Fog/Mist 50°
News
21-Year-Old Man Convicted Of Attempted Rape Of 13-Year-Old In Putnam 21-Year-Old Man Convicted Of Attempted Rape Of 13-Year-Old In Putnam
21-Year-Old Man Convicted Of Attempted Rape Of 13-Year-Old In Putnam A 21-year-old Connecticut man who was apprehended after driving to the Hudson Valley for what he thought would be sex with a 13-year-old child has been found guilty, officials announced.  The conviction of Fairfield County resident Francisco Gomez of Norwalk for attempted rape was announced on Wednesday, Aug. 28 by Putnam County District Attorney Robert Tendy.  According to Tendy's office, Gomez used social media to entice a 13-year-old child from Putnam County to engage in sexual activity with him. These messages were later found by the child's mother and shown to authorities, wh…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Man Rapes Hudson Valley Girl He Met Online, Then Drops Her Off At School, Police Say Man Rapes Hudson Valley Girl He Met Online, Then Drops Her Off At School, Police Say
Man Rapes Hudson Valley Girl He Met Online, Then Drops Her Off At School, Police Say A man from the region who allegedly raped a Hudson Valley 15-year-old girl and then dropped her off at school has been charged by state police.  Albany County resident Benjamin Randall, age 22, of Cohoes, was charged on Monday, Aug. 26, in Ulster County in Ellenville on rape charges. According to New York State Police Trooper Steven Nevel, the department received a complaint in April from the 15-year-old that she met Randall on a social media site in March.  After speaking online for several weeks, she agreed to meet with Randall after school. Randall picked her up and drove…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
4 Suspects Accused Of Leaving Supermarket In Hudson Valley With Over $1K In Stolen Items 4 Suspects Accused Of Leaving Supermarket In Hudson Valley With Over $1K In Stolen Items
4 Suspects Accused Of Leaving Supermarket In Hudson Valley With Over $1K In Stolen Items Four people were slapped with criminal charges after entering a Westchester supermarket with a child, filling their carts with merchandise, and leaving without trying to pay, police announced.  The arrests follow an incident on Saturday, Aug. 24 that happened at Wegmans in Harrison at 106 Corporate Park Dr., near the junction of I-684 and I-287, Harrison Police announced on Wednesday, Aug. 28.  According to the department, the four suspects and a child entered the supermarket, filled multiple shopping carts with products valued at over $1,000, and passed all of the store's cashier…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
News
41-Year-Old In Northeast Dies From Serious Mosquito Virus Eastern Equine Encephalitis 41-Year-Old In Northeast Dies From Serious Mosquito Virus Eastern Equine Encephalitis
41-Year-Old In Northeast Dies From Serious Mosquito Virus Eastern Equine Encephalitis One person has died and two others in the Northeast have been infected this summer with a rare but serious mosquito-borne disease. Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is caused by a virus spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito, similar to the West Nile virus. On Tuesday, Aug. 27, an adult from the town of Hampstead, in southeastern New Hampshire who tested positive for EEE died, the New Hampshire Department of Public Health announced. He had been hospitalized with the illness. The man has been identified by his family as 41-year-old Steven Perry, according to ABC…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
Schools
School District In Putnam Latest To Ban Students' Cell Phones School District In Putnam Latest To Ban Students' Cell Phones
School District In Putnam Latest To Ban Students' Cell Phones Students in another Hudson Valley school district will be forced to look up from their phone screens, as officials will be requiring them to lock up their devices for the entire day.  In its end-of-summer newsletter, the Garrison Union Free School District in Putnam County announced that it will no longer allow cell phone use during the instructional day between 8:25 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.  During this time, students will have to store their devices in lockers and keep them powered down or in silent mode. More information about the policy will be contained in the district's updated&nb…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Roofer Scam In Hudson Valley Sparks Police Warning Roofer Scam In Hudson Valley Sparks Police Warning
Roofer Scam In Hudson Valley Sparks Police Warning Police in the Hudson Valley warn homeowners about a roofer scam in which the scammers demand money upfront and do not return to complete the job. The incidents are happening in Rockland County in the Ramapo area. The Ramapo Police Department is currently investigating a scam in which a person claiming to be a professional roofer knocked on the homeowner's door to notify the owner about damage to their roof.  They offered their services at a reduced cost and then began work. After the job was started, Ramapo Police said they drastically raised the price of repairs and demanded that the…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
News
NY County's Mask Ban Causes 'Great Stress, Fear,' Federal Lawsuit Argues NY County's Mask Ban Causes 'Great Stress, Fear,' Federal Lawsuit Argues
NY County's Mask Ban Causes 'Great Stress, Fear,' Federal Lawsuit Argues A New York county’s controversial mask ban is already facing legal challenges. Click here for a new, updated story: Mask Ban Arrest: Hicksville 18-Year-Old First Person Charged Under Controversial Law In a class action lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of New York on Thursday, Aug. 22, Disability Rights of New York argued that Nassau County’s law barring face coverings in public violates federal law and discriminates against people with disabilities. The filing came a little more than a week after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, signed the “Mask Transparenc…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
News
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…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
Business
Walmart Issues Massive Recall For Juice Product Sold In 23 States, Including NY Walmart Issues Massive Recall For Juice Product Sold In 23 States, Including NY
Walmart Issues Massive Recall For Juice Product Sold In 23 States, Including NY Apple juice sold at Walmart has been recalled due to high arsenic levels. The US Food and Drug Administration says 9,535 cases of the company's  Great Value brand 100 percent apple juice were sold in six-packs of 8-ounce plastic bottles bearing this expiration date: Best if Used by DEC2824 CT89-6, and a UPC code of 0-78742-29655-5. According to the FDA, the product contains inorganic arsenic above the action level set in industry guidance (13.2 parts per billion). They were sold in 23 states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia,…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
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…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
News
Hudson Valley Man Who Impaled Roommate With Metal Broom To Spend Years In Prison Hudson Valley Man Who Impaled Roommate With Metal Broom To Spend Years In Prison
Hudson Valley Man Who Impaled Roommate With Metal Broom To Spend Years In Prison A Hudson Valley man who impaled his roommate in the head with a metal broom, killing him, will spend years behind bars. Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced on Tuesday, Aug. 27, that Orange County resident James Rich, age 36, of Newburgh, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for killing a man with a broomstick.  Rich was convicted in June by a jury of all charges, including murder and criminal possession of a weapon. As alleged at trial, on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, police responded to a call for assistance at a residence in the city of Newbu…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
News
$2.4M Scheme: Former Cortlandt Town Employee, Business Owner Admit To Illegal Dumping Plot $2.4M Scheme: Former Cortlandt Town Employee, Business Owner Admit To Illegal Dumping Plot
$2.4M Scheme: Former Cortlandt Town Employee, Business Owner Admit To Illegal Dumping Plot A former Northern Westchester town employee has admitted to allowing a business owner to illegally dump unauthorized material at an environmentally fragile facility in exchange for cash bribes, federal officials announced.  Verplanck resident Robert Dyckman, age 52, and Cortlandt Manor resident Glenn Griffin, age 55, both pleaded guilty to charges related to the $2.4 million scheme, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Monday, Aug. 26.  According to federal officials, Dyckman, the former Assistant General Foreman for the Town o…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic