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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…

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by Michael Mashburn
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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…

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by Joe Lombardi
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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…

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by Michael Mashburn
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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…

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by Kathy Reakes
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$2.4M Scheme: Ex-Hudson Valley Town Employee, Business Owner Admit To Illegal Dumping Plot $2.4M Scheme: Ex-Hudson Valley Town Employee, Business Owner Admit To Illegal Dumping Plot
$2.4M Scheme: Ex-Hudson Valley 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…

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by Ben Crnic
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22-Year-Old Rockland County Man Killed In Thruway Crash 22-Year-Old Rockland County Man Killed In Thruway Crash
22-Year-Old Rockland County Man Killed In Thruway Crash A 22-year-old Hudson Valley man was killed after allegedly attempting to pass another vehicle on the Thruway. The incident occurred in Rockland County around 11:25 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 24, on I-87 in Clarkstown. According to the New York State Police, a preliminary investigation revealed that Michael Dipierno, age 22, of Nyack, was driving a 2005 Honda motorcycle north on I-87 when he attempted to pass a vehicle on the median shoulder and lost control on the rumble strips.  State Police said this caused him to strike the median guide rail and be ejected from the motorcycle. After bei…

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by Kathy Reakes
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Scam Alert: Callers Posing As Police Sergeant, Demanding Cash In Hudson Valley Scam Alert: Callers Posing As Police Sergeant, Demanding Cash In Hudson Valley
Scam Alert: Callers Posing As Police Sergeant, Demanding Cash In Hudson Valley Authorities in the Hudson Valley are warning residents to be wary of phone scammers posing as police to demand cash from victims.  The scheme was detailed in an announcement by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office on Friday, Aug. 23, in which authorities said they had received reports of fraudulent calls to residents in the county.  According to the Sheriff's Office, the caller has been posing as a sergeant from the office and asking for cash for missed jury duty fines.  In their announcement, the office said they would never make such calls or request payments for jury d…

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by Ben Crnic
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Ex-NY Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time Ex-NY Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time
Ex-NY Attorney Who Stole $800K From Clients Gets Prison Time A former New York attorney is heading to prison after confessing that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from his clients. Former Long Island resident Douglas Valente, age 57, now of Florida, was sentenced to between one and four years in prison in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Aug. 22. Prosecutors said Valente, the former principal attorney at the Valente Law Group in Stony Brook, stole more than $800,000 from three former clients by taking money from his escrow account. Earlier Report: Former NY Attorney Stole Nearly $1M From Clients, DA Says Among the victims was a cl…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Stranded Astronauts Will Hitch Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Troubles Stranded Astronauts Will Hitch Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Troubles
Stranded Astronauts Will Hitch Ride On SpaceX Capsule Amid Starliner Troubles After spending months in limbo aboard the International Space Station, an astronaut from Massachusetts finally has a return date to Earth. Pilot Suni Williams, from the town of Needham in Norfolk County, and commander Butch Wilmore will abandon Boeing’s troubled Starliner and instead hitch a ride on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025, NASA confirmed Saturday, Aug. 24. The stunning decision capped off 11 weeks of uncertainty after NASA discovered numerous helium leaks and malfunctions with Starliner’s thrusters following its launch from Florida's Space Coast on Wednesday, June 5. Ea…

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by Michael Mashburn
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NY Mom Accused In Wrong-Way Crash Killing Son Had License Suspended 56 Times NY Mom Accused In Wrong-Way Crash Killing Son Had License Suspended 56 Times
NY Mom Accused In Wrong-Way Crash Killing Son Had License Suspended 56 Times A New York mother accused of causing an impaired, wrong-way crash that killed her son has had her license suspended dozens of times, prosecutors said. Long Island resident Kerri Bedrick, age 32, of Centerport, pleaded not guilty to aggravated DWI and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Friday, Aug. 23. It came one day after an early-morning wreck on the Southern State Parkway in Islip that killed her 9-year-old son, Eli. Earlier Report: Update: Mom ID'd Following Alleged Drunk, Wrong-Way Crash That Killed Her Son In Islip New York State Police said Bedrick was driving an SUV…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Hudson Valley Anesthesiologist Admits Drugging, Sexually Assaulting Victim Hudson Valley Anesthesiologist Admits Drugging, Sexually Assaulting Victim
Hudson Valley Anesthesiologist Admits Drugging, Sexually Assaulting Victim A chief anesthesiologist at a Hudson Valley hospital has admitted to drugging a victim and sexually abusing her while she was unconscious, officials announced.  Putnam County resident Paul Giacopelli of Southeast, who worked as chief anesthesiologist at Putnam County Hospital in Carmel, pleaded guilty to charges connected to his sexual abuse on Wednesday, Aug. 21, the Putnam County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday, Aug. 22.  According to the DA's Office, an investigation revealed that Giacopelli used a chemical to render his victim unconscious. He th…

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by Ben Crnic
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FDA Approves Updated COVID-19 Vaccines: Here's When They Will Be Available FDA Approves Updated COVID-19 Vaccines: Here's When They Will Be Available
FDA Approves Updated Covid-19 Vaccines: Here's When They Will Be Available The US Food and Drug Administration has just approved new COVID-19 vaccines.It marks the third time the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have been updated to match circulating strains since the original shot. The shots should be available within days, the FDA said in making the announcement Thursday afternoon, Aug. 22. The new vaccines have been updated with a formula to more closely target currently circulating variants and provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID, including hospitalization and death. “Vaccination continues to be the cornerstone of COVID-19 preventi…

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by Joe Lombardi