UPD Dealing with Recent Tragedies - Including Death of 2 Children

Utica Police have been dealing with some very difficult tragedies over the last few days and we'll speak with Utica Police Lt. Mike Curley for an update on Thursday morning.

First, Police are investigating the July 2nd death of a 6-year-old city child who was brought into Wynn Hospital in Utica at around 7:25 a.m.. The child was unresponsive and emergency room doctors were unable to revive him. Lamonte Peterson was pronounced dead at the hospital and the Kernan Elementary student was laid to rest on Wednesday. Police are currently awaiting the medical examiner's report from Onondaga County.

Second, is the case of the 6-year-old child who was pronounced dead after drowning in a neighbor's gated pool on Sunday, June 22, 2025, in the early morning hours just after a severe storm sweeping through the region, including the fatal tornados that touched down in Clinton and Clark Mills. Curley will give us an update on Thursday.

Finally, have police made any progress in the shooting death of 39-year-old Rogereale Howard of Utica on the evening of July 4th. Curley says that Howard was caught in the crossfire and will discuss the latest on the case just after 7 a.m. on Thursday.

Utica's Chicken Riggies Dish Wasn't Invented in Utica? Say It Isn't So.

The now-famous Utica Chicken Riggies recipe has taken on a life of its own. The dish is now found well outside the Utica-Rome area and it's getting more and more popular as word spreads around the northeast. While there are many variations of the dish today, there's still only one original recipe. So, who created the first "Riggies" recipe and where did it really originate.

Gallery Credit: Bill Keeler