Fair 10°
Politics
Hudson Valley Rep. Lawler Admits Donning Blackface As 'Hero' Michael Jackson In NYT Exposé Hudson Valley Rep. Lawler Admits Donning Blackface As 'Hero' Michael Jackson In NYT Exposé
Hudson Valley Rep. Lawler Admits Donning Blackface As 'Hero' Michael Jackson In NYT Exposé New York Rep. Mike Lawler – a freshman Republican hoping to defend his battleground congressional seat in the Hudson Valley – admitted to once donning blackface, The New York Times reports. The 38-year-old Lawler darkened his skin and dressed up as Michael Jackson for Halloween while he was a sophomore at the now Manhattan University in 2006, photos obtained by the outlet show. In a statement to the New York Times, Lawler said the costume was meant to be “truly the sincerest form of flattery, a genuine homage to my musical hero since I was a little kid trying to moonwalk through my mom’s ki…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Hudson Valley Well-Represented In Brand-New Best High School Rankings Hudson Valley Well-Represented In Brand-New Best High School Rankings
Hudson Valley Well-Represented In Brand-New Best High School Rankings New York is well-represented in brand-new rankings of the best high schools in New York. The first four in Niche's 2025 selections are all from New York City: Stuyvesant in Manhattan, the Bronx High School of Science, Staten Island Technical High School, and Townsend Harris High School in Queens. Checking in at No. 5 and the first Westchester County selection is Scarsdale High School. The first Long Island school picked is No. 7 Half Hollow Hills West in Dix Hills. Long Island schools also make up spots 10 through 13: They are Jericho, Syosset, and Great Neck South high schools. Four mor…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
120 Accuse Hudson Valley's Sean Combs Of Sex Abuse In New Class Action Lawsuit: Report 120 Accuse Hudson Valley's Sean Combs Of Sex Abuse In New Class Action Lawsuit: Report
120 Accuse Hudson Valley's Sean Combs Of Sex Abuse In New Class Action Lawsuit: Report The legal troubles faced by Sean "Diddy" Combs, a New York native, are far from over, as the hip-hop mogul is facing allegations of sexual assault from over 100 new accusers, according to a report by NBC News.  Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee announced on Tuesday, Oct. 1 that he is currently representing 120 people with various allegations against Combs occurring over two decades, NBC reported.  These accusations against Combs, a New York City native who grew up in Westchester County's Mount Vernon, include sexual assault or rape; facilitated sex with a controlled substance;…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Sex Offenses Against Several Children Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Sex Offenses Against Several Children
Hudson Valley Man Accused Of Sex Offenses Against Several Children An investigation has led to the arrest of a Westchester County man who is accused of committing sex offenses against several children. New Rochelle Police Department announced late Monday afternoon, Sept. 30 that detectives, with assistance from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, wrapped up the probe on Friday, Sept. 20. The suspect, Fernando Rincon, age 52, of New Rochelle is accused of committing multiple sex offenses against the victims, according to New Rochelle PD Captain J. Collins Coyne. "Due to nature of the offenses and the privacy of the victims, t…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
ID Released For Man Struck, Killed By Train In Hudson Valley ID Released For Man Struck, Killed By Train In Hudson Valley
ID Released For Man Struck, Killed By Train In Hudson Valley Editor's note: The MTA Police updated the age of the man killed to 48 on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The identity has been released of a man who was killed after being hit by an MTA train. The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 in Westchester County at the Metro-North station in Rye and involved a Grand Central-bound express train, according to MTA Deputy Communications Director Aaron Donovan. The New Haven Line train was taken out of service for a police investigation and its passengers were able to continue their travels within 20 minutes by transferring to a local train, D…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Person Struck, Killed By Train In Hudson Valley Person Struck, Killed By Train In Hudson Valley
Person Struck, Killed By Train In Hudson Valley A person was killed after being hit by an MTA train. Click here for a new, updated story: ID Released For Man Struck, Killed By Metro-North Train In Westchester The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 in Westchester County at the Metro-North station in Rye and involved a Grand Central-bound express train, according to MTA Deputy Communications Director Aaron Donovan. The New Haven Line train was taken out of service for a police investigation and its passengers were able to continue their travels within 20 minutes by transferring to a local train, Donovan said. The id…

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
This Hudson Valley Locale Is NY's Richest Municipality, New Rankings Say This Hudson Valley Locale Is NY's Richest Municipality, New Rankings Say
This Hudson Valley Locale Is NY's Richest Municipality, New Rankings Say Ever wonder what the richest part of New York is? Brand-new rankings listing the richest municipality in each state reveal just that. Stacker said it used the most recent Census Bureau American Community Survey Five-Year Data (as of August 2024) to calculate its rankings. "The 'richest town' can look quite different from state to state, with some being far wealthier than others," Stacker said. "Locations are ranked by median household income, with ties broken by the percentage of people annually earning more than $200,000," according to Stacker. "Any places with a population smaller than …

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
Longtime Hudson Valley Resident Catherine Zeta-Jones Posts Nude Photo: Here's Why Longtime Hudson Valley Resident Catherine Zeta-Jones Posts Nude Photo: Here's Why
Longtime Hudson Valley Resident Catherine Zeta-Jones Posts Nude Photo: Here's Why Longtime New York resident actress Catherine Zeta-Jones found a new meaning for the term "birthday suit" in a new social media post.  The 55-year-old actress posted a naked photo of herself on Instagram on Thursday, Sept. 25 to celebrate both her birthday and that of her husband, acclaimed actor Michael Douglas, who turned 80.  The post shows Zeta-Jones standing over a bathroom sink wearing nothing but her high heels. In the caption, the actress said the photo was "gift option two" for her husband, after golf balls. "After over 25 years of sharing my birthday day with my hu…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Driver Nabbed For DWI While En Route To Pick Up Drunk Friend In Hudson Valley Driver Nabbed For DWI While En Route To Pick Up Drunk Friend In Hudson Valley
Driver Nabbed For DWI While En Route To Pick Up Drunk Friend In Hudson Valley A patron of a local bar in Northern Westchester called the wrong friend to come pick him up, police said.  The head-scratching incident began at around 2:45 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, when a Westchester County Police officer stopped a car driving erratically in Mount Kisco on Lieto Drive.  Upon talking with the driver, the officer noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath and saw an open beer can in the center console.  As the traffic stop went on, the officer learned the ironic truth: the man had driven from Ossining to Mount Kisco to pick up a friend who had…

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by Ben Crnic
Lifestyle
'Today' Show's Hoda Kotb Announces Exit To Spend Time With Kids At Hudson Valley Home 'Today' Show's Hoda Kotb Announces Exit To Spend Time With Kids At Hudson Valley Home
'Today' Show's Hoda Kotb Announces Exit To Spend Time With Kids At Hudson Valley Home After more than five years as co-anchor, "Today" show fixture Hoda Kotb says she will be leaving to spend more time with her family in the suburbs. The 60-year-old Kotb announced her upcoming exit from NBC's "Today" during the show on Thursday morning, Sept. 26, saying on the show that she realized it was time "to try something new" during her 60th birthday celebration in August.  "I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, 'This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.' And I thought it can't get better…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Hudson Valley's Sean 'Diddy' Combs Accused Of Drugging Woman, Filming Rape In New Lawsuit Hudson Valley's Sean 'Diddy' Combs Accused Of Drugging Woman, Filming Rape In New Lawsuit
Hudson Valley's Sean 'Diddy' Combs Accused Of Drugging Woman, Filming Rape In New Lawsuit Following his arrest on federal sex trafficking charges, a woman has filed a lawsuit against hip-hop mogul and New York native Sean "Diddy" Combs accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting her while recording it on film.  In a lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, Sept. 24, Thalia Graves accused Combs of spiking her glass of wine and rendering her unconscious before raping her in a studio in Manhattan.  According to the lawsuit complaint, Graves met Combs, a 54-year-old New York City native who grew up in Westchest…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
17-Year-Old Accused Of Raping Victim At Knifepoint In Hudson Valley 17-Year-Old Accused Of Raping Victim At Knifepoint In Hudson Valley
17-Year-Old Accused Of Raping Victim At Knifepoint In Hudson Valley A teenager was apprehended after allegedly luring a victim to his Northern Westchester home and raping them at knifepoint, police announced. The 17-year-old suspect, whose name was not released because of their age, was arrested at his Yorktown home on Sunday, Sept. 22 in connection with an incident that happened the day before, Yorktown Police said on Tuesday, Sept. 24.  According to the department, an investigation revealed that on Saturday, Sept. 21, the suspect convinced the victim to come to his home on false pretenses, restrained them, and raped them at knifepoint.  The tee…

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by Ben Crnic