Officials create plan on deer disease
ALBANY (AP) — New York state officials are proposing new actions and regulatory changes to prevent a deadly brain disease from infecting the state’s deer and moose populations.
The chronic wasting disease plan was released Wednesday by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Agriculture and Markets. It’s intended to protect both wild deer and captive ones.
The plan includes joint inspections of deer and elk farms. It also prohibits the import of certain parts of deer, moose or elk shot by hunters outside New York.
It calls on the public to be vigilant and report any sick or abnormally behaving deer and to avoid feeding wild deer.
Chronic wasting disease is similar to “mad cow disease” in cattle. It has been found in 24 states, including Pennsylvania and Ohio.
NYPD detective honored by union
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Police Department detectives’ union is paying tribute to its oldest living retired detective, who originally joined the force in 1953.
The Detectives’ Endowment Association was in the Bronx on Tuesday to honor 101-year-old Nicholas Calabrese at the former detective’s nursing home. The New York Post reports Calabrese was born in 1917 and joined the NYPD Transit Department in 1953.
He worked as a detective on the pickpocket squad — covering subway lines in Manhattan and the Bronx — until his retirement in 1974.
Union President Mike Palladino says he told Calabrese that he’s actually older than the union that represents him.
Norovirus shutters Westchester diner
MAMARONECK (AP) — Health officials in suburban New York say they’ve confirmed that the illness that shut down a Westchester County diner last week was the highly contagious norovirus.
The Mamaroneck Diner & Pizza Restaurant voluntarily closed on Friday after two customers contacted the eatery and said they’d fallen ill. The Westchester County Health Department confirmed Monday that an outbreak of norovirus sickened the customers.
The health department says the diner has been “extremely cooperative” in ensuring every precaution was taken to prevent spreading of the norovirus.
Norovirus is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness and symptoms include severe vomiting and diarrhea. There’s no treatment for norovirus other than to drink plenty of fluids and let the illness run its course.
Apartment owner of offers trip to space
NEW YORK (AP) — The owner for a New York City condominium is offering a trip to outer space included with the purchase of an $85 million dollar apartment.
The condo is a 15,000 square-foot duplex located on the entirety of the 45th floor of the Atelier building on west 42nd street in Manhattan. WNBC-TV reports the steep price tag for the 10-bedroom, 11-bathroom apartment comes with a number of amenities, including two seats on a trip to outer space.
Amenities included with the $85 million home also include two Rolls Royce Phantom luxury cars, a Lamborghini, courtside seats for Brooklyn Nets games, a mansion in the Hamptons for the summer, a live-in butler and a private chef.
State funds to help students buy books
ALBANY (AP) — Millions of dollars have been allocated for a second year in a row to help students enrolled in New York’s public colleges off-set the high cost of textbooks.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that the second round of funding for the Open Education Resources initiative includes $8 million for the State University of New York and the City University of New York. The Democrat says students at SUNY and CUNY schools can shell out as much as $1,200 a year on textbooks.
The state program offers free high-quality books and other materials for downloading, editing and sharing.
Man admits plot to have witness killed
BALLSTON SPA (AP) — An upstate New York man has admitted that he plotted to have a witness in his rape case killed.
The Post-Star says Kyle M. Shultz made the admission Wednesday in Saratoga County Court.
Shultz and another man raped a woman in May 2017 and stole her wallet during an attack in Hudson Falls. He pleaded guilty on April 27.
Shultz has now admitted that while he was jailed, he tried to have the witness killed for $10,000.
It turns out he was talking to an undercover police officer.
Shultz’s sentence for the rape and assault would have been 16 years. He”s now facing 33 to 43 years in prison.
