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Peekskill Firefighter Serving In Navy Hospitalized After Boating Accident

Peekskill Firefighter Serving In Navy Hospitalized After Boating Accident

Peekskill Firefighter Serving In Navy Hospitalized After Boating Accident A firefighter from Northern Westchester who is currently serving in the US Navy was seriously injured after a boating accident while on patrol. Rico Suarez, a member of the Peekskill Volunteer Fire Department, was injured in the accident while on patrol in the state of Washington, according to an announcement by the department from Sunday, Jan. 22. He is now in the hospital healing from a broken arm and internal bleeding. He is likely to be released after a week, and will then begin rehabilitation, he told the department. "Get better soon Rico and thank you for your …

01/26/2023

Neighbors

'You're On Live Television': Today Show Surprises NY Man On National Good Neighbor Day

'You're On Live Television': Today Show Surprises NY Man On National Good Neighbor Day

'You're On Live Television': Today Show Surprises NY Man On National Good Neighbor Day An upstate New York man got the surprise of a lifetime when he answered a knock at the door and found himself on live, national television. Rensselaer County resident Ernie Mann, age 75, opened the door to his City of Rensselaer home Wednesday morning, Sept. 28, and was shocked to find a camera crew from the Today show accompanied by two dozen cheering neighbors. Moments before the big surprise, Today correspondent Donna Farizan explained to viewers that Mann’s longtime friend, Amy Mooney, had nominated him for National Good Neighbor Day. Farizan then proceeded to knock on Mann’s front do…

by Michael Mashburn

09/30/2022

Neighbors

Daily Voice Founder Shares "A Lifetime of Work" in His New Book

Daily Voice Founder Shares "A Lifetime of Work" in His New Book

Daily Voice Founder Shares "A Lifetime of Work" in His New Book Ten years after founding Daily Voice, Carll Tucker is bringing out a new book called Collected Words. We sat down to talk to him about his book, Daily Voice, and what he’s been doing since his retirement in 2019. DV: So what is Collected Words? Tucker: Collected Words is five books I’ve written during the last thirty years. The first, Good Morning, was mined from the daily email missives I’ve been sending to my friends every day for eight years. Our Rift is a book of poems. Paddle’s Last Gift is a memoir of our beloved family dog. Dear David is a letter I wrote to my youngest son on his bar…

by Daily Voice

Neighbors

Community Rallies Around Hudson Valley Couple Found Dead In Caribbean

Community Rallies Around Hudson Valley Couple Found Dead In Caribbean

Community Rallies Around Hudson Valley Couple Found Dead In Caribbean The local community is rallying around the family of Mount Vernon resident Orlando Moore, who died on his way to his flight home following a vacation in the Dominican Republic. Orlando Moore, 43, and his girlfriend, Portia Ravenelle, 52, had been scheduled to return to their Westchester home on March 27, following a four-day trip in the town of Samana. However, the couple never made it to the airport after checking out of a Dominican Republic hotel, prompting concern from friends and family and an investigation by Dominican authorities. The two left Newark Liberty International Airport…

04/11/2019

Neighbors

Hudson Valley High School Students Prove To Be 'Good Cookies' For Charity

Hudson Valley High School Students Prove To Be 'Good Cookies' For Charity

Hudson Valley High School Students Prove To Be 'Good Cookies' For Charity A pair of New Rochelle High School students have found a way to marry cookies and lacrosse to benefit the national fight against pediatric cancer. After hosting their fourth annual “Be a Good Cookie Lacrosse Tournament,” on March 31, high school sophomores Evan Phillips and Sam Rosenberg presented the Cookies for Kids' Cancer Center with more than $50,000, the total from their first four tournaments. The tournament was initially founded as a bar mitzvah project three years ago, but has since grown to a massive annual event that has the teens eyeing larger goals. Witt and her husband starte…

04/04/2019

Neighbors

Here's How You Can Help To Avoid Conflicts With Coyotes

Here's How You Can Help To Avoid Conflicts With Coyotes

Here's How You Can Help To Avoid Conflicts With Coyotes With winter slowly transforming to spring and temperatures warming up, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has released its annual guide on how to avoid conflicts with coyotes. DEC officials released the guide on Monday as warmer weather will soon bring coyotes out from the wild to set up dens for pups that will arrive during the spring. "This time of year, DEC sees an uptick in questions from New Yorkers regarding coyotes and their behavior," DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in the statement. "While coyotes are an integral and beneficial part of our natural ecosys…

03/17/2019

Neighbors

Two Putnam County Residents Charged With DWI In State Police Stops

Two Putnam County Residents Charged With DWI In State Police Stops

Two Putnam County Residents Charged With DWI In State Police Stops New York State Police troopers busted nearly two dozen local motorists who were allegedly driving while impaired in the area over the past week. The local residents charged were: Dutchess County On Friday, Jan. 11, State Police troopers from Rhinebeck arrested Gerard V. Ollis, 43, of Poughkeepsie, for DWAI Drugs. He was traveling on Route 9 in Rhinebeck, when he was struck a mailbox and then left the scene. Ollis was stopped on Mills Cross Road in Hyde Park, the investigation revealed that he was impaired by drugs, and he was subsequently arrested. On Saturday, Jan. 12…

01/20/2019

Neighbors

Radio Host Is Third Trans Contestant In 'Jeopardy!' History

Radio Host Is Third Trans Contestant In 'Jeopardy!' History

Radio Host Is Third Trans Contestant In 'Jeopardy!' History This is one of the most popular stories of 2017 in Fairfield County. The fourth time’s a charm for former WPKN-FM radio host Fran Fried, who had a quartet of auditions over 13 years before she finally snagged a spot as a contestant on TV’s “Jeopardy!” Fried, who is only the third transgender contestant ever to pick up a buzzer on the ABC game show, will appear on Tuesday night’s episode. “It’s all been like an out-of-body experience,” said the Prospect resident who spent 13 years as a host of WPKN’s “The Sleep Deprivation Experiment” and “Franorama.” Fried first tried out for the game sho…

by Meredith Guinness

12/30/2018

Neighbors

New York Woman Celebrates Second Chance At Life

New York Woman Celebrates Second Chance At Life

New York Woman Celebrates Second Chance At Life When Orange County physical therapist’s assistant and mother Ellen Dunn first started feeling run down and short of breath, she assumed it meant that she was out of shape. She soon began working out but noticed that things didn’t get any better. That’s when her doctor diagnosed her with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung disease that results in scarring of the lungs and makes it hard to take in enough oxygen. “I knew my only option was a lung transplant, but I was in denial,” said Dunn. “It was a lot to take in and very scary – not just for me, but also for my husband and …

by LiveOnNY

11/14/2018

Neighbors

Westchester Resident Received Life-Saving Liver Transplant After 14 Year Wait

Westchester Resident Received Life-Saving Liver Transplant After 14 Year Wait

Westchester Resident Received Life-Saving Liver Transplant After 14 Year Wait At age 32 Westchester resident Janet Ocasio was a mother to three children and a successful hospital executive who started feeling run down. Her doctor told it was likely just stress and sent her home. But things didn’t improve and soon Janet was unable to walk a block or play with her children without getting winded and needing a break. She returned to the doctor where she learned the devastating news that her liver was failing. She was told she only had 4-6 years to live. “I was terrified to leave my children,” she said. “So I began doing research and went to see another doctor who sent m…

Content Partner: LiveOnNY

Neighbors

Middletown's Race 4 Space Competition For Businesses Is Underway

Middletown's Race 4 Space Competition For Businesses Is Underway

Middletown's Race 4 Space Competition For Businesses Is Underway Finding the perfect retail location isn’t always simple. Location and rent are major factors to consider when finding the perfect space for a business. But the City of Middletown, New York is making the process a little bit easier. The City of Middletown and Mayor Joseph M. DeStefano recently announced the Race 4 Space Competition at the Rail Trail Commons: a business attraction competition designed to fill four newly created retail spaces in the former Woolworth’s Department Store on North Street. Applicants will compete for one of these spaces along with a matching grant of up to $20,000 …

Content Partner: City of Middletown Department of Economic and Community Development

Neighbors

VIDEO: Area Teen Spreads 'Love, Smiles' With Random Acts Of Kindness

VIDEO: Area Teen Spreads 'Love, Smiles' With Random Acts Of Kindness

Video: Area Teen Spreads 'Love, Smiles' With Random Acts Of Kindness A Westchester teenager’s video showcasing random acts of kindness in Dutchess County has gone viral, with thousands of viewers watching her “spread love, smiles, laughs and kindness.” Eastchester resident Gabriella Ricciardi, 19, a student at Marist College, produced a video showcasing her and her friends handing out dollar bills to unsuspecting strangers around Poughkeepsie in acts of random kindness. The entire video was shot on Ricciardi’s iPhone, with a total budget of just $23. The video was shot and edited together in less than 24 hours, she said. Since it was posted earlier this mon…

03/24/2018

Neighbors

Real Life Hero Cop Meets TV Hero Cop In Hudson Valley

Real Life Hero Cop Meets TV Hero Cop In Hudson Valley

Real Life Hero Cop Meets TV Hero Cop In Hudson Valley Fantasy met reality in Westchester last week as a real-life hero cop met a prominent actress who stars as one on television. Yonkers Police Officer Kayla Maher, who was shot in the jaw as she approached two suspected criminal in a car last year, met Mariska Hargitay this week, who is filming scenes for the TV show "Law & Order SVU" in the city. Hargitay is best known for her starring role as Olivia Benson on "Law & Order." She has also become an outspoken advocate against gun violence, equality and women’s rights. Shortly after 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 25, office…

03/19/2018

Neighbors

Hudson Valley Resident Jeanine Pirro Settles 119 MPH Speeding Ticket

Hudson Valley Resident Jeanine Pirro Settles 119 MPH Speeding Ticket

Hudson Valley Resident Jeanine Pirro Settles 119 MPH Speeding Ticket After several months, Fox News host and former Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro has pleaded guilty to a speeding charge against her. New York State Police troopers stopped Pirro driving 119 miles per hour on Nov. 19 last year in the Town of Nichols, which is in upstate Tioga County near Owego and her hometown Elmira. When she was stopped by troopers, Pirro, who lives in Harrison, was driving in a 65 mph zone. According to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, Pirro faced up to 11 points on her license for driving more than 40 mph over the speed limit, though that was…

02/21/2018

Neighbors

Mahopac Resident Named Volunteer Spirit Award Winner

Mahopac Resident Named Volunteer Spirit Award Winner

Mahopac Resident Named Volunteer Spirit Award Winner Six Westchester residents have been selected to be honored as extraordinary volunteers by Volunteer New York! during National Volunteer Week and the 38th annual Volunteer Spirit Awards Gala. Hosted by Regeneron, the gala is set or Friday, April 20, at the Westchester Marriot in Tarrytown, the event will pay homage to all of the people who selflessly give their time and money to help others in need. “There will be six awards given to the outstanding honorees from throughout Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam, chosen from a stellar group of nominees submitted by local nonprofits,” said Volunt…

by Kathy Reakes

02/20/2018

Neighbors

Phyllis DeWitt Of Putnam Sheriff's Department Calls It A Career

Phyllis DeWitt Of Putnam Sheriff's Department Calls It A Career

Phyllis DeWitt Of Putnam Sheriff's Department Calls It A Career Phyllis DeWitt, a longtime employee of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office called it a career on Friday. DeWitt, who started working for the county in 1985 with the Probation Department where she worked until 2001 when she moved to the Sheriff’s Office's Civil Division. After 23 years, fellow employees wished her well and thanked her for all her years of service.

by Kathy Reakes

02/17/2018

Neighbors

Production Crew/Casting Call For Movie Being Shot In Hudson Valley

Production Crew/Casting Call For Movie Being Shot In Hudson Valley

Production Crew/Casting Call For Movie Being Shot In Hudson Valley For those looking to break into the movie business, now's your chance to work for free on a short horror film filming in the Hudson Valley next month. Kaleidoscope Productions is working on a "no budget" short film in Newburgh on Saturday, Feb. 24 and Sunday, Feb. 25 to be entered into film festivals. The film is about a sheriff in small town in upstate New York who uncovers a satanic haunting while investigating a domestic violence call. The company is looking for the following positions: Sound person with sound mixer Art Director Makeup Artist Gaffer They are also looking to …

by Kathy Reakes

02/04/2018

Neighbors

$16K Raised In Memory Of Bullied Hudson Valley Teen Who Committed Suicide

$16K Raised In Memory Of Bullied Hudson Valley Teen Who Committed Suicide

$16K Raised In Memory Of Bullied Hudson Valley Teen Who Committed Suicide A GoFundMe fundraising campaign has been started to honor the memory of a Westchester teenager who was bullied in high school and later took her own life. Nearly $17,000 has been raised in just two days on behalf of Julianna Carraturo, a former Tuckahoe High School student attending SUNY Cortland committed suicide last month after allegedly being bullied by fellow students. The proceeds raised through the GoFundMe campaign will be donated to The Kind Campaign, “an internationally recognized nonprofit organization that brings awareness and healing to the negative and lasting effects of girl-…

02/03/2018

Neighbors

Longtime Yorktown Police Officer Will Call It A Career

Longtime Yorktown Police Officer Will Call It A Career

Longtime Yorktown Police Officer Will Call It A Career Yorktown Police Officer John Hassett retired effective Jan. 29, 2018. Officer Hassett served 30 years in the law enforcement community, 28 of those years in Yorktown. During his distinguished career, Officer Hassett was the recipient of multiple Yorktown Police Department Excellent Police Duty Awards, numerous written commendations by police supervisors, and countless letters from the public praising his police work. In addition to having a great sense of humor, Officer Hassett has always had a tremendous work ethic, according to Police Chief Robert Noble. Throughout his career, he has be…

02/01/2018

Neighbors

Drive To Aid Putnam Sheriff's Deputy Battling Cancer Nears $45K

Drive To Aid Putnam Sheriff's Deputy Battling Cancer Nears $45K

Drive To Aid Putnam Sheriff's Deputy Battling Cancer Nears $45K Putnam County Sheriff's Deputy Michael "Mo" Schmidt, 39, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in September 2016. According to this GoFundMe page set up by his uncle, Schmidt had been sick since Thanksgiving 2015, but was misdiagnosed for almost a year. At this time there is no known cure for this disease, but its progression can be slowed. So far, family and friends have raised nearly $45,000 of their $150,000 GoFundMe goal to help defray some of Schmidt's medical costs. Schmidt has been a Putnam County Sheriff's deputy for aobut 10 years. During his career, he has served as the …

01/29/2018

Neighbors

New Court Honors Late Area Athlete, 26, Killed In Crash

New Court Honors Late Area Athlete, 26, Killed In Crash

New Court Honors Late Area Athlete, 26, Killed In Crash Emmanuel Omokaro of Danbury has been thinking of ways to keep Joe Neumuller's name alive ever since he was killed in a 2016 car crash. Last October, the idea to build a basketball court in Neumuller's came to Omokaro. He is currently seeking a playground permit from the city so construction can begin at St. Gregory The Great School on Great Plain Road. Neumuller was a parishioner of the church. Omokaro says the court will solve two positives. "Everyone always looking for somewhere to play basketball in Danbury," the 28-year-old told Daily Voice. "That gives people a new spo…

by Cecilia Levine

01/25/2018

Neighbors

Putnam Resident's New Album Pays Tribute To Famed Folk Musician

Putnam Resident's New Album Pays Tribute To Famed Folk Musician

Putnam Resident's New Album Pays Tribute To Famed Folk Musician Andy Biskin is hoping people love the music of Alan Lomax as much as he does.Biskin and his band, 16 Tons, have launched a Kickstarter to help fund the recording of his band's new record, which features a collection of American folk songs previously collected by Lomax. The campaign, which runs through Feb. 1, is hoping to raise $8,000 to help cover fees for musicians recording, editing, mixing, mastering and producing the CDs. As of Saturday morning, 51 people have already pledged $4,521. Biskin must raise the full amount or he receives nothing. The album will begin recording in January an…

01/02/2018

Neighbors

North Salem Resident Marching In Tournament Of Roses Parade

North Salem Resident Marching In Tournament Of Roses Parade

North Salem Resident Marching In Tournament Of Roses Parade Samuel Levine, a Northern Westchester resident, is going to have a very happy new year. Levine, who graduated from North Salem High School, will be marching in the Tournament of Roses Parade in California on New Year's Day. Levine is one of 400 people in the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band. A trumpet player, Levine, a freshman at UMass, initially was reluctant to join the band. But he went to an event over the summer and was instantly blown away by the band — which is known as "The Power and Class of New England." Aside from the Tournament of Roses parade, Le…

12/31/2017

Neighbors

Somers Soldier Receives Purple Heart From President Trump

Somers Soldier Receives Purple Heart From President Trump

Somers Soldier Receives Purple Heart From President Trump A soldier from Northern Westchester who was wounded in Afghanistan last month was awarded a Purple Heart from President Donald Trump at Walter Reed Medical Center on Thursday. Victor Prato, a 25-year-old who graduated from Somers High School in 2011 and played football at Somers, has served in the Army for two years. He was injured by a car bomb. "One of the most powerful moments of my life watching @POTUS give the Purple Heart to this American Hero," Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted. "Amazed by the strength and resilience of the men and women in our Armed Force…

12/22/2017

Neighbors

3-Year-Old Saves The Day After Finding Woman's Purse At BJ's In Yorktown

3-Year-Old Saves The Day After Finding Woman's Purse At BJ's In Yorktown

3-Year-Old Saves The Day After Finding Woman's Purse At BJ's In Yorktown Landon Pruyne of Yorktown loves fire trucks, ambulances and police cars, so he was super excited last week when he got to visit a real police station to do a good deed. The 3-year-old was shopping with his parents in BJ's when he found a purse in a shopping cart and gave it to his dad, Justin Pruyne, the deputy commissioner for the Westchester Department of Corrections. Right away, the little guy wanted the person to have their purse back, said Pruyne. "We decided to take it to the Yorktown Police department on the way home because it had a phone, cash, and credit cards inside,&qu…

by Kathy Reakes

12/18/2017

Neighbors

Animal Sanctuary Will Honor 6-Year-Old Sandy Hook Massacre Victim

Animal Sanctuary Will Honor 6-Year-Old Sandy Hook Massacre Victim

Animal Sanctuary Will Honor 6-Year-Old Sandy Hook Massacre Victim NEWTOWN, Conn. — Six-year-old Catherine Violet Hubbard once caught a butterfly on her hand. As she set it free, she whispered: “Tell your friends that I am kind.” That one sentence is the inspiration behind the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, a tribute to the little girl who was one of 20 children and six adults who perished in the Sandy Hook School massacre on Dec. 14, 2012. It has been five years since that tragic day and family, friends and supporters of the sanctuary gathered this month to celebrate Catherine’s memory and raise more than $700,000 for the new sanctuary. “If …

by Meredith Guinness

12/14/2017

Neighbors

Mahopac Falls Volunteer FD Gets In Candy Cane Run Before Snow Arrives

Mahopac Falls Volunteer FD Gets In Candy Cane Run Before Snow Arrives

Mahopac Falls Volunteer FD Gets In Candy Cane Run Before Snow Arrives The Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire Department renewed a tradition Saturday that is now approaching a half century. As the snow began to fall on Saturday morning, Mr & Mrs Claus gathered their firefighter/EMS family for the 2017 Candy Cane Run group picture before heading out to visit the children of the Mahopac Falls Fire District, a tradition that is almost 50 years old. With candy canes in hand, firefighters and EMT's got on board trucks pulling out of headquarters at 10 a.m. with lights flashing and sirens blaring

by Daily Voice

12/11/2017

Neighbors

Somers High School Students' Holiday Crafts Benefit Putnam Hospital Center

Somers High School Students' Holiday Crafts Benefit Putnam Hospital Center

Somers High School Students' Holiday Crafts Benefit Putnam Hospital Center Isabella DeChico and Adelina Ademaj, two juniors at Somers High School, are selling crafts for a good cause. The two are selling holiday ornaments and pens made out of polyester clay to raise money for Putnam Hospital Center’s oncology department. “It is our local hospital so we wanted to help out,” DeChico said. Ademaj said she is interested in pursuing medicine and cancer research and DeChico is into making crafts. So the two combined their interests for the project. Customers can either purchase the ornaments for themselves or donate the items to cancer patients, the students said. Ad…

12/09/2017

Neighbors

Mahopac Dancer Performs At Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Mahopac Dancer Performs At Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Mahopac Dancer Performs At Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade MAHOPAC, N.Y. -- Sofia Gristina had a lot to be thankful for her on Thanksgiving. Gristina, a Mahopac resident, got to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, dancing with 34th and Phunk. The 12-year-old, who dances for Epic Dance Studio in Mahopac, went out to Long Island to audition, having to learn a whole new hip-hop dance. She found out she got the part that day. "I was just in shock," Gristina said. "I didn't know what to do, I was excited." Gristina traveled all over the tri-state area to attend rehearsals, which wasn't so bad- some of the dancers would …

12/06/2017

Neighbors

Meet Hudson Valley's Newest Millionaires: NY Lottery Winners Identified

Meet Hudson Valley's Newest Millionaires: NY Lottery Winners Identified

Meet Hudson Valley's Newest Millionaires: NY Lottery Winners Identified It was easy for four Hudson Valley residents to offer up huge smiles when handed giant checks from the New Lottery making them the area's newest millionaires. The winners, Paul and Norma Fox of Cortlandt won $5 million playing the Mega Millions megaplier, and Katherine Lukin of West Nyack won $1 million on a Cashword scratch-off game, received their winnings during a ceremony Wednesday. Along with them was Anthony Vitolo of Wallkill in Orange County, who picked up his $10 million winnings from a luck $350 million Cash Spectacular scratch-off tickets. Lukin, who said she likes to play her f…

by Kathy Reakes

11/29/2017

Neighbors

Somers Leos Raise $25K For Special Olympics

Somers Leos Raise $25K For Special Olympics

Somers Leos Raise $25K For Special Olympics SOMERS, N.Y. -- A group of Somers teenagers did not let the cold water stop them from raising money for a good cause.Thirty-six Somers Leos ran into the freezing cold water at Glen Island Park as part of the Special Olympics Westchester Polar Plunge Fundraiser, raising $25,000. Additionally, for his work on the Polar Plunge, Team Captain Brandon LaSpina was nationally recognized by Disney/ABC Television Group and Youth Service America with their “Be Inspired Grant” for kids and families making a positive impact in their communities. For more information, click here.

11/27/2017