A community in Northern Westchester is mourning the loss of a beloved former fire chief who is remembered for his calming leadership ability and the ease at which he could make people laugh.  Charlie Bergstrom, the former chief of the Chappaqua Fire Department, died on Monday, Dec. 4, the department announced in a post on social media.  In their memorial post, the department wrote that Bergstrom was a "quiet unassuming leader and mentor to many of us."  "We will all miss Charlie’s quiet and calm cadence on the radio, unrushed management of a scene, witticisms, and nickname ..read more

A lucky Powerball player is $50,000 richer after buying a winning ticket at a store in Westchester.  The third-prize-winning Powerball ticket was sold at a store in Yonkers for the drawing on Monday, Dec. 4, according to New York Lottery officials.  The business that sold the lucky ticket was identified as Tanglewood Stationery located at 2264 Central Park Ave. (Route 100.) The winner was not identified by lottery officials.  The winning numbers for Monday's drawing were 18 19 27 28 45 with a Powerball number of 9.  For those who want to try playing the game themselves, dr ..read more

A 37-year-old Northern Westchester man faces possible prison time after selling fentanyl to a victim who died in a car fire shortly after taking the drugs, federal officials announced.  Mohegan Lake resident Perry Freeman has been charged with distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a victim, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Monday, Dec. 4.  According to federal officials, on Nov. 10, 2021, Freeman sold fentanyl to the victim. A short time after this, police responded to a burning car in a parking lot in Mohegan Lake, only ..read more

Authorities in the Hudson Valley are warning residents to be on the lookout for letters soliciting funds that falsely appear to be sent on behalf of law enforcement.  In a warning issued on Monday, Dec. 4, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office advised residents that they may receive letters soliciting donations that appear to be sent on behalf of the Sheriff's Office.  However, the senders are not associated with the Sheriff's Office in any way, authorities said, adding that they are part of a "potential scam."  The Sheriff's Office released an image depicting these letters on soc ..read more

A Westchester high school educator known for his creative methods is being honored as a New York State Teacher of the Year, officials announced. Mandel Holland, who teaches social studies in Greenburgh at Woodlands High School, is being honored as a 2023 New York State History Teacher of the Year through the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner announced on Monday, Dec. 4.  According to Feiner, Holland is known for his unique and creative way of teaching American history in the classroom, which includes the use of documents ..read more

Former New York Rep. George Santos appears to be out for revenge following his historic expulsion from Congress. Within hours of being voted out of the US House on Friday, Dec. 1, the disgraced Santos began unleashing a series of social media posts targeting his former Republican colleagues. Unsurprisingly, all of those in his sights were among the 105 Republicans who voted to kick him out of office amid mounting accusations of criminality. Earlier Report: And Just Like That: Lock Changed, Website Scrubbed Following George Santos’ Historic Ouster First on the hit list was Staten Isla ..read more

Traffic on a busy Northern Westchester roadway was backed up after a cement truck caught on fire, causing an oil spill in the process.  The incident happened on Monday morning, Dec. 4, when a cement truck caught on fire on Route 9 in Croton-on-Hudson near Croton Point Avenue, according to the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department. The blaze happened just north of a separate car crash that the department had already been responding to, resulting in a quick response from firefighters.  After quickly putting out the fire, crews realized that a hydraulic line had been damaged during the inci ..read more

Just in time for Christmas, a winning second-prize Powerball ticket was sold in the Hudson Valley. The ticket worth $1 million for the Monday, Dec. 4 game, was sold in Rockland County at the Coco Farms Of Nyack located at 53 Route 59, said New York Lottery officials.  The winning numbers for the game were: 18-19-27-28- 45 and a Powerball of 9. The Powerball numbers are drawn from a field of one to 69. The red Power Ball is drawn from a separate field of one to 26.  The Powerball drawing is televised every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 11 p.m ..read more

A lucky lottery player took home a large sum of cash after buying a top-prize-winning ticket at a market and deli in Northern Westchester.  The winning Take 5 ticket, worth $30,778, was sold for the drawing on Sunday evening, Dec. 3, New York Lottery officials announced.  The ticket was bought in Ossining at the South Side Mini Market & Deli located at 256 Spring St.  For those who want to try their hand at winning, Take 5 drawings are televised twice a day at 2:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Those who win have up to a year to claim their prize.  ..read more

A stretch of dry, brisk days will be followed by a powerful weekend storm that will bring rain and possibly snow to millions up and down the East Coast and into parts of the Midwest. "The dry and increasingly mild conditions that will precede the upcoming storm this weekend will set the stage and provide the atmospheric fuel needed for what could end up being a highly disruptive storm," according to AccuWeather.com. The current time frame for the storm is during the day on Sunday, Dec. 10, continuing into Sunday night, and possibly Monday, Dec. 11, the National Weather Service says. If the st ..read more