Fog/Mist 44°
News
$1.7M COVID-19 Fraud Scheme: Westchester Daughter, Mom Who Worked For Police Sentenced $1.7M COVID-19 Fraud Scheme: Westchester Daughter, Mom Who Worked For Police Sentenced
$1.7M Covid-19 Fraud Scheme: Westchester Daughter, Mom Who Worked For Police Sentenced A mother-daughter duo has been sentenced to prison for defrauding the government of approximately $1.7 million.  Westchester County residents Alicia Ayers and her mother, Andrea Ayers, both of Mount Vernon, were found guilty of submitting more than 300 fraudulent applications for US Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loans.  Andrea Ayers was a former Code Enforcement Officer for the City of Mount Vernon Police Department. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress expanded the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program to provide low-interest …

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Illegal School Bus Passing: Violators Will Soon Start Being Fined In Hudson Valley Illegal School Bus Passing: Violators Will Soon Start Being Fined In Hudson Valley
Illegal School Bus Passing: Violators Will Soon Start Being Fined In Hudson Valley Drivers in one Hudson Valley county caught illegally passing school buses will soon start receiving steep fines. Beginning on Sunday, April 28, drivers who pass a stopped school bus with flashing red lights in Putnam County will receive a violation notice in the mail, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday, April 24. These notices will contain a $250 fine for the first offense, which will increase for further violations. The announcement follows the beginning of the county's bus patrol program on Monday, April 1, which has been in a warning period. Since the start of the…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
News
In Fursuit: Search For Cubs Underway After Mama Bear Killed On Taconic State Parkway In Fursuit: Search For Cubs Underway After Mama Bear Killed On Taconic State Parkway
In Fursuit: Search For Cubs Underway After Mama Bear Killed On Taconic State Parkway Despite social media buzz and some help from a couple of drone operators, there’s still no sign of a family of black bear cubs days after their mama was struck and killed on a highway in the region. The Columbia County incident happened Friday evening, April 19, on the Taconic State Parkway near Exit 99 in the hamlet of Spencertown. Two or three 10-pound cubs that are still nursing were left orphaned when the adult bear was hit and killed, according to the wildlife nonprofit Lucky Rehabilitation Center. “We located the body of their mom and will be gathering hair samples this morning in th…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
Weather
Smoky Skies: Wildfires Burning In Canada Could Affect Air Quality In Northeast Again Smoky Skies: Wildfires Burning In Canada Could Affect Air Quality In Northeast Again
Smoky Skies: Wildfires Burning In Canada Could Affect Air Quality In Northeast Again Smoke from wildfires burning across Canada could once again significantly affect air quality in the Northeast this year, according to a brand-new report. AccuWeather long-range forecasters say the 2024 wildfire season is expected to start in June and peak in September. Wildfires in Canada broke records last year, with 45.7 million acres of land burned.  AccuWeather's lead long-range forecaster, Paul Pastelok, predicts a near-to-above-historical average number of fires in Canada this year, but he expects fewer fires to burn than last year. Smoke from Canadian wildfires last June cause…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Support Swells For Marine Vet Hospitalized In Northern Westchester After Serious Crash Support Swells For Marine Vet Hospitalized In Northern Westchester After Serious Crash
Support Swells For Marine Vet Hospitalized In Northern Westchester After Serious Crash A fundraising campaign has raised tens of thousands of dollars to help a Marine Corps veteran and martial arts school manager who was seriously injured in a Hudson Valley crash. Marine Corps veteran Mickaëlla "Micka" Nugent was seriously injured in a crash in the Orange County village of Harriman on Friday, April 12.  She was then rushed to Garnet Medical Center in Middletown before being airlifted to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, where she currently remains.  Because Nugent, a graduate of Mamaroneck High School, was critically injured, she faces rising medica…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
News
$50M Scheme: Westchester Man Admits Selling Fraudulent Prescriptions, Feds Say $50M Scheme: Westchester Man Admits Selling Fraudulent Prescriptions, Feds Say
$50M Scheme: Westchester Man Admits Selling Fraudulent Prescriptions, Feds Say A 44-year-old Westchester man has admitted to a healthcare fraud scheme that cost Medicare nearly $50 million in losses, federal officials announced. Pelham Manor resident Manishkumar Patel pleaded guilty on Friday, April 26 to charges connected to a healthcare fraud and kickback scheme involving the sale of fraudulent prescriptions, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Earlier Report - $10M Scheme: Pelham Manor Man Nabbed For Selling Fraudulent Prescriptions, Feds Say According to federal officials, between 2019 and 2022, Patel and a …

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
News
Criminal Investigation Opened In Helicopter Crash Killing NY National Guard Members: Report Criminal Investigation Opened In Helicopter Crash Killing NY National Guard Members: Report
Criminal Investigation Opened In Helicopter Crash Killing NY National Guard Members: Report Officials have launched a criminal investigation into a National Guard helicopter crash near the southern border that killed two members from New York and a third victim, ABC News reports. The incident – which saw a UH-72 Lakota helicopter go down near Rio Grande City, Texas, on Friday, March 8 – is now the focus of an investigation by the Starr County Sheriff’s Office into whether there was any criminal wrongdoing, officials told the outlet. That investigation is separate from a parallel probe being conducted by the Department of Defense. So far, authorities have not publicly said what cau…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Former Manager Takes Plea Deal After Stealing Over $44K From Library In Westchester Former Manager Takes Plea Deal After Stealing Over $44K From Library In Westchester
Former Manager Takes Plea Deal After Stealing Over $44K From Library In Westchester The former business manager of a public library in Westchester has taken a plea deal after stealing tens of thousands of dollars from her workplace.  Mamaroneck resident Mary Soto, age 62, pleaded guilty to defrauding the Mamaroneck Public Library on Wednesday, April 24, according to library officials. Earlier Report - Update: Former Business Manager Steals Over $44K From Mamaroneck Library, DA Says Her plea bargain includes a $43,900 fine and 3 years probation, officials added. According to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, between May 2016 and February 20…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Man Caught Stealing From Truck In Westchester At Large After Missed Court Date: Police Man Caught Stealing From Truck In Westchester At Large After Missed Court Date: Police
Man Caught Stealing From Truck In Westchester At Large After Missed Court Date: Police A man caught stealing from a pickup truck in Westchester is at large after missing his court date, police announced. Brooklyn resident Raymondo Sepulveda was found in the driver's seat of a pick-up truck in the area of Central Park Avenue and Midland Terrace in Yonkers on Thursday, March 28 just before 2 a.m., Yonkers Police announced on Friday, April 26.  When confronted by officers, Sepulveda admitted the truck was not his before police discovered he had stolen several items from inside. He was then arrested and charged with fourth-degree grand larceny and third-degree unau…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
Business
Nationwide Recall Issued For Prosciutto Made In Germany, Distributed In US Nationwide Recall Issued For Prosciutto Made In Germany, Distributed In US
Nationwide Recall Issued For Prosciutto Made In Germany, Distributed In US A recall has been issued for a brand of deli meat that authorities say was uninspected. The US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that ConSup North America Inc., based in Lincoln Park, New Park, is recalling approximately 85,984 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) sliced prosciutto ham produced in Germany without the benefit of equivalent inspection. The RTE sliced prosciutto ham item was produced on various dates from Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, through Wednesday, March 6, 2024, and shipped to retail locations nationwide. FSIS said it is concerned th…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Ceiling Collapse Causes Major Damage At Historic Mansion Overlooking Hudson River Ceiling Collapse Causes Major Damage At Historic Mansion Overlooking Hudson River
Ceiling Collapse Causes Major Damage At Historic Mansion Overlooking Hudson River A ceiling collapse caused significant damage at a historic mansion and museum in the Hudson Valley. The incident happened in Putnam County in the hamlet of Garrison at Boscobel House and Gardens, which overlooks the Hudson River. On Tuesday, April 16, the plaster ceiling in its historic library collapsed without warning, causing major damage to the room, its contents, and adjacent rooms, according to Boscobel.  No one was in the building when the incident happened. Boscobel said it is "working diligently alongside a team of engineers, art conservators, and local officials to ass…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
New Update: Human Remains Found In Hudson Valley Are Of Young Woman New Update: Human Remains Found In Hudson Valley Are Of Young Woman
New Update: Human Remains Found In Hudson Valley Are Of Young Woman Authorities have confirmed that human remains unearthed on a Hudson Valley construction site are of a young woman who may have been dead for over a decade.  The remains were found in Putnam County on Tuesday, April 16, during excavation work at the property of a new home built in Patterson in the area of Ice Pond Road, according to New York State Police. Earlier Report - Human Remains Found Near Ice Pond Road In Patterson The investigation into identifying the remains is still in its early stages, but so far, police have confirmed they are of a white female between 16 and 28 year…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic