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Rockland's Award-Winning News
05-17-12
VANDERHOEF TO UNVEIL CONTINGENCY PLANS TODAY
County Executive Scott Vanderhoef is unveiling today a list of budget options, a list that includes what Vanderhoef calls “to the bone” cuts in the county workforce. The county budget deficit is placed at about $80-million and growing. Vanderhoef has had to develop a contingency plan, having failed to get state approval for a sales-tax increase to erase the deficit. At an afternoon press conference, Vanderhoef was also to outline a plan for the future of Summit Park Hospital, whose financial losses contribute heavily to the county debt. A consulting firm found last week that selling the facility to a public benefit corporation, as Vanderhoef has proposed, is the county’s best option.
Meanwhile, Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski is pushing his own plan to help bring Rockland out of its fiscal crisis. His proposed legislation would create a deficit-reduction task force with oversight powers on county spending. Zebrowski says the nine-member, un-salaried task-force could provide Rockland with long-term financial stability at little or no cost to county taxpayers. Rockland’s OTHER Assembly member, Nancy Calhoun, says she’ll BACK Zebrowski’s legislation.
COUNTY LEGISLATURE MOVES TO PRESS ALBANY ON MANDATE RELIEF
The County Legislature unanimously approved a resolution this week to press Albany for mandate relief. Mandated items such as Medicaid, pension plans, and a variety of educational and social services cost the county tens of millions of dollars each year. The resolution, by legislator Ed Day, urges quick action on the state’s promise to reimburse counties for at least part of those costs.
CLARKSTOWN POLICE INK 5-YR. PACT: 2.5% RAISES ANNUALLY
Clarkstown police will get a 2.5% raise in each of the next five years. That’s under the new contract agreed-to this week with the town. Taxpayer groups are calling the raises excessive, but Supervisor Alex Gromack says they’re a good deal for the town considering that the last time the contract talks went to arbitration, the police won increases of 3.4% per year.
05-16-12
ZEBROWSKI SUPPORTED ON FISCAL TASK FORCE PLAN
Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski is getting support for his plan to help bring Rockland out of its fiscal crisis. The proposal would create a deficit-reduction task force with oversight powers on county spending and a voice on program and service cuts. Zebrowski says the task-force, which would be set up for three years, could provide Rockland with long-term financial stability at little or no cost to county taxpayers. It would have nine appointed and unpaid members, two of whom would represent Rockland government. Rockland’s OTHER Assembly member, Republican Nancy Calhoun, told us this morning she backs her Democratic colleague’s task-force proposal.
CONSULTANTS: PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION IS BEST BET FOR SUMMIT PARK TAKEOVER
Consultants told the county legislature last night what they can do with Summit Park. A report by the county-paid consultants proposes selling the facility’s Nursing Care Center to a public benefit corporation, and that its in-patient psych unit be transferred to Nyack Hospital. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef first raised the idea of selling to a public benefit corporation, as a way out of the financial hole the county seems to have dug with Summit Park. The facility reportedly loses more than a million dollars a month, contributing heavily to the county’s current $80-million deficit.
EAST RAMAPO ALONE IN REGION IN REJECTING SCHOOL BUDGET
East Ramapo’s school budget goes down, the only one in Rockland, Westchester or Putnam County to be rejected in yesterday’s voting. Here in Rockland, most incumbents were returned to their school-board seats. Among the exceptions: Clarkstown’s Phillip DeGaetano and Donna Ehrenberg, both lightning rods in recent district controversies. Pearl River voters rejected a proposition that would have expanded school-bus service to include more students.
But the story today is East Ramapo, where parents now face the possibility of no kindergarten for their children. That could happen under a contingency budget, one of two options left -- the other, to put the same, $192-million budget, or a trimmed-down version, up for a re-vote. Yesterday’s vote also meant defeat for appointed-incumbent board-member JoAnne Thompson, and victory for incumbent Eliyahu Solomon and two newcomers, Yonah Rothman and Jacob Lefkowitz. All three were roundly supported by East Ramapo’s powerful Hasidic community – and opposed by civic groups claiming to represent a wider base of district residents.
In Clarkstown, voters elected newcomers Chris Conti, Wendy Adolff and Mike Aglialoro to the school board. DeGaetano’s and Ehrenberg’s DEFEATS come amid a swirl of controversy over their alleged roles in the transfer of an elementary school teacher.
FIRE OFFICIALS SLAM SIZE OF FINE TO OWNER OF MONSEY HOME DESTROYED BY FIRE
Firefighters are calling the $500 fine imposed on the owner of a Monsey residence that burned down last month a mere slap on the wrist. A four-year-old boy who had been left home alone was rescued from the April 27th fire. The home, on West Central Avenue, had been sub-divided illegally into apartments. That’s a not-uncommon occurrence in Rockland, but one that poses great risks to fire-fighters. And, in this case, fire officials say the $500 fine is so small that it effectively encourages landlords to continue sub-dividing in the quest for more rental income.
05-15-12
UNVEILING OF SUMMIT PARK STUDY
Results of the outside study on the County Health facility, Summit Park will be revealed tonight at the legislative meeting. The consultants hired to complete the study at a cost of $186,000 – were hired in September to help determine the future of the County run hospital. A contributor to the county deficit, the study and decisions regarding Summit Park are essential for the budget plan following last weeks downgrade from Moody’s Investor Services. Along with the unveiling of the Summit Park Study, Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski plans to reveal his solution for the County’s financial crisis with a Compromise bill. Zebrowski’s plan includes a smaller sales tax increase and a 9 member deficit reduction task force. Details are expected to be available later in the week.
PALISADES CENTER TAX REDUCTION TRIAL BEGINS
The Palisades Center was in court before Judge Margaret Garvey yesterday challenging their property tax rate. A real estate appraiser from Boston, Webster Collins testified on behalf of the mall. Mr. Collins attributes the discrepancy in tax assessments to a discrepancy in appraised market value. Collins also noted Rockland’s increased unemployment lead to a 9 % drop in sales
in 2008-2009. Thus, a two-thirds reduction is sought. Currently assessed at $253 million – the trial will continue throughout the week.
GAS STATION ROBBERY – CENTRAL NYACK
A Shell gas station was robbed at approximately 2:45am Monday on Rte 59 in Central Nyack by a masked gunman. Police described the gunman as a black male, about 5-7, wearing a multi colored bandana over his face and a baseball cap with a red brim. The gas station clerk did hand over the demanded cash and was unharmed. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Clarkstown police at 639-5800.
COLLEGE STUDENT DEATH IN VALLEY COTTAGE
The death of a college student that occurred over the weekend in Valley Cottage while visiting with friends is under investigation. Bobby Bertolacci was found unresponsive at a house party early Saturday morning. The Arizona State University student was pronounced dead at Nyack Hospital.
05-14-12
SCHOOL BOARD, BUDGET VOTES DUE TOMORROW
Rocklanders go to the polls tomorrow to vote on their school district budgets and fill seats on their school boards. In all, 29 candidates are vying for 18 board seats throughout Rockland. Proposed budgets range from $60-million in Pearl River to East Ramapo’s $192-million package. Most would keep school taxes from rising significantly without layoffs. But some districts, led by East Ramapo, are looking at dozens staff layoffs and cutbacks in a number of school programs.
PUBLIC TO QUESTION N.R.C. THIS WEEK ON INDIAN POINT SAFETY
The public will get a chance this week to question federal regulators, face-to-face, about Indian Point. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given the Buchanan plant passing grades for safety. And the public hearing, set for Thursday at the Double Tree Hotel in Tarrytown, will give residents a chance to hear N.R.C. inspectors explain why. Indian Point is up for license renewa and, like the rest of the U.S. nuclear-power industry, has come under extra scrutiny since the Fukushima nuclear-plant disaster last year in Japan.
ANTI-FRACKING EVENTS SLATED TOMORROW IN ALBANY
Fracking foes from around New York State will descend on Albany tomorrow to press for a ban on that controversial practice. A day-long series of events is planned outside the State Capitol building, including a concert, a prayer ceremony and a so-called “die in.” Opponents say the hydraulic fracturing method of extracting underground natural gas causes water pollution and other environmental hazards. proponents call it an inexpensive energy source and a potential cash-cow for the communities that allow it.
TUXEDO TO CURB POLLUTION FROM MULCH PILE
The Tuxedo town board votes today on a step to lessen pollution from a giant organic recycling facility. A state study has found the so-called mulch facility responsible for a major fish kill and other pollution problems in the ponds and streams around Sterling Forrest. The direct cause, reportedly, is runoff of the water that’s sprayed onto the mulch pile to cool it. Today’s scheduled vote by the Tuxedo town board would reduce the size of the pile by 20%.
05-11-12
ROCKLAND LOWEST RATED COUNTY IN NY
Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the rating for Rockland County to a Baa3 from an A3 rating. This makes Rockland the lowest rated county in NY State. Moody will review for further downgrade in the following weeks. The downgrade is followed by Senator Carlucci’s decision to NOT introduce the state legislation necessary for the county to increase its portion of the sales tax.
DAY LABORERS CRIME TARGET
The beating of three Hispanic men in Spring Valley on Wednesday is reported by police as a pattern targeting day laborers who often carry cash. Spring Valley Police Chief Paul Modica told the Journal News “We think it’s the same group that has been roving the streets, They are waiting in dark areas near the train tracks that are not well lit and jumping Hispanic men walking by.” Crimes against illegal immigrants are often unreported out of fear of their status.
MINIVAN STOLEN FOR JOY RIDE IN MONSEY
Six young men robbed a mini-van Thursday at the Wald Pavilion Strip mall in Monsey taking it for a Joy ride. The young men allegedly pushed the driver against a wall and grabbed his key upon returning from a trip to Brooklyn. All six men were apprehended and released after posting $5,000 bail.
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AIRMONT APPOINTS MAYOR
Airmont – Former trustee Veronica Boesch has been appointed by the village board as replacement for Mayor Dennis Kay who died unexpectedly last month. Deputy Mayor Anthony Valenti will continue as deputy.
05-10-12
LEGISLATOR: WE’LL FARE WORSE WITHOUT SALES-TAX INCREASE
County Legislator Aron Wieder says the loss of home-rule legislation the county seeks in order to balance its budget will wind up costing Rocklanders more than a proposed increase in the sales tax. Weider commented this morning on WRCR, his remarks pointed in good part at State Senator David Carlucci, who announced last week that he will not take the home-rule request to the floor. The legislation would allow Rockland to float an $80-million deficit-reduction bond and raise the county sales tax by .375% to pay for it. Wieder said, without it, the county will have to cut way back on the consolidated services it provides, leaving their costs up to the towns and villages. As for the prospect of a state takeover of Rockland’s finances, as some advocate, Wieder said that would wind up dumping even more of the burden on local tax-payers.
COUNTY TRAFFIC SNARLED FOR HOURS BY TWO MORNING ACCIDENTS
Two of Rockland’s key roadways were hit by major traffic snarls today. The worse followed an accident in Westchester County, on Route 287 at Exit 6 in north White Planes. That one involved a tractor trailer that wound-up jack-knifed and reportedly caused a spill that brought haz-mat workers to the scene. Southbound traffic on the Thruway was backed up as far as Suffern as of late morning, with no let-up in sight.
Meanwhile, a section of Route 9-W was closed both-ways this morning after a truck hit a utility pole and knocked power lines to the roadway. It happened in Congers, between the Routes-303 and -304 intersections. Police said they expected that section of Route 9-W to be closed into the afternoon hours.
THREE DAY-LABORERS ATTACKED IN S.V.; ONE SERIOUSLY INJURED
A Spring Valley man is hospitalized with head injuries today after he and two other day laborers were beaten during a robbery. The attack, by three men occurred about 5 a.m. yesterday as the laborers walked along a section of railroad tracks in the village. Police say one of the attackers used a martial arts weapon on the victims, one of whom was beaten so badly that he was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital and placed in a medically-induced coma. The victims’ names were not disclosed, police saying only that they’re family members in their 20’s and 30’s. It’s not clear how much money the attackers, described only as three black males, got away with. Police say it’s not uncommon for day laborers to be targeted as they gather in the early-morning hours in secluded areas of the village.
RAMAPO TRUSTEES SEEK OVERSIGHT SPOTS ON LOCAL DEVELOPMENT BOARD
Two members of the Ramapo Town Board say there’s not enough oversight of the town’s controversial Local Development Corporation – and they want seats on the L.D.C. board. In raising the oversight issue, Pat Withers and Daniel Friedman echo a recent report by the state comptroller’s office. It criticizes Ramapo and other towns in the state for using local development corporations to spend large sums of tax-payer money on favored projects with little accountability. In Ramapo, critics accuse Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence, who presides over the L.D.C., of using it as an end-around to mask over-spending on the construction of Provident Bank Park.
05-09-12
JAFFEE “HOPEFUL” ROCKLAND WILL GET HOME-RULE LEGISLATION
Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee says she’s “still hopeful” that some form of home-rule legislation to help Rockland balance its budget can pass in Albany. Jaffee is the only one of Rockland’s state legislators to take the county’s home-rule case to the floor. Jaffee’s legislation would enable Rockland to float an $80-million deficit-reduction bond and raise its sales tax to pay for it. Jaffee told WRCR listeners this morning she acted to head off “massive layoffs” and severe program cuts. She said her legislation includes a so-called “lock box” clause that would roll back the .375% sales-tax increase when the 10-year bond is paid off.
GRAND JURY CLEARS S.V. POLICE OFFICER IN GILLES SHOOTING
There’s no indictment in the Herve Gilles case. The word came yesterday from D.A. Thomas Zugibe: A Rockland grand jury has cleared Spring Valley police officer John Roper in the shooting-death of Gilles last December in a village parking lot. The panel found that Roper shot in self defense as Gilles beat the officer with his own nightstick. Gilles’s family continues to insist that deadly force should not have been used to subdue the 48-year-old Haitian immigrant, whose mental instability they say was well-known to Spring Valley police. The family’s attorney says he’ll ask the U.S. Justice Department to review the case and determine whether Gilles’s rights as a disabled person were violated.
SLOATSBURG MAN SUES LOWE’S FOR ON-JOB SEXUAL HARASSMENT
A Sloatsburg man is suing Lowe’s for sexual harassment. Edward Marse has worked at the home-improvement chain’s Orangeburg outlet since 2008. His lawsuit claims he’s been subjected to constant taunts by his co-workers over his perceived sexual orientation – and that Lowe’s management has ignored his pleas to put an end to the alleged harassment. The suit, filed last week in U.S. District Court, seeks more than $75,000 in damages.
PAIR SOUGHT IN ARMED MOTEL ROBBERY
Clarkstown police say two men, at least one of them armed, robbed the Nyack Motor Lodge early yesterday morning. They say one of the pair held a handgun on the motel clerk while the other rifled the cash register. They got away with an undisclosed amount of cash. Both men are described as black, possibly in their late teens, one just under 6 ft. tall, the other just over. Anyone with information on the men or the robbery is urged to call Clarkstown police at 639-5840.
05-08-12
CARLUCCI DEFENDS DROPPING COUNTY’S HOME-RULE BID
State Senator David Carlucci is turning back some of the heat he’s been getting on the issue of Rockland’s proposed sales-tax increase. Carlucci announced last week that he would not sponsor the home-rule legislation the county needs to raise the tax. That decision prompted county legislator Doug Jobson to complain this morning that Carlucci was derelict in his duty serve the county’s best interests. Carlucci responded, saying it’s this tax-hike proposal that’s not in those best interests because it would drive business away from Rockland to New Jersey.
CLARKSTOWN: TOWN, SCHOOL DISTRICT JOIN UP TO FIGHT PALISADES MALL’S TAX-CUT BID
The Clarkstown school district is joining the town in its effort to block a property-tax challenge by the town’s largest tax-payer, the Palisades Mall. The mall’s owners have started a certiorari action against the town aimed at bringing down its tax assessment. Town Supervisor Alex Gromack told WRCR yesterday he’s hoping the two sides can work out a settlement. But if not, he said, Clarkstown is confident it can make its case in court. And in the meantime, the town and school district have hired a law firm that specializes in certiorari actions. As for any claim by the mall that its profits have dropped significantly during the recession, Gromack said the mall’s jam-packed parking lot and low vacancy rate put the lie to that notion.
REPORT: STONY POINT IN TALKS ON BUSINESS PARK
A new business park may be coming to north Rockland. The Journal News says Stony Point is in talks with the soon-to-be-owner of a vacant 14-acre tract to develop the site for business use. Supervisor Jeff Finn tells the paper he hopes to wind up with the equivalent of Orangetown’s Bradley Corporate Park. The site, on Holt drive off Route 9-W, was once sought, unsuccessfully, by the County Waste Management Authority for use as a yard-waste facility. Finn first hinted about the business-park talks here on WRCR. He says the current negotiations are in their early stages.
SCHOOL VOTES SET FOR NEXT TUESDAY
School budgets and board elections are one week away. In all, 29 candidates are vying for 18 board seats throughout Rockland’s eight school districts. Proposed budgets range from $60-million in Pearl River to East Ramapo’s $192-million package. Most would keep school taxes from rising significantly without layoffs. But some districts, led by East Ramapo, are looking at dozens staff layoffs and cutbacks in a number of school programs.
05-07-12
LEGISLATORS IN FLAP OVER TERM LIMITS
The waters seem to be calming now, but there’s SOME tension in the County Legislature this week over the issue of term limits. At the center of the dispute is Clarkstown’s Ed Day, who last year proposed legislation aimed at putting a term-limit referendum on the ballot. Day’s recent call for the Rules Committee to take up the legislation came in a memo to committee chairman Alden Wolfe that was sent, apparently inadvertently, to all members of the committee. That prompted panel-member Jay Hood to accuse Day of grandstanding in order to further his own political career. In a call to WRCR this morning, Day conceded that Hood’s reaction was understandable, if misinformed; and Day apologized to his colleagues for the excessive memo distribution.
COUNTY DEALING WITH LIKELY REJECTION OF HOME-RULE BUDGET REMEDY
On another matter, the County Legislators are dealing with a bleak realization -- namely, that the Home Rule legislation they seek from Albany to balance the county budget isn’t coming. The legislation would enable Rockland to raise its sales tax and float an $80-million deficit reduction bond. But with Albany in its current anti-tax mode, no action is seen likely in either the Assembly or the State Senate. That has the County Legislature and County Executive Scott Vanderhoef looking toward severe cutbacks in programs and services.
05-04-12
LEGISLATOR OPTIMISTIC J-N WILL KEEP SUBSCRIPTIONS AFFORDABLE FOR SENIORS
Grumblings over the Journal News’ decision to raise its subscription rates simmered down a bit today. Senior Citizens in particular are criticizing the 20-25% bump-up, which brings the monthly rate for home-delivery to $25, or $28 if paid by credit card. Senior say the increase hits them the hardest as a group because most seniors rely on the paper, rather than its website, to get their news. But this morning, one of their advocates, County Legislator Ed Day, told WRCR listeners he’s talked with a representative from the paper. And he’s confident that a new rate structure less onerous on seniors can be worked out.
MARCHERS PROTEST ALLEGED GRAND JURY DECISION IN HERVE GILLES CASE
Demonstrators marched outside the Spring Valley civic center yesterday – to protest a not-yet-announced grand jury ruling in the Herve Gilles case. Gilles was shot to death by Spring Valley police officer John Roper in a village parking lot last December, a shooting that Roper claims was in self-defense. Friends of Gilles, who was known to be emotionally disturbed, say deadly force was unnecessary. Yesterday’s demonstration was aimed at Rockland District Attorney Thomas Zugibe, who was speaking inside the civic center. The protesters said they had learned that the county grand jury hearing the case had cleared Roper. Zugibe refused comment on the Gilles case, saying only that a grand jury ruling would be announced sometime next week.
NO GRAND JURY PROBE (YET) IN W. HAVRESTRAW EXPLOSION
Another case Zugibe was questioned about yesterday was the January 16th explosion that rocked a West Haverstraw housing development. A Verizon sub-contractor digging in the Village Fairgrounds-Two development hit a gas-line, springing the leak that’s believed to have touched off the explosion. Four people, including two volunteer firefighters, were injured by the blast. A grand jury was to have begun hearing the case this week. But Zugibe told reporters that was put off because prosecutors are in “an on-going discussion” with the subcontractor’s attorney. Zugibe did not elaborate.
CUOMO UNDAUNTED BY SETBACK IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR T-Z BRIDGE
Governor Cuomo says he’s optimistic about getting federal funds for the Tappan-Zee Bridge replacement project. The U.S. Transportation Department last week by-passed New York in awarding some $100-million for projects around the country. But Cuomo says he’s confident that more federal funding will become available, and that the Tappan-Zee project will get a share. Cuomo has made the $5-billion project a top priority, pledging to pay for it with state, federal and private funds.
N.R.C. TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON INDIAN POINT THIS MONTH
The public will get a chance this month to question federal regulators, face-to-face, about Indian Point. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given the Buchanan plant passing grades for safety. And the public hearing, set for May 17th at the Double Tree Hotel in Tarrytown, will give residents a chance to hear N.R.C. inspectors explain why. Indian Point is up for license renewal and, like the rest of the U.S. nuclear-power industry, has come under extra scrutiny since the Fukushima nuclear-plant disaster last year in Japan.
05-03-12
LEGISLATOR: HOME-RULE DENIAL COULD LEAD TO “BLOODBATH” UNDER STATE TAKE-OVER
Massive cuts are coming down, and that “won’t be pleasant.” So says County Legislator Jay Hood, as County Executive Scott Vanderhoef prepares to unveil what some are calling his “doomsday” fiscal plan. The problem: dimming prospects for Albany to approve home-rule legislation allowing Rockland to raise the sales tax and float an $80-million deficit-reduction bond. Without that approval, Hood told WRCR listeners this morning, the county faces massive program cuts and the growing possibility of take-over by a state financial control board. That, said Hood, would result in a “bloodbath” of program cuts, although, more than likely the same cuts that the county would have to make on its own.
SCHUMER PRESSES PFIZER TO KEEP ITS PEARL RIVER PLANT IN THE BIOTECH BUSINESS
Senator Chuck Schumer says losing the Pearl River Pfizer property to a developer would be a “major blow” to the region’s economic future. Schumer spoke AT the pharmaceutical-company site yesterday after meeting with Pfizer officials. The firm has put the facility up for sale, and Schumer was here to press Pfizer to sell to another biotech firm. The 100-year-old facility has been one of Rockland’s major employers. Schumer said an up-and-coming biotech firm could help keep Hudson Valley’s high-tech sector alive and hiring, providing permanent jobs that a new housing development could not.
BUSINESS LEADER: IMPATIENT T-Z BRIDGE MASS-TRANSIT SEEKERS ARE “PURE OBSTRUCTIONISTS”
The county’s top business booster has lashed out at those who insist on a mass-transit component for the new Tappan Zee Bridge from Day One. Rockland Business Association president Al Samuels told a gathering in Nyack yesterday the day-one transit boosters are “pure obstructionists.” Noting that money from Washington and elsewhere is tight, Samuels said pressing for the added expense of a commuter rail component would serve only to delay the multi-billion-dollar bridge-replacement project. The 56-year-old bridge has been a money-pit in recent years, constantly in need of maintenance and repair.
COUNTY KEEPING HOME-ALONE FIRE CASE OUT OF FAMILY COURT
County officials have decided, at least for now, not to take the father involved in Sunday’s home-alone fire in Monsey to Family Court. Thirty-three year-old Manuel Lliguichusca has been charged with child endangerment for briefly leaving his 4-year-old son at home, unattended, while running an errand. A house-fire started while Lliguichusca was out, and it was neighbors who led the boy to safety. A Child Protective Services official tells the Journal News that Lliguichusca has been co-operating with agency instructions on parenting, the key factor in its decision to bypass Family Court.
05-02-12
ZEBROWSKI BILL WOULD GIVE ROCKLAND COMMUTERS T-Z BRIDGE DISCOUNTS
Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski says Rockland commuters should get a discount for using the soon-o-be-replaced Tappan-Zee Bridge. Zebrowski told WRCR listeners this morning he’s drafted a bill to that effect – one that would lower tolls for Rocklanders as they already are for Staten Islanders who commute each day on the Verrazano Bridge. The rationale: like Staten Islanders, Rockland commuters don’t have a viable mass-transit alternative to taking the bridge. Zebrowski says he hopes to get the bill passed within the next year or so, in conjunction with work on the multi-billion-dollar bridge-replacement project.
STATE SENTATE REPUBS, DEMS CLASH OVER SCHOOL-AID AWARDS
A partisan squabble is under way in Albany over a school-aid vote. The Republican-controlled State Senate voted yesterday to provide an extra $10-million IN school aid this year – but only to districts represented by Republican senators. Senate Democrats are crying foul, calling the move a classic example of pork-barrel spending. Senate Republicans say, Too bad; the Democrats did the same thing in 2008, when they controlled the Senate.
UNITED WATER TO PAY $40,000 PENALTY FOR LAKE DEFOREST PESITCIDE EFFORTS
New York State has slapped United Water with a $40,000 penalty for the way it’s applied pesticides to Lake DeForest. The Department of Environmental Conservation says it’s a matter of “too much, too late”: the pesticide, copper sulfate, added to the county reservoir later in the year and more frequently than regulations allow. Part-three of the ruling involves the failure to keep proper pesticide RECORDS. A D.E.C news release says United Water will pay about two-thirds of the $40,000 fine but can save the remaining third, about $17,000, if it complies with the pesticide rules from here on.
LARCHMONT POLICE CAPTAIN WHO DIED TRYING TO SAVE HIS FAMILY IN FIRE IS CALLED “HERO”
An investigation is under way into a Carmel house fire that took the lives of a Westchester police officer and three members of his family early yesterday. Killed in the 2 a.m. fire were Larchmont Police Captain Thomas Sullivan, his wife Donna and their daughters, Mairead and Meaghan. Police say Sullivan died a hero, on his second trip back into the burning home after helping his son escape the flames. Firefighters from several towns reportedly battled the blaze for three hours as it burned the Sullivan home to the ground.
POMONA WOMAN CONVICTED IN 2008 HIT-RUN DEATH SAID TO BE IN “PERSISTENT VEGITATIVE STATE”
A Pomona woman convicted of murder in a Westchester hit-and-run is in a persistent vegetative state and likely never will be sentenced. The revelation came yesterday in State Supreme Court in White Plains. That’s where 41-year-old Sheldene Campbell was to have been sentenced for running down a White Plains woman in 2008 as the victim took her daily walk. Campbell reportedly sank into the vegetative state after suffering several psychiatric breakdowns while in Westchester County Jail.
IF YOU’RE READING THIS, YOU’RE NOT OBSERVING “SCREEN-FREE WEEK”
In case you forgot, this is National Screen-Free Week – a time, in the words of its sponsors, to turn off our televisions, computers, I-Phones and such, and turn on life. Rockland County Health Commissioner Joan Facelle says the goal is to show young people in particular that less screen time and more physical activity makes for a healthier lifestyle. The Health Department says, for more information on Screen-Free Week, you can reach the department on your computer at www.rocklandsteps.org, or on your I-Phone at (845) 364-2500.
05-01-12
”HOME ALONE” FIRE: FATHER CHARGED WITH ENDANGERING CHILD
The father of a Monsey boy saved from a weekend fire has been charged with child endangerment for leaving the four-year-old home alone. Police arrested 33-year-old Manuel Lliguichusca yesterday, three days after a neighbor rescued the boy from a fire at the family’s West-Central Avenue home. Lliguichusca says he had left the boy unattended for only a few minutes while he ran an errand. In addition to the endangerment charge, police advised Lliguichusca to stay away from his family. And they confiscated the Ecuadorian native’s passport, reportedly after discovering that he’s in America illegally. It’s still not known how the fire broke out. Fire officials say the single-family home had been sub-divided illegally to house about ten people.
SPRING VALLEY PSYCHOLOGIST LOSES LICENSE OVER MEDICAID FRAUD
A Spring Valley psychologist who admitted to Medicaid fraud has lost her license. The state Board of Regents took the action against Lynda Harris-Boscaino, who pleaded guilty last year to bilking Medicaid out of some $50,000 for patient services she never provided. In addition to losing her license, Harris-Boscaino was sentenced to six months in jail and was ordered to pay nearly $140,000 in restitution.
BERGEN COUNTY ROCK CLIMBER KILLED IN MOHONK PRESERVE FALL
A Bergen County woman was killed in a weekend rock-climbing accident near New Paltz. Twenty-two year-old Stephanie Prezant of Haworth, New Jersey, fell 20 feet to her death Sunday while climbing in the Mohonk Preserve in the town of Gardiner. State police say Prezant was not wearing a helmet when she fell, after her harness had come undone.
OCCUPY ALBANY DEMONSTRATIONS RE-START AFTER WINTER LULL
The Occupy Albany movement is back. Organizers say demonstrations starting today outside the State Capitol building will last all week and meld-in with the weekend’s nation-wide May Day activities. The protesters, promoting labor and the environment, say they have a specific program to change government and politics in New York State. The Occupy Albany encampment used for the group’s demonstrations last year was idle over the winter months.
N.Y.S. CHIEF JUSTICE WANTS MORE FREE LEGAL SERVICES FOR STATE’S POOR
New York’s Chief Justice is calling for more legal services to be provided free to indigents. Justice Jonathan Lippman announced a new initiative to that effect today at a Law Day ceremony in Albany, entitled, “No Courts, No Justice. No Freedom.” Lippman has used past Law-Day observances to kick-off similar initiatives on behalf of the state’s poor.
WEST POINT TO MAKE CONFISCATED BIN LADEN DOCUMENTS PUBLIC
West Point officials are making some of the documents seized during the special-forces raid that killed Osama bin Laden available to the public. The White House confirmed yesterday that the materials, reportedly showing al Qaeda’s leadership to be in disarray, will be offered On-Line, starting this week, by the military academy’s Combatting Terrorism Center.
04-30-12
POLICE: BIKER KILLED SATURDAY IN VALLEY COTTAGE WAS GARNERVILLE MAN
The motorcyclist killed Saturday in Valley Cottage has been identified as a 25-year-old Garnerville man. Nathaniel Lopez died at Nyack Hospital of injuries sustained when his cycle slammed into the rear of a car on Route 303 near Lake Road. The car reportedly had just pulled out of a parking lot onto the roadway when the accident occurred. Clarkstown police are investigating.
”HOME ALONE” FIRE IN MONSEY UNDER INVESTIGATION
Two weekend fires in Rockland are under investigation today – one of them, a close call that endangered the life of a four-year-old boy. That one, in Monsey on Friday, was a “home-alone” fire. Two passers-by saw flames coming from a residence on Central Avenue, ran into the house, discovered the boy and brought him to safety. The boy’s father told police he had left the child alone for 15 minutes or so while running an errand. Fire officials say there were no working smoke detectors in the home. Police aren’t saying whether charges will be filed in the case.
SPRING VALLEY SHED FIRE THREATENS HOME
In Spring Valley, it was a home that was rescued from a fire yesterday. Volunteers arrived at a Prospect Street address at about 4 p.m. and found an outdoor shed or garage up in flames. Initial reports that there were people inside the structure proved false. Fire-fighters reportedly worked for about an hour to quell the flames and keep them from spreading to the residence. One volunteer, a 17-year-old, was treated at the scene for effects of the heat. Fire officials are investigating the cause of the blaze.
REPORT: COUNTY JAIL ORDERED TO EXPAND STAFF
The County Sheriff’s Department reportedly is hiring. The Journal News says state corrections officials have ordered Rockland to beef up the staff at the County Jail. The order mandates the hiring of 14 correction officers and two supervisors. That’ll cost Rockland about $1.2-million in salaries – but Sheriff Louis Falco says most of that will be offset by a reduction in overtime pay to the existing staff. The paper says more than 3,000 inmates come through the jail each year – an average of about 200 behind bars here on any given day. The mandated hirings will bring the jail staff up to 145 officers and 31 supervisors.
COURT HEARING TODAY IN VALLEY COTTAGE “DOG-WALKER” SHOOTING
A pre-trial hearing opened today for one of the jail’s current residents. Fifty-three year-old Eric Goods is slated for trial on an attempted murder charge for allegedly shooting his Valley Cottage neighbor last August. The victim reportedly was walking his dog at the time; he survived the attack despite being hit by five .38-caliber bullets. Prosecutors say they can make the case against Goods even though tests failed to find his DNA on the weapon. Judge William Kelly was to decide at the hearing opening today whether statements made by Good at the time of his arrest will be admissible at trial.
04-27-12
N.Y.S. PUT OFF IN BID FOR $2-BILLION T-Z BRIDGE LOAN
Washington is telling Albany to “Wait till next time” for a $2-billion loan New York was hoping for, to help kick off the Tappan Zee Bridge project. The federal Department of Transportation made the announcement yesterday: Its initial round of loans under a new infrastructure bill will go to presumably-more-pressing projects in four other states, and New York can re-apply later this year, if Congress approves more funds. State officials say the initial rejection is no great surprise, and they promise the $5-billion bridge-replacement project will proceed as planned.
VANDERHOEF: WE NEED MORE INFO BEFORE OKAYING BRIDGE PLAN
Regarding that, County Executive Scott Vanderhoef says preparations for the project are moving too fast. Vanderhoef spoke at a regional planning forum in Tarrytown yesterday. He said he and other members of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council need more time and information before voting to endorse the project. The Council vote is set for June 21st – but Vanderhoef, along with other members including Westchester’s Rob Astorino, are pressing to put off the vote until the state’s environmental impact studies come out in July.
IT’S DEADLINE DAY FOR COMMENTS ON CANADIAN-HUDSON POWER PROJECT
Today is the deadline for public comments on the proposed Champlain-Hudson power-line project. The Canadian-based project would run a 1,000-megawatt transmission line from the border south, down the Hudson, at times both under the river and over land, to New York City. Here in Rockland, some officials are up in arms over the plan, which would employ few, if any, workers locally. And they’re asking why a project using existing facilities such as the Lovett and Bowline plants in North Rockland wouldn’t better serve local taxpayers. Residents are urged to call the Public Service Commission at 1-800-335-2120 with their comments before the end of the day.
REPORT: NYACK FIRE-FIGHTERS WANT TOUGHER FALSE ALARM POLICY
Nyack fire-fighters say the number of false alarms in and around the village is alarmingly high. Fire officials tell the Journal News that nearly half the 500-or-so alarms they respond to each year are bogus. They say morale is so bad among the 160 volunteers in the department that fewer and fewer of them are responding to fire calls, assuming them to be false alarms. And they want Nyack officials to toughen the village law against making such calls. Current fines for repeat offenders range from $250 to $1,000 after two warning. Fire officials want them to kick in after one warning.
NEW CITY RANKED SIXTH IN METRO AREA BY ADULTERY WEBSITE
New City residents can rightly – if not righteously -- claim, “We’re number six!” The adult (or should we say “adultery”) website AshleyMadison.com provides the bragging rights. The site hooks up married people looking to cheat on their spouses. And it reports today that New City ranks sixth among communities in the NYC Metrolpolitan Area in terms of the number of residents who have registered for the on-line dating service. For the record, the site places that number at 860, or about 2.5% of New City’s population.
04-26-12
COUNTY BALKING AT TAX PAYMENTS TO TOWNS ON SOME COUNTY-OWNED LAND
There’s a new wrinkle in the growing fiscal rift between Rockland County and its municipalities. At issue: the county paying property taxes to towns, villages and school districts on once-private property that was abandoned, foreclosed on, and is now owned by the County. Those payments reportedly have totaled more than $1-million since 1994. And county officials are said to be looking for a way out of that financial responsibility. The issue arises as the towns and county continue to wrangle over the sharing of tax revenues and funding for programs during the current economic crunch.
W. HAVRERSTRAW TOWNHOUSE WRECKED BY JANUARY EXPLOSION RAZED
The West Haverstraw townhouse gutted by an explosion three months ago is only a memory now. A team of workers used heavy equipment to level the remains of the home yesterday, making way for a new one to be built on the site. The townhouse, at the Village Fairgrounds-Two development, was destroyed January 16th when a Verizon subcontractor hit an underground natural-gas line. The explosion, which occurred as responders tracked the resulting gas leak, also heavily damaged a neighboring home and injured two West Haverstraw firefighters and two Orange & Rockland employees. All four recovered from their injuries.
REPORT: REGION’S AIR QUALITY IMPROVING, BUT …
Rocklanders may be breathing easier than our neighbors these days, but that’s apparently not saying much. The American Lung Association says ozone levels in the Lower Hudson Valley have improved slightly since 1996. But both Putnam and Westchester counties still get failing grades for ozone. The figures are given in the Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report, released this week. Rockland is not included in the report, but the Journal News quotes a county health department official as saying the overall air quality here has “improved somewhat” in recent years.
04-25-12
PHILLIPS SLAMS PROPOSED CANADA-N.Y. POWER LINE
Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips is up in arms over a Canadian utility company’s plan to run a power line down the Hudson to New York City. The state Public Service Commission has been holding hearings on the Champlain-Hudson proposal, most of which have gone under the public’s radar. And Phillips says there’s been little chance to question why such a power project wouldn’t be better based in New York State, particularly in North Rockland, where two potential power plants are lying idle. Phillips also slammed environmental groups such as Scenic Hudson and Riverkeeper for their acceptance of the plan, suggesting it was in return for a $100-million environmental trust fund.
HAVERSTRAW MAN SENTENCED IN 5-MONTH-OLD DAUGHTER’S DEATH
Convicted child-killer Michael Aviles gets the max. The 43-year-old Haverstraw man was sentenced yesterday to five-to-15 years in jail for the beating-death of his five-month-old daughter, Michelle. Aviles was found guilty in January of manslaughter and negligent homicide. The girl’s mother, Lissette Capellan, was acquitted by Judge William Nelson in the non-jury trial. She and Aviles had pleaded not guilty, claiming to have been drunk or asleep at the time of the January-2011 beating. The child died of multiple fractures and internal bleeding hours after the beating.
FORMER S.V. MAN SENTENCED FOR RAPE OF 6-YEAR-OLD GIRL
In another action yesterday, Judge Nelson sentenced former Spring Valley resident David Michel to five years in jail for the 2007 rape of a six-year-old girl. But it’s not clear how much of that time will actually be served. The 20-year-old Michel has been held in mental facilities since 2008 – and state corrections officials will make a final decision on whether any of that will be treated as time served.
GRAND JURY HEARING CASE OF S.V. MAN SHOT TO DEATH BY POLICE OFFICER
A Rockland grand jury has begun hearing evidence in the shooting-death of a Spring Valley man last December by a village police officer. The man killed, Herve Gilles, had a history of mental problems. And the officer, John Roper, said Gilles became violent when confronted in a village parking lot that night, forcing Roper to shoot in self-defense. But friends and family members of Gilles say he could have been subdued without being shot.
PROBE CLEARS CLARKSTOWN SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS OF WRONG-DOING IN DISCUSSING TEACHER WITH PRINCIPAL
Two members of the Clarkstown school board have been cleared of wrong-doing in connection with a dispute over an elementary school teacher. The board members, Philip DeGaetano and Donna Ehrenberg, were accused of breaking district policy by discussing the teacher with her principal. The teacher, Cathy Malgieri, was later transferred to another school, and she claimed it was because her board-member husband, Joe, is a rival of DeGaetano and Ehrenberg. But, in a report made public this week, the investigators found the two had no ill-intent when they spoke with the principal about Malgieri. Both trustees are up for re-election.
STATE POLICE: “OPERATION HANG UP” OFF TO GOOD START
“Operation Hang Up” seems to be working. New York State Police say they issued more than 150 tickets in the first 12 hours of the week-long crackdown on the use of hand-held cell-phones by drivers. Troopers, often in unmarked cars, will be citing offending drivers on all state roadways through this coming Sunday. If you’re caught driving while talking or texting on a hand-held phone, you’re in line for a fine of up to $150 plus points on your license.
04-24-12
CARLUCCI AIMS TO BOLSTER “PRIDE IN NY” PROGRAM
State Senator David Carlucci is leading an effort to revitalize the state’s 16-year-old “Pride in New York” program, aimed at promoting locally-grown produce. Under a measure Carlucci introduced last week, restaurants would be encouraged to purchase at least 15% of the food they serve from farms in New York State. Retail food outlets would have similar place in the program, which Carlucci says has the potential to bring hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the state’s economy.
LAU PLEADS GUILTY TO ERLICH MURDER, WILL SERVE 22-YEAR TERM
Eric Lau won’t go on trial after all. The 34-year-old Valley Cottage man pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder of elementary school gym teacher Jami Erlich more than two years ago. Lau was declared mentally competent to stand trial last week after months of psychological testing. The guilty plea will send Lau to prison for 22 years. A conviction at trial could have sent him away for 25 years to life. Prosecutors say Erlich’s family approved the deal. It was in November of 2009 that Lau beat and stabbed Erlich to death inside her apartment next door to his, purportedly for rejecting his advances. Lau will be sentenced June 22nd.
POLICE: PEDESTRIAN’S DEATH ON THRUWAY YESTERDAY A LIKELY SUICIDE
A Thiells man stepped out onto the Thruway in West Nyack yesterday and was killed by a tractor-trailer. State police say the death of 50-year-old Robert Mahoney appeared to be a suicide. It was just before 11 a.m. that Mahoney parked his Toyota on the Thruway’s northbound shoulder west of Exit 11, got out, and walked directly into the path of a Mack Truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say the truck was traveling within the speed limit, and no charges are likely to be leveled against the driver.
CLARKSTOWN, PALISADES MALL TO BATTLE IN COURT OVER TAXES
The Town of Clarkstown is heading to court to avoid having to pay back millions of tax dollars to the Palisades Mall. The tax certiorari trial, set to begin May 14th, follows nearly two years of failed negotiations over the mall’s $250-million assessment, on which it pays more than $23-million a year in property taxes. The mall owners seek a two-thirds reduction of the taxes paid in 2008 and 2009.
NEW YORK STATE REPUBLICANS VOTE FOR PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE IN TODAY’S PRIMARY
Today is Presidential Primary Day for Republicans in New York State. Front-runner Mitt Romney is expected to hold off challenges from Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, and pick up almost all of New York’s 95 Republican delegates. Polls are open until 9 p.m.
04-23-12
WINTER’S CHILL RETURNS TO THE NORTHEAST
Rocklanders awoke to a cold, misty rain today: the final throes of a spring nor’easter that darkened skies over the nation’s northeast all day yesterday. Up to four inches of rain hit parts of the region during the storm. And flood advisories are in effect throughout the northeast. A major disruption locally: weather conditions closed Rt. 218 between West Point and the Cornwall town line at 8 a.m. today. Officials say that section of the so-called “Storm King Highway” is likely to remain closed until Wednesday.
PRIMARY DAY TOMORROW: ROMNEY ROMP EXPECTED
Tomorrow is Presidential Primary Day for Republicans in New York State. Mitt Romney faces only token challenges from Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, and he’s expected to pick up almost all of New York’s 95 Republican delegates.
JAFFEE SPONSORS BILL TO KEEP TEACHER EVALUATIONS PRIVATE
Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee says the teacher evaluations that are part of New York State’s new education reform effort should be mostly confidential. Jaffee is co-sponsoring legislation that would keep a teacher’s report-card out of the media’s hands, and accessible only to the parents of his or her students. Under the system adopted in 2010, teachers are graded in part by how well their students do on state tests. Opponents argue that other factors, such parents and homelife, can negatively affect a child’s grades as well. And Jaffee, herself a former educator, says making teachers’ evaluations public might well drive the best ones out of New York State.
STILL NO REASON GIVEN FOR MT. VERNON MAN’S SUICIDE PLUNGE
It’s still not clear WHY 21-year-old Dominic DiMele jumped to his death from the Tappan Zee Bridge. Police say the former high school athlete from Mt. Vernon plunged from the bridge at about 4 a.m. last Friday after parking his car near center-span. DiMele’s body was taken to Westchester Medical Center for an autopsy, the results of which have not yet been released. One member of the team that pulled DiMele’s body from the icy river was tested for hypo-thermia.
WARNING TO CELL PHONE-USING DRIVERS; “OPERATION HANG UP” STARTS TODAY
If you still use a hand-held cell phone while driving, watch out for “Smokey” this week. New York State Police kick off “Operation Hang Up” today. And for the rest of the week they’ll be targeting those who use their hand-helds to talk or text while at the wheel. The crackdown covers all of the state’s roadways, not just the Thruway. And the police often will be in unmarked cars. So the best way to game the system will be to just play by the rules. Violators face fines of up to $150 plus points and court costs.
04-20-12
JUDGE: LAU COMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL
Accused murderer Eric Lau will stand trial for the killing of elementary-school gym teacher Jami Erlich. State Supreme Court Justice William Kelly ruled yesterday thay Lau is competent to assist in his own defense. Lau is accused of stabbing Ehrlich to death in November of 2009 inside her Valley Cottage condominium next door to his. No trial date was set, but Kelly suggested that jury selection could start as early as next week. His ruling comes after months of legal wrangling over Lau’s competency to stand trial. In the end, Kelly said, he was convinced that Lau might well have been feigning mental illness since his arrest.
N.Y.S. CONTRIBUTES NEARLY $3-M TO ROCKLAND FOR HURRICANE CLEAN-UP
Rockland County is picking up just under $3-million from New York State – Albany’s contribution to the clean-up costs from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef got word of the award this week. The $2.88-million check matches the county’s share of the estimated $23-million total cost of the storm recovery here. The remainder, about $75% of the total cost, is expected to come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
VANDERHOEF TOUTS COUNTY’S DISCOUNT DRUG PROGRAM
On another matter, Vanderhoef says Rocklanders have saved more than $500,000 in the last ten months by using the Prescription Discount Program offered by the county. The ProAct plan went into effect last June. It helps lower-income residents pay for their medications by offering discounts of from 10% to 70% on prescriptions.
HAVERSTRAW CURTAILS TOBACCO-PRODUCT DISPLAYS
The village of Haverstraw is taking an unusual step toward keeping young people from starting to smoke. It’s prohibiting local stores that cater to minors from displaying products that contain tobacco or nicotine. The village board adopted the new law on Monday. The Journal News says it may be the nation’s first such local law. Stores that violate it will face fines of $500 or more.
MAN LEAPS TO DEATH FROM T-Z BRIDGE
A man jumped to his death from the Tappan Zee Bridge this morning. State Police say it happened about 4 a.m., the call bringing rescue teams from both Rockland and Westchester counties. The man’s body was taken to the Tarrytown side – and his identity withheld while police sought to notify his family. One of the would-be rescuers was treated for hypothermia.
04-19-12
E. RAMAPO BUDGET: MORE LAYOFFS, PROGRAM CUTS
The East Ramapo school board has adopted a new and more austere budget to send to district voters next month. The $192-million package would slash spending by about $7-million while raising taxes by 1.9%, just under the state-imposed tax cap. At the same time, though, about 100 staffers district-wide would be laid off. Kindergarten would remain in the district program, but only on the current, half-day basis. And a number of programs, including sports and elementary music, would see funding cuts. Voting Day in East Ramapo, as well as most other districts, is May 15th.
Nyack’s proposed school budget would raise taxes in that district by just over 2%, but with exemptions would stay within the cap. Nyack’s school board adopted the $72.7-million package unanimously on Tuesday.
PEARL RIVER DISTRICT SUES FEDS OVER ALLEGED RACIAL SLUR AT B’BALL GAME
The Pearl River school district is suing Washington in connection with an alleged racial slur hurled at a visiting basketball player. The incident occurred in February of last year, at a home game against Ardsley, the slur allegedly shouted at an Ardsley player by someone in the stands. A complaint by the player’s mother brought in the U.S. Education Department, which, in turn, ordered Pearl River officials to investigate the complaint. They did, and reported finding no evidence that such an incident had occurred. That lead to an order to re-investigate, and ultimately to the district’s counter-suit, filed April 12th.
V.C. HOUSING COMPLEX AGREES TO $175,000 RACIAL DISCRIMINATION SETTLEMENT
A Valley Cottage housing complex has agreed to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit. Owners of Burgundy Gardens settled with federal prosecutors yesterday, agreeing to pay $175,000 in fines over their firm’s business practices -- among them, refusing to show available apartments in the complex to blacks, and quoting higher rental prices to blacks than to whites.
EX- AIRMAN ARRESTED AFTER HOLDING POLICE AT BAY AT PARENTS’ RAMAPO HOME
A former U.S. Airman is being held for observation, after his arrest yesterday in Pomona. Twenty-nine year-old Jason May is accused of threatening his mother and step-father with a meat cleaver at their home on Chamberlain Court. May held town police and a county anti-terror team at bay for more than an hour before leaving the house, unarmed, at about 7:30 yesterday morning. His parents were not harmed. Police say May appeared “highly agitated” during the incident. It’s not clear why, or whether his actions were related to his recent discharge from the Air Force. May is undergoing psychiatric tests at Good Samaritan Hospital and, according to police, faces several felony charges.
04-18-12
DECISION ON LAU COMPETENCY EXPECTED TOMORROW
Accused murderer Eric Lau may learn tomorrow whether he’ll GO ON TRIAL for the killing of elementary-school gym teacher Jamie Erlich. State Supreme Court Justice William Kelly is scheduled to make what could be a final decision on Lau’s competency to stand trial. That’s been the subject of months of disagreement between prosecution and defense psychologists. Lau is accused of stabbing Ehrlich to death in November of 2009 inside her Valley Cottage condominium next door to his. If Kelly does rule Lau competent, the trial could start as early as next week.
SPITZER SENTENCED TO 7 YEARS IN NEW SQUARE ARSON CASE
In another case involving Justice Kelly, New Square arson assailant Shaul Spitzer is heading for a seven-year term in state prison. Kelly sentenced the 18-year-old Spitzer yesterday for the May, 2011 attack on plumber Aron Rottenberg, a dissident member of New Square’s Hasidic community. An apologetic Spitzer had sought a shorter, five-year sentence, but Kelly said the crime was too serious for that. It left Rottenberg severely burned over more than half his body and, for some, held New Square up as a symbol of religious intolerance. Rottenberg and his family had been objects of ridicule and vandalism, purportedly for not worshipping at New Square’s main synagogue.
ST. LAWRENCE SLAMS N.Y.C. POL OVER COMMUTER TAX PROPOSAL
Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence is blasting Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer for his proposal to bring back New York City’s commuter tax. The levee, on non-city residents, was repealed in 1999. Stringer says restoring it would help the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority balance its budget. St. Lawrence sees it differently; he says the MTA should bring itself out of debt through effective cost-cutting methods, not “on the backs of hard-working” commuters.
ORANGETOWN OFFICER PUNCHED DURING POST-FIGHT ARREST ON DOMINICAN CAMPUS
An Orangetown police officer reportedly was injured Monday night after responding to a student fight at Dominican College. Police say the unidentified officer was punched in the face by one of the students as he tried to make an arrest. It’s not clear what touched off the fight, which had grown to involve scores of students by the time police arrived on campus. Four students were charged in the incident, at least one with a felony for assault. The officer’s injuries are said to be not serious.
”T-Z DANGLER” REJECTS PLEA DEAL
The so-called “Tappan Zee Dangler” says “no” to a plea deal. Fifty-four year-old Michael Davitt of West Haverstraw made headlines last November when he lowered himself from the span with ropes and dangled for four hours while rescue teams tried to coax him down. He did it, he said, to protest being fired from his job as a drug counselor for Rockland County. Under the deal offered by prosecutors, Davitt would have pled guilty to a misdemeanor and paid about $34,000 for the rescue effort. But Davitt rejected the deal in Greenburgh Town Court yesterday, saying he hadn’t need rescuing on that day, and he offered to swim across the Hudson to prove it. Davitt won’t have to do that, but he’s been ordered back to court on June first.
04-17-12
CARLUCCI: CASE NOT YET MADE FOR COUNTY’S HOME-RULE REQUEST
State Senator David Carlucci says he’s not yet satisfied that Rockland County has made its case for the home-rule legislation it seeks in order to balance its budget. The county wants the state legislature’s okay to raise Rockland’s sales and mortgage taxes, and to float an $80-million deficit-reduction bond. But after several weeks of meetings with county officials, Carlucci says he and others in Albany still aren’t convinced that the measures would put Rockland on the right fiscal track, long-term. As for the likelihood of the county’s finances being taken over by a state control board, Carlucci told WRCR listeners this morning that’s not likely to happen unless Rockland’s fiscal picture darkens much further.
ENGEL: T-Z BRIDGE PROJECT NEEDS MORE FEDERAL FUNDS
Congressman Elliott Engel wants more money from Washington for the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project. Calling on the U.S. Transportation Department to approve new grants for the multi-billion-dollar project, Engel cites the bridge’s importance to the economy of the nation’s northeast. Beyond that, he urges Congress to pass a long-range transportation bill, one that would revitalize the nation’s aging roads and bridges and put thousands of Americans back to work.
SENTENCING TODAY IN NEW SQUARE ARSON CASE
Sentencing was scheduled today for Shaul Spitzer. The New Square 18-year-old faces up to ten years in jail on his guilty plea to assault in the arson attack on a neighbor last May. The victim, 44-year-old Aron Rottenberg, had been a target of vandalism, allegedly by New Square residents retaliating for not attending the Hasidic village’s main synagogue. Rottenberg was burned over half his body. Under the law, Spitzer is subject to a maximum jail term of 20 years, but State Supreme Court Justice William Kelly says he’ll cap the teen-ager’s sentence at ten years.
SEARCH ON FOR ARMED SUSPECT IN S.V. DELI ROBBERY
Spring Valley police are on the lookout for a thief they can’t quite describe. The man reportedly held up a Main Street deli on Sunday, flashing a gun at the employees, and making off with an undisclosed amount of cash. Police say the suspect had his face covered and wore extra layers of clothing, apparently to escape detection -- which he has so far. He’s described as slim, about six feet tall – and either white or light-skinned black.
NYACK MAN CHARGED WITH D.W.I. IN CAR-BOAT ACCIDENT
A Nyack man is due in court May first on a D.W.I. charge stemming from a weekend incident involving his car and someone else’s boat. Police say 39-year-old Dennis Carrol was speeding down Van Houten Street in Upper Nyack on Saturday when his car slammed into a boat that was dry-docked at Peterson’s Boatyard. The boat would up on the ground, reportedly with about $30,000 in damages. Police say Carroll refused to take a Breathalyzer test. He faces a one-year driver’s-license suspension if convicted.
AIRMONT MAYOR DENNIS KAY LAID TO REST
Family, friends and constituents bid farewell today to Airmont Mayor Dennis Kay, who died unexpectedly over the weekend. The 65-year-old Kay was found dead in his bed Sunday morning, of causes not immediately known. Kay was first elected Airmon’t mayor in 2007, after serving five years as a Village Trustee. Kay was to be buried at Airmont’s Gates of Zion Cemetery following An 11 a.m. memorial service at the New City Jewish Center.
TICK, TOCK. TIME RUNNING OUT ON INCOME TAX FILING
Today’s the last day to file your 2011 Income Tax returns. The deadline is two days later than usual this year, with the 15th falling on Sunday and yesterday being a local holiday in the nation’s capital. If your return’s not in by the end of the day and you don’t have an extension, expect to pay a penalty.
04-16-12
COUNTY, TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN WIN PLANNING AWARDS
There are smiles all around in New City. Both Rockland County and the Town of Clarkstown are being presented today with state-wide awards for planning. The annual awards, from the New York Planning Federation, honor what County Executive Scott Vanderhoef calls “superior achievement” in local land-use planning. Like the county, Clarkstown was cited for the comprehensive plan it developed in 2009, a plan that won an award earlier this year from Pace University.
SPITZER TO BE SENTENCED TOMORROW FOR NEW SQUARE ARSON ATTACK
New Square arsonist Shaul Spitzer faces up to ten years in jail when he’s sentenced tomorrow in New City. The 18-year-old pleaded guilty in February to setting fire to a neighbor last May, in what prosecutors called a hate crime. The victim, 44-year-old Aron Rottenberg, had long been a target of vandalism, allegedly by New Square residents, in retaliation for not attending the Hasidic village’s main synagogue. The arson attack left Rottenberg burned over half his body. Spitzer could have been sentenced to five-to-20 years on his conviction for first-degree assault, but State Supreme Court Justice William Kelly said he would cap the teen-ager’s sentence at ten years.
LAU COMPETENCY DECISION DUE THURSDAY IN TEACHER’S MURDER
What could be the final step in bringing Valley Cottage murder suspect Eric Lau to trial is scheduled in Justice Kelly’s court on Thursday. That’s when Kelly is to rule on Lau’s competency to stand trial in the slashing death of his neighbor, elementary school gym teacher Jamie Erlich, in November of 2009. If Kelly rules :au competent, the trial could start as early as next Monday.
BURIAL TOMORROW FOR AIRMONT MAYOR DENNIS KAY
A memorial service is scheduled tomorrow for Airmont Mayor Dennis Kay. The 65-year-old Kay was found dead in his bed Sunday morning, of causes not immediately known. Family members say he had been in good health. Kay served as an Airmont village trustee from 2002 to 2007, and as mayor since then. Tomorrow’s service is at 11 a.m. at the New City Jewish Center, with burial to follow at Airmont’s Gates of Zion cemetery.
STATE POLICE TO CRACK DOWN ON DRIVERS WHO USE HAND-HELD CELL PHONES
If you still use a hand-held cell phone while driving, New York State’s finest will be hot on your tail next week. State police say “Operation Hang Up” will run from April 23rd to 29th -- targeting those who use their hand-helds to talk or text while at the wheel. And the crackdown won’t just be on the Thruway. A state police spokesman says troopers will be out ticketing on roadways throughout the state. And – get this – they’ll be in unmarked cars. So the only way to game the crackdown may be to simply play by the rules. Otherwise, you can talk or text your way to a fine of up to $150 plus points and court costs.
INCOME TAX: ONE DAY LEFT TO FILE
Tomorrow’s the deadline for filing your 2011 Income Tax forms. If they’re not postmarked by the end of the day, and if you haven’t filed for an extension, be prepared to pay a fine. The longer you wait to file, the greater the fine. By the way, the deadline is late this year for two reasons. The 15th fell on a Sunday (yesterday), and today is a traditional holiday, “Emancipation Day,” in Washington, D.C.
04-13-12
TAXES, JOB FEARS DAMPEN REGION’S HOME SALE PRICES
High taxes continue to drive housing prices down in the region. A realty-industry study shows that median home-sale prices in the Lower Hudson Valley are down significantly from a year ago. And it concludes that property taxes, which are often higher than residents’ mortgage payments, are a major scare-off factor for buyers. The home-price drop hit Rockland less severely than the rest of the region; the county’s median single-family sale price of $372,000 down 5% in the last year. That’s compared with an 8.5% drop in Westchester and a steep 20% decrease in Putnam. The report says concerns over job security were another major drag on home prices in the region.
STONY PT. POLICE: CABLE GUY A SEXUAL MOLESTER
Stony Point police have charged a Cablevision sub-contractor with sexually molesting a local woman. Police say 29-year-old Jonathan Malave of Belleville, New Jersey, was on a repair call at the unidentified woman’s home Tuesday afternoon when he kissed and then touched her sexually against her will. Malave was arrested shortly after the incident. He’s due in Stony Point Justice Court May 15th to answer a charge of forcible touching.
NEW JERSEY TRIO CHARGED IN NYACK CARDBOARD THEFT
Three New Jersey men face petty larceny charges in connection with a cardboard heist here in Rockland. Clarkstown police say it happened Tuesday night at the Stop & Shop on Route 59 in Central Nyack: a white truck pulls up to the recyclables area; the three men get out, load five bundles of cardboard onto the truck, and drive off; they’re stopped and arrested a short while later on Route 303 in Orangetown. The load of stolen cardboard is valued at about $500. Police think the trio, Samuel Alamo and Angel Torres of Paterson and Jose Vazquez of Belleville, may be part of a ring of cardboard, copper pipe and used-clothing thieves.
TEMPORARY ROADWAY TO EASE TRAFFIC DURING NEW HEMPSTEAD RD. RECONSTRUCTION
If you’ve had to deal with the snarl of traffic on New Hempstead Road in New City in recent months, you’re finally getting a break. Workers have opened a temporary roadway allowing drivers to bypass the “S”-curve now under reconstruction outside the county office building. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef calls the improvement “an important milestone” in the project.
COUNTY OFFERING FREE ANTI-MOSQUITO PRODUCTS
Thanks to an influx of Asian Tiger mosquitoes this year, the county health department is offering Rocklanders help in the battle against the summertime pests. It’s providing residents with two anti-mosquito agents free of charge. One is a commercial product called Mosquito Dunks, which contains bacteria that kill the disease-carrying insects in their larval stage. The other is Fathead Minnows, a type of fish that eat mosquito larva. Both are to be used in areas around the home where water collects, such as ornamental ponds and even swimming pools. Residentds can pick them up, free, at the Health Department offices in Pomona – Building D – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays for the Mosquito Dunks, and from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday, April 17th only, for the Fathead Minnows.
04-12-12
STONY POINT’S FINN: COUNTY RENEGING ON “PROMISED” FUNDS
Stony Point Supervisor Jeff Finn says he sympathizes with County Executive Scott Vanderhoef over the county’s financial plight, but that it doesn’t justify short-changing the towns. Like his fellow supervisors, Haverstraw’s Howard Phillips and Orangetown’s Andy Stewart, Finn is lashing out at Vanderhoef’s budget-cutting proposals, ones that would withdraw funds normally earmarked for the towns. Speaking this morning on WRCR, Finn said the cutbacks will likely result in Stony Point withdrawing its police presence on the county’s Intelligence Task Force. Haverstraw’s Phillips had his say yesterday, saying Vanderhoef has been “sticking his head in the sand” on budget matters for many years.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO GIVE SEMINAR ON “SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA” AND OTHER NEW DRUGS
Health officials say the illicit use of new man-made drugs is on the rise – and that the public should know more about them. To that end, the county health department is offering a free seminar entitled “New Drugs of Abuse.” It’s slated for Thursday, May tenth, at the County Fire Training Center here in Pomona. The seminar will focus on four or five new drugs, including those known as “synthetic marijuana” and “bath salts” – how they’re made, what’s in them, and the symptoms of their abuse. To register for the seminar – and registration is necessary -- call the health department at 364-3865.
FREE RABIE SHOTS OFFERED FOR HOUSEHOLD PETS
Got a pet? Get it a free rabies shot. The health department is offering free shots for cats, dogs and ferrets on Sunday, April 22nd at the Fire Training Center. Your pet must be healthy, at least three months old, and on a leash or in a top-opening container when you arrive for the vaccination. No appointment is necessary. Neither is payment, although a health department news release happens to mention that a $5.00 donation would help defray its costs.
04-11-12
PHILLIPS: VANDERHOEF HAS “HEAD IN THE SAND” OVER COUNTY FINANCES
Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips slammed County Executive Scott Vanderhoef this morning on WRCR. Phillips is fuming over Vanderhoef’s call for county funding cutbacks to the towns in this time of fiscal hardship for both. Saying Vanderhoef has been “sticking his head in the sand for many years,” Phillips blasted the county executive for repeatedly over-estimating tax revenues, and for allowing such things as the county’s Intelligence Task Force to lapse in order to fund less critical programs. Phillips called Rockland’s government “a ship without a rudder” and said the county needs a leader willing to make tough decisions.
JAFFEE PRESSES FOR MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE
Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee says the minimum wage is one of the big items on the state legislative agenda this session. Jaffee told WRCR listeners this morning a bill to raise the minimum to $8.15-an-hour from the current $7.25 is making its way through the Assembly. But she gives the measure, as is, only a “fair” chance of passage in the State Senate. One of the problems: the notion that minimum-wage increases hurt businesses, a belief which Jaffee says is unjustified.
S.V. MAYOR JASMINE ON CRITICS: SOME ARE OUT TO “HURT THE ADMINISTRATION”
Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmine has lashed out at her critics, amid a controversy over pay raises. Jasmine and the board raised hackles in the village last week by voting themselves salary increases -- of more than 8% for the mayor and more than 20% for the trustees. Jasmine told WRCR listeners yesterday her critics are wrong when they say Spring Valley is in financial trouble. She said her administration has managed to get Spring Valley’s credit rating bumped up, and is continuing to bring new ratables to the village. As for her critics, Jasmine said some in Spring Valley are motivated less by civic concern than by politics, singling out Village Trustee Anthony Leon as one such critic. Jasmine did acknowledge that federal investigators are probing the village, but she said it’s in connection with a flood-plain project that dates back to a previous administration.
POLICE: GUNS IN STONY POINT MAN’S CACHE ARE (NEARLY) ALL LICENSED
A Stony Point man is due in court next Tuesday in connection with a shooting incident last week. Meanwhile, Neighbors of 38-year-old David McGuiness may be wondering what he’s been doing with a cache of fire-arms in his home. Police seized about 20 of the weapons, including a 50-calibre rifle, last Friday night when they arrested McGuiness after responding to a “shots-fired” call. McGuiness reportedly had been drinking and was firing a shotgun when police arrived at the scene, off South Park Road and Route 9-W. Police say they found all but one of the weapons, a handgun, to be licensed. McGuiness was booked on a range of charges, including gun possession and reckless endangerment.
04-10-12
S.V. MAYOR JASMINE DEFENDS PAY RAISES
Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmine says there’s no need for either her or the village trustees to defend their pay raises. Jasmine and the board raised hackles in the village last week by voting themselves salary increases, raises of more than 8% for the mayor and more than 20% for the trustees. Asked on WRCR this morning whether the raises are justified in this time of belt-tightening, Jasmine said “Of course.” Jasmine said she and the board have managed to get Spring Valley’s credit rating bumped up, and are bringing new ratables to the village, including Walgreen’s, Holiday Inn Express and Papa John’s. On a related subject, Jasmine acknowledged that federal investigators are probing the village in connection with a flood-plain project, which she said dates back to a previous administration.
STONY POINT GETS WHIFF FROM HARRIMAN STATE PARK FIRE
The smell of smoke hung over parts of Stony Point yesterday, as a brush fire burned in Harriman State Park. No casualties or damage to homes were reported in the fire, which tore through several acres. Authorities say heavy winds and lingering dry conditions throughout the region helped keep the blaze alive into the night-time hours. Those same conditions, including more-than-30 m.p.h. winds and a relative humidity of less than 20%, are said to have stoked a fire that gutted the famed Tamarack Lodge in Ulster County over the weekend.
RAMAPO GAS LINE BREAK SPARKS BRIEF EVACUATION SCARE
A ruptured gas line nearly caused the evacuation of parts of Suffern yesterday. Orange and Rockland officials say it was just before 9 a.m. when a subcontractor broke an underground connection at Campbell Avenue and Route 59. The line was shut off within a half-hour, but not before spewing an undetermined amount of natural gas into the air. O&R officials decided no evacuations were necessary as yesterday’s heavy winds helped disperse the gas. The utility says service to Good Samaritan Hospital and others affected by the break was returned by late afternoon.
POLICE: STONY POINT MAN CHARGED AFTER FIRING SHOTGUN
A Stony Point man faces felony charges following an allegedly alcohol-fueled outburst over the weekend. Police arrested 38-year-old David McGuiness last Friday night after responding to a “shots-fired” call. A police spokesman says McGuiness had been drinking and was firing a shotgun when they arrived at the scene, off South Park Road and Route 9-W. McGuiness was booked on a range of charges, including reckless endangerment and gun possession. His girlfriend, Katherine Jones, was charged with obstruction for allegedly interfering with McGuiness’s arrest.
04-09-12
LEGISLATOR SCORES TOWNS, COUNTY ON TASK FORCE REIMBURSEMENTS
County Legislator Ed Day says law enforcement is becoming a “poker chip” in the financial jousting going on between Rockland County and its towns. A number of towns are demanding that the reimbursements they receive for officers supplied to the county Drug and Intelligence Task Forces be continued despite the county’s budget woes. But, blogging on a local web site this morning, Day describes those reimbursements as “double taxation,” because taxpayers are already paying the officers’ salaries. And their budgets.
S.V. MAYOR TO EXPLAIN PAY RAISE TOMORROW ON WRCR
Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmine will be WRCR’s guest tomorrow morning, and she’s likely to spend a good part of the time defending her pay raise. Jasmine and the village board recently voted to grant themselves increases, an 8.5% raise for the mayor and 20.6% raises for the trustees. That’s not sitting well with a lot of the public, as Spring Valley struggles with finances and the local school district faces massive layoffs and program cuts. We’ll discuss it all with Jasmine tomorrow morning at 9:20.
ISRAELI MAN IN LIBRARY HATE-SPEECH CASE FACES DEPORTATION
An Israeli man who unleashed a racially-charged barrage inside Spring Valley’s Finkelstein Library last month could be deported. Thirty-three year-old Gal Vanunu, an Israeli national said to be living in the United States illegally, pleaded guilty to a hate crime for his March 24th drunken outburst against a library security guard. Vanunu was sentenced to less than two weeks in jail, but his attorney says Vanunu now faces a deportation hearing by U.S. Immigration and Customs.
CLARKSTOWN POLICE PROBING WEEKEND “EGGINGS"
When “egg” is a noun, not a verb, it usually means trouble. And Clarkstown police say “egging” was a big problem there over the weekend. The Journal News says the cops were called Saturday morning to two addresses in Congers, where they found both homes and a total of 22 cars on the streets splattered with eggs. Police say a third egged home, in Bardonia, belongs to a Clarkstown South High School teacher, but they’re not sure if that was behind the egging. Anyone with information on the eggers is asked to call Clarkstown police at 639-5800.
04-06-12
VANDERHOEF: “SOME TOWN SUPERVISORS DON’T GET IT.”
County Executive Scott Vanderhoef responding this morning to criticism he’s been getting from at least two town supervisors. Haverstraw’s Howard Phillips and Orangetown’s Andy Stewart have complained publicly about Vanderhoef’s proposed cutoff of some county funds to the towns as a way to balance the county budget. Speaking this morning on WRCR, Vanderhoef stuck back at the two without naming names, saying, “Some town supervisors don’t get it.” Vanderhoef said he takes particular issue with suggestions that the county is broke. In fact, he said, the county is paying its bills and providing services, and merely working to bridge a deficit.
CUOMO PROMISES “SAFE AND BETTER” TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE
Governor Cuomo is promising New Yorkers a “safe and better” Tappan Zee Bridge. Speaking yesterday at Manhattanville College in Purchase, Cuomo acknowledged that the state still doesn’t know how much the new bridge will cost. But he said those figures would be nailed down over the next several months, when plans come in from the four firms chosen to bid on the contract. As for how the state will finance the multi-billion-dollar project, Cuomo offered no specifics but said, “We are going to come up with a way …”
ROCKLAND, WESTCHESTER, PUTNAM STUDENTS OUT-SCORING REST OF STATE
The state education department says students in Rockland, Westchester and Putnam Counties are out-scoring students state-wide. That’s based on test scores at both the elementary and high school regents level. And high school graduation rates are up across the region, as well. Eighty-six percent of Rockland students graduated on time – that is, after four years – last June. That’s up from 84% the year before. Westchester’s 84% on-time rate was up a point. But Putnam County’s rate was down a point at 89%.
PAPER: RAMAPO TO ADD CELLPHONE TOWER AS RATABLE…
The town of Ramapo reportedly is planning to raise revenues from a cellphone tower. Officials tell the Journal News the town hopes to lease out a small lot on Torne Brook Road to a Sprint affiliate to PUT UP the tower. They estimate the lease would bring in about $36,000 for Ramapo in the first year, then INCREASING annual amounts over the next 20 years or so.
… WHILE ORANGETOWN SEEKS MARKET CONSULTANT FOR ROCKLAND PSYCH SITE
Meanwhile, the paper says, the town of Orangetown is moving ahead with plans to market its land at the Rockland Psychiatric Center. Supervisor Andy Stewart says the town is looking to hire a real-estate consulting firm to provide a market analysis for the nearly-400-acre site, which the town has been trying to get developed since purchasing it nine years ago.
04-05-12
CORNELL: PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT TOLLS TO EXPECT ON NEW T-Z BRIDGE
County legislative chairwoman Harriet Cornell says Rocklanders aren’t getting the whole story on the Tappan Zee replacement project. Cornell told WRCR listeners this morning the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is silent on the matter of financing the multi-billion-dollar project. And she wants to know more, in particular, about what kind of tolls Rockland’s 40,000-plus daily commuters will have to pay, tolls which some believe could be as high as $30 per round-trip. Cornell says she’s concerned about why the results of a Merrill-Lynch study of the project conducted a few years ago were never released. Speculation is that the costs projected by the study were felt to be too high for public consumption.
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS OPPOSE BILL TO MAKE PAROLEES PAY FOR THEIR SUPERVISION
Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski is getting some opposition to his idea of making parolees on probation pay for their supervision. Rockland County pays about $5-million a year in such administrative fees. The law Zebrowski sponsors would charge a wide range of parolees from $20 to $40 a month to help offset that cost – a matter of fairness to taxpayers, he says. But local civil rights leaders say the law, in effect, would place an excessive burden on the parolees, who they say are mostly poor and have a hard enough time staying straight on the outside as it is. The bill, however, does allow the fee to be waived in certain indigent situations. The County Legislature this week postponed a vote to register the county’s support for Zebrowski’s bill until such issues are addressed.
REPORT: POLICE CHIEFS CALL FOR MEDICAL EXAMINER TO STEP DOWN IN JUNE
Rockland’s police chiefs reportedly want to get rid of county medical examiner Dr. Mark Taff. The Journal News says Taff has had a strained relationship with the chiefs since he was hired in 2008 -- in part, they say, because his staff members rarely show up promptly at crime scenes, causing police to waste time in their investigations. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef tells the paper he’s aware of the chiefs’ concerns, has some of his own, and is considering whether or not to renew Taff’s $170,000-a-year contract when it comes up in June.
CLARKSTOWN OPENS DOOR FOR SENIOR HOME-OWNERS TO OFFER RENTAL APARTMENTS
The town of Clarkstown is making it easier for its senior citizens to keep their homes. The town this week kicked off a new policy allowing some seniors to rent out parts of their homes. Under the so-called “accessory apartment” policy, if you’re at least 62 years old and have owned a single-family home in Clarkstown for at least 20 years, you can add on a one-bedroom rental apartment. Town officials are encouraging those home-owners to rent the apartments to young people and volunteers, two groups said to be struggling to meet Rockland’s generally steep rents.
04-04-12
ZEBROWSKI: HOME RULE LEGISLATION LIKELY TO BE CHANGED BEFORE APPROVAL
There’s still no word on when, or if, Rockland will get the home-rule legislation it wants in order to balance the county budget. The state legislature has been reviewing for several weeks now Rockland’s request for, among other things, the authority to float an $80-million debt-reduction bond. It also seeks go-aheads for raising the county sales and mortgage taxes and imposing a mortgage-transfer tax. Assembyman Kenneth Zebrowski told WRCR listeners this morning that he, himself, is not happy with the legislation as it stands, but that a compromise version is likely to be approved soon.
REPORT: E. RAMAPO BLAMES EX SUPERINTENDENT OUSTATCHER FOR DISTRICT’S FISCAL WOES
School officials in East Ramapo reportedly are blaming former Superintendent Ira Oustatcher for the district’s financial problems. The Journal News says the finger-pointing comes in a written response to Oustatcher’s lawsuit against the district over back pay. The suit argues that Oustatcher is entitled to his superintendent’s salary of $252,000, even though he was demoted last year to a middle-school principal’s position, at $154,000. In its response, the district says Oustatcher mis-handled a number of financial matters while superintendent, thus breaching his contract. The legal wrangling comes as East Ramapo faces a new round of layoffs and program cuts in order to slash spending by $20-million.
ROUTE 9-W COLLISION KILLS WEST POINT EMPLOYEE
An employee at West Point was killed in the accident that closed a stretch of Route 9-W near Highland Falls for more than four hours yesterday. State Police say 50-year-old Halina Tsymbaliuk of Monroe apparently lost control of her car and slammed into an oncoming vehicle near West Point’s Stony Lonesome entrance just after 7 a.m. She was pronounced dead shortly after the collision. The driver of the other car was hospitalized with internal injuries. The stretch of 9-W was finally re-opened at about 11:30 a.m.
ORANGETOWN STANDOFF ENDS WITHOUT VIOLENCE
A more-than two-hour police standoff in Orangetown ended without major incident yesterday. It was just after 2 p.m. when town police were called to a home on Broad Avenue in Palisades where a man was believed to have threatened suicide. The unidentified man, said to be in his mid-20’s, holed up inside the house as dozens of police, including a county tactical team, arrived at the scene. He finally gave himself up, peacefull, at about 4:30 p.m. Police say a number of weapons were found inside the house.
ROCKLAND UNEMPLOYMENT UP A BIT IN FEBRUARY …
Unemployment in Rockland rose slightly in February. The latest figures place the jobless rate here at 7.2% -- the same as in January, but up from last February’s 6.9%. Analysts say the up-tick is no surprise, since unemployment often rises in February.
… BUT JOBS FAIR AIMS TO BRING IT DOWN
Hundreds of people turned out at Rockland Community College yesterday in hopes of bringing those unemployment figures down. Officials say the college’s 14th annual Jobs Fair drew well over 500 people, the most in ten years. Sixty-one companies, from local to national concerns, were on hand to take their resumes. The jobs fair was co-sponsored by RCC, the County Workplace Investment Board, and State Senator David Carlucci.
04-03-12
CARLUCCI TOUTS EPIC DRUG-PLAN RESTORATION
State Senator David Carlucci says Rockland’s senior citizens who’ve been paying through the nose for their medications can breathe a little easier now. Carlucci told WRCR listeners this morning that one of the state legislature’s achievements this year was a restoration of New York State’s EPIC program, which helps income-eligible seniors pay for their prescription drugs. The $30-million restoration puts EPIC’s $20 co-pay back into effect, sparing seniors from paying much more per prescription. Carlucci says the EPIC bailout was part of the legislature’s overall effort to balance the state budget without losing important programs.
POLICE: DEATH OF PIERMONT MAN IN BURNING CAR WAS ACCIDENTAL
Foul play has been ruled out in the death of an Orangetown man whose body was found inside his burning S.U.V. over the weekend. Police identified the man yesterday as 42-year-old Samuel Mason and proclaimed his death an accident. Mason was discovered inside the burning vehicle, which had struck and come to rest against a stone wall in front of his Piermont residence. It’s still not clear what caused the accident, or why Mason was unable to flee the burning S.U.V. Police say preliminary autopsy results may answer one or both of those questions.
AVILES SENTENCING POSTPONED THREE WEEKS
Sentencing was postponed today for Michael Aviles, the Haverstraw father convicted of causing the death of his infant daughter two years ago. The 42-year-old Aviles faces up to 15 years in jail when he goes before County Court Judge William Nelson on April 24th. It was Nelson who convicted Aviles of unintentional manslaughter in the beating-death of five-month-old Michele Aviles in January of 2010. The girl’s mother, Lissette Capellan, was acquitted in the non-jury trial earlier this year.
OFFICIALS: VALLEY COTTAGE HOUSE GUTTED BY FIRE HAD BEEN ILLEGALLY CONVERTED TO APARTMENTS
The owners of a Valley Cottage house gutted by fire yesterday will be served with violation notices. That’s according to County Fire and Emergency Services chief Gordon Wren, who says the two-family house on Lake Road had been illegally converted to accommodate four apartments housing as many as 20 people. No one was injured in the fire. But Wren says the illegal conversion, and ones like it in homes throughout the county, are dangerous to both tenants and firefighters called to the scene.
CLARKSTOWN DISTRICT TO PAY FOR DEFENSE OF BOARD MEMBER IN TEACHER’S LAWSUIT
The Clarkstown school board voted last night to use district funds to pay for the legal defense of board vice-president Donna Ehrenberg. She’s being sued by elementary school teacher Cathleen Malgieri, whose husband Joe is a rival of Ehrenberg’s on the school board. The suit claims that Ehrenberg used her influence to harass, hold back, and eventually have Cathleen Malgieri transferred out of Woodglen Elementary school, where she had been teaching. Board officials say the funds for Ehrenberg’s defense will come from a district insurance policy, not from taxpayers’ pockets.
GUNSHOTS? NO, JUST A SECURITY DRILL AT INDIAN POINT
If you hear gunshots today – or tonight, for that matter -- you probably won’t have to duck for cover. You might be hearing nothing more than a security drill at Indian Point, one of several drills the Buchanan nuclear plant is conducting, day and night, throughout this week. Plant officials say the drills are aimed at testing the plant’s ability to respond to an attack.
04-02-12
GROMACK: STATE LEGISLATURE ALREADY HAS BILL TO MAKE P.S.C. COMMISSIONERS ELECTED, NOT APPOINTED
Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack says the idea of electing members of the state Public Service Commission is not a new one, but he suggests it’s one whose time might finally have come. Gromack told WRCR listeners this morning a bill to make the P.S.C. commissioners elected, rather than appointed, has been in the state legislative pipeline for several years but has gotten nowhere. Gromack RENEWED HIS call for the move NOW, in light of Orange and Rockland’s latest request for a rate increase, suggesting that state legislators might be more motivated on the issue in this time of belt-tightening.
POLICE PROBING DEATH OF PIERMONT MAN IN S.U.V. FIRE
Investigators say it may take some time to determine what led to the fiery death of a Piermont man over the weekend. Firefighters pulled the man’s body from a burning S.U.V. parked on a village street at about 2 a.m. Sunday. Police identified the victim only as a 44-year-old male who’s believed to have moved to Piermont about four months ago. They say it’s still not clear what caused the fire, whether it was arson or an accident, and why the victim remained IN the S.U.V. after it caught fire.
LAU SAID TO WANT NEW ATTORNEY IN ERLICH MURDER CASE
There’s another possible hitch in the case of Eric Lau, the Valley Cottage man charged with the brutal slaying of his neighbor, elementary school gym teacher Jamie Erlich, in November of 2009. Lau’s prosecution has been slowed by a series of hearings on his competency to stand trial. It was at the latest of those hearings, in State Supreme Court last Friday, that it was revealed that Lau wants a new attorney. Justice William Kelly withheld a decision on the request, wondering aloud whether it was a strategic move aimed at further delaying Lau’s trial.
MONSEY BUSINESSMAN CHARGED WITH SEXUALLY ABUSING YOUNG GIRL
Ramapo police have charged a Monsey man with sexually abusing a young girl dozens of times over a three-year period. Fifty-nine year-old Dovid Kohn is in county jail on $1-million bail, facing 40 counts charged in the case. Investigators say Kohn, who runs a video business in Monsey, had oral sex with the girl repeatedly when she was between the ages of 12 and 15. The unidentified victim reportedly is now in her mid-20’s, but police say there’s no statute of limitations on sex crimes. Defense attorney Kenneth Gribetz says Kohn’s legal name is Avraham Perl, adding that his client will plead not guilty.
N.J. WOMAN CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLING CHESTNUT RIDGE FIRM
A New Jersey woman is due in Ramapo town court Wednesday to face charges of embezzling the Chestnut Ridge business she worked for. Investigators say 37-year-old Elisabeth Slee, of Bloomingdale, New Jersey, diverted more than $200,000 in company funds to her personal bank accounts over a one-year period while working in the firm’s finance department. Slee was arraigned Friday on a felony count of second-degree grand larceny, and bail was set at $75,000.
WEEKEND DEMONSTRATION IN NYACK PROTESTED DEATH OF FLORIDA TEEN TRAYVON MARTIN
Dozens of people wearing hoodies joined scores of others in Nyack Saturday to protest the death of Trayvon Martin. The unarmed, hoodie-wearing 17-year-old boy was shot and killed February 26th by a neighborhood watchman in Sanford, Florida. His death touched off a national debate on racial profiling, guns, and Florida’s so-called “stand your ground” law, which many say encourages violent confrontations. Protest organizers in Nyack called Saturday’s event a demonstration against hate.
03-30-12
”CORRUPTION” CHARGED AS S.V. MAYOR, BOARD VOTE THEMSELVES RAISES
Spring Valley trustee Anthony Leon says the village administration is rife with corruption. And he’s calling for a federal investigation into village affairs. Leon leveled the charge in a call to WRCR this morning – the morning after Spring Valley’s mayor and village board voted themselves raises. Leon wasn’t clear on the KIND of corruption he was alleging. But it’s been confirmed that federal investigators already are investigating aspects of Spring Valley’s so-called Section-8 housing program. And, Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence tells WRCR the state attorney general’s office may be probing the village as well.
As for the RAISES: Mayor Noramie Jasmine gets an 8.5% increase to bring her salary up to $125,000. The trustees get a more-than-20% raise, to about $26,000 each for their part-time positions. The votes came last night at a special meeting at which Jasmine and the board approved the new village budget. The $28-million package raises village taxes by 3.1%. By the way the pay-increase vote was 3-to-2, with Leon and fellow-trustee Demeza Delhomme voting “no.”
REPORT: COUNTY, TOWNS AGREE ON DRUG TASK FORCE REIMBURSEMENTS
Rockland County and its five towns reportedly have reached a funding deal that will keep the county’s narcotics task force alive. The Journal News says the agreement, brokered by District Attorney Thomas Zugibe, reimburses the towns a total of $1.1-million for the police officers they supply to the task force. Several of the towns had threatened to withdraw their officers when County Executive Scott Vanderhoef proposed eliminating the reimbursements altogether. There’s still no payback deal for the officers the towns supply to the county’s intelligence task force. Both it and the narcotics force are considered to be among Zugibe’s most successful units.
STATE BUDGET GIVES ROCKLAND SCHOOL DISTRICTS $7-MILLION IN NEW FUNDS
The new state budget gives Rockland’s school districts a financial boost. It’s not a huge one, totaling about $7-million, but Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski says the increases signify the state’s “commitment to education.” The budget raises reimbursements to schools state-wide by a total of $805-million. Increases to Rockland districts range from $263,000 for Nanuet to $2.3-million for East Ramapo.
GROMACK SLAMS PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION IN COMMENTS ON O&R RATE-HIKE REQUEST
Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack says it’s time to make the state Public Service Commission truly serve the public. Gromack is renewing his call for PSC commissioners to be elected, not appointed. The call comes in Gromack’s statement for the P.S.C. hearing in Ramapo this week on Orange & Rockland’s latest rate-hike request. The statement slams O&R, in particular for its response to last October’s crippling snowstorm. And it blasts the PSC for its history of granting the utility nearly all of the increases it seeks. The increase O&R wants now would raise the average Rocklander’s bill by about $40 a year. But the utility also wants a $40-million reimbursement from county rate-payers for its work during and after the October snowstorm.
03-29-12
HUNDREDS TURN OUT FOR E. RAMAPO BUDGET FORUM
They came in two waves. First, dozens of East Ramapo students marched outside district headquarters in Spring Valley yesterday. Then, hundreds of parents marched IN for a community forum on the proposed district budget. The $202-million package is a tough one for many to swallow, coming on the heals of last year’s cutbacks – this one, calling for $20-million in spending cuts, including as many as 180 staff layoffs. District officials said they were hoping for the public’s help in deciding among several difficult choices, such as eliminating kindergarten or sports programs throughout the district. The school board BOARD votes on the budget next week, the East Ramapo public in May.
HAVERSTRAW GAMBLING RAIDS RESULT IN 14 ARRESTS
Co-ordinated raids in Haverstraw yesterday netted more than a dozen suspects tied to a gambling operation known as the “Dominican Lottery. Police say the nine raids, involving local and federal agents, brought in some $40,000 in seized cash as well as the 14 suspects, who now face a variety of gambling-related charges. It was the third such raid in Haverstraw in the past year, all part of what county prosecutors call “Operation Big Splash.” The previous raid, two weeks ago, resulted in 18 arrests and brought in some $80,000 in seized cash.
SLOATSBURG MAN CHARGED IN ALLEGED ATTACK ON S.V. POLICE OFFICER
A Sloatsburg man has been charged with assaulting a police officer during a confrontation Saturday in Spring Valley’s Memorial Park. Police say 21-year-old Darien Burch became combative after village police stopped the car in which he was riding for a drug search. The unidentified officer broke his arm when he fell after Burch allegedly punched him in the face. Burch managed to get away. But he was arrested Tuesday in yet another traffic stop – this one near Exit 7 on the Palisades Parkway.
TRAYVON MARTIN RALLY SCHEDULED SATURDAY IN NYACK
The Trayvon Martin controversy comes to Rockland this weekend. A rally is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Nyack’s Veterans Park to protest the 17-year-old’s killing by a neighborhood watchman in Florida last month. The case has touched off a national debate over racial profiling, guns, and Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law, which many say encourages violent confrontations.
03-28-12
N.Y.S. BUDGET HEADED FOR ON-TIME APPROVAL
New York State may have an on-time budget this year. State legislators and Governor Cuomo came to what they’re calling a final budget agreement yesterday. The $132.6-billion package increases state spending by 2%, most of the increase aimed at economic development and jobs-creation. Among its key provisions is the creation of a multi-billion-dollar save-the-infrastructure fund. Cuomo says the state’s initial investment of around $1-billion in the fund would generate up to $15-billion for repairing and rebuilding the state’s aging roads and bridges. Some details of the budget remain to be nailed down in negotiations today and possibly tomorrow, with final legislative approval and Cuomo’s signature expected by the end of the week, just ahead of the April 1st deadline.
PUBLIC HEARINGS IN RAMAPO TODAY ON O&R RATE-HIKE REQUEST
The public is getting its say IN PERSON today on Orange & Rockland’s latest rate-increase request. The state Public Service Commission has scheduled two hearings at Ramapo Town Hall for public comments. O&R critics are targeting two key parts of the utility’s request: the rate-hike itself, which would add about $40 a year to the average Rocklander’s bill, and a $40-million payback to O&R for the work it did after last October’s crippling snowstorm. Today’s hearings, at Ramapo Town Hall, were scheduled for 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
PUBLIC TO DISCUSS SCHOOLS BUDGET WITH E. RAMAPO BOARD MEMBERS AT WORKSHOP MEETING TONIGHT
East Ramapo residents can use the time between those P.S.C. hearings to deal with school-finance issues. A 7 p.m. forum is scheduled, to get public input on the district’s proposed $202-million budget. The package proposes some $20-million in program cuts and envisions up to 180 layoffs. District officials say tonight’s forum will include smaller, group-sized discussions on each aspect of the budget. The input purportedly would help shape the final budget, which the school board will adopt next week and put up for a public vote in May.
NEW SENTENCING DATE SET FOR MADOFF’S NEW CITY AUDITOR
Bernard Madoff’s New City auditor has a new sentencing date. David Friehling has pleaded guilty to fraud and other charges involved in the cover-up of Madoff’s $65-billion investment scandal. Friehling’s new tentative sentencing date is October 26th. He’s had four postponements so far, as he continues to co-operate with federal investigators still probing Madoff’s business affairs.
S.V. MAYOR AND TRUSTEES SEEK RAISES IN NEW BUDGET
Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmine will have some explaining to do when the village board meets to consider a new budget April 10. The $27.9-million spending plan includes pay raises for Jasmine and the four-member board: a more-than-5% increase for Jasmine and 25% raises for the trustees. The board tabled a vote on the budget last night because one of the trustees was absent.
S.V. POLICE: FINKELSTEIN LIBRARY SECURITY GUARD PUNCHED IN FACE BY PATRON
A security guard at Finkelstein Memorial Library reportedly took a punch to the face when he tried to calm down an unruly patron. It happened Saturday afternoon. Village police say 33-year-old Gal Vanunu was annoying other library patrons when security guard Vincent Abrahams stepped in and asked him to leave. At that point, Vanunu reportedly began hurling racial epithets at Abrahams, then punched him in the face as he tried to escort Vanunu from the building. Once outside, Vanunu is said to have unleashed MORE racist comments at a village police officer who had arrived at the scene. Vanunu, who claimed to be from Seattle, was charged with assault and other misdemeanors including aggravated harassment, that charge enhanced as a bias crime. He was jailed on $25,000 bail.
03/27/12
PUBLIC HEARINGS ON O&R $$-REQUESTS TOMORROW IN RAMAPO
The state Public Service Commission is holding public hearings in Rockland tomorrow on Orange & Rockland’s requests for more rate-payer money. In addition to a rate increase, O&R seeks a $40-million payback for its work in Rockland after last October’s crippling snowstorm. Critics including Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence say O&R sent Rockland crews to Westchester County during the storm, and that it’s unfair to charge Rocklanders for the out-of-state crews it hired to work here. Tomorrow’s hearings are at Ramapo Town Hall, the first from 4-6 p.m., and the second from 8-10 p.m.
RYE TOWN SUPERVISOR CARVIN TO CHALLENGE LOWEY
Rye Town Supervisor Joe Carvin is challenging Congresswoman Nita Lowey’s bid for re-election. Carvin announced his candidacy yesterday for the Republican nomination to take-on Democrat Lowey in the newly-drawn 17th Congressional district. And Carvin is already getting support from fellow-Republicans. Two other who had considered challenging Lowey, Westchester’s Mark Rosen and Rockland’s Anthony Mele, now say they’re endorsing Carvin.
TEACHER SUES CLARKSTOWN BOARD MEMBER OVER TRANSFER
A Clarkstown teacher is suing a school board member who, she says, harassed her professionally. The suit was filed in State Supreme Court by former Woodglen Elementary teacher Cathleen Malgieri. It says trustee Donna Ehrenberg illegally used her influence to slow Malgieri’s advancement and, eventually, to get her transferred out of Woodglen. Malgieri’s husband Joe is also on the Clarkstown board, where he’s clashed with Ehrenberg on a number of major issues.
INDIAN POINT FINED $1.2-MILLION OVER 2010 OIL SPILL
New York State has fined the owners of Indian Point $1.2-million for polluting the Hudson River. The penalty stems from a 2010 tansformer explosion at the Buchanan nuclear plant that released some 10-million gallons of oil, most of it into the river. State environmental officials say the spill exposed a number of conditions at Indian Point that violate the federal Clean Water Act. Plant-owner Entergy has agreed to pay the fine and correct those conditions. There was no radiation leak in that 2010 incident.
ARMED MAN SUBDUED BY RAMAPO POLICE; OFFICER INJURED
It took several Ramapo police officers to pull an armed and reportedly despondent Patryk Molczan from his car yesterday. The 31-year-old Pomona resident had locked himself inside his Honda Accord in the Spring Hill Ambulance Corps’ parking lot when police arrived just before 5 p.m. Police had to break two of the car’s windows to get to Molczan, and one officer suffered minor cuts in the process. No shots were fired, although a semi-automatic Glock pistol was found inside the car. It’s not clear what prompted Molczan’s actions. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital for observation. Police charged Molczan with criminal possession of a weapon, and they say other charges are pending.
MAN SOUGHT IN ALLEGED TRAFFIC-STOP ATTACK ON S.V. POLICE OFFICER
Spring Valley police are searching for a man who attacked an officer during a weekend traffic stop in the village. The unidentified man reportedly was one of three inside the car Saturday afternoon when police pulled it over near Memorial Park for a drug search. Police say the suspect punched the officer in the face as he was pulled from the car, knocking the policeman to the ground, the fall breaking his arm. Unlike the others in the car, the suspect was able to get away.
03-26-12
GROMACK: NANUET MALL DEBRIS CARTING MAY BE VIOLATING LAW
Owners of the Nanuet Mall might be violating local laws by the way they’re disposing of materials from the mall’s demolition. Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack acknowledged this morning that investigators are looking into allegations that haulers for Simon Properties have been taking the debris illegally to a transfer station in Elmsford, in Westchester County. Gromack told WRCR listeners that the county’s so-called “flow control” law mandates that all such debris be carted to a transfer station inside Rockland. The law is aimed in part, at ensuring that carting fees go to local municipalities.
SPRING VALLEY LANDLORD DISPUTES FINE OVER TREATMENT OF DISABLED TENANT
A Spring Valley landlord is being fined nearly $2,000 for her alleged treatment of an elderly, blind tenant. The Rockland County Board of Health fined Marie Gladys Zizi $1,450 for several safety violations, including the lack of smoke- and carbon-monoxide detectors at the Twin Avenue address. And the board added $500 to the fine for allegedly denying the disabled tenant full-time use of a bathroom. Speaking this morning on WRCR, Zizi denied the bathroom-access charge and said she would refuse to pay any of the fine. Instead, Zizi said, she intends to sue the board for false accusation.
RABBITT: ROCKLAND AWARDED $60,000 GRANT TO COMBAT CHILD SERVICES FRAUD
Rockland County has $60,000 on the way from Albany to help combat social services fraud. That’s the word from Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt. She says the grant, from the state Office of Children and Family Services, will help Rockland officials detect and prosecute fraudulent child-care claims. Rabbitt calls such claims a “significant drain” on tax-payer dollars that would otherwise go to legitimate child-care claimants throughout the state.
SALES-TAX EXEMPTION ON CLOTHING PURCHASES RETURNS SUNDAY
Get ready for a tax break from Albany. The old sales-tax exemption on smaller clothing purchases goes back into effect April 1. So, as of Sunday, if you buy less than $110 worth of clothes and/or shoes at a store in New York, you won’t have to pay the state’s 4% tax on the purchase. However, the county’s 3.375% sales tax remains in effect. The state sales-tax exemption was lifted in 2010, a move that reportedly has added more than $300-million to state coffers since then.
FORMER S.V. POLICE CHIEF CLIFFORD TALLMAN DIES AT AGE 69
Police in Rockland County are mourning the loss of one of their finest. Former Spring Valley police chief Clifford Tallman died Friday of unspecified causes at his home in Nanuet. He was 69 years old. Tallman served three of his 28 years in law enforcement as Spring Valley’s top cop, leaving in 1990 to head the county’s Narcotics Task Force. He retired in 1994 with a reputation as one of Rockland’s best police detectives. Tallman will be buried Wednesday at St. Paul’s Highview cemetery in Nanuet. Visiting hours are scheduled this afternoon and tomorrow evening at the Michael J. Higgins funeral home in New City.
03-23-12
ST. LAWRENCE: O&R OVER-BILLING ROCKLAND FOR OCTOBER SNOWSTORM WORK
Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence is urging Rocklanders to “come out in droves” to next week’s hearings on Orange & Rockland’s rate-increase requests. St. Lawrence is especially incensed about the $40-million O&R wants for the extra work last October’s crippling snowstorm caused the utility. St. Lawrence told WRCR listeners this morning he thinks O&R sent LOCAL crews to bolster parent company Con Edison’s crews in Westchester, and wants Rockland rate-payers to pick up the tab for the out-of-state crews it hired for the storm work here. The Public Service Commission hearings are scheduled for next Wednesday at Ramapo Town Hall, the first from 4-6 p.m., and the second from 8-10 p.m.
SENTENCING FOR MADOFF’S NEW CITY AUDITOR POSTPONED
Sentencing has been delayed for Bernard Madoff’s New City auditor. David Friehling was to have been sentenced today for his role in covering up the $65-billion Ponzi scheme that sent Madoff to prison. It’s not clear what prompted the postponement – or when the sentencing will be re-scheduled. Friehling, who remains free on $2.5-million bail, has been co-operating with federal prosecutors still probing Madoff’s business affairs. He’s pleaded guilty to nine counts of fraud and obstruction in the Madoff case.
LAW FIRM INVOLVED IN FORCLOSURE “ROBO SIGNINGS” GETS $4-MILLION FINE
A law firm accused of playing fast and loose in handling foreclosure cases throughout the state has agreed to pay $4-million in fines and penalties. The Amherst-NY-based firm, Steven J. Baum PC, and a sister company were among the targets of federal investigators probing what’s become known as “robo signings.” That practice, of signing foreclosure documents without first verifying details in them, is said to have unfairly left thousands of homeowners in foreclosure. Baum has handled some 4,000 foreclosure cases in Rockland, Westchester and Putnam counties since 1999.
03-22-12
GRANT: TOWNS WANT TOO MUCH FOR TASK FORCE OFFICERS
County legislator Michael Grant says some of the towns are asking for too much for the police officers they donate to the county drug and intelligence task forces. Triggering the charge is Clarkstown’s decision to withdraw its officers from the task forces unless there’s a new contract by April first. The towns now charge the county $75,000 per officer annually. And, with the towns straining financially just as the county is, Gromack and other supervisors want to raise the price. Grant told WRCR listeners this morning, that attitude shortchanges Rocklanders because both task forces have solid records for protecting the public.
DEFENSE EXPERT DECLARES LAU COMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL FOR TEACHER’S MURDER
Accused killer Eric Lau appears headed for trial, now that an expert hired BY the defense has found him competent. State Supreme Court Justice William Nelson will make a final decision on that, probably next week. Lau is charged with murdering his Valley Cottage neighbor, elementary school gym teacher Jamie Erlich, in November, 2009. The latest evaluation agrees with previous findings by prosecution experts that Lau is capable of assisting in his own defense. Lau has a history of violent and allegedly violent behavior, including charges that he’s attacked jail guards twice since his arrest in the Erlich case.
THREE L.I. MEN BUSTED ON P.I.P. PROBED ON STRING OF DRUGSTORE ROBBERIES
Investigators say three Long Island men now in County Jail might have been in on a string of drugstore robberies throughout the region. State police arrested the trio from West and Central Islip on Monday after stopping their car on the Palisades Interstate Parkway. Inside the car, they reportedly found about $2,500 worth of merchandise believed to have been stolen from three CVS drugstores in Rockland County. Police say a number of similar thefts have hit CVS outlets in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in recent weeks. The Long Island trio remain in jail on bail ranging from $5,000 o $25,000 while police check for possible links to the tri-state robbery spree.
MAYOR: PIERMONT BUDGET’S 3.4% TAX HIKE WOULD NOT BREAK 2% CAP
Piermont’s new budget would raise village taxes by 3.4%. But Mayor Chris Sanders says, once the tees are crossed and the eyes dotted, the increase comes down within the state’s 2% cap. The $5.2-million budget calls for no service cuts or layoffs. Sanders tells the Journal News he’ll probably need “a big whiteboard” to illustrate for village residents just how the tax hike comes in under the cap.
03-21-12
GOLDSMITH RE-ELECTED WESLEY HILLS MAYOR
Wesley Hills voters have returned Mayor David Goldsmith to office for another four years. Goldsmith held off a challenge by trustee Bret Bekritsky in Rockland’s only mayoral race in yesterday’s village elections. Ed McPherson and Marshall Katz won Wesley Hills’ two open trustee seats in a four-way race. There were no losers in the trustee elections in the five other Rockland villages where there was voting. Candidates ran unopposed in all of those races, in Hillburn, New Hempstead, Grand View, South and Upper Nyack.
FRIENDS OF HI-TOR RALLY FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO ANIMAL SHELTER
About 60 people turned out for yesterday’s rally in New City to protest conditions at Hi-Tor Animal Shelter. The demonstrators, many with their pets in tow, carried signs proclaiming “More Money for Hi-Tor Now,” a message to county legislators who were to meet in regular session last evening. On the legislators’ desks is a resolution for the county to fund a major repair job at the aging shelter – one that would cost an estimated $650,000. Sponsors of the resolution say the county should pick up the tab since it owns the shelter property.
DAY: COUNTY SHOULD CHARGE CONVICTS FOR PROBATION COSTS
Clarkstown legislator Ed Day has a plan to bring some funds back to the county. He’s introduced a resolution seeking state permission to charge convicted law-breakers on probation a fee to help offset the cost of supervising their probation. Day says the charge-back would be an important step toward relieving Rockland of some of its burdensome mandated spending.
COUNTY GETS $2,600,000 IN NEW H.U.D. GRANTS
County Executive Scott Vanderhoef had some good financial news yesterday: the county has been awarded more than $2.6-million in federal funding for a range of projects. The Housing and Urban Development grants, ranging in size from $3,000 to $100,000, will go to Rockland municipalities and non-profit organizations for a variety of services, from sidewalk maintenance to literacy programs to legal aid.
03-20-12
VOTING, MOSTLY UNCONTESTED, IN SIX VILLAGES TODAY
It’s Local Election Day in Rockland, with trustee races in six villages and a mayor’s race in one of them. That’s Wesley Hills, where Mayor David Goldsmith faces a re-election challenge from Trustee Bret Bekritsky. Four candidates vie for two open trustee seats in Wesley Hills, as well, sealing that village as the only real battleground in today’s voting. Trustee-ships but no mayor’s seats are up in the remaining villages of South and Upper Nyack, Grandview, Hillburn and New Hempstead. But all of those races are uncontested. Polls are open until 9 p.m. in all the villages holding elections today.
CARLUCCI: MANDATING KINDERGARTEN A GOOD IDEA, BUT WOULD LACK SUPPORT IN BUDGET-CUTTING CLIMATE
State Senator David Carlucci says the idea of mandating that school districts provide kindergarten classes is one whose time hasn’t quite come. Prospects for the East Ramapo district doing away with kindergarten next year in a budget-cutting move raised the topic on WRCR this morning. Carlucci told listeners he’s all for mandating kindergarten. But new mandates, he said, probably wouldn’t fly in today’s economic climate.
ZEBROWSKI CHEERS LAW EXPANDING D.N.A. TESTING
Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski is enjoying a victory today. The DNA testing bill he sponsored is now law. And Zebrowski says New York State is safer because of it. The law requires mandatory D.N.A. testing for a wide range of offenses, including misdemeanors not previously covered. Prosecutors say this gives them a leg up on solving the more serious crimes that many small-time offenders move up to, while offering more protection to those who might be falsely accused.
LOWEY ANNOUNCES FOR RE-ELECTION IN NEWLY-DRAWN DISTRICT
Congresswoman Nita Lowey is running for re-election in the newly-formed 17th Congressional District. The Westchester Democrat made the announcement yesterday, following approval of the redistricting plan laid out by a federal magistrate. Under the plan, the district’s old designation as the 18th now takes in the northern areas represented by Republican Nan Hayworth. A magistrate’s panel took over the re-districting job last month, after the state legislature failed to reach an agreement on the new lines.
NEW CITY RALLY TO URGE HI-TOR REPAIR EFFORT
Friends of Hi-Tor Animal Shelter will rally in New City this afternoon -- the demonstration, slated for 5 p.m. on the corner of Main Street and New Hempstead Road. After the 90-minute rally, the marchers will head over to the County Legislature to press for passage of a resolution to spend $650,000 in county funds on repairs to the aging shelter.
03-19-12
WESLEY HILLS RACES HIGHLIGHT TOMORROW’S VILLAGE ELECTIONS
Tomorrow is local-election day, with seats to fill in six Rockland villages. There are only two actual contests, both in Wesley Hills, where Mayor David Goldsmith faces a re-election challenge from trustee Bret Bekritsky and four candidates vie for two trustee-ships. There are no challenges to any of the candidates in the five other villages; South Nyack, Upper Nyack, Grandview, New Hempstead and Hillburn. Only trusteeships – no mayoralties – are up in those five villages.
GROMACK: PHASE-TWO OF NEW CITY SPRUCE-UP WON’T STOP TRAFFIC
Two-way traffic will continue through New City during Phase-Two of its revitalization project. That’s according to Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack. Construction during Phase-One dis disrupt traffic in the county seat. But that was smack in the busy center of downtown New City. Gromack told WRCR listeners this morning that shouldn’t happen during Phase-Two, which will tackle the northern end of Main Street.
LEGISLATORS TO TAKE UP HI-TOR REPAIR ISSUE
Three of his colleagues are joining county legislator Alden Wolfe in calling on Rockland to finance a make-over of the Hi Tor animal shelter. A resolution to that effect co-sponsored by Wolfe, Ed Day, Jay Hood and Toney Earl reportedly is headed for debate by the legislature’s Planning and Public Work’s Committee. A recent study of conditions at the shelter outside Pomona concluded that necessary repairs would cost some $650,000. Wolfe and his co-sponsors say the county should foot the bill since it owns the shelter property.
N.Y.S.: NEW T-Z BRIDGE MUST HAVE BIKE LANE
New York State has released its final Request for Proposals on the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project. Four design and construction firms now have until July 27th to submit their final proposals. Among the requirements they’ll have to adhere to – the new bridge must be able to support a future mass-transit component, both bus and rail; and it must include a 12-foot-wide lane for bicyclists, as well.
HUGE OUTPOURING FOR PEARL RIVER’S 50TH ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE
It was a perfect day for a parade, and with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60’s, more than 80,000 people turned out for yesterday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in Pearl River. Cardinal Timothy Dolan headed the list of dignitaries who marched or rode the two-mile route down Middletown Road and East Central Avenue. It was Pearl River’s 50th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade; the grand marshal was local businessman Ray Sheridan, Jr., whose father organized the FIRST one in 1963.
03-16-12
REPORT: ANIMAL SHELTER RENOVATION WOULD COST $650,000
It would take about $650,000 to put Hi-Tor back on its feet. So says a new report by county engineers on conditions at the animal shelter outside Pomona. The Journal News quotes from the study’s findings this morning. Among the renovations the 48-page document calls for: a new roof for the decades-old shelter; new doors and windows, ceilings, lighting, and insulation for the building’s block walls. County Legislator Alden Wolfe, who requested the study, says the county should step up on Hi-Tor since it owns the building. And Wolfe is considering a possible resolution to allow the repairs to be made.
CLARKSTOWN SCHOOL BUDGET WOULD AVOID PROGRAM CUTS AND LAYOFFS
The Clarkstown school district gets a relatively upbeat budget proposal. Schools superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan unveiled the nearly-$180-million budget last night. It would raise district spending by about $4-million, mostly for salary increases, and raise taxes by 2.4% to pay for it. But on the upside, the budget calls for no program cuts or layoffs in the upcoming year. Clarkstown residents will get to comment on the budget at two public sessions next week. They’ll vote on it May 15th.
D.E.C. REPORT PRAISES HUDSON RIVER DREDGING
Advocates for the Upper Hudson River dredging that began three years ago have won some measure of vindication. A report by the state Department of Environmental Conservation suggests that p.c.b. contamination by the dredging to the river downstream has been far less significant than critics had predicted. The report says last year’s flooding raised more p.c.b.’s than the dredging did. And it goes a step further, suggesting that the flooding would have released even more p.c.b.’s into the river had it not been dredged.
NYACK MAN INDICTED IN 2010 DRUNK DRIVING DEATH
A Nyack man has been indicted for vehicular manslaughter in connection with an accident more than a year ago in Westchester. Forty-nine year-old Henry Dobson is accused of driving, drunk, into the rear of a car that was stopped on the Sprain Brook Parkway. That was in December, 2010. The car’s driver, 32-year-old Daniel Macalena of Congers, died shortly after the crash. Dobson reportedly refused at the scene to take a breath-alcohol test. He’s pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter and drunk-driving charges.
03-15-12
FINN PRAISES STONY POINT POLICE FOLLOWING CONTRACT SETTLEMENT
Supervisor Jeff Finn says Stony Point has dodged a bullet in its negotiations with the town police force. Town officials and the police union hammered out a new three-year police contract this week – and managed to do it without resorting to arbitration. Finn told WRCR listeners this morning the accomplishment is a “very big thing,” because it led to an average 2.5% police raise, rather than the 3.5% increase that likely would have resulted from arbitration. And that, he said, will save Stony Point taxpayers some $270,000 over three years. Finn praised the police union for biting the bullet during this tough economic period.
COUNTY SCHOOLS FACE MORE LAYOFFS AND PROGRAM CUTS
More program cuts and staff layoffs are in store for Rockland schools in the upcoming year. The East Ramapo school board discussed major budget cuts at last night’s meeting: $20-million worth, including more than 180 possible layoffs in the upcoming year. Among those who could be let go are dozens of kindergarten teachers and more than 20 high school teachers. The district will hold a public forum on the proposed $215.8-million budget on March 28th.
South Orangetown schools face the loss of up to 18 staff positions under that district’s proposed $82.3-million budget. Eight teachers and six assistant teachers would be among those let go. The school board votes on the budget April 4th, with a public hearing set for May 8th.
Two or three Nanuet teachers would be laid off under that district’s proposed budget for the upcoming year. District officials worked out a $62.5-million package during discussions this week. If approved, it would increase spending by 1.6% and raise school taxes by less than 1%.
EIGHT NEW CITY TEENS CHARGED WITH DRINKING AFTER P.I.P. STOP
In Clarkstown, school officials may be less worried about budgets this year than student drinking. The district announced this week it’s investigating reports that several Clarkstown South students drank alcohol and took a party bus to Manhattan after a school dance on Saturday. And now it’s reported that eight New City teen-agers were arrested for drinking early Sunday morning when the car they were piled into was pulled over on the Palisades Interstate Parkway. The teens range in age from 13 to 17. Their names were not released.
PILE-DRIVING BEGINS IN HUDSON IN PREPARATION FOR T-Z REPLACEMENT
Workers began driving pilings into the Hudson River alongside the Tappan Zee Bridge yesterday, as preliminary work on the long-awaited bridge-replacement project got under way. In all, nearly 30 pilings will be driven deep into the river bed to test its ability to support the new bridge. Some $17-million in federal funds is paying for the pile-driving, with New York State adding $3.5-million more for soil sampling. All the data will go to potential contractors to help them prepare bids on the overall, $5.2-billion project.
AREA UNEMPLOYMENT DIPS AGAIN
More good labor news for Rockland and vicinity. Unemployment in the Lower Hudson Valley was down to 7.3% in January, a drop of .1% from LAST January. Joblessness in Rockland stood at 7.2%, not quite as good as Putnam’s 6.9% rate but a bit better than Westchester’s 7.4%. All three counties are doing way better than the state and the nation; both have unemployment rates of at least 8.8%.
03-14-12
PHILLIPS: WALMART SHOP CENTER NEARING APPROVAL
The proposed WalMart shopping center on Rt. 202 straddling the Haverstraw-Ramapo border is heading toward approval. Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips told WRCR listeners this morning he expects project approvals from both towns by summer-time. And Phillips said project planners already are addressing one of the main public concerns about the shopping center: traffic problems. Among the solutions in the works: the state-mandated widening of Rt. 202 at the center’s entrance and at the nearby Palisades Parkway interchange; a traffic light, and a dedicated turn-in lane at the main entrance off Rt. 202.
ACCUSED NEW SQUARE CAR-ARSONIST TURNS SELF IN, PLEADS NOT GUILTY
A New Square man has been charged with setting fire to arson-victim Aron Rottenberg’s car last week. Twenty-two year-old Aron Fromowitz turned himself in at Ramapo Justice Court yesterday, as promised by his attorneys. But Fromowitz pleaded not guilty to arson and criminal mischief in the case. Fromowitz reportedly was celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim last Thursday when Rottenberg confronted him about the dangers of drinking alcohol. Police allege that Fromowitz became angry, stormed off, and eventually returned and set fire to the back of Rottenberg’s 2003 Mazda. No one was injured in the attack. Rottenberg took months to recover from extensive burns last year after he was set on-fire by another young New Square man. That was labeled a bias attack – aimed at punishing Rottenberg for refusing to attend the Hasidic village’s main synagogue. Fromowitz is out on $5,000 bail in the car-fire case. He’s due back in court March 26th.
KELLER-COGAN TO LEAVE CLARKSTOWN DISTRICT IN JUNE
Clarkstown’s embattled schools superintendent is calling it quits. Margaret Keller-Cogan informed district officials yesterday that she’s leaving at the end of the school year to take a job closer to her home in upstate New York. Keller-Cogan has been a lightning rod, of sorts, for much of her tenure in Clarkstown. The school board remains bitterly divided, in good part over efforts by two of its members to oust her. In her resignation notice, Keller-Cogan says she’s been hired to head an independent school in Buffalo.
DISTRICT PROBING REPORTS OF CLARKSTOWN SOUTH STUDENTS DRINKING, TAKING “PARTY BUS” TO NYC
Meanwhile, district officials are investigating reports that some Clarkstown South High School students partied too hard last weekend. The Journal News says the teens are alleged to have boarded a “party bus” to Manhattan Saturday night, after South’s annual Junior Ball. School officials say they’re checking reports that some of the students drank alcohol before boarding the bus. All of this comes just months after a similar incident involving party buses and more than 200 Clarkstown North students.
CYANIDE POISONING BLAMED FOR DEATH OF STONY POINT WOMAN
Stony Point police say the apparent poisoning-death of a local woman probably was not a homicide. The unidentified 56-year-old woman was found dead inside her home Monday evening. Tests showed the cause of death was potassium cyanide, a chemical that’s easily available commercially even though it can be lethal if swallowed. Police say, for now, they’re probing the woman’s death as either an accident or a suicide.
PRELIMINARY WORK BEGINNING ON T-Z BRIDGE PROJECT
If you spot some new activity in the Hudson alongside the Tappan-Zee Bridge this week, you guessed it: preliminary work is beginning on the bridge-replacement project. State officials say boring and pile-driving will soon be under way to test the river bed’s makeup in advance of the new-bridge construction.
03-13-12
LEGISLATOR SLAMS “VULGAR” ST. PATRICK’S DAY ITEMS
County Legislator Patrick Moroney is asking Rockland merchants to stop selling items with what he calls “deeply offensive” and “vulgar” St. Patrick’s Day messages. Several stores in the Palisades Mall and elsewhere in the county have been selling T-shirts, for example, depicting drunkards, with messages like “Let’s Stumble.” Moroney says such items are insensitive to the Irish people and culture. And he’s asking merchants to stop selling or even displaying items that portray ANY ethnicity in an insulting manner. Moroney’s plea comes just four days before St. Patrick’s Day, and five days before the St. Patrick’s parade in Pearl River.
LEGISLATORS TO WEIGH TASK FORCE TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH COUNTY EXECUTIVE
The County Legislature’s Budget and Finance Committee takes up a proposal today to improve relations between the legislature and the county executive. The proposal by legislator Alden Wolfe would create a nine-member task force to assure that the two branches of county government are communicating clearly on important matters. A number of legislators have complained that poor communications between County Executive Scott Vanderhoef and the legislature contributed to Rockland’s current budget woes.
ROCKLAND HEADS BACK TO COURT OVER BUS-LINE BIDDING
The county is heading back to court to defend its method of choosing an operator for the Transport of Rockland and Tappan-Zee Express bus lines. State Supreme Court Justice Francis Nicolai has agreed to a hearing request by one potential operator, Brega Transport of Valley Cottage. Brega says county officials set up the bidding process in such a way as to deny Brega and other Rockland companies from taking part. The five-year contract to operate Rockland’s two county-owned bus lines is believed to be in the $70-million range.
FOUR CHARGED IN ALLEGED $60,000 EXTORTION ATTEMPT
Four Rocklanders have been charged in an alleged plot to extort $60,000 from a Ramapo businessman. Police arrested the four on Friday when they arrived at the unidentified victim’s home near Pomona, allegedly to collect the money under threat of physical harm. The four are identified as 22-year-old Jamie Umana-Lemus, 21-year-old Tamoye Walters – both of Spring Valley – 25-year-old Andy Negri and 22-year-old Marissa Turner – both of Nanuet. Each is charged with conspiracy and attempted grand larceny, and held on $100,000 bail. Ramapo police are asking anyone else who might have been victimized by the four to call them at 357-2400.
HEARING OFFICER RECOMMENDS S.V. POLICEMAN BE FIRED
A hearing officer is recommending that a Spring Valley policeman cleared of criminal charges for his actions on the force should, nonetheless, be fired. The recommendation comes more than three years after Officer David LeBron’s acquittal on charges that, among other things, he tipped off drug dealers and filed false reports. In all, LeBron faced 167 disciplinary charges in the departmental hearings that followed. For now, Spring Valley police officials aren’t saying how they’ll act on the recommendation to fire LeBron.
03-12-12
NEW CITY FACE-LIFT RESUMES THIS WEEK
The New City revitalization project resumes this week with work scheduled on South Main Street. Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack says workers will begin prepping the stretch between Third Street and Route 304 for the first part of this phase, the installation of an Orange & Rockland gas main. Gromack told WRCR listeners this morning this new phase of the project should be easier for the public to live with than the first phase. Gromack says he’s been assured that two-way traffic and access to downtown stores and businesses will be maintained throughout the South Main Street work, which is expected to continue until November or so.
ROTTENBERG: CAR-FIRE PROBABLY NOT BIAS-RELATED
New Square arson victim Aron Rottenberg says the car-fire apparently started by a local youth Thursday night probably was not related to his religious practices. Rottenberg says he had had words earlier in the day with the young suspect, who, he says, had been drunkenly celebrating the Jewish holiday, Purim. The rear of Rottenberg’s 2003 Mazda was damaged in the attack. Rottenberg was severely burned last May in an attack by another young man over the Rottenberg family’s refusal to attend New Square’s main synagogue.
HAVERSTRAW SCHOOL-SHOOTER CONVICTED, FACES 15-YEAR STRETCH
A Haverstraw man who fired a gun at a local school last summer faces up to 15 years in jail. Twenty-two year-old Rony Veras was convicted Friday of firing a revolver in the direction of Haverstraw Middle School in the early-morning hours of last August 7th. No one was injured in the shooting. Veras will be sentenced on his gun-possession conviction June 7th in County Court.
HUNDREDS PROTEST AT INDIAN POINT ON FUKUSHIMA ANNIVERSARY
Some 200 demonstrators rallied at Indian Point yesterday to mark the anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. They were there to call for a shutdown of the Buchanan plant. And according to at least one of the speakers, a new effort is under way to press Governor Cuomo to do just that. A number of nuclear power defenders were on hand, as well, promoting it as clean and reliable, and downplaying parallels between Indian Point and Fukushima. It was a year ago yesterday that an earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown at that Japanese plant.
NEW HEALTH CLINICS OPEN IN SPRING VALLEY
Two new health clinics have opened in Rockland County – both in Spring Valley. The Journal News says the federally-funded clinics, one on Perlman Drive, the other on Twin Avenue, will provide both medical and dental care to low-income residents. The clinics’ operators, Hudson River HealthCare and Refuah, reportedly were awarded $730,000 from the federal government to open the health centers.
ROCKLAND HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES CLEAN UP IN WEEKEND ACTIVITY
It was a great weekend for Rockland County athletes. The Suffern High School hockey team won the Division-One State Championships in Utica, beating Pittsford 3-to-2 for the title. And Pearl River sophomore Meghan Keetley earned All-American honors for race-walking at the track-and-field nationals in New York City. Meghan’s fourth-place finishing time of 7:36:55 in the one-mile race was the second fastest in Rockland County history.
03-09-12
VANDERHOEF: ROCKLAND COULD SAVE $23-MILLION A YEAR IF IT BOLTS M.T.A.
County Executive Scott Vanderhoef says he’s still hoping Rockland can make a break from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Vanderhoef floated the idea in his State of the County address earlier this week. And he told WRCR listeners this morning he’s been trying to convince Orange County Executive Ed Diana to join a break-away move. At issue is the so-called Value Gap – the tens of millions of tax dollars Rockland and Orange counties pay the M.T.A. each year that don’t come back in service. Vanderhoef says a break-away could save Rockland $23-million annually.
POLICE: NEW SQUARE BURN VICTIM’S CAR SET ON FIRE
It seems to have happened again : another arson attack in New Square targeting Aron Rottenberg. He’s the dissident member of that Hasidic community who was severely burned in an attack last May. This time, police say, it was Rottenberg’s car that was set on fire. It happened about ten o’clock last night, Hillcrest firefighters called to the scene on Jefferson Avenue to find the rear of Rottenberg’s 2003 Mazda in flames. They put out the fire quickly, and no injuries were reported. Ramapo police are investigating in the case, which they’re calling arson. No suspect has been named. By the way, Rottenberg’s attacker from last May, Shaul Spitzer, is to be sentenced April 17th; he faces up to ten years in prison.
NEWBURGH CHILD KILLER GETS 50 YEARS TO LIFE
Convicted child killer Cory Byrd was sentenced in Goshen yesterday to 50-years-to-life in prison. The Newburgh man was found guilty in January of murdering his girlfriend’s four-year-old son, Marc Bookal, in December of 2009. The boy’s remains were found three months later, stuffed into two bags and hidden under a brush pile a few blocks from the Bookal home.
AREA SOLDIER AWARDED MEDALS FOR BRAVERY IN AFGHANISTAN
A soldier from the Hudson Valley has been cited for bravery in Afghanistan. Twenty-four year-old Army platoon leader David White of Milton was injured while leading his troops to safety during a suicide bombing last Friday in the Afghani village of Karz. For his actions, White was awarded both the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. The 2009 West Point graduate is being treated for his wounds at a Maryland Hospital; he’s expected to make a full recovery.
NYACK WEIGHS NIGHT-TIME FREE PARKING
Free Parking in Nyack? It may be coming soon. The village board last night put a new parking plan on the table. If approved, it’ll make parking on the streets of Nyack free each evening from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Village parking fees would go back into effect at 11 p.m. Village officials say the plan has two goals: to bring more dinner-time visitors to Nyack, and to raise more revenue from late-night revelers.
SPRING FORWARD: DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME STARTS THIS WEEKEND
Get ready to lose an hour of sleep this weekend. It’s “spring ahead” time, when we set our clocks one hour forward to begin Daylight Savings Time. It’s aimed at giving us an extra hour of daylight each evening, but for at least one morning each year – and that would be Sunday morning this year -- it tends to rob us of one hour of sleep. By the way, don’t forget to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
03-08-12
ANOTHER COMPETENCY TEST ORDERED FOR ERIC LAU
There’s another delay in the Eric Lau case. More testing has been ordered for the 34-year-old Valley Cottage man accused of brutally killing his neighbor, school-teacher Jami Erlich, in 2009. Lau has had a number of tests to determine his competency to stand trial – this latest, requested by his attorney after a team of doctors ruled Lau competent. Prosecutors say they think Lau is feigning mental illness. He’s been a rough case in custody, charged twice so far with assaulting jail officers. Lau goes back before state Supreme Court Justice William Kelly March 21st.
SON OF FORMER CLARKSTOWN SUPERVISOR CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING JAIL OFFICER
The son of former Clarkstown Supervisor William Vines has been charged with assaulting a jail officer. Fifty-year-old James Vines is serving time on several harassment convictions involving his trespassing at his parents’ home. Now Vines is charged with second-degree assault. No details of his alleged attack on the jail officer have been released, but the officer reportedly needed hospital treatment for his injuries.
JAFFEE: UNITED WATER AD GIVES WRONG IMPRESSION
Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee is boiling mad over a United Water ad. Jaffee says the newspaper ad mis-characterized her position on United Water’s proposed Hudson River desalination project. The ad ran in the Journal News on Tuesday, the same day the public hearing on the de-sal plant took place in Haverstraw. It quotes Jaffee as stating several years ago that Rockland needed a long-term water plan at that time. Jaffee says United Water used her statement to suggest, falsely, that she endorses the de-sal plant.
INDIAN POINT EARNS TOP N.R.C. SAFETY RATING
Indian Point reportedly has won the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s top safety rating again. The Journal News quotes a letter from the N.R.C. to the Buchanan plant’s owners as saying both operating reactors earned a “green” rating last year, for the eighth straight year. Despite that, though, an N.R.C. spokesman tells the paper Indian Point and other nuclear facilities around the country still require safety upgrades ordered in response to last year’s disaster at Fukushima, Japan.
COUNTY OFFICIALS IN ALBANY, SELLING LEGISLATORS ON PROPOSED SALES-TAX HIKE
Rockland’s financial managers are hard at work in Albany this week. They’re up there trying to convince state legislators to approve the home-rule legislation that Rockland says it needs to pay its bills. The legislation would, among other things, allow the county to raise the sales tax by three-eighths of a percent. Rockland Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun says her fellow-legislators are likely to approve the measure, as they usually do with home-rule legislation, even though raising taxes is especially risky for elected officials this year.
03-07-12
CALHOUN: SALES TAX HOME-RULE LEGISLATION WILL PASS …
Despite rumblings to the contrary, Rockland County is likely to get the home-rule legislation it seeks in order to raise the sales tax. That’s according to State Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun. Her two Rockland-based colleagues, Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski and State Senator David Carlucci, have voiced concerns about the legislation, saying the county needs to make a stronger case for it. But Calhoun told WRCR listeners this morning she’ll vote “yes,” and she expects most legislators will follow suit – as they generally do on home-rule legislation. Asked if that means that Zebrowski and Carlucci are making political hay by questioning a tax-increase bill that they’ll vote for in the end anyway, Calhoun said she “wouldn’t want to question” their motives.
… BUT IF NOT, VANDERHOEF HAS A PLAN
County Executive Scott Vanderhoef said in his State of the County address last night he’s working on a Plan-B in case state legislators reject the home-rule legislation. Vanderhoef gave no details of his contingency plan to raise the $14-million the sales-tax increase presumably would bring in this year. Instead, he said, he’ll submit a series of resolutions to the County Legislature calling for program cuts, layoffs, and other money-saving measures.
OFFICIALS CAUTIOUS ON CALL FOR PULLOUT FROM M.T.A.
One other issue Vanderhoef touched on in his address is Rockland’s money-losing relationship with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The county, he said, should cautiously consider withdrawing from the M.T.A., although he made no suggestion of staging a joint pullout threat with Orange County, as he has in the past. For his part, Orange County Executive Edward Diana said this week he’s not ready to consider a pullout from the M.T.A.
LARGE TURNOUT FOR PUBLIC HEARING ON DE-SAL PLANT
Rocklanders PACKED Haverstraw Town Hall yesterday to hear and speak about United Water’s proposed Hudson River desalination plant. The state Department of Environmental Conservation called the public hearing to release its favorable environmental-impact findings on the de-sal project. As expected, a United Water spokesman hailed it as the most cost-effective way to meet a state mandate for increasing the county water supply. But de-sal opponents pressed their case against the plant, calling it costly and a threat to public health and the environment. No other public hearings are scheduled on the de-sal project. The deadline for written comments to the D.E.C. is April 20th.
MELE GETS 23 YEARS IN LAURA GARZA KILLING
Former Rocklander Michael Mele has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for killing aspiring dancer Laura Garza. Mele pleaded guilty in January to manslaughter, admitting that he suffocated the 25-year-old Garza at his home in Wallkill on the night of December 3rd, 2008, hours after the two had met at a New York City nightclub. Garza’s remains were found 16 months later in a Pennsylvania field. In sentencing Mele in Goshen yesterday, the trial judge described his actions as “depraved, disgusting … and devastating.”
03-06-12
STATE OF THE COUNTY ADDRESS TONIGHT
A big day for the civic minded in Rockland. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef delivers the State of the County address. And the public gets its say on United Water’s plans to desalinate the Hudson.
Vanderehoef goes before the County Legislature to paint a picture of where Rockland stands – and, fiscally speaking, it’s not a pretty one. The county is some $80-million in debt and hoping to borrow that much – but a newly-lowered credit rating could make payback more expensive. The state legislature has yet to approve Rockland’s application for a sales-tax increase. And, with revenue sources tightened, Vanderhoef presumably will have to raise the spectre of program cuts and layoffs when he addresses the county legislators in New City tonight.
REPORT: VANDERHOEF URGES PULLOUT FROM M.T.A.
County Executive Scott Vanderhoef says Rockland has to get real about its future with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. A new county-commissioned study finds that Rockland remains on the short end of a huge “value gap” with the M.T.A., paying it some $40-million more in 2010 than it got back in service. Vanderhoef tells the Journal News it’s time for Rockland to consider forming its own transit system.
DESALINATION PLAN UNDER SPOTLIGHT TODAY
Today’s other big event for Rocklanders takes place in Haverstraw. United Water will unveil results of the state’s environmental impact study on the proposed Hudson River desalination project – and members of the public will have a chance to sound off about the project. A chief critic, the Rockland Water Coalition, issued a blistering assessment of the plan yesterday, saying, in part, that it will cost far more, and return far less in taxes, than desalination supporters predict. Today’s public hearing, at Haverstraw Town Hall, starts at 2 p.m., breaks at 4, and resumes at 6 p.m. for a second two-hour session.
NO CHARGES LIKELY IN PARKING LOT DEATH
No charges are likely to be filed in connection with last weekend’s parking-lot death in Garnerville. Police have identified the victim as 76-year-old Leonardo Alvarez of Pomona. He reportedly was walking in the ShopRite parking lot on Route 202 Sunday afternoon when a Sport Utility Vehicle struck him. Alvarez died at Nyack Hospital of the severe head injuries he sustained. Police say there was no indication that the S.U.V.’s driver was either speeding or distracted. They’re calling the fatality an accident.
STATE WORKERS PROTEST PENSION CUTS IN ALBANY
An estimated 2,000 public service employees are in Albany today to protest against the state’s newly-proposed pension cuts. Leaders of the so-called “Lobby Day” protest say Governor Cuomo’s proposed “Tier Six” plan would effectively slash new-employee pensions by about 40%. The protest started at 11 a.m. It’s at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center.
03-05-12
BIG DAY TOMORROW: STATE-OF-THE-COUNTY ADDRESS, DE-SAL HEARING
Rockland has its own Super Tuesday tomorrow. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef delivers his State of the County address in New City, while in Haverstraw, the public sounds off on the proposed Hudson River desalination project. Separate events, but both touching on issues of great concern to Rocklanders. Issues such as money: the county’s huge debt and how to meet it; the cost of the de-sal project to United Water’s rate-payers -- taxes, jobs, layoffs-- and the effect that de-salination might have on public health and the environment. Vanderhoef delivers his address to the County Legislature tomorrow evening. The de-sal hearing, at Haverstraw Town Hall, starts at 2 p.m., breaks at 4, and resumes at 6 p.m. for a second two-hour session.
COUNTY LEGISLATORS TO TAKE UP PROPOSED MORTGAGE, PROPERTY TRANSFER TAXES
The County Legislature will get to work immediately on the main issue they’ll hear about from Vanderhoef: the county’s $60-to-80-million debt. The legislators, in session tomorrow night, will consider asking Albany to okay two new taxes as revenue sources. Rockland officials say the proposed property-transfer and mortgage taxes would swell county coffers by more than $7-million a year. Rockland is already seeking approval from the state legislature for a proposed sales-tax increase.
MT. IVY PEDESTRIAN STRUCK, KILLED IN R. 202 PARKING LOT
An elderly Mt. Ivy man was killed yesterday in the parking lot of the ShopRite on Rt. 202 in Garnerville. Police say the 76-year-old man was walking across the parking lot just after noon when a Sport Utility Vehicle hit him, causing severe head injuries. He was pronounced dead at Nyack Hospital shortly after the incident. Shoppers tell the Journal News that that particular parking lot is known to be dangerous for pedestrians. It’s not clear whether charges will be filed against the driver of the S.U.V.
POLICE: PAIR WITH GUN ROB NANUET GAS STATION, ASSAULT CLERK
A weekend gas-station robbery in Nanuet has Clarkstown police on the lookout for two possibly-armed men. Police say the pair entered the Rt. 59 Gulf station at about 5 a.m. Saturday, pistol-whipped and tied up the clerk, and fled with an unknown amount of cash. The clerk was treated at Nyack Hospital. Police say the robbers appeared to be in their 20’s.
NEW LOT (ACROSS THE STREET) FOR NANUET MALL PARK-&-RIDERS
If you’ve been using the Nanuet Mall Park-&-Ride lot in your daily commute, your life changes today. Demolition is under way to make room for the new “Shops at Nanuet,” and that’s closing the parking lot to Coach-USA riders for the duration. But don’t despair. The county has secured about 60 spaces for the displaced Park-‘n’-Riders in the lot right across Rt. 59, between the Nanuet Diner and Barnes & Noble.
03-02-12
UNITED WATER: TRITIUM WON’T BE A PROBLEM UNDER DESALINATION
United Water is gearing up for Tuesday’s public hearings on its proposed Hudson River desalination plant. The state Department of Environmental Conservation will use the 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. sessions at Haverstraw Town Hall to unveil results of its environmental impact statement on the project, and to sound out the public on it. Critics say desalination would be unnecessary, costly to tax-payers, and a risk to public health and the environment. One BIG concern is about Tritium, a radioactive liquid that leaks into the Hudson by the Indian Point nuclear plant in Buchanan. Speaking on WRCR this morning, United Water spokesman Steve Goudsmith acknowledged that the desalination process can’t eliminate Tritium from the water. But he said the substance still won’t be a problem, because its levels will be constantly monitored, and, if they’re too high, the de-sal process can be stopped while they’re brought down.
STATE-OF-COUNTY ADDRESS TO FOCUS ON ROCKLAND FINANCES
County Executive Scott Vanderhoef will deliver his State-of-the-County address next Tuesday. Vanderhoef tells the Journal News his speech to the County Legislature will be short and will focus on finances. Vanderhoef has been battling fiscal woes for the past several years, and struggling to close a deficit of between $60- and $80-million in the upcoming budget. He says his address will include a warning about the need for a backup plan, should Albany bar Rockland from boosting the county sales tax to help bridge the fiscal gap.
PROBE CLEARS CLARKSTOWN SCHOOL TRUSTEES ACCUSED OF TRYING TO HAVE TEACHER FIRED
An investigation ordered by the Clarkstown School Board finds there was no direct attempt by two board members to get a teacher in the school district fired. Board president Donna Eherenberg and trustee Phillip DeGaetano were accused of pressuring an elementary school principal to fire teacher Cathy Malgieri. Her husband Joe is a school board member who often disagrees on issues with Ehrenberg and DeGaetano. The investigation, results of which were unveiled last night, found that the two may have talked to Woodglen Elementary School principal Lisa Maher about Malgieri, but that Maher felt no pressure during the conversation to fire the teacher.
SEN. GILLIBRAND, MRS. PETRAEUS BRING CONSUMER MESSAGE TO WEST POINT CADETS
Consumer issues were on the agenda when U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand headed for West Point today with the wife of General David Petraeus. That’s because Holly Petraeus heads the service-member affairs division of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She and Gillibrand were to fill the cadets in on the types of consumer support that are available specifically to them as soldiers. General Petraeus headed U.S. forces in Iraq initially under President Bush. He now directs the C.I.A.
03-01-12
DE-SAL CRITICS GEAR UP FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS
Opponents of United Water’s proposed Hudson River desalination plant are gearing up for next Tuesday’s show-and-tells at Haverstraw Town Hall. The state D.E.C. will use the 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. sessions to unveil results of its environmental impact statement on the project – and to sound out the public on it. Critics say desalination would be unnecessary, costly to tax-payers, and a risk to public health and the environment.
PROTESTERS MARCH OUTSIDE PFIZER
Protesters marched outside Pfizer labs in Pearl River yesterday – part of the Occupy Wall Street movement’s “Shut Down the Corporations Day.” Pfizer was singled out for its on-going layoffs of hundreds of employees, and for its association with conservative groups the protesters see as anti-labor.
ATTORNEY: LAU WANTS NEW LAWYER
The attorney for Valley Cottage murder suspect Eric Lau says his client wants a new lawyer. Lau is awaiting trial for the 2009 stabbing death of his neighbor, elementary-school gym teacher Jamie Erlich. Attorney Bruce Klein says Lau has told him he feels Klein no longer has his best interests at heart. But Lau’s mother, who’s paying her son’s legal bills, reportedly opposes changing lawyers. The start of Lau’s trial has been delayed over the question of his mental competence. State Supreme Court Justice William Kelly says he’s hoping to get the trial started before the end of this month.
APPROVAL FOR DNA TEST AWAITED IN VALLEY COTTAGE SHOOTING CASE
Pre-trial wrangling is slowing the case of a Valley Cottage man accused of shooting his neighbor. Fifty-three year-old Eric Goods is charged with attempted murder in the shooting last August of 33-year-old Edward Kern as Kern walked his dog on the grounds of the Mountainview Condominium complex. Prosecutors reportedly are waiting for approval to hire a New York City lab to analyze DNA on a hand-gun found near the scene. No motive has been suggested for the shooting, which injured Klein. Goods has been held on $1-million bail since his arrest shortly after the shooting.
MANSLAUGHTER PLEA IN NYACK BOTTLE-SLASH DEATH
A Nyack man faces ten years in jail when he’s sentenced in the slashing-death of another man in the village last summer. Twenty-seven year-old John Desir pleaded guilty yesterday to slashing 33-year-old Wykeme Corker with a broken beer bottle in the early-morning hours of last June 25th outside a Franklin Street social club.
02-28-12
HEARING ON T-Z BRIDGE TODAY AT PALISADES MALL
There’s a public hearing in Rockland today on the state’s plan to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge. Representatives of the state Transportation Department and Thruway Authority will be at the Palisades Mall for the five-hour session ending at 9 p.m. They’ll present results of an environmental study green-lighting the idea of a new, double-span, eight-lane bridge. And they’ll hear what Rocklanders have to say about the plan – good and bad – including its absence of a mass-transit component. The state releases its financial plan for the new bridge in April. The initial price tag was placed at $5.2-billion.
THREE CONVICTED IN LABOR TRAFFICKING CASE
Three members of a New City family accused of enslaving a young woman from India for the past three years have been convicted in the case. Two of the three, Parveen and Rajani Jagota, were found guilty yesterday of labor trafficking and assault. They’re the mother-in-law and sister-in-law of the victim, the now-25-year-old woman the Zagotas brought to America in 2009. Her husband, Vishal Zagota, was found guilty of assault. The victim had accused the family not only of enslaving her but of physically and sexually abusing her. Her father-in-law, Aman Jagota, was acquitted on all charges. State Supreme Court Judge William Nelson rendered the verdict in the non-jury trial. Sentencing is set for May 22nd.
FORMER PARTY CHAIR SENTENCED IN CAMPAIGN PERJURY CASE
Former Rockland Independence Party Chairwoman Debra Ortutay will spend four months in jail in a perjury case involving a 2010 state Assembly race. The 58-year-old Ortutay pleaded guilty in December to lying to a grand jury about signing-petitions for her son-in-law Frank Sparaco’s bid to unseat incumbent Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski. Sparaco, a County Legislator from Clarkstown, was not implicated in the case.
ELDERLY MAN HIT BY CAR, SERIOUSLY INJURED
An elderly man struck by a car in Congers is in serious condition at Nyack Hospital. Police say the 74-yea-old man was crossing Lake Road just after 7 a.m. yesterday when the car turned a corner and hit him. Clarkstown police are investigating the incident. So far, no charges have been filed against the car’s 17-year-old driver. Neither he nor the injured pedestrian was identified.
NYACK HIGH SCHOOL TO TRY NEW SCHEDULE AGAIN
Another year, another schedule for the students at Nyack High School. Under the proposed schedule, starting in September, the students will have six 55-minute “instructional periods” per day for four days a week, and nine 41-minute periods on the fifth day. Nyack ditched a block-schedule plan last year. School officials say they’ll likely approve the new plan by the end of next month.
02-27-12
JOURNAL NEWS: RAMAPO SEEN AS CREATING “ROADBLOCK” ON STADIUM INFO RELEASE
The Journal News quotes what it calls an “expert on open government” as saying, in effect, that the town of Ramapo has been stonewalling the newspaper on its coverage of Provident Bank Park. The paper says it’s received little or no information from the town on the amount of revenue the Boulders ballpark generated in its first year, despite Freedom of Information requests dating back to last December. The head of the state Committee on Open Government, Robert Freeman, is quoted as accusing Ramapo of creating an “artificial roadblock” to the Journal News investigation.
GROMACK: “SHOPS AT NANUET” CONSTRUCTION TO START SOON
Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack says work on Simon Properties’ new “Shops at Nanuet” is moving forward in small but steady steps. Gromack told WRCR listeners this morning the inside demolition that’s been going on in the existing, Nanuet Mall will likely give way to outside demolition and then construction in less than two months. There’s still no word on what stores will populate the new, outdoor access mall. Gromack says Simon still plans to open the Shops at Nanuet late next year, in time for the holiday shopping season.
RAMAPO CENTRAL BOARD TO WORKSHOP PROPOSED $128-MILLION BUDGET MARCH 6TH
The Ramapo Central school board will hold a workshop next Tuesday on the district’s proposed $128.6-million budget. The spending plan would raise the tax levy by 2.86%. That’s above the state’s 2% tax-hike CAP, but officials say that’s covered by some $3.5-million in exemptions for which the district qualifies. Schools superintendent Douglas Adams says the budget anticipates no layoffs this coming year. Ramapo Central slashed about 17 positions last year, all of them to employee retirements. A second board workshop is scheduled for March 20th, with the public to vote on the budget May 15th.
HUNDREDS ATTEND SERVICE FOR SPARKILL TEEN KILLED IN THRUWAY ACCIDENT
A weekend memorial service for Sparkill teen-ager Quincy Marie Hedges drew hundreds of mourners to Nyack’s Grace Episcopal Church. The 17-year-old girl was killed nine days ago when the car in which she was riding veered off the Thruway near New Paltz and hit a tree. Quincy reportedly was asleep in the back seat of the car when the accident occurred. She died at the scene. Two other Rockland teens, including the driver, survived the crash with minor injuries.
INFO SPARSE ON MAN RESCUED UNCONCIOUS FROM RAILROAD TRACKS
There’s Still no official word on what caused a New Jersey man to lose consciousness with his car stopped on the railroad tracks at the Lake Road crossing in Congers last Friday night. The man, identified only as a 62-year-old from Old Tappan, was pulled unconscious from the tracks by a volunteer firefighter and a police officer, reportedly with the oncoming train less than 200 feet away. At last report, the man was being treated at Good Samaritan Hospital. Doctors there aren’t saying anything about his condition.
02-24-12
ROCKLAND HIT WITH ANOTHER CREDIT DOWNGRADE
Rockland County’s credit rating has dropped again. Moody’s Investors Service lowered the rating yesterday from A-1 to A-3. That’s the seventh-highest municipal rating, and it’s the county’s second credit downgrade in the past 13 months. In taking the action, Moody’s cites among other things the county government’s reliance on what Moody’s calls “speculative” revenue sources. Chief among them is a proposed sales-tax increase, which the state legislature has yet to approve. The credit downgrade means a likely increase in the interest rates Rockland will have to pay on future borrowing. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef told WRCR listeners this morning it would affect the payback rate for $80-million deficit-reduction bond Rockland seeks, especially if the sales-tax increase is not approved.
R.B.A. CHIEF STILL SOFT ON T-Z BRIDGE WALKWAY IDEA
Governor Cuomo’s newly expressed interest in turning the existing Tappan Zee Bridge into a pedestrian walkway gets no endorsement from the county’s top business leader. Al Samuels, who heads the Rockland Business Association, has long called for the current bridge to be torn down when the new span is built. And again today, two days after Cuomo called a walkway an “exciting option,” Samuels called it an impractical idea. Among other things, said Samuels, there isn’t enough room on the Rockland side for the parking lot that the bridge walkers would need for their cars.
DE-SAL OPPONENTS HOLD PUBLIC INFO SESSION
Opponents of United Water’s proposed Hudson River desalination project had their say in New City last night. Members of the Rockland Water Coalition were on hand at Clarkstown Town Hall for what was billed as a public information session, the speakers making their case against the project. Concerns range from the cost of desalination, to its effects on public health and the environment, to its possible use as a spur to over-development in the county. Earlier this week, the County Legislature adopted a resolution calling on United Water to extend its period for public comments to six months. As of now, United Water has scheduled only one public hearing on the project. It’s set for March 6th at Haverstraw Town Hall.
THIEVES HIT O&R FOR $50,000 WORTH OF COPPER WIRE
Orange and Rockland took a big hit from thieves over the last few weeks. Clarkstown police say the crooks made off with about $50,000 worth of copper wire from an O&R substation in West Nyack. It’s believed that the theft, of nearly 2,600 feet of insulated wire, took place in installments between January 25th and this Wednesday morning, when the theft was discovered by an O&R engineer.
WHITE STUFF SURPRISES ROCKLANDERS, CAUSES DELAY FOR N. ROCKLAND SCHOOLS
Rocklanders awoke to a surprise this morning: a light blanket of snow, and slick roadways for our morning commute. Forecasters had predicted a wet but warm overnight: some rain, but temperatures heading to a high of around 60 degrees this afternoon. Instead, temperatures dropped, the overnight rain turned to snow throughout the region, and today’s predicted high was lowered to the mid-40’s. There was one school delay in the county, a two-hour postponement for the North Rockland district.
02-23-12
REPORT: BOULDER’S STADIUM MADE $300,000 LESS THAN PROJECTED
It’s reported today that Ramapo’s Provident Bank Park, home to the WRCR studios, fell more than $300,000 short of its predicted first-year revenues. The Journal News places total revenues for the stadium at $734,000, compared with the initial $1.1-million projection made by a town-paid consultant in 2010. Meanwhile, the stadium’s most vocal opposition group is touting its own figures. In an e-mail to an on-line discussion site, a spokesman for Preserve Ramapo, Robert Rhodes, says the ballpark’s actual first-year shortfall was more than $4-million. Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence has been more optimistic about the stadium’s future than either set of numbers would suggest. In addition to its share of proceeds from the Rockland Boulders’ baseball games, St. Lawrence says the town will bring in big profits from concerts and other events to be held at the stadium.
STAC OPENS BASEBALL SEASON AT PROVIDENT BANK PARK TODAY
By the way, today is opening day for the St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team. The Spartans take on Nyack College this afternoon here AT Provident Bank Park, STAC’s new permanent home field.
DE-SAL OPPONENTS TO HOLD PUBLIC INFO SESSION TONIGHT
Opponents of United Water’s proposed Hudson River desalination project will lay out their case against it tonight in New City. A public information session is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Clarkstown town hall. Organizers with the Rockland Water Coalition oppose the de-sal plan on a variety of grounds, from its cost to its potential threat to public health and the environment.
CUOMO: T-Z WALKWAY “AN EXCITING OPTION” FOR EXISTING SPAN
The idea of making the current Tappan-Zee Bridge a pedestrian walkway when the new bridge is built is getting a big boost from Albany. Governor Andrew Cuomo told members of his cabinet yesterday a walkway would be – in his words – “an exciting option.” Supporters of the walkway idea point to the one constructed on an old railroad bridge over the Hudson at Poughkeepsie, which has become a major tourist attraction. But critics doubt such success would come to a Tappan Zee walkway for a variety of reasons, including the run-down condition of the existing bridge, and the disruption such a project might cause on both sides of the river.
COUNTY OFFERS AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE TO CHILDREN
Rockland County is offering free to low-cost health insurance to children who are currently un-insured. The County Health Department says all Rockland families, no matter what their income, are eligible for the so-called “Child Health Plus” program. It’s free for children in the county’s lowest-income families. Other families pay from $9 to $60 a month, per child. Among other things, coverage includes regular checkups, vaccinations, prescriptions, and dental care.
02-22-12
COUNTY LEGISLATORS APPROVE HOTEL, CELL-PHONE TAXES
Rocklanders have two new taxes to deal with. The County Legislature voted last night to adopt a 3% tax on hotel and motel stays and a 30-cent monthly tax on cell-phones to help fund the E-911 emergency-call system. Both approvals followed public hearings at the legislative chambers. As expected, hotel owners and other Rockland business leaders spoke out against the hotel tax, saying it would drive over-nighters to stay and spend their money elsewhere. But in the end, the legislators voted 10-to-5 for the tax. They approved the cell-phone tax by a vote of 11-to-4.
PHILLIPS SLAMS DE-SAL CRITICS’ “DELAYING TACTICS”
Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips says “delay, delay, delay” is the strategy of some groups fighting United Water’s proposed Hudson River de-salination project. Speaking on WRCR this morning, Phillips referred to one of the critics’ major arguments -- that the de-sal plant, which would be located in Haverstraw, is aimed at spurring even more development in the county. It’s another delaying tactic, said Phillips, and one that ignores a state mandate to increase Rockland’s water supply. And he predicted that “sooner or later” the county will be hit by a drought that will require the increased water supply the de-sal plant would create.
SCHUMER IMPLORES SENATE TO PASS LAW BANNING SALE OF SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA
Senator Charles Schumer is calling for quick passage of a federal law banning the sale of synthetic marijuana and other drug-mimicking products. Items popular with teens, such as “K2” and “Atomic Bomb,” have long been available at convenience stores and on the Internet. Although widely considered to be safe by many young people, they’ve reportedly led to cases of high blood pressure, seizures, and hallucinations. Schumer told a White Plains news conference yesterday it’s time the U.S. Senate followed the House’s lead and approved a ban on sales of such products.
ALCOHOL-TO-MINORS STING NETS THREE IN NORTH ROCKLAND
Employees of three North Rockland businesses that sell alcoholic beverages have been charged with selling to minors. Police say the busts were made last Friday during a sting operation that sent teen-age undercover agents to 15 locations. Clerks at 12 of the stores followed the rules, asking for proof of age and refusing to sell to the teens when they failed to produce it. But employees at Café D’Lite in Garnerville, Mt. Ivy Liquor in Pomona and Samsondale Liquor in Haverstraw made the sales and were charged with misdemeanors. The State Liquor Authority will review the licenses of all three stores.
PEARL RIVER FIREMAN INJURED IN ONE BLAZE; NEW CITY FAMILY DISPLACED IN ANOTHER
There were close calls in two Rockland fires this week. A Pearl River fireman, William Harris, injured his knee battling a blaze Monday evening outside a heating and air-conditioning business. And a house fire in New City the same night left a family of seven homeless. Officials say the family managed to escape the flames, which apparently started in bushes outside the home on Pepperill Court and then fully engulfed the home.
GARNERVILLE BOY SUCCUMBS TO LEUKEMIA
Funeral services are scheduled Friday for Sean DePatto. The nine-year-old Garnerville boy died Monday, following a seven-year battle with leukemia. Rocklanders have followed Sean’s story since his diagnosis with the blood-and-bone marrow cancer, including his intense chemotherapy and the recurrence of the disease that followed. Sean will be buried Friday after a 10 a.m. service at St. Peter’s Church in Haverstraw.
02-21-12
ZUGIBE TOUTS “ALL CRIMES” DNA BILL
District Attorney Thomas Zugibe is pressing for passage of the so-called “all crimes” DNA bill. It would add some 180 misdemeanors to the list of offenses for which conviction would require the taking of a DNA sample. Once on file, the sample could be used to identify an offender who later commits a more serious crime. Zugibe told WRCR listeners this morning that expanding the DNA list has worked before – in 2006, for instance, when petty larceny, including shoplifting, was added. Since then, he said, police have used those samples to solve some 965 serious crimes, including 51 homicides. Zugibe says he’s hoping the Assembly follows the State Senate’s lead and adopts the DNA-list expansion. If it does, Governor Cuomo is expected to sign it into law.
PUBLIC HEARINGS TONIGHT ON HOTEL, CELL-PHONE TAXES
Rocklanders get a chance to comment on the county’s proposed 3% hotel tax tonight. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef proposed the tax as part of his budget bailout effort – a potential $1-million-a-year revenue source, he says. But opponents, led by the Rockland Business Association, disagree, saying one more tax will drive over-nighters to stay and spend their money elsewhere. Tonight’s public hearing before the county legislature starts at 6 o’clock and actually takes up a second new tax idea as well. That’s the proposed 30-cent, E-911 cell-phone tax, which Vanderhoef estimates can bring the county some $600,000 a year.
DE-SAL OPPONENTS TO HOLD INFO SESSION THURSDAY
Opponents of United Water’s proposed Hudson River desalination project will lay out their case against it later this week in New City. A public information session is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday at Clarkstown Town Hall. Organizers with the Rockland Water Coalition condemn the de-sal plan on a variety of grounds, from its cost to its potential threat to public health and the environment.
REPORT: MONTEBELLO TO OPEN VILLAGE COURT
Montebello is getting its own village court. That’s according to the Journal News, which says former Town Justice Arnold Edelson will be appointed to serve as Village Justice until the post becomes elective next year. Montebello officials say the village has been short-changed in terms of both time and money by having to settle local cases in Town Court. Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence criticizes the move, saying it’ll amount to a costly duplication of services.
MEMORIAL SERVICE SCHEDULED FOR SPARKILL TEEN KILLED IN THRUWAY ACCIDENT
The family of a Sparkill teen-ager killed in an upstate Thruway accident last weekend will hold a memorial service on Saturday. Seventeen year-old Quincy Marie Hedges died at the scene of the one-car crash, just south of New Paltz, Saturday evening. Police say she was un-belted and asleep in the back seat of the car when it veered off the Thruway and struck a tree. Two other teens in the car, including the driver, suffered minor injuries. The memorial service for Quincy Hedges is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Grace Episcopal Church in Nyack.
02-20-12
SPARKILL TEEN DIES IN THRUWAY CRASH
A Sparkill teen-ager was killed in a one-car accident on the Thruway in Ulster County over the weekend. Seventeen year-old Quincy Marie Hedges died Saturday night when the car she was riding in veered off the Thruway just south of New Paltz and slammed into a tree. Police say Hedges was asleep and un-seat-belted in the back seat of the car at the time. Two other teens, the 18-year-old driver, Daniel Brown of Sparkill, and 17-year-old Connor Vasquez of Blauvelt, were seat-belted and sustained minor injuries.
GAMBLING-PROBE COUPLE SENTENCED FOR LOAN-SHARKING
The husband-wife owners of a Rockland construction company have been sentenced for loan-sharking in connection with a multi-million-dollar gambling operation. Forty-six year-old Alfred Joseph Fea is headed for a 27-month stay in federal prison, while his 42-year-old wife, Tracey, gets three years’ probation. Prosecutors say the Feas used a lucrative sports-betting set-up to support a loan-sharking operation in 2009 and 2010. At one point in the investigation, they were recorded discussing using a baseball bat to collect a debt from a bettor.
NANUET MAN CHARGED AFTER STANDOFF WITH POLICE
A weekend standoff ended peacefully for a Pearl River man and his neighbor. Orangetown police say they’re not sure what touched off 40-year-old Brett Wallace’s anger early Saturday morning, or why he smashed the windows of his neighbor’s car. They do know that when the neighbor called them to the scene on South Henry Street, Wallace locked himself inside his home and threatened them with violence. Wallace surrendered without incident two and a-half hours later and faces criminal mischief charges when he appears in court on Thursday.
HAVERSTRAW VILLAGE BOARD TO WEIGH TAX CAP OVER-RIDE
Haverstraw’s Village Board meets tomorrow night to consider enacting a local law over-riding Governor Cuomo’s cap on property tax increases. Mayor Michael Kohut says the 2012-13 budget he’s preparing might require a tax-hike of more than 2%. The local law would be required for the over-ride.
PRESIDENTS DAY: SCHOOLS, P.O., MOST BANKS CLOSED
Today is Presidents Day, celebrating in particular the February births of our first and 16th presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Schools throughout Rockland are closed for the day, as are the financial markets, all post offices and government offices, and most banks.
02-17-12
DE-SAL OPPONENTS REACT TO WATER CO. SPOKESMAN’S PORTRAYAL
Opponents of the proposed Hudson River desalination project are firing back at United Water’s chief spokesman. Steve Goudsmith said yesterday that opposition leaders are using “scare tactics” -- among them, implicit warnings that the project would be used to promote an expansion of the county’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community. An e-mail from Goudsmith this morning includes a recent letter from a de-sal critic to the Journal News that ends: “… let’s build a reservoir instead, let’s fix the water leaks, lets conserve, and let’s stop building massive housing developments for a certain cult from Brooklyn.” One of those de-sal critics, George Potanovic of the Rockland Coalition for Sustainable Water, said today that was the first time he’d heard the “cult” reference. But Potanovic told WRCR listeners there is a legitimate concern that the “unlimited” water supply the desalination project would allegedly create could lead to an unsustainable expansion of development in Rockland. Potanovic and the coalition are fighting the desalination project primarily over concerns about its cost and effects on public health and the environment.
GOOD SAMARITAN SLAMMED WITH $3.4-MILLION JUDGMENT IN PATIENT’S DEATH
The family of a man who died after treatment at Good Samaritan Hospital more than four years ago has won a $3.4-million verdict. Forty-nine year-old Michael McKenzie was found dead in his home in November of 2007, two days after an emergency-room visit to Good Sam. The state Supreme Court verdict handed down this week faults both the hospital and the physician who treated McKenzie for missing what were called “classic symptoms” of an aortic aneurysm. A spokeswoman says Good Samaritan will appeal the verdict.
CUOMO, TEACHERS AGREE ON NEW TEACHER EVALUATION RULES
Governor Cuomo and the state’s teachers’ unions have come to an agreement on a new system for evaluating teacher performance. Yesterday’s deal was reached just hours before the deadline Cuomo set at the start of the talks. Among the key terms of the agreement – 40% of a teacher’s annual performance grade will be based on student test scores. That’s a new element of the evaluation process, sought by Cuomo but generally opposed by the teachers. Now it’s up to the state legislature to approve or reject the agreement.
02-16-12
U.W. SPOKESMAN: DE-SAL CRITICS STOKE FEARS ABOUT GROWTH OF “CERTAIN COMMUNITIES”
United Water came out swinging today against opponents of its Hudson River desalination project. Company spokesman Steve Goudsmith told WRCR listeners the critics are led by a “small group of people” using “scare tactics” about cost, health threats and environmental damage to derail the project. But the main tactic, he said, is to stoke fears that the new water supply will be used to handle the growth of “certain communities” in Rockland County. Although Goudsmith wasn’t specific, such references to “certain communities” often imply Hasidic and other ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities. At least one of the desalination critics who responded to Goudsmith called any suggestion of anti-Semitismon their part offensive.
E. RAMAPO SCHOLLS SUPERINTENDENT PROPOSES $202-MILLION BUDGET, WARNS OF MORE LAYOFFS
East Ramapo’s school superintendent is proposing a $202-million district budget for the upcoming year. Joel Klein offered the package at last night’s board meeting, promising a tax increase of no more than 2%, the state limit. But Klein warned that more layoffs and program cuts are likely, along with a dip into the district’s reserve fund, in order to stay within that limit. Nearly 90 staff positions were cut last year as the board adopted a contingency budget of just under $199-million.
NEW HEMPSTEAD RELIGIOUS SCHOOL GRANTED 30 DAYS TO COMPLY WITH ZONING RULES
New Hempstead’s Congregation Ohr Torah gets another 30 days to comply with village zoning rules. The religious school opened in a former private residence last March. It’s been operating since then without a certificate of occupancy and other required approvals. Ramapo Town Justice Rhoda Schoenberger granted the 30-day extension, saying she lacked the authority to close the school. New Hempstead officials say, if Ohr Torah doesn’t comply, they’ll go to a higher court.
REPORT: POOR BOOK-KEEPING BY SUMMER CAMP OPERATOR COST NYACK $216,000
Faulty oversight of its summer camp program cost the village of Nyack more than $200,000 over the past four years. That’s according to a report released yesterday by the state comptroller’s office. It says book-keepers failed to note that a number of children from outside Nyack had attended the six-week camp, illegally, each year, effectively over-charging village taxpayers by $216,000. Officials at the Nyack Center, which runs the program, say they’re working with village officials to straighten the matter out.
COUSIN: ALLEGED SLAVE LABOR VICTIM “TIRED” AND “BROKEN” AFTER ARRANGED MARRIAGE
A cousin of the alleged victim in a slave labor case says the woman appeared “tired” and “broken” after the arranged marriage that brought her to Rockland County from her native India in 2008. Four members of the Jagota family, including the woman’s husband, are charged with subjecting her to years of hard labor, as well as physical and sexual abuse at their New City home. State Supreme Court Judge William Kelly is presiding over the non-jury trial.
02-15-12
REPORT: NYS COMPTROLLER BACKS VANDERHOEF’S DEFICIT FIGURES
County Legislator Ed Day reportedly has been challenged from Albany on his claim that Rockland’s budget deficit is lower than advertised. Day argues that the county’s $80-million deficit estimate is inflated by $18-million in order to justify a larger-than-needed payoff bond. But the Journal News says its own inquiries drew a rebuke to Day’s claim from the State Comptroller’s office, saying County Executive Scott Vanderhoef’s HIGHER deficit figure is correct. A Vanderhoef spokesman accuses Day of using the deficit to create an issue for a future bid for Vanderhoef’s job. But on WRCR this morning, Day turned the charge back, suggesting that Vanderhoef hopes to use a padded budget to secure re-election. However, Day left open the possibility that he would run for County Executive.
BIDDING ON COUNTY BUS OPS HITS SNAG
The bidding process for a new operator to run Rockland’s two bus lines for the next five years has hit a new snag. One of the bidders – Brega Transport of Valley Cottage – has filed a protest against the bidding process over issues such as driver qualifications. A similar protest filed in state court by Brega last year forced the county to use a sealed bidding process, rather than a request for proposals, which would give the County more leeway in choosing a winner. Coach USA now operates the county’s TOR and Tappan-zee Express bus lines.
EAST RAMAPO HIRES NEW FINANCE CHIEF
The East Ramapo school district has a long-time money-manager as its new chief of finance. Fifty-six year-old Michael Ivanoff takes the $150,000 post as the district faces serious budget problems and the further loss of staff and programs. Ivanoff worked some 30 years as a budget manager in private industry before moving to the education field in 2004.
NANUET WOMAN HIT BY CAR ON RT. 59 DIES
The woman who was struck by a car on Route 59 in Nanuet Monday has died. Police identify the woman as 34-year-old Dansi Nolasco-Jimenez, a Nanuet mother of two. She was hit by a Toyota Camry just after 7 p.m. Monday, as she walked home from her job as a cook at The Dog House restaurant on Middletown Road. The 17-year-old driver of the car says she didn’t see Nolasco-Jimenez – who was dressed in black – until it was too late to stop. Police say no charges will be filed.
02-14-12
CARLUCCI: WE’LL WAIT FOR CUOMO TO PROPOSE TEACHER EVALUATION PLAN
State Senator David Carlucci says the legislature is waiting for Governor Cuomo to propose a new system for evaluating teacher performances. Cuomo is threatening come up with an evaluation system of his own by Thursday if the legislators can’t agree on one. Members of the State Senate and Assembly have been grappling with the issue for some two years now, and Cuomo says that’s long enough. Carlucci told WRCR listeners this morning the issue is too complex to decide without hearing what Cuomo comes up with in his talks with the teachers’ unions. Thursday is the 30-day deadline for Cuomo to propose amendments to the state budget he submitted January 17th. The teacher-evaluation upgrade was mandated in 2010 as New York took its place in the federal “race to the top” program.
STATE EMPLOYEES LAUD DINAPOLI ON PENSION STANCE
The state’s second-largest public employees union is praising state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli for his stance on pensions. A statement from the New York State Public Employees Federation lauds DiNapoli for supporting a continuation of the so-called “defined benefit” pension system. Critics of the system, which guarantees recipients a set amount of benefits whether or not the fund can support them, can help bankrupt the state. They favor a system that lets market fluctuations determine the size of benefits at any given time. The P.E.F. represents some 54,000 New York State employees – second in size only to the state’s Civil Service Employees Association.
PEDESTRIAN HIT, SERIOUSLY INJURED ON ROUTE 59
A pedestrian was seriously injured last night on Route 59 in Nanuet. Clarkstown police say the 34-year-old woman was taken by ambulance from the scene bleeding from a head injury. She was hit at about 7:15 p.m. by a Toyota Camry and apparently thrown against the car’s windshield. It’s not clear whether she was attempting to cross the roadway when she was stuck. No charges were brought against the driver, who told police she never saw the woman before striking her.
02-13-12
SUNDAY SNOW SHOWER SLICKENS ROCKLAND ROADWAYS
Rockland’s roadways are back to normal today after yesterday’s surprise snow-shower. The late-afternoon dusting teamed with low temperatures to slicken surfaces throughout the region. And there were accidents, including a three-car pileup off Congers Road in Clarkstown that left one passenger complaining of head injuries. There were several spinouts on the Palisades Parkway. And police in Westchester County reported several ice-related accidents, none involving serious injury.
N.J. MAN INJURED IN RAMAPO ROLLOVER
A one-car accident in Ramapo on SATURDAY sent a New Jersey man to Good Samaritan Hospital. Police say 22-year-old Daniel Oakman of Livingston was driving south on Saddle River Road at about 10:30 p.m. when he lost control of his Toyota Camry. The car then side-swiped a utility pole, ran over a road-sign and up an embankment, and rolled onto its side. Oakman reportedly got out of the car on his own. He was taken to Good Sam by Hatzolah Ambulance with what were described as non-life-threatening injuries.
MEMORIAL SERVICE AT RAMAPO COLLEGE FOR NEW CITY STUDENT KILLED IN ACCIDENT
Ramapo College holds a memorial service today for 22-year-old Jacob Halle. The young New City man died February first of injuries suffered two days earlier in a car crash in Mahwah. A 2008 graduate of Clarkstown North High School, Halle was a junior at Ramapo College. Today’s memorial service was scheduled for 1:15 p.m. at the college’s Bernie Center for the Performing Arts.
WATER CONSERVATION GROUP TO ADDRESS PUBLIC ON DESALINATION PLAN
An environmental group opposed to United Water’s proposed Hudson River Desalination Project will hold what it calls a public information forum later this month. The Rockland Water Coalition says the February 23rd session will focus on the cost, environmental impact and health threats posed by the project. The gathering will come about two weeks before the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation hosts a public hearing on the project. It’s up to the D.E.C. to give it the final okay.
02-10-12
VANDERHOEF: IF SALES-TAX HIKE DOESN’T PASS, IT’S BACK TO SQUARE ONE
The state legislature is nearing a decision on Rockland’s bid to raise the county sales tax in order to pay off its $14-million debt on Summit Park Hospital. Some insiders, including Rockland Business Association chief Al Samuels, say the legislators aren’t likely to approve the tax hike. For his part, County Executive Scott Vanderhoef says Rockland’s contingent in Albany has been working hard to sway their fellow legislators. But in case they can’t, Vanderhoef says he’s working on a contingency plan that would look a lot like his original budget proposal, with large-scale cuts in programs and services.
N.Y.S. TO GET $790-MILLION FROM FEDERAL MORTGAGE SETTLEMENT
Some $790-million is headed to New York State from the huge federal mortgage settlement that was announced yesterday. State officials say nearly $500-million of that will be used to modify the terms of mortgages that are now worth more than the homes they’re paying for. The rest will go both to the state directly, and to home-owners to help them re-finance their mortgages and, in some cases, as compensation for wrongful foreclosure. The $25-billion overall settlement with five major lending institutions is aimed at re-vitalizing the nation’s long-depressed housing market. But critics say it’s not likely to do that on any large scale.
COUNTY TO GET $75,000 FROM WASHINGTON TO PROMOTE TOUGHENED FAIR-HOUSING RULES
Rockland County’s Commission on Human Rights is getting a check for $75,000 from the federal government to help fight housing discrimination. The Housing and Urban Development award is earmarked for boosting the enforcement of fair housing laws. In all, some $7.5-million is being distributed nationwide under the program to ensure that HUD-financed housing is denied to no one because of sexual orientation or marital status. County Executive Scott Vanderhoeff says part of Rockland’s award will be used to educate landlords on the recently-toughened fair-housing regulations.
J-NEWS: UPKEEP ON OLD T-Z BRIDGE COULD COST $100-MILLION+ WHILE NEW BRIDGE GOES UP
Upkeep on the CURRENT Tappan-Zee Bridge during construction of the NEW bridge is likely to cost New York State taxpayers more than $100-million. That’s according to the Journal News, which got its figures from state transportation records and officials. The report notes that the state has shelled out an average of $12.6-million a year for the past decade to maintain and repair the bridge. And the paper says a review of spending records shows that the rate of spending will rise in the years it takes to complete the new bridge.
COACH U.S.A. CONTRACT FOR TOR AND T-Z EXPRESS LINES RENEWED, FOR NOW
Rockland County has extended its contract with Coach USA, at least until the end of next month. In the meantime, Rockland will continue to seek bids from Coach USA and other operators to run the county’s Transport of Rockland and Tappan-Zee Express lines in the future. Coach USA gets $3.7-million from Rockland every three months to run those lines.
PUBLIC COMMENT SOUGHT ON PLAN TO RE-LOCATE MAIL-PROCESSING SERVICE FROM MONSEY P.O.
The U.S. Postal Service is taking public comments through next Friday on whether to move the mail-processing operation from the Monsey post office to a processing center in Westchester. Postal Service officials say any such move would not affect delivery service at the Monsey branch. But in a statement issued yesterday, Congressman Eliot Engel says he’s not convinced that would be the case. Again, the deadline for written comments is next Friday, February 17th. Send them to the Postal Service at this address: Network Rationalization Feedback, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 7631, Washington, DC 20260-7101.
02-09-12
LT. GOV., IN ROCKLAND, PRESSES FOR DNA DATABASE EXPANSION
New York State’s lieutenant governor, Robert Duffy, came to Rockland yesterday to push for an expansion of DNA sampling to fight crime. Duffy told a Ramapo news conference it’s time New York expanded its DNA database to include people convicted of all crimes. Currently, DNA sampling is not required in misdemeanor cases such as drunken driving, animal cruelty and prescription drug crimes, all of which would be covered under the expansion. Among its proponents is Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski. He says the expansion would bolster a system that ALREADY has had a number of successes, both in convicting criminals and exonerating innocent accused.
Zebrowski predicts the data-base expansion, which is strongly sought by Governor Andrew Cuomo, will be approved, at least in the Assembly. Critics fear the expansion would threaten citizens’ privacy rights and could be abused by over-zealous prosecutors.
WITNESS BACKS CLAIMS OF ALLEGED VICTIM IN SLAVE-LABOR CASE
The trial of four members of a Ramapo family charged with enslaving a young woman from their native India continued today. A woman who once briefly employed the alleged victim testified yesterday she was once confronted by a member of the Jagota family and came away feeling they did, in fact, hold tight control over the young woman. Prosecutors say the Zagotas submitted the woman to slave labor, physical and even sexual abuse for years after bringing her to America to marry a member of the family. County Court Judge William Kelly presides over the non-jury trial.
VICTIM OF FATAL P.I.P. CRASH IDENTIFIED AS STONY POINT MAN
The victim of a fatal car crash on the Palisades Parkway last weekend has been identified as a Stony Point man. Police say 26-year-old Luis Gomez was alone in his car Sunday morning when it veered off the Parkway, northbound, near Exit 9 and crashed, pinning Gomez inside the car. He died at Westchester Medical Center of head and internal injuries after being airlifted from the scene. It’s not clear what caused Gomez to go off the road.
02-08-12
PHILLLIPS: RT. 202 WALMART GROUND-BREAKING JUST MONTHS AWAY
Ground-breaking for that WalMart shopping center off Route 202 in North Rockland may be only months away. Development of the 52-acre site, on the Ramapo-Haverstraw border, would expand the tax base of both towns. Still, some residents near the site oppose the long-debated development, citing traffic, noise and other concerns. But Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips told WRCR listeners this morning the public comment periods, as well as most of the preliminary approvals, have already been completed and, if both town planning boards give the final okay, ground-breaking could take place as soon as this fall.
NEW SQUARE TEEN PLEADS GUILTY TO ASSAULT IN ARSON CASE, FACES UP TO 10 YEARS IN JAIL
New Square arson suspect Shaul Spitzer faces up to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to assault. The plea deal reduces charges against the 18-year-old Spitzer from the original attempted murder and arson. Spitzer admitted setting his neighbor, Aron Rottenberg, on fire with an incendiary device in the early-morning hours of last May 22nd. Rottenberg was burned over more than half his body and spent months in recovery. Spitzer, who worked for New Square’s Grand Rebbe, is believed to have been carrying out a religious vendetta. Rottenberg and his family had been ostracized by residents of the Hassidic village for not attending New Square’s main synagogue. Spitzer will be sentenced April 17th. State Supreme Court Justice William Kelly says the sentence will be for at least five years in prison.
FOUR CHARGED WITH HATE CRIMES IN ALLEGED ATTACK ON MAN IN MONSEY
Four young people, three of them from Ramapo, have been charged in an alleged hate crime. Police say the four were carrying out a plot to rob a Jewish person when they attacked a 19-year-old male late Monday night as he walked along a Monsey street. The victim, identified only as a Brooklyn resident, was hit on the head with what turned out to be a knife. Police say he scared the attackers off with his screams before they could rob him. All four were captured within hours of the alleged attack. They’re identified as 18-year-old Stanley Joseph of Suffern, 20-year-old Jennifer St. Amand of Airmont, 19-year-old Marco Blandino of Spring Valley, and 19-year-old Qwesi Williams of Brooklyn. Charges against them include attempted robbery and weapons possession, all upgraded as hate crimes.
ROTHSCHILD GETS ONE-YEAR SENTENCE IN MAIL FRAUD CASE
Former Monsey Fire Commissioner Nathan Rothschild was sentenced yesterday to a year and a day in prison for mail fraud. Rothschild, who’s also a former East Ramapo School Board president, pleaded guilty to trying to defraud the fire district through a real-estate deal that would have enabled him to pay off most of a $700,000 personal debt. Federal prosecutors had recommended a sentence of at least two years. But U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Karas said he went with the shorter sentence because of the many letters he received from Monsey residents seeking leniency for Rothschild.
SENTENCE POSTPONED IN POMONA WOMAN’S HIT-RUN MURDER CASE
There’s been a delay in the sentencing of a Pomona woman for a fatal 2008 hit-and-run in Westchester County. Forty-year-old Sheldane Campbell was convicted of murder for running down a White Plains woman out on her morning walk. Campbell, who suffers from a schizophrenic disorder, faces up to 25 years in prison. Her sentencing was postponed indefinitely yesterday, pending the results of two upcoming psychiatric exams.
02-07-12
CARLUCCI: EVALUATE TEACHERS, BUT FAIRLY
State Senator David Carlucci is urging caution in how teachers in the state are evaluated. Governor Cuomo is promoting tougher evaluation guidelines for teachers, aimed at better student performance. And he’s threatened to withhold aid from schools that don’t quickly adopt those guidelines. Carlucci told WRCR listeners this morning he’s in favor of tougher educational standards. But teachers are only a part of the learning equation. And he said focusing only on teachers when students fail could cause teachers to avoid taking jobs in poorer school districts or ones heavily populated by students with learning problems.
ROTHSCHILD TO BE SENTENCED TODAY FOR MAIL FRAUD
Today is Sentencing Day for former Monsey Fire Commission president Nathan Rothschild. The 54-year-old Rothschild has pleaded guilty to mail fraud in a scheme to pay off a $700,000 personal debt through an over-priced property sale to the fire district. Federal prosecutors are recommending a prison sentence of 27 to 33 months. Rothschild seeks probation, pleading mental illness and concerns about his family’s welfare should he go to prison.
NEW CITY PSYCHIATRIST’S MEDICAL LICENSE SUSPENDED IN “PILL MILL” CASE
New City psychiatrist Aristide Esser has had his medical license pulled, at least temporarily. The Journal News says the suspension is pending a full investigation of charges that the 81-year-old Esser sold prescription medicines illegally to his patients. Under terms of the suspension, Esser is barred from using his state license to practice medicine here of in any other state. He was charged in November following an F.B.I. raid on so-called “pill mills” in Rockland County.
LAPOINTE TO RETURN AS BOULDERS’ MANAGER
Rockland Boulders manager Dave LaPointe made it official today. He’ll be back for a second season. The former Yankee led the team to a 40-and-52 inaugural season last year. But LaPointe says the team has had more time to get it together this year, and he promises a better record will result.
ROCKLANDERS TREK IN FOR GIANTS’ VICTORY PARADE
Rocklanders joined the thousands of Giant fans from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who headed to Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes this morning for the big parade. Manning, Cruz, Manningham and the rest of the NFL champs are celebrating Sunday’s Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. Metro-North tacked on extra cars to get the suburban faithful down in time for the 11 a.m. parade kickoff at Battery Park. It was a bit tougher for those who traveled by car, as the streets around lower Manhattan were closed to traffic at 9:30. But weather-wise, no one suffered, as nothing but blue skies and temperatures around 50 degrees greeted the parade-goers.
02-06-12
GROMACK: SIMON, FERRETTI ESTATE IN NEW TALKS ON MALL-SITE HOME
Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack says Nanuet Mall owner Simon Properties is still hoping to buy out the owners of a private home that abuts the mall. The home, at the corner of Route 59 and Middletown Road, is owned by the estate of Ellen Ferretti, who died in 2008. She had stood firm against Simon’s buyout offers for decades before her death. And now, with work soon to start on a news Nanuet Mall, Gromack says Simon is back in talks with the Ferretti estate, although it’s not clear how much money is on the table. Demolition of the existing mall is due to start by April, with the new, outdoor-access mall due to open late next year.
CAR-JACKING ENDS QUICKLY, AND SAFELY FOR GIRL IN BACK SEAT
A car-jacking in West Haverstraw yesterday ended less than a minute after it started – and ended well, at least for the child inside the car. Haverstraw police say it was just after ten a.m. when a young man, possibly a teen-ager, jumped into the car, which had been left idling on Benson Street, and sped away, only to quickly discover that there was an eight-year-old girl in the back seat. With that, they say, he pulled the car over and fled from the scene. The alleged car-jacker is still at large. The girl is okay. Her older brother, who had left her in the car briefly – and presumably safely – was, according to police, “upset.”
SENTENCING SET FOR CONVICTED CAR BURGLAR
Convicted car-burglar Winifred Fortune faces up to four years in prison when he’s sentenced April 13th. Fortune was found guilty last week of six counts of possessing stolen-property. But prosecutors say Fortune may have broken into more than 40 cars during a spree that targeted parts of the town of Ramapo.
SEX OFFENDER MOVES TO NANUET
A Level-3 sex offender has moved into Nanuet. That’s according to school district officials, who notified parents last Friday. The 47-year-old man, Anthony Carleo, reportedly moved recently from Newburgh to an apartment on Main Street in Nanuet. Carleo was convicted four years ago of sexually abusing a ten-year-old girl. As a Level-3 offender, he’s considered to be a high-risk for repeating his crime.
SLAVE LABOR TRIAL RESUMES AT COUNTY COURT
The trial of four members of a Ramapo family charged with enslaving a young woman from their native India continues this week. The 25-year-old woman testified last week that she was overworked, beaten and even sexually abused for years after being brought to the United States to marry Vishal Jagota. Jogota and three members of his family are charged with promoting slave labor. County Court Judge William Nelson is presiding over the non-jury trial.
02-03-12
ST. LAWRENCE REFUTES STATE COMPTROLLER’S REPORT ON BASEBALL STADIUM
Ramapo supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence came out swinging today in response to a highly critical report by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The report, following a state audit, says St. Lawrence’s financing plan for Provident Bank park put Ramapo taxpayers in jeopardy for tens of millions of dollars. The plan relies on the town’s sale of units in the Elm Street Housing Project. DiNapoli says that could turn out to be a $30-million loss. But St. Lawrence told WRCR listeners this morning that assessment is “absolutely false,” because the project is being done in phases, a method which he says drastically lessens the risk. Provident Bank Park is home to both the Rockland Boulders baseball team and WRCR Radio.
N.R.C. REJECTS INDIAN POINT FIRE-SAFETY EXEMPTION REQUESTS
Indian Point opponents are applauding a ruling by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The N.R.C. announced this week it had rejected most of the exemptions sought by Indian Point officials to the plant’s fire-safety requirements. It was the second N.R.C. decision affecting the Buchanan nuclear plant in recent days. The federal agency ordered Indian Point earlier this week to upgrade its ability to withstand earthquakes.
ACCUSED R.P.C. KILLER TO BE ASSESSED AT UPSTATE PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY
Accused Rockland Psych killer Curtis Wilson has been sent upstate for observation. The 52-year-old Wilson, of Newburgh, is charged with beating fellow R.P.C. outpatient Vincent Knadler to death with an iron rod January 16th on the psychiatric center grounds. Wilson is to appear in court February 22nd. Until then, his mental state will be assessed at a Rochester psychiatric facility.
CLARKSTOWN NORTH GRADUATE KILLED IN HEAD-ON COLLISION BURIED
New City college student Jacob Halle was buried yesterday – two days after the head-on car crash that killed him. The 22-year-old Halle died Wednesday at a New Jersey hospital. The collision Monday was on Route 202 in Mahwah, not far from Ramapo College, where Halle was a junior. He was also a 2008 graduate of Clarkstown North High School.
DAUGHTER OF FORMER S.V. MAYOR BURIED, A VICTIM OF CANCER
Funeral services were held yesterday for the daughter of former Spring Valley mayor Joel Rosenthal. Forty-one year-old Beth Rosenthal-Isaacs succumbed to cancer on Wednesday. In addition to her parents, who now live in Florida, Rosenthal-Isaacs is survived by her husband and four children.
COUNTY CIVIL RIGHTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTS FIVE
Rockland’s Civil Rights Hall of Fame has five new members, all of them inducted yesterday at a luncheon ceremony in Stony Point. Of the five, former county legislator Bernard Charles was the only living inductee. The four posthumous honorees were his wife, Eleanor Charles, former Spring Valley mayor William Darden, and former Nyack N.A.A.C.P. officials Bernice Glass and Lawrence Holland.
CONGERS RESIDENT WINS $1-MILLION IN STATE LOTTERY GAME
A Rocklander was one of six New Yorkers featured at a state lottery ceremony in Brooklyn yesterday. Joe Cunnane of Congers was there to accept the $1-million jackpot he won recently by spending a mere $3.00 on a Sweet Million ticket.
02-02-12
STATE COMPTROLLER SLAMS RAMAPO OVER STADIUM FINANCING
The state comptroller is blasting the town of Ramapo, saying it played fast and loose with the financing of Provident Bank Park. In an audit released yesterday, Thomas DiNapoli says the town improperly used its Local Development Corporation, the RLDC, to handle the financing, and to run up a bill that could approach $60-million. That’s at least $20-million more than the town estimates it spent on the stadium, which is home to WRCR Radio. And the audit slams the town for its plan to pay off the stadium with profits from the Elm Street housing project, a plan which the audit says can leave town $30-million in debt. Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence says the audit is rife with misunderstandings, and he continues to deny that Ramapo taxpayers could be left holding a multi-million-dollar tab.
NEW SQUARE ARSON TRIAL SET TO BEGIN NEXT WEEK
Jury selection starts next Tuesday in the New Square arson case. Eighteen year-old Shaul Spitzer is charged with attempted murder in what prosecutors call a religious-based arson attack on a neighbor. The victim, 44-year-old Aron Rottenberg, was burned over more than half his body in the attack last May. Rottenberg and his family reportedly had been ostracized by many in New Square over their refusal to attend the Hassidic village’s main synagogue.
POMONA MAN CHARGED WITH RAPING TEEN; OTHER VICTIMS SOUGHT
Police are looking for other possible victims of a Pomona man they’ve charged with raping a teen-age girl. Fifty-four year-old Jacques Menos was arrested Tuesday and charged with second-degree rape. Police say he attacked the girl early in 2010, when she was 14 years old. Menos is at county jail, held on $100,000 bail. And Clarkstown police are urging other possible victims of Menos to call them at 639-5835 or 639-6233.
NEW CITY COLLEGE STUDENT DIES OF COLLISION INJURIES
A young New City man has died of the injuries he sustained in a two-car collision in Bergen County. Twenty-two year-old Jacob Halle died yesterday at a New Jersey hospital where he was taken following Monday’s accident. The head-on collision occurred on Route 202 in Mahwah, near Ramapo College, where Halle was a student. College officials say they’ll hold a memorial service for the Clarkstown North High School graduate next Monday.
PFIZER LAYS OFF 71 IN PEARL RIVER AS DOWN-SIZING CONTINUES
The Pfizer layoffs continue. The pharmaceutical firm says it’s letting another 71 employees go at its Pearl River plant between now and the end of June. It’s all part of a major down-sizing that Pfizer says will result, eventually, in the loss of more than 1,200 jobs at the site. Meanwhile, Pfizer says it’s looking to sell off or lease parts of the Pearl River facility.
02-01-12
PHILLIPS: I EARNED MY RAISE
Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips says he earned his 2% pay raise. He spoke this morning in response to a Journal News report that he was the only elected official in Haverstraw to take a raise this year. Phillips told WRCR listeners he has opted for no raises at times in the past, just as his fellow town councilmen did this. Phillips said he earned the raise by putting in 60 to 70 hours a week on the job and holding the line on town taxes. The increase raises Phillips’s supervisor’s salary by about $2,000 to a still-comparatively-low $104,000 annually.
INDIAN POINT ORDERED TO TIGHTEN EARTHQUAKE SAFETY STANDARDS
Indian Point has been ordered to upgrade its ability to withstand earthquakes. That’s thanks to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission study that shows an increased likelihood of earthquakes in the central and eastern parts of the United States. Indian Point officials say it could take seven years to determine what safety upgrades are needed, based on the study’s findings. Meanwhile, the NRC report has rekindled debate among environmental and energy-industry officials. The pro-industry New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance says the clean-water group Riverkeeper is using the NRC earthquake-readiness report to continue a pattern of what it calls “fear-mongering” against Indian Point.
LEGISLATORS MEET TONIGHT ON M.T.A. TAX AND N.Y.-N.J. FLOOD-PREVENTION
The county legislature’s Environmental Committee meets tonight. On its agenda: a proposal to ask the state assembly to pass a Rockland-Bergen Flood Prevention Act. Environmental groups have long sought a co-ordinated water management effort between New York and New Jersey. The Environmental Committee meeting starts at 6 p.m. The legislature’s Economic Development Committee meets a half-hour earlier and takes up a proposal for the state to exempt non-profits from the controversial M.T.A. Payroll Mobility Tax.
RAMAPO OFFICER SLIGHTLY INJURED IN COLLISION
A Ramapo police officer was slightly injured in a Montebello car crash yesterday. The two-car accident happened about 10:30 a.m. on North Airmont Road. The officer, Yolanda Tyson, was driving eastbound when she collided with a westbound vehicle and wound up off the road in a group of trees. Officer Tyson was treated at and released from Good Samaritan Hospital, The other driver was not injured. No tickets were issued. Ramapo police are investigating.
LIGHTS OUT – FINALLY – AT NANUET MALL
The Nanuet Mall is finally closed. The lights went off for the last time at midnight this morning, as the last of the mall’s remaining tenants locked up for good. Demolition work on the half-century-old shopping center is expected to begin in March or April, with a new, Main Street-type mall to open in its place late in 2013. The current mall’s independently–run anchor stores, Sears and Macy’s, will stay open during the re-construction.
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