No charges in crash that put 13 in hospitals

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

The church van overturned several times before coming to rest on its side. Thirteen passengers were transported to area hospitals, three with life-threatening injuries. Thomas Marra/For Capital Region Independent Media

NEW BALTIMORE — State police are not anticipating filing charges or issuing tickets following a crash of a van on the New York State Thruway that put 13 people in the hospital, three with life-threatening injuries.

The crash, which caused the van to overturn numerous times, according to state police, occurred Aug. 24 at about 9:30 p.m. in the southbound lane of the Thruway near Exit 21B.

The van was a 14-passenger vehicle with 13 people in it, including the driver, who was not injured in the accident.

The passengers were members of a church group that were returning to New York City.

“State Police have determined a church group from the Church of God Prophecy, out of South Ozone Park, NY, were traveling back to New York City from visiting Niagara Falls when the van they were traveling in crashed and overturned,” according to a statement from state police.

First responders on the scene of the crash Aug. 24. Thomas Marra/For Capital Region Independent Media

At press time, three of the 13 passengers remained in critical condition with serious, life-threatening injuries at Albany Medical Center. They are Diane Grier, 51, of Queens Village; Phyllis May Lewis, 65, of Rosedale; and Pamela Wilson, 65, whose address is presently unknown.

Nine additional passengers were taken to several area hospitals for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Passengers Antoinette Roper, 63, of Jamaica, New York, and Sarah Simms, 63, of Hempstead, were transported to Northern Dutchess Hospital. Maxine Fisher, of Jamaica, New York, was taken to Health Alliance in Kingston; Ismay Montoban, 63, of Central Islip, was transported to Albany Memorial Hospital; and Herschell Blackwood, 63, of Valley Stream, was taken to St. Peter’s Hospital. Leonie Marshall, 62, of Queens Village, and three additional passengers whose addresses were unknown at press time — Ronald Price, 69, Rochelle Smith, 37, and Agnes Williams, 84 — were all taken to Albany Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.

No criminal charges and no tickets are expected to be issued following the crash, state police said. Thomas Marra/For Capital Region Independent Media

State police determined no criminal charges are planned and no tickets have been issued.

“Percival Carter, 73, of Jamaica, New York, was operating the van when he attempted to avoid an uninvolved vehicle that changed lanes, and he overcorrected, causing the van to lose control and overturn numerous times,” according to state police. “Carter was not injured during the crash.”

Several first-responder agencies responded to the crash site. In addition to state police, also assisting at the scene were Troop F BCI, Troop CRU (Collision Reconstruction Unit), the Coxsackie and New Baltimore fire departments, along with multiple EMS agencies.

Traffic in the southbound lanes of the Thruway were closed during the investigation and reopened to traffic around 3:45 a.m.

Emergency workers transported 13 passengers to several area hospitals the night of the crash. Thomas Marra/For Capital Region Independent Media

What’s the buzz? Bees, of course

In News, News - Greenville, The Greenville Pioneer

June 21, 2022

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

A beekeeper teaches youngsters about bees during “The Buzz About Bees,” hosted by the Greenville Rotary. Melanie Lekocevic/Capital Region Independent Media

GREENVILLE — What’s the buzz? Why, it’s bees, of course.

The Greenville Rotary held a special program June 11 at the gazebo at Veterans’ Park and in the community room at the Greenville Public Library entitled “The Buzz About Bees.”

The family educational program, geared to adults and children alike, offered activities and vendors geared to nature and, of course, the business of bees.

“This is an environmental day,” said Rotary member Eileen Cuffe, who staffed a table at the gazebo. “It’s all about selling plants, telling people about bee keeping, people are selling honey, and there are all different kinds of plants that people can buy.”

Mushrooms, herbal teas, honey products and seed bombs were also available. Seed bombs are small, clay-covered mounds of seeds that “bomb” the soil to encourage plant growth.

A beekeeper was also on hand, showing kids of all ages the tools of her trade and explaining how bees are handled.

Local resident Heather Zacchio brought her three kids to “The Buzz About Bees” and said they couldn’t get enough of the beekeeper’s presentation.

“They are learning about beehives and how honey is made,” Zacchio said. “They like to eat honey a lot but they haven’t gotten to see hives up close, so this is really cool.”

Inside the community room at the library, there were more activities including children’s art projects.

There are likely many more species of bees that you might think.

There are over 20,000 known bee species in the world, with around 4,000 of them native to the United States, according to the U.S. Geological Survey website.

Bee species range in size from tiny 2-millimeter Perdita minima, known as the world’s smallest bee, to carpenter bees, which are the size of a kumquat. Many kinds of bees are smaller than a grain of rice and about 10% of bee species in the U.S. have not yet been named.

Many bees are vital to maintaining an adequate food supply, and it goes far beyond honey production.

“Native bees are the primary insect pollinator of agricultural plants in most of the country,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey website. “Crops that they pollinate include squash, tomatoes, cherries, blueberries and cranberries.”

Honeybees are not native to North America but were brought here from Europe in the 17th century and now help pollinate many crops in the U.S., including fruits and nuts.

Native bees pollinate an estimated 80% of flowering plants around the world, according to the organization.

No charges in crash that put 13 in hospitals

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