North Pitcher
North Pitcher, NY · LATEST NEWS
New York Post
More and more teen killers — blame NY’s Raise the Age law for cultivating crime
Police just arrested yet another teen homicide suspect, the latest grim reminder that Albany’s disastrous Raise the Age law is creating more young criminals. On Wednesday, cops nabbed a 17-year-old in connection with the killing of Javits Frimpong , the Bronx 15-year-old gunned down walking to school late last month. A Bronx judge recently set a $25,000 cash bail for Kalvin Veloz, 16, charged in the fatal shooting of Riley Billingslea , 15, this summer. Juvenile gun arrests have jumped 19% this year, and violent teen crime is far above its level before Raise the Age kicked in seven years ago. Crime’s way down thanks to Trump — Dems will fight to send it back up The law sought to protect 16- and 17-year-olds by making it near-impossible to try them in adult Criminal Court, but sending them to Family Court instead has meant little or no punishment even for violent crimes. So kids who might learn a lesson after a low-level mistake don’t — and are more likely to make worse ones, all too often until someone ends up dead. Saritha Komatireddy has spent a career putting away bad guys — The Post endorses her against political hack Letitia
newyorkupstate.com
Utica Observer-Dispatch
Veteran suicides up in NY: Utica nonprofit gets $750K prevention grant
The Utica Center for Development was awarded a $750,000 federal grant to expand its veteran suicide prevention efforts. The nonprofit will use the grant money to strengthen suicide prevention services including community outreach, peer support, individualized case management, suicide prevention education and connections to mental health services and other resources for veterans. The money will support a program team of about 10 employees dedicated to helping veterans and their families navigate challenges that can contribute to suicide risk. These risk factors include social isolation, financial instability, housing insecurity and barriers to accessing care. The center will provide these services in 13 counties that include rural and underserved communities where access to suicide prevention and support services has been limited. Those counties include Oneida, Herkimer, Madison, Otsego, Lewis, Fulton, Hamilton, Jefferson, Albany, Delaware, Greene, St. Lawrence and Ulster. "Every veteran deserves to know that help is available, that their life matters and that they are never alone," said Vincent Scalise, CEO of the Utica Center for Development, in a statement. "This $750,000 investment will allow us to strengthen our outreach efforts, build meaningful relationships, and connect veterans with the support they need before challenges become crises. “Our goal is simple: to