Officials $400K In Fraudulent Transactions Found On Account Belonging To City In Westchester: Officials
$400K In Fraudulent Transactions Found On Account Belonging To City In Westchester: Officials Officials in Mount Vernon are working to recover $400,000 in unauthorized transactions after detecting fraudulent activity on a city account.  The City Comptroller's Office reported the unusual activity after receiving electronic notifications of suspicious transactions and fraudulent calls attempting to impersonate individuals related to the account, according to a statement released by the city on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Immediate action was taken to address the issue, and an investigation confirmed the fraudulent activity, officials said. The city soon notified the bank and was able to sto…

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by Ben Crnic
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Feds Finalize Rule Erasing $49 Billion In Medical Debt From Credit Scores, CFPB Says Feds Finalize Rule Erasing $49 Billion In Medical Debt From Credit Scores, CFPB Says
Feds Finalize Rule Erasing $49 Billion In Medical Debt From Credit Scores, Cfpb Says About 15 million Americans will see their credit reports cleared of medical debt under a new rule approved by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB has finalized a landmark rule that removes $49 billion in medical debt from credit reports, the bureau said in a news release on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The regulation also prohibits lenders from using medical information in lending decisions when evaluating loan applications. The rule is expected to raise credit scores by an average of 20 points and enable the approval of 22,000 additional mortgages annually. "People …

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by Chris Spiker
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NY Secures Second Place In Cancer Research Rankings With World-Class Hospitals NY Secures Second Place In Cancer Research Rankings With World-Class Hospitals
NY Secures Second Place In Cancer Research Rankings With World-Class Hospitals Many states in the Northeast are among the country's best in the fight against cancer, with Massachusetts, New York, and Maryland ranked as leaders, a new study said. Massachusetts was ranked as the best state for cancer research, according to a SmileHub study released on Tuesday, Jan. 7. New York was just behind the Bay State in second place. The study, which assessed all 50 states based on metrics like clinical trials per capita and hospital quality, came as the U.S. saw more than 611,000 cancer-related deaths and nearly two million new cases in 2024. Massachusetts boasts the highes…

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by Chris Spiker
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2 Found Dead In JetBlue Landing Gear After Flight From JFK 2 Found Dead In JetBlue Landing Gear After Flight From JFK
2 Found Dead In JetBlue Landing Gear After Flight From JFK Two unidentified bodies were found in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue plane after it landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport late Monday night, Jan. 6.  The airline confirmed the news in a statement released on Tuesday morning, Jan. 7, noting that the bodies were discovered during a routine post-flight maintenance inspection. "At this time, the identities of the individuals and the circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft remain under investigation," JetBlue said. “This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working c…

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by Joe Lombardi
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First US Human Death From Bird Flu Reported First US Human Death From Bird Flu Reported
First US Human Death From Bird Flu Reported Authorities have confirmed the first human death in the United States caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or H5N1.  The announcement was made by the Louisiana Department of Health on Monday, Jan. 6.  Earlier Report: First Severe Bird Flu Case Confirmed In US The patient, a man over 65 with underlying health conditions, was hospitalized before succumbing to the illness after exposure to a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds. The Louisiana Department of Health said it has conducted a public health investigation and found no additional cases or …

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by Joe Lombardi
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22-Year-Old Killed In Westchester Shooting: Suspect At Large 22-Year-Old Killed In Westchester Shooting: Suspect At Large
22-Year-Old Killed In Westchester Shooting: Suspect At Large A 22-year-old man was fatally shot at a public housing complex in Westchester, prompting an active investigation, police announced.  New, updated report - ID Released Of 22-Year-Old Killed In Westchester Shooting: Suspects Caught, Police Say (UPDATE) The shooting happened on the morning of Monday, Jan. 6, at the Heritage Homes complex on the block between Horton and Lincoln Avenues and Brook Street to Dewitt Avenue, according to New Rochelle Police Captain J. Collins Coyne.   Officers found the victim, a Mount Vernon resident, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Poli…

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by Ben Crnic
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Biden Blocks Offshore Drilling Along Many US Coastal Areas, Citing Environmental Risks Biden Blocks Offshore Drilling Along Many US Coastal Areas, Citing Environmental Risks
Biden Blocks Offshore Drilling Along Many US Coastal Areas, Citing Environmental Risks President Joe Biden announced sweeping protections against offshore oil and gas drilling along key US coastlines, including the east and west coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska. President Biden has taken decisive action to protect about 625 million acres along the U.S. coastlines from the risks of offshore oil and gas drilling, according to a White House statement on Monday, Jan. 6.  The move withdraws areas along the east and west coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea from future drilling, citing potential environmental, economic, and public …

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by Chris Spiker
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Midnight Miracle: Westchester’s First Baby of 2025 Arrives On New Year's Day Midnight Miracle: Westchester’s First Baby of 2025 Arrives On New Year's Day
Midnight Miracle: Westchester’s First Baby of 2025 Arrives On New Year's Day The first baby of 2025 in Westchester County has arrived, and her debut is nothing short of special. Baby Shela Yohana was born at 12:17 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, at Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow.  Delivered by a midwife from Open Door Family Medical Center, Shela weighed in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces, hospital officials said. Her mother, Zenaida Pacheco Villeda of Armonk, proudly posed for a photo with her new bundle of joy, marking a heartwarming start to the year for their family and Westchester County. Congratulations to Zenaida and her family on the safe arrival …

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by Ben Crnic