82° Fair
National Interest
Popular Fast-Food Chain Offering Deep Discounts Amid Sales Slide Sparked By Parasite Outbreak Popular Fast-Food Chain Offering Deep Discounts Amid Sales Slide Sparked By Parasite Outbreak
Popular Fast-Food Chain Offering Deep Discounts Amid Sales Slide Sparked By Parasite Outbreak A fast-food heavyweight is reaching for throwback prices after a health scare sent customers heading for the exits. Taco Bell has rolled out a series of $1, lettuce-free promotions after US same-store sales fell two percent from mid-June through Monday, July 27, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, July 30. Customer visits fell by nearly 30 percent at the height of the decline in mid-July. The limited promotions included $1 Enchiritos on Wednesday, July 22, and $1 Mexican Pizzas on Tuesday, July 28. Neither item is served with lettuce. The discounts followed federal findings conn…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
Breaking News
Man Running Across Suffolk County Road Seriously Hurt After BMW Crash Man Running Across Suffolk County Road Seriously Hurt After BMW Crash
Man Running Across Suffolk County Road Seriously Hurt After BMW Crash A man suffered serious injuries after he was struck by a BMW while running across a road on Long Island, police said.  The crash happened at about 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1, on Fifth Avenue just north of Brewster Street in Bay Shore, according to Suffolk County Police.  The man was running across Fifth Avenue from east to west when he was hit by a southbound 2019 BMW 430, investigators said. The pedestrian, who has not yet been identified, was taken to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore with serious injuries, police said.  The BMW's driver, 18-year-old Ja…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
Breaking News
UTV Pins 2 Children, Killing 12-Year-Old, Critically Injuring 10-Year-Old In NY UTV Pins 2 Children, Killing 12-Year-Old, Critically Injuring 10-Year-Old In NY
UTV Pins 2 Children, Killing 12-Year-Old, Critically Injuring 10-Year-Old In NY A 12-year-old child was killed, and a 10-year-old remains in critical condition after a UTV rolled over and pinned both children beneath it, authorities announced on Saturday, Aug. 1. The crash happened in the area of 84 County Route 56 in Maplecrest, where deputies with the Greene County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a UTV accident.  A preliminary investigation found the UTV was being driven on a private gravel driveway that serves several homes when it veered off the left side of the driveway, struck a boulder, and rolled onto its passenger side, ejecting all four oc…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
National Interest
Vincent Pastore Found Dead: Beloved Actor Starred On 'The Sopranos,' Lifelong NYer Vincent Pastore Found Dead: Beloved Actor Starred On 'The Sopranos,' Lifelong NYer
Vincent Pastore Found Dead: Beloved Actor Starred On 'The Sopranos,' Lifelong NYer A familiar face from one of television's greatest dramas has died after a career filled with tough guys, comic turns, and one unforgettable betrayal. Deadline reported on Saturday, Aug. 1, that Vincent Pastore, best known as Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on HBO's "The Sopranos," was found dead at his Bronx residence. He was 80. A neighbor discovered Pastore after he had not been heard from for three days, according to Deadline. Authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding his death. A cause of death had not been released. Pastore appeared throughout the first two seaso…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
US Water Systems Cyberattacks Expand To At Least 7 States: Federal Alert US Water Systems Cyberattacks Expand To At Least 7 States: Federal Alert
US Water Systems Cyberattacks Expand To At Least 7 States: Federal Alert A widening digital assault reportedly linked to Iran is reaching deeper into infrastructure Americans depend on every day. The FBI and Environmental Protection Agency are warning that water and wastewater utilities in at least seven states have reported cyberattacks. The incidents were reported beginning Monday, July 27, and some water operations were degraded, according to the joint FBI and EPA announcement. The attacks targeted internet-connected programmable logic controllers. The devices monitor or control pumps, pressure, wastewater equipment, and other industrial processes. Hackers …

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
UPS Mysteriously Delivers $89K In Marijuana To Funeral Home UPS Mysteriously Delivers $89K In Marijuana To Funeral Home
UPS Mysteriously Delivers $89K In Marijuana To Funeral Home A routine UPS delivery turned into an unexpected drug bust after employees at a Pennsylvania funeral home opened a 27-pound package filled with marijuana and hashish that had been mistakenly delivered to one of its chapels, according to Heffner Family Services. The package arrived Friday afternoon, July 24, at Heffner Funeral Chapel & Crematory on Kenneth Road in West Manchester Township after UPS had unknowingly returned it to the funeral home's address, company president Ernie Heffner told Daily Voice. The strange delivery came about 10 days after accounting staff noticed an unusually…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
Breaking News
2 Men, Teen Charged With Murder In Fatal Stabbing Of Long Island 18-Year-Old 2 Men, Teen Charged With Murder In Fatal Stabbing Of Long Island 18-Year-Old
2 Men, Teen Charged With Murder In Fatal Stabbing Of Long Island 18-Year-Old More than a month after an 18-year-old was found fatally stabbed on a New York street, police have arrested three people in connection with his killing. Denis A. Gonzalez Sorto, 21, of Hempstead, Isaac Lopez Alvarez, 20, of Hempstead, and a 17-year-old adolescent offender have each been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Michael David Grajeda Suazo, according to Nassau County Police in an update issued Saturday, Aug. 1.  The arrests stem from the fatal stabbing that happened around 9:25 p.m. Sunday, June 28, outside 545 Fulton Ave. in Hempstead. Officers responding to a…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
Breaking News
23-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed After Losing Control On William Floyd Parkway In Suffolk County 23-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed After Losing Control On William Floyd Parkway In Suffolk County
23-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed After Losing Control On William Floyd Parkway In Suffolk County A 23-year-old man was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle and was thrown from it on William Floyd Parkway on Long Island early Saturday, Aug. 1, police announced.  Daniel Austin, of Mastic Beach, was riding a 2024 Honda southbound in Shoreham at approximately 1:05 a.m. when he lost control and was ejected from the motorcycle, according to Suffolk County Police.  Austin was pronounced dead at the scene. The motorcycle was impounded for a safety check as detectives continue to investigate the crash.  Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad detectives are asking anyone w…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
National Interest
Riverhead Boy Experienced These Symptoms Before Diagnosis Of Rare Tick-Borne Illness Spreading Riverhead Boy Experienced These Symptoms Before Diagnosis Of Rare Tick-Borne Illness Spreading
Riverhead Boy Experienced These Symptoms Before Diagnosis Of Rare Tick-Borne Illness Spreading Three cases of a rare tick-borne illness have been confirmed on Long Island, prompting a warning from health officials, multiple news outlets are reporting. Tularemia, more commonly known as rabbit fever, has been detected in three people in Suffolk County, NBC4 reports.  Tularemia is a potentially serious bacterial illness that can spread through tick or deer fly bites, contact with infected animals such as rabbits and rodents, contaminated food or water, or inhaling contaminated dust, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most common form of…

SHARE

by Cecilia Levine
Breaking News
Missing 69-Year-Old Woman Found Dead Inside SUV At NY Hotel Missing 69-Year-Old Woman Found Dead Inside SUV At NY Hotel
Missing 69-Year-Old Woman Found Dead Inside SUV At NY Hotel A missing 69-year-old woman was found dead inside her SUV in a Saratoga County hotel parking lot Friday evening, authorities said. Investigators with the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office responded to the parking lot of the Home2 Suites in Malta at approximately 6:20 p.m. on Friday, July 31, after developing information during their investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Ryle, 69, of Wilton, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies located Ryle's 2015 Toyota RAV4 in the parking lot and, upon examining the vehicle, found her deceased inside, authorities said. The Sheriff's Office…

SHARE

by Jillian Pikora
National Interest
70 Officials Descend On 'Exorcist' Star Linda Blair's California Property 70 Officials Descend On 'Exorcist' Star Linda Blair's California Property
70 Officials Descend On 'Exorcist' Star Linda Blair's California Property An early-morning operation brought more than 70 officials to the Southern California property of one of Hollywood’s most recognizable horror stars. Authorities executed an investigative warrant at actress Linda Blair’s home on Friday, July 31, according to multiple reports. The action was not connected to suspected criminal conduct. It was a multi-agency code-enforcement inspection involving the large-dog rescue operation housed on the property. TMZ, which first reported the search, said Blair had authorization to house approximately 60 dogs. Officials found about 200 dogs on the 2.5-acre …

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi
National Interest
Food Safety Fears Are Reshaping Americans' Eating Habits: What To Know Food Safety Fears Are Reshaping Americans' Eating Habits: What To Know
Food Safety Fears Are Reshaping Americans' Eating Habits: What To Know A fast-growing parasite outbreak is no longer just changing public-health numbers. It is changing what Americans put on their plates. Four in 10 Americans are buying or eating less fresh produce because of the Cyclospora outbreak, according to a CBS News/YouGov survey released Sunday, July 26. Women were slightly more likely than men to report cutting back. Older adults were also more likely than younger people to change their habits. Those following the outbreak very closely were especially likely to say they were buying or eating less produce. A sizable share of Americans says th…

SHARE

by Joe Lombardi