Massapequa, NY
Business
COVID-19: Nationwide Liquor Shortage Affects Stores, Bars, Restaurants COVID-19: Nationwide Liquor Shortage Affects Stores, Bars, Restaurants
Covid-19: Nationwide Liquor Shortage Affects Stores, Bars, Restaurants The COVID-19 pandemic claimed an unexpected victim as the nation faces a shortage of liquor that is impacting stores, bars, and restaurants across the country. Some states along the East Coast have started to limit purchases due to alcohol shortages related to the pandemic, which saw a marked uptick in the number of people staying home and enjoying a drink or two after a long day of working remotely. According to the Alcohol and Beverage Commission, some states have started rationing their liquor sales amid supply chain issues, though there is no clear timetable for when the supply will mat…

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by Zak Failla
Mount Pleasant, NY
Lifestyle
Northern Westchester Family Makes Splash On Popular Game Show Northern Westchester Family Makes Splash On Popular Game Show
Northern Westchester Family Makes Splash On Popular Game Show A  family in Northern Westchester that loves watching the "Family Feud" game show got a chance to be on the popular program themselves after beating out thousands of other potential contestants. Yorktown residents Rocky and Lori Bonitatibus were contestants on the show on Monday, Oct. 11, and Tuesday, Oct. 12, with three of their four sons after waiting for almost three years to make it to the production due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The family, who are huge "Family Feud," fans, got the chance after Lori saw a story about trying out and took the chance. Fast forward a few months, and t…

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by Kathy Reakes
Springfield, MA
News
Gas Rates May Increase In Massachusetts This Winter, Eversource Warns Gas Rates May Increase In Massachusetts This Winter, Eversource Warns
Gas Rates May Increase In Massachusetts This Winter, Eversource Warns Eversource customers in the region could see a small spike in their bills this winter as the utility company contends with rising natural gas prices. This week, citing rising gas prices around the world, Eversource filed its proposed winter natural gas rate for Massachusetts residents with the Department of Public Utilities that would include rate increases for customers beginning on Monday, Nov. 1. According to Eversource, during the pandemic, the price of natural gas rose by approximately 20 percent as the demand increased in 2020 as many sheltered in place for upwards of a year and some…

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by Zak Failla
White Plains, NY
Schools
Education Officials Express Outrage After Multiple Bomb Threats Called Into Westchester Schools Education Officials Express Outrage After Multiple Bomb Threats Called Into Westchester Schools
Education Officials Express Outrage After Multiple Bomb Threats Called Into Westchester Schools Some top officials in one of Westchester’s largest school districts have expressed outrage after being among the county’s school districts targeted by schemers making threats. In the span of three days this week, four schools in Westchester - Yonkers Middle/ High School, Mount Vernon High School, Blind Brook High School, and the Yonkers Montessori Academy - were forced to evacuate students and staff due to unfounded threats that were reported.  Each of the threats proved to be unfounded, and responding police investigators found no credible threat at any of the buildings. 
“Our school…

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by Zak Failla
Mount Pleasant, NY
News
Six Physical Therapists, Two Acupuncturists Charged In $20M Fraud Scheme, SDNY Says Six Physical Therapists, Two Acupuncturists Charged In $20M Fraud Scheme, SDNY Says
Six Physical Therapists, Two Acupuncturists Charged In $20M Fraud Scheme, Sdny Says Six physical therapists and a pair of acupuncturists in New York are facing charges for their roles in a $20 million health care fraud scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic. US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss announced that nine suspects have been indicted for operating an over $20 million health care fraud scheme at fraudulent medical offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. It is alleged that as part of the fraud scheme, co-conspirators paid a kickback to some patients who were insured by Medicare and other insurance providers to fraudulently bill them for p…

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by Zak Failla
Massapequa, NY
Lifestyle
These Long Island Locales Among 'Most Charming Small Towns' Near NYC These Long Island Locales Among 'Most Charming Small Towns' Near NYC
These Long Island Locales Among 'Most Charming Small Towns' Near NYC As New York turns the calendar to fall and many begin flocking away from the city and into the suburbs, a pair of Long Island locales have been named among the state’s “most charming” small towns. Purewow.com released a new report highlighting the top 16 small towns in New York that are all within a few hours from Manhattan and far less densely populated than the city as the country continues to contend with the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the new report, both Greenport (11th on the list), and Sag Harbor (15th) made the cut, with the website highlighting some of the draws of each town. …

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by Zak Failla
Paterson, NJ
News
Killer Paroled After Only Three Years Charged With Shooting Paterson Dad Of 10 Dead Killer Paroled After Only Three Years Charged With Shooting Paterson Dad Of 10 Dead
Killer Paroled After Only Three Years Charged With Shooting Paterson Dad Of 10 Dead A convicted killer who was paroled after only three years in state prison was captured in Brooklyn and charged with shooting and killing a Paterson father of 10 in the Silk City last month, authorities said. Rondell Gray, 40, of North Haledon originally wasn’t even eligible for parole until Wednesday -- the day his arrest was announced -- after taking a plea bargain three years earlier for shooting and killing Myesha Montgomery, 28, with whom he once lived, in 2015, state records show. The state freed Gray, who’s also a registered sex offender, on Oct. 8, 2020, however, amid a wave of earl…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Brentwood, NY
Business
COVID-19: Here's Why Auto Prices Are Expected To Remain High COVID-19: Here's Why Auto Prices Are Expected To Remain High
Covid-19: Here's Why Auto Prices Are Expected To Remain High A shortage of a key part caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to keep automobile prices high until as late as 2023, according to multiple reports. Experts say that computer chip shortages caused car prices to increase in the spring, and delta variant cases in countries that produce the computer chips could lead to even longer wait times before prices lower. Jeff Aiosa, the Connecticut Director of the National Automobile Dealers Association, told WTNH in New Haven that dealers across the United States usually sell more than 17 million new cars, but that number has gone down to 16 mill…

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by Nicole Valinote
Newark, NJ
News
Feds: NJ Scammer, Accomplice Submit $1.2M In Bogus COVID-19 Unemployment Claims Feds: NJ Scammer, Accomplice Submit $1.2M In Bogus COVID-19 Unemployment Claims
Feds: NJ Scammer, Accomplice Submit $1.2M In Bogus Covid-19 Unemployment Claims A Paterson man and an accomplice filed nearly $1.2 million in bogus COVID-related unemployment claims over the course of three months, federal authorities in Massachusetts charged. Omar Thompson, 39, and his unidentified female partner submitted more than 100 fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, sometimes recruiting people from other states in the scheme and pocketing kickbacks, they said. Roughly half of the claims were submitted on behalf of people with out-of-state driver’s licenses and mailing addresses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts. In anoth…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Englewood, NJ
Real Estate
LOOK INSIDE: $39M New Jersey Mansion Sells For $4.6M LOOK INSIDE: $39M New Jersey Mansion Sells For $4.6M
Look Inside: $39M New Jersey Mansion Sells For $4.6M Glory, glory, hallelujah: New Jersey's $39 million Gloria Crest Estate has finally sold -- after eight years on the market for $4.6 million.  Listed in Englewood, since 2013, the opulent eight-bedroom mansion -- originally one of new Jersey's most expensive properties --  plummeted in value years before the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. "The NY Post" reported more details on the "measly" final sale price in this story Tuesday, noting that the buyers made out hugely -- with an 88% "discount" from the original asking price.  "The Post" noted that multiple real estate ag…

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by Jon Craig
Massapequa, NY
News
Now-Former Governor Cuomo Stripped Of Emmy Award On His Way Out Of Office Now-Former Governor Cuomo Stripped Of Emmy Award On His Way Out Of Office
Now-Former Governor Cuomo Stripped Of Emmy Award On His Way Out Of Office Fate keeps kicking Andrew Cuomo while he's down. The embattled now-former New York governor, whose resignation took effect at midnight, Tuesday, Aug. 24, was stripped of his Emmy Award due to the sexual harassment allegations that led to him being forced out of office. In November last year, Cuomo was awarded the Daytime Emmy award for his then-daily live, televised COVID-19 pandemic news conferences, which caught the eye of much of the nation before the governor was embroiled in the sexual harassment scandal. Cuomo had been recognized for his “effective use of television to inform and cal…

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by Zak Failla
Brentwood, NY
Business
Popular Burger Chain Expected To Increase Prices, Report Says Popular Burger Chain Expected To Increase Prices, Report Says
Popular Burger Chain Expected To Increase Prices, Report Says Customers of a popular burger chain can expect to pay a bit more for their orders, as the company is planning to increase its prices soon.  Shake Shack CFO Katherine Fogertey said customers will have to pay as much as 3% to 3.5 percent more, a higher increase than previous years, according to Eat This, Not That.  The site said the price is expected to change at the end of 2021, and another increase might take place in 2022. The decision was reportedly made to offset the costs of commodities and labor that have risen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other businesses, such as Chipotl…

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by Nicole Valinote