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Police & Fire
YouTube Takes Down 'Violent, Graphic' Video Posted By Police Department In Westchester YouTube Takes Down 'Violent, Graphic' Video Posted By Police Department In Westchester
YouTube Takes Down 'Violent, Graphic' Video Posted By Police Department In Westchester A police department in Westchester ran into trouble with YouTube after the company removed a video posted by officers that they deemed was too violent.  The video-sharing website sent an email to Yonkers Police on Sunday, March 12 notifying them that it had removed a video posted by the department in 2021 that was in violation of YouTube's violent or graphic content policy.  The email, which was shared by the department on social media, said the video that had been removed had been titled "Yonkers Police arrest, charge 14 gang members in violent North Broadway assault" and that it had brok…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Students At HS In Hudson Valley Impersonated Administrators, Police In Racist Videos, BOE Says Students At HS In Hudson Valley Impersonated Administrators, Police In Racist Videos, BOE Says
Students At HS In Hudson Valley Impersonated Administrators, Police In Racist Videos, BOE Says Several students at a high school in the Hudson Valley used artificial intelligence to impersonate both school district administrators and police in racist videos on social media, officials said. The videos were created by students in Putnam County who go to Carmel High School, the Carmel Central School District's Board of Education announced on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 15.  Both Carmel Central School District administrators and members of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office were impersonated in the videos, which contained inappropriate and racist content and were posted on TikTok…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
'Diverse' Snowman Post Lands NY School District In Hot Water 'Diverse' Snowman Post Lands NY School District In Hot Water
'Diverse' Snowman Post Lands NY School District In Hot Water A school district in New York is apologizing after a Facebook post about a snowman sparked allegations of racism. In a now-deleted post on Tuesday, Jan. 31, Greene County’s Coxsackie-Athens Central School District included a photo of three students standing next to a noticeably dirty snowman. The caption reads, “Today’s CE Fourth Grade Playground Fun! This snowman is just as diverse as our students!” The Coxsackie-Athens Central School District apologized over a Facebook post about a "diverse" snowman that sparked allegations of racism.Coxsackie-Athens Central School District It didn’…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Westchester Sex Offender Shares Child Porn On Social Media, Gets Years In Prison Westchester Sex Offender Shares Child Porn On Social Media, Gets Years In Prison
Westchester Sex Offender Shares Child Porn On Social Media, Gets Years In Prison An already-registered sex offender from Westchester County was sentenced to years in prison for sharing child pornography on social media.  Yonkers resident Demetrious Kotopoulos, age 41, was sentenced to three to six years in state prison for sharing and possessing child pornography, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced on Tuesday, Jan. 31.  Kotopoulos, who was already on probation for a prior sex offense conviction, uploaded a file of a nude child engaged in sexual conduct to the social media messaging platform Discord on two occasions between March 2…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Hudson Valley Youth Being Extorted On Social Media, Police Say Hudson Valley Youth Being Extorted On Social Media, Police Say
Hudson Valley Youth Being Extorted On Social Media, Police Say Police in the Hudson Valley are warning parents of a group that is targeting youth on social media for suggestive photos and then blackmailing them for cash.  The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office reports the investigation into multiple cases of local youths being extorted via social media over the past week, said Capt. John Watterson of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office.  Watterson said the extortion begins when the perpetrator befriends the child posing as someone their age on social media, then at some point asks the child to share explicit photos of themselves…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Nextdoor App's 'Unauthorized' Letters To Neighbors Irk NY Woman Nextdoor App's 'Unauthorized' Letters To Neighbors Irk NY Woman
Nextdoor App's 'Unauthorized' Letters To Neighbors Irk NY Woman A New York woman is none too happy with the social media site Nextdoor after claiming the company “hacked” her name to advertise its services. Columbia County resident Celeste Alexander, of Ghent, recently discovered that Nextdoor has been sending out letters to her neighbors, inviting them to join the site, according to a post in the Facebook group Chatham New York Community Board. The letters appear to come directly from Alexander and are signed, “Your neighbor, Celeste Alexander.” They also mention what street she lives on. “I did not send letters and I didn’t authorize the use of m…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Here's Why Hudson Valley's Own Jimmy Fallon Is Taking Time To Show He's Not Dead Here's Why Hudson Valley's Own Jimmy Fallon Is Taking Time To Show He's Not Dead
Here's Why Hudson Valley's Own Jimmy Fallon Is Taking Time To Show He's Not Dead Jimmy Fallon is alive and well, despite what you may have seen on Twitter. Alarm bells rippled across the social media platform on Tuesday, Nov. 15, after the hashtag #RIPJimmyFallon began trending, leading many to believe the 48-year-old Tonight Show host and former Saturday Night Live cast member had died. Naturally, the hoax hashtag spread like wildfire on Twitter. Perhaps nobody was more shocked about the purported death than Fallon himself, a Hudson Valley native who grew up in Ulster County, in Saugerties, and was, by all accounts, very much still alive. At 9:34 p.m., Fallon poste…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Hudson Valley Man Charged With Giving Indecent Material To Minors, Police Say Hudson Valley Man Charged With Giving Indecent Material To Minors, Police Say
Hudson Valley Man Charged With Giving Indecent Material To Minors, Police Say A Hudson Valley man has been charged with the dissemination of indecent material to minors following a lengthy investigation, according to police. Dutchess County resident Hayez D. Prelich, age 25 of Pine Plains, was arrested on Wednesday, Nov.2, in New York City. According to Dutchess County Sheriff's Capt. John Watterson, early in 2022 Prelich was charged with disseminating indecent material to minors, a felony, by the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau.  After being charged Prelich failed to appear for his court appearances, after which a warrant was issued for his ar…

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by Kathy Reakes
Politics
NY Post Fires Employee For False, Racist, Violent Content Targeting Politicians NY Post Fires Employee For False, Racist, Violent Content Targeting Politicians
NY Post Fires Employee For False, Racist, Violent Content Targeting Politicians A series of racist, violent headlines that were posted on the website and Twitter account of the New York Post on Thursday, Oct. 27, were carried out by an employee, Variety reports.  In a statement to the outlet, a spokesperson for the Post said an investigation had revealed that the “unauthorized conduct” was an inside job and the employee responsible has been fired. “This morning, we immediately removed the vile and reprehensible content from our website and social media accounts,” the spokesperson said. The news organization did not reveal the employee’s name. The New York Post ha…

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
McGimmick? McDonald's Elusive McRib Returns For Final ‘Farewell Tour’ (Maybe) McGimmick? McDonald's Elusive McRib Returns For Final ‘Farewell Tour’ (Maybe)
McGimmick? McDonald's Elusive McRib Returns For Final ‘Farewell Tour’ (Maybe) Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that the McDonald’s McRib sandwich has taken on a life all its own. Now, that life may be coming to an end after the Golden Arches announced that the notoriously elusive yet ever popular saucy sandwich will embark on a “Farewell Tour” beginning on Monday, Oct. 31. the mcrib is coming back 10.31 but this is its farewell tour — McDonald's (@McDonalds) October 24, 2022 However, McDonald’s was quick to add that this may not be the last of the iconic sandwich. “Like any true farewell tour, we’re hoping this isn’t a ‘goodbye’ but a ‘see you later,’” th…

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by Michael Mashburn
Sports
Yankees, Other Pro Sports Teams Urge Fans To Take Action On Gun Law Reform After Mass Shootings Yankees, Other Pro Sports Teams Urge Fans To Take Action On Gun Law Reform After Mass Shootings
Yankees, Other Pro Sports Teams Urge Fans To Take Action On Gun Law Reform After Mass Shootings The game of baseball took a backseat for a pair of rival teams who took the opportunity to encourage gun control and legislative action after the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, Texas, and elsewhere in the US. Social media departments from the New York Yankees and AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays teamed up during their matchup on Thursday, May 26 to forego tweeting and messaging about their game, and instead used it to promote gun law reform. “In lieu of game coverage and in collaboration with the Tampa Bay Rays, we will be using our channels to offer facts about the impacts of gun violence,…

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by Zak Failla
News
Teen Arraigned, Placed On Home Confinement After Threatening Mass Shooting At NY HS Teen Arraigned, Placed On Home Confinement After Threatening Mass Shooting At NY HS
Teen Arraigned, Placed On Home Confinement After Threatening Mass Shooting At NY HS A teenager in New York has been arraigned after being arrested for allegedly threatening to commit a mass shooting at a local school, authorities announced. On Long Island, a 16-year-old student at Bellport High School in Suffolk County was arrested by police in his home on Thursday, May 26. Original story - Teen Charged After Threatening Mass Shooting At Bellport HS, DA Says Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said that the teen - whose name is not being released due to his age - created an online post threatening a massive shooting at his hometown school. Investigators…

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by Zak Failla