Hudson Valley Cop Dies From COVID, Family Urges Vaccination

A police officer who was beloved by many in the Hudson Valley has passed away from COVID-19.

It was just revealed this week that COVID-19 is now the leading cause of death among law enforcement officers. According to NBC News, 133 officers have died of Covid-related causes since January 1 of this year, more than all of the firearm and traffic-related incidents combined.

Police have felt the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis, and now the Hudson Valley is dealing with the loss of a much-loved police officer from Orange County. Christoper Cockburn was a former sergeant with the Town of Warwick Police Department and currently serving as a police officer in the Village of Florida. Remembered by friends and family for his sense of humor and love for his family, news of the former D.A.R.E. instructor's death took many in the community by surprise.

According to a Facebook post by his daughter, Kayleigh, Cockburn had been suffering from COVID-19 and fell victim to the disease on Tuesday.

My father passed yesterday of COVID-19. He was surrounded by his family and was and is loved by many. He was only 59 years old. He, and I, implore you to understand the dangers of this disease and do everything you can to keep each other safe, including getting the vaccine and wearing a mask. I will miss my dad very much.

Visitation for Cockburn will be held on Sunday, September 19 at T.S. Purta Funeral Home in Florida, NY. Funeral services will be held on Monday, September 20 at St. Joseph Church. Due to COVID 19, the family is requesting that all in attendance wear masks while indoors.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial contributions be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Hudson Valley Restaurants With the Most Critical Violations in 2021

Critical violations are those that can cause immediate harm to consumers such as undercooked food and improper storage of ingredients. Other violations like inadequate handwashing facilities or dirty conditions are noted as non-critical violations.

The ten restaurants below all received four or more critical violations during their latest inspection of 2021. In some cases, the restaurants were given the opportunity to correct the violations by inspectors and have done so. Just because a restaurant is on this list doesn't mean that they are currently in violation of the health code. However, the Board of Health does think it's important to be armed with information on how seriously a restaurant takes kitchen cleanliness, food safety and other important rules that affect the food you feed your family.

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