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New York Post
2 days ago
- General
- New York Post
New Yorkers argue over where Upstate begins — but fuming Westchester residents say ‘not here'
It's an 'Up' setting debate for suburbanites. New Yorkers have argued over where 'Upstate' begins for decades – with Westchester County residents notoriously thin-skinned about being told they're on the 'up' side of the invisible border. The Post recently visited the Westchester city of Yonkers at the edge of the Bronx, hunting for the long-elusive line of demarcation and asking locals and passersby if this is the spot where Upstate begins. Advertisement 4 East-facing view of McLean Ave. Tomas E. Gaston 'It's not,' declared 33-year-old Yonkers resident Reaghan Giannello as she walked along McLean Avenue. 'Bronx is one street over. Depending on where I am in my apartment, my GPS says New York City or Yonkers,' the recreational therapist added. 'Spend a minute talking to us, we sound like we're from the Bronx. Upstate they say things differently. We're not in the city, but we're close enough. We don't have cows.' While many Gotham residents have long labeled anything beyond Yankee Stadium and the reaches of the subway 'upstate,' Giannello was among the numerous suburbanites to snap back at that suggestion – while offering other questionable spots for the designation. Advertisement She claimed Dutchess County – a roughly 100-mile trip from Midtown Manhattan – had upstate vibes. 'That's where you're starting to get cows and horses. We have street lights here, that's how you know you're not in the country yet,' she said. McKeon's Bar and Restaurant bartender James Flynn said once a traveler reaches the state capital, Albany, they're downstate. Advertisement 'This is not upstate. Bronx is right there,' he said as he gestured across the street. 'The 4 train comes here, the Metro North.' The owner of Angelo's Pizza in Yonkers was even more blunt. 'You can call it anything you want, but it's not upstate,' Steve Ugrinag, 65, said. 4 Steve Ugrinag, 65, owner of Angelo's Pizza on McLean Ave in Yonkers Khristina Narizhnaya/NY Post Advertisement Mili Diaz, a floral assistant and Blossom Flowers in Yonkers admitted when she used to live in the Big Apple, she dubbed anything north of Inwood upstate. 'I think it was just like crossing the bridge to me was like, you know, just another world,' Diaz argued. 'Anything like past Inwood felt like really, really far, but it's not.' Now, she thinks anything past White Plains – a mere 15 miles from Yonkers and also in Westchester – is upstate. 4 McKeon's Bar and Restaurant bartender James Flynn said once a traveler reaches the state capital, Albany, they're downstate. Tomas E. Gaston 'The area I go to my vet, my vet is in Bedford Hills, it's all green, like it's the feeling of it, the vibe is so different,' she explained. A White Plains native turned Florida-based rapper LYPHE even made a rap about people calling Westchester upstate more than a decade ago as part of a magazine interview. 'Upstate is the place where you see, all the farms with cows like Albany,' part of the rhymes goes. 'You comparing who? Where we choose to share the views. We can see the skyline in our backyard we not scary dudes from Syracuse.' The rapper, 47, who once lived in Yonkers, called it offensive to suggest anywhere in Westchester is upstate. Advertisement 'It's the stigma that anyone born or raised outside the New York City border can't be classified as a true New Yorker,' he insisted. 4 A White Plains native turned Florida-based rapper LYPHE even made a rap about people calling Westchester upstate more than a decade ago as part of a magazine interview. Khristina Narizhnaya/ NY Post 'The idea that we don't have the same experience, the same credo, the same grit because we don't reside in a borough is comical.' Jon Chattman, founder of events and music series A-Sides, said the recipe for upstate is lots of trees, mountains and no cell service. Advertisement 'Oh, and when there's more than a half hour between exits,' said Chattman, who is also content and outreach director at the Westchester Parks Foundation. He called the idea that only the city and Long Island is downstate 'ridiculous.' 'I mean I know you can walk 70 blocks in Manhattan in a half hour but that doesn't mean a car ride or train ride in under an hour is the boondocks or Lake George,' Chattman said. 'Speaking of which, Lake George is definitely upstate.'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Lakewood leaders address pedestrian safety issues
LAKEWOOD, Ohio (WJW) — Leaders from the city of Lakewood and concerned citizens are uniting to increase pedestrian safety throughout the city limits. Multiple pedestrians have been hit in crosswalks in the past year, one of whom was killed. Akron tax preparers guilty of $1.2M pandemic relief fraud face decades in prison Lakewood is well-known for being Ohio's most walkable city. But over the past several months, pedestrians are being run over in crosswalks, including a former TV reporter who was killed. Four Lakewood City Council members gathered to share some steps they plan to input, starting at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Hillard Road — a five-point intersection they said is very confusing for drivers. In the short term, the bicycle lanes will be painted bright green once the weather breaks. They also plan to repaint crosswalks with highly reflective paint, also planters, for added protection. In the long term, there is a complete streets ordinance in the works that takes pedestrians, bicyclists, the differently abled and the environment into account, according to a Friday news release. Council is also considering creating an adult driver education course teaching proper passing distance and lane use — like 'Safety Town for adults,' said councilwoman Cindy Strebig, Ward 3. 'We need to do better as a community at looking out for each other, and that starts with all of us, especially people driving, understanding and obeying the rules of the road,' councilman Bryan Evans, Ward 2, said Friday. 'These streets belong to all of us and we all have a right to safely use them. They are simply not the domain of cars alone.' Angelo's Pizza in Lakewood vandalized; front windows shattered Bike Lakewood, Friends of Madison Park and other concerned residents were in attendance at Friday's event. They want the city to act now. They said too many accidents are happening. Just last week, a parent biking his two young children were hit in the intersection. They said this cannot wait. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Akron tax preparers guilty of $1.2M pandemic relief fraud face decades in prison
[In the player above, learn more about identity theft and freezing credit.] CLEVELAND (WJW) — Two Akron tax preparers who filed fraudulent applications for pandemic-era relief funds in their clients' names, and pocketed more than $1.2 million in government benefits, have been found guilty of dozens of crimes. A federal grand jury indicted Mustafa Ayoub Diab, 41, of Ravenna, in 2023 on more than a dozen counts including wire fraud, bank fraud and theft of government funds. He was arrested that month in New Jersey, court records show. VIDEO: Flames engulf bus carrying local high school team A superseding indictment filed in April 2024 added dozens more counts as well as Diab's partner, Elizabeth Lorraine Robinson, 33, of Ravenna, as a codefendant. Diab and Robinson, who were not legally married, but considered each other as husband and wife, offered income tax return preparation services out of a commercial complex in Akron, according to the indictment. That's how they obtained their clients' personal information. Federal prosecutors said Diab used their clients' identities to file fraudulent applications for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which expanded unemployment benefits amid the pandemic; and for Paycheck Protection Program loans, offered to small businesses to retain jobs and offset losses due to the pandemic. Diab offered to obtained pandemic assistance for the victims, using their personal information, and in some cases even set up bank accounts in the victims' names, without their knowledge, where the funds were directed. He also set up email accounts through which he posed as the victims, so that the victims were never notified of the benefits. Diab filed fraudulent claims in the names of nearly 80 people between June 2020 and August 2021, lying about their employment status or falsely claiming they were a small business owner — all without their knowledge, according to prosecutors. Robinson also set up a bank account in her name to receive pandemic benefits intended for the victims or met victims at the bank to open accounts or make transactions, according to the indictment. Diab and Robinson also opened bank accounts in the names of family members or other people to launder the benefits, according to the indictment. The pair then withdrew the money in large chunks for themselves, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said Diab spent the money on property, cars and international travel. Angelo's Pizza in Lakewood vandalized; front windows shattered Diab's jury trial began on March 19. During trial, a judge acquitted Diab of four of his 10 counts of aggravated identity theft. The case was handed over to jurors on Tuesday, March 25, court records show. The following Wednesday, March 26, they returned guilty verdicts on all the remaining 30 counts of bank and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering, court records show. Diab is due for sentencing on July 28, and is facing up to 30 years in prison, prosecutors said. Robinson pleaded guilty to 19 counts in February and is due for sentencing on June 23, court records show. She also faces up to 30 years in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
