Federal health officials have announced sweeping new COVID-19 guidelines, including for schools and quarantines for those infected.In the updated guidance unveiled on Thursday, Aug. 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was no longer recommending that unvaccinated people quarantine after possibly being exposed to the virus. Instead, the CDC said they ...

A gang member accused of taking part in a violent, home-invasion robbery on Long Island that left an autistic teenager injured has confessed to the crime.Bellport resident Miguel Ruiz, age 29, pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary Thursday, Aug. 11, in Suffolk County court. Prosecutors said Ruiz, a known member of the Bloods street gang, was armed with a gun when he and six other men ...

As fears grow over the monkeypox outbreak, health officials are reporting an increasing number of violent attacks on monkeys.During an update Tuesday, Aug. 9, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged the public not to attack monkeys following reports that the animals have been poisoned, shot, or otherwise harmed in the weeks since the disease began making headlines.At least 10 marmoset ...

A New York woman’s goose is cooked, metaphorically, after she was allegedly caught housing a Canadian Goose in her backyard.Officers with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on Long Island were contacted on Saturday, July 30, with a complaint from a Nassau County resident claiming their neighbor was keeping a Canadian Goose in a cage.The caller told officers they ...

A young man has died in an apparent drowning in the Hudson Valley.In Orange County, state police were called at around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, with reports of a possible drowning on the Delaware River in Deerpark, near Hook Road Beach.Multiple agencies responded to the scene, including the Town of Deerpark Police and Sparrowbush Fire Department.Related story: Westchester Man ...

A longtime educator in the Capital District is being remembered for her ability to connect with her students.Joan Murray, of Albany, died Monday, Aug. 1, at the age of 68 following a “courageous battle” with pancreatic cancer, according to her obituary. Born in Albany on Aug. 25, 1953, to John and Loretta, Murray graduated from Marylrose Academy in 1971 and D’Youville College in ...

An MS-13 gang member accused of taking part in the brutal killing of a 20-year-old man on Long Island has been extradited to the United States.Jose Jonathan Guevara-Castro was extradited from El Salvador on Tuesday, Aug. 9, nearly a month after the country’s top court gave the green light, the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District announced.Guevara-Castro, also known as ...

For the first time this year, mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus have been confirmed in Westchester by state health officials.The county's health department announced Wednesday, Aug. 10, that the virus was identified through testing done on a batch of mosquitoes in Rye.The area surrounding the positive mosquito batches are being inspected and catch basins that need it are being treated ...

A Capital District man is facing charges after allegedly becoming so violent with a 1-year-old that he strangled the child.Saratoga County resident William Burden, age 30, of Ballston, was arrested Tuesday, Aug. 9, after someone reported the alleged incident to police.Burden is accused of striking and obstructing the child’s breathing, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s ...

More than four months after a 46-year-old man was gunned down outside of a Capital District bar, his accused killer has been caught.With the help of the US Marshals Office, Rensselaer County resident Thaddaeus Steed Jr., age 31, of Troy, was arrested Monday, Aug. 8, for the shooting death of Maurice Miller.Miller, a Troy resident, was found at around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26, ...