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Mask Ban Arrest: Hicksville 18-Year-Old First Defendant Charged Under Controversial Law Mask Ban Arrest: Hicksville 18-Year-Old First Defendant Charged Under Controversial Law
Mask Ban Arrest: Hicksville 18-Year-Old First Defendant Charged Under Controversial 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
Bill Banning Transgender Athletes Advanced By Long Island Lawmakers Bill Banning Transgender Athletes Advanced By Long Island Lawmakers
Bill Banning Transgender Athletes Advanced By Long Island Lawmakers A month after the Nassau County Executive’s executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports was struck down in court, a new proposed bill with the same goal has been advanced to the next step. After an at-times heated discussion between lawmakers and public commenters at a Nassau County legislative committee meeting on Monday, June 10, a bill aiming to bar transgender women from women’s sports passed an initial committee vote. Earlier Report: Nassau County Bans Transgender Athletes From Competing In Women's, Girls Sports The bill, which was introd…

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by Sophie Grieser
News
Suffolk County PD To Settle Lawsuit Over Discriminatory Policies, Pay Over $2 Million Suffolk County PD To Settle Lawsuit Over Discriminatory Policies, Pay Over $2 Million
Suffolk County PD To Settle Lawsuit Over Discriminatory Policies, Pay Over $2 Million The end is in sight for a class action lawsuit involving the Suffolk County Police Department, according to court documents. The suit, which alleges that the SCPD has discriminatory policing practices against Latinos, would result in the department paying around $2.25 million in plaintiff’s attorney fees as well as making numerous changes to traffic-stop and body-camera procedures. SCPD announced the Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement on its Facebook page on Tuesday, April 11. Both sides have agreed to the settlement (though SCPD denies any wrongdoing) and it is waiting on fina…

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by Sophie Grieser
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
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
Suffolk Man Admits To Making Threats To LGBTQ+ Affiliated Individuals, Organizations Suffolk Man Admits To Making Threats To LGBTQ+ Affiliated Individuals, Organizations
Suffolk Man Admits To Making Threats To LGBTQ+ Affiliated Individuals, Organizations A 74-year-old Long Island man has admitted to mailing more than 20 letters threatening individuals and organizations affiliated with the LGBTQ+ community. Robert Fehring, of Suffolk County, entered the guilty plea on Wednesday, Feb. 23, according to an announcement from Breon Peace, United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Earlier report - Long Island Man Accused Of Making Threats To LGBTQ+ Affiliated Individuals, Organizations “In pleading guilty today, the defendant admits that he sent hate-filled communications that threatened mass shootings, bombings and o…

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by Nicole Valinote
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
News
Former Suffolk DA Thomas Spota, Ex-Aide Convicted Of Covering Up Beating Of Prisoner Former Suffolk DA Thomas Spota, Ex-Aide Convicted Of Covering Up Beating Of Prisoner
Former Suffolk DA Thomas Spota, Ex-Aide Convicted Of Covering Up Beating Of Prisoner Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and one of his former top aides have been found guilty of covering up the beating of a former heroin addict in 2012 who broke into his police cruiser in St. James. Spota, 78, and Christopher McPartland, 53, were found guilty following a six-week trial of all charges, including obstruction of justice, witness tampering and acting as accessories to the deprivation of inmate Christopher Loeb's civil rights. The jury deliberated for nearly a full day before returning the guilty verdict. When they are sentenced, Spota and McPartland will face…

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by Zak Failla
News
Ex-Suffolk DA's Obstruction Of Justice Trial Starts Ex-Suffolk DA's Obstruction Of Justice Trial Starts
Ex-Suffolk DA's Obstruction Of Justice Trial Starts The trial for former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and one of his former top aides has begun. Opening statements were heard on Thursday, Nov. 14, at Central Islip federal court, after Spota and his aide, Christopher McPartland, allegedly used their power to help cover up the crime of an associate. It is alleged that Spota and McPartland obstructed justice by covering for former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke, who allegedly abused a suspect, Christopher Loeb, in 2012. Loeb had allegedly stolen a duffel bag from an unmarked police vehicle in front of Burke’s home. Bu…

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by Zak Failla
News
NY Attorney General Vows To Protect Undocumented Immigrants During Planned ICE Raids NY Attorney General Vows To Protect Undocumented Immigrants During Planned ICE Raids
NY Attorney General Vows To Protect Undocumented Immigrants During Planned ICE Raids New York is among as many as 10 cities nationwide that are going to be the target of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids targeting illegal immigrants, which are expected to begin this weekend and the state's attorney general is vowing to protect those undocumented immigrants. The raids come weeks after President Donald Trump tweeted ICE’s plans to conduct them, forcing the commander-in-chief to postpone the operation due to the leaked information and public outcry. They have now been re-scheduled to begin on Sunday, July 14, though few details have been released. The raids, which w…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Goodbye Eyesore, Others Recall Memories, Godfather On Jones Beach Toll Plaza Demolition Goodbye Eyesore, Others Recall Memories, Godfather On Jones Beach Toll Plaza Demolition
Goodbye Eyesore, Others Recall Memories, Godfather On Jones Beach Toll Plaza Demolition Members of a Levittown High School's alumni group on Facebook group reacted to a Daily Voice story April 29 about the demolishing of an abandoned toll plaza on Meadowbrook Parkway and a monumental gateway sign to welcome visitors to Jones Beach State Park. "Remember in '63 and '64 when Civil Rights protesters chained themselves to the booths and closed them? Traffic backed all the way to Siberia," one comment said on the group's page. One person called it a "landmark" saying it evoked "memories of better days," while another said the structure was "a total eyesore and obsolet…

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by Donna Christopher