'Significant Progress': Murders, Shootings, Car Thefts Down In Capital Region, Hochul Says 'Significant Progress': Murders, Shootings, Car Thefts Down In Capital Region, Hochul Says
'Significant Progress': Murders, Shootings, Car Thefts Down In Capital Region, Hochul Says Gov. Kathy Hochul is crediting recent multimillion-dollar policing initiatives with bringing down overall crime in the region. Speaking at the New York State Police Troop G headquarters in Latham on Monday, March 4, Hochul said Capital Region cities participating in the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative all saw the number of shootings with injuries drop in 2023 compared to the previous year. The initiative provides tens of millions of dollars in state funding to local police departments to pay for equipment, overtime, and training meant to reduce shootings and homi…
Pasta La Vista: Italian Restaurant Chain Shutters NY Location After 19 Years Pasta La Vista: Italian Restaurant Chain Shutters NY Location After 19 Years
Pasta La Vista: Italian Restaurant Chain Shutters NY Location After 19 Years An Italian restaurant chain with locations across the country has closed several of its New York eateries. Carrabba’s Italian Grill shuttered its Albany County restaurant – located in Latham at 675 Troy Schenectady Road – on Friday, Feb. 23 after 19 years in operation. It was the company’s sole Capital Region location. The restaurant chain also closed its only Long Island locations, in Smithtown at 730 Smithtown Bypass, and in Central Islip at 20 North Research Place. A spokesperson for Carrabba’s parent company, Bloomin’ Brands, told Daily Voice the closures were a business decision that …
Fairfield County Catalytic Converter Thief Nabbed 5 Years Later In Upstate NY, Police Say Fairfield County Catalytic Converter Thief Nabbed 5 Years Later In Upstate NY, Police Say
Fairfield County Catalytic Converter Thief Nabbed 5 Years Later In Upstate NY, Police Say A suspected catalytic converter thief from New York has been nabbed over five years later following an investigation that began in Connecticut and spanned two states and three counties. Jeraud Anthony, age 38, of the Bronx, was arrested on multiple charges Monday, Feb. 12, in connection with a stolen catalytic converter outside a business in Fairfield County. According to Darien Police, a woman contacted officers in September 2018 saying that someone had cut the catalytic converter off of her vehicle outside Darien Sport Shop on Post Road (Route 1). A witness told police they saw a vehicle…
Naughty Nurse Practitioner In Capital Region Helped Friend Get Controlled Drugs, Feds Say Naughty Nurse Practitioner In Capital Region Helped Friend Get Controlled Drugs, Feds Say
Naughty Nurse Practitioner In Capital Region Helped Friend Get Controlled Drugs, Feds Say A nurse practitioner from the region is facing federal charges for allegedly helping a friend acquire controlled drugs. Albany County resident Christopher Viagrande, age 41, of Latham, is accused of distributing controlled substances outside the course of professional practice and with no legitimate medical purpose, according to a complaint filed in Albany federal court on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Prosecutors said Viagrande, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, prescribed amphetamine to someone who was never his patient on 40 occasions between May 2021 and December 2023. Amphetamines are stimulants t…
Masked Bank Robber Flees With Cash After Targeting Capital Region Branch Masked Bank Robber Flees With Cash After Targeting Capital Region Branch
Masked Bank Robber Flees With Cash After Targeting Capital Region Branch A robber made off with thousands of dollars after targeting a bank in the region. The Albany County incident happened at around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in Delmar at the Community Bank on Delaware Avenue. Bethlehem Police said an employee tripped the bank’s silent alarm after a masked man entered the branch and handed the teller a note demanding money. The teller complied and the man fled with $4,000 in cash. No customers or employees were injured, and police made no mention of a weapon being involved. As of Friday, Feb. 9, no suspects had been arrested. Anyone with information in t…
Capital Region Firefighter Stole From Hospitalized Patients' Homes, Police Say Capital Region Firefighter Stole From Hospitalized Patients' Homes, Police Say
Capital Region Firefighter Stole From Hospitalized Patients' Homes, Police Say He was sent to help them, but police say a paramedic from the region stole from his patients after they were hospitalized. Albany County resident Devvan Farina, age 39, of Albany, was arrested on multiple felony charges, including burglary, on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Bethlehem Police said Farina stole from multiple homes while working as a paramedic for the Albany County Sheriff’s Office in Bethlehem and a firefighter for the city of Troy. He targeted homes that he knew were unoccupied after the residents had been taken to the hospital, police said. It was not immediately clear how many people we…
Capital Region Student's Hit List Leads To Criminal Charges Capital Region Student's Hit List Leads To Criminal Charges
Capital Region Student's Hit List Leads To Criminal Charges A middle school student from the region is facing criminal charges after allegedly threatening to harm fellow students or teachers. In Albany County, administrators at Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland contacted police on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 1 saying a student had been found with a list threatening “serious harm” to school members. Following an investigation by Guilderland Police, the school district, and the student’s family, the teen was arrested and charged with making a threat of mass harm, a misdemeanor. The student was taken to a crisis center under the state’s Mental Hygi…
‘He Was Just Wonderful’: Tributes Pour In Following Death Of Longtime Capital Region Teacher ‘He Was Just Wonderful’: Tributes Pour In Following Death Of Longtime Capital Region Teacher
‘He Was Just Wonderful’: Tributes Pour In Following Death Of Longtime Capital Region Teacher Loved ones and former students are mourning the loss of a longtime teacher in the region. Albany County resident Walter Lipka, of Cohoes, died Tuesday, Jan. 30 at the age of 86 at Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston. His death followed a two-month battle with sepsis, according to his obituary. A native of Cohoes, Lipka served in the US Army as a military police officer in the early 1960s. He later received his bachelor’s degree in art education from Suny New Paltz and a master’s degree in Studio Art from UAlbany. His love for art landed him a teaching job in the Cohoes City School Distric…
Armed Robber Lures Online Seller Before Stealing Jewelry, Car Keys In Capital Region, Cops Say Armed Robber Lures Online Seller Before Stealing Jewelry, Car Keys In Capital Region, Cops Say
Armed Robber Lures Online Seller Before Stealing Jewelry, Car Keys In Capital Region, Cops Say A 25-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an armed robbery in the region that began with a Facebook Marketplace post. The Albany County incident happened at around 11:30 p.m. Dec. 27, 2023, in Bethlehem, in the hamlet of Slingerlands. Bethlehem Police said a woman called 911 reporting an armed robbery in progress in the parking lot of the Plug Power facility, located on Vista Boulevard. The male victim told investigators that he had arranged to meet a stranger there after posting jewelry for sale on Facebook Marketplace.  When he arrived, he was attacked by two men, one …
'Devastating' Fire Guts 60-Year-Old Eatery In Capital Region; Owners 'Committed To Rebuilding' 'Devastating' Fire Guts 60-Year-Old Eatery In Capital Region; Owners 'Committed To Rebuilding'
'Devastating' Fire Guts 60-Year-Old Eatery In Capital Region; Owners 'Committed To Rebuilding' Around these parts, Hot Dog Charlie’s is an institution. Since 1964, the popular family-owned eatery in Albany County has drawn generations of diners to its quaint Cohoes restaurant – located on the northeast corner of Saratoga Street and Tibbitts Place – with its pork and beef franks topped in a secret recipe chili sauce. But six decades of business came to an abrupt halt on Wednesday, Jan. 31 when a massive fire tore through the building. Emergency crews were called at around 10:20 a.m., with firefighters from multiple agencies responding, including the Cohoes, Green Island, and Watervl…
Small Menu, Big Flavors: New Capital Region Restaurant Hailed As 'Amazing Gem' Small Menu, Big Flavors: New Capital Region Restaurant Hailed As 'Amazing Gem'
Small Menu, Big Flavors: New Capital Region Restaurant Hailed As 'Amazing Gem' Its menu features just five entrees and six appetizers, yet this new restaurant in the region is still wowing diners. Coray Kitchen – located in Albany County at 360 Delaware Avenue in Delmar – opened in late November 2023 under the direction of life and business partners Javier Villatoro and Casey Carroll. Originally from Honduras, Villatoro spent 15 years helming kitchens in San Francisco, while Carroll brings her front-of-house and food marketing experience. “Coray Kitchen tells the story of how migration shapes who we are, and influences the flavors we find on the plate,” reads its web…
Drone Helps Nab Prolific Burglar Who Targeted 11 Capital Region Businesses, Police Say Drone Helps Nab Prolific Burglar Who Targeted 11 Capital Region Businesses, Police Say
Drone Helps Nab Prolific Burglar Who Targeted 11 Capital Region Businesses, Police Say A prolific burglar who targeted nearly a dozen businesses in the region was caught with the help of a drone, police said. Albany County resident Jesse Stockman, age 37, of Colonie, was arrested Friday, Jan. 12, in connection with several break-ins at businesses in Colonie. Colonie Police were called at around 10 p.m. for a report of a commercial burglary in progress near Troy-Schenectady and Old Loudon roads. The culprit fled before officers arrived. As police were investigating, they learned of two more break-ins at nearby businesses. Officers then deployed drones from the department’s U…