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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
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
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
News
Road Rage Leads To Beatdown Inside Capital Region Parking Garage: Police Road Rage Leads To Beatdown Inside Capital Region Parking Garage: Police
Road Rage Leads To Beatdown Inside Capital Region Parking Garage: Police A man is facing charges following an alleged road rage attack in the region that sent one driver to the hospital. The Albany County incident happened shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in Albany inside the Empire State Plaza parking garage. New York State Police said troopers were called for a physical altercation near the garage’s entrance. An investigation found that 30-year-old Nicholas McGraw, of Watervliet, was involved in a road rage incident with the victim on I-787 in Menands. During the initial confrontation, the two vehicles made contact with each other, and both suffered da…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Janitor Put Hidden Camera In Elementary School Bathroom In Capital Region, Police Say Janitor Put Hidden Camera In Elementary School Bathroom In Capital Region, Police Say
Janitor Put Hidden Camera In Elementary School Bathroom In Capital Region, Police Say This story has been updated. A janitor at an elementary school in the region is accused of secretly recording colleagues in a staff bathroom. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said an employee at Voorheesville Elementary School discovered a cell phone that was recording people in a staff bathroom on Tuesday, April 9. Investigators determined that David Ague, a custodian at the school, had placed the phone there, Voorheesville Central School District Superintendent Frank Macri said in a letter to parents. "The district immediately contacted the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, which ha…

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
Lead Found In Lunchables: Consumer Reports Urges USDA To Remove Product From School Programs Lead Found In Lunchables: Consumer Reports Urges USDA To Remove Product From School Programs
Lead Found In Lunchables: Consumer Reports Urges USDA To Remove Product From School Programs Tests performed by the nonprofit Consumer Reports allegedly found high levels of lead and phthalates in the popular snack boxes by Lunchables, leading the organization to call on the government to remove the lunches from the National School Lunch Program. Consumer Reports (CR) issued the call to the US Department of Agriculture to remove Lunchable meals from the national program following a report released on Tuesday, April 9. As part of the report, the organization tested store-bought Lunchable food kits and compared the nutritional profiles of these meals to the two school-only Lunchab…

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by Sophie Grieser
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
Daycare Commercial Casting Paid Roles Across Northeast Daycare Commercial Casting Paid Roles Across Northeast
Daycare Commercial Casting Paid Roles Across Northeast Do you want to be in a commercial about daycare? A commercial for highlighting the benefits of a daycare communication technology for parents and teachers is seeking talent for four roles, according to a casting notice.  The commercial is looking for people from Baltimore, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York City, Jersey City and Virginia Beach. The roles include: A female daycare owner between the ages of 30 and 50, a female daycare director between the ages of 25 and 50, a daycare teacher between the ages of 18 and 40, and the parent of a daycare child between the ages of 18 and…

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by Sam Barron
News
New Details: Elvis Impersonator Died At Milton Home During 'Consensual' Encounter: Report New Details: Elvis Impersonator Died At Milton Home During 'Consensual' Encounter: Report
Man Charged In Death Of Elvis Impersonator TJ Greene This story has been updated. Tributes are pouring in after a popular Elvis and “Star Trek” impersonator was found dead at a home in the region days after going missing. Saratoga County Sheriff’s officials said Thomas Krider, age 40, of Ticonderoga in Essex County, was found dead at a residence in Milton on Middle Line Road on Tuesday, April 9. Krider, who performed as an Elvis tribute artist under the stage name TJ Greene, had last been seen on Friday, April 5, and was officially reported missing the following day. An investigation determined that 69-year-old Ronald Rayher, of Milton, “r…

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by Michael Mashburn