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'Operation Pothole' Targeting Pesky Post-Winter Pits In Area Roadways 'Operation Pothole' Targeting Pesky Post-Winter Pits In Area Roadways
'Operation Pothole' Targeting Pesky Post-Winter Pits In Area Roadways Now that spring’s knocking on the door, officials in the region have their sights set on those pesky potholes that popped up over winter. In Rensselaer County, “Troy’s Operation Pothole” officially got underway in Troy on Monday, March 18, to address potholes throughout the city. Over the next month, members of the city’s Quality of Life Action Task Force will drive up and down the streets, locating potholes and large cracks. Two teams will then blow out any debris and fill them with fresh asphalt. The paving schedule will be announced in the near future, city leaders said. “We are going…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Area Man Who Confessed To Sexually Abusing Child Gets Over Decade In Prison Area Man Who Confessed To Sexually Abusing Child Gets Over Decade In Prison
Area Man Who Confessed To Sexually Abusing Child Gets Over Decade In Prison Over a decade behind bars awaits a man from the region who confessed to sexually abusing a young girl. Schenectady resident Juan Garcia-Pleitez, age 41, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Schenectady County Court on Wednesday, March 13. It followed his guilty plea to one count of criminal sexual act, a felony, in January. Prosecutors said Garcia-Pleitez engaged in anal sex with a child under the age of 13 who was known to him in August 2023. In a conversation with her mother on Aug. 3, 2023, the victim said that the man had abused her the day prior in the family’s attic. The mother i…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Murder Victim's Family Files Disciplinary Complaint Against Hudson Valley DA, Staff Murder Victim's Family Files Disciplinary Complaint Against Hudson Valley DA, Staff
Murder Victim's Family Files Disciplinary Complaint Against Hudson Valley DA, Staff The family of a high-profile murder victim has filed disciplinary complaints against a Hudson Valley District Attorney and some of his staff. Earlier reports: Suspected Killer Walks Free: Man Had Been Nabbed For Murder Of 20-Year-Old Wallkill Woman 20 Years Later: Arrest Made In 2003 Murder Of Hudson Valley Woman On Monday, March 18, the family of Megan McDonald filed complaints against Orange County DA David M. Hoovler, four staff members, and former DA Frank Phillips for their handling of the case. McDonald's bludgeoned body was found in Orange County on Saturday, March 15, 2003…

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by Kathy Reakes
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'Just The Beginning': Nation's First Utility-Scale Offshore Wind Farm Completed Off NY Coast 'Just The Beginning': Nation's First Utility-Scale Offshore Wind Farm Completed Off NY Coast
'Just The Beginning': Nation's First Utility-Scale Offshore Wind Farm Completed Off NY Coast If you’re reading this, there’s a possibility that the electricity to power your device came from the country’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the completion of the South Fork Wind project on Thursday, March 14, capping off more than two years of construction that began in February 2022. As of Thursday, all 12 of the project’s offshore wind turbines were up and running roughly 35 miles off the coast of Long Island, delivering power to Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaways, the governor’s office said. Earlier Report: 'Momentous St…

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by Michael Mashburn
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2 Third-Prize Winning Powerball Tickets Worth $50K Sold In Hudson Valley 2 Third-Prize Winning Powerball Tickets Worth $50K Sold In Hudson Valley
2 Third-Prize Winning Powerball Tickets Worth $50K Sold In Hudson Valley Two third-prize winning tickets were purchased in the Hudson Valley for the latest Powerball game. The winning tickets were sold in Orange County for the Monday, March 11 game at: Smokes 4 Less on Plank Road in Newburgh Tuxedo Convenient Mart on Route 17 in Southfields The winning numbers were 1-3-7-16-66 and a Powerball of 5 The numbers for the Powerball game are drawn from a field of one to 69. The red Power Ball is drawn from a separate field of one to 26.  The Powerball drawing is televised every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 11 p.m. No word yet on who the winners were.&nb…

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by Kathy Reakes
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National Guard Solider From Region ID'd As Sole Survivor Of Triple-Fatal Crash National Guard Solider From Region ID'd As Sole Survivor Of Triple-Fatal Crash
National Guard Solider From Region ID'd As Sole Survivor Of Triple-Fatal Crash The only survivor of a helicopter crash that killed three people has been identified as a National Guard soldier from New York. The incident happened around 2:50 p.m. Friday, March 8 while the UH-72 Lakota chopper was flying over the US-Mexico border near Rio Grande City, Texas, according to the Joint Task Force North. Capital Region native Jacob Pratt, of Rensselaer, suffered critical injuries and remains hospitalized. More than $102,000 has been raised from a total of over 1,100 separate donations in a GoFundMe fundraiser launched by the New York State Counc…

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by Joe Lombardi
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Former Hudson Valley Cop Claims He Was Fired For Ticketing Woman With PBA Card: Lawsuit Former Hudson Valley Cop Claims He Was Fired For Ticketing Woman With PBA Card: Lawsuit
Former Hudson Valley Cop Claims He Was Fired For Ticketing Woman With PBA Card: Lawsuit A former Westchester police officer from the Hudson Valley is suing county officials and claiming that he was unlawfully fired for ticketing a woman who flashed a PBA card.  Rockland County resident Joseph Saetta, a former Westchester County Police officer, filed a lawsuit in federal court against the county's Department of Public Safety, its commissioner, Terrance Raynor, and County Executive George Latimer, on Friday, March 8.  According to the lawsuit complaint, Saetta, who previously spent time as an officer in Mount Vernon and Pleasantville, joined the Westchester County…

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by Ben Crnic
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Hudson Valley Inmate Receives Increased Sentence For Attacking Jail Guards Hudson Valley Inmate Receives Increased Sentence For Attacking Jail Guards
Hudson Valley Inmate Receives Increased Sentence For Attacking Jail Guards A 35-year-old Hudson Valley inmate will serve an extra 14 years in state prison for attacking correction officers on at least four occasions, seriously injuring two. Rockland County resident, Darius Williams, age 35, of Spring Valley, was sentenced to two consecutive seven-year terms for the assaults, said Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh. Williams was sentenced on Wednesday, March 13 to seven years in prison for slashing a man across the face with a box cutter in July 2022, after approaching a couple walking down a street and slashing the man across the face. He continued…

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by Kathy Reakes
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FDA Recalls Oysters After Norovirus Outbreak FDA Recalls Oysters After Norovirus Outbreak
FDA Recalls Oysters After Norovirus Outbreak The US Food and Drug Administration has recalled oysters grown and harvested in Connecticut following an outbreak of norovirus. In a notice on Thursday, March 14, the FDA said the outbreak was caused by oysters sold by Norwalk-based Norm Bloom and Son harvested in February. Although the FDA did not give many how many people were sickened, they did reveal the contaminated batch was associated with an outbreak in Minnesota. In the notice, the FDA warned consumers that the oysters were also sold to restaurants and retailers throughout Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryl…

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by Kathy Reakes
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State Worker Abused Disabled Client In Region, Second Employee Covered It Up: Police State Worker Abused Disabled Client In Region, Second Employee Covered It Up: Police
State Worker Abused Disabled Client In Region, Second Employee Covered It Up: Police A state employee at a facility in the region is accused of abusing a developmentally disabled client before another worker attempted to cover it up, police said. Troopers in Saratoga County were called to the Department of Developmental Services Offices (DDSO) care facility on Alpine Meadows Road in Greenfield on Saturday, March 2, for a reported abuse. State Police said an investigation found that an employee, 53-year-old Sandra Villafane, struck and injured a non-verbal resident who is diagnosed with multiple developmental disabilities. Troopers also discovered that another employee, 37-…

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by Michael Mashburn
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2 People Exposed To Rabid Cow In Upstate NY 2 People Exposed To Rabid Cow In Upstate NY
2 People Exposed To Rabid Cow In Upstate NY A rare case of people being exposed to a cow with rabies occurred in a hamlet in upstate New York. It happened late last week in Lee Center, located near the city of Rome in Oneida County. The cow was sent to a New York State Department of Health center for testing and the test results came back positive, the Oneida County Health Department said.  Two people were exposed to the cow and have received post-exposure prophylaxis, the department said. Signs of rabies include: Animal acting strangely Animal acting mad Animal acting shy The animal may get unusually close Drooling or…

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by Joe Lombardi
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'Groomer' Admits Filming 12-Year-Old Girl In Bathroom, Buying Her Sex Toy: Area DA 'Groomer' Admits Filming 12-Year-Old Girl In Bathroom, Buying Her Sex Toy: Area DA
'Groomer' Admits Filming 12-Year-Old Girl In Bathroom, Buying Her Sex Toy: Area DA A man from the region has confessed to secretly filming a 12-year-old girl in the bathroom and engaging in other “grooming” behaviors, prosecutors said. Schenectady County resident Ramar Martin, of Niskayuna, pleaded guilty to felony unlawful surveillance in Schenectady County Court on Monday, March 11. According to prosecutors, Niskayuna Police began investigating when the young victim, who is known to Martin, came forward with several disturbing accusations against the man, including that he had purchased her a sex toy and lingerie. The girl told police that Martin also spoke to her whil…

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by Michael Mashburn