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Hudson Valley 12-Year-Old Advances To National Spelling Bee Finals Hudson Valley 12-Year-Old Advances To National Spelling Bee Finals
Hudson Valley 12-Year-Old Advances To National Spelling Bee Finals A young Hudson Valley student could soon be a national champion. Orange County resident YY Liang, age 12, of New Windsor, is one of eight kids who made it through five rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals, advancing to the Thursday, May 30 finals, which will be shown live on iON television at 8 p.m. Four of the Elite 8 are from California and Texas (two from each state), and the others are from California, Colorado, North Carolina, and Florida. Liange is a nationally-ranked junior tennis player who enjoys video games and has a talent for drawing. A seventh-grader, …

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
Netflix's 'You' Shoots Scenes At NY Diner Netflix's 'You' Shoots Scenes At NY Diner
Netflix's 'You' Shoots Scenes At NY Diner The fifth and final season of a hit Netflix series took up residency at a Long Island diner to shoot some scenes. Lights, camera, action! The cast and crew of Netflix’s “You,” which began filming for its fifth and final season in early March 2024, popped by Long Beach’s Laurel Diner on Thursday, May 23. Find out why #joegoldberg aka #pennbadgley is #stalking the #laureldiner in #longbeachny in the 5th and season of #YOU on #netflix later this year! Posted by Laurel Diner on Thursday, May 23, 2024 Led by Penn Badgley (who also starred in “Gossip Girl” and “Easy A”), the show foll…

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by Sophie Grieser
Lifestyle
Netflix Movie Being Shot In Hudson Valley Casting For Multiple Roles Netflix Movie Being Shot In Hudson Valley Casting For Multiple Roles
Netflix Movie Being Shot In Hudson Valley Casting For Multiple Roles A Netflix movie that will be produced in the region is casting to fill multiple roles. According to backstage.com, “A Song in the Dark” will be shot in Orange County from Monday, Sept. 16 to Friday, Oct. 18, in Middletown and in the surrounding areas of the Hudson Valley. One role is to play a lead female actor named Shannon Harper with the age range from 18 to 25. Casting is also being conducted for the roles of lead male actor John. Harper (ages 40 to 55) and lead female actor Elsa Harper (ages 40 to 50). The roles of Shannon Harper and John Harper pay $3,500 per week for an estimated f…

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
These NY Locales Among Top 100 Best Places To Live In America, Brand-New Ranking Says These NY Locales Among Top 100 Best Places To Live In America, Brand-New Ranking Says
These NY Locales Among Top 100 Best Places To Live In America, Brand-New Ranking Says When it comes to putting down your roots, these New York locales are among the best in the nation, according to a brand-new ranking. Four cities in the Empire State made the top 100 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 “Best Places to Live in the US” ranking. Researchers pulled data from a variety of sources, including thousands of public survey responses, the US Census Bureau, FBI crime statistics, and school and hospital rankings to come up with the top 150 American cities. Cities were ranked using four key indicators: value, desirability, job market, and quality of life. The followi…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
Cheez-It Diner Opens In Hudson Valley To Fill Your 'Cheezy' Needs Cheez-It Diner Opens In Hudson Valley To Fill Your 'Cheezy' Needs
Cheez-It Diner Opens In Hudson Valley To Fill Your 'Cheezy' Needs Hey Cheez-It lovers, now is your chance to chow down on fun and funky foods inspired by the cheezy, crunchy snack at the Cheez-It Diner, which has been open for just a week in the region. Located in Ulster County in Woodstock, the diner offers the ultimate experience for Cheez-It fans with such treats as a cheezy milkshake, burger, or mac-n-cheese. "We saw just how far our adventure-seeking Cheez-It fans would go when they Want It. Need It. Cheez-It. last year making the drive to our Joshua Tree Cheez-It Stop outpost," said Cara Tragseiler, senior brand director for Cheez-It. "So many fans …

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by Kathy Reakes
Lifestyle
Casting Call: Music Video For Major Country Star Needs To Fill Roles For Men, Women, Kids Casting Call: Music Video For Major Country Star Needs To Fill Roles For Men, Women, Kids
Casting Call: Music Video For Major Country Star Needs To Fill Roles For Men, Women, Kids A music video being produced in the region is seeking men, women, and kids to fill roles for extras. The video, about a major country star, will be filmed in New York City on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26. A group of friends returns home for a friend's funeral. After the funeral, they have a fun night together around town. Lead roles are needed for men aged 18 to 23 and women ages 40 to 50 to play the mother of boys. Supporting roles are being cast for women aged 18 to 23 and boys ages 10 to 12 (to play the child versions of the lead male roles in a flashback scene). All ethni…

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
NY 11-Year-Old Back On Dance Floor Thanks To Kidney Donation From Doctor Brother NY 11-Year-Old Back On Dance Floor Thanks To Kidney Donation From Doctor Brother
NY 11-Year-Old Back On Dance Floor Thanks To Kidney Donation From Doctor Brother Not everyone gets to meet their hero; For Emily Alanko, her hero happens to be her big brother. The Long Island 11-year-old from Commack, who loves dancing and all things Barbie, was born with a rare genetic disorder known as Branchio-OtoRenal (BOR) Syndrome, which causes malformations of the ears and kidneys. In Emily’s case, she was born with just one kidney, meaning a pair of doctors at Cohen Children’s Medical Center has had to monitor her condition since birth. Alarm bells began to ring earlier this year when her longtime care team, Cohen doctors Christine Sethna and Pamela Singer, we…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
Jackpot! NY Man Claims $5M Lottery Prize Jackpot! NY Man Claims $5M Lottery Prize
Jackpot! NY Man Claims $5M Lottery Prize A New York man has five million more reasons to be smiling. Long Island resident William O’Donnell, of Babylon, claimed a $5 million top prize playing the NY Lottery’s Cash X100 scratch-off game, lottery officials announced. O’Donnell received a single lump sum payment of $3,255,000 after paying taxes. He purchased the incredibly lucky ticket in Lindenhurst, at the Maakrupa Super Stop located at 200A Montauk Highway. Scratch-off games ginned up more than $4.4 billion in sales during fiscal year 2022-2023, according to New York Lottery. Of that, school districts in Suffolk County received …

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
These 10 New York Pizzerias Among Nation's Top 100, New Rankings Say These 10 New York Pizzerias Among Nation's Top 100, New Rankings Say
These 10 New York Pizzerias Among Nation's Top 100, New Rankings Say The popularity of pizza now makes it possible to find delicious pies in almost any place, from sea to shining sea. Having said that, few could argue that New York stands alone from anywhere else. Yelp's Top 100 rankings of the best pizza spots for 2024 attest to just that. One-tenth of the places are in New York, and more specifically, New York City. Even more specifically still, Manhattan, where eat of the pizzerias are located. How did Yelp determine the rankings? "We identified businesses in the pizza category on Yelp, then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the …

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
Rare Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch Issued For First Time In Nearly 20 Years Rare Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch Issued For First Time In Nearly 20 Years
Rare Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch Issued For First Time In Nearly 20 Years You may soon get a view of a rare spectacle. According to the NOAA National Weather Service's Space Weather Prediction Center, a series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) began on Wednesday, May 8. CMEs are explosions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun’s corona. Space weather forecasters have issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for the evening of Friday, May 10. It's the first time a G4 Watch has been issued since January 2005. The watch says CMEs may linger into Sunday, May 12. Geomagnetic storms can also trigger spectacular displays of aurora (…

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
Real-Life Couple Wanted For Movie Shooting In Hudson Valley Real-Life Couple Wanted For Movie Shooting In Hudson Valley
Real-Life Couple Wanted For Movie Shooting In Hudson Valley The production company behind hit films like “The Whale,” “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and “Uncut Gems” is looking for a real-life couple to be a part of their next star-studded feature film being produced in the region. Lights, camera, action! “The Materialists,” a new feature film by entertainment company A24 and directed by Celine Song, is searching for a real-life couple for its upcoming shoot in the Ulster County town of New Paltz, which will begin on Wednesday, May 22. The couple will be portraying getting married and should fit the description of “artsy, creative down-to-e…

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by Sophie Grieser
Lifestyle
New 'Upscale Yet Down-To-Earth' Restaurant In Capital Region Touted For 'Unique Flavor Palette' New 'Upscale Yet Down-To-Earth' Restaurant In Capital Region Touted For 'Unique Flavor Palette'
New 'Upscale Yet Down-To-Earth' Restaurant In Capital Region Touted For 'Unique Flavor Palette' Just weeks into business, a new restaurant in the region promising “creative, high-end comfort dinners” appears to be a hit with diners. Vice & Virtue Restaurant and Cocktail Bar – located in Schenectady at the former Pinhead Susan’s at 40 North Broadway – held its grand opening on Tuesday, March 12. Under the direction of executive chef Chris Rose, the eatery bills itself as serving up “bold and unique flavors” all in an “upscale yet down-to-earth” atmosphere. “At Vice & Virtue, you can expect an extraordinary culinary experience, where creative high-end dishes meet the comforting…

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by Michael Mashburn