Fair 59°
Police & Fire
Hazmat Team Called After Broken Thermometer Spills Mercury In Northern Westchester Home Hazmat Team Called After Broken Thermometer Spills Mercury In Northern Westchester Home
Hazmat Team Called After Broken Thermometer Spills Mercury In Northern Westchester Home A hazmat team was called to a Northern Westchester home after a broken thermometer spilled toxic mercury inside the residence, fire officials said. The incident happened on Saturday, Jan. 27 around 7:30 p.m., when a mercury thermometer broke inside a Somers residence on Lakeview Terrace, according to the Somers Volunteer Fire Department.  After the resident reported the incident to the department, the Westchester County Department of Emergency Service's Hazardous Materials Team was also called to the home to help deal with the spilled mercury.  Arriving crews soon evacu…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Westchester Woman Nabbed Shoplifting $1K In Goods From Stores, Police Say Westchester Woman Nabbed Shoplifting $1K In Goods From Stores, Police Say
Westchester Woman Nabbed Shoplifting $1K In Goods From Stores, Police Say A 36-year-old Hudson Valley woman was nabbed for allegedly shoplifting more than $1,000 in goods from various stores after a police pursuit. Westchester County resident Analda Robertson, of Mount Vernon, was charged on Sunday, Jan. 21, after New York State Police were notified by a manager of an Orange County Price Chopper store in Wallkill that she left the store with a cart full of items without paying, said Trooper Steven Nevel. Robertson was spotted placing the items in a 2008 Volvo XC90. A trooper located the car on Crystal Run Road in Wallkill and attempted a traffic stop, Nevel said.…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Officials In Westchester Call For Direct Access To Penn Station Via Hudson Line Officials In Westchester Call For Direct Access To Penn Station Via Hudson Line
Officials In Westchester Call For Direct Access To Penn Station Via Hudson Line Officials in the Hudson Valley are calling on the MTA to undertake a study on the feasibility of providing direct access to Penn Station from the Hudson Line.  In a letter addressed to MTA Chief Executive Officer Janno Lieber, Westchester County Executive George Latimer called on the transportation agency to conduct a study on having direct one-seat access to Manhattan's Penn Station from the Hudson Line, Latimer announced on Wednesday, Jan. 17.  "The advantages of such a connection are abundant," Latimer wrote in the latter, adding, "Improved transportation links would …

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
'His Loving Nature Shined': Northern Westchester Native Dies At Age 26 'His Loving Nature Shined': Northern Westchester Native Dies At Age 26
'His Loving Nature Shined': Northern Westchester Native Dies At Age 26 A lifelong Hudson Valley resident who demonstrated raw talent for playing guitar and could always be found out in nature is being remembered for his kindness and warmth.  Jake Collins of the town of Wallkill in Orange County died on Friday, Jan. 19 at the age of 26, according to his obituary.  Born in Westchester County in 1997 in the town of Mount Pleasant, Collins had started a career as a truck driver for Schneider Trucking in New Jersey.  Collins was known for "being like an angel" and could always be found hiking or reading. He was also talented at guitar and was …

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by Ben Crnic
Lifestyle
Comedian Kathy Griffin Set To Perform Stand-Up Show In Westchester Comedian Kathy Griffin Set To Perform Stand-Up Show In Westchester
Comedian Kathy Griffin Set To Perform Stand-Up Show In Westchester Comedian Kathy Griffin will swing through New York on her second US tour since being “canceled” in the wake of her infamous photo scandal. The 63-year-old Emmy winner is set to perform two shows in the Empire State as part of her new stand-up tour, “My Life on the PTSD List.” Griffin will first play in Westchester County, at Tarrytown’s Music Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 22. After that she’ll appear on Long Island, at Huntington’s Paramount theater at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 24. It marks the second major US tour for Griffin since she was all but blacklisted from the entertainment in…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Construction Crook: Man Took Payment For Long Island Jobs He Didn't Finish, Police Say Construction Crook: Man Took Payment For Long Island Jobs He Didn't Finish, Police Say
Construction Crook: Man Took Payment For Long Island Jobs He Didn't Finish, Police Say A Hudson Valey man has been arrested on Long Island after he allegedly ran a construction company scam, taking customer’s money and leaving them high and dry, police said. Westchester County resident Robert Stewart, age 39, of Harrison, was arrested in connection with his alleged schemes, Nassau County Police announced Thursday, Jan. 11. According to police, Stewart, advertised himself as “Nxt Gen Construction” and took on construction jobs for at least two customers in Great Neck. He allegedly received partial payments for the work and never completed them. Additionally, the address …

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by Sophie Grieser
Police & Fire
Update - Fatal Hit-Run: 21-Year-Old Hudson Valley Woman Identified As Victim Update - Fatal Hit-Run: 21-Year-Old Hudson Valley Woman Identified As Victim
Update - Fatal Hit-Run: 21-Year-Old Hudson Valley Woman Identified As Victim A 21-year-old woman has been identified as the victim in a hit-and-run crash in the region where the suspect is still on the run. Fatal Hit-Run Crash: 21-Year-Old Woman Struck During Rush Hour In Saugerties Ulster County resident Starllie Swonyoung, of Saugerties, was struck and killed around 5:10 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10 on the southbound shoulder of the roadway on Route 9W between the Village of Saugerties and the hamlet of Malden. According to Saugerties Police Chief Robert Nuzzo, Swonyoung was transported by Diaz Ambulance to Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston where she succumb…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Video: Woman Rescued From Submerged Vehicle On Flooded Parkway In Westchester Video: Woman Rescued From Submerged Vehicle On Flooded Parkway In Westchester
Video: Woman Rescued From Submerged Vehicle On Flooded Parkway In Westchester Authorities have shared a nail-biting video depicting a dramatic rescue of a woman from a flooded parkway in Westchester during a powerful storm event.  The rescue happened on Tuesday night, Jan. 9, when the Yonkers and Westchester County Police Police Department learned that a woman had become trapped inside her vehicle in rapidly rising floodwaters on the Bronx River Parkway in Yonkers during a severe storm on the same night. According to Yonkers Police, the department's Emergency Service Unit then put on their water rescue suits and deployed their rescue boat to reach the trapp…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Westchester Students Among 300 Semifinalists Nationwide In Prestigious Regeneron Competition Westchester Students Among 300 Semifinalists Nationwide In Prestigious Regeneron Competition
Westchester Students Among 300 Semifinalists Nationwide In Prestigious Regeneron Competition Dozens of students from New York have been named semifinalists in the country’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The Society for Science announced the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search for 2024 on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Participants were whittled down from 2,162 applicants from 712 high schools across 46 states, Puerto Rico, and 10 other countries. Students were chosen based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, and community involvement, as well as a commitment to academics and creativity in asking scientific …

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by Michael Mashburn
Obituaries
Supervisor Of Northern Westchester Town Dies Suddenly: 'Was Incredible Friend To So Many' Supervisor Of Northern Westchester Town Dies Suddenly: 'Was Incredible Friend To So Many'
Supervisor Of Northern Westchester Town Dies Suddenly: 'Was Incredible Friend To So Many' The beloved supervisor of a Northern Westchester town has died suddenly, officials announced. Here's a new, updated report - Update: Funeral Details Released After Sudden Death Of Yorktown Town Supervisor Thomas Diana Yorktown Town Supervisor Thomas Diana died on Friday morning, Jan. 5, Yorktown Deputy Supervisor Ed Lachterman announced.  Lachterman announced the news in a statement released on social media and the town's website.  "Tom was an incredible friend to so many. He was filled with energy, an open mind and heart, and a sense of duty and that influenced everything …

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by Ben Crnic
Business
Minimum Wage Increase In Westchester: Here's How Much It Will Rise As New Year Begins Minimum Wage Increase In Westchester: Here's How Much It Will Rise As New Year Begins
Minimum Wage Increase In Westchester: Here's How Much It Will Rise As New Year Begins As the New Year draws closer, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is reminding residents that the state's minimum wage will increase as soon as the ball drops.  Beginning on Monday, Jan. 1, the minimum wage in New York City, Westchester County, and Long Island will go up to $ 16 per hour, and $15 per hour for the rest of the state, Hochul reminded residents on Wednesday, Dec. 27.  Earlier Report - Minimum Wage To Go Up In New York: Here's When, How Much Additionally, the minimum wage for home care aides will increase to $18.55 per hour in New York City, Westchester, and Lon…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Apparent Triple Murder-Suicide Involving PD Sergeant Leaves Westchester Community Stunned Apparent Triple Murder-Suicide Involving PD Sergeant Leaves Westchester Community Stunned
Apparent Triple Murder-Suicide Involving PD Sergeant Leaves Westchester Community Stunned Two communities in the region have been left shocked and saddened after a police sergeant was found dead along with his wife and two young sons inside a home in the Hudson Valley in an apparent murder-suicide. The chain of events unfolded Friday night, Dec. 29 in Westchester County when the Bronxville Police Department said it contacted the Clarkstown PD in Rockland County after 49-year-old Sergeant Watson Morgan did not show up for his evening shift. Morgan joined the Bronxville PD in 2007 after working the previous seven years with the NYPD. He was promoted to the Bronxville PD…

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by Joe Lombardi