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Rockland's Award-Winning News
07-29-10
EAST RAMAPO BOARD APPROVES SALE OF HILLCREST SCHOOL TO NEW SQUARE YESHIVA
The East Ramapo school board last night approved the sale of Hillcrest Elementary School. The controversial decision – on a 7-1 vote -- came after a district-signature Executive Session was called during the meeting. Residents had protested the intended sale since its approval as part of this year’s district budget. In addition to those simply opposed to closing the Hillcrest school, many felt the property – located in New City – was worth much more than the district was willing to sell it for. The winning bid – of $3.1-million – came from Congregation Yeshiva Avir Yakov of New Square. Avir Yakov made news recently when students at the Yeshiva were briefly trapped in a fire there by illegally chained doors.
ROCKLAND STUDENTS’ MATH AND ENGLISH TEST SCORES PLUMMET, AS EXPECTED
Math and English test scores for young students throughout Rockland and New York State plummeted this past school year. But state education officials say the drop-off was expected, because the marking standards for the third- and eighth-grade tests had been raised. Sixty-one percent of Rockland students tested “proficient” or better for those grades in English this year, compared with 84% in 2009. In math, the proficiency level slipped from 90% in 2009 to 68% this year.
YONKERS WOMAN AND VALLEY COTTAGE MAN INDICTED FOR RANSACKING HOME OF DEAD ACQUAINTANCE
A Yonkers woman and her Valley Cottage companion have been indicted for ransacking the home of a Congers man killed one day earlier in a motorcycling accident. Paula Izurieta and Ivan Murat face up to 15 years in jail if convicted of the second-degree burglary charges. Prosecutors say the pair twice ransacked the home of Richard Serpico, an acquaintance of both who died in a July 16th crash on the Lake DeForest causeway in Congers.
SEX OFFENDER MOVES TO SPRING VALLEY
A high-risk sex offender has moved into Spring Valley. Officials are notifying village residents that 53-year-old Brian Zuill, convicted in 1992 of sexually abusing a ten-year-old girl, is a Level-Three offender considered to be at high risk to repeat his crime. Zuill now lives at One Madison Avenue in Spring Valley.
NEW YORK BEACHES RANKED LOW FOR WATER QUALITY
An environmental group ranks beaches in the New York City area as the nation’s seventh-worst in water quality. The Natural Resources Defense Council says beaches in the region had a total of nearly 2,000 closings and health advisory days last year – due mostly to storm-water runoff and sewage. Westchester County beaches fared best in the region with just 230 closings and advisory days.
07-28-10
REPORT: ROCKLAND PROPERTY VALUES HARDEST HIT IN NYS
A report by state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says, of ALL counties in New York State, Rockland has been hit hardest by the recession in terms of property values. The report finds the total tax assessment on properties in the county dropped by nearly five percent from 2008 to 2009. That’s a loss of $2.2-billion in property-tax revenues for the county, from $45.5-billion to $43.3-billion. DeNapoli says that, while Rockland and the rest of the Lower Hudson region were the hardest hit, some UPSTATE counties actually saw an increase in property values over that same period.
MTA BOARD GETS FIRST LOOK AT AGENCY’S 2011 BUDGET
The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority got a first look at the agency’s proposed 2011 budget today. If approved, the $12-billion package would include a round of fare and toll increases – hikes as high as 9.4% for Metro-North riders. MTA officials say the agency needs to boost fares by 7.5% overall next year in order to pay its bills. The board’s final vote on the MTA budget will follow public hearings most likely to be scheduled in September.
BYRNE RETURNS HOME TO PEARL RIVER, TWO YEARS AFTER EXTRADITION TO IRELAND
Joseph Byrne is finally home in Pearl River. Byrne was extradited to his native Ireland two years ago, charged there with burglary and robbery in two cases dating back to the mid-1990’s. The charges were dropped this past April, but Byrne was unable to come home until yesterday because his green card had been revoked. Under an agreement sought by Congressman Elliot Engel and others, Byrne will begin his U.S.-citizenship process this week.
MUSICIAN WILLIAM HARGROVE DEAD AT 83; FOOD EXPERT FAITH CRUMPACKER, AT 76
Musician and music enthusiast William Hargrove died Sunday at the age of 83. Hargrove was a co-founder of the annual Festival of the Arts held at St. Paul’s Church in South Nyack, where he served as musical director for more than a decade. A funeral service was held Monday at the Fellowship Community in Chestnut Ridge, where he lived since 2007.
Hargrove’s death came a day after that of food-expert Faith Crumpacker of Valley Cottage. Known as “Bunny,” Crumpacker wrote and edited several books and pamphlets about food and cooking – among them, “The Sex Life of Food,” and “How to Slice an Onion.” Bunny Crumpacker died of cancer Saturday at the age of 76.
07-27-10
NANUET RESIDENTS WARNED TO LOCK CARS AT NIGHT
Residents of The Hamlets neighborhood in Nanuet are being warned to lock their cars at night. This, after a string of night-time thefts targeting valuables – primarily electronic equipment -- left inside those cars. Police also link one case of vandalism to the thefts. They say a Poplar Street resident chased a would-be car thief from the street about 2 a.m. last Friday – only to find the windshield of his own car smashed, and its tires slashed, later that morning. So far, there have been no arrests in the robbery spree. Clarkstown police are asking anyone with information on the thefts to call them at 639-5800. That’s 639-5800.
HUNT IS ON FOR DRIVER IN NEW CITY HIT-AND-RUN
That same police department wants the public’s help in finding a hit-and-run driver who left a New City man seriously injured nearly two weeks ago. The victim, 35-year-old Kory De Miceli, was struck from behind as he walked alongside Rt. 304 near Squadron Boulevard just before midnight on July 15th. He was found a short time later lying on the side of the road, with several broken bones and a ruptured spleen. Anyone with information about this case is being asked to call the state Crime-Stoppers tip-line, at 866-313-TIPS. That’s 866-313-8477.
EX-NEW SQUARE OFFICIAL GETS 27 MONTHS FOR BILKING $-MILLIONS FROM GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
Former New Square village clerk Avrum Friesel has been sentenced to 27 months in jail for bilking government assistance programs out of millions of dollars. Friesel fled to Israel upon his indictment in 1997 and was returned to the United States last year after his arrest in London. As part of his sentence, handed down yesterday in federal court, Friesel must also pay back $11.6-million he stole from state and federal education programs, mostly for non-existent students. He was one of seven men indicted in the case.
BOMB SCARE RATTLES MONSEY NEIGHBORHOOD
What appeared to be a fake bomb was found in front of the Family Health Center in Monsey yesterday. Spring Valley police were called to the scene, on Melnick Drive, at about 4 p.m. and found a bottle, wired and wrapped in duct tape, at the building’s entrance. X-rays showed the substance inside the bottle was not explosive. No arrests were reported in the case.
CLARKSTOWN COACHES TO HEAR DETAILS OF SPORTS PROGRAM CUTBACKS TODAY
Athletic directors at Clarkstown schools will get details of the district’s sports-program cutbacks this afternoon. Some 40 assistant-coaching positions were eliminated at Clarkstown North and South High Schools in current budget crunch. Both schools will combine to field single teams in some sports -- and all freshman baseball, football and basketball teams will be eliminated -- in the upcoming school year.
This comes as Clarkstown school officials report they’re saving big money on overtime. Schools superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan says the district’s overtime payments dropped 80% over the past three years, from $948,000 in 2006-and-7 to $186,000 last year. The savings reportedly came by cutting the overtime hours of school employees outside the teaching staff.
07-26-10
PALISADES MALL SEEKS 66% TAX ASSESSMENT CUT
Owners of the Palisades Mall have filed a certiorari grievance, seeing a 65.6% reduction in its current-year tax assessment from the Town of Clarkstown. The mall now pays $23.5-million in property taxes, of which more than $15-million goes to the Clarkstown school district. The mall’s owners say their property is taxed at an unfairly high rate, and that the poor economy has forced them to re-negotiate leases with its stores. Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack told WRCR listeners this morning the mall still has an occupancy rate of more than 90%, and that Clarkstown will “go all out” to fight the case.
NYACK MAN CHARGED IN STRING OF HIT-AND-RUNS
Spring Valley police say it was a case of hit-and-run times two, at least. The driver of a pickup truck, 33-year-old Luis Avendano-Barrera of Nyack, was arrested Saturday night after he allegedly struck and injured a pedestrian on South Central Avenue and then rear-ended a car on South Main Street. Police say Avendano-Barrera failed several sobriety tests – and that, while he was being processed, another driver reported that his car had been rear-ended off Hickory Street and Route 45 by a pickup truck matching Avendano-Barrera’s. The defendant is charged with D-W-I and leaving the scene of an accident.
KOREAN WAR VETS HONOR THOSE WHO DIDN’T RETURN
Rain only slightly dampened Sunday’s Korean War commemoration. About two dozen veterans of the war turned out at Onderdonk Cemetery in Ramapo, to honor the 27 Rocklanders who were killed in Korea. Afternoon thunderstorms forced the service indoors part-way through the proceedings. Among the Korean War veterans who did not attend the ceremony this year was State Senator Thomas Morahan, who died of Leukemia this month at the age of 78.
FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF WRONG-WAY TACONIC CRASH
Today marks the first anniversary of the Taconic State Parkway tragedy. Eight people died when a car traveling the wrong way on the parkway struck another car head-on. Police say the woman driving the wrong-way car was high on drugs and alcohol. She and four family members were killed in the crash, along with all three people in the second vehicle.
07-22-10
POWER BACK TO 5,500 O&R CUSTOMERS AFTER VIOLENT STORMS HIT ROCKLAND AGAIN
It was another night of wild weather for parts of Rockland. The usual wind and rain were the culprits, this time with hail adding insult to injury. Orange and Rockland crews were out overnight, restoring power to nearly 5,500 customers knocked off-line by the storm, county-wide. Hardest hit was the town of Clarkstown, with lights out in nearly 3,000 of those homes.
STATE COURT JUDGE DISMISSES SUIT AGAINST O’TOWN POLICE CHIEF
The lawsuit against Orangetown Police Chief Kevin Nulty has been dismissed. The suit, by a former member of the Orangetown force, claimed that Nulty’s 1997 appointment as chief was invalid because the chief’s test he took was not specifically for Orangetown. State Spreme Court justice Linda Jamieson dismissed the suit this week, saying the petitioners lacked legal standing and that, in any case, the exam was valid.
BURGLARY SUSPECT HAS RECORD OF RUN-INS WITH THE LAW
The Yonkers woman charged with looting a Congers home over the weekend reportedly has a long history of run-ins with the law. Twenty-nine year-old Paula Izurieta and a companion were arrested Sunday night when they were caught removing valuables from the home of Richard Serpico. He had been killed in a Congers motorcycle accident two days earlier. It was reported yesterday that Izurieta had been on a boat in Long Island Sound with a Mount Vernon fireman on June 26th, the day the fireman drowned. Today, the Journal News reports that Izurieta pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs after head-on crash in 2008 that nearly killed a YONKERS fireman. And the paper quotes Izurieta’s Yonkers neighbors as saying police have been called to her address more than ten times in recent years, mostly to deal with disturbances. Izurieta and her alleged accomplice are charged with grand larceny in the Serpico case.
NEW HEMPSTEAD FIRE SEEN AS SUSPICIOUS
Officials say they’re suspicious about a fire that damaged an abandoned home in New Hempstead yesterday. Sheriff’s deputies reportedly were sent to investigate the Union Road site after Hillcrest volunteers put out fire. There were no injuries in the blaze. The house reportedly had been officially unoccupied for several years. It wasn’t clear whether anyone had, in fact, been living in the house. Hillcrest fire chief Kim Weppler says the fact that utilities had been turned off in the home before the fire started makes it suspicious.
For more news and a complete listing of community events, log onto our website, WRCR.com. I’m Charlie Reina, WRCR News.
07-21-10
BURGLARY SUSPECT TIED TO CASE OF DROWNED FIREMAN
A woman accused of burglarizing the home of a Rockland man killed in a motorcycling accident has been linked to a Westchester fireman who drowned. Twenty-nine year-old Paula Izurieta was arrested Sunday night after she and a companion were caught removing valuables from the Congers home of Richard Serpico. He had died two days earlier when his motorcycle crashed on the Lake DeForest causeway. A background check showed that Izurieta had been on a boat with Mount Vernon fireman James Drago in Long Island Sound on June 26th when Drago drowned. Police say there were no apparent signs of foul play in Drago’s death. Izurieta and her alleged accomplice in the Serpico case faced grand larceny and other charges when they appeared this afternoon in Clarkstown Town Court.
POWER KNOCKED OUT IN MONDAY’S STORM FINALLY RESTORED
Power was finally restored last evening to the last of the Rockland homes affected by Monday’s violent storm. Orange and Rockland says more than 2,700 Rockland customers were knocked off-line at one point or another, as strong winds brought trees, limbs and power lines to the ground. O&R crews worked through the night Monday and all day yesterday to restore power to the nearly 150 locations that took the brunt of the storm here in Rockland.
INDIAN POINT GETS SUPPORT AT PUBLIC HEARING
The second of two public hearings on a crucial Indian Point matter takes place today in New Paltz. The Buchanan nuclear plant got votes of confidence from several supporters at yesterday’s hearing in Cortlandt. Indian Point faces a federal shut-down, unless it replaces its water-intake system to one deemed less damaging to aquatic life in the Hudson. Local labor leaders were among those at yesterday’s hearing – arguing that a plant shutdown would cost too many jobs. New York City residents voiced health concerns, fearing a change-over to a less-clean power source could breed asthma and other diseases.
TWO ARRIVE WITH BAIL-OUT MONEY FOR FRIEND, WIND UP UNDER ARREST
Rockland Sheriff’s deputies got an unexpected bonus early yesterday, when two men showed up at County Jail to bail out a friend. It was just after midnight when the pair – 40-year-old Freddy Calderin of North Salem, New Jersey, and 42-year-old Richard Amann of Garnerville – arrived to post bail for a woman being held at the jail. A background check showed that Calderin was wanted in Bergen County on a parole violation, and a body search showed that Amann was carrying three packets of heroin and two hypodermic needles. Calderin is now in Rockland County jail, awaiting extradition to New jersey. Amann is due in Clarkstown Justice Court August 9th to face misdemeanor drug charges.
07-20-10
ZUGIBE TOUTS PROVISION OF DRUNK DRIVING LAW
Rockland District Attorney Thomas Zugibe is touting a new legal constraint on drunk drivers. Zugibe joined state and local officials at a Pomona news conference today to unveil the provision, which goes into effect August 15th. It requires anyone convicted of drunk driving to equip his or her car with a so-called ignition interlock. The device, which measures breath-alcohol content, won’t allow the car to start if the driver registers a high enough alcohol level.
WIND STORM KNOCKS OUT POWER TO 3,500+ O&R CUSTOMERS
Orange and Rockland reports some 35-hundred customers were without power after the wind died down last night. Orangetown took the brunt of the storm, as trees, limbs and power lines came down all over town. One tree fell across Rt. 303 in Tappan, closing a stretch of that major roadway for much of the evening. And traffic was tied up briefly on the Palisades Parkway while a downed tree blocked off a southbound lane in Orangeburg. O&R crews were out overnight in several parts of the county, restoring power in most cases by daybreak. No serious accidents or fires were reported in Rockland during the storm.
PAIR NABBED IN ALLEGED BURGLARY AT CONGERS HOME OF ACCIDENT VICTIM
Two self-described “friends” of a Rockland man killed in a weekend motorcycle accident were caught apparently burglarizing the man’s home. The two – 33-year-old Ivan Murat of Valley Cottage and 29-year-old Paula Izurieta of Yonkers are charged with grand larceny, burglary and other felonies. Clarkstown police arrested the pair Sunday night at the Congers home of 33-year-old Richard Serpico. He was killed – and a companion critically injured -- two days earlier when his motorcycle crashed on the Lake DeForest causeway. Murat and Izurieta reportedly were in the process of removing electronic equipment, clothing, and other valuable items from Serpico’s home when they were spotted by a neighbor.
COUNTY’S FIRST 2010 WEST NILE-INFECTED MOSQUITO IDENTIFIED
Rockland health officials say the county’s first West-Nile-infected mosquito of the year has made an early appearance. The mosquito was identified in a sampling taken in Ramapo during the last week of June. The first sighting normally doesn’t come until August. About 15 infected mosquitoes have been found state-wide so far this year. West Nile is potentially fatal to humans. There has never been a confirmed human case of it in Rockland, even though it’s been found in mosquitoes here every year since 1999.
RAMAPO TOWN BOARD DELAYS VOTE ON BALLPARK SPENDING
Last night’s Ramapo Town Board meeting was cancelled when three of its members became unavailable. That put off a vote on whether to approve the borrowing of nearly $6-million to clear land for the town’s proposed minor-league baseball park. This comes as opponents of the 3,500-seat stadium challenge the town’s guarantee of a $16-million construction bond for the stadium. A referendum on that is expected to go before Ramapo voters in late August or early September.
07-19-10
CRUCIAL HEARINGS THIS WEEK ON INDIAN POINT COOLING SYSTEM
Public hearings begin this week on an issue key to Indian Point’s future – the water-intake system used to keep the Buchanan nuclear plant cool during operation. The current system uses up to two and a-half billion gallons of Hudson water daily – returning it heated to the river, and killing large amounts of aquatic life in the process. The hearings are slated tomorrow in Cortlandt and Wednesday in New Paltz. They’ll determine whether Indian Point should switch to a system with less environmental impact, or risk being shut down. Plant officials say they can’t afford the billion-dollar cost of the so-called “closed loop” system.
CONGERS MAN KILLED IN MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT
A motorcycle accident took the life of a Congers man over the weekend. Thirty-three year-old Richard Serpico died late Friday night when his cycle crashed on the Lake DeForest Causeway. Clarkstown police say Serpico and a rider were thrown from the cycle. The rider, 33-year-old Peter Lombardi of Yonkers, was taken to Westchester Medical Center with serious head and chest injuries. Serpico died during surgery for similar injuries at Nyack Hospital.
BUS JUMPS EMBANKMENT, JUST MISSES PIERMONT HOUSE
A runaway bus jumped an embankment in Piermont Saturday night and nearly hit a residence. The Big Apple bus was en route to pick up wedding guests at a restaurant when, according to the driver, the brakes failed. It came to rest just before crashing through a fence into the back yard of the Bay Street home. No one was injured in the accident. The driver was cited for ignoring signs banning bus traffic on Bay Street.
ROCKLAND TOURISM DIRECTOR HEATHER DUKE TO BE BURIED TOMORROW
Rockland’s long-time tourism director, Heather Duke, will be buried tomorrow near South Fallsburg, in Sullivan County, where she was raised. Duke died Wednesday at a New York City hospital at the age of 67. She headed the Rockland County Tourism Department since its creation in 1994. Viewing hours for Heather Duke are scheduled from 2-to-4 p.m. and 7-to-9 p.m. today at Higgins Funeral Home in New City.
GOV. PATERSON AMONG MOURNERS AT MORAHAN FUNERAL
Hundreds of mourners, including Governor David Paterson, attended Saturday’s funeral service for State Senator Thomas Morahan. The long-time lawmaker died last Monday of Leukemia at Columbia-Cornell hospital in Manhattan. He was buried at St. Anthony’s cemetery in Nanuet following a funeral mass at St. Augustine’s church in New City.
07-16-10
UNITED WATER GETS RATE-HIKE OKAY
The state Public Service Commission has granted United Water a rate-increase package that will add nearly $160 to the average customer’s bill over three years. That’s an increase of about 9-percent a year. United Water had sought a one-year rate-hike of 21-percent, or about $120 for the year. The P-S-C says the increase it DID grant will enable United Water to make improvements to its system and still provide “a safe and adequate supply of water” to its customers. The initial rate hike goes into effect September first.
REGION’S UNEMPLOYMENT UP, YET DOWN
The State Labor Department says unemployment in the lower Hudson Valley was at 6.7% last month – down from 7.3% a year earlier. It was the sixth straight month in which fewer jobs were lost in the region, compared with 2009. But on a month-to-month basis, joblessness still rose in June – by one-tenth of a percent from May’s 6.6% rate. State officials say May-to-June unemployment increases are standard, and that the overall trend for the region suggests a positive turnaround.
NANUET MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MOLESTING FIVE-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A Nanuet man who pleaded guilty to molesting a five-year-old girl has been sentenced to five years in jail. Twenty-six year old Daniel Lopez-Vasquez drew the sentence in State Supreme Court. He’ll also serve ten years probation after his jail term. Lopez-Vasquez was arrested last December, after the girl’s mother found him in bed with her daughter. Prosecutors say he had had a relationship with the girl prior to that incident.
SPRING VALLEY SEX OFFENDER NABBED FOR NOT REPORTING MOVE TO PENNSYLVANIA
And a Spring Valley man once jailed for sexually abusing a five-year-old girl has been arrested again – this time for not reporting a change of address. Thirty-four year-old Jeremy Rose pleaded guilty to sodomizing the girl in 2002 and left state prison this year classified as a Level-2 Sex Offender. Police say, after taking an apartment in Spring Valley, Rose moved – first to Orangeburg and then to Pennsylvania – without notifying probation officials, as required by law. Rose turned himself in to Ramapo police this week. He’s in county jail now, charged both with failing to register his new address – and with using the Internet without permission.
07-15-10
STATE FLAGS TO FLY AT HALF-MAST TOMORROW FOR MORAHAN
The flags on all state government buildings in New York will be flown at half-mast tomorrow -- this, in honor of State Senator Thomas Morahan, who died Monday of Leukemia. More than 300 people bid farewell to Morahan last night at Higgins Funeral Home in New City. Viewing continues today and tomorrow with afternoon and evening hours scheduled both days. Morahan will be buried Saturday at St. Anthony’s Cemetery in Nanuet, following a mass at St. Augustine’s church in New City. Among the hundreds expected to attend are Governor David Paterson and most of Morahan’s State Senate colleagues.
SECOND ARREST IN TOMPKINS COVE SHOOTING
A second person has been arrested in connection with the Monday-morning shooting of a Garnerville man in Tompkins Cove. Stony Point police say 21-year-old Jonathan Quinones of West Haverstraw encouraged 18-year-old Kevin Seda of Garnerville to shoot the man during an argument. Seda was arrested Tuesday and charged with attempted murder. He’s in county jail on $250,000 bail. Quinones is jailed on $25,000 bail, charged with criminal solicitation. The victim, who has not been identified publicly, was treated for gunshot wounds and released from Nyack Hospital.
EVICTION NOTICES SENT TO FAMILIES IN CONTESTED RAMAPO HOUSING UNITS
Eviction notices have been sent to 16 Israeli families who have been living for the past year in Yeshiva-owned housing in Ramapo. Four Ramapo villages issued the notices yesterday, after a state-court justice upheld a lower-court ruling against Mosdos Chofetz Chaim, which built the housing on Grandview Avenue. The villages – Chestnut Ridge, Montebello, Pomona, and Wesley Hills – had challenged the Town’s creation in 2004 of adult-student housing zones, paving the way for those units. Yesterday’s ruling cited the yeshiva for failing to put up a court-ordered, $75,000 surety bond while it fought the challenge.
TAPPAN ZEE DECK REPAIR RE-STARTS
The latest round of deck-replacement work on the Tappan Zee Bridge has begun. Three lanes – two southbound and one northbound – will be closed overnights, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., Monday-to-Friday, during the work. The State Thruway Authority says just over a-quarter of the bridge roadway has been re-surfaced since the project began in 2007. The re-decking is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012. Work is set to begin soon thereafter on a new bridge to replace the now-55-year-old structure. State officials say the current deck-work is necessary to keep the bridge safe for commuter traffic until then.
TOURISM DIRECTOR HEATHER DUKE DIES
Rockland’s long-time county tourism director, Heather Duke, is dead. The 67-year-old Duke died yesterday at a New York City hospital. Duke was active on local issues for many years in her home village of Nyack. She assumed the county tourism post when it was created in 1994. Heather Duke will be buried Tuesday near South Fallsburg, in Sullivan County, where she was raised.
07-14-10
MORAHAN BURIAL SATURDAY IN NANUET
Funeral arrangements have been set for State Senator Thomas Morahan, who died Monday of Leukemia. Morahan will be buried Saturday at St. Anthony’s Cemetery in Nanuet, following a mass at St. Augustine’s Church in New City. The 10 a.m. mass will be open to the public. Viewing at Higgins Funeral Home in New City is scheduled from 7-9 tonight, and from 2-to-4 p.m. and 7-to-9 p.m. tomorrow and Friday.
Higgins will provide air-conditioned van service for the evening viewings tomorrow and Friday. Vans will be available both days from 7-to-9 p.m. at the Clarkstown Town Hall and Town Justice parking lots to transport mourners to the funeral home. Those attending the funeral mass for Senator Morahan on Saturday morning are strongly advised to park in either of those lots and then walk to St. Augustine’s church for the 10 a.m. mass.
In addition to family and friends, most of Morahan’s fellow State Senators are expected to attend the proceedings. Clarkstown officials say downtown areas of New City disrupted by the current revitalization project will be cleared, if necessary, to accommodate the mourners.
Governor David Paterson has hailed Morahan as a “dedicated, passionate and courageous public servant. In a statement from Albany, Paterson cited in particular Morahan’s tireless work on behalf of the developmentally disabled, concluding, “Senator Morahan never shrank from a fight, even in his last days, and all New Yorkers are better off because of his service.”
MORAHAN OFFICES TO REMAIN UPEN THROUGH DEC. 31ST
Senator Morahan’s offices in Albany and Nanuet will remain open through the end of the year. Members of Morahan’s staff will continue to man the offices, providing services for the public as they have since Morahan took office ten years ago. This would have been Morahan’s final year in the State Senate. He announced he would not run for re-election shortly after his Leukemia diagnosis in January.
GARNERVILLE MAN CHARGED IN TOMPKINS COVE SHOOTING
Police have charged a young Garnerville man with attempted murder following a shooting incident in Tompkins Cove. Eighteen-year-old Kevin Seda was arrested yesterday, and charged in the shooting Monday of an unidentified 21-year-old man during an argument. The alleged victim is reported to be at Nyack Hospital with gunshot wounds described as non-life-threatening. Seda is being held on $250-thousand bail at County Jail in New City.
CHILD MOLESTER-VIDEOTAPER SENTENCED
A New Jersey man who sexually molested an 11-year-old girl in Rockland County last December will serve 4-12 years in jail. Thirty-six year-old Alex Avila of Dumont was sentenced yesterday in Rockland County Court. Avila was arrested, thanks in large part to a videotape that he, himself, made of the molestation, which occurred at the girl’s home in Central Nyack.
07-13-10
STATE SENATOR MORAHAN DIES AT AGE 78
Leukemia has claimed the life of State Senator Thomas P. Morahan at the age of 78. The long-time legislator died yesterday at Columbia-Cornell Hospital in Manhattan, where he had undergone treatment since his diagnosis in January. Morahan served Rockland in public office for more than 30 years – including as a County Legislator, State Assemblyman and, since 1999, State Senator. Colleagues and political figures from both sides of the aisle praised Morahan as a tireless advocate for his constituents ... one who worked as well – and as willingly -- with Democrats as with his fellow Republicans. Morahan served, notably, as chairman of the senate’s Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee – a chairmanship he was asked to keep when the Democrats took control of the senate. Funeral arrangements for Senator Morahan were still incomplete as of this afternoon.
TAYLOR PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO RAPE CHARGE
Former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor pleaded not guilty in Rockland County Court today to statutory rape and other charges. Taylor was arrested May sixth at the Holiday Inn in Ramapo and charged with having sex there with a teen-age girl. The football hall-of-famer says he paid a Bronx man $300 for the encounter, taking the alleged pimp’s word that the girl was of legal age. She turned out to be a 16-year-old runaway, who claims that she was forced into prostitution.
THREE CHARGED IN ALLEGED RAPE OF 18-YEAR-OLD WOMAN IN NEW HEMPSTEAD
Three young Ramapo men are in County Jail today, charged with sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman. Ramapo police say the three picked up the alleged victim, who they knew, as she walked to a friend’s house in Spring Valley at about noon last Friday. They then allegedly drove her to a New Hempstead house and forced her to have sex with them. Two of the three – 18-year-olds Anthony Carrenard and Giordany Alexis – were charged with rape -- the third, 19-year-old Ben-Amar Israel, with attempted rape. All three are charged with unlawful imprisonment. The alleged victim was treated at Good Samaritan Hospital.
07-12-10
HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT AGAIN TODAY
Another summer heat-watch advisory is in effect for Rockland today. Orange and Rockland says even though the temperature is down from last week’s 100-degree highs, the humidity is rising. And that, says the utility, means more air-conditioning – and more of a drain on O&R’s power system. Today’s temperatures in the 80’s are expected to give way to readings in the mid-90’s by week’s end. The advisory means O&R crews will put off non-emergency work in order to deal with heat-related emergency situations as they come up.
LAWRENCE TAYLOR PLEA ON STATUTORY RAPE CHARGE DUE TOMORROW IN NEW CITY
Former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor has a day in court tomorrow. The pro-football Hall-of-Famer is expected to plead not guilty to statutory rape when he appears before County Court Judge William Nelson in New City. Taylor was arrested May sixth at the Holiday Inn in Ramapo after allegedly having sex with a teen-aged girl. Taylor says he paid a New York City man $300 for the encounter, believing the girl to be of legal age. She turned out to be a 16-year-old runaway, allegedly forced into prostitution. The alleged pimp, 36-year-old Rasheed Davis of the Bronx, is charged with sex trafficking and coercion. Taylor, who lives in Florida, has been free on bail since his arrest.
NANUET MAN CHARGED WITH RAPING 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A Nanuet man is charged with raping a 12-year-old in Spring Valley girl over the weekend. Police say 23-year-old Segundo Duchigauman raped the unidentified girl Saturday at a Spring Valley residence. Duchigauman was to be arraigned today on charges of first-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child.
POLICE: NEW JERSEY MAN BEATEN, ROBBED IN NYACK
Orangetown police say a Norwood, New Jersey man was robbed and beaten in Nyack over the weekend during a botched drug deal. The unidentified victim was treated at Nyack Hospital for a cut nose after the incident early Sunday morning. Police say the beating took place at South Franklin Street and DePew Avenue after the man approached two other men and offered to by marijuana from them. The pair allegedly punched the man and took his money, with no pot changing hands. The two suspects, both described as black and about 6-feet tall, are still on the loose.
ORANGETOWN SUPERVISOR TO FILL IN AS SEWER CHIEF WHILE SUCCESSOR IS CHOSEN
Orangetown Supervisor Paul Whelan will be immersed in sewage issues for the foreseeable future. The town’s long-time sewer director, Ron Delo, has retired. And Whalen says, rather than appointing an interim director, He’ll take-over the job – at no extra pay -- until a successor to Delo is hired. Whelan will work out of the sewer department rather than Town Hall during that time, which is expected to extend through the summer.
REPLACEMENT FOR NYC BRIDGE HEADS DOWN FROM ALBANY TOMORROW
If you see a bridge coming down the Hudson this week, there’s no need to have your eyes checked. A 350-foot-long pre-fabricated bridge sets out by barge tomorrow from a construction site just south of Albany. It’s heading for the East River in New York City, where it will replace the century-old Willis Avenue Bridge between Manhattan and the Bronx. The new span is expected to be in place by early next month.
07-09-10
BEAR SPOTTED ON POMONA SCHOOL GROUNDS
There was a bear scare at the Pomona Middle School today. Children there for summer camp were brought inside the school at about 11:30 this morning when someone spotted a black bear on the school grounds. Ramapo police were still looking for the bear at noon, when camp ended and the students were taken home. It was at least the third reported bear-siting in Rockland County since May.
RAMAPO POLICE NAB TUXEDO PARK MURDER SUSPECT
A Tuxedo Park murder suspect is in Orange County Jail today, thanks to the sharp eyes of some Ramapo police officers. Thirty-year-old Jesse Green was arrested in Ramapo late Wednesday night when police spotted his Mercedes Benz. The car’s description was in a B-O-L – or Be-On-the-Lookout report – issued earlier in the day. Green is charged with second-degree murder for allegedly beating his father to death with a frying pan. Police say Green also beat his mother, leaving her bleeding and tied-up at the scene. She’s reported in critical condition at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern. It’s not clear what caused Green’s alleged rampage at his parent’s home in that exclusive, gated community of Tuxedo Park.
BIDS UNDER REVIEW FOR E. RAMAPO’S HILLCREST SCHOOL PROPERTY
The East Ramapo school district reportedly has received three bids on the now-idle Hillcrest Elementary School. The Journal News says likely winning bid – to buy the school site for $3.2-million – is from the New Square-based Yeshiva Avir Yakov. The paper says the highest bid – of $4.3-million – is from ZD Realty of Monsey, a long-time real estate holding company for New Square. But that bid reportedly contains financing terms likely to be unacceptable to the school district. Both bidders have been prominent in the news this past year -- Yeshiva Avir Yakov for a school fire in April in which several students were briefly trapped by chained doors, and ZD Realty as owner of the site for New Square’s proposed chicken processing plant. East Ramapo closed the Hillcrest School as an economy move included this year’s district budget.
CAR TALK, NOOOO … SEX TALK, YESSSSSS
Phone-callers expecting to reach the Motor Vehicles department in Haverstraw are being shocked by the answer their getting. It’s a taped message from a phone-sex company promising hot talk at a per-minute rate. A D-M-V spokesman says the agency dropped the toll-free number more than a year ago, and that it apparently was re-issued recently to the sex hotline. The new number to call for Rockland motor-vehicle information is (718) 477-4820. Sorry, folks, but you’ll have to find the other number yourselves.
07-08-10
SOME, BUT NOT MUCH, HEAT RELIEF TODAY
There’s at least some relief for Rocklanders today, with temperatures topping out at about 90 degrees. This, after two blistering days with highs over 100 degrees. But with the humidity still high, Orange and Rockland has extended its Heat Watch Advisory for another day. O&R says the load on its system, mostly due to air conditioning, has knocked out power to some 700 Rockland homes at various times during the heat-wave. The largest of those outages, in Haverstraw yesterday, affected about 50 homes.
United Water says Rocklanders are complying with their request to cut down on water-USAGE. Robo calls asked residents on Monday to stop watering lawns while the heat wave continued. The company says county water consumption dropped by more than three-million gallons on Tuesday from Monday’s RECORD HIGH of more than 47-million gallons.
SEVEN SAVED IN WEST HAVERSTRAW FIRE
Yesterday got off to a TOUGH START or fire-fighters in West Haverstraw. Officials say some 40 volunteers put out an early-morning blaze at a Chapel Street home, evacuating up to seven people in the process. There were no casualties in the blaze, which began on the roof of the house and worked its way down to the attic. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
FIVE ARRESTED IN ALLEGED ASSAULT-ROBBERY IN CONGERS
Five Rocklanders, four of them teens, face a variety of charges after their arrests in Congers for what police describe as a violent robbery. Clarkstown police say the five males beat and robbed a man walking along Old Haverstraw Road Monday afternoon, making off with about $100 cash. It was the get-away car that was the give-away in the case. Police say an officer spotted the red Mustang convertible shortly after the alleged robbery, and all five suspects were arrested. Three of the five were charged with robbery and assault. The two others, aged 14 and 15, will face action in Family Court. The unidentified victim suffered cuts and bruises.
07-07-10
STONY POINT’S SHERWOOD: CLEAN TAP WATER EXPECTED “SOON” IN TOWN
The drinking water in Stony Point should be back to normal soon. That’s the word from town Supervisor Bill Sherwood. It was about a month ago that the water turned brown and foul-smelling in Stony Point – the result of a line-flushing by United Water. Sherwood told us two weeks ago the company had assured him the water would be clear in a few days. But that didn’t happen. The water stayed brown, and United Water stayed mum on the issue as residents wondered when they’d have clean water again. This morning, Sherwood said County Health Department officials told him yesterday a second problem had developed during the current heat wave, one that should be cleared up “soon.” In the meantime, Sherwood says, the water – even discolored -- is safe to drink.
HEAT WAVE CONTINUES, BUT SHOULD BEGIN TO BREAK BY TOMORROW
It’s another hot and steamy day in Rockland. Temperatures again will be around the 100-degree mark, with WRCR meteorologist Mark Hanok calling for a high of at least 95. Temperatures reached 104 degrees for most of the county yesterday, with one mid-afternoon reading, at the Fire Training Site in Pomona, at 107 degrees.
ROCKLANDERS URGED TO CONSERVE ENERGY & WATER DURING HEAT WAVE
Orange and Rockland says it’s held outages to a minimum so far. Fewer than 30 O&R customers were reported without electricity this afternoon, with power expected to be restored before the end of the day. But a Summer Heat Watch Advisory remains in effect, O&R reporting that customers here used more than 1,570 megawatts yesterday. That’s about 50 megawatts short of the Rockland record.
As for the drain on water, Rocklanders are being urged to let their lawns go un-watered, at least through tomorrow, when daytime highs only in the upper 80’s are expected. United Water says the county used a one-day record of more than 47-million gallons of water on Monday.
An Air-Quality Health Advisory is in effect for all of New York State. Residents are urged to limit strenuous outdoor activity in the afternoon and early evening hours. Excess ozone in the air at those times is especially harmful to people with respiratory problems.
07-06-10
HEAT WAVE CONTINUES: ROCKLANDERS ON AIR AND WATER ALERTS
Rocklanders are suffering through another sweltering day today. WRCR meteorologist Mark Hanok calls it the county’s hottest day since August of 2001, with temperatures again around 100 degrees and even more humidity than yesterday.
Orange and Rockland has issued another Summer Heat Watch Advisory. O&R says it expects electricity-usage along its system to top out at around 1,570 megawatts today – not far short of the record 1,617 megawatts, set in August of 2006. Under the advisory, O&R crews defer non-emergency work, standing ready to tackle heat-related emergency situations as they come up.
United Water is asking Rocklanders to conserve water this week. The company issued the advisory late yesterday, urging customers to restrict outdoor usage, such as lawn watering, through Thursday at least. A spokesman says the move could reduce by as much as half the amount of water used during the three-day period.
And the State of New York has issued an Air-Quality Health Advisory for Rockland and the rest of the Metropolitan Area. The county Health Department says the concern is excess ozone, which especially affects people with respiratory problems. Residents are urged to limit strenuous outdoor activity in the afternoon and early evening hours, when ozone levels are at their highest.
COOLING CENTERS OPEN DURING HEAT WAVE THROUGHOUT ROCKLAND
If you find that you can’t beat the heat, there are more than a dozen places throughout Rockland where you can go to cool off:
Cooling centers in Clarkstown – all open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. – are located at the Central Nyack Community Center, the Pascack Community Center in Nanuet, the Congers Community Center, and the Street Community Center in New City. Nyack Village Hall will serve as an additional cooling center from 9-to-5 each day during the heat wave.
Haverstraw residents can cool off during the heat wave in the Meeting Room at Town Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also open for resident-cooling – the Haverstraw Village Hall, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Orangetown Town Hall will be open for cooling from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Two TOWN-run cooling centers are open in Ramapo: Town Hall from 9-to-5 … and the St. Lawrence Center from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. And the Suffern and Spring Valley Village Halls will be open for cooling, as well – from 9-to-5 in Suffern, and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Spring Valley. All three town pools in Ramapo will be free to town residents for the duration of the heat wave.
Stony Point residents can cool off at the Town Police Department Command Center, which is open around the clock … and from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Rho Building at the Letchworth Village site.
APPARENT SUICIDE TRY THWARTED IN MONSEY
Spring Valley police thwarted an apparent suicide attempt on Sunday. A police spokesman says an off-duty officer driving through the parking lot at the Heitman Drive Apartments just before midnight saw an idling car with a hose extending from its tailpipe into a passenger-side window. That officer and a second called in to assist were able to pull a man from inside the car in time to save his life. The man, whose name was not released, is thought to have been depressed over financial issues.
BODY OF MONSEY MAN FOUND ON RAILROAD TRACKS
The body of a Monsey man was found on a stretch of little-used railroad tracks in that village yesterday. The victim is identified as 22-year-old Moshe Gluck. Ramapo police say there was no indication that Gluck’s death involved foul play. Because of that, and the fact that Gluck was a religious Jew, no autopsy was performed to determine the exact cause of Gluck’s death.
07-02-10
BUSINESSMAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING COUPLE IN THEIR MONSEY HOME
A Rockland businessman is charged with assaulting a Monsey couple inside their home two weeks ago. Ramapo police say 34-year-old Jacob Wagschal broke into the unidentified couple’s Kaufman Court residence on June 19th, then punched and beat the husband with a cane, and shoved the wife. Wagschal, who owns JW Developers in Monsey, is charged with felony counts of burglary and attempted assault. Police say Wagschal and the couple apparently had been involved in a dispute over parking.
COUNTY LEGISLATORS ENDORSE FUNDING-RELIEF MEASURE FOR NON-PROFITS
Rockland’s county legislators have voted to support the formation of a local development corporation to help non-profit organizations stay afloat. Two legislative committees voted unanimously this week to create the agency, which would provide the non-profits with tax-exempt bond financing. That’s something that non-profits have enjoyed state-wide for several years, but lost in the state’s current economic crisis. The full county legislature is scheduled to vote on the measure next Tuesday.
STATE LAWMAKERS OKAY ORANGE COUNTY GANG- COURT MEASURE
The State Assembly voted this week to let Orange County take new steps to deal with gangs. Gang activity has been a big problem in the city of Newburgh, in particular. The legislation would set up a pilot program to create special courts to try all gang-related cases. Proponents say the courts would make it easier and less expensive to resolve gang issues.
COYOTES SUSPECTED IN UPPER GRANDVIEW DEER-KILL
Those brazen coyotes that have been in the news in Westchester County may have some like-minded cousins here in Rockland. The Journal News says an Upper Grandview woman spotted what she thinks were two coyotes last Saturday, not long after her husband found a dead fawn in their back yard. The young deer apparently had been attacked by another animal. Animal control officials say coyotes haven’t been much of a problem in Rockland -- but may be more active these days because of an increase in the local deer population. Two young children were scratched and bitten by coyotes last week in Rye.
ROCKLAND OFFICIALS WARN OF FIRE THREAT FROM BACKYARD FIREWORKS
Rockland officials are warning residents to be extra careful this year with backyard fireworks. Aside from the fact that firecrackers and the like are ILLEGAL in New York State, they can also start fires. County emergency services chief Gordon Wren says that’s especially true of bottle rockets and similar fireworks, which are often shot from back yards into nearby woods. Wren issued the warning this morning, about 12 hours after Hillcrest fire-fighters had to climb South Mountain to put out a blaze in Gurney Park. It was apparently the result of a camp fire, but Wren says it’s an apt reminder about firework safety, as well.
HAVERSTRAW FIREWORKS LEAD INTO WEEKEND CELEBRATIONS
Rockland’s pre-Fourth-of-July municipal fireworks continue tonight in Haverstraw. The festivities at Bowline Point Park kick off at 7 o’clock with music by the Summers Dream Orchestra and fireworks at 9:30. Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw offers a second venue for watching the riverside pyrotechnics. The hospital’s second annual Independence Day bash gets under way at 7 p.m. A five-dollar admission fee gets you in for an evening of food, music, rides, and a hillside view of the Bowline Park fireworks. The village of Tappan holds its celebration tomorrow night. And on Sunday the Fourth, Pearl River and Nyack round out the weekend firework schedule.
07-01-10
ROCKLAND MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS’ WEDNESDAY TOLL: ONE DEAD, ONE INJURED
Two motorcycle accidents in Rockland yesterday left one man dead and another seriously injured. The fatal crash occurred just before 11 p.m. on Route 9-W in Haverstraw. Details of the accident and the victim’s name were not immediately released. Earlier in the day, a Ramapo police officer was critically injured when his motorcycle collided with a car in Wesley Hills. Police say the officer, 57-year-old Joseph Hannes, was off-duty when the 4 p.m. accident occurred. He was traveling east on Route 202 when the car, driven by a Monsey woman, reportedly cut in front of him to make a left-hand turn onto Spook Rock Road. Hannes was taken to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla with head and internal injuries. He was listed in critical condition today following surgery. Ramapo police say Hannes was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
FEDERAL FUNDS TO PAY FOR FIRE-MASK FITTINGS
Uncle Sam will pick up the tab for fitting Rockland’s volunteer fire-fighters with safety masks. That’s the word from county emergency services chief Gordon Wren, who says he’ll use funds from a federal public-safety grant to cover the fittings for the rest of the year. Wren had said Tuesday that departmental budget trimming likely would mean the fire-fighters themselves would have to pick up the $30 mask-fitting fee. But he told county legislators last night he’ll dip into the federal grant instead – for the fittings, and for an $11,000 mask-testing device that all the county’s fire departments can use.
PUBLIC VIEWS T-Z BRIDGE-CORRIDOR PLANS
Hundreds of Rocklanders got a sneak peak at the Tappan-Zee Bridge-and-corridor plans yesterday. Details of the $16-billion project were on display during a four-hour open house at the Palisades Mall. The Journal News says the plan – for a new bridge-and-commuter rail line linking Rockland and Westchester -- drew mixed reactions from those who attended. The main concerns reportedly were about the project’s cost and environmental impact. The Rockland open house followed a similar session for Westchester residents Monday night in Greenburgh.
FIREWORKS IN CLARKSTOWN TONIGHT; MORE ELSEWHERE IN ROCKLAND THIS WEEKEND
The Fourth of July weekend starts a day early in Clarkstown. The town’s Family Music and Fireworks display kicks off at 8 o’clock tonight on the grounds of Nanuet High School. Similar events are on tap tomorrow night in Haverstraw and West Haverstraw. Tappan and West Point have their celebrations on Saturday night. Nyack and Pearl River hold theirs on Sunday – the actual Fourth.
06-30-10
BOIL-WATER ORDER IN EFFECT IN UPPER NYACK AND VALLEY COTTAGE
Upper Nyack residents and some in Valley Cottage are on orders to boil their drinking water. United Water says the order will stick until final tests show the water is drinkable. The lines to those areas were shut-off for several hours on Sunday due to low oxygen levels in the county’s main reservoir, Lake DeForest. County Health Department officials say such shutdowns can allow contaminants to enter the system. The boil order is for drinking water only. Boiling is not required for other uses, such as washing or watering plants.
COUNTY CUTBACKS FORCE VOLUNTEER FIRE-FIGHTERS TO BUY OWN SAFETY MASKS
Rockland’s volunteer fire-fighters are being asked to pay for their own safety masks. The COUNTY has picked up the tab for the 30-dollar face masks up to now. But fire and emergency services chief Gordon Wren says he and other department heads have been told to trim spending. And he says it was either lose the mask allowance or offer fewer training classes to the county’s 2,800 fire-fighters, all of whom serve without pay.
BASEBALL TOURNAMENT TO MEMORIALIZE SUFFERN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS KILLED IN CRASH
Suffern High School is staging a regional baseball tournament this weekend in honor of two Suffern High players who died earlier this year. Eighteen year-old Vincent Crotty and 17-year-old Christopher Konkowski were killed March 30th when Konkowski’s car collided with a truck on Route 202. The weekend tournament – at the Suffern Baseball Complex on Chestnut Street -- begins Friday evening with a game between the Suffern Blue Devils and New City Outlaws. Two other wood-bat-league teams -- from Hasting and Somers in Westchester County -- will also take part in the tournament. Admission is free. All donations and income from T-shirt sales and a planned raffle will go to scholarship funds set up in Crotty’s and Konkowski’s names.
SECOND COYOTE ATTACK IN LESS THAN WEEK IN RYE LEAVES 3-YEAR-OLD INJURED
Another child has been attacked by a coyote in Rye. Police say the three-year-old girl was playing in the yard of her home when the attack took place last evening. Two Coyotes set upon a six-year-old girl in a nearby Rye neighborhood last Friday night. Both children suffered what are described as non-life-threatening injuries.
06-29-10
TEMPORARY BRIDGE TO RE-OPEN UNION ROAD IN SPRING VALLEY
The long-awaited re-opening of Union Road in Spring Valley is less than a month away. That’s according to village officials, who say a temporary replacement bridge will go up in mid-July at Morris Road. That will open the way for through traffic on Union Road for the first time since the old bridge was closed due to flooding problems two years ago. A permanent bridge will go up at Morris Road when a village-and-county-sponsored drainage project is completed.
LAKE DEFOREST WATER BACK ON TAP AFTER SHUTDOWN
Rockland County’s largest reservoir is back on line after a brief shutdown. United Water closed its main treatment plant for several hours yesterday, reportedly because of low oxygen levels in Lake Deforest. A company spokesman says the plant was re-started after workers replaced an intake pipe and cleaned filters. Parts of Valley Cottage and Upper Nyack were without water service during the shutdown.
STONY POINT WATER STILL DISCOLORED
United Water customers in Stony Point are still dealing with murky, brown drinking water. The problem began early this month when the water company performed a high-pressure flushing job to clear excess iron from its main Stony Point lines. Town supervisor William Sherwood says United Water officials told him last week the water would be clear again within a few days. But as of this morning, some town residents said the water, which is drinkable, remained discolored.
PUBLIC TO VIEW T-Z BRIDGE-CORRIDOR PLANS TOMORROW
Rocklanders will get a chance this week to view plans for the Tappan-Zee bridge and corridor project. An open house is set for tomorrow – 4 to 8 p.m. – in the Adler meeting room at the Palisades Mall. Project officials will be there with details of several options still under consideration, The $16-billion project will link Rockland and Westchester with a new bridge over which a commuter rail line will run. Hundreds of Westchester residents turned out for a bridge-project open house yesterday in Greenburgh.
06-28-10
HEAT WATCH ADVISORY IN EFFECT TODAY
Orange and Rockland has issued another heat watch advisory -- its third since summer began one week ago. This means the utility company expects an excessive load on its power system today, presumably due to air conditioning. Temperatures in the low- to mid-90’s are expected, along with high humidity and possible late-afternoon thunderstorms. O&R is asking residents to help head-off power failures by taking energy-conserving steps – chief among them, keeping indoor air-conditioners set at 78 degrees or higher.
TASER-THREAT MUGGING REPORTED AT NANUET MALL
Two men claiming to be armed with a Taser reportedly pulled off a robbery here at the Nanuet Mall over the weekend. Clarkstown police say the two approached a man under the mall’s outside parking deck at about 6 p.m. Saturday and threatened to “zap” him unless he withdrew cash from a mall ATM. The 20-year-old alleged victim says he complied, even though he never actually saw a taser. The two suspects, both described as white males with dark hair, fled by car.
MONSEY TOT ON “BIG WHEEL” TRIKE HIT BY VAN
A two-year-old Monsey boy was injured yesterday, reportedly seriously, when he was hit by a van outside a home on Remsen Avenue. Ramapo police say the boy was riding his “Big Wheel” tricycle in the driveway of the home when the incident took place. He reportedly was dragged ten to 15 feet by the van, which was in the process of making a turn in the driveway. The full extent of the boy’s injuries is unclear. He was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan for treatment.
COUNTY-SPONSORED ORGANIC FARM TO OPEN IN NEW CITY
Rockland County takes a big step this week toward returning to its agrarian roots. The Journal News says the county Farm Alliance will sign a lease with owners of the Cropsey Community Farm in New City tomorrow to set aside five acres of fallow land for organic food production. The goal, reportedly, is to grow enough produce to feed more than 150 local families. Rockland was home to hundreds of farms, before the Tappan Zee Bridge helped usher in a housing boom that used up most of the farmland.
PARTY DOLLS HEADLINE RAMAPO FIREWORKS DISPLAY
Despite the 90-degree heat and high humidity, thousands of Rocklanders joined WRCR at the Rockland Community College campus last night for this year’s Thunder Over Ramapo event. The pre-Fourth of July fireworks display capped off an evening of entertainment that included local bands and singers, sky-divers … and this year’s main act, The Party Dolls. Their lead song – appropriately enough – was the 1960’s favorite, “Heat Wave.”
06-25-10
CLARKSTOWN TEACHERS AGREE TO 18-MONTH SALARY FREEZE
Teachers in a second Rockland school district have agreed to tighten their own belts during the state’s current economic crisis. Clarkstown teachers approved a new five-year contract yesterday that starts with an 18-month salary freeze. The pact, which goes to the school board next Monday, also trims salary increases for the remaining three-and-a-half years to no more than 3% annually -- about half their usual size. North Rockland teachers agreed to big salary give-backs earlier this year.
DETAILS OF T-Z BRIDGE PROJECT TO BE UNVEILED NEXT WEEK
Key details of the Tappan-Zee bridge project will be officially unveiled next week. The $16-billion project gets its first public displays Monday at the Westchester Marriot in Greenburgh and Wednesday at the Palisades Mall. Some 50 local residents, all stake-holders in the project, got a preview yesterday in West Nyack. Among the highlights: plans to connect the bridge corridor to more than a dozen bus lines from Orange County, northern New Jersey and Connecticut -- and a projected re-design of Thruway Exit 10 at the bridge approach in Nyack.
AUDIT: ORANGETOWN FINANCIALLY SOUND
A new audit shows the town of Orangetown is in good shape, financially. Details of the town-financed audit, unveiled this week, show actual increases in some town accounts last year despite big cutbacks in state aid. This, as a result of even bigger cuts in spending by the town. One area of concern: Orangetown’s two municipal golf courses, which lost more than a half-million dollars in 2009.
COUNTY LEGISLATURE TO STATE: “PUT FREEZE ON FRACKING”
The Rockland County legislature is now on record against hydraulic fracking. The controversial drilling method for natural gas has come under fire from environmentalists, who say it poses big threats to the state’s wildlife and water supply. The legislature voted this week to urge Governor David Paterson to impose a moratorium on the practice pending further scientific study.
WEST POINT IS FIRST STOP IN PRINCE HARRY’S NY VISIT
A visit to West Point today highlights the start of a three-day stay in New York for Britain’s Prince Harry. The son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was to take part in live-ammunition drills and field exercises while AT the military academy. Harry served with British forces in Afghanistan two years ago.
06-24-10
MIRANT SEEKS 97.5% TAX ASSESSMENT REDUCTION ON BOWLINE PLANT
North Rockland faces the possibility of another financial blow from the Mirant Corporation. The energy firm has filed a new property tax grievance with the Town of Haverstraw, seeking a 97.5% assessment reduction on its Bowline plant. Mirant says the reduction is warranted because the plant operates less than ten percent of the time. The town agreed earlier this year to reduce Mirant’s assessment by nearly 50% -- from $378-million to $197-million. The new grievance seeks to slash that figure to just $5-million. That reportedly would lower Bowline’s 2010 tax payment to the North Rockland school district from the current $6.2-million to less than $160,000.
SHERWOOD: STONY POINT WATER TO CLEAR UP IN A FEW DAYS
Stony Point Supervisor William Sherwood says the drinking water in his town should be clear again soon. Residents have been watching brownish, rust-smelling water pour from their taps for several days now. Sherwood told WRCR listeners this morning his office has been getting dozens of calls each day from residents asking what the problem is and when it will be fixed. Sherwood said he put those questions directly from United Water and found out the following: the “problem” is that the water company has been flushing its main lines in Stony Point with extra force this year to flush-out iron deposits. And now that the flushing is over, the tap-water water should be clear and fresh-smelling within a few days.
FOTBALLER TAYLOR INDICTED FOR STATUTORY RAPE IN TEEN-SEX CASE
A Rockland grand jury has indicted former New York Giants football star Lawrence Taylor for statutory rape. The 51-year-old Taylor is charged with having sex with a 16-year-old runaway at the Holiday Inn in Montebello on May sixth. Taylor denies that actual sexual intercourse took place. He admits paying an alleged New York City pimp $300 for the tryst -- but says he was told that the girl was 19 years old. Taylor faces arraignment July 13th in Rockland County Court.
KEY HEARING SET FOR GARZA MURDER SUSPECT
The prime suspect in the killing of aspiring dancer Laura Garza is due in Orange County Court on July 14th for a key hearing. Michael Mele of Wallkill was with the 25-year-old Garza when she was last seen alive – at a Manhattan night club in December of 2008. Her body was found two months ago in a Pennsylvania field. The July 14th hearing is on whether credit cards found in Mele’s home can be used against him if he’s charged with Garza’s death. Mele is currently in Orange County jail for failing to register as a sex offender.
NICHOLSON FRAUD CASE ADJOURNED INDEFINITELY
Former Rockland financial consultant James Nicholson wins a delay in his case. The 43-year-old Nicholson pleaded guilty in December to defrauding investment clients out of some $40-million, although prosecutors say the actual figure is $140-million or more. A U.S. District Court judge in Manhattan adjourned the case indefinitely yesterday to give time to Nicholson’s new legal team. He fired his original lawyers not long after entering the guilty plea. Nicholson, now of Saddle River, New Jersey, faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
06-23-10
MOTORCYCLIST KILLED ON THRUWAY IN SLOATSBURG
An Orange County motorcyclist was killed on the Thruway in Rockland yesterday. State police say 50-year-old Brendan Brown of Goshen died after colliding with an SUV in Sloatsburg, between exits 16 and 15-A. Witnesses reportedly said Brown had been driving erratically ahead of the Jeep Grand Cherokee just before the 9:30 a.m. accident. Brown was thrown from his motorcycle into a guardrail. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Cherokee driver was not charged.
SPRING VALLEY TEEN CHARGED WITH WIELDING A MACHETE AT VILLAGE BRAWL
A 14-year-old Spring Valley boy is charged with carrying a machete to a street brawl in the village earlier this week. Police say several people were injured in the Monday-afternoon brawl on Prospect Street. A number of other weapons, including golf clubs, reportedly were used during the fight. One adult alleged combatant, 32-year-old Troy Montgomery of Haverstraw, was charged with weapons possession and assault. He’s being held without bail in county jail.
FINGERPRINTS LEAD TO ARREST IN 2005 HARRIMAN PARK ASSAULT
Police at Harriman State park say a finger-print check has led to an arrest in a five-year-old assault case. Thirty-three year-old former Tuxedo resident Filiberto Gonzalez is charged with attacking – and attempting to kidnap -- a 30-year-old woman inside the park in September of 2005. Police say Gonzalez, who fled the scene, later took on an alias and moved from the area. He was arrested in Toms River, New Jersey, last month on a domestic assault charge – and identified as Gonzalez when his finger-prints were run through. He’s being held in Orange County Jail on $250,000 bail.
MAN IN PHOTO SOUGHT IN FOUR RAMAPO ROBBERIES
Ramapo police say a man photographed while robbing a Monsey gas station on Monday may have committed three other robberies first. Police yesterday released a security-camera photo of the man in the process of stealing a cash register from the Route-59 Shell station about 3:30 Monday morning. They say he matches the description of a man they believe robbed three other Ramapo businesses earlier that same night. The suspect is described as white, in his 30’s or 40’s, about six feet tall, and with receding blond hair. If you have information about any of the robberies, you’re urged to call Ramapo police at 357-5100, or Spring Valley police at 356-7400.
06-22-10
ROCKLAND GAY-RIGHTS ACTIVIST CHARGED IN S. CAROLINA TEEN-SEX CASE
A prominent Rockland gay rights activist faces charges in South Carolina of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teen-ager. Police in Conway, South Carolina, say 59-year-old Louis Tharp of Upper Nyack held the 15-year-old boy captive and assaulted him at a Conway gym last Thursday. Tharp was chairman of the Rockland County anti-bias Commission in 1997, and he was mentioned as a possible candidate in the State Senate race this year. He’s out on $50,000 bail, awaiting a court appearance in South Carolina on August sixth.
CHURCH TO PROBE RESIGNATION OF GARNERVILLE PASTOR
The Catholic Church is investigating the sudden resignation of a Rockland County priest. The Reverend Thomas Kreiser resigned last week as pastor of St. Gregory Barbarigo church in Garnerville. An archdiocese spokesman says Kreiser served the parish enthusiastically during his two-year tenure but came forward last week seeking help for what the spokesman described only as “personal problems.” The resignation comes as St. Gregory Barbarigo celebrates its 50th anniversary.
WITH SOUND AND SAFETY IN MIND, COUNTY TO UPGRADE RAILROAD CROSSINGS
Rockland County has stepped up its campaign to make railroad crossings both safer and quieter. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef says experts will be checking crossings throughout the county, with an eye toward design improvements to make the use of warning horns unnecessary. Current law requires trains to sound their horns at crossings that don’t have strict car- and pedestrian-safety measures in place. Residents who live near many of Rockland’s railroad crossings have long complained about trains sounding their horns, especially at night.
06-21-10
STATE LAWMAKERS PASS MORAHAN-BACKED MENTAL-HEALTH BILLS
State Senator Thomas Morahan has scored two victories in Albany for people with severe mental health issues. One is the Senate passage last week of legislation to extend Kendra’s Law. The other – passage of a bill removing the word “retardation” from a state agency serving the mentally ill. Morahan, who chairs the senate’s Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee, pressed for both pieces of legislation. Kendra’s Law is aimed at assuring continued treatment and developmental training for those with severe mental illness. It’s named for a woman who was pushed to her death on the tracks of a New York City subway line in 1999 by a mentally ill person who was not being treated. As for the agency name-change – the State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabiliites will become the State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. Both pieces of legislation now await Governor David Paterson’s signature.
COUNTY SEEKS EMPLOYERS FOR YOUTH WORK PROGRAM
Here in Rockland, officials are seeking employers to take part in the county’s Youth Employment Program. The year-long program gives young people between the ages of 14 and 18 a chance to work for at least the minimum wage at jobs in both the public and private sectors. The county contributes half their salary for up to 25 hours a week, easing the burden for participating employers.
RAMAPO BALLPARK CRITICS SAY THEY’LL HAVE PETITIONS SIGNED BY END OF THIS WEEK
Opponents of Ramapo’s planned 3,500 seat baseball stadium say they’ll deliver petitions to town hall this week with 1,500 or more signatures. The petitions call for a public vote on the town’s plan to finance the $16.5-million project, which is slated for completion by next summer.
PEARL RIVER RELAY FOR LIFE SCORES BIG FOR CANCER RESEARCH
Sponsors say Rockland County’s first Relay for Life was a smashing success. County Legislator John Murphy says the walkathon, held over the weekend in Pearl River, brought in as much as twice the initial $40,000 goal for cancer research. Murphy, who co-chaired the event with his wife Eileen, said $60,000 had been pledged before the event even started. And later estimates put the eventual take at possibly $75,000 or more.
06-18-10
UNITED WATER GETS OKAY FOR SURCHARGE; ST. LAWRENCE TO FIGHT IT
Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence is up in arms over United Water’s plan to tack a $30 surcharge on the average customer’s payment for the rest of this year. The state Public Service Commission agreed yesterday to allow United Water to add the surcharge, incrementally, for the period from July through December. The collection will total $3.1-million, the amount United Water under-collected from its customers last year for reasons including increases in production costs and taxes. Speaking on WRCR this morning, St. Lawrence called this just another example of PSC coziness with the state’s utility companies. And he said he’ll go to Governor David Paterson – and, if necessary, to State Supreme Court -- to get the surcharge killed.
SETTLEMENT ALLOWS SHABBOS HOUSE TO STAY OPEN
The village of Suffern has settled a four-year legal battle with the operators of Shabbos House. That’s the guesthouse provided for observant Jews visiting relatives at Good Samaritan Hospital on holy days. Because the house, on a residential street, can accommodate up to 14 people, the village said it violated local single-family zoning laws. But the federal government stepped in, arguing that closing Shabbos House would violate religious land-use laws. The settlement allows the house to continue operating.
ROCKLAND MAN BUSTED IN ARIZONA, ALLEGEDLY WITH 340-POUND POT STASH
A traffic stop in Arizona, this week led to the arrest of a Spring Valley man on drug charges. Police say 37-year-old Nigel Davis was pulled over on Interstate 17 in Prescott Tuesday night after making an unsafe lane change. A search of Davis’s pick-up truck reportedly turned up more than 340 pounds of marijuana hidden in a bogus gas tank. Davis is jailed in Arizona on $300,000 bond, charged with transporting marijuana with the intent to sell.
NEW CITY MAN TO TRY MT. RAINIER CLIMB (AGAIN) FOR CHARITY
A New City man intends to get high out West – about three miles high, if all goes well. But Andrew Freirich’s quest is not only legal; it’s for charity. Freirich hopes to climb to the 14,000-foot summit of Washington’s Mt. Rainier – and to collect $10,000 from sponsors for St. Jude Hospital in the process. That Memphis institution specializes in treating children with cancer. Freirich – who, himself, has battled skin cancer – tried the climb last year but was turned back by weather conditions. He’ll start the new climb on July 12th.
06-17-10
ROCKLAND HOUSING STARTS – AND HOME REMODELING JOBS – REPORTED ON THE RISE
A new report shows Rockland leading much of the Metropolitan Area in new home construction. Census figures released this week say 547 housing units were built in Rockland last year -- compared with 63 in Westchester and just 18 in Putnam County. Only Orange and Nassau topped Rockland among the suburban counties. By far, the majority of new units in Rockland are in Ramapo – due mostly to the growth of the county’s Orthodox Jewish community.
The census figures come as the U.S. Commerce Department reports a 10% drop in new home construction nationwide in May. The report suggests that things won’t get better soon – as new building permits dropped nearly six percent in the same period.
One bright spot, though. The Journal News reports that the number of home repair and remodeling jobs has turned sharply upward in Rockland since April. But the report says even though more people are re-investing in their existing homes, they’re doing it with tighter fists – keeping the remodeling jobs smaller and less expensive than in the past.
NYACK NURSES TO STAGE “INFORMATIONAL” PICKETING MODAY
Nyack nurses will stage another round of “informational” picketing outside the hospital next week. Negotiations on a new nurses’ contract, under way since last fall, have stalled over the hospital’s demand for givebacks, including what the nurses call “deep cuts” in their health care plan. The picketing is scheduled for next Monday outside Nyack Hospital’s main entrance. The nurses staged their first demonstration on March ninth, and say they’ll stage more until there’s a new contract.
CLARKSTOWN HIGHWAY SUPT. BALLARD HONORED
Clarkstown Highway Superintendent Wayne Ballard has been honored by his peers. The New York State Society of Professional Engineers named Ballard this year’s Government Engineer of the Year. Ballard received the award yesterday when the society’s Rockland County chapter held its annual dinner. Ballard has been credited with streamlining Clarkstown’s highway department – and with introducing new and more effective approaches to the department’s work. Among his innovations: the pre-treating of town roads with brine, or salt water, before winter storms start, in order to minimize icy conditions.
SUFFERN SCHOOL HONORS SLAIN TEACHER
Hundreds of Suffern residents were on hand at the Connor Elementary School yesterday to pay tribute to Jami Erlich. The 32-year-old phys-ed teacher was brutally murdered last November at her home in Valley Cottage. Yesterday was Olympic Day at the Connor school. That’s said to have been one of Erlich’s favorite annual events – so, it was on this Olympic Day that a memorial site for Erlich was dedicated at the school’s athletic field. A plaque at the site reads, in part, “… you will live forever in our hearts.”
06-16-10
EAST RAMAPO VOTERS APPROVE SCHOOL BUDGET
East Ramapo has a school budget. District voters approved a $196-million package yesterday, one month after rejecting the initial proposal for about $2-million more. The budget approval means big cutbacks for the district – layoffs for more than a hundred employees including teachers, and the closing of Hillcrest Elementary School. The winning margin was about 700 votes out of 9,000 cast – a turnout of about half the number who voted on May eleventh. The new budget means a tax increase for district residents of four to eight percent, depending on how much funding comes down from Albany when the state budget is finally approved.
VANDERHOEF: COUNTY WORKING WITH PFIZER TO KEEP PEARL RIVER SITE FULLY OCCUPIED
Rockland County and Pfizer reportedly are working together to keep the drug-manufacturer’s Pearl River campus intact. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef made the disclosure yesterday during a meeting of fellow county leaders at Dominican College. Vanderhoef said Pfizer has agreed to work with the County to lease or sell any buildings on the campus that become vacant as the pharmaceutical firm downsizes. Pfizer is closing the manufacturing end of its Pearl River facility over the next four years, laying off nearly two-thirds of its 3,000 employees there. The objective of the partnership, said Vanderhoef, is to bring in other bio-pharmaceutical or bio-technical firms to occupy the vacated Pfizer space, thus avoiding a big drop in Orangetown’s tax base.
INFORMANT LIES; DRUG SUSPECT SPRUNG
Prosecutors have dropped their case against a Pearl River man accused of dealing drugs. Twenty-two year-old Maxim Tokar got the good news yesterday in County Court when the District Attorney’s office disclosed that its key witness – a police informant – had lied when he said Tokar sold him prescription drugs. The witness, Daniel Bennet, got the worst of yesterday’s proceedings. He was charged with first-degree perjury as the charges against Tokar were dropped.
ANOTHER BLACK BEAR CAPTURED IN ROCKLAND
A police chase through a residential neighborhood of Nanuet yesterday ended with a bear in custody. The black bear was roaming not far from the Nanuet High and Middle Schools when first seen. The schools were locked down briefly as police and animal control officers gave chase – finally TREEING the bear outside a home on Church Street. A tranquilizer dart brought the 150-pound male down, dazed but alive. It was Rockland’s second such incident in less than a month. A black bear was tranquilized and captured May 27th after climbing a tree on the Pfizer campus in Pearl River.
06-15-10
EAST RAMAPO BUDGET RE-VOTE TODAY
East Ramapo residents are voting today for a second time on the upcoming year’s school budget. The initial $198-million package was rejected last month, Rockland’s only school budget defeated this year. The revised package retains most of the controversial elements of the original, including more than a hundred staff and teacher layoffs and the closing of Hillcrest Elementary School. But opponents of the current school board are urging a “yes” vote. They say the board favors an even more severe austerity budget, despite the major program cuts it likely would mean, because the board’s Hassidic majority sends its children to yeshivas, not public schools.
FARLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL TO LOSE POLICE LIAISON
The Farley Middle School in Stony Point won’t have a police officer on premises when it reopens in the fall. Farley’s current school resource officer, Theresa Roberts, is returning to patrol duty as the town’s short-staffed police force deals with the financial crunch. She’s been at the school since 2008, preventing violence and helping students with problems such as bullying. Police Chief Patrick Brophy says he needs more officers out on patrol. And town officials say they can’t afford to hire a new officer in order to keep Roberts at the Farley School.
PUBLIC HEARINGS SET FOR T-Z BRIDGE PROJECT
Details of the Tappan Zee Bridge-replacement project go public this month. The Bridge-Corridor Project team will unveil the plan at a public hearing in Greenburgh on June 28th, and again on the 30th, in West Nyack. The $16-billion project includes not only a new bridge but commuter bus and rail lines over it. Charts and models will be used at the hearings to show where and how such things as train stations will be built along the bridge corridor in Rockland and Westchester counties.
CONSTRUCTION CO. RE-HIRED FOR SECOND PHASE OF T-Z RESURFACING
The state Thruway Authority has hired the same company that’s been resurfacing the existing Tappan Zee to stay with the project for Phase Two. That means two more years on the bridge for the Tutor Perini Corporation, which has been re-plating the outside lanes of the bridge for the past two years. Phase Two means decking plates for the center lanes, along with new and taller bridge railings to hinder suicide attempts.
06-14-10
EAST RAMAPO BUDGET RE-VOTE TOMORROW
Voters in East Ramapo go to the polls tomorrow for a second chance to approve the upcoming year’s school budget. The initial, $198-million package was Rockland’s ONLY school budget to be rejected in last month’s voting – in part, because it called for the firing of more than a hundred staff members, including teachers, and the closing of one elementary school. Those cost-cutting measures remain in the revised package. But supporters say it’s still better than the alternative – an austerity program that would likely curtail popular school programs such as music and drama.
FIRED COP SETTLES SUIT AGAINST TOWN OF RAMAPO
A half-million-dollar settlement ends a fired police officer’s lawsuit against the town of Ramapo. Andrew Dale was fired from the force two years ago when he was accused of sexually abusing a Monsey woman. But criminal charges were dropped when the woman was found to have lied on the witness stand – and Dale filed suit in federal court over his firing. The settlement, totaling $559,000 in back salary and benefits, allows Dale to retire voluntarily from the Ramapo force with a clean record.
NEWBURGH TERROR SUSPECTS GO ON TRIAL TOMORROW
The so-called “Newburgh Four” go on trial in White Plains Wednesday. James Cromitie, Onta Williams, David Williams, and Laguerre Payen are charged with the attempted bombing of several Bronx synagogues in May of last year. Federal prosecutors say it was a case of anti-Semitic terrorism, but defense attorneys say their clients were led into the plot by a government informant. During the trial, Both sides reportedly will rely heavily on audio tapes made during the year-long investigation – the prosecution to incriminate the four, the defense to vindicate them.
MAN SOUGHT AFTER MT. IVY STANDOFF
A stand-off at the Mount Ivy Trailer Park kept dozens of police busy for more than three hours Saturday night. It’s unclear what touched off the incident, which brought Haverstraw police to the scene along with Sheriff’s officers and, reportedly, even a swat team. Police say the siege ended with no casualties – but, apparently, without an arrest either. At last word, a male suspect was being sought in the case.
LARGE TURNOUT FOR ROCKLAND GAY PRIDE EVENT
Some 2,000 people turned out in Nyack Saturday for the 12th annual Gay Pride in Rockland event. The festivities, at the Riverspace Arts Center, included music, dance and family activities. And, in a possible sign of growing acceptance of gays and lesbians, more than a dozen politicians and members of the clergy were on hand as well.
06-11-10
U.S. GYPSUM CLOSES DOORS AT STONY POINT PLANT
Today is the last day of work at the U.S. Gypsum plant in Stony Point. The wall-board maker is laying the last 70 of its employees at the plant off -- a result of the nationwide building slowdown that’s slashed demand for its products. U.S. Gypsum is reported to be keeping the Stony Point facility intact in hopes of a possible re-opening if and when the economy improves.
GAMBLING RAIDS NET THREE FAMILY MEMBERS
A gambling bust has brought down three members of what prosecutors call a mob-related family. Frank Fea, his son Alfred and daughter-in-law Tracey were arrested Wednesday at their homes in Saddle River, New Jersey and Middletown, New York. Those and additional raids in Rockland and the Bronx reportedly netted nearly $400,000 in cash, as well as weapons, slot machines, and some $3-million in bank accounts. Rockland District Attorney Thomas Zugibe promises more arrests in the now-16-month-old gambling investigation. Each of the Feas faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted.
THREE STONY POINT OFFICERS INJURED IN CAR CHASE
Three Stony Point police officers were injured in Tompkins Cove yesterday when their cruisers were rammed during a high-speed chase. Eighteen-year-old Bryan Ronga of Haverstraw was hit with a variety of charges, including illegally fleeing police and reckless endangerment. Police say they began chasing Ronga’s car at about 3 p.m. following a citizen’s complaint – and that party-way through the chase, Ronga reversed direction and rammed his car into the two pursuing cruisers, injuring two officers – and then tried to run down a third officer, who was off-duty, injuring him as well. All three officers were treated at and released from Nyack hospital. Ronga is due in court July first.
THREE STILL SOUGHT IN NANUET CAB-DRIVER ROBBERY TRY
Clarkstown police are still on the lookout for three men who, they say, tried to rob a cab driver Wednesday night in Nanuet. A fourth suspect, 20-year-old Darmar Delisser of Spring Valley, was arrested and charged with second-degree robbery. Police say Delisser and the others demanded money from the cab driver upon arriving at their destination – but fled empty-handed when the driver floored the gas and drove down an embankment. Delisser was picked up shortly after the incident. The whereabouts of the other suspects remain unknown.
SHERIFF’S DEPT. DRUG DROP-OFF SCHEDULED TOMORROW
The county sheriff’s department is taking drugs. Your drugs, to be exact. Tomorrow being the second Saturday of the month, residents are being asked to drop off any unused, unwanted or out-dated drugs – no questions asked. The place – the sheriff’s offices at 55 New Hempstead Road in New City. The time – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s part of County’s the effort to combat the growing sale by young people of prescription drugs taken from their parents’ medicine cabinets.
06-10-10
SOLDIER LEAPS FROM TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE
For the second time in six months, an American soldier has committed suicide from the Tappan Zee Bridge. State police say 19-year-old U.S. Army private Elizabeth Lynch-Gonzalez of Shrub Oak leapt from the bridge at about 2:30 this morning. She reportedly was heading for duty at a Texas military base. A 22-year-old Army reservist, Wolfe Aristide of Spring Valley, jumped to his death from the Tappan Zee in January, months before he was to be deployed to Iraq.
CAB DRIVER THWARTS ROBBERY IN NANUET
Clarkstown police are looking for three of the four men who, they say, tried to rob a cab driver in Nanuet last night. The fourth man – whose name is being withheld – was arrested shortly after the alleged robbery. The cab driver reportedly managed to thwart the robbery when he floored the gas and drove the cab down an embankment. Police say the four suspects fled empty-handed. The one arrested is charged with second-degree robbery. The whereabouts of the other three are unknown.
FORMER TREASURER PLEADS GUILTY TO THEFT OF LITTLE LEAGUE FUNDS
Former Stony Point Little League Treasurer Karen Ramos pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing $156,000 from the league. The 43-year-old Ramos faces up to 15 years in jail when sentenced August eleventh. But she could wind up with a much lighter sentence, including no jail time -- because Ramos has repayed all but about $10,000 of the stolen funds. She pleaded guilty to taking the money over a five–year period ending last year through illegal cash withdrawals from the little league accounts.
DISBARRED LAWYER CHARGED WITH STEALING $52,000 IN REAL-ESTATE DEAL
Prosecutors say a disbarred lawyer from New City stole more than $50,000 in a failed real-estate deal. Sixty-eight year-old Raymond Perez was indicted this week for grand larceny in the case, which dates back to 2006. It was then that a New York City couple reportedly paid Perez $52,000 to represent them in the purchase of a Bronx property to be used for a church. Rockland District Attorney Thomas Zugibe says the deal fell through – and Perez made off with the payment -- when it was learned that he had been disbarred ten years earlier and was practicing law illegally. Perez is scheduled to appear in County Court June 22nd.
NYACK MAN ORDERED TO PAY $30,000 RESTITUTION IN $3-MILLION STOCK FRAUD CASE
A Nyack man has been ordered to pay more than $30,000 restitution to clients in a stock fraud case. Sixty-one year-old Steven Lampert pleaded guilty in New City yesterday to selling the victims – mostly personal friends of his -- some $3-million in stocks he didn’t own. In addition to the restitution, Lampert was sentenced to time served since his arrest last October and five years probation. His 63-year-old wife, Karen Lampert, received a similar sentence two months ago when she pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme.
(PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING CORRECTS YESTERDAY’S ITEM ON THE BECKER FUNERAL)
BECKER FUNERAL SERVICE HELD TODAY
Funeral services were slated this morning for Arnold Becker. The long-time jurist died Monday at the age of 81. Becker is best known as Rockland’s first public defender – running that office from 1965 to ‘72. He’s said to be the inspiration for the character “Arnie Becker” in the 1990’s television series “L.A. Law.” Becker will be buried today following an 11 a.m. service at Hellman’s Memorial Chapel in Spring Valley.
06-09-10
MORAHAN CITES LEADERSHIP VACUUM IN ALBANY
State Senator Thomas Morahan says Albany is suffering from a lack of leadership. Governor David Paterson and the state legislature have been at odds over a long-overdue budget. Some legislators -- including two Democrats whose votes would be decisive -- are threatening to shut the state government down rather than extend the current budget. Morahan, who''s battling leukemia and retiring at the end of this year, told WRCR listeners this morning it''s time for those running for governor – both Democrat Andrew Cuomo and Republican Rick Lazio -- to STEP UP with bold plans for ending the state''s financial crisis.
POSSIBLE PRIMARY RACE SEEN IN DEMS’ STATE SENATE BID
Petition drives are under way for candidates who lost at their party conventions this week and last. The petitions must be filed by July 15th, enabling those with enough valid signatures to force a September primary. Locally, that would most likely affect the Democratic race for Morahan’s State Senate seat. Clarkstown town clerk David Carlucci won that party’s nomination at last week’s convention in New City. But two other Democrats – Ramapo resident Grant Valentine and Tuxedo Supervisor Peter Dolan – have also announced for the seat. It’s not clear whether they or a possible third challenger, Clarkstown resident Louis Tharp, will try to take Carlucci to primary. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef won the REPUBLICAN convention-nod for state senate THIS week. His opponent, County Legislator Ed Day, quickly endorsed Vanderhoef, forestalling any thought of a primary race.
DALAY IN LAWRENCE TAYLOR SEX CASE
There’s a two-week delay in the Lawrence Taylor case. The former New York Giants football star is charged with soliciting a teen-aged prostitute for sex at a Ramapo motel early last month. Taylor was to appear in Town Court tomorrow. But with talks on a plea bargain at a reported standstill, that date has been pushed back to June 24th. And prosecutors are said to be readying the case for a grand jury. Taylor is accused of paying a pimp $300 to have sex with the girl, who turned out to be a 16-year-old runaway.
EX LITTLE LEAGUE TREASURER TO COURT TOMORROW IN FUNDS-THEFT CASE
Former Stony Point Little League treasurer Karen Ramos is to appear in State Supreme Court tomorrow on charges she stole more than $156,000 from the league. The 47-year-old Ramos faces a 27-count indictment. It accuses her of taking the funds through illegal cash withdrawals over a five-year period ending in 2009. If convicted, Ramos faces up to 15 years in jail.
”MR. PUBLIC DEFENDER” ARNOLD BECKER LAID TO REST AFTER SPRING VALLEY MASS
Funeral services were held today for Arnold Becker. The long-time attorney and jurist died Monday at the age of 81. Becker is best known as Rockland’s first public defender, taking that office soon after leading the effort to create it. In later years, he served in a number of capacities throughout Rockland, including Spring Valley Village Attorney. Becker was buried today following an 11 a.m. service at Hellman’s Memorial Chapel in Spring Valley.
06-08-10
FOMER PUBLIC DEFENDER ARNOLD BECKER DIES AT 81
Rockland County has lost one of its legal icons. Former public defender Arnold Becker died early yesterday at the age of 81. Family members say Becker died peacefully in his sleep. Becker became Rockland’s first public defender in 1965, after fighting to CREATE the county PD’s office. In a career that dates back to the 1950’s, Becker also served in a number of county, town and municipal posts, including Spring Valley village justice. His war-time friendship in Korea with a budding TV producer reportedly led to the creation of the character “Arnie Becker” in the legal series, “L.A. Law,” some 40 years later. Funeral services for Arnold Becker are slated for 11 a.m. Thursday at Hellman’s Memorial Chapel in Spring Valley.
VANDERHOEF GETS GOP NOMINAION FOR STATE SENATE
It’s Vanderhoef versus Carlucci in the race for state Senate. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef won the Republican nomination last night for the seat to be vacated by the retiring Thomas Morahan. Vanderhoef won easily, with 221 delegate votes, versus 114 for County Legislator Ed Day. Both candidates reportedly agreed before the start of last night’s convention in New City to support the winner and not force a primary. Rockland Democrats voted at their convention last Thursday to put Clarkstown Town Clerk David Carlucci on the state senate ballot in November.
DRESS BARN TO LAY OFF 50 IN MONTEBELLO
Another blow for Rockland on the jobs front. Dress Barn is laying off some 50 workers at its Montebello site and moving its distribution division to Columbus, Ohio. A spokesman for the women’s-wear retailer says the move is a matter of simple economics: its Columbus facility is already equipped with the computers needed for more efficient distribution. It’s the county labor market’s third recent blow. U.S. Gypsum will close its Stony Point plant this month, laying off 70 workers. And drug-maker Pfiser will close down the manufacturing division at its Pearl River plant, laying off more than 1,800 of its 3,000 employees over the next four years.
GUNMAN REPORTEDLY STEALS $16,000 FROM VICTORIA’S SECRET AT PALISADES MALL
Bad news for another women’s clothing retailer. A gunman reportedly robbed the Victoria’s Secret store at the Palisades Mall and made off with $16,000. Clarkstown police say the robbery took place yesterday morning, after the gunman followed an employee into the still unopened store. An outdoor surveillance tape reportedly shows a silver-colored car dropping the suspect off at the mall just before the alleged robbery. It’s the latest in a string of thefts to hit the Victoria’s Secret chain in the past year or so, with more than $30,000 in cash and clothing taken from its stores in Rockland and Westchester counties.
DIVER DIES DURING UNDER-WATER REPAIR JOB AT INDIAN POINT
An autopsy is scheduled today on the diver who died during an under-water repair job at Indian Point. Forty-six year-old Lloyd Beare of Barnegat, New Jersey, was pulled unconscious from the Hudson River yesterday morning after failing to respond to routine communications checks. Officials say Beare’s death does not appear to be suspicious. It’s the first death at the Buchanan nuclear plant since 2002, when a landscaper was electrocuted while clearing brush at a transformer site.
06-07-10
COUNTY REPUBLICANS MEET IN CONVENTION TONIGHT
Tonight is showdown night for County Executive Scott Vanderhoef and County Legislator Ed Day. The two Republicans are vying for their party’s nomination for State Senate, that seat to be vacated by the retiring Thomas Morahan. The GOP county convention is slated for 7 o’clock tonight at Clarkstown Town Hall in New City. Neither Vanderhoef nor Day will say whether he’ll force a primary if the other candidate wins the nomination. Rockland Democrats tapped Clarkstown Town Clerk David Carlucci for the state-senate nod at THEIR convention last week.
PRO-ISRAEL RALLY IN NEW CITY BRINGS OUT HUNDREDS
Hundreds of Rocklanders turned out yesterday for a rally in support of Israel. The Israeli government is under fire for its May 31st boarding of a flotilla ship headed for Gaza in violation of an Israeli blockade. Israeli troops killed nine people, including one American, in the ensuing confrontation. More than 300 people were on hand for yesterday’s rally outside the county courthouse in New City – among them, Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack, County Legislator Ed Day and Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffe. The demonstrators’ message was clear: Israel has a right to defend itself. Israeli officials say the flotillas heading for Gaza carry not only relief supplies but weapons to use against Israel.
LAND-CLEARING TO START NEXT WEEK FOR RAMAPO BASEBALL STADIUM
Work is set to begin June 16th on clearing the land for Ramapo’s planned minor-league baseball stadium. The town board is expected to approve an environmental impact statement on the plan the night before. The Journal News reports the town has hired the firm Holt Construction to oversee the estimated $21-million project. Meanwhile, opponents of the plan – including the civic group Preserve Ramapo – are staging a petition drive to prevent construction of the 3,500-seat stadium. Ramapo is said to be in the final stages of negotiations with owners of the Canadian-American League team that will call the stadium home.
PUBLIC WORKSHOP TONIGHT ON ROCKLAND COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PROJECT
Rockland officials this week are holding a third public workshop on the county’s Comprehensive Plan project. The session is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Palisades Mall. The comprehensive plan is envisioned as a guide for development in Rockland over the next 20 years. And public comment is being sought on a range of relevant issues, including land and water use, transportation and local building codes.
06-04-10
WOMAN ACCUSED OF USING BABY’S CARRIAGE IN SHOPLIFTING TRY AT PALISADES MALL
Police say a Spring Valley woman used her baby’s carriage in an attempt to smuggle stolen goods from a local department store. Twenty-five year-old Blanca Castillo-Hugo was arrested Wednesday at Macy’s in the Palisades Mall. With her were her 14-year-old brother and one-year-old daughter -- and, according to Clarkstown police, some $1,800 dollars worth of shop-lifted clothing, inside the carriage with the baby. Both Castillo-Hugo and her brother are charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property. Castillo-Hugo also faces a child’s-welfare-endangerment charge when she appears in Town Court on June 14th.
RAMAPO POLICE NAB SUSPECTED JEWEL THIEF AT JFK AIRPORT
Ramapo police raced to Kennedy Airport to make an arrest in a robbery case this week. A police spokesman says the suspect, 48-year-old Katarina Geresiova, was heading home to her native Hungary on Wednesday when she was arrested while checking in for her flight. Geresiova was a live-in housekeeper for a Monsey family who reported the theft of some $20,000 worth of jewelry on May 21st. She allegedly was carrying some of the jewelry with her at the airport. Geresiova is charged with grand larceny and stolen-property possession. She’s being held in County Jail on $7,500 bail.
NYACK COUPLE CHARGED WITH ILLEGAL COLLECTION OF $17,000 IN HOUSING ASSISTANCE
Prosecutors say a Nyack couple raked in more than $17,000 worth of public housing subsidies they weren’t entitled to. Thirty-nine year-old Dexter Fisher and 30-year-old Lateeka Mosley were charged yesterday with grand larceny in the case. They allegedly falsified employment information when applying jointly for the assistance over a three-year period ending last year. District Attorney Thomas Zugibe says both Fisher and Mosely held steady jobs during that time, but that the applications never mentioned Fisher’s income from his job as an aide at the Rockland Psychiatric Center.
MISSING NYC MAN FOUND ALIVE AFTER TACONIC PARKWAY ACCIDENT IN COLUMBIA COUNTY
A New York City man missing for four days was found alive near his wrecked car off the Taconic State Parkway yesterday. Police in Columbia County say 22-year-old Thomas Wopat-Moreau was suffering from dehydration when a state trooper found him in a wooded area alsongside the parkway. He apparently had crawled out the window of his overturned car but was unable to get far from the vehicle because of serious back injuries. Police say Wopat-Moreau might have been drinking at a party before the accident – but that it’s too late to test for that now. He’s being treated at an Albany hospital.
06-03-10
FORMER EMPLOYEE CHARGED WITH STEALING $200,000 FROM CAR DEALERSHIP
A Chestnut Ridge woman has been charged with stealing more than $200,000 from a car dealership where she worked as comptroller. Prosecutors say 48-year-old Carol Grabbe took the money from the accounts she handled at Bill Kolb Subaru over a six-year period ending last year. District Attorney Thomas Zugibe says Grabbe faces possible further charges in the case. In all, about $2-million went missing from the car dealership’s accounts. The remaining $1.8-million is still unaccounted for.
ONE-YEAR SENTENCE FOR SUFFERN MAN IN DRUNK-DRIVING DEATH OF FRIEND
A young Suffern man will spend a year in county jail for the drunk-driving death of his best friend ten months ago. Twenty-one year-old Brian Frankel was sentenced yesterday in County Court. Blood-alcohol tests showed that Frankel was at twice the legal limit when he drove his car off the New York State Thruway last August 16th. His passenger, Dominic Zeoli, was killed in the night-time crash following a bachelor party for Zeoli’s brother.
MAN CHARGED WITH DRIVING TO DRUNK-DRIVING SEMINAR AFTER DRINKING
Ramapo police say a Spring Valley man drove to a drunk-driving seminar this week after drinking alcohol. Fifty-one year-old Louis Aschettino was charged Tuesday with driving while impaired to a so-called “victim’s impact” session at the Fire Training Center in Pomona. Aschettino was also charged with a felony count of driving without a license. He had been stripped of his license two years ago on a drunk-driving conviction. Aschettino is due to appear in town court on Monday to answer the new charges.
REPORT: MTA CUTS STAFF BUT STILL SPENDS MORE ON PAYROLL
A new study says the financially-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority cut its payroll by some 700 employees between 2008 and last year. But the Manhattan Institute study says the job-cut savings were more than offset by the raises the agency gave to those it kept on. The MTA paid $5.2-billion in salaries in 2009 -- $100-million more than it paid the year before.
06-02-10
SIX INJURED IN BUS ACCIDENT FOLLOWING NEW SQUARE WEDDING
Six people returning from a wedding in New Square were reported injured early this morning when their chartered bus overturned on the Garden State Parkway. Police in Middletown, New Jersey, say the accident happened at about 5:30 a.m. as the bus carrying a total of 27 people headed south on the Parkway. None of the injuries was reported to be life-threatening. Police say early-morning fog might have been a factor in the incident.
METRO NORTH: GIRL KILLED ON NANUET TRACKS MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD TRAIN COMING
Metro North says the teen-aged girl who was killed by a New Jersey Transit train in Nanuet Saturday might not have heard the train approaching from behind. The girl was identified as 15-year-old Arianna Wellen of Tuxedo Park. A 14-year-old Rockland boy with whom she was crossing the tracks was not injured. A Metro North spokesman says trains like the one involved are often too quiet to hear, especially from behind. The train’s engineer is quoted as saying he sounded his horn and applied his emergency brakes moments before hitting the girl.
S. ORANGETOWN SCHOOL BACK TO NORMAL AFTER GUN INCIDENT
Classes were back in session today at South Orangetown Middle School – one day after the second gun incident at the school in just under a year. The 14-year-old student who waved the weapon – a pellet gun -- at a teacher and then at passing motorists outside the building was disarmed by a retired NYC policeman who happened to be driving by. The school on Van Wyck Road in Blauvelt was locked down after the 9 a.m. incident for a police sweep, in which no other weapons were found. Police say no shots were fired and there were no injuries. The student was not identified publicly. He’s been charged with weapons possession, menacing -- and four counts of attempted car-jacking. It was on June 9th last year that a Tappan man brandished a gun inside that same school and threatened South Orangetown schools superintendent Kenneth Mitchell.
E. RAMAPO BOARD TO SUBMIT REVISED BUDGET FOR DISTRICT VOTE
East Ramapo voters will get a second chance to approve a new school budget this month. The school board voted last night to submit a revised budget rather than accepting austerity. The new package tops out at just under $196-million – about $3-million less than the budget rejected by East Ramapo voters last month. If approved in a vote set for June 15th, the budget reportedly would raise district taxes by as much as 7.9%, depending on state and federal funding.
COUNTY TO PICK UP MOSQUITO CONTROL TAB AFTER ALL
Rockland County has agreed to pay for the killing of mosquito larvae in this year’s attempt to head off the West Nile virus. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef had said the county couldn’t afford to handle the program this year. But the county legislature voted last night to pony up $100,000 in contingency funds for the larvae-kill, rather than leave the effort up to each town this year.
06-01-10
GUN INCIDENT AT S. ORANGETOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL ENDS WITHOUT VIOLENCE
There was another gun incident at the South Orangetown Middle School. Police say a person they describe only as a “male” displayed a hand-gun inside the school at about 9 o’clock this morning, then left the building, and was arrested outside. A police spokesman would neither confirm nor deny initial reports that the “male” is a student at the school. But the spokesman said reports that shots were fired are incorrect. The arrest, he said, was made without incident. It was a year ago this month when a man threatened South Orangetown Schools Superintendent Kenneth Mitchell with a gun inside that same school, on Van Wyck Road in Blauvelt. The gunman, Peter Cocker of Tappan, is now serving a five-year sentence.
DAY MAKES FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR MORHAN’S STATE SENATE SEAT
County Legislator Ed Day officially announceS his candidacy for State Senate this afternoon. The announcement is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. outside the County Court house in New City. Day faces some stiff competition in his quest for the seat now held by the retiring Thomas Morahan. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef last week also announced for the Republican nomination to the post. Clarkstown Town Clerk David Carlucci is running for the Democratic state-senate nod.
COUNTY CELEBRATES U.S. VETERANS KILLED IN WARTIME
Like the rest of America, Rockland observed Memorial Day yesterday. Thousands turned out for parades and other events honoring those who have died for America in Iraq, Afghanistan and wars past. Speaking at one ceremony, Rockland’s Veterans Service Commissioner Jerry Donnellan reminded his audience to support returning veterans, as well. “The best way to honor those who didn’t come back,” he said, “is by honoring those who did.”
ALBANY DEAL KEEPS PARKS OPEN FOR SUMMER
Rocklanders and other New Yorkers had even more reason to celebrate the Memorial Day weekend. State parks which had been earmarked for closure due to the state’s current budget crisis remained open through the end of summer. It took a last-minute deal in Albany to keep the parks and historic sites in operation. But not everyone is happy with the terms of the deal – which, in part, involves the shifting of state tax revenues and the imposition of new fees and fines. Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb calls the arrangement “a cash grab, plain and simple.”
INJUNCTION ISSUED AGAINST STATE EMPLOYEES’ FORCED FURLOUGHS
Governor David Paterson suffered a budget defeat over the weekend. A U.S. District Court judge issued a temporary injunction against the one-day-a-week unpaid furloughs Paterson had imposed on thousands of state employees. The injunction up-grades a court-imposed stay on those furloughs. In his ruling, the judge said the state failed to make a case for imposing the effective-20% salary cuts, rather than honoring its contract with state employees.
05-28-10
VANDERHOEF, DAY TO SEEK MORAHAN STATE SENATE SEAT
A battle is shaping up between two of Rockland’s most popular Republicans for the State Senate seat now held by Thomas Morahan. Both County Executive Scott Vanderhoef and County Legislator Ed Day made their announcements yesterday. In a letter to fellow Republicans, Vanderhoef said “all indications” – as he put it – point to HIM as the party’s best chance to win the 38th-District seat. In HIS statement, beginning “Dear Neighbors,” DAY positions himself as a logical successor to Morahan, to whom he twice refers as “my good friend and mentor.” The announcements come less than two weeks after Morahan, who’s battling leukemia, declared this to be his last term.
E. RAMAPO SETS UP FOR POSSIBLE BUDGET RE-VOTE
The East Ramapo school board has set aside Tuesday, June 15th, for a possible public re-vote on a school budget. But it’s not clear that an actual vote will take place. The board will announce next Tuesday whether it’ll put up a revised version of the $198-million budget that was rejected this month, or simply accept austerity for the district. East Ramapo’s was the only school budget in Rockland to go down at the polls. District voters were angered by its large-scale staff and program cuts and a projected tax-increase approaching double figures.
LATEST ON PFIZER: BEAR IN TREE OUTSIDE PEARL RIVER PLANT RELOCATED
The Pfizer plant in Pearl River is in the news again, but not over pending job cuts. The story today involves a black bear spotted yesterday in a tree on the pharmaceutical company campus. The story has a happy ending: a DEC agent shoots the bear with a tranquilizer dart … the bear falls asleep, drops into a net, and is destined to be returned to the woods, most likely outside Rockland County. Pfizer, of course, has been in the news most recently over its plans to lay off 1,850 workers at the Pearl River plant over the next four years.
05-27-10
ST. LAWRENCE EYEING NEW POST AFTER CUOMO NAMES DUFFY AS RUNNING-MATE?
What’s next for Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence? That’s an open question, now that New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo says Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy is HIS choice for a running-mate. Cuomo got the Democrats’ nomination for governor this week at the party’s state-wide convention in Rye. He announced his choice of Duffy for Lieutenant Governor yesterday. St. Lawrence – who’s been campaigning for Lieutenant Governor – has said he would withdraw and support Cuomo’s personal choice if Cuomo named one. WRCR’s Steve Possell and Charlie Reina will speak with St. Lawrence tomorrow morning about this new development, and about speculation he might have another position in mind, right here in Rockland.
EAST RAMAPO SCHOOL BOARD PUTS OFF BUDGET DECISION
There’s still no decision on a new budget proposal from the East Ramapo school board. Residents held a vigil outside the district offices in Spring Valley last night, pressing the board to submit a revised budget proposal rather than accept austerity. But after a long and reportedly contentious session, the board put off a decision until next Tuesday. The original, $198-million budget was rejected May eleventh in a district-wide vote. Residents were angered by its large-scale staff and program cuts and its projected tax increase of up to nearly 10%, depending on state aid. Critics of the school board say its Orthodox Jewish majority is less concerned with the district’s PUBLIC schools than with its yeshivas.
SUITS FILED AGAINST TOWN OF RAMAPO OVER PATRICK FARM DEVELOPMENT
The Village of Pomona is taking the Town of Ramapo to state court on the Patrick Farm issue. Papers filed this week charge the town with violating its own comprehensive plan when it granted a zoning change for development of the site off Routes 202 and 306. The change allows for the construction of some 500 homes on the 208-acre site. Critics say it would lead, eventually, to high-density multi-family dwellings. Two separate suits by local residents were filed along with the Village of Pomona’s. Town officials say they followed all legal procedures in approving the zoning change.
05-26-10
EAST RAMAPO BOARD TO DECIDE TONIGHT ON BUDGET SUBMISSION
The East Ramapo school board decides tonight on a final budget submission. District voters rejected the initial, $198-million package two weeks ago. The board can submit a revised budget tonight – or go directly to austerity. Either way, East Ramapo faces steep cuts in staff and programs – and, with the loss of as much as $6-million in State aid, a possible school-tax increase approaching 10%. A coalition of parents and students opposed to the cuts – and to the proposed closing of Hillcrest Elementary School – will hold a vigil outside the board offices in Spring Valley before tonight’s meeting.
SING SING PRISON GUARD FROM SPRING VALLEY CHARGED WITH GIVING INMATE CONTRABAND
A Sing Sing prison guard from Spring Valley faces felony charges for allegedly providing contraband to an inmate at the maximum-security prison. State police say 45-year-old Leon Strand gave the inmate electronic items including cell phones and a laptop computer, in return for some as-yet-undisclosed compensation. Strand has been suspended with pay, pending a court appearance in Ossining next month.
POLICE: WATCH OUT FOR BOGUS MAGAZINE SALES-PEOPLE
Rocklanders are being warned to beware of bogus magazine solicitors. Police in Westchester say a number of homes there have been burglarized by people selling magazine subscriptions. Here in Rockland, Clarkstown police arrested two people on Monday for selling magazines without a permit. Police say solicitor crime rises each summer as students come home to part-time jobs such as door-to-door sales. Their advice to residents: Ask to see a peddling permit – and call the police if there is none.
BEAR MOUNTAIN BRIDGE JUMPER NEARLY WAS STOPPED
The Peekskill man who leapt to his death from the Bear Mountain Bridge on Monday reportedly was nearly prevented from jumping. State police say a park police officer spotted 55-year-old Roberto Rivera acting suspiciously – and then gave chase, in vain, when he broke free during questioning and raced to the railing. It’s not known why Rivera committed suicide. His was the Bear Mountain Bridge’s ninth jumping-death in the last decade.
SUPER BOWL 48 TO BE PLAYED AT MEADOWLANDS
The Super Bowl is coming to the Meadowlands. NFL officials made the announcement yesterday: Super Bowl 48 – in 2014 – will be played at Jets-and-Giants Stadium. The decision to bring pro football’s championship game north to a cold-weather climate is a departure from tradition. And, not surprisingly, it’s drawing accolades from New Yorkers. Among them is a wishful-thinking Rockland Congressman Eliot Engel, who says he’s praying for a Jets-vs-Giants MATCHUP in that Super Bowl 48.
05-25-10
HOME SALES, PRICES UP IN APRIL
Sales of existing homes in Rockland rose last month, as did home-sale PRICES. Industry figures released yesterday show 93 homes were sold in the county, up more than 40% from April of last year. And, at $405,000, the median price for Rockland was up just over two percent. The increases are in line with rising home-sales figures for the lower Hudson Valley in general.
AUTOPSY SET FOR BEAR MOUNTAIN BRIDGE JUMPER
An autopsy was scheduled in New City today for a Peekskill man who jumped to his death from the Bear Mountain Bridge. Police say the body of 55-year-old Roberto Rivera was pulled from the Hudson yesterday morning, minutes after Rivera plunged from the bridge. It’s not clear what caused Rivera to take his life. His is the ninth successful suicide from the Bear Mountain Bridge in the last decade.
SUFFERN MAN CHARGED WITH DRIVING DRUNK WITH CHILDREN IN CAR
A weekend drunk driving arrest could lead to big trouble for a Suffern man. Ramapo police say 25-year-old Maryeceo Martinez tested at more than twice the legal alcohol limit Saturday, when he was stopped at a DWI checkpoint in Tallman. And, they say, he was driving with young children in the car, which makes the DWI a felony. Martinez is being held at County Jail on a detainer warrant from U.S. Immigration, although his immigration status is unclear at this time.
NYACK HIRES ITS FIRST VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR
Nyack has signed-on its first-ever village administrator. Jim Politi, a Newburgh resident, was hired for the newly-created position after serving as village manager of the Orange County community of Walden for nearly a decade. Politi will be paid just under $84,000 a year in the administrator’s post. Among his duties, he’ll manage Nyack’s employees, negotiate their contracts, and oversee such things as village parking. In effect, Politi replaces retiring village Treasurer, John Cincotta, at a saving of about $25,000 a year.
MONDAY IS WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY
The Earth’s atmosphere gets a break next Monday. Not because it’s Memorial Day in here in America, but because it’s World No Tobacco Day. It’s the 24th consecutive year for the global day of abstinence from smoking. Health officials say tobacco is the number one preventable cause of death, taking some 5.4 million lives each year, worldwide.
05-24-10
COUNTY TO REVIEW SUPPORT SERVICES FOR SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIMS
The Rockland County legislature is taking action in response to the Lawrence Taylor case. The legislature’s Public Safety Committee will conduct a review this week of all county services that can be used to aid victims of sex trafficking in Rockland. The session is scheduled for the committee’s meeting at 5 p.m. tomorrow. Taylor, the former New York Giant, is accused of hiring a 16-year-old girl who had been forced into prostitution for sex at a Ramapo hotel three weeks ago. Legislator Connie Coker, who called for the review, says sex trafficking is “a form of modern day slavery.”
SPRING VALLEY MAN ARRESTED AFTER EXPOSING HIMSELF TO WOMEN IN NANUET
A Spring Valley man is accused of exposing himself to several women during a weekend incident that began at a Nanuet deli. Twenty-two year-old Isarik Dessourses was arrested Saturday afternoon not far from the Rodeo Two El Deli on Main Street. Clarkstown police say it was there that Dessourses had exposed himself to a female employee, and then – after leaving the store – exposed himself to three members of a family outside their nearby home. Dessourses was jailed on $25,000 bail. He’s charged with four counts of public lewdness.
TWO-WEEK SEAT-BELT SAFETY CAMPAIGN UNDER WAY
The state’s “Buckle Up New York” campaign got under way this morning. The two-week crackdown on drivers who don’t buckle their seat belts is part of the nationwide “Click It or Ticket” campaign. Safety officials say the traffic stops have proved helpful in the past, with more than 80 percent of the driving public now using seat belts.
CUOMO: “I’M RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR.”
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo made it official over the weekend: He’s running for governor. Cuomo made the announcement Saturday in Albany, calling November’s election “probably the most important” for New York State in his lifetime. The campaign for governor opens as the state struggles with a huge deficit, soaring unemployment, and a political quagmire in Albany. Cuomo -- who seeks the office his father held for three terms – will get the Democratic nomination on Thursday, at the party’s state Convention in Rye. It’s not clear whether Cuomo will name a choice for Lieutenant Governor at that time. Among those running for that post is Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence.
REAL ESTATE MAN MERMEL TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR
Meanwhile, the race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination is getting a new entrant. New York City real-estate developer Myers Mermel announces his candidacy today. It makes him the fourth candidate in the GOP field – along with front-runner Rick Lazio, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, and Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino. Mermel – a conservative – was New York State campaign director for 2008 presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee.
05-21-10
OBAMA TO SPEAK AT WEST POINT GRADUATION TOMORROW; ANTI-WAR PROTEST EXPECTED
President Obama is slated to deliver a commencement address at West Point tomorrow. The ceremony at Michie Stadium begins at 10 a.m. At the same time, demonstrators are expected to gather outside the military academy’s gates. They’ll be there to protest the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as they have during Obama’s previous visits to West Point.
BALDING TIRES CITED IN ACCIDENT THAT KILLED PEARL RIVER TEEN
Orangetown police say balding tires were to blame for the one-car accident that killed a Pearl River teen-ager earlier this month. Fifteen year-old Justin Rogers died May third when the car in which he was riding hit a guard-rail and rolled down an embankment off Veterans Memorial Drive in Pearl River. Investigators said yesterday the rear tires of the car failed to meet state depth-of-tread standards. The driver, 17-year-old Steven Lowney of Nanuet, suffered minor injuries in the crash, which occurred during a rainstorm. Police say the wet road was also a contributing factor.
THRUWAY TRAFFIC STOP LEADS TO $15,000 HEROIN FIND
An Orange County man faces drug possession charges after state police stopped the car in which he was riding on the Thruway in New City. Police say 34-year-old John Robles of Middletown had some $15,000 worth of heroin with him when they pulled the car over for traffic violations early yesterday morning. Robles was jailed on $25,000 bail, with a town court appearance in Clarkstown set for Monday.
TWO-WEEK SEAT-BELT SAFETY CRACKDOWN STARS MONDAY
New York State’s next “Click it or Ticket” crackdown begins Monday. Police throughout the state will be out in force for the next two weeks checking for compliance with New York’s seat-belt laws. Safety officials say efforts such as “Click it or Ticket” have been largely successful in getting drivers and passengers to buckle up.
UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN IN REGION LAST MONTH
The latest unemployment figures show a slight decline in joblessness in the Lower Hudson Valley last month. Officials say the jobless rate for the region dropped from 7.1% in March to 6.5% in April, with Rockland right at that 6.5% mark. Employment reportedly rose during that period by some 5,000 jobs in the region, which also covers Westchester and Putnam Counties.
MTA TO CRACK DOWN ON OVERTIME ABUSE IN EFFORT TO CLOSE BUDGET GAP
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it’s found a way to trim millions of dollars from its operating budget. Officials said yesterday they’ll crack down on the wide-spread use of overtime by MTA employees to pad their pensions. That’s a move they say could save the financially-strapped agency $22-million in the upcoming year and up to $60-million annually after that. It’s all part of the effort to wipe out the MTA’s now-$378-million budget deficit.
05-20-10
LAWRENCE TAYLOR “PIMP” INDICTED
The alleged pimp in the Lawrence Taylor case has been charged with sex-trafficking involving a minor. Thirty-six year-old Rasheed Davis was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in New York City. He’s charged with forcing a 16-year-old girl to have sex for money with Taylor at the Holiday Inn in Suffern two weeks ago. Taylor faces possible statutory rape charges when a Rockland grand jury hears the case, which D.A. Thomas Zugibe says will happen soon . The girl, a runaway from the Bronx, says she had sex with Taylor at the hotel while Davis waited outside the room. Prosecutors say $300 changed hands.
SEX OFFENDER MOVES TO NYACK
A high-risk sex offender forced to leave his Suffern apartment earlier this year reportedly has moved to Nyack. Thirty-eight year-old Michael Koval was designated a “Level-3” offender following his conviction four years ago of having sex with two girls under ten years old. He’s considered a high risk to repeat his crimes – but Orangetown police say he has not caused any problems since moving to his new apartment, on High Street in Nyack.
NYACK WOMAN SENTENCED FOR HAVING SEX WITH 14-YEAR-OLD BOY
A Nyack woman reportedly will be jailed for up to three years after admitting to having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Twenty-three year-old Rebecca Vandermark was sentenced in State Supreme Court this week after pleading guilty to third-degree rape. Prosecutors said Vandermark had sexual relations with the boy several times last spring, both at her Nyack apartment and in New Jersey. She pleaded guilty there last September to second-degree rape. Prosecutors said the sexual contact began soon after Vandermark met the boy at a Dobbs Ferry family-assistance center where she worked.
COUNTY LEGISLATOR SAYS ENFORCEMENT OF NEW LICENSING LAW WILL BE TOUGH BUT FAIR
County Legislator Ed Day promises restraint in the use of Rockland’s newly-revised licensing law to protect homeowners. The law allows for the seizure of equipment, including vehicles, from contractors who operate without licenses. It was used for the first time this week against a Chestnut Ridge landscaper with a reported history of flouting licensing laws. Day says the law won’t be used indiscriminately but will target what he calls the “most egregious” violators. For those contractors, he says, the message is clear: “Your compliance or your equipment.”
“SCOPING” SESSIONS TO TAKE PUBLIC INPUT FOR COUNTY’S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
County leaders are putting the first phase of Rockland’s Comprehensive Plan project before the public next week. So-called Public Scoping Sessions are scheduled Monday on a general outline for the plan, which will serve as a guide for all county planning and development over the next two decades. The scoping sessions will be held at the county office building in New City this coming Monday from 3 to 5 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m.
05-19-10
BUDGETS PASSED, INCUMBENTS RETURNED IN ALL SCHOOL DISTRICT VOTES
Voters throughout Rockland said YES at the polls yesterday, approving every one of the seven school district budgets and returning all school-board incumbents. Here’s how the voting went:
CLARKSTOWN
In Clarkstown, incumbent Diane Hoeneveld was re-elected to the board, with Robert Alan Carlucci winning the other vacant seat. And the district’s $167-million budget was approved by a 2-1 margin, raising school taxes by about 2%.
NANUET
In Nanuet, incumbents Karen Franchino and Ron Hansen were returned to the board. And voters approved the $61-million budget, with a 2.3% tax hike, also by a 2-1 margin.
NORTH ROCKLAND
Voters in North Rockland said “yes” to a $194-million package despite its nearly-6% tax increase, and returned incumbent board members Stephen Cole-Hatchard and Robert Masiello, both of whom ran uncontested.
NYACK
Nyack voters overwhelmingly approved the district’s nearly-$71-million budget, accepting a 2.8% tax increase. Incumbent Michael Mark was a winner there, along with newcomer Dan Juechter.
PEARL RIVER
In Pearl River, voters approved the county’s smallest school budget, a $58-million package raising taxes by 2.3 percent. And they returned incumbents Robert Davis and Michael Clohessy to the board.
RAMAPO CENTRAL
Ramapo Central voters approved that district’s nearly-$125-million package with a 2% tax hike. Incumbent Clarke Osborn got the nod, along with first-timer Maureen Danzig.
SOUTH ORANGETOWN
And in South Orangetown, voters returned uncontested incumbents Rosemary Pitruzzella and Steve Spiro to the board. And, by a 2-1 margin, they said “yes” to the district’s nearly-$78-million budget, accepting a tax increase of about 1.7%.
Voters in the county’s other school district, East Ramapo, went to the polls last week, and turned thumbs-down on Rockland’s largest proposed school budget -- a $198-million package that would have raised property taxes by up to 10%. Newcomer Moses Friedman was elected to the East Ramapo school board.
PFIZER BOMBSHELL: ANOTHER 1,250 LAYOFFS AT P.R. PLANT BY 2014
Rockland gets one more big blow from Pfizer. The drug company says it will lay off another 1,250 workers at its Pearl River plant over the next four years. That brings the total announced job cuts at the facility to 1,850 since Pfizer merged with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals last October. That’s well over half the plant’s work-force in place at the time of the merger. And it’s half-again more than the 40% layoff figure initially projected by Pfizer. The company says it will close two of the facility’s divisions, biotechnology and consumer healthcare, by 2014, as well, leaving only its vaccine research division in operation.
RAMAPO LANDSCAPER FIRST IN COUNTY TO HAVE EQUIPMENT SEIZED FOR UNLICENSED OPERATION
A Chestnut Ridge landscaper has earned a dubious distinction. Larry Katz, the owner of All Green Landscaping, is the first Rockland contractor to have his equipment seized for operating without a license. Consumer officials impounded the equipment, including a vehicle, under the county’s newly-amended licensing law. Katz reportedly has paid substantial fines on several previous convictions. And he faces up to $5,000 in fines – and up to a year in jail – if convicted on the latest charges. County officials say fines alone don’t stop unlicensed contractors from continuing to operate. Under the new law, the impounded equipment won’t be returned until the contractor obtains a license.
05-18-10
MORAHAN TO RETIRE AT END OF TERM
State Senator Thomas Morahan says this will be his last term in office. The 78-year-old Morahan, who’s battling Leukemia, made the announcement in a written statement to the Republican Party’s County Convention, held last night in Nanuet. Morahan has served Rockland for more than 30 years – electively, as a county legislator, state assemblyman and, for the past ten years, State Senator. He’s been dividing his time between legislating in Albany and receiving medical treatments here and in New York City for several months following his Leukemia diagnosis. In his statement, Morahan pledged to spend the rest of his term “getting the people’s work done.” Morahan’s decision comes less than a week after Clarkstown Town Clerk David Carlucci announced for the Democratic Party nomination for State Senate.
DAY TO CONSIDER RUN FOR MORAHAN’S SEAT
Among those mentioned as possible Republican contenders for Morahan’s seat are County Executive Scott Vanderhoef and county legislator Ed Day. Speaking this morning on WRCR, Day called the speculation “a little bit pre-mature,” but said he’ll make a decision soon on whether or not to make a run.
VOTE TODAY ON BUDGETS, SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES THROUGHOUT ROCKLAND
Today is Voting Day for the last seven of Rockland’s eight school districts. Twenty candidates are vying for 14 open seats in Clarkstown, Nanuet, North Rockland, Nyack, Pearl River, Ramapo Central and South Orangetown. Voters in East Ramapo filled three seats in that district’s election last week, while rejecting a proposed $198-million budget. Budgets up for approval today range from $58-million in Pearl River to $194-million in North Rockland. The polls are open in all seven districts until 9 p.m.
ROCKLAND BUSINESSES URGED TO JOIN ANTI-TAX MOVEMENT
Rockland business leaders are urging members to join a state-wide anti-tax movement. Representatives of the group, Enough Already, were in Orangeburg yesterday to gather support for their effort to keep New York State from over-taxing businesses in order to stay solvent. Rockland Business Association head Al Samuels urged his members to join the movement, whose message to Albany – according to one spokesman – is “No new taxes. No new fees. No borrowing.”
05-17-10
SCHOOL DISTRICTS PREPARE FOR TOMORROW’S BUDGET, SCHOOL BOARD VOTES
Today is Election Eve for the last seven of Rockland’s school districts. In all, 14 school board seats are up for tomorrow’s voting in Clarkstown, Nanuet, North Rockland, Nyack, Pearl River, Ramapo Central and South Orangetown. Voters in East Ramapo filled three seats in THAT district’s election LAST week, while rejecting a proposed $198-million school budget. Budgets up for vote tomorrow range from $57-million in Pearl River to $194-million in North Rockland.
PETITION FILED TO SAVE HILLCREST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
East Ramapo school activist Peggy Hatton wants the state of New York to prevent the closing of Hillcrest Elementary School. The closing was part of the budget package rejected last week. But it still looms large with district voters as the school board now faces austerity. Hatton, who in the past has run unsuccessfully for a school board seat, petitioned the State Education Department to issue a stay on the Hillcrest closing. The petition claims the district failing to conduct a demographic study, or to hold a public hearing on the matter, before deciding to close the school.
SPRING VALLEY DEMONSTRATION PROTESTS ARIZONA IMMIGRATION LAW
Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in Spring Valley yesterday to protest Arizona’s new immigration law. The law is aimed at stopping the flow of illegal immigrants from Mexico across the U.S. border. It allows local police in Arizona to stop and check the papers of anyone they suspect is an illegal alien. Immigrant activists say that amounts to sanctioning racial profiling.
PROBE OF CRASH THAT KILLED TWO SUFFERN H.S. STUDENTS NEARLY COMPLETE
Ramapo police are said to be wrapping up their investigation of the accident that killed two Suffern High School students six weeks ago. Eighteen year-old Vincent Crotty and 17-year-old Christopher Konkowski died March 30th when Crotty’s car slammed into a dump truck on Route 202 in Montebello. Police are probing what caused Crotty’s car to cross into the truck’s path.
05-14-10
CARLUCCI TO RUN FOR STATE SENATE
Clarkstown town clerk David Carlucci made the announcement on WRCR his morning. He’s running for State Senator. Carlucci is regarded by many as an innovator, in good part for modernizing the clerk’s office and expanding its services since TAKING office seven years ago. He told us this morning it’s time for some changes in Albany, including ethics and campaign-finance reform. Carlucci, a Democrat, praised the Republican incumbent State Senator, Thomas Morahan, for his years of service, but said the Senate needs new ways of thinking. It’s not clear if Morahan will run for re-election this year. He’s been battling leukemia for several months, dividing his time between legislating in Albany and undergoing medical treatments here and in New York City.
DAY SAYS COSTCO NOT HAPPY WITH HIS GAS PUMP LEAFLETING
Rockland County Legislator Ed Day says Costco management is “not happy” with his leafleting at the gas pumps outside their Nanuet store. Day says Costco has been less than up-front about a bad load of gasoline that got into its premium gas tanks and allegedly damaged the engines of several cars. Costco reportedly has offered to PAY repair costs to car-owners who come forward. But Day wants other, potential victims to know about the tainted gas – and his leaflets are designed to do that. They advise Costco gas customers experiencing problems to contact the county consumer protection department at 708-7600.
SUFFERN MAN CHARGED WITH SEX CRIMES IN NEW JERSEY
Police in Ramsey, New Jersey, have charged a Suffern man with sexual misconduct involving several female high school students. Twenty-seven year-old Derick Jerinski is a music teacher in Patterson. But it was as a volunteer instructor for the Ramsey High School band in 2008 that he’s accused of having sexual contact with one student – and of having sexual conversations with, and showing inappropriate images to, at least five others. Jerinski is jailed in Bergen County on $125,000 bail after his arrest Wednesday in Paterson.
HUNDREDS ATTEND FUNERAL SERVICE FOR JOHN GRANT
Former County Executive John Grant was buried yesterday after a funeral mass at St. Peter’s Church in Haverstraw. Some 400 people heard Grant eulogized at the mass as a dedicated public servant and family man. Grant began his political career in the 1950’s, eventually serving as a Haverstraw town councilman, county legislator, and – upon his election in 1985 -- as Rockland’s first County Executive. He retired from politics in 1993, after losing his bid for a third term to Scott Vanderhoef. Grant died Saturday at age 78 after a long illness.
SENIOR CITIZENS ADVOCATE PAT MCARDLE DEAD AT 87
Rockland mourns another passing today – that of long-time senior citizens advocate Pat McArdle. She died Wednesday of natural causes at age 87. McArdle began her service to seniors 30 years ago, advocating – among other things – for better health care and more affordable prescriptions for the elderly. She served some 20 years on the State-wide Senior Action Council – and, in 1991, was named New York State Senior Citizen of the year. McArdle will be buried tomorrow after a funeral mass at Sacred Heart Church in Suffern.
05-13-10
JOHN GRANT BURIAL TODAY IN HAVERSTRAW
John Grant, the former town councilman who went on to become Rockland’s first County Executive, was buried following a funeral mass this morning at St. Peter’s Church in Haverstraw. Grant died Saturday after a long illness. He was 78 years old. Grant began his political career in Rockland in the 1950’s, eventually serving as a Haverstraw town councilman and a charter member of the County Legislature, of which he went on to become chairman. That paved the way for his successful run in 1985 to become Rockland’s first county executive. Grant retired from politics after losing his bid for a third term to Scott Vanderhoef – and as health problems began to take their toll.
HUNDREDS IN PEARL RIVER CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF ACCIDENT VICTIM JUSTIN ROGERS
About 500 people turned out at Pearl River High School yesterday to memorialize Justin Rogers. The 15-year-old freshman died last Thursday of injuries suffered in a one-car accident three days earlier. The so-called “celebration of life” followed a funeral mass at St. Margaret’s church in Pearl River.
LEGISLATOR SLAMS COSTCO OVER ALLEGEDLY TAINTED GASOLINE
County Legislator Ed Day says CostCo should be doing more to help car-owners who needed repairs after filling up at CostCo’s premium gas pumps. Day told WRCR listeners this morning the problem is E-85, a grade of ethanol – two loads of which were pumped into CostCo’s premium tank early this month. Since then, he said, several CostCo gas customers reported a variety of problems with their cars, with repairs costing up to $2000 or more. CostCo reportedly has quietly been calling car dealerships, offering to pay any of their patrons affected by its gasoline for the repairs that resulted. But Day says that doesn’t help motorists who don’t realize what might have caused their car problems, and that CostCo should put a sign at its pumps with a phone number for affected motorists to call.
EAST RAMAPO SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT URGES BOARD TO AVOID AUSTERITY
East Ramapo Schools Superintendent Ira Oustatcher is pressing for a revised school budget, rather than austerity, in the wake of Tuesday’s budget defeat. Oustatcher tells the Journal News he’ll make that recommendation to the school board. Voters rejected the $198-million-dollar package by some 2,000 votes out of 14,000 cast. Austerity would automatically cut some $5.6-million from the budget. And that, says Oustatcher, would “devastate” school programs in the district. The rejected budget would have forced the layoff of scores of teachers, severe program cuts, and the closing of Hillcrest Elementary School. If the board follows Oustacher’s recommendation and puts up a revised budget, that district-wide vote would be held June 15th.
THURGOOD MARSHALL TO BE HERALDED THIS WEEKEND IN HILLBURN
Next Monday, May 17, has been designated “Thurgood Marshall Day” in New York State. And on Sunday, the county will memorialize the late Supreme Court Justice, who, in 1943, argued successfully to integrate schools in Hillburn. Co-hosting the 3 p.m. event at the Hillburn School on Mountain Avenue – State Senator Thomas Morahan and Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffe, who introduced the Thurgood Marshall Day legislation in Albany.
05-12-10
PEARL RIVER HIGH HOLDS “CELEBRATION OF LIFE” FOR ACCIDENT VICTIM JUSTIN ROGERS
Students as Pearl River High observe a “celebration of life” today, in honor of school-mate Justin Rogers. The 15-year-old Rogers died last Thursday, three days after losing a leg in a one-car accident. The 17-year-old driver, Steven Lowney of Nanuet, suffered minor injuries when his car hit a guard-rail on Veteran’s Memorial Drive in Pearl River and rolled down a steep embankment. Investigators say they still don’t know what caused the accident. A memorial service for Rogers was held this morning at St. Margaret’s church in Pearl River.
PUBLIC HEARING TONIGHT ON ROCKLAND’S WATER SUPPLY
Rockland’s water supply is the subject of a hearing tonight before the county legislature’s environmental committee. The size and quality of the water supply have long been a concern here. They’ve come into special focus recently because of United Water’s proposed Hudson River desalination project. Environmental committee chairwoman Connie Coker says it’s time that Rocklanders got the facts on water – so we can develop what she calls a “comprehensive approach” to keeping a continued supply. Featured speaker at tonight’s 7 o’clock hearing at the county office building is Bob Dillon, who heads the Rockland Coalition for Sustainable Water.
EAST RAMAPO BUDGET REJECTED; FRIEDMAN ELECTED
East Ramapo’s much-debated school budget has gone down to defeat. District voters rejected the $198-million package yesterday by a margin of about 2,000 votes out of 14,000 cast. This puts the district on an austerity track that would likely mean even more cutbacks than the proposed budget called for. The vote punctuated the continuing rift between East Ramapo’s Hassidic and non-Hassidic communities. The budget defeat was seen as one of two Hassidic victories in yesterday’s voting. Moses Friedman was elected to the one contested seat on the school board – giving that faction a six-to-three majority on the board. The defeated budget called for the layoffs of more than 100 teachers and teachers’ aides, along with the elimination of some school programs. But a coalition of parents, students and teachers had called for a “yes” vote, in order to head off further cuts.
SUFFERN CONDO’S EX-TREASURER SENTENCED FOR EMBEZZLEMENT
A Suffern man has been sentenced to four months in jail for embezzling more than $150,000 from his condo association. Forty-eight year-old Matthew Stoll pleaded guilty in December to taking the money over a five-year period while serving as the association treasurer. He’s also been ordered to repay the embezzled funds – something prosecutors say Stoll had started to do – secretly -- before his crime was discovered.
JOHN GRANT FUNERAL TOMORROW AT ST. PETER’S CEMETERY IN HAVERSTRAW.
Visiting hours wind up this evening at McGowan Funeral Home in Haverstraw for John Grant. Rockland’s first county executive died over the weekend at age 78 after a long illness. Grant will be buried tomorrow following a 10 a.m. funeral mass at St. Peter’s Church in Haverstraw.
05-11-10
EAST RAMAPO SCHOOL BUDGET & BOARD VOTE TODAY
East Ramapo’s controversial school budget comes up for a vote today. The $198-million package carries a tax increase of five to ten percent. But at the same time, it would bring large-scale teacher and staff layoffs, eliminate some school programs, and close Hillcrest Elementary School. Nevertheless, a coalition of students, teachers and parents is calling for a “yes” vote – in order to avoid an austerity situation that would mean even more cut-backs. Also up in today’s East Ramapo vote are three school board seats. Incumbents Stephen Price and Suzanne Young-Mercer are running unopposed. Moses Friedman and Antonio Luciano are vying for the third seat. The rest of Rockland’s school districts hold their budget votes next Tuesday, May 18th.
AIRMONT SIGNAGE LAW RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN 2007 ELECTION CASE
A federal judge says the village of Airmont violated a former county legislator’s rights during his 2007 re-election bid. U.S. District Court judge Stephen Robinson ruled yesterday in favor of Pat Withers, who’s now a Ramapo town board member. Robinson found Airmont’s signage code unconstitutional on grounds that it singles out political signs for stricter treatment than others. Withers, whose signs were ruled too big and ordered removed, lost that Democratic primary to Joseph Meyers, who went on to win election. Airmont officials defend the village’s signage code but say they’ll revise it in light of yesterday’s ruling.
DAY CALLS FOR MEDICAID SPENDING REVIEW
County Legislator Ed Day says Medicaid spending in Rockland is way out of line. And the New City Republican wants the legislature to make a full review. Day says Governor David Paterson is trying to meet the state’s economic crisis, in part, by skirting a cap on how much of the state’s Medicaid costs can be imposed on local governments. Rockland’s Medicaid bill reportedly amounts to about 110% of the county’s share of local tax revenues.
SPRING VALLEY DEMONSTRATION TO PROTEST ARIZONA IMMIGRATION LAW
Opponents of Arizona’s tough new immigration law will march in Spring Valley this weekend. The demonstration – at Memorial Park – is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday. The Arizona law allows police to stop and question anyone they suspect MIGHT be an illegal alien. Opponents say that’s an open invitation to racial profiling. And they, including organizers of Sunday’s march in Spring Valley, want the federal government to institute what they feel is more humane immigration reform.
05-10-10
FORMER COUNTY EXECUTIVE JOHN GRANT TO BE BURIED THURSDAY IN HAVERSTRAW
A funeral mass is scheduled Thursday at St. Peter’s Church in Haverstraw for John Grant. The 78-year-old Grant – Rockland’s first County Executive – died Saturday after a long illness. Grant had served several terms in the County Legislature when he won election to the newly-created Executive’s post in 1985. He served two terms, losing to Scott Vanderhoef in his bid for a third. Visiting hours for Grant are at McGowan’s Funeral Home in Haverstraw tomorrow and Wednesday. He’ll be buried at St. Peter’s Cemetery after Thursday’s 10 a.m. mass.
STUDENTS, TEACHERS URGE “YES” VOTE ON EAST RAMAPO SCHOOL BUDGET
Demonstrators marched outside Spring Valley High School yesterday, urging East Ramapo residents to vote ‘YES’ tomorrow on the school district budget. The $198-million package calls for a ten-percent tax increase for the district, along with large-scale staff and teacher layoffs and cuts in school programs. A coalition of students, parents and teachers is pressing for budget approval – in order to avoid an austerity situation that could lead to further cuts and layoffs. The rest of Rockland’s school districts hold their budget votes on May 18th.
WEEKEND WEATHER MIMICKED WINTER
The weekend weather did what the winter storms did earlier this year – brought down trees and limbs all over Rockland. Strong, sustained gusts of wind and temperatures in the 50’s marked the county’s temporary return to the Ice Age. Drivers got a taste of déjà vu on Saturday when Route 202 in Wesley Hills was closed for several hours due to a downed tree and power lines. And a down tree closed a section of Viola Road in Ramapo this morning, from Route 306 to the rear of Rockland Community College.
CENSUS WORKERS VISITING DELINQUENT ROCKLAND HOUSEHOLDS
Census officials say only two-thirds – or 67% -- of New Yorkers have returned their completed census forms. That’s even lower than the nationwide return rate of 72%. And it explains why we’ll see so many census workers knocking on doors throughout Rockland and the rest of the state, seeking information first-hand. Census officials say they won’t stop until a full count is taken – even if it means re-visiting the same delinquent households up to six times.
05-07-10
MINOR LEAGUE BALL PARK: QUESTIONS FROM PUBLIC; PRAISE FROM ST. LAWRENCE
Some 30 residents turned out at Ramapo Town Hall last night for a public hearing on the town’s proposed minor league baseball park. The 3,500-seat stadium, to be home to a Canadian-American league team, is planned for a site near the fire training center in Pomona. Critics of the $17-million project say it would bring traffic and other problems to the neighborhood and could be a losing proposition for the town, financially. But on WRCR this morning, Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence said those concerns are unfounded. He said an expense-sharing deal with the team will make the stadium, at worst, “revenue neutral,” and that a planned roadway expansion near the stadium site will minimize potential traffic problems. Members of the public have two weeks now to file written comments on the ballpark plan before the town files its environmental impact statement.
EX-N.Y. GIANT TAYLOR PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO RAPING TEEN AT SUFFERN HOTEL
The attorney for Lawrence Taylor says the pro football Hall-of-Famer is NOT GUILTY of raping a teen-age girl. The 51-year-old Taylor is out on bail following his arrest early yesterday at the Holiday Inn in Suffern. He’s charged with having sex with a 16-year-old alleged runaway forced into prostitution. The girl’s alleged pimp also was arrested; police say he collected $300 from Taylor in payment for the sexual encounter. Taylor is due back in court June tenth to face third-degree rape charges.
N.J. MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO SEXUALLY ABUSING CENTRAL NYACK GIRL
A New Jersey man faces up to 12 years in jail after pleading guilty this week to sex abuse charges involving an 11-year-old Central Nyack girl. Thirty-six year-old Alex Avila admitted to molesting the girl last December as she slept at her home, and to videotaping the act. He was arrested a month later after lending the camera, with the incriminating tape still in it, to an acquaintance, who notified police. Avila is due to be sentenced July 13th.
BOY WHO LOST LEG IN PEARL RIVER ACCIDENT DIES AT NYC HOSPITAL
The sad news came yesterday from the family of 15-year-old Justin Rogers. The Pearl River teen, who lost a leg in a one-car crash on Monday, died at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital following surgery to save his other leg. Doctors said Rogers also suffered severe chest injuries and internal bleeding. The driver of the car, 17-year-old Steven Lowney of Nanuet, was treated for minor injuries. It’s not known what caused Lowney’s car to hit a guard-rail and roll down an embankment off Veterans Memorial Drive in Pearl River.
BRUNO GETS TWO-YEAR SENTENCE ON FRAUD CONVICTION
Former State Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno was sentenced yesterday to two years in jail. The 81-year-old Bruno was found guilty last year of breaking a federal law – by using his office to help a businessman who paid him as a consultant. Bruno will remain free on bail until the U.S. Supreme Court rules – probably next month – in a case challenging that so-called “honest services” law.
05-06-10
EX-GIANT TAYLOR CHARGED IN RAMAPO WITH RAPING TEEN-AGE GIRL
Former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor was charged today with raping a 15-year-old girl at a Suffern hotel, The 51-year-old Taylor was arrested early this morning at the Holiday Inn off Airmont road. He’s charged with third-degree rape. Police say the alleged victim also was beaten. Taylor, who’s in the Football Hall of Fame, has a history of run-ins with the law, mostly for drug abuse. The girl reportedly was a runaway working for a Bronx pimp.
PUBLIC HEARING TONIGHT ON RAMAPO BALL PARK
Rocklanders will get a first look tonight at the town of Ramapo’s proposed minor league baseball park. A public hearing on the so-called Project Grand Slam is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Ramapo Town Hall. The planned 3,500-seat stadium – to be built on a site near the fire training center in Pomona – would be home to a Canadian-American league team. Town officials say they’re hoping for an Opening Day as early as next June. Critics say the town is moving too fast on the project, hasn’t considered its impact on traffic and the environment, and may have fraudulently designated land for the stadium site. Town officials promise those issues will be addressed at tonight’s hearing.
FUNERAL SERVICE TOMORROW FOR NYACK POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH
A funeral service is scheduled tomorrow for Andrew Sipp. The 45-year-old New York City policeman, who lived in South Nyack, suffered severe head injuries early last month when his motorcycle crashed on the Bronx River Parkway. Sipp died yesterday at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, leaving a wife and 9-year-old daughter. His funeral service is set for 11 a.m. tomorrow at Grace Episcopal Church in Nyack.
VANDERHOEF: COUNTY JOINS PROGRAM TO SAVE MILLION$ ON ENERGY
County Executive Scott Vanderhoef says Rockland has entered a power-sharing program designed for big energy savings. The Municipal Electric and Gas Alliance -- or MEGA – pools low-cost utility coverage for municipal governments and even school, water and fire districts. Vanderhoef says the program could save Rockland some two-and-a-half million dollars a year for the next two years.
On another front, Vanderhoef is urging Rocklanders once again to comply with the U.S. Census – to make sure the county gets all the federal funds it’s entitled to. The head-count entered its door-to-door phase this week. Census takers are now VISITING residents who haven’t returned their forms by mail. Vanderhoef says they’re asking only the questions that are on the forms and will not ask for immigration, citizenship, or personal financial information.
FAMILY ESCAPES INJURY WHEN CAR CRASHES INTO RAMAPO HOME
A Ramapo family had a close call yesterday when a Mustang nearly broke into their home on South Mountain Road. Not a horse, but a Ford Mustang. Police say the car crashed into the house when the driver, identified only as a woman in her 50’s, lost control. Fortunately, the outside wall was strong enough to keep the Mustang on the outside. No injuries and only minor structural damage were reported.
05-05-10
CALHOUN: PATERSON’S FURLOUGH THREAT “A SMART THING”
Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun has words of praise today for Governor David Paterson. The Republican legislator told WRCR listeners this morning that Paterson’s threat to impose unpaid furloughs on state employees is “a smart thing.” Calhoun said the threat might be just the incentive the Assembly and State Senate’s Democratic majorities need to reach a compromise budget agreement. Paterson and the legislature are struggling to erase a $9-billion gap between projected state income and expenditures in the coming fiscal year.
RAMAPO GROUP WANTS STATE PROBE OF PLANNED BALL PARK
Opponents of Ramapo’s planned minor league baseball park have asked New York State to investigate the project. That request is in a complaint filed yesterday with the state Inspector General’s office by the group Preserve Ramapo. The complaint says the town may have acted fraudulently in designating land for the ballpark site near the fire training center in Pomona. Preserve Ramapo leaders are long-time critics of town supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence. They say his administration has been dishonest – possibly to the point of criminal fraud -- in presenting the ballpark plan to the public. As for St. Lawrence, he dismisses the charge – and the complaint – as politically motivated. The $17-million, 3,500-seat stadium would be home to a Canadian-American Association team – with opening day planned for June of next year. A public hearing on the project is slated for tomorrow night at Ramapo Town Hall.
DRIVE-BY SHOOTER GETS 15-YEAR PRISON TERM
The convicted triggerman in a Spring Valley drive-by shooting last year is headed for state prison. Twenty-three-year-old Garry Jean was sentenced yesterday to 15 years for the June-2009 shooting on Slinn Avenue. Prosecutors said Jean fired several shots from a moving vehicle, one of them hitting a 21-year-old man in the ankle. Jean and the victim reportedly had argued earlier in the day.
PEARL RIVER TEEN REMAINS IN CRITICAL CONDITION
The Pearl River teen who lost a leg in a one-car accident Monday remains in critical condition at a New York City hospital. Fifteen-year-old Justin Rogers was a passenger in the car, which hit a guard-rail on Veterans Memorial Drive and rolled down an embankment. The driver, 17-year-old Steven Lowney, was treated for minor injuries. It’s still not known what caused the mid-afternoon accident, and Orangetown police are seeing possible witnesses.
05-04-10
RAMAPO OFFERS FIRED POLICE OFFICER $559,000 TO DROP LAWSUIT
Fired Ramapo police officer Andrew Dale is weighing a half-million-dollar settlement offer from the town. Dale was fired in 2008 after he was accused of sexually abusing a local woman. But the criminal case against him was dismissed this year, when the woman was found to have lied under oath. Dale then filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Ramapo over his firing. The town board voted yesterday to offer him $559,000 to DROP the suit. Dale’s attorney says his client is considering the offer. The town settled a bias case involving another police officer last December for just under a half-million dollars.
TEEN LOSES LEG IN PEARL RIVER ACCIDENT
Orangetown police are seeking witnesses to a one-car accident that left a teen critically injured yesterday. The boy, whose name was not released – lost a leg when the car he was riding in hit a guard-rail on Veterans Memorial Drive near the Pearl River Hilton and rolled down an embankment. The car’s 17-year-old driver was treated for minor injuries. The 15-year-old was listed in extremely critical condition at Nyack Hospital. It’s not clear what caused the mid-afternoon accident. Police are asking anyone who might have witnessed it to call them at 359-3700.
HALL BILL WOULD HELP WAR VETS WITH PTSD
Congressman John Hall is pressing for legislation to make it easier for veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to apply for medical benefits. Currently, veterans have to document the specific war-time incidents that LEFT them with PTSD. But Hall says it’s often difficult to RECALL such details, especially years later – as in the case of Vietnam War veterans. Under Hall’s bill, PTSD-diagnosed veterans would need only to document that they served in a combat zone. Hall, whose district includes parts of northern Rockland, says fewer than half the 115,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war vets who filed for PTSD benefits have had their claims approved.
CRACKDOWN ON CELL-PHONE-USING DRIVERS STARTS TODAY IN NYS
A six-day crackdown on drivers using hand-held cell phones began today on the New York State Thruway. State police say “Operation Hang Up” got off to a good start LAST year, when some 800 drivers were ticketed during a FOUR-day crackdown. The non-emergency use of cell phones while driving in New York State can cost a violator up to $160 in fines and fees.
INDIAN POINT SIREN BLAST SET FOR TOMORROW MORNING
Get ready for another siren blast from Indian Point. The four-minute, full-volume test of the Buchanan nuclear plant’s emergency alert system is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. More than a dozen Indian Point sirens are located here in Rockland. Previous tests of the system have had spotty results, not only in Rockland but in the rest of the alert area.
05-03-10
RAMAPO WEIGHS SETTLEMENT WITH FIRED POLICE OFFICER
The town of Ramapo is considering another big payoff to a former police officer. Town Board members were to meet in closed session today on a proposed $600,000 settlement with Andrew Dale. He’s suing the Town over his 2008 dismissal for alleged sex abuse involving a local woman. Those charges were later dropped when the alleged victim was found to have lied during testimony in the case. Ramapo dished out nearly $500,000 in December to settle a bias suit brought by dismissed probationary officer Baile Glauber, the town’s first ultra-Orthodox Jewish police officer.
THREE MOTORCYCLISTS HURT IN RT. 304 COLLISION
A weekend collision in Haverstraw involving three motorcycles sent all three bikers to Nyack Hospital. One of them reportedly sustained serious head injuries in the Route 304 crash, late yesterday afternoon. A Haverstraw Ambulance Corps spokesman says the other two motorcyclists suffered burns and possible broken bones.
THRUWAY POLICE CRACKING DOWN ON CELL-PHONE USERS
New York State will crack down this week on drivers who use hand-held cell phones while on the Thruway. The six-day crack-down, starting tomorrow, is part of what the state calls “Operation Hang Up.” More than 800 tickets were handed out on the Thruway in last year’s four-day crackdown. Non-emergency use of hand-held phones on New York State roads can cost a driver up to $160.
04-30-10
ONE-YEAR SENTENCE FOR MONSEY WOMAN IN $283,000 SWINDLE
A Monsey woman convicted of swindling nearly $300,000 from two other Ramapo residents begins a one-year term at county jail this morning. Forty-three year-old Yetti Shteierman pleaded guilty in January to first-degree larceny in the case, which dates back to 2005. Shteierman used a fake deed on her home as collateral to lure the two victims, separately, into supposed business investments totaling $283,000. Shteierman said she needed the money to raise her eight children, alone, after ending an abusive marriage. She reportedly would have been placed on probation had she been able to repay her victims.
HAVERSTRAW MAN FOUND INSIDE TILCON BUILDING HELD ON GUN CHARGES
A Haverstraw man is in county jail this morning on weapons and burglary charges following his arrest early yesterday in Tompkins Cove. Police say 25-year-old Evens Abelard was hiding in a locker inside the Tilcon company building on Elm Street when they arrived on a burglary call. He reportedly was carrying a loaded – and possibly stolen -- gun. Police say Abelard’s intent was to steal a helium tank – for some as-yet unknown reason.
RAMAPO CENTRAL BUDGET WOULD CUT PROGRAMS BUT ADD TEACHERS
The Ramapo Central school board is asking residents to approve a nearly-$125-million budget. The package increases spending by just under 4%, and eliminates some school programs and teachers’ aide positions. But it also ADDS several TEACHING positions – to accommodate an expected increase in district enrollment.
ROCKLAND TO STAGE FIRST “ENVIRONMENTAL DAY” ON SUNDAY
Sunny skies and temperatures in the 70’s are expected Sunday for what’s being called the first annual Rockland County Environmental Day. The county’s Solid Waste Management Authority is sponsoring the event, called “Living Green in Rockland,” It runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Authority’s Suffern facility. The focus this year is recyclables, and included in the day’s events is a tour of the county recyclables center. Also on tap – demonstrations on organic gardening, water protection and solar energy. Organizers say they’re hoping to make this an annual event, keeping Rocklanders aware and active environmentally.
04-29-10
CONGERS PAIR ESCAPE INJURY AFTER TREE COMES DOWN ON CAR
A Congers man and his son are lucky to be alive after their car was crushed by a falling tree in Valley Cottage. Clarkstown police say 54-year-old Allen Hicks and his 27-year-old son Michael were driving north on Old Mill Road at about 3 p.m. yesterday, when the 50-foot oak tree came down – uprooted, possibly by the wind. The car was totaled; the roof caved in on impact. But the Hickses managed to crawl out -- uninjured except for a few minor scratches. Other victims include more than 300 O&R customers who lost service for several hours, thanks to the downed power lines.
FAKE “POLICEMAN” FAILS IN ATTEMPT TO ENTER NEW CITY HOUSE
Clarkstown police are on the lookout for a police-impersonator who tried to get into a New City house yesterday. The man reportedly knocked on the door of the John Street home and told the woman who answered that he was a policeman there to check her burglar alarm. Police say he fled when the woman denied him entry – and drove off in what might have been a Lincoln Towne Car. The suspect is described as white, about six feet tall, with black hair and beard. Clarkstown police say attempted home-entry posing as an officer or utility worker is fairly common in New City.
O’TOWN BOARD MEMBER CALLS FOR OUSTER OF SEWER PROJECT DIRECTOR
Flack from an ever-costlier sewer project has hit the fan in Orangetown, with a call for the project director’s ouster. A recent state audit said poor planning allowed the cost of the town-wide sewer upgrade that began in 2005 to more than double over four years. Town board member Dennis Troy called this week for the project director, Ron Delo, to step down. But Delo defends his handling of the sewer upgrade and says he’s kept the board updated on the rising costs.
FIRE INSPECTOR: NEW SQUARE YESHIVA STILL IN VIOLATION WITH PADLOCKED DOORS
Fire officials say code violations remain at a New Square school where students were briefly trapped during a fire early this month. No one was injured in the April 2nd fire at Yeshiva Avir Yakov. But firefighters said that when they arrived, about a dozen students were trapped inside by padlocked doors. A report by New Square’s village fire inspector says that, while some safety issues have been resolved at the school, there are still padlocks on some doors. The school reportedly has been ordered to install self-closing doors, which can be pushed open from the inside.
04-28-10
GARZA’S BODY TO BE RETURNED TO NEW YORK FOR AUTOPSY
The body of Laura Garza will be returned to New York State for an autopsy. This, from prosecutors in Lakawana County, Pennsylvania, where the 25-year-old aspiring dancer’s remains were identified this week. Garza was last seen in December of 2008 with Michael Mele, an Orange County man convicted of sexual crimes here in Rockland. Police believe Garza was murdered in New York, and her body taken to Pennsylvania. Mele reportedly is the only suspect in the case. Prosecutors say he’s been uncooperative since the investigation began.
PROBE OF CRASH THAT KILLED TWO SUFFERN TEENS NEARING CONCLUSION
Ramapo police say they expect to complete their investigation of the collision that killed two Suffern teens last month within the next two weeks. Eighteen year-old Vincent Crotty and 17-year-old Christopher Konkowski were killed March 30th when Crotty’s car crossed a double line into the path of a dump truck on Route 202 in Suffern. Investigators are trying to determine whether slippery road conditions that morning -- or some other factor, such as driver inattention – caused the collision.
CLARKSTOWN APPOINTS NEW ASST. TOWN ATTORNEY
Clarkstown has a new assistant town attorney – and a bit of controversy surrounding his appointment. New City attorney Keith Cornell takes over the post next month, replacing the town’s long-time assistant attorney, Ron Longo. Some Clarkstown residents are NOT PLEASED that supervisor Alex Gromack appointed Cornell to the $83,000/yr job without interviewing other applicants. One local taxpayer advocate told the Journal News the appointment smacks of patronage – because Cornell is the son of county legislative chairwoman Harriet Cornell. Gromack says it’s Cornell’s experience – in part, as village attorney for South Nyack – and not his family connections – that make him the right choice for the job.
NEW YORKERS WARNED ABOUT “MYSTERY SHOPPER” SCAM
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli warns New Yorkers to beware of the Mystery Shopper scam. Di Napoli says the scam – reported in other states, as sell – works this way: The potential victim receives a letter from a fictitious firm saying he or she has been chosen to take part in a consumer research project as a mystery shopper. Along with the letter comes a check – usually between $3,000 and $5,000 – bearing what appears to be Di Napoli’s signature. The victim is asked to deposit the check into his private account, and then – supposedly to evaluate a money transferring service such as Western Union -- to immediately wire the amount of the check back to the scammer. By the time the victim’s bank discovers that the check was counterfeit, the transfer is made and the scammer has the victim’s money. DiNapoli says anyone who’s contacted about such a scheme should call his office at (518)-474-0404.
04-27-10
LAURA GARZA’S REMAINS IDENTIFIED, MELE STILL ONLY SUSPECT
The remains of 25-year-old aspiring dancer Laura Garza have been found. And police say Michael Mele (MEE-lee), who has a record of sexual crimes here in Rockland County, remains their only suspect. Garza was last seen in December, 2008 – with Mele, in Newburgh -- purportedly after the two had met at a Manhattan club. Skeletal remains found two weeks ago in Mount Cobb, Pennsylvania, were identified yesterday as those of Garza. Police say the 24-year-old Mele, who lives in Wallkill, has refused to co-operate since the investigation began. Mele pleaded guilty in 2008 to exposing himself to women in the Palisades Mall parking lot. Police say they hope to trace Mele’s movements at the time of Garza’s disappearance to Pennsylvania.
COURT SAYS RAMAPO RABBINICAL SCHOOL SITE IS TAX-EXEMPT
A Pomona rabbinical school has won a court victory over the Town of Ramapo. In a ruling disclosed this week, the State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division granted the Rabbinical College of Tartikov tax-exempt status on the 130-acre site where it intends to build a school and student housing. The decision overturns a lower court’s ruling in favor of Ramapo’s bid to collect taxes assessed on the site, which has been used as a summer camp.
HAVERSTRAW POLICE: TWO MEN ROBBED AT KNIFEPOINT
Two men reportedly were robbed at knifepoint last night in Haverstraw. Police say the alleged victims, both in their 20’s, were accosted by two men on Coolidge Street – and relieved of about $1,000 in cash as well as their cell phones and jackets. The suspects were last seen fleeing the scene in a dark-colored Ford Explorer. Police say one was carrying a knife. Neither of the alleged victims was injured in the robbery.
ORANGETOWN WOMAN CHARGED WITH FALSELY ACCUSING FIFEFIGHTER OF THEFT
A Tappan woman has been charged with falsely accusing a volunteer firefighter of robbing her burning home. Orangetown police identify the woman as 48-year-old Kam Yung. They say she initially reported that $7,000 and jewelry were stolen during the Friday-morning fire – but later admitted she had lied. Yung is due in Orangetown Town Court May 19th to face misdemeanor charges of falsely reporting a crime.
04-26-10
VIDEO FUELS EAST RAMAPO TENSIONS
An Internet video is raising tensions in East Ramapo. The video highlights remarks made at a public meeting earlier this month by school board candidate Antonio Luciano. Criticizing the board’s Orthodox Jewish majority, Luciano compared their inaction on some issues to Ponitus Pilate washing his hands over the death of Christ, and to Nazis on trial for the Holocaust saying they were just following orders. The video, which has been removed from the Internet, drew an immediate response from Jewish community leaders. Ramapo Rabbi and WRCR regular Justin Schwartz called Luciano’s references over-the-line and inflammatory. Luciano says he meant no insult to Jews, and that he used extreme examples only to make a point.
All of this comes at a time of growing tensions between those inside and outside Ramapo’s Hassidic community. It follows by less than a month the hate-crime arrests of four Spring Valley teens. They’re charged with threatening Jewish residents of a Monsey neighborhood with a baseball bat – on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
FIVE ARRESTED FOR COCAINE POSSESSION AFTER SUFFERN CONVENIENCE STORE INCIDENT
Three Suffern men and two from New Jersey face drug-possession charges after a weekend incident at a Suffern 7-11. Ramapo police were called to the College Rd. convenience store about 4 o’clock Sunday morning on a disorderly conduct complaint. When they arrived, the suspects were gone. But police caught up with them, and a search of their car reportedly turned up four grams of cocaine. The three Suffern men are identified as 28-year-old Mauricio Rivera-Mercado, 35-year-old Ascar Dominguez and 40-year-old Apolinar Licona-Ruiz. They and their two companions from New Jersey all were charged with fourth-degree criminal possession.
WOMAN INJURED IN SPRING VALLEY RAILROAD-CROSSING COLLISION
An Orangetown woman is in stable condition after a weekend collision between her car and a train. Seventy-seven year-old Milca Laurenceau of Orangeburg was taken unconscious to Nyack Hospital after the incident late Saturday afternoon at Spring Valley’s Dutch Lane Crossing. Police say Laurenceau’s car apparently became caught between the lowering gates as a Pascack Valley line commuter train approached. The collision heavily damaged the car. Laurenceau, whose injuries were not immediately specified, reportedly was issued a summons for obstructing a railroad crossing.
04-23-10
ST. LAWRENCE, COUNTY RESIDENTS SLAM UNITED WATER’S PROPOSED RATE HIKE
United Water officials got an earful last night from Rocklanders angered by the utility’s proposed 20-plus-percent rate hike. The increase would cost the average U-W customer an extra $100 or more annually. In condemning that at a public hearing in Ramapo, speakers also linked the proposed hike to the pilot project on United Water’s proposed Hudson River desalination plant. Leading the protest – Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence – who threatened to call a referendum on the plant if the rate-hike is granted. The state Public Service Commission is taking public comment on the rate increase until May 15th.
CLARKSTOWN SCHOOL BUDGET WOULD MEAN ABOUT 75 LAYOFFS
The Clarkstown school board unveiled its proposed budget last night. The nearly-$168-million package would raise district taxes by about 2%. It would also mean layoffs of about 75 teachers and teaching assistants – about half the number originally proposed. Clarkstown school officials say class sizes would remain as they are, but some school programs, including sports, would be cut back. A district-wide vote on the budget is slated for May 18th.
BOCES TO CUT STAFF: FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS
Rockland BOCES is cutting its staff for the first time in two decades. The Journal News says the county’s Board of Co-operative Educational Services unveiled its budget yesterday – and that the $88-million package calls for 33 layoffs, including administrators, teachers, teaching assistants and other staffers. BOCES officials say the unusual move is necessary to keep agency spending to less than $1-million above current levels. The BOCES board will vote next Tuesday on the budget, which does not require public approval.
OVERTURNED TRUCKS STALL THRUWAY TRAFFIC
A two-truck accident stopped traffic on the Thruway in South Nyack yesterday. There was no actual collision of vehicles in the mid-afternoon incident. But both trucks flipped over – one, after it hit an overpass; the other, as it swerved to avoid hitting the first. Both drivers were treated at Nyack Hospital for minor injuries. All four southbound lanes of the Thruway were closed for more than an hour after the accident, with traffic backed up as far as Exit 14-A.
WIFE OF D.C. SNIPER TO SPEAK IN ROCKLAND ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TONIGHT
The wife of so-called DC Sniper John Muhammad is in Rockland for an address tonight on domestic violence. Mildred Muhammad will speak at 7 p.m. at the Ramapo Cultural Arts Centre in Spring Valley. The talk is sponsored by the Rockland Family Shelter and District Attorney Thomas Zugibe, who has mounted a public campaign against domestic violence. Mrs. Muhammad is the author of “Scared Silent, A Memoir.” Her husband John was executed last November for the 2002 shooting spree that left at least ten people dead in and around the nation’s capital.
04-22-10
PUBLIC HEARING TONIGHT ON UNITED WATER RATE-HIKE REQUEST
Rockland residents get a chance tonight to sound off about another proposed utility-rate hike. United Water officials will take questions at Ramapo Town Hall on their request for a 31% rate increase. That would cost the average United Water customer an estimated $99 more per year. Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence, who called for the public hearing, says that increase would be – in his words – “intolerable in this time of economic duress.” The hearing gets under way at 7 p.m. It’ll be broadcast live on local cable, and viewers can call or e-mail with questions.
NORTH ROCKLAND TEACHERS OFFER GIVE-BACKS TO MINIMIZE LAYOFFS
Teachers in North Rockland reportedly are biting the budget bullet. The Journal News says the teachers union has agreed to renegotiate terms of the current contract in order to head off large-scale teacher layoffs. The school district’s original 2010-11 budget called for the elimination of up to 38 positions. But after talks with union leaders, school officials now say the teachers have agreed to hold off on more than $2-million in negotiated increases. It’s not clear how many teacher positions the agreement will save. If approved, the $194-million budget would raise North Rockland taxes by just under 6%.
The question is – is this the start of a trend? The North Rockland teacher give-back is the second this week in the lower-Hudson region. Teachers in the Valley Central school district in Orange County reportedly have agreed to defer more than $120,000 in after-hours work stipends to help the district pay other expenses.
FIRE IN SPRING VALLEY CLOSES MAIN ST. BRIEFLY
Main Street in Spring Valley was closed for about a half-hour yesterday, thanks to a downtown fire. Officials say the mid-afternoon fire – in a metal-polishing business on North Main Street – was touched off by a vacuum cleaner. No injuries were reported, but neighboring businesses were evacuated while the fire was brought under control.
SEWER LEAK LEADS TO MT. FUJI FINE
The county board of health has fined Mount Fuji Restaurant $9,000 for leaking sewage. The landmark restaurant, high on a hill overlooking the Thruway, reportedly was slow in repairing cracks in its sewer line, allowing the raw stuff to leak down the hillside.
OBAMA TO GIVE WEST POINT COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
President Obama will deliver the commencement address at West Point this year. The May 22nd appearance will be Obama’s second at the military academy in about five months. He was there last December to announce he was sending 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.
04-21-10
CALHOUN: CUOMO SHOULD INVESTIGATE KIRYAS JOEL
Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun is asking Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to investigate activities involving Kiryas Joel. The Republican legislator, who represents parts of North Rockland, says the Orange County Hassidic community of about 20,000 people, in effect, paid for a court ruling allowing it to tap into the upstate reservoir that feeds New York City. According to Calhoun, the Kiryas Joel “bloc vote” of about 5,000 votes had just gone to the administrative judge who made the ruling.
WHELAN CHIDES PREDECESSOR ON SEWER PROJECT COST DISCLOSURE
Orangetown Supervisor Paul Whelan says his predecessor should have been more up-front about the cost of the town’s sewer-upgrade project. A report by the state comptroller criticized the town for under-reporting the project’s cost. Initial estimates by the Thom Kleiner administration placed that at less than $20-million, whereas the actual price-tag turned out be over $50-million. Whelan told WRCR this morning the public would have been better informed if Kleiner had done something that he, Whelan, did when he first took office: required a seven-year budget forecast by each of the town departments.
COUNTY TO GET HEAD START ON BUDGET REVIEW PROCESS
The County Legislature will begin its mid-term budget review six months early this year. The review of departmental budget requests normally begins after the County Executive submits his budget proposal in October. But legislative chairwoman Harriet Cornell says the county’s financial crunch makes it necessary to get a head start on the process this year. And she’s assigned committee heads to begin reviewing the records, needs and priorities of departments in their purview. Up first: a review by the Public Safety Committee of the District Attorney’s, Sheriff’s, Public Defender’s and Emergency Services departments.
LEGISLATURE BANS SALE OF BABY PRODUCTS WITH BPA
The County Legislature voted last night to ban the sale in Rockland of baby products containing bisphenol-A or BPA. The chemical additive is used in a variety of plastic products, from food packaging to eye-glasses. It’s been found to pose a significant health risk if taken into the system. Now, Rockland joins at least two other counties in New York State banning sales of baby feeding and teething products containing BPA.
FINKELSTEIN BUDGET APPROVED, BOARD VACANCY FILLED
East Ramapo voters have approved the Finkelstein Library budget. The $7.1-million package raises district taxes by just under 2% -- or about $5.00 per household per year. It passed in yesterday’s voting by a nearly-5-1 margin. Spring Valley resident Denet Alexandre was elected by a 2-1 margin to fill the library trustee seat vacated by the retiring Brenda Schlanger.
GOOD SAM’S FARLEY UNIT CLOSING THIS MONTH
A decades-old institution in Rockland health-care is closing its doors. Good Samaritan Hospital says its inpatient psychiatric clinic, the Frawley Unit, is slated to shut down at the end of this month. The now-19-bed unit has been operating since the 1960’s and has treated thousands of psychiatric patients. But now – with a larger facility available at the County Health Center, and with Frawley in need of costly repairs – Good Sam says it’s time to close the clinic doors. Officials say Frawley’s OUTPATIENT services will continue.
04-20-10
VOTING TODAY ON FINKELSTEIN LIBRARY BUDGET, BOARD SEAT
Voting is under way in East Ramapo on the Finkelstein Library budget. The proposed $7.1-million package would raise taxes in the district by just under two percent, or about $5.00 per household annually. Also up for a vote today: one seat on the library board, to fill the vacancy left by retiring trustee Brenda Schlanger. Voting on the Finkelstein budget and board seat ends at 9 o’clock tonight.
EAST RAMAPO BOARD’S BUDGET VOTE DRAWS ANGRY CROWD
An angry crowd of residents, teachers and students greeted East Ramapo school board members last night as the board prepared to vote on a controversial district budget. Some 800 demonstrators gathered outside the board offices in Spring Valley to protest the budget’s call for more than 100 staff layoffs – and the closing of Hillcrest Elementary School. But in the end, the board approved the $193-million package, including the layoffs and Hillcrest closing. A public vote on the budget is scheduled for May eleventh.
PIERMONT BUDGET WOULD RAISE VILLAGE TAXES LESS THAN 1%
Piermont residents face a nearly-13% increase in property taxes under the proposed village budget. A public hearing is scheduled tonight on the $4.9-million package, which would increase village spending by less than one percent. Village officials, who would take salary cuts ranging from 25% to 50%, say the double-digit tax increase is still necessary to offset projected decreases in sales- and mortgage-tax revenues.
CLARKSTOWN, PBA IN ARBITRATION ON NEW POLICE CONTRACT
The town of Clarkstown and its police union have entered arbitration on a police contract. The Clarkstown force has been working without a contract for more than a year. The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association wants a three-year pact with 5.5% annual salary increases. The town says its police already are among the region’s highest-paid and should forego any raises during the current economic downturn. All but a handful of Clarkstown’s 163 unionized police officers make more than $100,000 annually, plus benefits.
ROCKLAND AND AREA COUNTIES TO GET DISASTER AID FOR MARCH STORM DAMAGE
President Obama has issued disaster declarations for Rockland and five other downstate counties hit hard by last month’s storm. That word comes today from Governor David Paterson. The wind-driven rainstorm, called the region’s worst in three decades, caused two deaths and damages estimated at more than $80-million. The disaster declarations make affected communities in Rockland, Westchester, Orange, Nassau, Suffolk and Richmond counties eligible for federal funds to repair and/or replace damaged property.
04-19-1
GARDEN HOTLINE HOST RALPH SNODSMITH DIES AT 70
One of Rockland County’s best-known radio personalities – Garden Hotline host Ralph Snodsmith – is dead at the age of 70. Snodsmith died Saturday in Fredericksburg, Virginia, while recovering from a broken hip. Snodsmith began his career as an agricultural agent here in Rockland, eventually becoming executive director of the Queens Botanical garden. His broadcasting career began here, as well, -- in 1965 -- with his “Garden Hotline” one of the most popular programs on WRKL Radio and, later, here on WRCR. The show also was broadcast for many years from WOR-AM in New York City. Snodsmith brought his gardening expertise to national television, as well, with an eight-year stint on “Good Morning America.” And his books were among the most widely-read gardening guides. Snodsmith and his wife moved to Virginia two years ago after more than 35 years in Suffern.
DEMONSTRATION SET FOR E. RAMAPO BOARD’S BUDGET VOTE
It’s “Black Monday” in the East Ramapo school district. Concerned residents – as well as teachers and students -- will be out in force for tonight’s school board vote on the district budget. The nearly $200-million package calls for a 4.5% spending increase, along with some 200 employee layoffs, including those of 40 teachers. Protesters will be outside the administration building in Spring Valley even before the scheduled 6 p.m. meeting. One group of residents will be there at 5:30 with a special concern – what organizers say is the “strong possibility” that one of the district schools – the Hillcrest School – will be closed as part of the cutbacks.
CLARKSTOWN WANTS A SAY ON HAVERSTRAW DESALINATION PLANT
The Town of Clarkstown wants a formal say on United Water’s proposed desalination plant in Haverstraw. Supervisor Alex Gromack petitioned the state public service commission late last week, seeking “interested party” status. This would give Clarkstown input into the state’s consideration of the plant’s application. In a letter to the commission, Gromack raises questions about the need for the desalination plant. And he notes that Clarkstown residents have voiced concerns over both the quality of the desalinated water and its possible impact on rates.
ENGEL’S SMOKING BAN IMPLEMENTED AT FEDERAL BUILDINGS
An anti-smoking bill sponsored by Rockland Congressman Eliot Engel has gone into effect in the nation’s capital. The so-called Healthy Air for Federal Workers Act bans smoking within 25 feet of all federal buildings. It’s designed to protect federal workers and visitors to the buildings from the dangers of second-hand smoke.
04-16-10
VANDERHOEF WON’T RUN FOR U.S. SENATE THIS YEAR
County Executive Scott Vanderhoef says he won’t run for the U.S. Senate this year, after all. Vanderhoef announced last month he was considering a bid for the Republican nomination to challenge Senator Kristin Gillibrand. But this morning, Vanderhoef told WRCR listeners he just doesn’t have the time or money to make a serious bid. The hurdles – as he described them – six months time to raise more than $15-million. Vanderhoef is in his fifth term as County Executive, during which time he made unsuccessful bids for Congressman and Lieutenant Governor.
TEA PARTY PROTEST DRAWS MORE THAN 150, NO CONFRONTATIONS
Yesterday’s Tea Party protest in New City went off without a hitch. More than 150 demonstrators took to the County Courthouse steps in the late-afternoon event to press for lower taxes and less government spending. Many waved signs slamming both Congress and the Obama White House on a variety of Big-Government issues, from taxes to health care to bank bailouts. No counter protests were reported. The Rockland demonstration was one of more than 700 scheduled to coincide with the last day for Americans to file their Income Tax returns.
TWO ORANGETOWN POLICE OFFICERS INJURED BY ALLEGED DWI DRIVER
Two Orangetown police officers were injured early yesterday when their cruiser was rear-ended on Route 304 south of Route 59. Police say the driver of that car, 30-year-old Bernard Bohunicky, was drunk at the time of the collision – and had three prior DWI’s on his record. The crash knocked one officer, Sgt. Thomas Schultz, unconscious, and also injured Officer Matthew Sullivan. Schults suffered a concussion – Sullivan, injuries to his neck, back, and knee. Bohunicky is in County Jail on $50,000 bail, with a court appearance set for Monday.
FALL FROM MOVING MOTORCYCLE KILLS NYACK MAN
A Nyack motorcyclist was killed in Upper Nyack yesterday when he fell from his bike on Route 9-W. The victim is identified as 24-year-old Dustin Murphy. Police at the scene said they weren’t sure what led Murphy to fall from the motorcycle. He reportedly was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.
THREE HELD AFTER MONSEY “HATE-CRIME” INCIDENT OUT ON BAIL
The three Spring Valley teens accused in a hate-crime incident in Monsey last weekend are out on bail. The three had been held on $10,000 bail each since a Saturday-night confrontation in which they allegedly menaced residents of an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood verbally, and with a baseball bat. Bail was lowered yesterday to amounts ranging from $500 to $1,000, enabling family members to make the bail payments. The case of a fourth, and younger, teen involved in the confrontation was sent to family court.
04-15-10
TEA PARTIES TO HIGHLIGHT TAX DEADLINE DAY
It’s April 15th – Income Tax Deadline Day – and this year, a day of Tea Party protest, as well. Leaders of the anti-government-spending movement say more than 700 demonstrations are scheduled nation-wide today. The biggest is expected to see thousands of protestors descend on the White House. Also expected – according to those movement leaders – thousands of so-called Tea Party Crashers, sent in to disrupt or otherwise discredit the demonstrations.
PEARL RIVER H.S. JUNIORS BACK IN CLASS AFTER WEEKNIGHT PROM
Today was also Morning-After Day at Pearl River High School – as in morning after the Junior Prom. School officials scheduled the dance for a week night this year to deal with the problem of teen drinking. Under the rules, Pearl River High juniors were to be in school on time this morning, and in shape to face a half-day of classes. As for the Senior Prom, that comes up on a Sunday night, June 6th, with regular classes scheduled for that morning after.
ENGEL TO MLB PLAYERS: STOP DIPPING SMOKELESS TOBACCO DURING GAMES
Congressman Eliot Engel says Major League Baseball is luring young people into the use of smokeless tobacco. Engel is asking the Big Leagues and the Players Association to agree on a plan to stop players and coaches from dipping the stuff on the field “in full view of cameras and fans.” As it stands, major league players are barred from smoking cigarettes and cigars on the field as a way to promote healthy habits among young people. But Engel says it’s time the game recognizes that smokeless tobacco is both extremely addictive and a big risk factor for oral cancer.
BAIL LOWERED FOR THREE TEENS IN MONSEY HATE-CRIME CASE
Bail has been reduced for three Spring Valley teens jailed since last Saturday night after what police call a hate-crime incident in Monsey. The three, ranging in age from 16 to 18, were charged with misdemeanors for allegedly threatening residents of an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood with a baseball bat during a verbal confrontation – this, on the eve of a solemn Jewish observance, Holocaust Remembrance Day. The case of a fourth youth arrested – aged 15 – was remanded to Family Court. But Town Justice Rhoda Schoenberger set bail for the elder three at $10,000 each – an amount their families were unable to raise. Attorneys for the three appealed in State Supreme Court yesterday – and Judge William Kelley lowered bail to more affordable amounts, ranging from $500 to $1,000.
04-14-10
MORAHAN VOICES SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL-DISTRICT CONSOLIDATION
State Senator Thomas Morahan says the concept of consolidating school districts is one that – quote – “makes a whole lot of sense.” Morahan commented on WRCR this morning in a discussion of state school-aid cutbacks and their likely effect on Rockland’s eight school districts. Asked if he would support efforts to consolidate some districts, in part to eliminate duplicate administrative salaries and other costs, Morahan pointed to the acceptance of congressional and legislative district re-drawing, and said it’s time to consider doing the same to school districts.
EAST RAMAPO BOARD TO FINALIZE ITS SCHOOL BUDGET PROPOSAL TONIGHT
The East Ramapo School Board faces what could be a contentious meeting tonight. Heading the agenda – a vote on the final version of the budget the board will submit to district residents next month. The roughly-$190-million spending plan is expected to call for large-scale layoffs, including some 40 teachers and 135 other employees. Other cuts would scale-back or eliminate programs such as K-through-8 summer school. School officials say the measures are needed in order to hold-rein on an expected tax increase of more than ten percent. A public vote on the budget is scheduled for May 11.
SPRING VALLEY BOARD ELIMINATES DOG WARDEN’S POST
Last night’s budget hearing in Spring Valley ended as expected – with the village’s long-time animal control officer out of a job. The firing of George Bernhardt came despite remarks in his support by several residents. Mayor Noramie Jasmin – who, as a village trustee last year, supported Bernhardt’s continued employment – said this year’s budget crunch made it necessary to eliminate the $36,000/yr position.
JUDGE REFUSES TO LOWER BAIL FOR TEENS IN HATE-CRIME CASE
A Ramapo judge has refused to lower bail for three Spring Valley teenagers charged with hate crimes after a weekend incident in Monsey. The three, ranging in age from 16 to 18, were arrested Saturday night – on the eve of a solemn Jewish observance, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Police say the three and a 15-year-old threatened residents in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood with a baseball bat during a verbal confrontation. The 15-year-old’s case was sent to family court, but bail for the others was set at $10,000 by Town Justice Rhoda Schoenberger. Attorneys for the three teens argued – unsuccessfully -- at a hearing yesterday that that was an excessive amount since there had been no physical violence in the confrontation. But, in upholding the amount, Schoenberger said the teens can seek a bail change in County Court. Their attorneys say they’ll do just that.
N.J. MAN CONVICTED IN 2008 SEX ABUSE OF ORANGETOWN BOY
Jurors in New City yesterday convicted a New Jersey man charged with sexually assaulting a 10-year-old Orangetown boy. Sixty-four year-old Jairo Aguirre of Weehawken faces up to 25 years in jail when he’s sentenced in June. Aguirre was found guilty of fondling and otherwise sexually abusing the boy on several occasions in 2008.
SR. CITIZENS COMPLEX INTRUDER SOUGHT IN HAVERSTRAW
Town of Haverstraw police are on the lookout for a man who broke into a senior citizens complex yesterday morning. Staffers at Walnut Hills apartments reportedly chased the man from the complex. Police staged a day-long ground-and-air search, but the suspect was still at large this morning. He’s described as white, just under six feet tall, and stocky at more than 200 pounds. Haverstraw police are asking anyone with information on the suspect to call them at 354-1500.
WOMAN INJURED IN RT. 304 ACCIDENT LAST WEEK DIES
A Spring Valley woman whose car was struck by a dump truck in New City last week has died of her injuries. Forty-four year-old Clotilde Lopresti-Haskell died Monday night at Nyack Hospital, where she had been in a medically-induced coma since the accident on Route 304 last Thursday. Haskell’s husband remains in critical condition at Nyack. And the couple’s seven-year-old daughter is recovering from less serious injuries, including a broken leg, at Westchester Medical Center. The driver of the dump truck was uninjured in the collision, which occurred when the southbound truck crossed into a northbound lane of the roadway after a sudden stop in traffic.
04-13-10
SAMUELS JOINS ST. LAWRENCE IN DEMS’ LT. GOVERNOR RACE
Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence has a rival in his quest for higher office. State-wide Democratic Party activist Bill Samuels made it official yesterday: he’s in the race for Lieutenant Governor. The upstate New York entrepreneur says he’s not endorsing any particular candidate for Governor at this time. Samuels’s entry still leaves St. Lawrence with a head start of several months in the primary race. St. Lawrence has used the time to campaign throughout the state for support. Samuels says he’ll fund his campaign largely on his own.
EAST RAMAPO BOARD TO VOTE TOMORROW ON LAYOFF-LADEN BUDGET
The East Ramapo school board votes tomorrow night on a proposed budget that calls for large-scale layoffs. The roughly-$190-million package would mean what district officials describe as a double-digit tax increase for East Ramapo residents. The proposed layoffs include about 40 teachers and 135 other employees, including a nurse and school psychologist. Other cuts would scale-back or eliminate programs such as K-through-8 summer school. A public vote on the budget is scheduled for May 11th.
PUBLIC HEARING TONIGHT ON SPRING VALLEY BUDGET, FUTURE OF DOG WARDEN
Tonight’s public hearing on Spring Valley’s proposed budget should be a lively one. Village mayor Noramie Jasmin says the $26-million package won’t raise property taxes for the new fiscal year. But at least one of the ways it would reach that goal is likely to raise cries of protest. That’s the proposed firing of long-time animal control officer George Bernhardt. Plans to do that last year met with such stiff opposition that then-Mayor George Darden relented and kept Bernhardt on the payroll. Jasmin supported Bernhardt then. But now, as Mayor, she says the village just can’t afford the position, which pays about $40,000 in salary and an equal amount in benefits.
POLICE: FATAL-ACCIDENT VAN WAS EN ROUTE FROM NEWBURGH CLUB
Police in Fort Montgomery say the van that crashed on Route 9-W Sunday morning, killing one passenger and injuring 14 others, was returning to New York City from a club in Newburgh. A 22-year-old Manhattan woman, Penelope Veras, died when she was thrown from the van, which slammed into a stone wall. The driver, 51-year-old Luis Vargas of the Bronx, was charged with drunken driving, a misdemeanor. But police say the charge might be upgraded after an investigation. The name or nature of the club was not released. Veras was one of 13 women in the van along with three men. A van accident on the Thruway two years ago killed three of 14 women inside the vehicle, which was en route from a Newburgh strip club where the women apparently worked.
BAG OF SAND CAUSES COUNTY COURTHOUSE BOMB SCARE
There was a bomb scare at the County Courthouse in New City yesterday. Sheriff’s deputies searched a section of the building for nearly an hour in the early afternoon, after someone spotted a suspicious-looking item – which turned out to be nothing more than a sandbag.
04-12-10
GROMACK COMMENTS ON SCHOOL DISTRICT’S FOUND FUNDS, POPOSED LAYOFFS
Supervisor Alex Gromack says the Clarkstown school district can learn a lesson from the town. District officials reported last week they’d found $5.6-million in previously undiscovered funds in district bank accounts. At the same time, they said they would continue plans to lay off more than a hundred school employees, including some 50 teachers, as an economy measure. Gromack told WRCR this morning he’s not surprised by the proposed staff cuts – and thinks his administration can serve as a model on how to make them. Gromack said his administration has cut more than 50 staff positions in the last four years, mostly through attrition. But, he acknowledged, the school district may have reached the point where it’s too late for attrition cuts, and that large-scale layoffs may be in order.
FOUR TEENS CHARGED WITH HATE CRIMES IN MONSEY CONFRONTATION …
Four teens face hate-crime charges after a weekend incident in Monsey. Ramapo police say the four, ranging in age from 15 to 18, were charged with threatening residents of an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood with sticks and at least one baseball bat.
… LEADING INTO SOLEMN JEWISH OBSERVATION
There were no injuries in the Saturday-night confrontation. But, coming on the eve of a Holocaust observance, it served as a vivid reminder of the violent history of anti-Semitism. Sunday was the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald – the first of the World War Two concentration camps to be liberated by American soldiers. Some 200 people observed Holocaust Remembrence Day at a Sunday ceremony in West Nyack. Among those in attendance – six Holocaust survivors who, with their families, lit candles to commemorate the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in World War Two.
FT. MONTGOMERY ACCIDENT KILLS ONE, INJURES 14
A one-vehicle accident in Fort Montgomery Sunday morning killed a New York City woman and injured 14 others. All were passengers in a van that ran into a stone wall on Route 9-W. Twenty-two-year-old Penelope Veras of Manhattan was pronounced dead at the scene after being thrown from the van on impact. Police charged the driver, 51-year-old Luis Vargas of the Bronx, with drunk driving. Those injured were taken to several area hospitals for treatment.
YONKERS POLICE: ARREST LIKELY IN 20-YEAR-OLD MURDER SPREE
Police in Yonkers say an arrest is near in a two-decades-old string of murders. All three victims were women -- all strangled in the late 1980’s-early 90’s killing spree. Now, after investigators interviewed thousands of people in the case, a Yonkers police spokesman says he’s confident an arrest is near. No word on the suspect’s identity.
FAMILY COURT PARKING LOT SECURITY MEASURES CONSIDERED
Here in Rockland, officials are considering safety measures for the County courthouse parking lot. County Legislator Jay Hood says more and more people leaving Family Court are reported to be continuing their disputes on the way to their cars. Of special concern are domestic abuse cases, where one spouse – usually a woman – has been granted an order of protection against the other. Hood says more than 20 parking-lot incidents have been reported in the past year in which such orders were already in effect. The legislature’s Public Safety Committee takes up the issue at its meeting tomorrow.
04-09-10
$MILLIONS IN CLARKSTOWN SCHOOL FUNDS FOUND
The Clarkstown school district reportedly has found millions of previously-undiscovered dollars. Officials say the new fiscal director found $5.6-million in several bank accounts while poring over the district’s books. That amounts to nearly all of the $5. 9-million budget deficit the district faces. But officials say they’ll hold onto the money – and maintain their plans to lay off more than 130 employees, including some 50 teachers, to balance the proposed budget. The board will present its final budget plan on April 22nd, with Clarkstown residents scheduled to vote for or against it on May 18th.
MTA TO CUT $40-MILLION IN SPENDING
The budget-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority will cut-out more than $40-million in spending on itself in the upcoming year. MTA Chairman Jay Walder says the cutbacks will involve such things as agency vehicles, office renovations and computer upgrades. The savings would put at least a dent in the MTA’s nearly-$400-million budget gap. Walder says more non-service-related cutbacks can be expected before the late-July budget deadline. This comes weeks after the agency slashed more than $380-million through layoffs and cutbacks in service, including to Rockland County.
THREE INJURED IN ROUTE 304 CAR-TRUCK COLLISION
A car-truck collision in New City yesterday left three members of a Spring Valley family seriously injured. The 3 p.m. accident on Route 304 at Johnson’s Lane caused a more-than-six-hour shutdown of that section of the highway. The 45-year-old woman driving the car was the most severely injured. She was last reportred in critical condition at Nyack Hospital, with her 44-year-old husband listed there as serious but stable. A seven-year-old girl in the car – presumably the unidentified couple’s daughter – was taken to Westchester Medical Center with less serious leg injuries.
GRIEVING SUFFERN BASEBALL TEAM HONORS CROTTY AND KONKOWSKI
Two Suffern High School students killed last week in a car-truck collision were memorialized yesterday at one of their favorite spots – their high school baseball field. Eighteen-year-old Vincent Crotty and his 17-year-old best friend, Christopher Konkowski, were members of the school team, were killed March 30th while driving to baseball practice. A ceremony in their honor was held before the team’s first game yesterday, against Tappan Zee High. The two boys’ fathers threw the ceremonial first pitches; former Yankee Bernie Williams was on hand to lend his support; the boys’ uniform numbers – 7 and 19 – were painted on a hillside near the field. And a candle-light vigil was held after the game -- which Suffern won.
LITTLE LEAGUE TO REMEMBER PEARL RIVER BOY WHO DROWNED LAST YEAR
Pearl River Little Leaguers will wear the number 11 on their sleeves when the league opens its season. That number belonged to 12-year-old Chance Cosgrove – a player for the little league Giants, who drowned last summer during a family vacation in North Carolina. A ceremony honoring Cosgrove will follow the league’s first game, tomorrow.
04-08-10
NEW SQUARE OFFICIAL REFUTES FIREFIGHTERS’ CLAIMS ON YESHIVA FIRE
The village of New Square is challenging claims that students were trapped inside a burning yeshiva last week by padlocked doors. The small but smoky fire broke out last Friday afternoon inside a boys’ dormitory at Yeshiva Avir Yakov. Hillcrest fire officials say more than 20 teen-aged boys were inside the building, barred from escaping through locked doors, when firefighters arrived. But New Square’s deputy mayor, Israel Spitzer, refuted that claim yesterday. He said no students had been staying in the dormitory because of Passover, and that the padlocks were there to keep students out. No one was killed or injured in the fire, which reportedly started in a dormitory trash can, and which police believe may have been set deliberately. All of this comes amid a truce, of sorts, between New Square and the Hillcrest fire department over the village’s use of untrained residents to fight fires.
EAST RAMAPO WEIGHS BIG TEACHER & STAFF LAYOFFS
The East Ramapo school board is busy trimming a proposed district budget that already calls for up to 200 staff and teacher layoffs. As it stands, the $193-million package would mean what district officials describe as a double-digit tax increase for East Ramapo residents. The proposed layoffs include about 40 teachers and 135 other employees, including a nurse and school psychologist. Other cuts would scale-back or eliminate programs such as K-through-8 summer school. Opponents of the cutbacks who attended last night’s board meeting said they would be irresponsible. A final board vote on the package is scheduled next week.
D.A.: DRUG PROBE BUSTS COUNTY-WIDE COCAINE OPERATION
Rockland prosecutors say early-morning raids yesterday netted big returns in a nearly-year-long drug probe. District Attorney Thomas Zugibe says 36 people face a variety of drug-related charges for their roles in a more-than-$100,000/yr cocaine operation. The 11-month undercover investigation targeted alleged transactions between cocaine distributors in Manhattan and a network of sellers in Rockland. Key among those arrested: 23-year-old Khristopher Crayton of West Haverstraw, an alleged middleman in the operation. Yesterday’s raids reportedly also netted some 8 pounds of powdered cocaine, quantities of crack, heroin and marijuana, and more than $100,000 in cash.
INDIAN POINT TO APPEAL POLLUTION RULING
Indian Point will appeal a ruling that the Buchanan nuclear plant violates federal anti-pollution laws. The ruling came down last Friday from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. It said the plants cooling system, which uses two-and-a-half billion gallons of Hudson River water, is too harmful to the river’s eco-system – and violates the national Clean Water Act. This is the latest development in the up-and-down quest for license renewal by Indian Point’s operator, Entergy.
KLEINER TOUTS FEDERAL HIRING ACT
Former Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner was back in the news today, promoting the so-called HIRE Act. The measure, signed into law last month by President Obama, offers tax breaks to businesses for hiring new workers. Kleiner is the state labor commission’s new Hudson Valley representative. He was to tell a noontime gathering at his White Plains office today that such incentives are valuable tool in helping businesses put New Yorkers back to work. More than 75,000 workers remain unemployed, state-wide, in the current recession.
04-07-10
GROUND BROKEN FOR NEW CITY STOP & SHOP
Today is Ground-breaking Day for a project that Clarkstown officials say will generate more than 300 jobs for local workers. Supervisor Alex Gromack was on hand at 10 this morning when the Stop & Shop supermarket chain kicked off construction at the old Bradlee’s shopping center in New City. The ground-breaking ends more than a decade of uncertainty about the future of the mostly-abandoned North Main Street site, off Cavalry Drive. About 150 construction jobs will be created to build the Stop & Shop store, which will anchor a new shopping complex. And Gromack says, once in place, Stop & Shop will hire some 190 retail workers.
POLICE: RAMAPO BEER & LIQUOR STORES COMPLYING WITH UNDER-AGE SALES LAWS
Ramapo police say merchants in that town who sell beer and/or liquor seem to be clear on the under-age drinking laws. Investigators regularly check stores for compliance with the no-sales-to-customers-under-21 law. And a police spokesman says all 15 the stores checked this week did comply. Under current law, stores that DO sell under-age face stiff fines and even the loss of their liquor licenses.
SUFFERN HIGH STUDENTS END WEEK OF MOURNING WITH FUNERAL OF SECOND CLASSMATE KILLED IN COLLISION
Students return to classes at Suffern High School today following a tragic spring break. The return coincides with the funeral of one of two Suffern High students killed in a collision last Tuesday. The service was scheduled for 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church in Suffern for 17-year-old Christopher Konkowski. He was killed along with his best friend and classmate, 18-year-old Vincent Crotty, when Crotty’s car slammed into a dump truck on Route 202. The funeral service for Crotty was held last Friday. Though classes resume today, school officials say students attending Konkowski’s funeral won’t be marked absent.
TAPPAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EVACUATED BRIEFLY BY “BOMB” THREAT
What might have been a bomb threat forced the evacuation of the William O. Schaefer elementary school in Tappan yesterday. Police say a note containing the word “bomb” was found at about 1 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Police with bomb-sniffing dogs searched the school for an hour but found nothing – and the students were returned to class by 2 p.m.
INDIAN POINT SIREN TO SOUND TWICE IN ROCKLAND TOMORROW
Get ready for more Indian Point siren blasts. The Buchanan nuclear plant will test a single siren twice tomorrow. County Emergency Services officials say the first siren is scheduled to sound at 11 a.m., and the second at 2 p.m. If all goes well, each one will last for about four minutes. The siren being tested is at Route 9-W and Lake Road, near Rockland Lake. It’s one of more than a dozen sirens in Rockland that are part of Indian Point’s new emergency notification system.
04-06-10
STOP & SHOP GROUND-BREAKING TOMORROW IN NEW CITY
A long-awaited ground-breaking is set for tomorrow in New City. The Stop & Shop supermarket chain kicks off construction of what will become the anchor store of a new shopping center at the old Bradlee’s site. The center fell onto hard times when Bradlee’s pulled out over a decade ago, and plans for the new Stop & Shop were delayed by the nation’s economic downturn. Tomorrow’s ground-breaking is set for 10 a.m. at the 180 North Main Street site, just off Cavalry Drive.
COPS: GUNMAN SEEKING POT AND CASH SHOOTS SPRING VALLEY MAN
Ramapo police are on the lookout for a gunman who allegedly shot a Spring Valley man in the foot after the man refused his demand for marijuana and money. The 20-year-old victim reportedly told police the incident occurred early Sunday morning outside his residence on Singer Avenue. Police say they’re working with sketchy details, including a “vague” description of the alleged gunman. The victim, who was not identified, was treated at Nyack Hospital and released.
CHINESE-MADE HOCKEY STICKS RECALLED
Another recall of a product manufactured in China. This time it’s hockey sticks. The county health department says the paint on the recalled product, Bauer Youth and Junior Hockey Sticks, Shafts and Blades, contains excessive amounts of lead. The sticks are sold nationwide here and in Canada. They display the name “Bauer” – and, in many cases, the Nike logo as well.
FINKELSTEIN SEEKS $7.1-MILLION BUDGET, UP SLIGHTLY FROM THIS YEAR’S
The Finkelstein Library in Spring Valley is asking East Ramapo residents for a raise of just under two percent. The library unveiled a proposed $7.1-million budget yesterday that’s up about $130,000 from the current spending plan. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for April 12th, with voting eight days later. If approved, the budget reportedly would raise district taxes by about $5.00 per household.
FUNERAL TOMORROW FOR SUFFERN TEEN KILLED IN COLLISION
A funeral mass is scheduled tomorrow morning for 17-year-old Christopher Konkowski. He and his Suffern High School classmate, Vincent Crotty, were killed last Tuesday when Crotty’s car crossed a double line on Route 202 and was hit by a dump truck. Hundreds of mourners paid respects to Konkowski at a Suffern funeral home last night – just as they did for Crotty two nights earlier. The two, best friends and members of their high school baseball team, were on their way to practice when the collision occurred.
04-05-10
GROMACK WELCOMES STATE-WIDE PENSION PROBE
Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack says he welcomes the state pension probe that will review the books in Clarkstown and three other Rockland towns, as well as the county itself. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced the state-wide probe late last month. Gromack told WRCR this morning that such an investigation is long overdue, since pensions are a key factor affecting the cost of local government. At issue is whether unionized municipal employees illegally pad their final-years’ salaries -- running up big overtime figures, for instance – in order to increase the size of their pension checks. Gromack says he’s reviewed Clarkstown’s books and doesn’t see “anything that warrants concern.”
RAMAPO VILLAGES WIN DISMISSAL OF SUIT BROUGHT BY DEVELOPER
Five Ramapo villages have won a major court victory in a lawsuit brought by a developer of yeshivas. The developer, Mosdos Chofetz Chaim, Inc., sued the villages of Chestnut Ridge, Pomona, Wesley Hills, Montebello and New Hempstead – on religious discrimination grounds. At issue: the villages’ successful suit in 2004 that halted work on a nearly-completed yeshiva-and-apartment complex off Grandview Avenue. Although that suit was on environmental grounds, Mosdos claimed it was motivated by a bias against Orthodox Jews. But in a decision late last week, a federal judge dismissed the Mosdos suit, saying there was no evidence of religious discrimination in the villages’ action. A lawyer for Mosdos says the developer is likely to revise and re-file the bias suit.
SPEEDING P.I.P. MOTORCYCLIST NABBED IN NEW JERSEY
The sound of rolling thunder on the Palisades Parkway yesterday led to the arrest of a motorcyclist. It began about 6 p.m., when a New York State Police officer reportedly witnessed a GROUP of bikers heading south on the Parkway at about 120 miles an hour. That gave way to a chase in which the bikers easily out-sped the officer. But at least one of them couldn’t make it past the Parkway Police in New Jersey, whom the officer he left behind had notified.
FEES RAISED AT STATE PARKS
If you’re heading for the state parks this summer, expect to pay a bit more than you did last year. State officials say the parking fees at Bear Mountain, Letchworth, Rockland Lake, and Lake Welch, Sebago and Tiorati are being raised to $8.00 from the current 6-or-7. It’s part of a statewide increase in recreational fees expected to add $4-million to the recession-plagued parks budget.
MORAHAN SPONSORS “THANK YOU” BLOOD DRIVE IN NANUET
State Senator Thomas Morahan is saying “thank you” in kind to the donors whose blood is helping him overcome Leukemia. Morahan and his family are sponsoring a day-long blood drive tomorrow at the Pascack Community Center at 87 New Clarkstown Road in Nanuet. The drive runs from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, or to make an appointment, call Kerri Travers at (845) 304-8733, or Joan Silvestri at (914) 588-8275. And when you show up to donate, have your photo- or signature-ID handy.
04-02-10
NEWS SQUARE YESHIVA PROBED AFTER FIRE IN LOCKED-SHUT DORMITORY
Investigators are probing a small but smoky fire that damaged a New Square yeshiva yesterday. The blaze broke out about 2 p.m. in a boys’ dormitory at Yeshiva Avir Yakov on Washington Avenue. Firefighters arrived in time to save more than 20 teen-aged boys who had been unable to escape the smoky fire because exit doors at the school were padlocked shut. Police are investigating both the padlocking, which may have been illegal -- and the cause of the fire, which reportedly began in a dorm trash can.
ST. LAWRENCE: TOWN WILL WIN EVEN IF BASEBALL TEAM LOSES
Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence says the baseball stadium the town plans to build will make money even if the home team – or the league -- strikes out. The 3,500-seat stadium, destined for a site near the fireman’s training center in Pomona, is to be the home of a Canadian-American League team. Asked by a WRCR caller this morning, what happens if the Can-Am League FAILS here, as it has elsewhere in New York State, St. Lawrence said the town will bring in another team from another league. And he said, even though the baseball season is short, the stadium would be used for other paying events throughout the year.
NYS HOLDING BACK PAY TO CONTRACTORS AFTER BUDGET DEADLINE PASSES
Financially-strapped New York State is withholding this week’s paychecks to contractors working on its roads and bridges. A DOT spokesperson says Albany doesn’t have the funds available, now that the state budget deadline has been missed. The legislature and Governor David Paterson are struggling to bridge a $9-billion budget gap. It’s not clear whether contractors whose workers’ paychecks are being delayed will keep them on the job.
PETERSON ASKS STATE EMPLOYEE UNIONS TO FOREGO THIS YEAR’S SALARY INCREASES
Meanwhile, Governor Paterson is asking state employee unions to forego their 4% salary increases this year. Paterson says more than 300,000 New Yorkers have lost their jobs during the current recession, while many others have accepted wage freezes. It’s not clear which, if any, of the state employee unions will comply with Paterson’s request.
HUNDREDS OF MOURNERS AT VIEWING FOR ONE OF TWO SUFFERN TEENS KILLED IN COLLISION
Hundreds of mourners filed through the Scarr Funeral Home in Suffern yesterday to pay last respects to one of two local teens killed this week in a car crash. Suffern High School senior Vincent Crotti died along with his best friend, Chris Konkowski, Tuesday morning when Crotti’s car was hit by a dump truck on Rt. 202 in Montebello. The two, members of their high school baseball team, were on their way to practice when the collision occurred. Investigators are trying to determine what caused Crotti’s car to cross a double line into the dump truck’s path.
04-01-10
PFIZER TO LAY OFF 123 EMPLOYEES IN JULY
More layoffs at Pfizer. The drug firm says 123 employees at its Pearl River plant will lose their jobs in early July. That brings the total let go at the site to 601, as Pfizer downsizes world-wide. A company spokesman says this is the last large-scale layoff at the plant, but that a few more positions may be cut this year. So far, 67 of those fired in Pearl River have found other jobs at Pfizer.
ROCKLANDERS RETURNING CENSUS FORMS AT NATIONWIDE RATE OF 50%
Rocklanders have been returning their completed U.S. Census forms at a rate of about 50%. Officials say that’s about equal to the return rate nationally, and about 10% higher than New York State’s. County Executive Scott Vanderhoef says he’s pleased with Rocklanders’ compliance. But in a statement yesterday, Vanderhoef urged residents who haven’t returned their forms yet to do so today – National Census Day. Census figures are used, in part, to determine how and where some $400-billion in federal funds are distributed.
BOMB THREAT CLEARS COUNTY COURTHOUSE
A bomb threat cleared the county courthouse for two hours yesterday. Clarkstown police say the threat came just before noon, in a call they later traced to a New City phone booth. The courts and the County Clerk’s office, which also was evacuated, all were re-opened by 2 p.m., after a search of the building by bomb-sniffing police dogs turned up negative. Police have yet to identify a suspect in the case.
And now … for April First … WRCR’s News Too Good to be True:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced this morning it’s rescinding not only the payroll mobility tax but this year’s bonuses for all agency officials. In addition, MTA chairman Jay Walder has agreed to accept a 25% salary cut until he starts using an adult first name.
The Mirant Corporation has agreed to reimburse Haverstraw and Stony Point residents for all back taxes. Company officials say there were only joking when they took the towns to court and came away with a multi-million-dollar settlement. A Mirant spokesman tells WRCR News the firm just stopped laughing at the joke and will return the funds to North Rockland taxpayers “as soon as it catches its breath.”
Thousands of angry rabbits stormed the village of New Square this morning. A protest spokesman, C. Peter Cottontail, says the bunnies are “hopping mad” over the village’s plan to construct a rabbit processing plant. Scores of residents joined the protest, many complaining that they were never told of the plans – others saying they don’t even know what a rabbit plant is. In response, a New Square village spokesman explained: “It tastes like a chicken plant.”
And that’s WRCR’s News Too Good to be True for this Thursday, April 1, 2010.
03-31-10
RECORD-SETTING MARCH RAINFALL FINALLY OVER
Rocklanders awoke today to the aftermath of a rainstorm that made this month the county’s wettest March in memory. More than three inches of rain fell on Rockland in the storm, raising the total for March a half-inch above the previous high of 9.3-inches. For all of it, the wind-driven storm caused little damage in Rockland – except for flooding. Much of that was in the river towns. But Route 59 took its usual hit in West Nyack, flood-waters causing lengthy shut-downs and traffic re-routings near the Palisades Mall. Governor David Paterson is seeking federal disaster funds for New York communities hit hard by the March storms. Some $45-million in weather-related insurance reportedly have been filed so far, state-wide.
TWO SUFFERN TEENS DIE IN RT. 202 COLLISION
An accident in Montebello yesterday took the lives of two Suffern High School seniors. The boys, 18-year-old Vincent Crotti and 17-year-old Christopher Konkowski, were killed when Crotti’s car slammed into a dump truck on Route 202 near Lake Road. The two, members of the Suffern High baseball team, reportedly were on their way to practice when the collision occurred. Ramapo police are investigating what caused Crotti’s car to cross a double line before the accident and wind up nearly sideways in the truck’s path.
NORTH ROCKLAND FACING MORE TEACHER LAYOFFS
North Rockland is talking teacher layoffs again. The call comes from schools Superintendent Ileana Eckert, who unveiled the district’s proposed $191-million budget yesterday. Eckert proposed cutting the schools’ teaching staff by at least 38 positions, in part to meet an expected $3-million shortfall in state school aid. North Rockland has laid off more than a hundred teachers in the last three years, as district taxpayers struggle to pay off some big debt, including the Mirant settlement. Voting on the North Rockland budget – along with those of most other districts in the county – is scheduled for May 18th.
03-30-10
FLOOD WARNING TODAY; SUNSHINE TOMORROW
Rockland County is under a flood warning today, with heavy rain forecast through early tomorrow. The storm is likely to make this Rockland’s wettest March in memory, with over 9.3 inches of rainfall for the month. Forecasters say it’ll all turn around tomorrow, as clear skies and temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s lead us into the first week of April.
PATERSON SEEKS DISASTER STATUS FOR REGION
Governor Paterson has asked President Obama to declare Rockland and five other downstate counties a major disaster area – as a result of the nor’easter that hit two weeks ago. That wind-whipped storm damaged buildings, uprooted trees and brought down power lines across the region, leaving more than 270,000 homes without electricity. State insurance officials say homeowners have filed some $45-million in claims related to the storm so far.
ACCUSED STONY POINT LITTLE LEAGUE EMBEZZLER REJECTS PLEA DEAL
A Stony Point woman faces trial and prison on charges she stole some $150,000 from the local Little League. Police say 47-year-old Karen Ramos took the money over a four-year period while she served as league treasurer. Ramos rejected a plea deal yesterday that would have kept her out of state prison if she paid the league back in full. District AttorneyThomas Zugibe says he’ll take the grand-larceny case to a grand jury now, with Ramos facing up to seven years in prison if convicted.
ENGEL VOTES “NO” ON FAA FUNDING TO PROTEST AIRSPACE PLAN
Congressman Eliot Engel has voted “no” on a funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration. The downstate Democrat says he took the action to protest the FAA’s proposed airspace redesign plan, which would route hundreds of flights daily over Rockland. Engel says the plan was “jammed down our throats,” with no public hearings or input from local officials. His “no” vote on FAA funding late last week may have served as little more than a protest. The House passed the measure by a vote of 276 to 145.
03-29-10
PROBE UNDER WAY OF FATAL WEEKEND CAR CRASH IN RAMAPO
Ramapo police are investigating the cause of a weekend car accident that killed a Monsey woman. Sixty-five year-old Stanislawa Nowicka died at Nyack Hospital Saturday following the two-car, head-on collision on New Hempstead Road. Both drivers and another passenger in Nowicka’s car were injured in the 8 a.m. crash, one seriously.
POLICE: BURGLARS TARGETING UPSCALE STONY POINT HOMES
Burglars are targeting expensive homes in Stony Point, and the crooks apparently are no amateurs. Police say two homes were burglarized Friday evening inside the upscale Stony Ridge Estates after their security alarms had been disarmed and their phone lines cut. There’s no word on what was taken in the robberies, but police say the crooks seemed to have been after cash and jewelry.
$130,000 IN ENERGY GRANTS COMING TO ROCKLAND
Three Rockland communities reportedly will split some $130,000 in energy-related grants from New York State. According to figures released late last week, Montebello will get $57,000 to install a roof-top solar-electric system at the village community center; Stony Point will get $37,000 for energy upgrades at the Kirkbride Building, and Haverstraw will receive $35,000 for upgrades at three town buildings. It’s all part of a $24,000,000 state program covering some 200 energy-related projects state-wide.
STEWART AIRPORT TOPS IN REGION FOR ON-TIME FLIGHTS
Stewart International gets the nod for best on-time performance by a Rockland-area airport. U.S. Transportation Department figures show that passengers flying from the Newburgh airport have an 85% chance off taking off on time and a 79% chance of their return flight to Stewart landing on time. The report shows Albany International in second place right behind Stewart, with JFK, LaGuardia, Newark and Westchester airports further back in on-time performance.
STOP & SHOP READY TO BUILD ON OLD BRADLEE’S SITE
If you’re still wondering when there will be shopping again at the old Bradlee’s site in New City, the answer is: soon. Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack told WRCR listeners this morning that groundbreaking for a new Stop & Shop is scheduled for April 7th, with several retail stores to join the supermarket in the new shopping center. Gromack said he hopes Stop & Shop will have a new name for the center, because “the old Bradlee’s” just won’t cut it anymore.
03-26-10
ENGEL REPORTS THREAT OVER HEALTH-CARE VOTE
Congressman Eliot Engel says he’s been threatened with violence for voting “yes” on health-care reform. A spokesman says the threat – to punch Engel in the face – came in a phone call to his office over the weekend. Engel is one of several Democrats who say they received threats following passage of the overhaul bill this week. The offices of two Democrats reportedly were vandalized – and party officials say more than ten members have requested additional FBI protection. Republican officials downplay accusations that their rhetoric against the health-care bill encouraged the alleged threats and violence. And several Republicans who voted “no” on the measure say they’ve been threatened as well.
ROCKLAND OFFICIALS WELCOME CUOMO PENSION PROBE
“Let’s do it,” is the response from Rockland officials whose towns’ finances are under scrutiny by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. He’s probing alleged pension abuse state-wide and this week requested records from Clarkstown, Orangetown, Ramapo and Stony Point as well as the county itself. At issue is whether unionized municipal employees, such as police, illegally accrue overtime and other benefits until their retirement year in order to inflate their pensions. Supervisors William Sherwood of Stony Point and Christopher St. Lawrence of Ramapo – and County Executive Scott Vanderhoef – all tell WRCR they welcome the probe but don’t think Cuomo will find actual fraud in Rockland’s pension dealings.
CLARKSTOWN WEIGHS LARGE-SCALE TEACHER LAYOFFS
Clarkstown schools face the loss of well over a hundred teaching and other staff positions. That’s the sobering word from schools superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan, who unveiled the district’s proposed $171-million budget last night in West Nyack. Citing a nearly-$6-million budget GAP, Keller-Cogan said meeting it could mean laying off some 50 teachers, 60 teacher-assistants and more than 20 other school employees. The last time Clarkstown cut its teaching staff reportedly was in the early 1980s.
FOUR CHARGED IN NANUET ARMED ROBBERY
Four young Rockland men have been charged with robbing three people at gunpoint in Nanuet this week. Police identify the suspects as 20-year-old Robert King and 19-year-old Tyrone Stewart of Nanuet, and two Spring Valley residents, 19-year-old Franklin Guallpa-Lima and 18-year-old Charles Ross. They’re accused of pointing a gun at their alleged victims near a Nanuet mobile home park on Wednesday afternoon and relieving them of their wallets, cell phones and jewelry. Police identify the victims only as Haverstraw residents.
DNA TESTS EXPECTED TO IDENTIFY BODY FOUND YESTERDAY AS MISSING NEWBURGH BOY
The body of a child found in Newburgh this week is believed to be that of missing four-year-old Marc Bookal. But police are awaiting results of DNA tests before making an ID. The body was found Wednesday in a wooded lot not far from where Bookal lived with his mother and her boyfriend. The young boy was last seen December 14th, and police reportedly consider the boyfriend, 30-year-old Cory Byrd, a prime suspect in the disappearance.
03-25-10
CUOMO REVIEWING COUNTY, MUNICIPAL PAYROLL RECORDS
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is bringing his state-wide pension probe to Rockland. His office reportedly has asked for payroll records from the County and four of its five towns. Cuomo is investigating whether salaries -- for police or other municipal employees -- are manipulated in order to illegally inflate pensions. State-wide studies suggest that overtime and other benefits are often accrued until an employee''s final year of work, which sets the standard for computing his or her pension. Officials say such inflation is a major factor in the deficits besetting many local governments.
NYACK SCHOOL BUDGET WOULD LIMIT TAX INCREASE -- AND HIRE TEACHERS
The Nyack school district faces a budget increase of less than one percent. The proposed 2010-11 package, unveiled yesterday, raises expenditures from $70.3-million to $70.7-million -- and calls for the HIRING of two new teachers. District officials praised school administrators and teachers for holding the line on their budget REQUESTS this year. If approved, the plan would give Nyack teachers an average salary increase of about 1.7% over the next three years. A public hearing on the budget is set for April 6th, with a district-wide vote scheduled May 18th.
ROCKLAND HOME SALES AND PRICES SLIGHTLY OFF LAST MONTH
Some less-than-booming figures on the Rockland housing market. Figures from the State Associaltion of Realtors show a February DIP in both home SALES and sale PRICES in the county. The median price for a home selling in Rockland reportedly fell by $6,000 from January, landing at $410,000 last month. And the NUMBER of home sales dropped by eleven percent to 52. But the news isn''t all bad. The realtors say the housing figures are better than they were last year at this time -- and that the trend, overall, continues upward.
03-24-10
CALHOUN: STONY PT. BATTLEFIELD LIKELY TO STAY OPEN
Some hopeful news from Albany today for north Rockland. Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun says it''s likely the Stony Point Battlefield won''t be shut down after all. Initial plans for the upcoming state budget were to cut millions of dollars in funding for state parks, including the famed Revolutionary War battlefield. But legislators working to FINALIZE the budget apparently have agreed to restore the parks'' funding. Speaking on WRCR this morning, Calhoun said budget resolutions from both the Assembly and Senate are all-but certain to keep the battlefield open. And, she added, there''s a "99% chance" that much of the school-funding cutback that Governor Paterson has called for will be restored.
MONSEY COUPLE PLEAD GUILTY TO THEFT OF FEDERAL BENEFITS
A Monsey couple with 12 children has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $75,000 in welfare benefits. Nathan and Mindy Mysky admitted in county court this week that they illegally received some $26,000 in federal rent subsidies and $50,000 in food stamps from 2006 to 2008. Prosecutors say the Myskys were far from broke during this time, as they held mortgages on properties worth several million dollars. In return for their guilty pleas, the Myskys can avoid jail time if they pay back at least $25,000 of the stolen funds by the time they''re sentenced June 14th. Their attorney, William Frank, says he''s confident the couple will make full restititution.
NYACK WOMAN CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLING FUNDS FROM UNION
A Nyack teachers aide may need a similar deal after being charged with embezzling funds from her union. Prosecutors say 50-year-old Christine Carolus of Valley Cottage wrote some $13,000 in checks to herself from 2006 to 2009 while serving as treasurer of School Related Professionals Unit, which represents teachers aides. Carolus was charged yesterday with third degree grand larceny and faces up to seven years in jail if convicted. But, with no prior convictions, she reportedly could avoid jail if she makes full restitution to the union.
WOMAN SENTENCED FOR EMBEZZLING $3-MILLION FROM WEST POINT
A Highland Falls woman has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for embezzling nearly $3-million from West Point. Prosecutors said the woman, 51-year-old Bobbie Ryan, authorized payments to a fake company she had set up while heading the military academy''s computer training division from 1993 to last year. Ryan''s attorney says most of the stolen funds went to support his client''s children -- and that Ryan gave large sums to charity, as well.
CHESTNUT RIDGE MAN SAVES NEIGHBORS FROM FIRE
A Chestnut Ridge man may have saved two of his neighbors'' lives. Ramapo police say 24-year-old Jesse Wild saw smoke coming from another home on Lillian Drive yesterday morning. After calling 9-1-1, Wild reportedly kicked in the door of the burning home and awoke both residents, who made it out safely. Officials say they''re investigating the cause of the fire, which heavily damaged the home''s upper floor.
CHINA-MADE TOY BELLS RECALLED DUE TO HIGH LEAD CONTENT
Another children''s toy from China is being recalled due to excessive lead content. County health officials identify the product as Bicycle Bells, distributed by the Do-it-Best corporation. It sells at Dollar Stores and Do-it-Best Hardware stores for one dollar, and has the logo "I Heart My Bike" on its packaging. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the high lead content is in the red paint that covers the product. If you have any of these bells at home, you''re urged to take them back to the store for a refund. Meanwhile, the County Health Commissioner, Dr. Joan Facelle, says -- because toddlers tend to put things in their mouths, children should have their blood checked for lead at ages one and two.
03-22-10
CLARKSTOWN TASK FORCE WILL PRESS STATE ON T-Z REPLACEMENT ISSUES
Clarkstown supervisor Alex Gromack says his town won’t be caught unawares by the Tappan-Zee Bridge project. The state plans to replace the current span in the coming decade with one that will carry a commuter rail line and accommodate a high-speed bus line to and from New York City. Gromack told WRCR listeners this morning the project planners have declared Clarkstown a key hub in that transportation corridor. So, he’s created a 17-member task force of local residents and officials to get answers to some important questions on the project’s impact on the town, in terms of traffic, pollution and other issues. The envisioned $16-billion Tappan Zee project is slated to begin later in this decade.
RAMAPO, POLICE INK FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT DEAL
Ramapo police have a new contract. The agreement extends the current pact by four years and gives Ramapo’s police officers a four-percent raise each year. Under its terms, salaries will start at $47,000 a year and reach $100,000 by year five. A side agreement reportedly calls for the force to cut its size from the current 126 officers to 112. Town officials say that the contract will cost Ramapo taxpayers about $600,000, and that it’s a better deal than what might have come under binding arbitration.
EIGHTEEN FIREFIGHTERS TREATED FOR SMOKE INHALATION IN SPRING VALLEY BLAZE
It took volunteers from 12 local departments some seven hours to bring a smoky Spring Valley fire under control on Saturday. Eighteen fire fighters were treated for smoke inhalation, most of them at the scene of the blaze, which heavily damaged a storage facility on Pascack Road off Rt. 59. Emergency officials say the volunteers, on the scene from mid-morning to late afternoon, faced the additional danger of not knowing what was inside the burning storage units.
CLARKSTOWN HIGH SCHOOLERS TO GET LATER WAKE-UP CALLS?
Students at Clarkstown’s two high schools may get to sleep a bit later each morning. Schools Superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan is proposing a 9 a.m. start-time to the school day, rather than the current 7:25. She says the change, which requires board approval, would be to accommodate teen sleep needs.
03-19-10
PROSECUTORS GET MORE TIME TO WEIGH MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE IN MCELROY CASE
Prosecutors say they’re still weighing manslaughter charges against Kelly McElroy. The 31-year-old Stony Point woman appeared in court yesterday to answer charges in the death of her 27-year-old husband, Glenn, two months ago. Police say the couple had just left a Stony Point bar in the early morning hours of January 24th when Kelly McElroy ran her husband over with their car. She was initially charged with D-W-I and vehicular assault. But when Glenn McElroy died of his injuries five days later, prosecutors said the latter charge might be upgraded to vehicular manslaughter. The judge at yesterday’s court appearance gave prosecutors a one-month adjournment to make a decision on that upgrade.
STORM-STRUCK RESIDENTS WARNED OF CONTRACTOR SCAMS
Rockland residents who suffered property damage in last weekend’s nor’easter are being warned this morning about another force of nature – dishonesty. County consumer protection officials say contractor scams are on the rise here since the storm. Typically, they say, workmen will show up uninvited at a residence posing as licensed contractors and offer services such as tree removal and roof repair. The advice to Rocklanders: deal only with known, licensed contractors that you’ve called. Get several estimates. And when the work is done, avoid paying in cash.
MALL JEWELER CHARGED WITH VIOLATING PRECIOUS METAL SALES LAWS
Consumer officials have charged a Palisades Mall jeweler with more than 50 violations of laws governing dealings in precious metals. The jeweler, Daniel Baruch, is president of Gold Buyers at the Mall. He was charged yesterday with 46 counts of failing to keep a written record of transactions over a five-month period last year – and with five counts of buying precious metals from minors. All the charges are misdemeanors. Baruch is due to answer them April 7th in Clarkstown Justice Court.
DELHOMME DENIES CHARGES IN CULTURAL CENTER INCIDENT
Spring Valley Trustee Demeza Delhomme denies trespass and disorderly conduct charges in connection with an incident this week at Ramapo’s Cultural Arts Center. Delhomme was arrested Tuesday in the Spring Valley facility’s community room. Ramapo police say he was trespassing at the time – and that, when confronted, he became disorderly and threatened to hit a police officer. In denying the charges yesterday, Delhomme’s lawyer said his client had been given keys to the room – and that there was no confrontation.
LOCAL PROTESTERS TO MARK EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF IRAQ WAR
Anti-war protesters are expected to be out in force this weekend at their usual spot in Nanuet. They’ll be marking the eighth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. The gathering, set for 1 p.m. Saturday at the corner of Rt. 59 and North Middletown Road, is part of a nationwide vigil by opponents of the war. Rocklanders who support the war say they’ll be at their usual spot at the opposite corner. The two groups have been demonstrating peacefully for several years.
03-18-10
CORNELL: COMPLETED CENSUS FORMS MEAN MORE MONEY FOR COUNTY
U.S. Census forms have arrived in most Rockland homes – and, this morning, county legislative chairwoman Harriet Cornell put in another plea for residents to fill them out. Speaking on WRCR, Cornell said Rockland could lose tens of millions of dollars in federal funds due to under-reporting of the county population. Much of that problem stems from fears that information on the forms could be used against residents – for instance, by immigration agents looking for illegal aliens. Cornell said those fears are unfounded; that there is no sharing of Census information – not even under the Freedom of Information Act.
TEMPERS FLARE AT EAST RAMAPO BOARD MEETING
There was another stormy session of the East Ramapo School Board last night. This time, it took three police officers to calm things down. At issue: the district budget, and the school programs that might have to be cut in order to bring it down. The flare-up was touched off by an argument between a student addressing the board and the board attorney. Order was restored quickly, but not before the board members, apparently fearing for their safety, locked themselves in Executive Session. Scores of students and parents were there to protest possible cutbacks to the schools’ Advanced Placement program, and the cancellation of a planned voter-registration drive for students. The board is weighing some $10-million in cuts in order to bring down what they say is a possible 12% tax increase to pay for it.
The East Ramapo ruckus comes as school districts across the county prepare their budgets for voter approval next month. On Tuesday night, North Rockland schools superintendent Ileana Eckert told residents the district might have to lay off more than 30 teachers to make up for drastic cuts in state aid.
NYS: RCC BESET BY AUDITING FAILURES
All of this comes as state auditors slam Rockland Community College for what they say are costly accounting failures. A report issued this week says, among other things, that RCC paid more than $1.5-million to vendors in the last two years without approval from school auditors, and over-paid two employees by more than $40,000 in retirement benefits. RCC officials say they’re reviewing the report’s findings.
STATE GRANT TO PAY FOR SLOATSBURG LIBRARY FACE-LIFT
There is some good news today for the education-minded here in Rockland. Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt says the state has awarded the Sloatsburg Library a $2,500 construction grant to help restore the aging structure. State officials say more than a thousand libraries in New York are more than 60 years old and in need of repair. The Sloatsburg grant comes from a $14-million set-aside for library repair state-wide.
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER LEWIS TO APPEAR AT NYACK NAACP DINNER NEXT MONTH
One of the nation’s pre-eminent civil rights leaders will address the Nyack NAACP next month. Congressman John Lewis, who worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King during the1960’s civil rights movement, will address the group’s annual Freedom Fund dinner on April 8th at the Pearl River Hilton. Lewis, a Democrat, has represented Georgia’s fifth district for more than 23 years.
03-17-10
O&R: POWER BACK TO WHOLE COUNTY BY END OF DAY
At last word, more than 97 percent of the county’s homes and businesses that went dark during the weekend nor’easter had their power restored. And Orange & Rockland says its crews should have the rest of the county back on line by the end of the day. The wind-whipped storm that brought down trees and power lines with them knocked more than 4,000 O&R customers off-line over the weekend. It took some 150 O&R crews more than four days to clear the debris and get the power lines back up.
MORAHAN SAYS REPORTS THAT HE’S GETTING A RAISE ARE WRONG
“WHAT raise?” That was State Senator Thomas Morahan’s response to a WRCR caller this morning when she asked if he could justify his raise. Morahan said he hadn’t had a salary increase in the last eleven years, but, if anything, he might get a mandatory upgrade in mileage re-imbursements for travel. As for reports that he’s given his staff members a a raise, Morahan said all he’s done is to restore part of the salary cuts the staffers agreed to take last year.
VANDERHOEF: FOUR N.J. FIRMS, 400 JOBS, COMING TO ROCKLAND
Some mixed news from County Executive Scott Vanderhoef on the local labor front. In his state of the county address last night, Vanderhoef said four New Jersey firms are moving to Rockland, with a potential 400 jobs for county residents. On the downside, he said, Rockland might have to dig itself out of a $10- $12-million budget deficit this year as tax revenues dwindle and the cost of services continues to rise. One way to save: union contracts for workers employed by the county are up this year, and Vanderhoef said unless contract talks are made more favorable to the county, there could be layoffs.
INCUMBENTS SWEEP IN VILLAGE RACES
The mood of the nation’s electorate might be to “throw the bums out.” But yesterday’s village elections suggest that’s not true in Rockland. All incumbents running in the six villages were returned to office. Current trustees ran unopposed in South Nyack and Wesley Hills. Three other villages, Grand View, Hillburn and New Hempstead held contested races that went to incumbents. And in Upper Nyack, incumbent trustees turned back last-minute challenges by write-in candidates.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADES: NYC TODAY, PEARL RIVER SUNDAY
They may be marching in New York City today. But it’s just a warm-up for this weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in Pearl River. The marchers will step off at 1:30 p.m. Sunday outside the Pfizer plant on Middletown Road, and then make their way to the heart of town. Once again this year, WRCR will be there. Co-hosts Kerry Potter and Brian Nugent will bring you all the parade highlights from 1:30 to 4 p.m.
03-16-10
POWER EXPECTED BACK IN MOST ROCKLAND HOMES BY MIDNIGHT
Most of the county should have power back by midnight tonight. That’s according to Orange & Rockland, which said more than 800 homes and businesses were still in the dark as of late last night. More than 150 road crews have been out throughout Rockland since the weekend’s severe wind-storm, clearing roads of downed trees and power lines. For all the damage and blackouts, Rocklanders fared well physically during the storm, with no major casualties reported.
Westchester County was hit harder, with far more homes losing power, more widespread damage, and at least one storm-related death. Utility officials say many of that county’s homes knocked off-line won’t have power back until Thursday. And Governor David Paterson says Westchester may be in line for federal disaster funds.
RAMAPO ZBA GREEN-LIGHTS BOBOVER YESHIVA PLANS
Ramapo’s zoning board of appeals has approved plans for a yeshiva at the site where a cow was openly slaughtered last year. Yesterday’s 4-to-1 vote, granting variances for the Bobover Yeshiva, came after the applicant modified the originally-DISAPPROVED plans. The two-story yeshiva is expected to accommodate some 200 students. It’s one of several controversial projects now under way involving Ramapo’s Hassidic community.
FRIESEL PLEADS GUILTY IN FEDERAL-FUNDS FRAUD CASE
New Square’s former village clerk, Avrum Friesel, pled guilty yesterday to his part in a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme. Friesel fled to Israel in 1997, before he was even indicted. He was finally extradited to the United States from London. Prosecutors say Friesel and five others made tens of millions of dollars illegally in payments from federal anti-poverty and education programs. One of Friesel’s co-conspirators remains at large. The others have been convicted and sent to prison. The 57-year-old Friesel, to be sentenced June15th, is the son of New Square Mayor Mates Friesel.
VILLAGE ELECTIONS UNDER WAY
Voting is under way today in six Rockland villages. Contested trustee races are on in New Hempstead, Hillburn and Grand View. All incumbents are running unopposed in South Nyack, Upper Nyack and Wesley Hills.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE IN NYC TOMMOROW, IN ROCKLAND SUNDAY
Tomorrow is the day when all Americans become IRISH-Americans. As always, the highlight will be the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City. And, as always, Rockland County will follow with its own parade through Pearl River. It steps off at 1:30 Sunday from the Pfeizer parking lot on Middletown Rd. And for the second straight year, WRCR will be on hand with live coverage of Rockland’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
03-15-10
NOR’EASTER SPARES LIVES, BUT NOT PAIN, IN ROCKLAND
The weekend Nor’easter left three dead in the region – all the result of heavy winds. A falling tree killed two people in Teaneck, New Jersey. And across the river in Hartsdale, a tree tangled in live power lines came down on a parked car, set it on fire, and killed the driver. There were no major casualties here in Rockland, but the county had its full share of flooding and power outages. Orange and Rockland reported nearly 4,000 customers off-line at various times through the weekend. There was flooding throughout the county, temporarily closing off roadways – including the New York State Thruway to northbound traffic for about three hours yesterday at Exit 15. Orangetown was particularly hard-hit by the storm, which turned some roads into minefields of broken tree-limbs. South Orangetown schools opened two hours late this morning. And classes at Dominican College were cancelled due to a power failure.
State-wide, more than a quarter-million homes were without power during the storm. Governor David Paterson is seeking federal emergency assistance for hard-hit areas of the state.
SIX VILLAGE ELECTIONS TOMORROW; INCUMBENTS CHALLENGED IN THREE
Tomorrow is Election Day for six Rockland villages. The most contentious races are in New Hempstead, where residents are concerned about the planned chicken slaughterhouse in neighboring New Square. New Hempstead mayor Larry Dessau is running unopposed – but two village trustees are being challenged for re-election. There’s one contested race for trustee in Hillburn. And Grand View voters will choose between two incumbent trustees and their challengers. All incumbents are running UNOPPOSED in the three remaining villages – South Nyack, Upper Nyack and Wesley Hills.
FUNERAL SERVICE TODAY FOR RAMAPO COUNCILMAN ED FRIEDMAN
A funeral service was held today for long-time Ramapo Town Councilman Ed Friedman. He died of cancer on Friday, two weeks short of his 74th birthday. Friedman was first elected to the town board in 1987, after a nine-year stint as a Spring Valley Trustee. Town officials say an election will be held in November to fill Friedman’s seat for the last year of his term.
NANUET SCHOOL BUDGET WORKSHOPS SCHEDULED
Budget workshops are scheduled for eight o’clock tonight and tomorrow night for the Nanuet school district. And officials are encouraging the public to attend the sessions. Schools superintendent Mark McNeill is expected to submit a 2010-11 package that calls for a two-percent spending increase over the current $60.4-million budget, and raises school taxes by 2.3-percent. Both workshops – and a third scheduled for next Tuesday – will be at the Nanuet High School library.
NANUET ”KIDNAP” CALL RESULTS IN DRUG BUST
Clarkstown police raced to the parking lot of the Nanuet McDonald’s late Friday night on a tip that a kidnapping was in progress. It turned out to have been a drug-napping instead. Police say the buyer in a marijuana deal that was supposed to go down in the parking lot grabbed the pot instead and took off without paying. That set off a car chase through the lot that ended when police arrived and got straight on the details. The sticky-fingered “buyer” was then arrested and charged with grand larceny.
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