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Constitutional Rights

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Judge Overturns NFL Lineman's Father's Conviction In Decades-Old Westchester Robbery (UPDATE) Judge Overturns NFL Lineman's Father's Conviction In Decades-Old Westchester Robbery (UPDATE)
Judge Overturns NFL Lineman's Father's Conviction In Decades-Old Westchester Robbery (Update) Following the discovery of new evidence and constitutional violations, a judge has vacated the conviction of the father of an NFL lineman who served years in prison for a Westchester robbery decades ago.  In an announcement on Friday, Dec. 27, the Westchester County DA's Office said a judge overturned the conviction of 67-year-old Jeffrey Koonce, who was found guilty of robbery and weapons possession in 1983 in connection with a 1981 armed robbery at a Mount Vernon social club.  District Attorney Miriam Rocah said her office’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) uncovered evide…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Excessive Force, Illegal Arrests: Feds Allege Violations By Police Department In Westchester Excessive Force, Illegal Arrests: Feds Allege Violations By Police Department In Westchester
Excessive Force, Illegal Arrests: Feds Allege Violations By Police Department In Westchester A police department in Westchester has been found to engage in a pattern of excessive force, illegal arrests, and unconstitutional searches, federal officials announced. The findings, which centered on the Mount Vernon Police Department, were revealed on Thursday, Dec. 12, following a comprehensive investigation by the US Department of Justice. According to the DOJ, the investigation uncovered numerous issues, including:  Excessive use of force, including taser-like devices and strikes, often against individuals who were already restrained or on the ground; Unlawful strip searches an…

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by Ben Crnic
Politics
Voter Fraud: NY County Employees Cast Illegal Ballots During Election, Feds Say Voter Fraud: NY County Employees Cast Illegal Ballots During Election, Feds Say
Voter Fraud: NY County Employees Cast Illegal Ballots During Election, Feds Say Three county employees in New York are facing federal charges after allegedly casting fraudulent ballots during the 2021 election. Rensselaer County employees Richard Crist, age 55; James Gordon, age 42; and Leslie Wallace, age 35 were each arrested Thursday, April 27, on an indictment charging them with conspiring to violate the rights of voters, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District. Related Report: Rensselaer County Elections Commissioner Accused Of Voter Fraud Resigns Crist is the county’s director of operations, Gordon is the director of the Bureau for Ce…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Tattoo, Piercing Shop In Hudson Valley Reopens In Defiance Of State Order Tattoo, Piercing Shop In Hudson Valley Reopens In Defiance Of State Order
Tattoo, Piercing Shop In Hudson Valley Reopens In Defiance Of State Order The owner of a Hudson Valley tattoo parlor is standing up to “the tyrants running this country” and has reopened his business in direct violation of an executive order issued by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Orange County resident Roberto Antonio Minuta, who has owned Casa di Dolore in Newburgh for seven years, announced the reopening in a video on social media on Tuesday, May 26. The shop reopened Saturday morning, May 30. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m essential, and so is anyone else out there, especially when you have dependents such as children and so on,” he said in the near five-minute…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Look Who's Coming Back: Ralph's Returning To Mamaroneck In New Location Look Who's Coming Back: Ralph's Returning To Mamaroneck In New Location
Look Who's Coming Back: Ralph's Returning To Mamaroneck In New Location With its legal issues behind it, Ralph’s Italian Ices & Ice Cream is set to make a grand return to Mamaroneck. Last year, owner Scott Rosenberg was forced to shut the doors on his shop on East Boston Post Road due to zoning discrepancies regarding the business. Ultimately, a State Supreme Court judge chose to dismiss his case against the village, where he sought $300,000 in damages after being told to close. Less than a year later, the two sides have reunited, an application for a 3,000-square-foot location on Mamaroneck Avenue has been approved. The new location is scheduled to reopen …

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Some Migrant Kids Separated From Parents In Westchester, Cuomo Says Some Migrant Kids Separated From Parents In Westchester, Cuomo Says
Some Migrant Kids Separated From Parents In Westchester, Cuomo Says Some migrant children who were separated from their parents at the border of the United States and Mexico are being housed in shelters in Westchester County, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “We have about 10 facilities in this state. We haven’t spoken with all of them. We know there are over 70 children, just by the ones that we have talked about but they are in Dobbs Ferry, Lincolndale, Irvington, three in the Bronx, one in Syosset and one in Kingston,” Cuomo said during a conference call on Tuesday when he announced his intention to sue the federal government over the treatment of…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
See You In Court: Cuomo To Sue Trump Administration Over Child Separation See You In Court: Cuomo To Sue Trump Administration Over Child Separation
See You In Court: Cuomo To Sue Trump Administration Over Child Separation New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has added fodder to the fire President Donald Trump has come under for his administration's “zero tolerance” policy of separating children from their families as they cross the Mexican border, vowing to file a lawsuit over the policy. On Tuesday, Cuomo announced that the state is planning to file a multi-agency lawsuit against the Trump Administration on the grounds that the federal government is violating the Constitutional rights of thousands of immigrant children and their parents who have been separated at the border, unless the policy is not rescinded in the n…

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by Zak Failla
News
Investigate Schools Blocking Exits During Gun Safety Walkouts, Cuomo Says Investigate Schools Blocking Exits During Gun Safety Walkouts, Cuomo Says
Investigate Schools Blocking Exits During Gun Safety Walkouts, Cuomo Says Click here for a related story: Hudson Valley Students Stand Up, Speak Out On National Walkout Day Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New Castle called on the New York State Education Department Commissioner to investigate public schools that blocked exits this week when students decided to walk out in memory of 17 students and teachers killed in the recent mass shooting at Parkvale, Fla. Cuomo asked the commissioner to direct schools to "cease unconstitutional disciplinary action against students and teachers who participated in (the) gun safety walkout." Cuomo issued the following open lette…

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by Jon Craig
Politics
Sweeping New York Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration Marijuana Policy Sweeping New York Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration Marijuana Policy
Sweeping New York Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration Marijuana Policy Yet another courtroom battle promises to pull the White House into the legal spotlight on Wednesday as key arguments are heard in Manhattan in a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s marijuana policy while seeking to legalize pot under federal law. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein is taking the case seriously: At a hearing in September, Hellerstein said he would give the matter prioritized attention, setting it ahead of his other cases, according to this report in The New York Times. Marijuana activists from across the country are expected to show up at the Courthouse on Wednesday when a…

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by Jon Craig