Members of the South Orangetown Ambulance Corps and others said goodbye to their former chief who died last week. Joe McTernan was laid to rest yesterday at Rockland Cemetery in Sparkill. Raised in Blauvelt, McTernan became a South Orangetown youth corps member at the age of 16, rising through the ranks to become chief. A GoFundMe has been set up for his family. McTernan was 44 years old.
Five Arrested After Shooting Incident in New City Saturday
Four Brooklyn men and a juvenile were arrested early Saturday afternoon after a shooting in Clarkstown. Police say they responded to reports of multiple gunshots fired outside 3 Turnberry Court in New City. When officers arrived, they saw a Black Mercedes fleeing the scene. Clarkstown Police Detective Norman Peters says they caught up to the Mercedes a short time later after it hit utility pole at Collyer Avenue and South Little Tor Road…
Rockland Sheriff’s Deputies helped nab the other four suspects, and recovered four handguns. The homeowners weren’t at their home at the time, police say it had been rented out to an unidentified third party. There were no injuries reported. The charges range from attempted murder, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment. The four adult suspects were arraigned in Clarkstown Justice Court and sent to the Rockland County Jail on $150,000 cash bail. The juvenile was arraigned in Haverstraw Justice Court. Clarkstown police ask if you have information or video of the incident, contact them at 845-639-5840.
Rockland County Legislature Vote Expected Tomorrow on Village of Spring Valley’s Building Code Enforcement Duties Takeover
The Rockland County Legislature is expected to vote tomorrow on a plan that would let the county take over the Village of Spring Valley’s building code enforcement duties. Rockland Illegal Housing Taskforce Chairman Justin Schwartz said on Friday’s “Who Wants to Be A Volunteer” he was disappointed the vote didn’t take place two weeks ago, and he’s not confident anything will be different…
Tuesday’s public hearing on the proposed new law to create a County Buildings and Codes department continues at 7pm tomorrow night. Public comment can be submitted by email to legclerk@co.rockland.ny.us until tomorrow at 7pm. Speakers can comment in person at the hearing, which is being held at the county office building in New City.
Fire Strikes Lime Kiln Elementary School Saturday, Students on Remote Learning Today
Fire struck a Suffern elementary school on Saturday, affecting students’ school day today. Hillcrest assistant Fire Chief Peter Gessner says they responded to an automatic alarm at Lime Kiln Elementary school. Smoke was detected in the rear of the building, and fire was discovered in the boiler room’s electrical panels. O&R was called in to cut the electricity, and the fire was brought under control with assistance from the Monsey and Tallman fire departments. There were no injuries reported. Fire department officials also remind residents to clear the snow around any fire hydrants.
Lime Kiln Elementary students will have remote learning today as a result. Students are to follow their regular schedules. The East Ramapo School District says meal distribution for Lime Kiln families will be at Grandview Elementary and at Central Kitchen in Spring Valley from 9 to 11am.
New York’s Indoor Mask Mandate Extended Two Weeks
New York’s indoor mask mandate, which applies to businesses and venues that do not require full vaccination, has been extended another two weeks. Governor Kathy Hochul said in her COVID update Friday the two-week extension is necessary even though the trends have been better lately…
The deadline is now February 10th. It will be evaluated again in the days before it comes up.
Meanwhile, the county’s latest COVID-19 update from Friday shows the death count rising, up 11 since last week to 1,101, but the number of hospitalizations and total cases continue their downward trend. The health department stats show active COVID cases are down about 2,300 to 5,469, and the number of residents hospitalized with coronavirus is down 17 for a total of 73.