Home

Unseasonably warm day ideal for controlled burn 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:16 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The warm weather on Friday made for ideal conditions for a controlled burn. Experts said there’s a short timeframe in the Fall when they can find the right conditions to prescribe a burn. 37 acres were burned Friday afternoon at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. The staff worked alongside members of the Nature Conservancy, New York State Forest Rangers and New York State Parks. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “In general, we’re looking to burn on sunny days, low relative humidity. So dry sunny days with light winds, kind of like the forecast is today,” said preserve Fire Manager Tyler Briggs.He said there are two main reasons they prescribe burns at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve.“One is for fuel reduction. Burning off the vegetation in a controlled manner, under planned weather, safely reduces the fuel loading and then also we burn for habitat,” said Briggs.The controlled burn helps many plants and animals ...

LED street lights to be installed in Saratoga Springs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:16 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- To be more energy-efficient, the City of Saratoga Springs has purchased new LED cobra head street lights. The new LED lights will reportedly save Saratoga Springs an estimated annual cost of over $270K. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “We are thrilled to have completed this sale as it allows us to replace our street lights with energy-efficient LED technology, reduce street light energy use by as much as 65%, provide a safer and well-lit community, and reduce energy use,” said Mayor Ron Kim. Installation of the LED lights is expected to be completed by June.Once the new street lights are installed, the City can also decide to install new technology to enhance public safety. "Smart City" technology includes cameras, traffic management devices to facilitate traffic flow, and smart parking devices that can interface with apps.

Saratoga Regional YMCA hosts grand opening for new facilities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:16 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Saratoga Regional YMCA celebrated the grand opening of the new 17,000-square-foot Health and Wellness Center expansion at the West Avenue campus. The expansion, which took nearly two years to complete, includes a new gymnasium and a lobby that connects the YMCA to the newly constructed Saratoga Senior Center. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The YMCA was able to raise over $8 million from donors, community partners, volunteers, and members. Notable donors include Stewart's Shops and the Dake Family who donated $3M and the Robert and Lisa Moser Family Foundation, Inc., who donated $1M.The new gymnasium will be able to accommodate expanded youth and childcare programs. Other notable additions include an indoor adventure center, a cycle studio, and a multi-purpose room for evidence-based health initiatives. Members ages 14 and up are welcome to use the new facilities. Click here for informat...

Police: Reckless ATV driver attempts to flee officers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:16 GMT

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A 30-year-old Schenectady man was arrested after allegedly trying to flee from police on an ATV. Kevin M. Fontanez was issued numerous traffic tickets for violations returnable to Amsterdam City Court. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! According to Amsterdam Police, five ATVs were observed in the roadway on Swan Street. Residents reported that the ATVs were being operated recklessly.The operators reportedly fled the scene. Police were able to locate one of them but while interviewing them, another ATV was seen traveling recklessly on Kline Street towards officers who were on foot. Police say the operator, identified as Fontana, ignored their commands to stop. Fontana allegedly drove towards the officers, forcing them out of the way. Loudonville man killed in motorcycle, car crash Additional units responded and set up a perimeter. Fontana eventually surrendered to the police. He was charged with rec...

St. Louis County officer charged with criminal sexual assault in Illinois

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:16 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Prosecutors have charged a St. Louis County police officer with criminal sexual assault in Illinois.Gavin M. Potthast faces one felony charge in Madison County, Illinois. The St. Louis County Police Department tells FOX 2 that Potthast had been working with the department since December 2021 and was placed on unpaid administrative leave on Friday. According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Potthast used or threatened to use force against a 25-year-old victim. Court documents allege the crime happened on Sept. 23, 2023. Sex offender charged after being found with missing North Carolina girl St. Louis County Police Colonel Kenneth Gregory released the following statement to FOX 2 in connection with Potthast's charges: “We are disturbed by the allegations made regarding our officer’s behavior. We take any allegation seriously and are cooperating fully with the Edwardsville Police Department’s investigation. We are also conducting a thorough internal investigation. T...

St. Louis woman sentenced for running chop shop, owes $40K in restitution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:16 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis woman who once ran a chop shop will spend several years behind bars and owes $40,000 in restitution. A federal judge sentenced Heather Marty, 29, to four and half years in prison on Friday. Marty pled guilty to running a chop shop earlier this year, holding onto stolen vehicles with the intention of disassembling them and selling parts. Sex offender charged after being found with missing North Carolina girl According to her plea, Marty used a warehouse in north St. Louis to house, store and disassemble stolen vehicles. From Oct. 2021 to July 2022, St. Louis officers and detectives found a total of 12 stolen vehicles in or near the building. That included three motorcycles, five pickup trucks, three cars and one SUV, per the plea agreement.In January 2022, authorities spotted Marty at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis in a reported stolen truck, leading to her arrest. Inside the truck, a detective found nine license plates, two of which belonged to stolen...

Alexa, help me buy a house: Colorado real estate listings go audible

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:16 GMT

ReColorado, the state’s largest multiple listing service, partnered with Lundy, Inc. to provide audible access to real estate listings using Alexa, Amazon’s voice-controlled digital assistant.The partners intend to break barriers and change industry norms to help agents and visually impaired homebuyers find and buy Colorado homes.ReColorado powers over 75% of the state’s residential real estate transactions, and real estate agents use the MLS to make listings easily accessible online.Thanks to Lundy’s technology, potential homebuyers can now access ReColorado’s listings using Amazon’s Alexa devices.All they have to do is use prompts like “Alexa, find me a house,” “Alexa, are there any homes for sale near me?” or “Alexa, help me buy a house.”Then, they must enter some standard criteria used to search for any property, like price, location, or number of bedrooms. “When Lundy presented a way to make the ...

Disabled teen missing from Aurora found safe Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:16 GMT

A disabled teenager who was reported missing on Friday morning was found safe, according to the Aurora Police Department.The 19-year-old had been last seen in the 3700 block of Chambers Road on Friday morning.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Indigenous teen missing from Lakewood since Monday Crime and Public Safety | Endangered man missing from Sheridan found safe She was safely located at approximately 1:30 p.m., according to the department.Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.

California facing 'agricultural crisis' from invasive fruit flies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:16 GMT

California is under attack.Agriculture officials sounded the alarm on Friday after two Queensland fruit flies were found in Ventura County, marking at least the third discovery of invasive and destructive fruit flies in the Los Angeles area in recent months.A 76 square mile area was placed under quarantine on Oct. 23 after the Queensland flies were found in a residential area of Thousand Oaks, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. It is the first official quaratine in North America due to the pest which, as the name implies, is native to Queensland, Australia.A California Department of Agriculture sign about the invasive Queensland fruit fly. Oct. 27, 2023. Residents inside the quarantine zone are urged to not move fruits or vegetables from their properties and to dispose of any green waste by double-bagging in plastic bags before placing it in the trash.“California is facing an agricultural crisis,” Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner Korrine Bell sai...

Live Updates | Authorities name all 18 Maine mass shooting victims and lift shelter in place order

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:16 GMT

Eighteen people were killed in shootings at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, sparking a massive search for the suspect. On Friday, investigators continued to work at the two shooting scenes and divers joined the effort along the Androscoggin River, near where the suspect’s car was found. Follow for live updates.WHAT TO KNOW— Here’s what we know about the suspect and where the shooting happened.— Family members confirmed the deaths of the shooting victims. — Social media posts spread an incorrect photo of the Maine suspect.— Maine passed a law to try to prevent mass shootings, but some say more is needed.— The shooting is the 36th mass killing in the United States this year.ALL 18 VICTIMS OF MAINE MASS SHOOTING NAMEDMaine’s public safety commissioner has named all 18 victims of the mass shooting in Lewiston and said all of their families have been notified.Photos of the victims were posted on a board behind Commissioner Mike Sauschuck as he rea...