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New York prison guards fired for ignoring deal to end strike, thousands set to lose health insurance

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New York prison guards fired for ignoring deal to end strike, thousands set to lose health insurance

New York officials have begun firing state prison guards who failed to abide by a deal to end their illegal labor strike, which has now extended into a third week.

The state’s homeland security commissioner, Jackie Bray, said terminations began on Sunday and that the state started canceling health insurance benefits on Monday for correctional officers who continue to strike as well as their dependents.

Fewer than 10 officers have been fired and thousands are slated to lose their health insurance benefits, according to Bray.

“None of these actions we take lightly,” Bray said. “We have tried at every turn to get people back to work without taking these actions.”

NEW YORK INMATE DIES IN PRISON AS GUARDS CONTINUE STRIKE DEEMED ILLEGAL UNDER STATE LAW

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Officers at the Auburn Correctional Facility continue to hold the line on the third day of their strike to protest unsafe working conditions in Auburn, New York, on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP)

On Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a binding agreement between the state and officers’ union to end the strike. Under the deal, officers were required to return to work by Saturday to avoid being disciplined for picketing, as the labor action violates a state law prohibiting strikes by most public employees.

This comes as state police launched an investigation into the death of an inmate at one of the state’s prisons over the weekend.

Messiah Nantwi, 22, who was housed at Mid-State Correctional Facility, died Saturday at a hospital in the city of Utica.

Nantwi entered the state prison system in May and was serving a five-year sentence for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with a 2021 shooting involving police officers. Nantwi, who had been represented by the public defender’s office, was also awaiting trial in the shooting deaths of two men in 2023.

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Officials have declined to provide additional details on what led to his death, but other inmates told The New York Times that Nantwi was brutally beaten by correctional officers.

“True, he was incarcerated, but he was still entitled, like all of us, to basic human dignity and safety,” Stan German, executive director of the New York County Defender Services, said in a statement. “Instead, he suffered a violent senseless death at the hands of state corrections officers operating within a toxic culture that our society mainly ignores.”

The corrections department said 11 staffers have been placed on administrative leave, pending the results of the ongoing probe into Nantwi’s death.

Mid-State is across the street from the Marcy Correctional Facility, where six guards have been charged with murder in the December beating death of Robert Brooks.

Correction officers at Auburn Correctional Facility picket on the third day of their strike to protest unsafe working conditions, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Auburn, New York. (AP)

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NY CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS REPEATEDLY STRUCK HANDCUFFED INMATE, PICKED HIM UP BY HIS NECK BEFORE HE DIED: VIDEO 

Another inmate, 61-year-old Jonathon Grant, was pronounced dead last month after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Auburn Correctional Facility amid the ongoing labor strike, although it is unclear if prison staffing played a role in his death.

The manner in which Grant died will be determined by a medical examiner. The public defender’s office that provided legal counsel to him expressed concern that the strike may have impacted medical care for inmates.

Officers began walking out on Feb. 17 to protest working conditions at the state’s prisons.

Jose Saldana, the director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, said guards were striking as a “distraction” from the attention on inmate abuse.

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“To put it more bluntly, guards are holding hostage tens of thousands of incarcerated people, whose basic survival needs are often going unmet, in order to demand even more power to harm those in their custody,” Saldana said.

The deal between the state and officers’ union to end the officers’ strike included ways to address staffing shortages and minimize mandatory 24-hour overtime shifts. The agreement also offers a temporary increase in overtime pay and a potential change in pay scale.

Correctional officers and their supporters demonstrate in sight of Coxsackie Correctional Facility in the Hudson Valley., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, in Coxsackie, New York. (AP)

A 90-day suspension of a law limiting the use of solitary confinement was also included in the agreement. During the pause, the state must evaluate if reinstating the law would “create an unreasonable risk” to staff and inmate safety.

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Hochul deployed the National Guard to some prisons to fill in for striking workers.

Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello said Monday that the number of facilities with striking workers dipped from 38 to 32, although visits remained suspended at all state prisons.

“No matter when this ends or how this ends, our long-term plan must be and is to recruit more corrections officers because our facilities run safer when we’re fully staffed,” Bray said. “That work can’t really begin in earnest until folks return to work and we end the strike.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to New York Homeland Security and the officers’ union, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Northeast

Pennsylvania bus driver charged with endangering dozens of elementary students while intoxicated

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Pennsylvania bus driver charged with endangering dozens of elementary students while intoxicated

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A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 elementary school children while over four times the legal alcohol limit, authorities said, after reports she was swerving through traffic and nearly hitting vehicles before the bus ended up in a snowbank.

On Tuesday, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Douglass Township Police Chief Robert B. Evans announced an arrest warrant for Kelly Weber, 46, of Boyertown.

Weber is charged with driving under the influence, 54 counts each of endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment and related summary offenses.

Authorities said police were alerted around 4 p.m. Feb. 6 that a school bus was driving erratically and narrowly missing other vehicles.

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A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 children with a .331% BAC before stopping in a snowbank. She faces DUI and 54 child endangerment counts. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

A responding officer later found the bus stopped in a snowbank.

Investigators said officers found an open 750ml bottle of Tito’s vodka, two empty 50ml bottles and a receipt showing the alcohol was purchased earlier that morning.

RHODE ISLAND TEACHER ACCUSED OF SEXTING, KISSING HIGH SCHOOL BOY

A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 children with a .331% BAC before stopping in a snowbank. She faces DUI and 54 child endangerment counts. (iStock)

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According to authorities, a blood test showed Weber’s blood alcohol concentration was .331%, more than four times the legal limit of .08%, and detected Delta-9 Carboxy THC.

Investigators said 54 children were on the bus, including five younger than 6. Several children called or texted their parents during the ride because they were frightened by the driving, and one child exited at an earlier stop and was picked up by his parents, authorities said.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH CHARGED WITH RAPING FOSTER DAUGHTER, SERVING VICTIM TEQUILA SHOTS: REPORT

A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 children with a .331% BAC before stopping in a snowbank. She faces DUI and 54 child endangerment counts. (iStock, File)

“More than 50 young children were in a dangerous situation created by this defendant, who chose to consume a significant amount of alcohol and then get behind the wheel of a school bus and drive miles while intoxicated,” Steele said. “We are all thankful that this defendant didn’t crash the bus and cause further harm to these children.”

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Weber checked herself into a rehabilitation facility after the incident, authorities said. She is expected to turn herself in for arraignment, at which time bail will be set.

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Boston, MA

Each mile is for her miracle: This Granby mom is running the Boston Marathon with her daughter in mind

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Each mile is for her miracle: This Granby mom is running the Boston Marathon with her daughter in mind


Boston Marathon

“With every mile I run, I will be thinking of her strength, her transplant journey, and the families who are walking similar paths right now.”

Brianna Poehler is running the 2026 Boston Marathon.
Brianna Poehler

In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon athletes share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston. Looking for more race day content? Sign up for Boston.com’s pop-up Boston Marathon newsletter.


Name: Brianna Poehler

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City/State: Granby, Mass.

I am running the 2026 Boston Marathon with Miles for Miracles in support of Boston Children’s Hospital. The Boston Marathon is deeply personal to me and my family. 

My daughter is a liver transplant survivor, and at just 11 months old, she received a life-saving liver transplant at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

What could have been the most devastating chapter of our lives became a story of hope, resilience, and extraordinary care because of the BCH team.

When our daughter was so small and so sick, the doctors, nurses, and staff at Boston Children’s carried us through the unimaginable. 

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They combined world-class medical expertise with compassion that went far beyond treatment plans and hospital rooms. They cared for our daughter as if she were their own. They supported us as anxious, exhausted parents. They gave us answers when we had questions, and reassurance when we were overwhelmed. 

Most importantly, they gave our daughter a second chance at life.

Today, she is thriving because of that gift. Every milestone she reaches is a reminder of the miracle she received and the team that made it possible. Running the Boston Marathon is my way of honoring that gift and saying thank you in the most meaningful way I can.

The marathon is a test of endurance, determination, and heart — qualities I saw in my daughter during her fight and in the Boston Children’s team every single day. 

With every mile I run, I will be thinking of her strength, her transplant journey, and the families who are walking similar paths right now.

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By running with Miles for Miracles, I hope to raise funds that will support groundbreaking research, life-saving treatments, and compassionate care for children like my daughter. This race is more than 26.2 miles — it is a celebration of survival, gratitude, and hope.

Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.

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Pittsburg, PA

Can Pittsburgh Handle an NFL Draft Crowd?

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Can Pittsburgh Handle an NFL Draft Crowd?


Along with the best football prospects the season has to offer, the NFL Draft promises to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Pittsburgh from April 23 to 25.

If the turnout approaches that of Detroit in 2023, those descending on the North Shore and Downtown could reach 700,000 over the three days. For reference, that’s more than 10 times Acrisure Stadium’s 68,400 seats, and more than double the city’s roughly 308,000 residents.

Where will they stay? How will they get around?


Event planners at VisitPittsburgh say the city is up to the task.

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“They picked us out of several cities because we have the infrastructure,” said Perry Ivery, general manager of the Oaklander Hotel and board chair of VisitPittsburgh.

Last year, Wisconsin’s Green Bay comfortably accommodated a unique visitor count three times its 106,000 population, according to residents and local leaders.

Rooms Enough?

Ivery said there are some 26,000 hotel rooms across the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, the bulk of which are concentrated in and around Downtown.

Even if each room holds two to four people, the total still appears to fall short. But Ivery said many attendees will be locals, whether from Pittsburgh, surrounding counties or neighboring states within a day’s drive.

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Plus, a high proportion of out-of-town guests could have Pittsburgh roots and a free bed to claim in a family home, he added.

There are also around 3,500 units available for short-term rental in and around Pittsburgh through platforms like Airbnb and VRBO.

“We’re all working together to make sure everybody has a great hospitality experience in the City of Pittsburgh,” Ivery said.

Infrastructure from roads to parking, and bus and light rail routes, will also feel the strain.

Strain on the Train?

Pittsburgh Regional Transit normally services around 100,000 riders on an average weekday, across its entire network. Spokesperson Adam Brandolph said the agency is prepared for the transit demands of what’s expected to be the biggest event the city has hosted.

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“We’re confident that we’ll be able to meet the needs of visitors to the draft as well as daily riders,” he said, noting “no major closures or detours” are planned for the event other than the University Line project, which may see less construction during that week.

Brandolph said the agency is finalizing plans and intends to make more information public soon.

A spokesperson for VisitPittsburgh said a local committee is working with a range of stakeholders including transportation agencies, engineering partners and local government “to deliver a coordinated and comprehensive plan for the region.”

“This includes collaboration with public transit agencies on adjusted service plans, clearly marked detour routes, designated rideshare zones and proactive communication with residents, businesses and commuters,” said Alex Kenzakoski, communications director for VisitPittsburgh.

“Our shared goal is to minimize disruption, keep the region moving and make travel as predictable and seamless as possible for both fans and locals.”

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Kenzakoski said details on road closures, transit adjustments and travel guidance will be made known ahead of the draft, and encouraged fans to download the NFL OnePass app for transportation information and updates.

Ivery said a successful draft week execution could line Pittsburgh up for future hosting prospects.

“There’re going to be folks that come in that have never been to Pittsburgh … This is a case to showcase our town, and our hotels,” he said.

“We’re friendly, we have grit, we’re very excited to showcase that we can do large-scale activities.”

This story first appeared in Pittsburgh’s Public Source. Read the original here.

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