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2 former NYC fire chiefs charged with bribery, corruption for alleged preferential treatment

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2 former NYC fire chiefs charged with bribery, corruption for alleged preferential treatment

Two former New York City Fire Department (FDNY) chiefs are in custody, accused of soliciting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment to certain builders and developers.

Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco were arrested on bribery, corruption and false statements charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced Monday.

The two, and an unnamed third party, are accused of soliciting and accepting bribe payments from at least 2021 through 2023, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams told reporters. The amount of bribes is allegedly more than $190,000, which was allegedly paid in exchange for “priority access to the Bureau of Fire Prevention,” Williams said.

The bureau is responsible for regulating the installation of fire safety and suppression systems throughout New York City and ensuring fire safety regulations are obeyed. Williams explained that the bureau’s approval is often required in order for buildings to be open to the public or occupied, and that they are supposed to operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

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FILE PHOTO – Two former FDNY chiefs are being charged in a corruption case. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images)

“They allegedly created a VIP lane for faster service that could only be accessed with bribes,” Williams said.

The indictment, obtained by the Associated Press, listed the charges against Saccavino and Cordasco as conspiracy to solicit a bribe, solicitation and receive of a bribe, honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, and making false statements in connection with a scheme to solicit and accept tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments in exchange for providing preferential treatment to certain individuals and companies.

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firefighter suits hanging in station

Federal authorities will soon release more information about the case against former FDNY chiefs Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco. (Peter Byrne/PA Images)

“Every member of the FDNY takes a sworn oath to conduct themselves honestly and ethically,” Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said in a statement. “Anything less will not be tolerated. The Department will fully cooperate with any ongoing investigations. Keeping New Yorkers safe remains our top priority.”

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Back in February during the investigation, Saccavino and Cordasco participated in voluntary interviews with the FBI. They each are accused of “repeatedly” making false statements during those interviews, according to federal prosecutors.

fire truck

A New York City Fire Department truck sits at a station. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto)

The arrests come amid a widening corruption investigation of New York City’s government.

Over the weekend, the top legal adviser to Mayor Eric Adams abruptly resigned. That came days after the head of the New York Police Department resigned after federal investigators seized his phone.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Boston, MA

NBA Free Agent Linked to Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics

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NBA Free Agent Linked to Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics


Many NBA teams are still rounding out their training camp rosters. With camps beginning in the next two weeks, several remaining free agents are working out with NBA teams with the hopes of landing a camp deal.

The Golden State Warriors have been linked to several players like this, and it was recently reported by Keith Smith of Spotrac that five-year NBA veteran Nassir Little has either already worked out, or will soon workout for the Warriors, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Sacramento Kings.

Via Smith:  “Free agent wing Nassir Little has/had workouts with the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings, a league source told @spotrac.”

Little was recently waived by the Phoenix Suns.

Via Shams Charania on August 21: “The Phoenix Suns are waiving forwards Nassir Little and EJ Liddell, per sources. By releasing both, the Suns open up a roster spot and create flexibility for signings and trades during the season. Suns will stretch the three years and $22 million remaining on Little’s deal.”

A 6-foot-5 forward, Little owns career averages of 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 237 career games. Spending last season with Phoenix, Little appeared in 45 games (two starts).

Nassir Little

Phoenix Suns forward Nassir Little (25) against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Warriors have worked out several players who are candidates for a training camp deal, and Little is reportedly one of those players.

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Caitlin Clark’s Two-Word Reaction to Steph Curry’s Performance in USA-France





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Pittsburg, PA

Hundreds of thousands of birds are migrating over the Pittsburgh area. Here’s how you can help their journey.

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Hundreds of thousands of birds are migrating over the Pittsburgh area. Here’s how you can help their journey.


PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Millions of birds are in the middle of their migrations through western Pennsylvania, and you can play a small part in helping them along on their journeys. 

Peak migration season is typically mid-August to mid-October, and 200 million birds are predicted to migrate across the country on Monday night. 

“Right now is a really important time for bird migration, and in fact, over 719,000 birds flew over Allegheny County just last night. They migrate at night because they use the stars and the moon to help with navigation,” said Rachel Handel, the communications director for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. 

But Handel says light pollution can be a big problem for birds on the move. 

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“That could be as big as stadium lights or really as small as keeping a light on in your home late at night. Those lights can distract the birds when they’re flying. That can lead to overexertion, that can lead to them becoming confused.”

Handel says there are ways you can help make their trip a little smoother.

“Simply turn off the lights at night and encourage their neighbors to do it too,” Handel said. 

Their destination? South.

“We are seeing a lot of warblers migrating, and a lot of hummingbirds. They tend to migrate southwards to Mexico, Central America, South America, so they have a long journey ahead of them, and of course there will be stops along the way,” Handel said. 

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Handel says leaving out bird seed and nectar for hummingbirds is especially helpful right now as they make pitstops to fuel up.

“The best things we can do is to provide some additional food sources to help them along as they migrate,” Handel said. 



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Connecticut

Hartford elementary students celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

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Hartford elementary students celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month


Sept. 15 marked the start of Hispanic Heritage Month which celebrates Hispanic culture, history and achievements.

On Monday, students at the Naylor School in Hartford came together to celebrate with an Olympic-themed pep rally.

“This is just to get everyone excited and remind them why they need to come to school everyday,” principal Alesia Ettson said. “And celebrate our very diverse culture that we have here.”

Ettson estimates that 50 to 75% of her 400 students come from Hispanic backgrounds.

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“I hope that they get the excitement for their culture,” bilingual resource teacher Jackie Ithier said. “They go home and they can talk to mommy and daddy to learn more about their culture.”

Arlyanis Toro is one of those students. Toro is Puerto Rican and said she enjoys the food.

“The Spanish people finally get to be noticed and get to be loved for who they are,” she said. “It’s important for all Spanish, because some Spanish people get bullied because they talk another language.”

Others like Francine Eto aren’t Hispanic, but are eager to learn.

“I’m very excited, I’m very excited,” said Eto, who is Tanzanian. “They speak different languages, different skin color and also different hairstyles.”

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She said she looks forward to learning Spanish in the future.



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