Rockland lawmakers had harsh words for yesterday’s violence at the capitol. Newly-elected Rockland congressman, Democrat Mondaire Jones, after Tweeting that he and his staff were all safe, said if yesterday’s “domestic terrorists were Black, they would have never been allowed to storm the Capitol.” He also said the president incited the violence and called on his colleagues to impeach him again. Rockland County Executive Ed Day, a Republican, said debate and peaceful protest are American values, but what was seen yesterday was “an embarrassment to our country.” Stony Point and Orange County assemblyman Colin Schmitt, also a Republican, said there was no justification for the violence.
Ramapo PD: Fatality in Accident in Route 202
At least one person was killed after an accident last night in Ramapo. Police say the crash occurred on Route 202 just west of Grandview Avenue. 202 was closed for several hours while the accident was cleared up. No other information was available.
Area Lawmaker Wants Prisoners off COVID Priority List, Governor Gives Buffalo Playoff Ticket to Nurse Following Criticism, Three More Lost to COVID in Rockland
A local state lawmaker says prisoners in New York shouldn’t be so high on the list to get the COVID vaccine. Stony Point and Orange County assemblyman Colin Schmitt notes the plan is evolving, but so far, it’s not helping…
But Rockland Sheriff Lou Falco says inmates in county jails may not be guilty of any crimes, and regardless, everyone in the jail population Falco says, deserves to be safe and healthy…
Falco says at this moment, his corrections officers would get the vaccine before the inmate population.
New York’s governor is backing off his plan to be at the Buffalo Bills’ playoff game this weekend after days of uproar and an online petition. Governor Andrew Cuomo had one of the 6,700 tickets to go to Saturday’s game, but he said yesterday he’s given it to a nurse from Erie County Medical Center instead. The Bills haven’t hosted a playoff game since 1996.
COVID-19 by the numbers now, here in Rockland, we lost three more to COVID, the total now 783. We’ve got 201 hospitalized with COVID, and a total of 2,566 active cases. Overall, we’ve had 28,861 reported cases, 293 more than Wednesday.
Stony Point to Hold Special Planning Board Meeting on Eagle Bay Project Tonight
A special planning board meeting is being held tonight in Stony Point to deal with some information from the Palisades Interstate Park Commission on the Eagle Bay waterfront condo project. Stony Point supervisor Jim Monaghan says the information should have been submitted as the draft of the Final Environmental Impact Statement was being prepared…
Some are concerned about the increase in density the project could bring to the area along Beach Road, which has been known to flood from time to time. The meeting is being held via Zoom tonight at 6pm. We have the login information for the meeting here.
Rockland Water Coalition to Host Zoom Conference Tonight on P-FOA Levels
Rockland’s water is being put under the microscope in an online meeting tonight. The Rockland Water Coalition Zoom conference will focus on recent changes New York State made to the permissible maximum levels of perfluoro-octanoic acid, P-FOA, that can be in the water. Rockland’s new state senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick says too much of the chemical can be harmful…
SUEZ spokesperson Chelsea Wulff says providing safe drinking water is the company’s top priority…
The scheduled speakers at tonight’s event include former EPA Regional Director Judith Enck, Professor Erin Bell, University of Albany Department of Environmental Health, Dan Shapley of Riverkeeper, and Robert Hayes of “Clean Water for Environmental Advocates New York.” The virtual Zoom seminar is tonight from 7 to 8:30 p.m. To register, click here.