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Lifestyle
'Thankful January' Claims $1,000,000 Mega Millions Prize From Ticket Sold At NY Store 'Thankful January' Claims $1,000,000 Mega Millions Prize From Ticket Sold At NY Store
'Thankful January' Claims $1,000,000 Mega Millions Prize From Ticket Sold At NY Store Thankful indeed. The winner of a $1 million Mega Millions prize has finally stepped forward and claimed their winnings, more than three months after the drawing. According to New York Lottery officials, the lucky winner claimed their prize for the Jan. 6 drawing using an Albany-based limited liability company (LLC) appropriately named “Thankful January 2023.” The LLC received a single lump sum payment of $651,000 after paying Uncle Sam his due. Lottery officials said the second prize-winning ticket was purchased in Rensselaer County at the Stewart’s Shops in Troy, located at 8 Vandenburg…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
1 Killed, Multiple Homes Damaged After Fire At Mobile Home Park In Capital Region 1 Killed, Multiple Homes Damaged After Fire At Mobile Home Park In Capital Region
1 Killed, Multiple Homes Damaged After Fire At Mobile Home Park In Capital Region One person is dead and several homes are damaged after a fire tore through a mobile home park in the region. Multiple fire departments in Rensselaer County were called at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13, with reports of a fire in East Greenbush, at the Hanley Motor Home Park on Columbia Turnpike. When crews arrived, they found one home fully engulfed in flames, according to East Greenbush Police. Fire also damaged several neighboring buildings. Happened across a fatal fire in East Greenbush this afternoon. Ya gotta give volunteer fire fighters a ton of credit. #eastgreenbushfirede…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Stalker Who Tracked Victim, Shared Images Had Over 40 Guns In Capital Region Home, Police Say Stalker Who Tracked Victim, Shared Images Had Over 40 Guns In Capital Region Home, Police Say
Stalker Who Tracked Victim, Shared Images Had Over 40 Guns In Capital Region Home, Police Say A man from the region is facing charges for allegedly stalking a person and sharing images of a second victim, authorities said. Rensselaer County resident Sean Markham, age 41, of the town of Nassau, was arrested on multiple charges Wednesday, March 29, following an investigation by State Police. Troopers began looking into Markham nearly a week earlier after receiving a complaint that a Nassau resident was being illegally surveilled, police said. Investigators determined that he had used an electronic device to track the victim. He also shared images of a second victim without their perm…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
41-Year-Old's Body Pulled From River In Capital Region 41-Year-Old's Body Pulled From River In Capital Region
41-Year-Old's Body Pulled From River In Capital Region The search for a missing 41-year-old man has ended in tragedy after his body was pulled from a river in the region. Emergency crews in Rensselaer County were called just after 4 p.m. Saturday, April 1, with reports that a kayaker had spotted a body floating in the Mohawk River, near Lions Park in Niskayuna, according to State Police. A short time later, members of the Niskayuna police and fire departments responded to the scene, where they recovered the man’s body. On Monday, April 3, troopers identified the man as 41-year-old Kevin White, of the Village of Canajoharie in Montgomery County…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Shooting Hoax: These Capital Region Schools Targeted By Statewide ‘Swatting’ Prank Shooting Hoax: These Capital Region Schools Targeted By Statewide ‘Swatting’ Prank
Shooting Hoax: These Capital Region Schools Targeted By Statewide ‘Swatting’ Prank Federal investigators are probing a statewide “swatting” prank that sent schools across New York into lockdown amid fears of a mass shooting. The threatening phone calls started pouring in Thursday morning, March 30, falsely claiming there was an active shooter at various schools across the state, according to New York State Police. The State Police is aware of swatting incidents that have occurred across the state, in which a caller states that there is an active shooter in a school. All of the reports are unfounded. We are working alongside our federal & local partners to investig…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
'Heavy Heart': Father Of Newborn Twins ID'd As Victim In Deadly Police Car Crash In Region 'Heavy Heart': Father Of Newborn Twins ID'd As Victim In Deadly Police Car Crash In Region
'Heavy Heart': Father Of Newborn Twins ID'd As Victim In Deadly Police Car Crash In Region Friends and loved ones are mourning the loss of a husband and father from the region after the man died in a crash involving a police vehicle. The Rensselaer County crash happened shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Troy near Hoosick and 15th streets, according to Troy Police. Original Report: Crash Involving Police Officer Leaves 1 Dead In Troy Sabeh Alalkawi, age 30, was identified as the victim killed in a GoFundMe campaign created to help the family with memorial expenses. “I am reaching out to you today with a heavy heart to ask for your help in raising funds for my bes…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Crash Involving Police Officer Leaves 1 Dead In Capital Region Crash Involving Police Officer Leaves 1 Dead In Capital Region
Crash Involving Police Officer Leaves 1 Dead In Capital Region A man is dead following a car crash involving a police vehicle in the region. The Rensselaer County crash happened shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Troy near Hoosick and 15th streets, according to Troy Police. Investigators said a Troy Police officer was responding to a domestic disturbance call with lights and sirens on when he collided with a civilian vehicle. Following the crash, the officer and several witnesses rendered aid to the 30-year-old driver of the other car. The man was eventually taken to Samaritan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police. I…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Dating App Nightmare: Man Rapes, Assaults Woman From Capital Region, Police Say Dating App Nightmare: Man Rapes, Assaults Woman From Capital Region, Police Say
Dating App Nightmare: Man Rapes, Assaults Woman From Capital Region, Police Say A 24-year-old man is facing multiple violent felonies for allegedly raping and physically assaulting a woman after the two met online, authorities said. Saratoga County resident Andrew Cosme, of Clifton Park, was arrested following an investigation by the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office and a grand jury indictment. Investigators said the victim called police on Jan. 29 saying she had been violently raped and physically assaulted by a man she had met on a dating app. Cosme was taken into custody after a week-long investigation. He was ordered held at the Rensselaer County jail on $40,000…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Fraudster Posing As City Worker Scammed Elderly Victim Out Of $3K, Capital Region Police Say Fraudster Posing As City Worker Scammed Elderly Victim Out Of $3K, Capital Region Police Say
Fraudster Posing As City Worker Scammed Elderly Victim Out Of $3K, Capital Region Police Say An elderly man from the region was scammed out of thousands of dollars by a fraudster posing as a city worker, authorities said. Rensselaer County resident Joseph Celeone, age 40, of Troy, was arrested Monday, Feb. 6, for grand larceny and criminal impersonation, according to the Watervliet Police Department in Albany County. Detectives were initially contacted in late December 2022 by a 75-year-old Watervliet resident who told police he was approached by a man claiming to work for the City of Watervliet. The supposed employee, who police identified as Celeone, told the victim that his dr…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Sex Offender From Area Who Drove 150 Miles To Rape 10-Year-Old Found Guilty Sex Offender From Area Who Drove 150 Miles To Rape 10-Year-Old Found Guilty
Sex Offender From Area Who Drove 150 Miles To Rape 10-Year-Old Found Guilty A convicted sex offender from the region with a history of abusing young children is facing decades in prison for attempting to coerce a 10-year-old for sex. Rensselaer County resident Charles Wager, age 55, of the village of Castleton-on-Hudson in the town of Schodack, was found guilty of attempting to entice a minor into engaging in unlawful sexual activities in federal court in Utica on Thursday, Feb. 2. Prosecutors said Wager exchanged thousands of sexually explicit text messages with who he thought was a 10-year-old girl and her mother, in January and February 2021. He sent nude phot…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Road Rager Threatens Driver With Hammer, Follows Victim To Police Station In Region, Cops Say Road Rager Threatens Driver With Hammer, Follows Victim To Police Station In Region, Cops Say
Road Rager Threatens Driver With Hammer, Follows Victim To Police Station In Region, Cops Say A 21-year-old man is accused of threatening a driver with a hammer before following the victim to a police station during a suspected road rage incident in the region. Police in Rensselaer County were called at around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, with reports that a driver in the town of North Greenbush had been cut off by another car on Pawling Avenue near Winter Street, according to North Greenbush Police. The victim told a 911 operator that the other driver, identified by police as Joseph Martin, of North Greenbush, had approached their car in an aggressive manner while holding a hammer…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Would-Be Child Rapist Busted By Undercover Agents In Capital Region, Police Say Would-Be Child Rapist Busted By Undercover Agents In Capital Region, Police Say
Would-Be Child Rapist Busted By Undercover Agents In Capital Region, Police Say A 63-year-old man from the region is facing charges after allegedly attempting to meet a child for sex.  Rensselaer County resident Hadj Ounis, of Troy, was arrested on multiple sex charges Monday, Jan. 30, following an investigation by New York State Police. Members of the agency’s Computer Crimes Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force determined that Ounis made arrangements and traveled to meet who he believed was a 14-year-old for sex, according to police. Ounis was arrested after he reportedly showed up to the predetermined meeting spot in Colonie. He is facing …

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by Michael Mashburn