Latest news with #JournalNews
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Second teen, 17, charged in fatal New Year's shooting in Yonkers
A 17-year-old has been charged in a pair of Yonkers shootings — including a fatal one in which he allegedly provided the gun to the suspected 14-year-old shooter. The 17-year-old is charged with second-degree murder in the Jan. 1, 2025, killing of 44-year-old Omar Bonilla on Locust Hill Avenue and with attempted murder in a Dec. 15, 2024, shooting on Lawrence Street in which a man was hit in the thigh, according to the Westchester District Attorney's Office and Yonkers police. He is charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in each case, as well as for an April 29 incident during which he was allegedly found with a loaded handgun. He was indicted and arraigned last month and is being held at Woodfield Cottage, the county's juvenile detention facility. Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace said in a statement that the charges make clear that violent teenagers are exploiting the state's "Raise the Age" law that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to be judged as adolescent offenders and not as adults. Authorities have not revealed the motive behind Bonilla's killing. The 14-year-old accused of shooting him is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The Journal News/lohud is not identifying either teen because of their ages. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Yonkers shooting: Teen suspected of providing gun charged with murder
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Woman who died in two-car crash on I-684 in Putnam County identified
A 74-year-old Bronx woman died after an Interstate 684 two-car crash on Thursday morning, April 10, in Putnam County. Marcela Romero, a passenger in one vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene, a state police news release said. Troopers responded at about 6:35 a.m. Thursday to the I-684 south crash in town of Southeast involving a Honda and a Ford pickup. The police said the Honda was in the left lane, had significant front-end damage and Romero was the rear-seat passenger. Preliminary investigation indicated three people were traveling south in the Honda, with one of them a front-seat passenger. According to statements, the police said, the driver of the Honda attempted to change to the center lane from the left lane when she noticed another vehicle occupying the space. In an attempt to avoid a collision, she steered back into the left lane, causing it to strike the left guide rail before striking the side of a Ford pickup, according to police. The driver of the Ford F-150 pickup truck was not injured, police said. No other injuries were reported. The police said Friday the investigation is ongoing. The Journal News/ reported Thursday that the crash led to major traffic delays between Putnam County and Danbury, Connecticut. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Putnam County NY: Woman who died in crash on I-684 in identified
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Looking back at when Cuomo Bridge supports began to rise in 2015
It's easy to forget, 10 years later, as we cross from Rockland into Westchester or vice versa on two blue-girded bridges, the long process it took to get there. So many cranes, including the massive Left Coast Lifter. So many barges full of gear. So much rebar and concrete. So many rivets. The giant girders floating down the Hudson, awaiting their moment to be put into place. Then, eventually after the new bridges rose, the old bridge — the one that opened Rockland to the wider world and connected the New York State Thruway to points east of the Hudson — came down. But a decade ago this week, at the turn of April 2015, Journal News/lohud photographer Peter Carr captured the incremental process: Cranes against the South Nyack horizon, the Tappan Zee Bridge from Tarrytown. He also documented the rising of the new bridge's support columns — still mostly rebar at that point. Reach Peter D. Kramer at pkramer@ This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Westchester NY photos from Mario Cuomo Bridge under construction 2015
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
20 years ago: Remembering the 'Faces of the Fallen'
They traveled from Westchester to Washington, D.C., to our nation's burial ground, Arlington National Cemetery, to remember their sons and brothers, the "Faces of the Fallen" in the Iraq War. Their story was captured by Journal News staff writer Shawn Cohen and photographer Dave Kennedy. Twenty years ago, on March 22, 2005, Christina and Yolanda Cuming of North White Plains remembered Pfc. Kevin Cuming, and looked at his portrait in a just-opened exhibit, "Faces of the Fallen." Carmen Palmer of Mount Vernon was there, too, to remember her son, Marine Cpl. Bernard Gooden. Chris Lagman from Yonkers was there for his brother, Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Lagman. About 1,500 relatives of servicemen and servicewomen who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan came from across the country to remember. Some hoped to find those who might have known their sons in their final days. "When this happened, I felt as if I was the only person going through this," Palmer said. "Now, I understand it's the whole United States." She struck up a conversation with Zaida Walters from Houston, whose son was killed in Fallujah. They bonded instantly. "It's not real," Palmer said, weeping. "Let's pray for the ones that are still there. I wish for no family to go through what I go through." "We pray for you," Walters told Palmer. "We are in a family together," Palmer replied. "We are one family, one heart." The Journal News/ has been telling stories of the Lower Hudson Valley for generations. This regular column and photo feature takes a look back into our extensive archive. Reach Peter D. Kramer at pkramer@ This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: 'Faces of the Fallen' exhibit unites families of Iraq War dead
USA Today
05-02-2025
- Health
- USA Today
RFK Jr. scores enough votes to advance in bid to lead U.S. health department. What's next?
Former Westchester resident and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one step closer to becoming the country's top health official, scoring enough votes from the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday, Jan. 4 to advance his nomination to the full Senate. During his tumultuous confirmation hearing, which involved numerous audience members being escorted out after outbursts, Kennedy was taken to task by Democrats for his positions on vaccines, the pandemic and more. Kennedy has a record of anti-vaccine stances, which were heavily scrutinized during the committee hearing. He's also known for an affinity for conspiracy theories, such as the antisemitic and xenophobic theory that COVID-19 was specifically created to spare Jewish and Asian people. If confirmed, Kennedy will oversee the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for more than $3 trillion in healthcare spending, according to Reuters. The department oversees agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and administers programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. From 2024:Why did Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dump a dead bear in Central Park? What we know Who was the key swing vote to advance RFK Jr.? The committee voted 14-13 to advance Kennedy — with Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, breaking the tie. Cassidy is a physician who voted for Kennedy despite his reservations about his position on vaccines. "I've had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning," Cassidy said in a statement posted on X before the vote. "I want to thank VP JD specifically for his honest counsel. With the serious commitments I've received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the issues we agree on like healthy foods and a pro-American agenda, I will vote yes." Cassidy, a gastroenterologist, had previously described Kennedy as 'wrong' on vaccines. Of interest:Watch the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmation hearing What happens next in the RFK Jr. confirmation process? Whether or not Kennedy will become the nation's next Secretary of Health and Human Services will be up to the Senate. Considering its 53-47 Republican majority, at least four GOP senators would have to break party lines and vote against Kennedy for his nomination to fail. New York is represented by Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand, both Democrats. The Journal News has reached out to both senators for comment. Both have openly shared their thoughts on social media and on news appearances. The Journal News has reached out to both Gillibrand and Schumer for a statement. Representatives for the senators had not yet returned requests for comment at the time of publication. Gillibrand is known to have been an ally of Kennedy in the past, having joined him in a 2009 push for federal investment in environmental education for students. At a December 2024 appearance on CNN, Gillibrand said of Kennedy's environmental work: "We may find common ground on with Mr. Kennedy. And I look forward to exploring those before I decide how I'm going to vote.' "Nobody should believe RFK Jr.'s 11th hour conversion on vaccines," Schumer said via Facebook Jan. 28. "When he comes before the Senate this week: Democrats will work to hold him accountable for the misinformation he has spread for decades." On Tuesday, Feb. 4, activists gathered outside Schumer's office in Peekskill, demanding the Senate Minority Leader and Democrats take a tougher stance on the Trump administration's agenda. A similar rally is slated for Wednesday, Feb. 5 outside Schumer's office in Manhattan. Could RFK Jr. confirmation 'make America healthy again'? Kennedy has long been outspoken on health care, citing everything from possibly harmful additives and dyes in food to the efficacy of vaccines. He has seemingly tried to distance himself from certain anti-vaccination positions in recent weeks, notably resigning from his position with anti-vaccine nonprofit Children's Health Defense, the AP reported. During his run for the presidency and subsequent support of Trump, Kennedy's platform morphed into the "Make America Healthy Again" movement, gaining a national following. Kennedy has been a proponent of the removal of synthetic dyes and additives from food in America, a stance that has garnered support from mothers across the country. It's worth noting that on Jan. 15, the FDA, still led by former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in the Biden administration, banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in foods and medication. After Trump's announcement of Kennedy as his pick to lead the DHHS, consumer advocates and leaders in the pharmaceutical industry made their concerns known. Robert Weissman, co-president of the nonprofit consumer rights group Public Citizen, called Kennedy a "clear and present danger to the nation's health." Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert took her criticism a step further, adding: 'Kennedy is a science-denying, morally-bankrupt conspiracy theorist who will endanger people's lives if placed in a position of authority over health." Centivax CEO Dr. Jacob Glanville called vaccines one of the greatest advancements in improving human health since sanitation, citing Kennedy's lack of medical and scientific training, as well as his susceptibility to misinformation, as reason enough to disqualify him. Kennedy faced additional scrutiny in 2024 after listing a Westchester address as his residence on his New York petition to run for president (Kennedy lived in Westchester for three decades before moving to California in 2014.) A judge dismissed his claim to residency as a "sham" and tossed his petition to run for the presidency in NY. Kennedy fought the decision in the Supreme Court and still lost. The incident is oft cited by opponents as a reason not to trust Kennedy. Kennedy previously worked as an environmental lawyer in the Hudson Valley, and was named one of the "Heroes of the Planet" in 1999 by Time Magazine, for his work to help restore and protect the Hudson River with Riverkeeper. The year 2024 also saw Kennedy at the center of a string of bizarre admissions involving animals, including an announcement that he had a worm in his brain, an unsolicited confession that he was behind a notorious incident in Central Park involving the remains of a bear cub staged to look like it was hit by a bicycle, and a resurfaced interview with one of his children claiming that he had decapitated a whale carcass and drove it to his home in Westchester. Contributing: USA TODAY, Reuters (This story may update.)
