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Obituaries
'She Was Always Kind': 19-Year-Old College Student From Capital Region Dies After Cancer Battle 'She Was Always Kind': 19-Year-Old College Student From Capital Region Dies After Cancer Battle
'She Was Always Kind': 19-Year-Old College Student From Capital Region Dies After Cancer Battle Friends and family are mourning the loss of a beloved college student from the region following her death from cancer. Saratoga County resident Sophia John, of Ballston Spa, died Monday, Dec. 18, at the age 19 after a short battle with leukemia, according to her obituary. John graduated from Shenendehowa High School in 2022 and was a sophomore at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she was majoring in corporate finance and accounting. At Bentley, she was a member of the Zeta Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi and held a spot in its recruitment team. Relatives described John as an a…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
21-Year-Old NY College Student Shot To Death; Duo Nabbed In Connection To Case 21-Year-Old NY College Student Shot To Death; Duo Nabbed In Connection To Case
21-Year-Old NY College Student Shot To Death; Duo Nabbed In Connection To Case Police have arrested two suspects accused of gunning down a young college student in New York who was an aspiring pilot. Usman Pirzada, age 21, was shot to death Tuesday, Dec. 19, in Schenectady’s Hamilton Hill neighborhood, according to police. Pirzada was found shortly before 9 p.m. near Lincoln Avenue and Steuben Street suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to Albany Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead hours later, Schenectady Police said. Detectives found several shell casings at the scene, which was located yards from the Martin Luther King Jr. School of Excellence. …

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Driver Nabbed In Hit-Run Of Boy Near Capital Region Daycare, Police Say Driver Nabbed In Hit-Run Of Boy Near Capital Region Daycare, Police Say
Driver Nabbed In Hit-Run Of Boy Near Capital Region Daycare, Police Say Police have arrested a 29-year-old man in connection with a hit-and-run crash in the region that sent a boy to the hospital. The wreck happened shortly after 5 a.m. Monday, Dec. 18, in Schenectady, near the intersection of Route 7 and Albany Street. Schenectady Police said multiple people called 911 saying a male was lying in the roadway and not moving. When officers arrived, they found the boy unconscious. He was taken to Albany Medical Center, where his condition has not been made public. The boy’s age and hometown were not immediately known. A preliminary investigation found that the…

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by Michael Mashburn
Traffic
New Update: Capital Region Highway Partially Reopens Following Tractor-Trailer Crash New Update: Capital Region Highway Partially Reopens Following Tractor-Trailer Crash
New Update: Capital Region Highway Partially Reopens Following Tractor-Trailer Crash This story has been updated. A major interstate in the region was shut down in both directions following a tractor-trailer crash that left a person seriously injured.  The Schenectady County wreck happened just before 3 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, on I-88 in the town Duanesburg. According to New York State Police, a box truck drove off the roadway near exit 24 and went down a steep ravine. The driver was taken to Albany Medical Center with serious injuries. No other vehicles were involved in the crash and nobody else was injured. Both directions of I-88 were closed for most of the day be…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Fiery Crash: Man Killed, Woman Hospitalized In Critical Condition After Capital Region Wreck Fiery Crash: Man Killed, Woman Hospitalized In Critical Condition After Capital Region Wreck
Fiery Crash: Man Killed, Woman Hospitalized In Critical Condition After Capital Region Wreck A man is dead following a fiery, two-vehicle crash in the region that also left a woman hospitalized. The Columbia County wreck happened at around 5:45 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13, in the town of Greenport on State Route 23. Troopers and firefighters from the Greenport Fire Department responded to the intersection of Ponderosa Drive where they found two vehicles fully engulfed in flames, according to New York State Police. The driver of a Toyota Tacoma was pronounced dead at the scene. Police identified him as 57-year-old David Warfield, of Hudson. A 59-year-old woman from Delanson in Schenectad…

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by Michael Mashburn
Obituaries
Pediatric Nurse From Capital Region Dies At Age 34 Of Cancer: 'Brought Warmth To Everyone' Pediatric Nurse From Capital Region Dies At Age 34 Of Cancer: 'Brought Warmth To Everyone'
Pediatric Nurse From Capital Region Dies At Age 34 Of Cancer: 'Brought Warmth To Everyone' Colleagues and loved ones are mourning the loss of a beloved pediatric nurse and former EMT from the region following her death. Albany County resident Kristina Ferraro, of Bethlehem, died Thursday, Nov. 2, at the age of 34 following a battle with colon cancer, according to her obituary.  Ferraro was born in Queens and began her nursing career at Albany Medical Center in the pediatric intensive care unit, where she “touched the lives of many children and families,” her memorial said. “She had a smile and sense of humor that could shine light in the darkest of places and an infectious laug…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
'Time Is Not On Our Side': Beloved Restaurateur In Capital Region Seeking Kidney Donor 'Time Is Not On Our Side': Beloved Restaurateur In Capital Region Seeking Kidney Donor
'Time Is Not On Our Side': Beloved Restaurateur In Capital Region Seeking Kidney Donor A beloved chef and restaurateur known for giving back to the community is now turning to that same community in desperate need of help. Chef Yono Purnomo, founder of Yono’s Indonesian restaurant in Albany, suffers from kidney failure that has progressed to end stage renal failure. In early October, doctors told him he would need a live kidney donation. “It hit us both like a ton of bricks,” Yono’s wife Donna said on a Facebook page dedicated to the cause. “We knew based on his declining kidney function over the past few years that dialysis would become a life-saving necessity. We didn’t…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Shoplifter Carjacks Victim At Capital Region Business Before Leading Police Chase, Cops Say Shoplifter Carjacks Victim At Capital Region Business Before Leading Police Chase, Cops Say
Shoplifter Carjacks Victim At Capital Region Business Before Leading Police Chase, Cops Say What began as a run-of-the-mill theft in the region ended with a carjacking and highway police pursuit involving multiple agencies, authorities said. The Albany County incident started Wednesday, Oct. 25, at a CVS store in Delmar, located on Delaware Avenue, according to Bethlehem Police. Officers were initially called about a shoplifter. However, within moments the incident escalated into a carjacking when the female suspect and an accomplice forcibly stole a victim’s car from the parking lot, police said. Officers spotted the stolen car a short time later and attempted a stop, but the dr…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Passenger Dies In Fiery Drunk-Driving Crash Near Capital Region College, Police Say Passenger Dies In Fiery Drunk-Driving Crash Near Capital Region College, Police Say
Passenger Dies In Fiery Drunk-Driving Crash Near Capital Region College, Police Say A suspected drunk-driving crash near a college campus in the region claimed the life of a 47-year-old woman. The fiery wreck happened just before 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, in Schenectady, on Eastern Avenue. The scene was two blocks away from Union College. According to Schenectady Police, 31-year-old Gregory Mitchell, of Scotia, was driving while intoxicated when he crashed into a parked car on Eastern Avenue near Degraff Street. The impact ignited a fire and trapped his passenger, Jacqueline McCole, of Scotia, inside the vehicle.  By the time members of the Schenectady Fire Departme…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Victim ID'd In Deadly Single-Vehicle Crash On Capital Region Highway Victim ID'd In Deadly Single-Vehicle Crash On Capital Region Highway
Victim ID'd In Deadly Single-Vehicle Crash On Capital Region Highway Authorities have identified a man who was killed in a single-vehicle crash on a highway in the region. The Albany County wreck happened at around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, on Route 7 in Watervliet, according to New York State Police. Akiem Keele, age 33, of Whitehall in Washington County, was riding a motorcycle eastbound on Route 7 at a high rate of speed when he struck a dividing barrier near the exit to I-787. He suffered severe injuries and later died at Albany Medical Center, troopers said. No other vehicles were involved in the crash and nobody else was injured. The off-ramp fro…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
Support Rises For 14-Year-Old 'Beautiful Soul' Killed In Alleged Drunk Driving Crash In Region Support Rises For 14-Year-Old 'Beautiful Soul' Killed In Alleged Drunk Driving Crash In Region
Support Rises For 14-Year-Old 'Beautiful Soul' Killed In Alleged Drunk Driving Crash In Region The community is pulling together to help the family of a young honors student who was killed in a suspected drunk driving crash in the region. A’Mon Willis, age 14, of Albany, died in the wreck that happened just after 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, on I-890 in Colonie, according to New York State Police. Troopers said the Albany High School student was one of four teens in the car when the 17-year-old driver lost control while speeding, rolling the vehicle several times. The car then struck a westbound vehicle, killing the boy. Earlier Report: 14-Year-Old Honors Student Killed In Colonie …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
14-Year-Old Honors Student Killed In Capital Region Crash Caused By Drunk Teen, Police Say 14-Year-Old Honors Student Killed In Capital Region Crash Caused By Drunk Teen, Police Say
14-Year-Old Honors Student Killed In Capital Region Crash Caused By Drunk Teen, Police Say A teen driver is facing vehicular homicide and other charges for allegedly causing a drunk driving crash in the region that killed a 14-year-old honors student. The deadly wreck happened just after 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, in Albany County, on I-890 in Colonie. New York State Police said the 17-year-old suspect was driving at a high rate of speed eastbound when they lost control and rolled the car several times. The car rolled into oncoming traffic and struck a westbound vehicle. Of the four teenage passengers in the suspect’s car, one suffered severe injuries and died at the scene. Tr…

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by Michael Mashburn