Overcast 59°
News
COVID-19: New 'FLiRT' Variants Now Most Dominant In US COVID-19: New 'FLiRT' Variants Now Most Dominant In US
Covid-19: New 'FLiRT' Variants Now Most Dominant In US New so-called "FLiRT" COVID-19 variants have quickly become the most dominant in the United States, and authorities are monitoring their rise as summer approaches. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of the two members of the  “FLiRT” group, KP.2, is now No. 1 among strains nationally, accounting for about 24.9 of all current infections. The JN.1 strain had been dominant in the US before the emergence of KP.2. Both variants are offshoots of the highly contagious Omicron strain. The No. 4 variant in the US, KP.1.1, which makes up …

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
ID Released For Westbury Man Killed In New Cassel After Being Struck By 2 Vehicles ID Released For Westbury Man Killed In New Cassel After Being Struck By 2 Vehicles
ID Released For Westbury Man Killed In New Cassel After Being Struck By 2 Vehicles The identity has been released of a Long Island man who was killed overnight after being struck by two vehicles, including one that fled the scene. It happened just before 10 p.m. Sunday, May 5 in New Cassel. The man was crossing Prospect Avenue near State Street when he was hit by a 2015 BMW traveling westbound, Nassau County Police said. The driver of the BMW, a 27-year-old man, remained at the scene. After the first collision, a second vehicle hit the pedestrian. The unknown vehicle continued to travel westbound on Prospect Avenue and fled the scene.  The pede…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Farmingdale HS Sweethearts Killed In Out-Of-State Crash; Fundraiser Seeks To Transport Remains Farmingdale HS Sweethearts Killed In Out-Of-State Crash; Fundraiser Seeks To Transport Remains
Farmingdale Couple Dies In Crash; GoFundMe To Transport Body Sam Cullen and Suzie Kedar were planning on spending the rest of their lives together when tragedy struck. The Long Island natives and Farmingdale High School sweethearts were killed in a car crash in Washington State on Thursday, May 2. Details about the wreck were not immediately available. Their deaths came just two days after the 28-year-old Cullen, a Petty Officer in the US Navy stationed outside of Seattle on Whidbey Island, picked up an engagement ring that he planned on giving to Kedar, according to relatives. “They had plans on Friday morning to look at houses together with a real…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
News
New Update: Floral Park Teen Severely Injured In Hit-Run Awake After Week In Coma New Update: Floral Park Teen Severely Injured In Hit-Run Awake After Week In Coma
New Update: Floral Park Teen Severely Injured In Hit-Run Awake After Week In Coma Relatives of a University at Albany student from Long Island who was severely injured in a hit-and-run crash are celebrating a major milestone in her long recovery. Alexa Kropf, age 18, of Floral Park, is no longer in a medically induced coma and is breathing on her own, her family announced in an update on GoFundMe Monday, May 6. “We are deeply grateful for all your prayers. Prayer has incredible power!” said campaign organizer Christine M. Earlier Report: Hit-Run Leaves UAlbany's Alexa Kropf Severely Injured Kropf remains in critical condition at Albany Medical Center Hospital mo…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
News
ID Released For Woman Killed In Stolen Car Crash Involving Impaired Teen On Long Island ID Released For Woman Killed In Stolen Car Crash Involving Impaired Teen On Long Island
ID Released For Woman Killed In Stolen Car Crash Involving Impaired Teen On Long Island The identity has been released of a woman killed in a Long Island crash involving an allegedly impaired teen driving a stolen car. The crash happened at around 9:10 p.m. Saturday, May 4 in Centereach. The 16-year-old boy was driving a stolen 2008 Land Rover LR2 eastbound on Middle Country Road when he crashed the vehicle into the rear of a sedan being driven by a 73-year-old woman, Suffolk County Police said. The woman was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.  Late Monday morning, May 6, Suffolk County Police identified the victim a…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
$10M Reward For Wanted Owner Of Russian Site For Cybercrimes Indicted In Eastern District $10M Reward For Wanted Owner Of Russian Site For Cybercrimes Indicted In Eastern District
$10M Most Wanted Reward For Denis Gennadievich Kulkov Federal officials have announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of a Russian national behind a website for criminals. Denis Gennadievich Kulkov, age 43, has been charged in a four-count indictment unsealed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York with access device fraud, computer intrusion, and money laundering, US District Attorney for the Eastern District Breon Peace announced on Friday, May 3. The Eastern District comprised Nassau and Suffolk counties as well as Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
News
COVID-19: Long Island Man Steals $8M From Company Seeking Surgical Masks, Feds Say COVID-19: Long Island Man Steals $8M From Company Seeking Surgical Masks, Feds Say
Covid-19: Long Island Man Steals $8M From Company Seeking Surgical Masks, Feds Say Two New York residents are accused of conning a medical supply company out of millions of dollars in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Long Island resident Jonathan Cannon, age 58, of Miller Place, and Erie County resident Julie Dotton, age 51, of Orchard Park, are both charged with wire fraud in a complaint unsealed in Central Islip federal court on Thursday, May 2. According to prosecutors, a Canadian company serving as an official provider of personal protective equipment paid Cannon and Dotton $8.2 million for surgical masks needed due to the pandemic. In exchange, Dotton agreed…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
News
New Update: I-95 Stretch Fully Reopens After Fiery Crash Causes Days-Long Closure New Update: I-95 Stretch Fully Reopens After Fiery Crash Causes Days-Long Closure
New Update: I-95 Stretch Fully Reopens After Fiery Crash Causes Days-Long Closure This story has been updated. A stretch of I-95 in Connecticut has now fully reopened three days after a fire involving a tanker with 8,500 gallons of gas days earlier. Northbound lanes on the stretch in Norwalk reopened Saturday evening, May 4. Lanes opened on the southbound side reopened late Sunday morning, May 5, earlier than had been expected. The first image above was taken around 11 a.m. Sunday. The blaze broke out after a crash on Thursday, May 2 near exits 14 and 15 between the truck and a passenger vehicle at around 6 a.m.  The tanker fire was raging for…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
New Update: Missing 12-Year-Old Westbury Girl Found New Update: Missing 12-Year-Old Westbury Girl Found
Update: Missing 12-Year-Old Westbury Girl Found Update: A 12-year-old Long Island girl who went missing has been found. Nancy Rodriguez had last been seen leaving her Westbury residence on Friday, May 3, 2024, at 11:30 p.m., according to Nassau County Police. Late Saturday night, May 4, police announced she has been located. Original report: A 12-year-old Long Island girl has gone missing, and authorities are asking the public's help in locating her. Nancy Rodriguez was last seen leaving her Westbury residence on Friday, May 3, 2024, at 11:30 p.m., according to Nassau County Police. She is 5 feet tall, 100 pounds, wit…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
News
Long Island Game Farm Defends Late Giraffe's Care Following USDA Report Long Island Game Farm Defends Late Giraffe's Care Following USDA Report
Long Island Game Farm Defends Late Giraffe's Care Following USDA Report A game farm and zoo on Long Island, which housed a male giraffe named Bobo at the time of his death, has released a statement defending its care of the animal following an inspection report citing the animal suffered from malnutrition. The statement released by Long Island Game Farm, located at 489 Chapman Boulevard in Manorville, comes shortly after a USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) report came out indicating that Bobo may have been improperly cared for. “We are saddened by the misinterpretations of the report and the extent [to] which it has been used,” the farm …

SHARE

by Sophie Grieser
News
NY Veteran Lies About Earning Purple Heart To Defraud Gov't, Charity Donors: Feds NY Veteran Lies About Earning Purple Heart To Defraud Gov't, Charity Donors: Feds
NY Veteran Lies About Earning Purple Heart To Defraud Gov't, Charity Donors: Feds An Army veteran from New York is accused of lying about earning one of the nation's highest military honors in order to rake in six figures from the government and donors to her charity. Orange County resident Sharon Toney-Finch, of Newburgh, was arrested by the FBI’s White Collar Crime Task Force on Wednesday, May 1, following a two-year investigation. According to federal prosecutors, Toney-Finch falsely claimed that she suffered combat-related injuries during a mortar attack and a separate vehicle rollover while serving in Iraq in 2010. Those claims reportedly led to her receiving hundr…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn
News
Garbage Truck Driver Charged In Chain Reaction Long Island Crash Killing 24-Year-Old Garbage Truck Driver Charged In Chain Reaction Long Island Crash Killing 24-Year-Old
Garbage Truck Driver Charged In Chain Reaction Long Island Crash Killing 24-Year-Old A sanitation truck driver is facing homicide charges after allegedly causing a chain reaction crash on Long Island that killed a 24-year-old man. Jaswinder Singh, age 52, of Bellerose, was arraigned on criminally negligent homicide and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Friday, May 3, in the death of Joseph Kelly. According to prosecutors, Singh was driving a garbage truck from Brooklyn to a business in Suffolk County on the morning of July 3, 2023, when he got off the Long Island Expressway at Exit 57 in Hauppauge. He allegedly continued driving at a high rate of speed despite app…

SHARE

by Michael Mashburn