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Police & Fire
Phone Scam: Man Nabbed After Swindling Victim Out Of $28K In Westchester, Police Say Phone Scam: Man Nabbed After Swindling Victim Out Of $28K In Westchester, Police Say
Phone Scam: Man Nabbed After Swindling Victim Out Of $28K In Westchester, Police Say A 48-year-old man was hit with a grand larceny charge after posing as a Microsoft employee and scamming a victim out of $28,000 in Northern Westchester, police announced. The arrest stemmed from an incident on Thursday, April 18, when a victim told Bedford Police that he had been swindled out of tens of thousands of dollars, the department announced on Wednesday, April 24.  According to Bedford Police, the victim had received a pop-up security alert appearing to be from "Microsoft" on their home computer that included a phone number to call for support. Upon calling the number, the vic…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Man Shoots, Kills Cab Driver Moments After End Of Shift In Westchester: Here's His Sentence Man Shoots, Kills Cab Driver Moments After End Of Shift In Westchester: Here's His Sentence
Man Shoots, Kills Cab Driver Moments After End Of Shift In Westchester: Here's His Sentence A man will spend decades in prison for fatally shooting a cab driver in Westchester during a robbery right after the victim's work shift ended, officials announced.  Covington, Virginia resident Percell Ross Blakely, age 54, was sentenced to 20 years to life in state prison for the October 2021 murder of 62-year-old Andres Valenzuela in New Rochelle, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday, April 18.  Earlier Report - Man Indicted For Murder In Westchester For Fatal Shooting, Robbery According to the DA's Office, on Oct. 14…

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by Ben Crnic
News
NY Man Known As 'Sal The Shoemaker' Admits Running Illegal Gambling Operation For Mafia NY Man Known As 'Sal The Shoemaker' Admits Running Illegal Gambling Operation For Mafia
NY Man Known As 'Sal The Shoemaker' Admits Running Illegal Gambling Operation For Mafia An associate of the Genovese organized crime family known as “Sal the Shoemaker” admitted to operating an illegal gambling business associated with La Cosa Nostra. Long Island resident Salvatore Rubino, age 60, of Bethpage, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, April 16, at federal court in Brooklyn to operating the business. Earlier this month, four co-defendant members and associates of the Genovese crime family admitted to various felony charges stemming from their long-running operation of several lucrative gambling operations in New York City. Of the five charged, four are from Long Isl…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
Rite Aid Announces Additional NY Store Closures After Declaring Bankruptcy Rite Aid Announces Additional NY Store Closures After Declaring Bankruptcy
Rite Aid Announces Additional NY Store Closures After Declaring Bankruptcy Rite Aid has announced new store closures after the struggling pharmacy chain filed for bankruptcy in the fourth quarter of 2023. Shortly after declaring bankruptcy, Rite Aid announced 154 store closures, with 20 in New York, and 14 on Long Island. In a filing on Tuesday, April 9, the company said 17 more stores, including three in New York (with two on Long Island) are now slated for closure. Rite Aid currently has 2,000 stores and about 44,000 employees. The Long Island stores slated for closure (with the newly announced closures in bold) are: 283 West Jericho Turnpike, Huntingto…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
NY Men 'Poisoned' Prominent Transgender Activist, 'Pose' Star Who OD'd: Feds NY Men 'Poisoned' Prominent Transgender Activist, 'Pose' Star Who OD'd: Feds
NY Men 'Poisoned' Prominent Transgender Activist, 'Pose' Star Who OD'd: Feds Two New York men are facing federal charges in the death of a prominent transgender activist, performer, and author. Long Island resident Antonio Venti, age 52, of West Babylon and Michael Kuilan, age 44, of Brooklyn, were arraigned on a four-count indictment in Brooklyn federal court on Monday, April 1. Prosecutors said Venti and Kuilan sold heroin laced with fentanyl to Cecilia Gentili. NYPD officers responded to the 52-year-old’s Brooklyn home on Feb. 6 following a 911 call from her partner. Gentili was found dead in her bedroom. An autopsy determined that she died from the combined eff…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Woman Dies In Fiery Crash On Bronx River Parkway In Yonkers Woman Dies In Fiery Crash On Bronx River Parkway In Yonkers
Woman Dies In Fiery Crash On Bronx River Parkway In Yonkers A woman was killed when her car went up in flames after crashing into a tree on a busy parkway in Westchester.  The incident happened on Sunday, March 17 just before 4:30 a.m., when a Ford SUV driving south on the Bronx River Parkway in Yonkers went off the road near Exit 11W and hit a tree, bursting into flames soon after, according to Westchester County Police Public Information Officer Kieran O'Leary. First responders and police soon arrived at the scene and pronounced the driver, a Brooklyn woman in her 30s, dead at the scene.  Police are now working to confirm the woman…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Man Steals Tractor-Trailer Carrying $32K Worth Of Alcohol In Westchester: Here's His Sentence Man Steals Tractor-Trailer Carrying $32K Worth Of Alcohol In Westchester: Here's His Sentence
Man Steals Tractor-Trailer Carrying $32K Worth Of Alcohol In Westchester: Here's His Sentence A 28-year-old man will spend time in prison for stealing a semi-tractor trailer truck with more than $32,000 worth of hard lemonade inside from a parking lot in Westchester.  New Rochelle resident Kelvin Liriano was sentenced to six months in prison for stealing the truck from a lot off Interstate 87 in Yonkers in March 2023, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday, Feb. 29.  According to the DA's Office, on March 21, 2023, at around 1:15 a.m., Liriano stole a $45,000 semi-tractor trailer truck containing 1,560 cases of Mike's Hard Lemonad…

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by Ben Crnic
Weather
72 MPH Wind Gust Reported During Storm: Here's Rundown From Region 72 MPH Wind Gust Reported During Storm: Here's Rundown From Region
72 MPH Wind Gust Reported During Storm: Here's Rundown From Region Did you hear it howling overnight? You're not alone. Widespread 40 to 50-mile-per-hour wind gusts were reported across the region as a powerful storm accompanying a frontal system swept through the Northeast. The highest reported gust -- at 72 miles per hour -- happened on Long Island just before 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 29 on top of a building in Stony Brook at 159 feet, according to the National Weather Service. Here are more wind-gust reports from locations in New York and Connecticut. Location Speed Time/Date Provider New York Nassau County …

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
These NY Pizzerias Rank Among Top 100 In Nation These NY Pizzerias Rank Among Top 100 In Nation
These NY Pizzerias Rank Among Top 100 In Nation It's hard not to think of New York when discussing the most delicious pizza. More precisely, New York City. So it should come as no surprise that in brand-new rankings of the Top 100 pizza spots in the US for 2024, all 10 of the selections from NY are from within the five boroughs. And even more precisely yet, Manhattan, where nine of the 10 are located. (The other is in Brooklyn.) The top-ranked pizzeria in New York, and third overall nationally, is Lombardi's in Manhattan's Little Italy, which opened in 1905 and is recognized by the Pizza Hall of Fame as “America’s first pizzeria." Lom…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Update: Man Faces New Charges In Hit-Run Death Of Beloved Community Leader In Westchester Update: Man Faces New Charges In Hit-Run Death Of Beloved Community Leader In Westchester
Update: Man Faces New Charges In Hit-Run Death Of Beloved Community Leader In Westchester A 42-year-old man has been hit with new charges in connection with the hit-run death of a beloved community leader in Westchester.  Brooklyn resident Antonio Robles-Sanchez was indicted for the hit-run death of 65-year-old Stephanie Kavourias that happened in Hartsdale in August 2023, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday, Feb. 15.  Earlier Report - Woman Killed In Hit-Run Hartsdale Crash Was Beloved Community Leader According to the DA's Office, around 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, Robles-Sanchez drove his Dodge Ram t…

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by Ben Crnic & Kathy Reakes
Weather
How Much Snow Did You Get? Here Are Reports From Region For Winter Storm How Much Snow Did You Get? Here Are Reports From Region For Winter Storm
How Much Snow Did You Get? Here Are Reports From Region For Winter Storm Here are snowfall reports from the region for the winter storm that swept through the Northeast overnight Monday, Jan. 15 into Tuesday, Jan. 16. Totals are from the National Weather Service: Location        Amount        Time/Date      Provider New York Westchester County New Rochelle 1.7 inches 0730 AM 01/16 Public Peekskill 1.3 inches 0630 AM 01/16 Public Armonk 1.3 inches 0800 AM 01/16 COCORAHS Peekskill 2.8 NNE 1.0 inches 0800 AM 01/16 COCORAHS South Salem 0.8 inches 0715 AM 01/16 COCORAHS Nassau County Levittown 3.0 inches…

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by Joe Lombardi
Obituaries
Successful Executive, Educator From Westchester Dies Suddenly At 61 Successful Executive, Educator From Westchester Dies Suddenly At 61
Successful Executive, Educator From Westchester Dies Suddenly At 61 A beloved former media executive from Northern Westchester who cofounded an educational consultant company is being remembered for his deep desire to help others.  South Salem and Brooklyn resident Frank Joseph Hardart III died suddenly on Monday, Jan. 8 at the age of 61 following a brief illness, according to his obituary.  Born in New York City in 1962, Hardart graduated from Bronxville High School and went on to earn degrees at the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.  After his schooling, he went on to enjoy a …

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by Ben Crnic