Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
Police & Fire
GRAPHIC: Vernon PD Releases Body Cam Footage Of Officer Fatally Shooting Dog GRAPHIC: Vernon PD Releases Body Cam Footage Of Officer Fatally Shooting Dog
Graphic: Vernon PD Releases Body Cam Footage Of Officer Fatally Shooting Dog The Vernon Police Department has released body camera footage of a police officer that shot a loose dog. A neighbor can be heard telling Officer Rivera a local dog, "Hiro," had been running around loose for four or five hours Saturday afternoon. The neighbor told Rivera he tried giving the "rabid" dog water when it attacked him.  Footage moments later shows Hiro barking and running toward the officer. Rivera yells at the dog to back up twice before pulling the trigger. The department is withholding the footage in its entirety due to privacy concerns and the ongoing investigation. The sho…

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by Cecilia Levine
Brentwood, NY
News
Dead Rooster Believed To Be Part Of Satanic Animal Sacrifice Found In Smithtown, SPCA Says Dead Rooster Believed To Be Part Of Satanic Animal Sacrifice Found In Smithtown, SPCA Says
Dead Rooster Believed To Be Part Of Satanic Animal Sacrifice Found In Smithtown, SPCA Says A $2,000 reward is being offered for anyone with information about a rooster that was used in what is believed a satanic animal sacrifice in Smithtown. The burned, dead bird was found on a path by the lake in Millers Pond County Park on Sunday, July 7, near the Maple and 4th avenues entrance, Suffolk County Police said. Officials with the Suffolk County SPCA were notified and determined that that the dead rooster was part of ritualistic, satanic animal sacrifice, SPCA officials said. Previously in February, three decapitated birds were also discovered in this same location. According to M…

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by Kathy Reakes
DV Plus - Westchester, NY
Lifestyle
Are Deer A Threat To Westchester Wilderness? State Parks Department Apparently Thinks So Are Deer A Threat To Westchester Wilderness? State Parks Department Apparently Thinks So
Are Deer A Threat To Westchester Wilderness? State Parks Department Apparently Thinks So Suburban vehicles and wildlife don't mix on Westchester roadways. Deer-car collisions in the region are on the rise, according to state officials. But does wildlife pose a "threat" even in the area's state parks? Apparently so, according to signs warning hikers and runners of the deer invasion at Rockefeller State Park in Pocantico Hills. Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADOW) has initiated legal action to have the signs taken down. ADOW is the same non-profit organization that fought Mamaroneck over its plan to kill geese in the village, the state on plans to hunt deer and coyotes by hiri…

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by Jon Craig
New Canaan, CT
News
New Canaan Woman’s Animal Cruelty Charges Upgraded To Felonies New Canaan Woman’s Animal Cruelty Charges Upgraded To Felonies
New Canaan Woman’s Animal Cruelty Charges Upgraded To Felonies The past president of a New Canaan dog rescue group charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty following the discovery of five dead dogs in her home had the charges upgraded to felonies during a hearing in Superior Court this week. Heidi Lueders, 31, of New Canaan, was first arrested for the crimes following the discovery of five dead dogs in crates at a Fairfield home in November 2018 by Fairfield Police. But due to pressure from animal rights groups, prosecutors upgraded the charges to felonies on Wednesday, Feb. 13. Lueders, who headed Bully Breed Rescue, Inc., was said to be in the c…

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by Kathy Reakes
Armonk, NY
News
PETA Celebrates Police Department In Westchester For Rescuing Deer PETA Celebrates Police Department In Westchester For Rescuing Deer
PETA Celebrates Police Department In Westchester For Rescuing Deer A police department in the area will be receiving an award from PETA after two officers rescued a deer that found itself caught in a makeshift hammock. A Compassionate Police Department Award is on its way from PETA to the Yonkers Police Department after officers Matthew Donaldson and David MacDonald rescued the buck, whose antlers were caught in a makeshift hammock outside a home on Arthur Place on Monday morning. The two were able to tranquilize the animal and free him from his confinement behind an Arthur Place home.  On a video released by the department, the officers can be seen assis…

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by Zak Failla
Pascack Valley, NJ
Neighbors
Happy Birthday To River Vale's Bill Maher Happy Birthday To River Vale's Bill Maher
Happy Birthday To River Vale's Bill Maher RIVER VALE, N.J. — Happy birthday to Bill Maher of River Vale, who turns 62 on Saturday. He was born in New York City on Jan. 20, 1956 and was raised in River Vale, graduating from Pascack Hills High School in Montvale in 1974. He double majored in English and history at Cornell University, graduating in 1978. His father, William Aloysius Maher Jr. was a network news editor and radio announcer, and his mother, Julie (Berman) Maher, was a nurse. He is best known for the HBO political talk show "Real Time with Bill Maher" (2003–present), and is also a comedian, writer, producer, p…

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by Cecilia Levine