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COVID-19: Here's When Free At-Home Tests Will Become Available Again By Mail COVID-19: Here's When Free At-Home Tests Will Become Available Again By Mail
Covid-19: Here's When Free At-Home Tests Will Become Available Again By Mail Just days after the approval of a new COVID-19 vaccination booster shot, the Department of Health and Human Services has announced that it will restart its program of offering free rapid tests for the virus through the mail. Every American household may order four nasal swab tests starting at a date to be announced in late September, visiting covid.gov/tests. The new vaccines have been updated with a formula to more closely target currently circulating variants and provide better protection against severe consequences of COVID, including hospitalization and death. The updated vaccines incl…

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by Joe Lombardi
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Here's How Much Shootings In NY Have Declined In Past Year, Report Says Here's How Much Shootings In NY Have Declined In Past Year, Report Says
Here's How Much Shootings In NY Have Declined In Past Year, Report Says State leaders are crediting major policing reforms for a marked decline in shootings across New York State. In 21 counties outside of New York City, the number of shootings with injuries dropped 29 percent through July compared to the first seven months of 2023, a Division of Criminal Justice Services report shows. The data came from police departments across the state participating in the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, which provides agencies with state funding for equipment, overtime, personnel, training, and technical assistance aimed at reducing shootings and firea…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Repeat Drunk Driver Admits Hitting, Killing Man Outside Woodbury Restaurant Repeat Drunk Driver Admits Hitting, Killing Man Outside Woodbury Restaurant
Repeat Drunk Driver Admits Hitting, Killing Man Outside Woodbury Restaurant More than a year after a husband and father was struck and killed by a repeat drunk driver outside a Long Island restaurant, his family is getting closure. Willem Specht, age 63, of Wantagh, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and related charges in Nassau County Court on Monday, Aug. 26, in the death of Joseph Devito. Prosecutors said Specht was “highly intoxicated” when he quickly reversed his car from a parking spot, striking the 61-year-old Devito outside the On Parade Diner in Woodbury at around 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 18, 2023. Earlier Report: ID Released For Man Struck,…

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by Michael Mashburn
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7 Charged In Beating, Slashing Of Men At HS Graduation On Hofstra University Campus 7 Charged In Beating, Slashing Of Men At HS Graduation On Hofstra University Campus
7 Charged In Beating, Slashing Of Men At HS Graduation On Hofstra University Campus Seven suspects were formally charged in connection with the brutal beating and slashing of a man following a high school graduation ceremony on Long Island. The attack happened in Hempstead, on the Hofstra University campus, at around 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, June 19. According to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office, the defendants arrived at the Mack Sports Center as the graduation ceremony was ending and accosted the victim when he exited the building. Earlier Report: 6 Nabbed After Fight Breaks Out Near Hofstra University In Uniondale The group struck the man multiple times…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Owners Admit Fault After Fire Kills Sisters At Long Island Vacation Rental Owners Admit Fault After Fire Kills Sisters At Long Island Vacation Rental
Owners Admit Fault After Fire Kills Sisters At Long Island Vacation Rental A husband and wife from Long Island admitted fault after a fire killed two Maryland sisters staying at their vacation rental. Peter Miller, age 56, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal negligent homicide, and Pamela Miller, age 55, pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Aug. 26. It came two years after sisters Lindsay Wiener, age 19, and Jillian Wiener, age 21, both of Potomac, Maryland, died in a fire at the couple’s Noyac rental home in August 2022. Earlier Report: Sisters On Vacation Killed In Hamptons House Fire According to prosecutors, …

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by Michael Mashburn
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Ex-Long Island Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time Ex-Long Island Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time
Ex-Long Island Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time A former New York attorney is heading to prison after confessing that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from his clients. Former Long Island resident Douglas Valente, age 57, now of Florida, was sentenced to between one and four years in prison in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Aug. 22. Prosecutors said Valente, the former principal attorney at the Valente Law Group in Stony Brook, stole more than $800,000 from three former clients by taking money from his escrow account. Earlier Report: Former NY Attorney Stole Nearly $1M From Clients, DA Says Among the victims was a cl…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Stranded Astronauts Will Hitch Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Troubles Stranded Astronauts Will Hitch Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Troubles
Stranded Astronauts Will Hitch Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Troubles After spending months in limbo aboard the International Space Station, an astronaut from Massachusetts finally has a return date to Earth. Pilot Suni Williams, from the town of Needham in Norfolk County, and commander Butch Wilmore will abandon Boeing’s troubled Starliner and instead hitch a ride on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025, NASA confirmed Saturday, Aug. 24. The stunning decision capped off 11 weeks of uncertainty after NASA discovered numerous helium leaks and malfunctions with Starliner’s thrusters following its launch from Florida's Space Coast on Wednesday, June 5. Ea…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Man Holed Up With Weapons Triggers Large Police Response At Long Island Home, Train Delays Man Holed Up With Weapons Triggers Large Police Response At Long Island Home, Train Delays
Man Holed Up With Weapons Triggers Large Police Response At Long Island Home, Train Delays Reports of a man in crisis who was holed up in a home with weapons triggered an hours-long police standoff on Long Island. The incident happened in Montauk, at a residence on Edgemere Road, on Friday morning, Aug. 23. East Hampton Police said they were contacted at around 11:45 a.m. by Suffolk County DASH, a response team of licensed professionals who help individuals feeling overwhelmed by substance use, mental illness or other life stressors. Relatives told police that a man inside the home was having a psychiatric emergency and was not responding to anyone. They confirmed there were sev…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Driver Behind DWI Crash Killing 15-Year-Old In Woodmere Found Guilty Of Vehicular Homicide Driver Behind DWI Crash Killing 15-Year-Old In Woodmere Found Guilty Of Vehicular Homicide
Driver Behind DWI Crash Killing 15-Year-Old In Woodmere Found Guilty Of Vehicular Homicide More than two years after a 15-year-old girl was killed in a drunk driving crash on Long Island, the man responsible has been convicted. Arlin Aguilera, age 37, of West Hempstead, was found guilty of aggravated vehicular homicide and related charges by a Nassau County jury on Wednesday, Aug. 21, in the death of Liel Namdar. Prosecutors said Aguilera was intoxicated and speeding in a pickup truck when he crashed into an Audi SUV in Woodmere, near the intersection of Peninsula Boulevard and Edward Avenue, shortly before 11 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2021. Earlier Report: Speeding, Intoxicated D…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Mom Accused In Deadly LI Crash Killing Son Had License Suspended 56 Times Mom Accused In Deadly LI Crash Killing Son Had License Suspended 56 Times
Mom Accused In Deadly LI Crash Killing Son Had License Suspended 56 Times A New York mother accused of causing an impaired, wrong-way crash that killed her son has had her license suspended dozens of times, prosecutors said. Long Island resident Kerri Bedrick, age 32, of Centerport, pleaded not guilty to aggravated DWI and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Friday, Aug. 23. It came one day after an early-morning wreck on the Southern State Parkway in Islip that killed her 9-year-old son, Eli. Earlier Report: Update: Mom ID'd Following Alleged Drunk, Wrong-Way Crash That Killed Her Son In Islip New York State Police said Bedrick was driving an SUV…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Homeowners Impacted By Long Island Flooding Could Get Up To $50K In Repair Grants; Here's How Homeowners Impacted By Long Island Flooding Could Get Up To $50K In Repair Grants; Here's How
Homeowners Impacted By Long Island Flooding Could Get Up To $50K In Repair Grants; Here's How Help is on the way for Long Island homeowners who were impacted by severe flooding. Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency for Suffolk County on Friday, Aug. 23, following this week’s record rainfall that resulted in major flooding to homes and businesses, and washed out several roads. Hochul’s office also announced that impacted homeowners may be eligible for grants of up to $50,000 to fund or reimburse certain qualifying health and safety related repairs not covered by insurance or other relief programs. Earlier Report: 'We Will Rebuild': Powerful Storm, Flooding Leave Tr…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Suspect On Loose After Long Island Bank Robbery Suspect On Loose After Long Island Bank Robbery
Suspect On Loose After Long Island Bank Robbery Police are investigating the second bank robbery on Long Island in a week. The latest heist happened in Bay Shore, at the TD Bank branch located on Montauk Highway, at around 9:45 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 22. Suffolk County Police said a man walked into the bank and demanded cash from a teller while threatening violence. The teller complied, and the man fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. Earlier Report: Bank Robber On Run After Targeting Long Island Branch The suspect is described as a Black man with a thin build. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and dark sweatpants. Th…

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by Michael Mashburn