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Youth Gymnastics Coach From Westchester Admits To Sex Abuse Charges Youth Gymnastics Coach From Westchester Admits To Sex Abuse Charges
Youth Gymnastics Coach From Westchester Admits To Sex Abuse Charges A former popular youth gymnastics coach from Westchester who operated a gym in Rockland has pleaded guilty to sex abuse charges. Joseph Lewin, 67, of Port Chester, admitted to all of the allegations against him during a hearing on Tuesday, June 18, in which he pleaded guilty to course of sexual conduct against a child, said the Rockland County District Attorney's Office.  “As a youth coach, this defendant held a position of power over his students," said acting Rockland County District Attorney Kevin Gilleece. "He abused their trust and took advantage of his vulnerable victim…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Ex-Area Restaurateur Mario Batali Accused Of Groping Woman In New Charges Ex-Area Restaurateur Mario Batali Accused Of Groping Woman In New Charges
Ex-Area Restaurateur Mario Batali Accused Of Groping Woman In New Charges Former Westchester restaurateur and celebrity chef Mario Batali pleaded not guilty to charges that he allegedly groped and forcibly kissed a woman at a Boston restaurant. Batali, 58, the former owner of the popular Tarry Market in Port Chester and Tarry Lodge in Westport, Connecticut, issued his plea early Friday, May 24, in Boston Municipal Court, wearing Adidas Yeezy sneakers, instead of his famous orange Crocs, said NBC News. The charges were filed after his accuser, Natali Tene, said she was with a friend in 2017 at the now-closed Towne Stove and Spirits when she noticed the c…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Area Man Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Child Area Man Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Child
Area Man Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Child A 28-year-old area man has been sentenced for sexually abusing a child and will register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. Clint Edwards of New Windsor in Orange County has been sentenced to seven years in state prison, followed by 10 years of post-release supervision for engaging in a sexual act with a child under the age 15 in Port Chester in June 2017. Edwards had pleaded guilty to criminal sexual act, a violent felony, on Oct. 9 last year. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. said that Edwards met the child on social media, and engaged in sexual …

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by Zak Failla
News
College Student From Westchester In Suspected Hazing Incident Dies College Student From Westchester In Suspected Hazing Incident Dies
College Student From Westchester In Suspected Hazing Incident Dies A teenage college student from Westchester who suffered cardiac arrest following a suspected hazing incident at the University at Buffalo last week has died, authorities announced on Wednesday, April 17. Sebastian Serafin-Bazan, 18, of Port Chester, was believed to have been ordered to perform exercises late Thursday night, April 11 into Friday morning, April 12 when he began experiencing physical distress. He was listed in critical condition at Buffalo General Medical Center following the incident that occurred at a fraternity house in Buffalo overnight on Custer Street up until his d…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
College Student From Westchester In Critical Condition After Possible Hazing Incident College Student From Westchester In Critical Condition After Possible Hazing Incident
College Student From Westchester In Critical Condition After Possible Hazing Incident Click here for an updated story: College Student From Westchester In Suspected Hazing Incident Dies A college student from Westchester went into cardiac arrest after a possible fraternity hazing incident at the University at Buffalo. Sebastian Serafin-Bazan, 18, was believed to have been ordered to perform exercises late Thursday night, April 11 into Friday morning, April 12 when he began experiencing physical distress, The Buffalo News reported, citing police sources. Serafin-Bazan, of Port Chester, was listed in critical condition late Saturday and police are investigating how long …

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by Joe Lombardi
Sports
Northern Westchester Fencer Brings Home Gold at Junior Olympics Northern Westchester Fencer Brings Home Gold at Junior Olympics
Northern Westchester Fencer Brings Home Gold at Junior Olympics A teen from Northern Westchester has been awarded a gold medal for his fencing abilities at the 2019 Junior Olympic Fencing Championships in Denver. The fencer, Nickoloz Lortkipanidze of Mount Kisco, is a 16-year-old junior at Fox Lane High School in Bedford. He won gold in the Cadet event (17 and under) and placed 6th in the Juniors division (20 and under). The four-day tournament was held between Friday, Feb. 15 and Monday, Feb. 18 and involved upwards of 2,000 athletes from 44 states. Representatives say this event is the largest junior national fencing championship in history. 
Next up…

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by Valerie Musson
Business
Celebrity Chef Gives Up All His Restaurants, Including In Area, Amid Sex Assault Claims Celebrity Chef Gives Up All His Restaurants, Including In Area, Amid Sex Assault Claims
Celebrity Chef Gives Up All His Restaurants, Including In Area, Amid Sex Assault Claims Celebrity chef Mario Batali, who has been facing allegations of sexual harassment for more than a year, will no longer have a stake in any of his restaurants, including his two area restaurants, his partners announced on Wednesday. Batali, who owns the Tarry Lodge in Port Chester and in Westport, removed himself from any dealings with the group after coming under fire following accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct in December 2017. On Wednesday, March 6, his former partners, Joe Bastianich and his sister, Tanya Bastianich Manuali, told the restaurants’ employees in a letter …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Man Gets 20-Year Sentence For Enticing Westchester 14-Year-Old Into Sexual Activity On Video Man Gets 20-Year Sentence For Enticing Westchester 14-Year-Old Into Sexual Activity On Video
Man Gets 20-Year Sentence For Enticing Westchester 14-Year-Old Into Sexual Activity On Video An Orange County man will spend the next two decades in prison for enticing a teenage girl from Westchester into sexual activity, which was captured on video. Clint Edwards, 28, of New Windsor, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for enticing a child to engage in illegal sexual activity. He pleaded guilty to the crime on July 2 this year following the illicit activities last year. In May and June last year, Edwards admitted to using social media and texting apps on his iPhone to entice the 14-year-old girl from Port Chester to engage in the sexual activities. During their conversa…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Dog Found In Florida 18 Months After Going Missing In New York Dog Found In Florida 18 Months After Going Missing In New York
Dog Found In Florida 18 Months After Going Missing In New York Sinatra will be back in New York. Sinatra the dog, that is. The brown-and-white Husky who disappeared from his home in Brooklyn 18 months ago was found wandering in a Seffner, Florida neighborhood this month. The 5-year-old went missing not long after a 16-year-old girl, Zion Willis, in the family that owns him died in a tragic gun accident, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Sinatra had been the late girl's constant companion, the report said. Sinatra is due to be reunited with his New York family on Sunday, Nov. 25. He must have some story to tell. If only he could. It rem…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Westchester Worker, Entire Business Victimized In $700 Gift Card Card Scam, Police Say Westchester Worker, Entire Business Victimized In $700 Gift Card Card Scam, Police Say
Westchester Worker, Entire Business Victimized In $700 Gift Card Card Scam, Police Say Police are investigating a report of fraud after a local worker and his entire office was targeted by a schemer seeking Apple gift cards in Westchester. A resident of Black Birch Lane in Scarsdale reported to police on Sunday afternoon that he had been taken for $700 in gift cards. He stated that he was exchanging emails with an account he believed to be his boss, who requested that he purchase seven Apple Store cards for $100 each. The man proceeded to do so, and in a subsequent email, he was told to scratch off the serial numbers on the back of the cards, photograph the number and email t…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Control Of State Senate Could Hinge On Hudson Valley Control Of State Senate Could Hinge On Hudson Valley
Control Of State Senate Could Hinge On Hudson Valley Democrats managed to pull six key Sept. 13 primary upsets in the state Senate, as reported here by Daily Voice, but have they raised enough money and voter support to take back the Republican-controlled chamber in Albany on Nov. 6? The Hudson Valley and Catskills are expected to play a pivotal role because the retirements of Republican Sens. John Bonacic and Bill Larkin created two open seats in the GOP-led Senate. Hudson Valley labor unions have added at least three local Senate races to their "get out the vote" phone bank call lists in the final days of the campaign. Meanwhile,…

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by Jon Craig
News
Youth Gymnastics Coach From Westchester Arraigned On Sex Abuse Charges Youth Gymnastics Coach From Westchester Arraigned On Sex Abuse Charges
Youth Gymnastics Coach From Westchester Arraigned On Sex Abuse Charges A popular local coach who owned gyms across the area has been arraigned on three counts of sexual conduct against a child and five counts of felony sexual abuse. Joseph Lewin, 67, of Port Chester, also known as Joseph Lewandoski in the 1990s, was arraigned on the counts Tuesday for abusing children over a seven-year period, said the Rockland County District Attorney's Office. “The defendant preyed upon children entrusted to his care and destroyed their innocence to satisfy his own sexual desires,” said District Attorney Thomas Zugibe. “The courage shown by these victims and their families t…

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by Kathy Reakes