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White House Valentine's Day Post Playing Off 'Roses Are Red' Poem Sparks Controversy White House Valentine's Day Post Playing Off 'Roses Are Red' Poem Sparks Controversy
White House Valentine's Day Post Playing Off 'Roses Are Red' Poem Sparks Controversy A Valentine’s Day post from the White House social media accounts sparked controversy after featuring a rhyme about illegal immigration, drawing sharp reactions from both supporters and critics. The post, shared across X, Instagram, and Facebook, reimagined the classic "roses are red, violets are blue" poem with a political twist: "Roses are red, violets are blue, come here illegally, and we’ll deport you." Set against a pink backdrop, the poem was accompanied by images of President Donald Trump and border czar Tom Homan, with the caption “Happy Valentine’s Day” followed by a red heart emo…

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by Joe Lombardi
Politics
Plan To Deputize Private Citizens In NY Faces Lawsuit From Dems: 'This Is Not The Wild West' Plan To Deputize Private Citizens In NY Faces Lawsuit From Dems: 'This Is Not The Wild West'
Plan To Deputize Private Citizens In NY Faces Lawsuit From Dems: 'This Is Not The Wild West' Long Island Democrats and civil rights attorneys are fighting back against a plan to deputize private citizens, calling the move illegal. A lawsuit filed by Nassau County Democratic legislators against County Executive Bruce Blakeman in New York Supreme Court on Wednesday, Feb. 5, seeks to block what they say amounts to an “illegal, taxpayer-funded militia.” Blakeman’s plan calls for deputizing private citizens as “special sheriff’s deputies” during emergency declarations. If activated, members would be paid $150 per day. Democrats blasted the move, arguing it lacks transparency, oversigh…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Hanukkah Shooting: Gunman Admits Opening Fire Outside Synagogue In Region With Children Present Hanukkah Shooting: Gunman Admits Opening Fire Outside Synagogue In Region With Children Present
Hanukkah Shooting: Gunman Admits Opening Fire Outside Synagogue In Region With Children Present A New York man who fired a shotgun outside an Albany synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah pleaded guilty to federal civil rights and firearm charges. Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 29, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty to obstructing religious freedom by threat of force, unlawfully acquiring a firearm, and brandishing it during the crime in Albany federal court on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The formal confession came more than a year after Alkhader took an Uber from Schenectady to Temple Israel in Albany, where he walked up the synagogue’s steps and pulled a shotgun from a duffel bag on Dec. 7, 2023. He the…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Mask Ban Arrest: 18-Year-Old First Person Charged Under Controversial NY County Law Mask Ban Arrest: 18-Year-Old First Person Charged Under Controversial NY County Law
Mask Ban Arrest: 18-Year-Old First Person Charged Under Controversial NY County Law An 18-year-old man appears to be the first person arrested under a New York county's controversial law banning face coverings in public. On Long Island, Nassau County Police were called about a suspicious person in Levittown who was walking along Spindle Road shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25. Officers arrived to find 18-year-old Wesslin Omar Ramirez-Castillo, of Hicksville, dressed in black and wearing a face mask, police said. Earlier Report: NY County's Mask Ban Causes 'Great Stress, Fear,' Federal Lawsuit Argues The officer said the teen displayed “suspicious” behavior whi…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Sergeant Indicted After Tasing Handcuffed Victim 7 Times in 2 Minutes In Westchester: Feds Sergeant Indicted After Tasing Handcuffed Victim 7 Times in 2 Minutes In Westchester: Feds
Sergeant Indicted After Tasing Handcuffed Victim 7 Times in 2 Minutes In Westchester: Feds A Westchester Sergeant faces federal charges after tasing a handcuffed victim seven times in the span of two minutes and violating their rights in the process, officials said.  Brooklyn resident Mario Stewart, age 44, a Sergeant with the Mount Vernon Police Department, has been indicted on federal charges after allegedly using excessive force against a handcuffed individual in a March 2019 incident, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Thursday, July 20.  According to federal officials, at the time of the incident, Stewart had been …

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by Ben Crnic
News
NY Man's Stun Gun, Fire Death Prompts $20M Lawsuit Against Police: Report NY Man's Stun Gun, Fire Death Prompts $20M Lawsuit Against Police: Report
NY Man's Stun Gun, Fire Death Prompts $20M Lawsuit Against Police: Report A police department in New York is facing a federal lawsuit in connection with the death of a man who was hit with a TASER device and caught fire in the department’s lobby, WRGB reports. Greene County resident Jason Jones, of Catskill, voluntarily went to the Catskill Police Department on Oct. 30, 2021, and began arguing with officers, according to police. Surveillance footage later released by the New York Attorney General’s Office shows him removing his shirt and shoes before pouring hand sanitizer all over his body, including his hair and face. Moments later, an officer is seen deploy…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Correction Officer From Northern Westchester Charged With Assaulting Inmate, Falsifying Records Correction Officer From Northern Westchester Charged With Assaulting Inmate, Falsifying Records
Correction Officer From Northern Westchester Charged With Assaulting Inmate, Falsifying Records A correction officer from Northern Westchester is charged with assaulting an inmate of the Dutchess County prison he once worked at and falsifying the records of the incident.  The assault happened on May 28, 2020, when 32-year-old Cortlandt Manor resident Taj Everly assaulted an inmate at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville, according to an announcement by US Attorney Damian Williams from Thursday, Dec. 15.  On the day of the incident, Everly allegedly hit the inmate without provocation as he exited a room in the prison, causing both men to fall. Afterward, Everl…

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by Ben Crnic
Politics
Migrants Flown To Martha's Vineyard Sue FL Gov. DeSantis For 'Cowardly Political Stunt' Migrants Flown To Martha's Vineyard Sue FL Gov. DeSantis For 'Cowardly Political Stunt'
Migrants Flown To Martha's Vineyard Sue FL Gov. DeSantis For 'Cowardly Political Stunt' The Venezuelan migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard at the order of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Republican leader for using them as "pawns in a political stunt." Lawyers for Civil Rights filed the federal civil rights lawsuit working with the migrants from Joint Base Cape Cod along with Alianza Americas. The groups said these men, women, and children fled their home country out of fear and violence and made a harrowing journey to America only to be caught in a political tug of war and left stranded with no options.   “No human being should be used…

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by Josh Lanier
News
US Sues Municipality In Westchester For Discrimination US Sues Municipality In Westchester For Discrimination
US Sues Municipality In Westchester For Discrimination The United States has filed a lawsuit against a Westchester County municipality and its fire department, alleging that they discriminated and retaliated against a female firefighter who reported that a male senior firefighter had harassed and stalked her.  The lawsuit was filed against the Town/Village of Harrison, Fire District Two of Harrison, and the Harrison Fire Department, according to an announcement on Wednesday, June 8, from Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Williams said the US is alleging that the town and fire department…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
Feds Launch Investigation Into Westchester Police Department Feds Launch Investigation Into Westchester Police Department
Feds Launch Investigation Into Westchester Police Department Federal investigators have launched a probe into a Hudson Valley police department to determine whether or not officers engaged in a pattern of discriminatory policing. US Attorney Damian Williams announced that in Westchester, the Justice Department has opened a pattern or practice investigation into the Mount Vernon Police Department. According to Williams, the investigation will assess the department’s use of force, strip and body cavity searches, and how it handles evidence. The investigation will include a comprehensive review of Mount Vernon Police Department’s systems of accountabil…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Former Officer Charged With Using Excessive Force At Correctional Facility In Hudson Valley Former Officer Charged With Using Excessive Force At Correctional Facility In Hudson Valley
Former Officer Charged With Using Excessive Force At Correctional Facility In Hudson Valley A former corrections officer at the Green Haven Correctional Facility in the Hudson Valley is facing time behind the other side of the bars after being charged with using excessive force against an inmate. In federal court, Dutchess County resident Aaron Finn, age 35, of Hyde Park was charged with using excessive force that amounted to “cruel and unusual punishment” against a restrained inmate in March last year. US Attorney Damian Williams said that Finn allegedly struck and thrashed the inmate, causing bodily injury to him in violation of his Constitutional rights. “Correction officer Aa…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Video: Police Release Bodycam Footage Of Viral Arrest Video In Hudson Valley Video: Police Release Bodycam Footage Of Viral Arrest Video In Hudson Valley
Video: Police Release Bodycam Footage Of Viral Arrest Video In Hudson Valley The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office has released bodycam footage of an altercation after a 26-year-old woman alleged that deputies used excessive force while arresting her outside a Buffalo Wild Wings last week. Saugerties resident Shana Shaw was picking up food at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 28 on Ulster Avenue in Ulster when she was approached by members of the Sheriff’s Department, who sought to arrest her for driving with a suspended license after she allegedly cut him off without signaling. In a video taken at the scene that quickly went viral, Shaw was seen shrieking and s…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Video: Woman Alleges Excessive Force After Being Arrested In Hudson Valley Video: Woman Alleges Excessive Force After Being Arrested In Hudson Valley
Video: Woman Alleges Excessive Force After Being Arrested In Hudson Valley A 26-year-old woman is alleging that Ulster County Sheriff’s deputies used excessive force while arresting her outside a Buffalo Wild Wings parking lot earlier this week without cause. Saugerties resident Shana Shaw was picking up food at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 28 on Ulster Avenue when she was approached by members of the Sheriff’s Department, who sought to arrest her for driving with a suspended license and marijuana possession. In video taken at the scene, Shaw can be heard shrieking and screaming as a deputy sought to remove her from her vehicle, alleging that her arm wa…

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by Zak Failla
News
Thousands Demand Justice 10 Years After College Athlete Shot, Killed By Cop In Westchester Thousands Demand Justice 10 Years After College Athlete Shot, Killed By Cop In Westchester
Thousands Demand Justice 10 Years After College Athlete Shot, Killed By Cop In Westchester The cacophony of thousands of voices demanding justice for Danroy “DJ” Henry has grown to include some celebrities 10 years after he was killed at the hands of police in Westchester. Nearly 80,000 people have signed a change.org petition urging prosecutors to re-open Henry’s case after he was shot and killed by former Pleasantville police officer Aaron Hess in October 2010. Henry, a football player and junior at Pace University's Pleasantville campus, was at a sports bar with teammates when a fight broke out after their homecoming game in Pleasantville. Hess remained at the scene, and w…

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by Zak Failla
News
Ban On Chokeholds, Other Police, Criminal Justice Reforms Become Law In New York Ban On Chokeholds, Other Police, Criminal Justice Reforms Become Law In New York
Ban On Chokeholds, Other Police, Criminal Justice Reforms Become Law In New York New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law that will radically reform policing throughout the state. At the conclusion of his daily COVID-19 briefing on Friday, June 12 in Manhattan, Cuomo signed a police reform package that he dubbed the “Say Their Name Agenda.” Flanked by Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Rev. Al Sharpton, Cuomo signed the legislation into law that includes the ban of chokeholds by police. The package also calls for the repeal of Section 50a of the Civil Rights law, which will include more transparency of police disciplinar…

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by Zak Failla
News
NYC Will Have Curfew After Looting On Fourth Night Of Protests NYC Will Have Curfew After Looting On Fourth Night Of Protests
NYC Will Have Curfew After Looting On Fourth Night Of Protests New York City will be under a curfew effective immediately amid violent protests and looting that have broken out in the wake of George Floyd’s police-related death in Minnesota. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the curfew will be from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. effective Monday, June 1, while the state’s National Guard will be on standby following four days of protests. Additionally, the NYPD will be doubling its presence in the city to help prevent any potential violence or property damage.  The officers will be deployed to areas where violence and …

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Judith Johnson, Longtime Hudson Valley Educator, Dies Judith Johnson, Longtime Hudson Valley Educator, Dies
Judith Johnson, Longtime Hudson Valley Educator, Dies Former New York State Education Department Regent and prominent Hudson Valley educator Judith Johnson has died. During her career, Johnson, 80, spent time serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for Education under President Bill Clinton and spent decades educating students in the Hudson Valley. Johnson spent 10 years as the Schools Superintendent in Peekskill, becoming the first African American to hold that post. She also took over at the helm in Mount Vernon in an interim position in 2012 as the district underwent wholesale changes and sought a permanent …

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by Zak Failla