Sam Ash To Close All Locations, Including 5 NY Stores, After 100 Years In Business Sam Ash To Close All Locations, Including 5 NY Stores, After 100 Years In Business
Sam Ash To Close All Locations, Including 5 NY Stores, After 100 Years In Business The largest family-owned chain of musical instrument stores in the nation has announced it will be closing all its locations. Sam Ash Music was founded in 1924, has locations in more than a dozen states, and is headquartered on Long Island, in Hicksville. It currently has 27 stores, including five in New York (White Plains, Carle Place, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Forest Hills), two in New Jersey (in Springfield and Cherry Hill), two in Pennsylvania (in Philadelphia and King of Prussia), one in Connecticut (in New Haven), and one in Virginia (in Richmond). The Ash family made the announcemen…
Mother's Day Scams: BBB Warns NYers Of Fake Gifts, Shops Mother's Day Scams: BBB Warns NYers Of Fake Gifts, Shops
Mother's Day Scams: BBB Warns NYers Of Fake Gifts, Shops Long Islanders looking for last-minute gifts for Mom should keep an eye out for potential scams, business officials warned. The Metro New York branch of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a non-profit organization reviewing the trustworthiness of businesses, encouraged residents in the region to do their research when purchasing Mother’s Day gifts. The BBB’s Tuesday, April 30 announcement comes after the organization announced that three Long Island florists were being investigated for running alleged scams. One such business is on Long Island at Sarata Flowers, a Melville florist that, a…
COVID-19: NY Duo Steals $8M From Company Seeking Surgical Masks, Feds Say COVID-19: NY Duo Steals $8M From Company Seeking Surgical Masks, Feds Say
Covid-19: NY Duo Steals $8M From Company Seeking Surgical Masks, Feds Say Two New York residents are accused of conning a medical supply company out of millions of dollars in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Long Island resident Jonathan Cannon, age 58, of Miller Place, and Erie County resident Julie Dotton, age 51, of Orchard Park, are both charged with wire fraud in a complaint unsealed in Central Islip federal court on Thursday, May 2. According to prosecutors, a Canadian company serving as an official provider of personal protective equipment paid Cannon and Dotton $8.2 million for surgical masks needed due to the pandemic. In exchange, Dotton agreed…
New Update: I-95 Stretch Fully Reopens After Fiery Crash Causes Days-Long Closure New Update: I-95 Stretch Fully Reopens After Fiery Crash Causes Days-Long Closure
New Update: I-95 Stretch Fully Reopens After Fiery Crash Causes Days-Long Closure This story has been updated. A stretch of I-95 in Connecticut has now fully reopened three days after a fire involving a tanker with 8,500 gallons of gas days earlier. Northbound lanes on the stretch in Norwalk reopened Saturday evening, May 4. Lanes opened on the southbound side reopened late Sunday morning, May 5, earlier than had been expected. The first image above was taken around 11 a.m. Sunday. The blaze broke out after a crash on Thursday, May 2 near exits 14 and 15 between the truck and a passenger vehicle at around 6 a.m.  The tanker fire was raging for…
Scammer Caught Red-Handed With $36K Taken From Woman From Region, Police Say Scammer Caught Red-Handed With $36K Taken From Woman From Region, Police Say
Scammer Caught Red-Handed With $36K Taken From Woman From Region, Police Say A man was captured in the region after allegedly scamming a woman out of $36,000. The incident occurred in Sullivan County on Wednesday, May 1 in the village of Liberty. According to Chief Steven D'Agata of the Liberty Police, the department received a call from a 76-year-old resident who said the money had been taken from her as part of an elaborate scam. The woman told officers that what appeared to be a virus appeared on her computer. Shortly after she received a phone call from a man claiming to be from an anti-virus company and he would help her. D'Agata said the man, identified as H…
Popular Apple Juice Brand Recalled Due To High Arsenic Levels Popular Apple Juice Brand Recalled Due To High Arsenic Levels
Popular Apple Juice Brand Recalled Due To High Arsenic Levels A recall has been issued for a popular brand of apple juice due to high levels of arsenic. S. Martinelli & Co. said the recall is for a single lot of Martinelli’s Apple Juice, one-liter (33.8-ounce) bottles.  The recalled product has a “Best By” date of “09MAR2026” or “10MAR2026” on the front of the bottle above the label.  The product was shipped between March 13, 2023, and September 27, 2023, with the majority of the product shipped before July 28, 2023. This recall results from a sampling by the State of Maryland that found samples from one produc…
Major Mall-Based Chain To Close 543 Stores After Filing For Bankruptcy Major Mall-Based Chain To Close 543 Stores After Filing For Bankruptcy
Major Mall-Based Chain To Close 543 Stores After Filing For Bankruptcy A retailer primarily located in malls is set to close all 543 of its stores following its third Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Closures for all rue21 locations are expected to be completed within the next two months with going-out-of-business sales coming soon. Founded in 1970, rue21 specializes in women's & men's casual apparel and accessories. In its filing on Thursday, May 2, the company said, "It became clear that offers to buy the debtors' assets at their current worth could not exceed the expected profits from selling off the closing stores and assets.  "As a result, the deb…
Saratoga Springs Eatery Closing After 5 Years: 'Beyond My Control' Saratoga Springs Eatery Closing After 5 Years: 'Beyond My Control'
Saratoga Springs Eatery Spa Café On Broadway Closing A well-reviewed breakfast and lunch spot in the region is calling it quits after five years in business. Saratoga County eatery Spa Café on Broadway – located in Saratoga Springs at 480 Broadway – will permanently close on Friday, May 17, owner Darin Palmetto announced on Facebook. “It is with a very heavy heart that I make this announcement,” Palmetto said. “This decision took a lot of thought and deliberation, but I have come to realize that I can no longer sustain the business in any form due to circumstances that are beyond my control.” He went on to thank all of his customers for supp…
State Pulls Liquor License From Capital Region Bar Amid Allegations Of Teen Drinking State Pulls Liquor License From Capital Region Bar Amid Allegations Of Teen Drinking
State Pulls Liquor License From Capital Region Bar Amid Allegations Of Teen Drinking A popular watering hole in the region has gone dry following repeated accusations of underage drinking. The New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) summarily suspended the license of Rensselaer County bar O’Leary’s Tavern, located in Troy on 15th Street, following a special meeting on Tuesday, April 30. Since then, the establishment has been barred from serving alcohol on the premises. The move came days after SLA investigators went to O’Leary’s Friday night, April 26, and reportedly found numerous underage patrons. Members of the Troy Police Department and New York State Police were then ca…
NY Veteran Lies About Earning Purple Heart To Defraud Gov't, Charity Donors: Feds NY Veteran Lies About Earning Purple Heart To Defraud Gov't, Charity Donors: Feds
NY Veteran Lies About Earning Purple Heart To Defraud Gov't, Charity Donors: Feds An Army veteran from New York is accused of lying about earning one of the nation's highest military honors in order to rake in six figures from the government and donors to her charity. Orange County resident Sharon Toney-Finch, of Newburgh, was arrested by the FBI’s White Collar Crime Task Force on Wednesday, May 1, following a two-year investigation. According to federal prosecutors, Toney-Finch falsely claimed that she suffered combat-related injuries during a mortar attack and a separate vehicle rollover while serving in Iraq in 2010. Those claims reportedly led to her receiving hundr…
Man Sells Stolen Car To Malta Dealership, Police Say Man Sells Stolen Car To Malta Dealership, Police Say
Man Sells Stolen Car To Malta Dealership, Police Say Talk about a lemon. A man from the region is facing charges after allegedly selling a stolen vehicle to a dealership. Rensselaer County resident Mousse Saiid, age 42, of Troy, was arrested on Friday, April 26, on grand larceny and related charges. New York State Police said a Saratoga County car dealership located in Malta contacted troopers in early April 2024 saying they had purchased a vehicle that turned out to be stolen from New York City in the previous December. An investigation found that Saiid used a fraudulent title to sell the vehicle to the dealership for more than $30,000, a…
ID Released For Woman Killed In Head-On Capital Region Highway Crash ID Released For Woman Killed In Head-On Capital Region Highway Crash
ID Released For Woman Killed In Head-On Capital Region Highway Crash Authorities have identified a woman killed in a head-on highway crash in the region that left another man injured. The Albany County wreck happened just before 7 a.m. Wednesday, May 1, in Bethlehem, on State Route 85 near the Albany city limits. Bethlehem Police said a 28-year-old Saratoga County man from Clifton Park was driving westbound on Route 85 when he crossed over the center line and struck an eastbound vehicle. The driver of the eastbound car, 53-year-old Shawna Marzahl, of Selkirk, suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Due to the im…