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Patchogue Man Masturbates In View Of Preschoolers, DA Says Patchogue Man Masturbates In View Of Preschoolers, DA Says
Patchogue Man Masturbates In View Of Preschoolers, DA Says A Long Island man accused of exposing himself and masturbating in front of preschool children will avoid jail while his case proceeds. Lawrence Gartner, age 68, of Patchogue, was arraigned on public lewdness charges in Suffolk County Court on Monday, April 8. Prosecutors allege that Gartner exposed his genitals and masturbated in front of his apartment window as children were being dismissed from a preschool directly across the street on Monday, March 18. Kids who attend the school range in age from 3 to 5 years old. Suffolk County Police arrested Gartner the following day, but the judge…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Alleged IHOP Oil Thief Arrested On Long Island, Police Say Alleged IHOP Oil Thief Arrested On Long Island, Police Say
Alleged IHOP Oil Thief Arrested On Long Island, Police Say A Queens man was nabbed for attempting to steal used cooking oil from two Long Island businesses, authorities said. The Oceanside incident occurred on Wednesday, April 10, according to Nassau County Police. It was just before 3:30 a.m. at the IHOP located at 2971 Long Beach Road when authorities allegedly caught 27-year-old Jahquay Rowe attempting to take the restaurant’s cooking oil. Rowe, who is from Flushing, Queens, reportedly had parked a box truck right next to the eatery’s cooking oil containers and was arrested. Nassau County Police said Rowe is also behind a similar crime tha…

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by Sophie Grieser
Business
Lead Found In Lunchables: Consumer Reports Urges USDA To Remove Product From School Programs Lead Found In Lunchables: Consumer Reports Urges USDA To Remove Product From School Programs
Lead Found In Lunchables: Consumer Reports Urges USDA To Remove Product From School Programs Tests performed by the nonprofit Consumer Reports allegedly found high levels of lead and phthalates in the popular snack boxes by Lunchables, leading the organization to call on the government to remove the lunches from the National School Lunch Program. Consumer Reports (CR) issued the call to the US Department of Agriculture to remove Lunchable meals from the national program following a report released on Tuesday, April 9. As part of the report, the organization tested store-bought Lunchable food kits and compared the nutritional profiles of these meals to the two school-only Lunchab…

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by Sophie Grieser
Business
Rite Aid Announces Additional Long Island Store Closures After Declaring Bankruptcy Rite Aid Announces Additional Long Island Store Closures After Declaring Bankruptcy
Rite Aid Announces Additional Long Island Store Closures After Declaring Bankruptcy Rite Aid has announced new store closures after the struggling pharmacy chain filed for bankruptcy in the fourth quarter of 2023. Shortly after declaring bankruptcy, Rite Aid announced 154 store closures, with 20 in New York, and 14 on Long Island. In a filing on Tuesday, April 9, the company said 17 more stores, including three in New York (with two on Long Island) are now slated for closure. Rite Aid currently has 2,000 stores and about 44,000 employees. The Long Island stores slated for closure (with the newly announced closures in bold) are: 283 West Jericho Turnpike, Huntingto…

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by Joe Lombardi
Lifestyle
Support Swells For ‘Captain America,' Holbrook Personal Trainer Battling Rare Cancer Support Swells For ‘Captain America,' Holbrook Personal Trainer Battling Rare Cancer
Support Swells For ‘Captain America,' Holbrook Personal Trainer Battling Rare Cancer Mike Emmel isn’t facing his cancer battle alone. Hundreds of friends, former clients, and community members have answered the call since the Long Island personal trainer and Blue Point resident, fondly known as “Captain America,” announced he was diagnosed with leptomeningeal disease. The rare cancer of the cerebrospinal fluid and tissue covering the brain affects the brain and spinal cord, according to the Cleveland Clinic. There is no cure. In Emmel’s case, the aggressive form of cancer has manifested as malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, spreading throughout his brain, spine, and…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Daycare Commercial Casting Paid Roles Across Northeast Daycare Commercial Casting Paid Roles Across Northeast
Daycare Commercial Casting Paid Roles Across Northeast Do you want to be in a commercial about daycare? A commercial for highlighting the benefits of a daycare communication technology for parents and teachers is seeking talent for four roles, according to a casting notice.  The commercial is looking for people from Baltimore, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York City, Jersey City and Virginia Beach. The roles include: A female daycare owner between the ages of 30 and 50, a female daycare director between the ages of 25 and 50, a daycare teacher between the ages of 18 and 40, and the parent of a daycare child between the ages of 18 and…

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by Sam Barron
Lifestyle
NY National Guardsman 'In Fight For His Life' After Surviving Helicopter Crash That Killed 3 NY National Guardsman 'In Fight For His Life' After Surviving Helicopter Crash That Killed 3
NY National Guardsman 'In Fight For His Life' After Surviving Helicopter Crash That Killed 3 To say that Jacob Pratt has a long road to recovery is an understatement. The New York National Guard soldier, a Rensselaer County native from the city of Rensselaer, remains in intensive care after being the sole survivor of a helicopter crash on the US-Mexico border that killed three others. According to the Joint Task Force North, Pratt was aboard a UH-72 Lakota chopper when it went down while flying near Rio Grande City, Texas on Friday, March 8. Earlier Report: NY National Guard Members Killed In Triple-Fatal Crash Return Home; Funerals Set The crash killed New York National G…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Long Island Man Swindles $235K From Insurance Company, DA Says Long Island Man Swindles $235K From Insurance Company, DA Says
Long Island Man Swindles $235K From Insurance Company, DA Says An employer from Long Island has been arraigned after he allegedly defrauded an insurance company out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by lying about the number of employees he had, authorities said. Sixty-year-old Vassilios Handakas, also known as William or Bill Handakas, faced the charges against him on Thursday, March 28, according to the Nassau County District Attorney. The DA’s Office said that Handakas and Vector Structural Corporation entered a contract for a worker’s compensation policy with an insurance company for coverage between March 2019 and March 2020. In the applicat…

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by Sophie Grieser
News
'A Big Undertaking': Rescue Saves, Rehabilitates Animals From Ronkonkoma Hoarding Case 'A Big Undertaking': Rescue Saves, Rehabilitates Animals From Ronkonkoma Hoarding Case
'A Big Undertaking': Rescue Saves, Rehabilitates Animals From Ronkonkoma Hoarding Case A volunteer animal rescue on Long Island, which recently took in animals from an apparent hoarding situation, has reached out to the community for aid so that they can properly care for their recent rescues. “These animals do not have a voice of their own.” Donna Amoscato was on the scene when 49 animals were taken from a Ronkonkoma home on Tuesday, April 2. Original Story: Over 40 Animals Kept In 'Noxious' Conditions In Ronkonkoma She described the grim circumstances as the animals were removed from the scene. “Most of the cages were filled with newspaper, feces, urine, and ha…

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by Sophie Grieser
Business
'New Era At Panera' Sees Dozens Of Items Chopped From Menu 'New Era At Panera' Sees Dozens Of Items Chopped From Menu
'New Era At Panera' Sees Dozens Of Items Chopped From Menu Did your favorite make the cut? Dozens of menu items have gotten the chop as Panera enters its “new era” complete with the largest menu overhaul in company history. The popular bakery-café chain officially launched its revamped menu at locations across the country on Thursday, April 4, with nine new offerings and 12 “enhanced” classics featuring more chicken and steak. Company officials said the move is aimed at “refocusing” on core Panera products that customers love the most: soups, salads, sandwiches, and macaroni and cheese. It will also streamline and simplify operations for employees…

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by Michael Mashburn
Lifestyle
Is It Yours? $50K Winning Lottery Ticket Sold At Huntington Station Convenience Store Is It Yours? $50K Winning Lottery Ticket Sold At Huntington Station Convenience Store
$50K Winning Lottery Ticket Sold At Huntington Station Store A five-figure lottery prize is up for grabs after someone purchased a winning ticket at a Long Island convenience store. The third prize-winning Powerball ticket – worth $50,000 – was bought in Huntington Station, at the 7-Eleven store at 360 East Jericho Turnpike, New York Lottery announced. It was purchased for the Powerball drawing held on Monday evening, April 8. Monday’s winning numbers are 6-21-23-39-54 and the Powerball is 23. Players can check their ticket’s status on the New York Lottery website.

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Duo Scams Over $30K From Long Island Man: Police Duo Scams Over $30K From Long Island Man: Police
Duo Scams Over $30K From Long Island Man: Police Two men were arrested after they allegedly managed to pull off a scheme that cost a Long Island man tens of thousands of dollars. Rong Chen, age 47, and ZhenSheng Yu, age 46, were arrested on Monday, April 8 for the scheme that occurred months prior, Nassau County Police announced. On Thursday, January 18 at about 1 p.m., an 83-year-old Saddle Rock man received a notification that his computer had been compromised and to call the number on his screen for help. When he called, the alleged scammer claimed to be a Microsoft employee and told the victim that there was additional suspicious a…

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by Sophie Grieser