Massapequa, NY
Police & Fire
Alert Issued For Man Who Went Missing From Long Island Veterans Center Alert Issued For Man Who Went Missing From Long Island Veterans Center
Alert Issued For Man Who Went Missing From Long Island Veterans Center A Silver Alert has been issued for a missing 56-year-old veteran who lives with a mental illness, according to police.  Perry Brown, of Patchogue, was last seen leaving the Northport Veterans Association Center on Thursday, Dec. 3 at approximately 3 p.m., but never returned to his home on Station Avenue, according to Suffolk County Police.  He is approximately 5-foot-8, weighs about 120 pounds and wears wire-rim glasses. Police said he may have left the hospital via bus.  Anyone with information on Brown's whereabouts is asked to call 911 or contact the Fifth Squad at 631-85…

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by Christina Coulter
New Haven, CT
News
Victim ID'd In Fatal VA Hospital Steam-Pipe Explosion Victim ID'd In Fatal VA Hospital Steam-Pipe Explosion
Victim ID'd In Fatal VA Hospital Steam-Pipe Explosion One of the two men who died in a fatal steam pipe explosion at the West Haven VA Hospital has been identified. Friends, family, and coworkers said they are mourning the loss of Eul T. Sims, Jr., of Milford. He was 60 when he died. Sims was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois. He retired after serving 21 years in the U.S. Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the SeaBees, according to his obituary. Sims is survived by his wife Cynthia Petrie, his children, and grandchildren. People who knew Sims said he was kind and supportive of the staff and patients at the VA. Sims was the type of…

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by Kristin Palpini
Poughkeepsie, NY
Police & Fire
Suspect Nabbed In Fatal Stabbing Of Army Veteran In Poughkeepsie Suspect Nabbed In Fatal Stabbing Of Army Veteran In Poughkeepsie
Suspect Nabbed In Fatal Stabbing Of Army Veteran In Poughkeepsie A 21-year-old Dutchess County man was arrested by police for the previously-unsolved murder of a 55-year-old Army veteran, who was stabbed to death outside his home.  Anthony Gray of Poughkeepsie was stabbed at approximately 9:25 p.m. outside Liberty Station in the area of North Clinton Street on Friday, Oct. 16. He succumbed to his injuries during surgery at an area hospital, and was pronounced dead at approximately 1 a.m. on Saturday Oct. 17.  On Thursday, Oct. 21, City of Poughkeepsie Police said they arrested Anthony Jackson of Poughkeepsie, who they had identified as the…

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by Christina Coulter
Mount Pleasant, NY
Business
COVID-19: Popular Hudson Valley Eatery Closes COVID-19: Popular Hudson Valley Eatery Closes
Covid-19: Popular Hudson Valley Eatery Closes An ultra-popular Hudson Valley restaurant that has been honored by the State Senate for its work with veterans has closed its doors for good. The owners of the Sweet Peas Café in New Windsor, announced this week that although it is continuing to look for a way to say open during the COVID pandemic, it has decided to close. "The café has struggled to remain financially viable through the pandemic," said owners Nina Baldassare and John Zippo on Facebook. "We are saddened and sorry to have to announce that we will have to permanently close the café." The cafe was opened in 2014 by K…

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by Kathy Reakes
Springfield, MA
Police & Fire
AG Charges 2 Holyoke Soldiers' Home Supervisors Over Wave Of COVID-19 Deaths AG Charges 2 Holyoke Soldiers' Home Supervisors Over Wave Of COVID-19 Deaths
AG Charges 2 Holyoke Soldiers' Home Supervisors Over Wave Of Covid-19 Deaths Two Holyoke Soldiers’ Home supervisors are being charged in connection to a wave of COVID-19 related deaths that swept through the hospital in March. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced on Friday, Sept. 25, the charges against hospital former Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director Dr. David Clinton. Walsh and Clinton are facing the same charges: 5 counts each of criminal neglect and five counts each of serious bodily injury, Healey said. Healey said the charges are the result of a few particular alleged actions when COVID-19 positive residents were inter…

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
COVID-19: $176 Million Lawsuit Filed Against Holyoke Soldiers' Home By Veterans' Families COVID-19: $176 Million Lawsuit Filed Against Holyoke Soldiers' Home By Veterans' Families
Covid-19: $176 Million Lawsuit Filed Against Holyoke Soldiers' Home By Veterans' Families The families of veterans who died due to the COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home are seeking $176 million through a class-action lawsuit against the home’s leadership. Lawyers from the firm Lesser, Newman, Aleo, and Nassar, of Northampton, announced the filing of the federal lawsuit on July 17 in front of the Springfield Court House. The $176 million figure would provide $1 million to each of the families of the 76 Holyoke Soldiers' Home veterans who died from COVID-19. The remaining $100 million would cover punitive damages and be available to the 80 additional veterans who, la…

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by Kristin Palpini
Mahopac, NY
News
American Flag Found Desecrated In Area Park American Flag Found Desecrated In Area Park
American Flag Found Desecrated In Area Park A desecrated American Flag was found in a Hudson Valley park covered in feces and urine in a porta-potty. One of the members of a senior over-60 softball league made up of veterans and retired first responders reported this week that the flag that flies at Stanley Stiller Park in the Town of Poughkeepsie had been taken down and destroyed by an unknown person. A day after opening up their softball season by saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, it was stolen, thrown into the portable toilet and covered with feces and urine. The company that owns the porta-potty refused to come to pum…

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by Zak Failla
Massapequa, NY
News
COVID-19: NY Outlines How Many Are Allowed To Attend Memorial Day Gatherings COVID-19: NY Outlines How Many Are Allowed To Attend Memorial Day Gatherings
Covid-19: NY Outlines How Many Are Allowed To Attend Memorial Day Gatherings Memorial Day celebrations will have a different look in New York this year due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. During his daily COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday, May 19 held on Long Island at Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined the conditions under which Memorial Day celebrations can be held in the state. Cuomo said that there can still be celebrations, but gatherings of more than 10 people will not be permitted, per the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though he noted that it will…

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by Zak Failla
Paramus, NJ
Obituaries
Bergen County Man Who Dedicated Life To Building Homes For Veterans Dies Of Coronavirus Bergen County Man Who Dedicated Life To Building Homes For Veterans Dies Of Coronavirus
Bergen County Man Who Dedicated Life To Building Homes For Veterans Dies Of Coronavirus All Doug DiPaola was called to the Paramus Veterans Home to do last July was provide an estimate on how much it would be to replace the roof of a gazebo and a walkway behind the facility. Instead, DiPaola did all the work himself completely free of charge -- and even added a ramp. DiPaola, who dedicated his life to bettering lives of veterans, died Easter Sunday of coronavirus. "He was so generous," said Frank Calandrillo, Vice Chairman of the Veteran Advisory Council at the Veterans Home in Paramus. "We never expected him to do all that. We had the money. He didn't charge us a dime.…

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by Cecilia Levine
DV Plus - Westchester, NY
Schools
Around The Schools: Drug Counselor Course Is NY's First, Vets Remind Students Of Pearl Harbor Around The Schools: Drug Counselor Course Is NY's First, Vets Remind Students Of Pearl Harbor
Around The Schools: Drug Counselor Course Is NY's First, Vets Remind Students Of Pearl Harbor Here's a New York first: Mahopac High School now offers its students the Substance Abuse, Addiction & Recovery course leading to counselor certification.  It is a viable career in New York, which is fourth, to California, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, for having the most employment options for substance abuse counselors. The elective will start in January and be open to juniors and seniors. It teaches students the facts on substance abuse, addiction, and recovery in their local environment, "so they have a stake in the vitality of it," said the district, noting the philosophy beh…

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by Donna Christopher
Paramus, NJ
Police & Fire
Emerson HS Music Teacher Who Fought In Korean War Found Dead Outside Westwood Home Emerson HS Music Teacher Who Fought In Korean War Found Dead Outside Westwood Home
Emerson HS Music Teacher Who Fought In Korean War Found Dead Outside Westwood Home A private cremation was planned this weekend for a popular retired Emerson High School music teacher and Korean War veteran whose body was found outside his Westwood apartment. Daniel Ludovici, 84, apparently was headed to the bathroom before dawn Monday when he either tripped or suffered a medical episode and went crashing through a window at the Coventry Square Apartments off Charles Street across Old Hook Road from Pascack Valley Medical Center, authorities said. The U.S. Army veteran was pronounced dead soon after. His apartment door was locked and there was no sign of foul play, poli…

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by Jerry DeMarco
DV Plus - Westchester, NY
Politics
Around The Towns: Lawmakers Fight Electric Hike, Scorn Guns, Restore Federal Funds, Praise LGBT Around The Towns: Lawmakers Fight Electric Hike, Scorn Guns, Restore Federal Funds, Praise LGBT
Around The Towns: Lawmakers Fight Electric Hike, Scorn Guns, Restore Federal Funds, Praise LGBT State Sen. Shelley B. Mayer of Yonkers recently testified against Con Edison's proposed electric and gas rate increase for 3.5 million Westchester and New York City customers. In January, the utility company applied to the state Public Service Commission to request a total revenue increase of $695 million, resulting in a 5.7 percent increase on the average residential electric bill, and a 10.9 percent increase on the average residential gas bill. If approved, Con Edison estimates that the average bill for a residential electric customer would increase by more than $6 monthly and by mor…

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by Jon Craig