YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Many suburban school districts in our area are starting the new year by going remote. Dozens of districts in New Jersey, Long Island and Westchester have COVID cancelations of in-person instruction. As CBS2’s Tony Aiello reported, outside Lincoln Elementary in Mount Vernon, students’ first test of 2022 involves putting saliva in a tube to see if they have COVID. Some parents were disappointed the district is all remote until the middle of January. “I like to keep my kids safe. At the same time, two weeks is a bit much,” said parent Jackie DePaula. At School 9 in Yo ..read more

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — There was a holiday sendoff for students in Mount Vernon, one of the first districts in New York to announce all-remote instruction after the end-of-year break. Students won’t be back in person until at least Jan. 18. “I want to go back in person,” one student told CBS2’s Tony Aiello. “You like in person?” Aiello asked. “Yeah, because I see my friends there,” the student said. Dr. Kenneth Hamilton runs the district with 8,000 students. “We have over 110 active cases right now and they’re just increasing day after day,” Hamilton said. “We decided that this was ..read more

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Firefighters battled a house fire Monday in Mount Vernon. The flames broke out shortly before noon at South Seventh Avenue and West Sandford Boulevard. Chopper 2 was overhead, where two houses appeared to be impacted. There was no word on any injuries or what caused the fire.   ..read more

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — The United States Department of Justice has opened a major civil rights investigation into the Mount Vernon Police Department. U.S. Attorneys said the investigation will look into how Mount Vernon police officers treat Black residents, allegations of excessive force and how evidence is handled, among other complaints, CBS2’s Tony Aiello reported Friday. “The investigation we are announcing today will assess whether the Mount Vernon Police Department engages in discriminatory conduct singling out Black residents for mistreatment,” said Damian Williams, the newl ..read more

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Gov. Kathy Hochul was in Mount Vernon in Westchester County Monday morning to announce more funding for intervention programs that can help stop gun violence. The governor says the state is allocating an addition $6.2 million to help break the cycle of violence and to give young people hope. “We have to reach in and pull them out. It’s the community organizations that know how to do this, and it’s the clergy, and it’s the people that they see in their everyday lives. They are the ones that we have to get resources out to,” Hochul said. Hochul said organization ..read more

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Several people were hurt Monday in a crash involving a Bee-Line bus in Mount Vernon. It happened around 6:15 a.m. on East Lincoln Avenue near Summit Avenue. Police said 25-year-old Nicole Smith was driving a 2011 Honda CR-V when she crashed into a 2000 Nissan Rogue and then hit the bus. Smith suffered minor injuries in the crash, along with nine people on board the bus. The driver of the Nissan was not hurt. Police said officers spotted marijuana edibles inside Smith’s car and smelled alcohol. She allegedly failed a field sobriety test and told officers she ha ..read more

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — The gunman convicted of killing 13-year-old Shamoya McKenzie with a stray bullet in Mount Vernon learned his sentence Tuesday. David Hardy was ordered to spend 31 years in prison. BREAKING David Hardy sentenced to 31 years in Federal prison for 2016 shooting death of Shamoya McKenzie in Mount Vernon NY, which grieves the death of this top student and basketball star to this day. pic.twitter.com/DvLScBHoC9 — Tony Aiello (@AielloTV) September 21, 2021 McKenzie was killed on her way home from basketball practice on New Year’s Eve in 2016. Her mother was driving ..read more

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A long-simmering dispute between two Mount Vernon city workers led to deadly violence. A Department of Public Works worker was fatally stabbed and a Water Department worker was charged with manslaughter, and is claiming self-defense. CBS2 has obtained exclusive video of the deadly confrontation. READ MORE: Trash Piling Up In Mount Vernon As Mayor Declares State Of Emergency, Accuses Comptroller Of Negligence A memorial marks the spot on East Third Street, where 35-year-old Chinny Browne was fatally stabbed, and surveillance video shows the moments leading ..read more

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A parking “app-palooza” is frustrating drivers in Westchester County. They have to download different apps to pay for parking in neighboring communities, CBS2’s Tony Aiello reported. New Rochelle uses ParkMobile. Peekskill uses Park Smarter. Other municipalities use Pango, Passport or PayByPhone. Drivers who want the convenience of paying for parking with a smartphone app face the irritating task of downloading a half dozen apps to use across the county. “They should all be the same, in every community. We use every community,” one person told Aiello. New Rochelle and M ..read more

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Trash has been pilling up in Mount Vernon after a state of emergency was declared by the mayor. She says the entire fleet of sanitation trucks had to be pulled off the road over safety concerns. Friday, the garbage trucks were sitting idle. “It absolutely could have been avoided,” Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said. Page after page, Patterson-Howard went through half a million dollars’ worth of unpaid bills. Most of the invoices are for parts. “You can only weld but so much, and so our fleet is at the very, very end of its useful and safe life,” Patterson-Howa ..read more