radioNOVO News NY News Roundup for August 19, 2026

Good morning. Here is your New York State Roundup.A New York State judge has officially pushed back the state trial for Luigi Mangione following his federal guilty plea in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare C-E-O Brian Thompson. Defense attorneys filed a motion to toss the state murder indictment, citing New York’s strict double-jeopardy laws, which prevent individuals from facing prosecution twice for the same conduct. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has until October ninth to respond, with a state court hearing now set for December tenth.In health care news, three Western New York rehabilitation facilities have agreed to pay back nine million dollars to resolve fraudulent Medicaid and Medicare billing claims. A joint state and federal investigation revealed that Safire Nursing Homes manipulated patient records and billed for unnecessary therapy services between twenty-fifteen and twenty-twenty. Beyond the financial penalties, the operators must implement strict compliance measures to ensure proper care for senior residents.Meanwhile, local law enforcement agencies across the Empire State are ending civil immigration agreements with federal authorities to comply with New York’s new Local Cops, Local Crimes Act. Sheriff’s offices in Madison, Niagara, and Cattaraugus counties have formally canceled memorandums of understanding with U-S Immigration and Customs Enforcement ahead of state deadlines. Under the new statute, local police and correction resources cannot be used for civil immigration enforcement, though partnerships on criminal investigations remain permitted.And in regional infrastructure news, New York State is pouring nearly sixty-eight million dollars into overhauling critical highway corridors across upstate and Southern Tier routes. State Department of Transportation projects will target severe pavement damage along Route Seventeen and major regional interchanges, including long-awaited resurfacing and interchange reconfigurations aimed at boosting driver safety and commerce flow.For more news from across the state and your local community, download the radioNOVO app. I’m Codi Gaboff, radioNOVO News, a service of Seven Mountains Media.