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Lynbrook Man Disguised, Sold Fentanyl, Heroin, More: USAO Lynbrook Man Disguised, Sold Fentanyl, Heroin, More: USAO
Lynbrook Man Accused Of Disguising, Selling Fentanyl, Heroin A Long Island man has been charged for reportedly selling heroin, cocaine, oxycodone, and fentanyl, leading to at least one overdose death. The indictment against Ryan Mueller of Lynbrook was announced by the United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York on Thursday, April 4. Over the last few years, Mueller, age 32, is accused of conspiring with several other unnamed people to distribute controlled substances like heroin and cocaine. According to the USAO, Mueller’s conspiring is related to the December 2022 death of a 49-year-old victim. The man was found inside of hi…

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by Sophie Grieser
News
Glen Cove Man Admits Selling Fake Pain Pills With Fentanyl, Causing 2 Fatal Overdoses Glen Cove Man Admits Selling Fake Pain Pills With Fentanyl, Causing 2 Fatal Overdoses
Glen Cove Man Admits Selling Fake Pain Pills With Fentanyl, Causing 2 Fatal Overdoses A 24-year-old from Long Island is the latest in a trio of people to admit to a scheme of selling fake pain pills that actually had fentanyl in them, leading to two overdose deaths. Devon Thurmond, a Glen Cove resident, pleaded guilty to running the scheme that caused two deaths on Friday, March 22, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York. From 2021 to 2023, Thurmond conspired with two other Glen Cove residents — Cartier Funderburke, age 24, and Melissa Trimarchi, age 37 — to sell fentanyl that was disguised as oxycodone pills. One of the victims Thurmond…

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by Sophie Grieser
News
Flu Cases Up, Now Deemed 'Prevalent' By NY Health Officials Flu Cases Up, Now Deemed 'Prevalent' By NY Health Officials
Flu Cases Up, Now Deemed 'Prevalent' By NY Health Officials If you haven’t gotten your flu shot this year, now’s the time to do so. New York State Health Commissioner James McDonald declared that influenza is “now prevalent” in the state on Wednesday, Dec. 6. The declaration requires healthcare workers who have not received this year’s flu vaccine to wear masks in places like hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices. "Health care personnel who are not vaccinated against the flu this season need to take extra precautions and wear a mask in health care facilities, as they are exposed to sick patients and come into close contact with those most vulnerab…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Tobacco-Related Cancers Down In NY, New Report Finds Tobacco-Related Cancers Down In NY, New Report Finds
Tobacco-Related Cancers Down In NY, New Report Finds Fewer New Yorkers are being diagnosed with tobacco-related cancers. A new report released by the state health department Thursday, Sept. 14, found that several of the cancers most often associated with smoking declined throughout the state between 2016 and 2020. Incident rates of esophageal, laryngeal, and lung cancer - those most closely related to tobacco use - steeply declined both in New York City and elsewhere in the state, the report found. Rates of oral cancer, however, increased by 1.3 percent each year between 2006 and 2020 among those living in New York City. Researchers also no…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
COVID-19: Hochul Urges 'Appropriate Precautions' After New Variant With 30 Mutations Identified COVID-19: Hochul Urges 'Appropriate Precautions' After New Variant With 30 Mutations Identified
Covid-19: Hochul Urges 'Appropriate Precautions' After New Variant With 30 Mutations Identified State health officials say while a newly identified COVID-19 strain that may cause breakthrough infections has not yet been detected in New York, residents should take steps to protect themselves. The BA.2.86 strain, now known as Pirola, has been identified in three states: Michigan, Virginia, and Ohio, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So far, the BA.2.86 variant has not been detected in New York, where officials have relied on a dual surveillance strategy using wastewater testing and laboratory clinical analysis, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said. Officials…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
LI Death Tied To Rare Bacterial Infection; Healthcare Providers Told To Be On Lookout LI Death Tied To Rare Bacterial Infection; Healthcare Providers Told To Be On Lookout
LI Death Tied To Rare Bacterial Infection; Healthcare Providers Told To Be On Lookout Health officials are investigating how a New York resident contracted a rare bacterial infection that ultimately claimed the person’s life. Vibriosis, which can cause skin breakdowns and ulcers, was confirmed in a recently deceased person on Long Island in Suffolk County, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced Wednesday, Aug. 16. The disease is caused by several species of vibrio bacteria, including one that is commonly found in saltwater coastal areas and appears in higher concentrations from May to October when temperatures are warmer. Those infected may experience a range of symptoms, inc…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
NY Declares Polio 'An Imminent Threat To Public Health' NY Declares Polio 'An Imminent Threat To Public Health'
NY Declares Polio 'An Imminent Threat To Public Health' New York’s top health official is urging the public to get vaccinated against poliovirus if they haven’t yet done so. State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett declared polio "an imminent threat to public health" in New York State Wednesday, Sept. 28. NY Declares Polio State Of Emergency After Virus Found In Wastewater On Long Island The declaration will free up resources to help local health departments set up vaccination clinics and better focus their outreach efforts to unvaccinated or under-vaccinated New Yorkers, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said. Health officials are hoping to boost …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
COVID-19: Here Are Penalties In Place, Info On Vax Requirements As NY Mask Mandate Takes Effect COVID-19: Here Are Penalties In Place, Info On Vax Requirements As NY Mask Mandate Takes Effect
Covid-19: Here Are Penalties In Place, Info On Vax Requirements As NY Mask Mandate Takes Effect Harsh penalties for those refusing to wear a mask indoors and new vaccine requirements are now in effect in New York as the state fends off new variants of the virus as the number of new cases soars. Beginning on Monday, Dec. 13, masks will be required to be worn in all indoor public places unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement due to the rise in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the state. The new requirements will be in effect through Saturday, Jan. 15, at which point the state will reassess the situation based on the conditions statewide at that time. …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Four More NY Residents Identified As Being Infected With Omicron Variant COVID-19: Four More NY Residents Identified As Being Infected With Omicron Variant
Covid-19: Four More NY Residents Identified As Being Infected With Omicron Variant Omicron, the new strain of COVID-19 that has caused worldwide alarm the last week, has now been detected in 12 New York residents. On Monday, Dec.6, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced four more cases have been identified, four days after the state announced its first five cases and two days after it announced three additional cases. So far, the cases appear unrelated and have been confirmed through sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to the New York State Health Department.  Two of the new cases are Suffolk and Oneida counties, bringing Suffolk County's total number o…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Omicron Confirmed In CT Resident With Family Member Who Attended NYC Convention COVID-19: Omicron Confirmed In CT Resident With Family Member Who Attended NYC Convention
Covid-19: Omicron Confirmed In CT Resident With Family Member Who Attended NYC Convention Omicron, the new strain of COVID-19 that has caused worldwide alarm the last week, has now been detected in Connecticut and Massachusetts. "This evening we confirmed the first case of the Omicron variant in CT," Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Saturday night, Dec. 4. "This is not a cause for alarm. We have life-saving tools available and I urge everyone to take the necessary precautions to fight this pandemic. Get your vaccination. Get your booster." The case involves a man in his 60s from Hartford County who developed mild symptoms on Saturday, Nov. 27. An at-home COVID-19 test…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Vaccinated NY Resident Tests Positive For Delta Variant COVID-19: Vaccinated NY Resident Tests Positive For Delta Variant
Covid-19: Vaccinated NY Resident Tests Positive For Delta Variant A vaccinated New York resident has tested positive for the Delta strain of COVID-19. The positive result in the Hudson Valley resident was confirmed Monday, June 28 in Ulster County. The strain, first detected in India in December 2020, now makes up 90 percent of new cases in the United Kingdom and 20 percent of new cases in the United States. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said word came from the New York State Health Department and that the person has recovered. "This incident is a critical reminder that while we have made great strides in fighting this virus, we are not out of the wo…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
COVID-19: New York Loosening Mask Restrictions On Schools COVID-19: New York Loosening Mask Restrictions On Schools
Covid-19: New York Loosening Mask Restrictions On Schools New York is loosening its mask-wearing restrictions for students and staff next week as the state continues its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning on Monday, June 7, masks will no longer be required indoors or outdoors in New York schools after seeing nearly two straight months of the COVID-19 positivity rate dropping. As of Monday, masks will be “strongly encouraged” for unvaccinated people, but not required. They will also not be needed outdoors, though people not fully vaccinated will be encouraged to wear them in high-risk circumstances. Anyone who is fully vaccinated will …

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Cuomo Aides Doctored Documents To Hide Higher Number Of Nursing Home Deaths, New Report Says Cuomo Aides Doctored Documents To Hide Higher Number Of Nursing Home Deaths, New Report Says
Cuomo Aides Doctored Documents To Hide Higher Number Of Nursing Home Deaths, New Report Says New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is again making headlines for the wrong reasons, this time because his aides reportedly doctored documents to conceal the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes at the height of the pandemic. It is alleged in a New York Times report that Cuomo’s aides rewrote a report from state health officials to conceal the true number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes while strengthening his reputation as a leader. According to the report, Cuomo’s aides rewrote the report before it went public to omit 9,250 deaths that were recorded by the state Health Department, prompt…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Here Are Testing Restrictions In Place As New York Resumes Nursing Home Visits COVID-19: Here Are Testing Restrictions In Place As New York Resumes Nursing Home Visits
Covid-19: Here Are Testing Restrictions In Place As New York Resumes Nursing Home Visits Nursing homes in New York will resume indoor visitation this week with certain testing restrictions in place depending on the county’s progress in combating COVID-19. Testing will not be required in counties with a positivity rate below 5 percent, while rapid testing will be required for any visitors in counties with a positivity rate between 5 percent and 10 percent. Regular visitation will not be allowed in counties with a positivity rate above 10 percent. Visits will also only be permitted at nursing homes that go 14 days without a COVID-19 case inside the facility within staff or resid…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Top Republicans Call For Cuomo's Ouster After Top Aide Admits They Hid Nursing Home Data Top Republicans Call For Cuomo's Ouster After Top Aide Admits They Hid Nursing Home Data
Top Republicans Call For Cuomo's Ouster After Top Aide Admits They Hid Nursing Home Data A growing number of political figures in New York are calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s head - and job - following a new report that the state withheld information on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes during the pandemic and the administration was aware of it. Original story - COVID-19: NY AG Report Says Nursing Home Deaths May Have Been Undercounted By 50 Percent The New York Post reported that Cuomo’s top aide, Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, told Democratic state legislators in a meeting this week that the administration “froze” when asked to release data about the number of …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: These Are 10 Most Underlying Health Issues Related To Deaths In NY COVID-19: These Are 10 Most Underlying Health Issues Related To Deaths In NY
Covid-19: These Are 10 Most Underlying Health Issues Related To Deaths In NY Since the onset of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, health officials have cautioned that the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, or underlying conditions are more at risk. As of Wednesday morning, April 15, these underlying health issues led to the following number of fatalities in New York, according to the state health department: Hypertension: 6,142; Diabetes: 4,061; Hyperlipidemia: 2,146; Coronary Artery Disease: 1,329; Dementia: 1,164; Renal Disease: 1,161; COPD: 885; Atrial Fibrillation: 870; Cancer: 805; Congestive Heart Failure: 717. COVID-19 Total Cases, Deat…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Operation Vape Out: Long Island Stores Cited For Selling Vape Products To Minors Operation Vape Out: Long Island Stores Cited For Selling Vape Products To Minors
Operation Vape Out: Long Island Stores Cited For Selling Vape Products To Minors Nearly three dozen shops on Long Island were cited for selling vaping products to minors during an undercover Suffolk County Police Department investigation. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced the results of a two-week undercover sting operation as part of a police investigation into where store owners and operators were selling the vape products to minors. “Operation Vape Out” led to 32 violations issued to employees out of the 137 locations that were randomly chosen. In Suffolk County, customers must be at least 21 years old to purchase vape or tobacco products. “This type …

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by Zak Failla