A local, long-time global peace movement leader, an influential teacher of the practice of creating change through non-violence, has died. Reverend Richard Deats of the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Nyack died April 7th from complications related to pneumonia. That’s according to his son, who posted a memorial on the group’s website. Deats worked with peace leaders from around the world, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and others. He came to Rockland in 1972, where he would live and work for the rest of his life. He was 89 years old.
Rockland Mourns Death of Art Aldrich, Publisher of Our Town Newspaper
Rocklanders are mourning the loss of long-time area journalist and teacher, Art Aldrich, the publisher of the Our Town newspaper, who died on Monday. In a tribute to Art on their Facebook page, the Blauvelt Free Library noted he continued to teach a marketing class three weeks before he passed, and called him “arguably, the hardest-working Defensive Driving instructor in the county.” Rockland Sheriff Lou Falco, who followed Art’s weekly Wednesday segment on the air here on “The Morning Show,” said he hopes his newspaper continues to bring readers his unique brand of local news…
Back in 1980, Art covered the court cases held for the two men who were eventually convicted of killing Pearl River teen Paula Bohovesky, and the subsequent attempts her killers made to get parole…
Funeral arrangements have not yet been made public. We will share them as soon as we learn the details.
North Rockland School District Gets Tax Relief from State Budget
The North Rockland School District is getting millions from this year’s state budget and residents are getting a freeze in property taxes for the upcoming school year. At a press conference yesterday at the North Rockland School District’s office, state senator James Skoufis called it an historic investment for North Rockland schools that provides long-awaited Mirant debt relief for local taxpayers…
And that was Rockland assemblyman Ken Zebrowski. The money helps stem the district’s $11 million of debt each year due to Mirant Energy, the largest tax certiorari in New York history at $365 million. District superintendent Dr. Kris Felicello said everyone in the community has worked hard despite the financial challenges…
Debbie Brennan is the head of the North Rockland Teachers’ Association, and said the battles were finally worth the effort…
And that was Board of Education president Richard Fernandez. Under the plan passed in the budget, North Rockland will get just over $52 million in core school aid, a $10.2 million increase from last year, that’s a 24% increase.
East Ramapo Hires Permanent School District Superintendent
The East Ramapo Central School District has a new superintendent. The Board of Education yesterday unanimously approved the appointment, effective July first, of Dr. Clarence Ellis, replacing Interim Superintendent Dr. Ray Giamartino. Since 2014, Dr. Ellis has served as Superintendent of New York City’s District 17 in Central Brooklyn. He was selected from a group of 40 applicants, and he’ll earn a salary of $263,000 in his three-year contract.
Stony Point Secures Deal to Sell Golf Course
It’s taken nearly two decades, but Stony Point finally has a $6.4 million deal in place for the former Letchworth Village property and Patriot Hills Golf Course. Town officials announced yesterday that Patriot Hills Park LLC will clean up and demolish the buildings there and upgrade the golf course, clubhouse, and catering facilities. The Patriot Hills golf course has cost town taxpayers around $1.3 million a year for the last five years. Supervisor Jim Monaghan says the deal helps relieve that burden, and gives residents who want to play golf the option to do so…
The deal is one of the largest private investments in Stony Point in decades. The agreement includes funding for a new Community Center to replace the RHO Building, the preservation of Kirkbride Hall for Town recreation purposes, and one other golf benefit – active Stony Point volunteer fire department and ambulance corps members get to play for free.