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Police to Keep Watch for Drunk Drivers During Holiday Season

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Local and state law enforcement are keeping their eyes on the roads for drunk drivers, especially as New Year’s approaches. Rockland County sheriff Lou Falco expects the roads to be a little quieter than usual as more people opt to stay home…

You might want to jot this down for New Year’s Eve…if you’re out on the 31st and had too much to drink, Falco says beer distributor Dana Distributors in Goshen is running their “Alert Cab” program again this year. They’ll pay for your cab ride home, within a ten-mile radius.

O&R Gears Up for Major Christmas Eve Storm

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The weather outlook for today and tomorrow features extremely high winds and extensive rain that could be heavy at times, the national weather service has issued a flood watch and a wind advisory for our area. Diane Rainey is with O&R’s Corporate Communications and she says they’re gearing up for the potential of scattered power outages across the region…

In case of a power outage, don’t assume O&R knows about it. You should report it by going to www.oru.com/ReportOutage from any computer or web-based mobile device, accessing O&R’s mobile app, text the word “OUT” to 69678, or call 1-877-434-4100. Also, please do not go near downed electric wires. Call O&R immediately and local police so they can divert traffic until an O&R crew arrives.

NY Gov’s Executive Order Extends Property Tax Exemptions for Low-income Seniors and Those with Disabilities

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New York’s governor over the weekend signed an executive order to extend property tax exemptions for another year for low-income senior citizens and those with disabilities. Rockland state senator David Carlucci says the exemption required that people come out to their local municipality to apply for it in person, and during these COVID days that’s not necessarily the wisest thing to do…

Under the Executive Order, local governments can automatically renew 2021 benefits for all property owners who received the benefit in 2020 unless the locality thinks the homeowner has moved, added another owner to the deed, transferred the property to a new owner, or passed away.

Rockland Loses Three More to COVID, NY Gov’s Executive Order Seeks to Help Struggling Restaurants

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The governor’s weekend Executive Order also gives some struggling restaurants a three-month extension to turn over sales taxes to the state. Marcello Russodivito of Marcello’s Ristorante in Suffern says restaurants need more help, better guidance, and rules that make sense…

New York governor Andrew Cuomo acknowledged many will continue to struggle, as getting 85 percent of the population vaccinated to reach critical mass – which by some estimates might not now be until September – is a slow process…

Restaurants in orange zone areas were required to suspend indoor dining temporarily. The sales tax deadline for the payment of their taxes was extended from December 21st to March 2021.

COVID-19 by the numbers now, here in Rockland, we lost three more to the coronavirus, the total is 751, that’s 52 for the month. We’ve got five hospitalized being examined, another 96 there are confirmed cases, and a total of 1,929 active cases. Overall, we’ve had 25,839 reported cases, 260 more than Wednesday.

Montefiore Nyack Hospital Front Line Staff Get First Doses of COVID Vaccine; Area State Lawmaker Wants to Ensure Vaccines go to High Priority Groups First

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Montefiore Nyack Hospital front line staff members received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine yesterday. They started with the Pfizer vaccine and they’re expected to get doses of the Moderna version later this week. A local state lawmaker wants to keep elected officials from getting any COVID vaccine before higher-priority groups. Stony Point and Orange County Assemblyman Colin Schmitt says he plans to introduce legislation to do that, but he also wants governor Andrew Cuomo and Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker to implement that restriction immediately…

Schmitt’s move follows social media postings by members of Congress, including 49 year-old Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio and 31 year-old Democratic New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who got the vaccine ahead of front line workers, first responders, teachers, and vulnerable seniors. Some have argued that for members of congress it’s a matter of national security, while others have noted they could encourage others to not fear getting the vaccine.

COVID-19 by the numbers now, here in Rockland, we lost three more to COVID, the total is now 748. We’ve got five hospitalized being examined, another 85 there are confirmed cases, and a total of 2,056 active cases. Overall, we’ve had 25,579 reported cases, 166 more than Tuesday.