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Lifestyle
$19K Winning Lottery Ticket Sold At Capital Region Convenience Store $19K Winning Lottery Ticket Sold At Capital Region Convenience Store
$19K Winning Lottery Ticket Sold At Capital Region Convenience Store A five-figure lottery prize is up for grabs after someone purchased a winning ticket at a convenience store in the region. The top prize-winning TAKE 5 ticket – worth $19,311 – was bought in Albany, at the Stewart’s Shops at 285 New Scotland Avenue, New York Lottery announced. It was purchased for the midday drawing held on Tuesday, April 9. Players can check their ticket’s status on the New York Lottery website.

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
Look Who's Back: Popular Restaurant In Region Reopens Look Who's Back: Popular Restaurant In Region Reopens
Look Who's Back: Popular Restaurant In Region Reopens Big food news in the region with the reopening of a favorite restaurant that closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lorenzo's Bistro, located in Sullivan County in Jeffersonville, reopened its doors on Monday, April 1, at 5002 Route 52 in the old Sal's Pizzeria building. Fans of the former Lorenzo's are already packing the restaurant.  Many of the "old favorites," such as the Cubano sandwich and Philly cheese steak, are back on the menu, as well as a lineup of everything from bagels and breakfast sandwiches to lunch and dinner entrees, including new Tex-Mex dishes. Resident Jason Dole …

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Scammers Posing As NYSP Troopers, Agency Warns Scammers Posing As NYSP Troopers, Agency Warns
Scammers Posing As Nysp Troopers, Agency Warns New York State Police are sounding the alarm over scammers posing as troopers in order to con victims out of their money. In an alert issued Tuesday, April 9, the agency said fraudsters employ a variety of tactics to con their victims, including demanding payment for a missed court date, jury duty, or other legal matter. The phony cops have also been known to claim there is a warrant for the victim’s arrest and threaten to apprehend them unless a fine is paid. In some cases, scammers have directed the victim to buy a prepaid money transfer card and give them the card number. “They might s…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
'Fresh, Delicious Food': New Restaurant In Capital Region Garnering Rave Reviews 'Fresh, Delicious Food': New Restaurant In Capital Region Garnering Rave Reviews
'Fresh, Delicious Food': New Restaurant In Capital Region Garnering Rave Reviews A new Mexican restaurant in the region is already delighting diners just days into business. Rensselaer County eatery Al Punto Picante – located in Rensselaer at 1204 Washington Avenue in the space formerly occupied by Cafe Twelve 04 – held its grand opening on Tuesday, April 9. The restaurant had not established a website or social media channels as of Friday, April 12, but Rensselaer Mayor Mike Stammel described Al Punto Picante as a “culinary gem that promises to tantalize your taste buds with delicious Mexican flavors.” It would appear that others agree; the restaurant has already rack…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Scammers From NY Thinking They Were Collecting $60K Land Behind Bars In Maryland: Sheriff Scammers From NY Thinking They Were Collecting $60K Land Behind Bars In Maryland: Sheriff
Scammers From NY Thinking They Were Collecting $60K Land Behind Bars In Maryland: Sheriff A couple of New Yorkers tried to pull a fast one on a woman in Maryland, but were ultimately apprehended after getting greedy and attempting to go to the well one too many times.  The Washington County Sheriff's Office was advised this week about a scam involving a pair who had been collecting large amounts of cash from a Hagerstown woman, prompting an investigation that led to the arrests of Jinghai Fang and Binbin Ge. In late March, investigators say that the woman received a notification on her tablet that one of her accounts had been hacked, so she called the supplied number and fo…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Grave Affair: Inaugural Cemetery Cleanup Day Seeking NY Volunteers Grave Affair: Inaugural Cemetery Cleanup Day Seeking NY Volunteers
Grave Affair: Inaugural Cemetery Cleanup Day Seeking NY Volunteers If you enjoy a quiet working environment and don’t mind rubbing elbows with a few ghosts, this could be the opportunity for you. The New York State Department of State is looking for volunteers to take part in the first annual “Caring for Your Cemetery Day,” on Saturday, April 27. Organizers said the idea is to raise awareness of the hard work and dedication that goes into caring for and preserving cemeteries, especially heading into the spring season. The department is also hoping to gin up more interest in cemeteries among younger people and recruit future volunteers or even officers and…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Measles Outbreak: Cases Surpass 2023 Numbers, NY Among Dozens Of States Reporting Sickness Measles Outbreak: Cases Surpass 2023 Numbers, NY Among Dozens Of States Reporting Sickness
Measles Outbreak: Cases Surpass 2023 Numbers, NY Among Dozens Of States Reporting Sickness Less than a month since a case of measles showed up outside of New York City, the number of cases has more than doubled across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On Friday, April 12, the CDC announced that the total number of measles cases in the US in 2024 has reached 121 — far surpassing last year’s number of 58 — with cases being reported in 18 states and jurisdictions, including New York State. The update comes after a Nassau County child under the age of 5 was announced as the state’s first measles case to be reported outside of New York C…

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by Sophie Grieser
News
Capital Region Man Admits Blackmailing Underage Girls Into Sending Sexually Explicit Images Capital Region Man Admits Blackmailing Underage Girls Into Sending Sexually Explicit Images
Capital Region Man Admits Blackmailing Underage Girls Into Sending Sexually Explicit Images Years in federal prison await a man from the region who confessed to blackmailing underage girls into sending him sexually explicit images. Richard Nejame, age 29, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of receiving and attempting to receive child pornography in Albany federal court on Thursday, April 11. Prosecutors said Nejame messaged several underage girls on social media apps, including Snapchat, while pretending to be a teenage boy between October 2022 and May 2023. As part of his guilty plea, he admitted that he then convinced the girls to take nude pictures and videos of…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Total Solar Eclipse Rescue: Injured NY Woman Pulled To Safety From Mountain In Path Of Totality Total Solar Eclipse Rescue: Injured NY Woman Pulled To Safety From Mountain In Path Of Totality
Total Solar Eclipse Rescue: Injured NY Woman Pulled To Safety From Mountain In Path Of Totality An injured woman was rescued during the height of the solar eclipse in an area in upstate New York that was in the path of totality. According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the incident began in the middle of the afternoon on Monday, April 8, at Adirondack trailheads in Franklin County, in the town of Santa Clara. Just after 4:30 p.m., authorities received a call about a hiker with a lower leg injury near the summit of Mount Saint Regis.  Due to the terrain and trail conditions, Forest Rangers called for assistance from the New York State Police (NYSP) Avia…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
'Excitement, Sadness': Pizzeria In Capital Region Closing After 12 'Amazing' Years 'Excitement, Sadness': Pizzeria In Capital Region Closing After 12 'Amazing' Years
'Excitement, Sadness': Pizzeria In Capital Region Closing After 12 'Amazing' Years After more than a decade of slingin’ pies, a well-reviewed pizzeria in the region is calling it quits. Rensselaer County eatery Village Pizza & Deli – located in the Village of Nassau at 2 Melden Street – will permanently close on Friday, May 10. “After 12 amazing years, the time has come for our family to take on a new adventure,” owners Jim and Marsha Winters said on Facebook. “It is with both excitement and sadness that we share the news that we have sold Village Pizza.” The couple told longtime followers that between now and closing day they intend to use up what they have in stock…

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
Shenanigans, Indeed: Manager At Capital Region Gentleman's Club Busted Selling Meth, Feds Say Shenanigans, Indeed: Manager At Capital Region Gentleman's Club Busted Selling Meth, Feds Say
Shenanigans, Indeed: Manager At Capital Region Gentleman's Club Busted Selling Meth, Feds Say The general manager of a gentleman’s club in the region is facing federal charges after he was allegedly busted in an undercover sting selling drugs. Luiggi Canessa, who manages Shenanigans gentlemen's club in Schenectady, is named in a complaint filed in US District Court in the Northern District on Tuesday, April 9. FBI agents began investigating a “wide array of crime” occurring at the club, as well as an adjoining business, Sheer Pleasure Lingerie, in late 2023, according to the complaint. That conduct allegedly included drug and sex trafficking, and wire fraud. Canessa, who manages…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
Popular Pizza Guru Impressed By Capital Region Eatery: 'Really, Really Good' Popular Pizza Guru Impressed By Capital Region Eatery: 'Really, Really Good'
Popular Pizza Guru Impressed By Capital Region Eatery: 'Really, Really Good' Despite burning both his finger and mouth, Dave Portnoy gave this local pizzeria his stamp of approval. The self-proclaimed pizza expert and Barstool Sports owner was in Schenectady on Monday, April 8, and decided to stop by Prima Pizzeria on State Street for his popular “One Bite Pizza Reviews” series on YouTube. He seemed pleased right out of the gate, describing his pie as appearing “good” and “wintery.” “When I say wintery, thick, big crust, lots of cheese, lots of bread, and that makes sense,” Portnoy said before calling attention to the pizza’s “good undercarriage.” After burning hi…

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by Michael Mashburn