Republican Katherine Rappaport has knocked off incumbent Fallsburg Supervisor Steven Vegliante after a judge ruled that several hundred challenged ballots could be counted. An attorney by trade, Vegliante led the town of Fallsburg for 12 years and was seeking reelection to another 2-year term as town supervisor. Rappaport, a school board member, created a third-party ballot line to run for the office. Immediately after election day, Vegliante led Rappaport by 406 votes, but that lead evaporated after election officials began counting the some 990 absentee ballots cast in the election.

In a massive win for New York yeshivos, a state judge ruled that a school district must provide busing for non-public school students on days that public schools are closed. The case was filed by the Orthodox Jewish community in Blooming Grove in July, saying that the guidance affected some 170,000 frum students in New York, and around 400,000 students in total.

Senator Schumer visited the village of Kiryas Joel on Sunday afternoon, where he was welcomed by Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin. Schumer, who was accompanied by Ezra Friedlander, had lunch in Kiryas Joel with Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin and others where Szegedin gave the Senator an overview of the incredible growth of the Village and expressed his appreciation to the Senator for his help in ensuring the vibrancy of the community. Schumer also paid a visit to the home of the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Joel. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A judge has denied bail for a New York state trooper charged with murder after a pursuit on the Thruway ended with the death of an 11-year-old New York City girl. An Ulster County judge on Thursday ordered Trooper Christopher Baldner held without bail until his trial in the death of Monica Goods, whose family was traveling through the Hudson Valley on Dec. 22, 2020 when Baldner stopped them for speeding. Baldner pepper sprayed the vehicle during the stop and Monica’s father, Tristan Goods, drove off. Baldner pursued the SUV and rammed his police vehicle into the SUV twice. The SUV flipped over several times and came to rest upside down, according to prosecutors. Monica was ejected from the vehicle and died.

Askanim in Orange County, NY, are accusing the Board of Elections of deliberately withholding the results of the write-in votes in South Blooming Grove’s Ward 4 district election after a major grassroots voter turnout effort and write-in effort by the Chasidic community. As of Wednesday afternoon, the other races in the entire county had already been tabulated and publicized but for the Ward 4 District. A federal civil lawsuit is also reportedly being considered over allegations they say amounts to voter suppression, intimidation, and blatant discrimination by officials in the Board of Elections.

One person was killed after a helicopter crashed near Storm King Mountain on Sunday afternoon, New York State Police said. The Robinson R44 helicopter crashed nearby Route 218 in Cornwall, WABC-TV reported. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot was the only person on board the helicopter. Local authorities, the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash. Cornwall is located on the Hudson River about 55 miles (88.51 kilometers) north of New York. (AP)

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, who represented upstate New York for 24 years, died at age 84, according to a statement from former staff members. The Utica-area resident died late Monday at a local hospice after a brief illness, according to the statement. He served in the House of Representatives from 1983 to 2007. Boehlert was chairman of the House Science Committee from 2001 through 2006. And he was a leader of a small moderate Republican faction in Congress that clashed with President George W. Bush over such issues as global warming and spending for social programs. Boehlert was remembered Tuesday by elected officials in both major parties for his work on behalf of his central New York constituents and for environmental issues.

A New York City cop has been arrested on felony burglary charges after allegedly breaking into a Jewish camp on Sprout Lake Road on September 8, the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Sources have told Mid Hudson News that on September 8, a person now identified as 37-year-old Matthew McGrath, broke into Camp Young Judea, smashed several windows, destroyed many of the contents in the director’s residence, and did extensive damage to the property. The New York State Police were summoned to the camp when the damage was discovered. On September 15, 2021, the New York State Police, in conjunction with the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office arrested Matthew McGrath, a Middletown resident, on multiple felony charges of burglary and Criminal Mischief.

A driver fired multiple paintballs at the famous Woodburn Shul today – the second day of Rosh Hashanaha, and sources tell YWN that authorities are investigating. A driver in a white Subaru Impreza was seen firing multiple rounds of paintballs as he drove past the Shul on Wednesday morning at around 10:50. A number of rounds made impact with the front of the building. The Shul, which usually operates minyanim year-round, is run by the Nikolsberger Rebbe. The Rebbe was davening up the block at the time as he has done on Rosh Hashanah for the last 20 years. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fallsburg Police Department at 845-434-4422. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The operator of a limousine company was spared prison time Thursday in a 2018 crash that killed 20 people when catastrophic brake failure sent a stretch limo full of birthday revelers hurtling down a hill in upstate New York. Loved ones of the dead excoriated Nauman Hussain, 31, as he sat quietly at the defense table during a hearing that was held in a high school gymnasium to provide for social distancing among the many relatives, friends and media members attending. Hussain, who operated Prestige Limousine, had originally been charged with 20 counts each of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree manslaughter in what was the deadliest U.S. transportation disaster in a decade.