Jeff Lewis

Orange & Rockland last night (September 8th) had its emergency response team ready, though it appears they weren’t much needed. There’s just a handful without power this morning in our area, down from about 500 overnight, though more rain is expected later today and flooding is still a concern.

Neither Rockland nor Orange county was included in Federal Assistance promised by the Biden Administration following damage from last week’s remnants of Hurricane Ida. Stony Point and Orange County Assemblyman Colin Schmitt says the Federal Disaster Declaration only covered Westchester County and south, but excluded most of the Hudson Valley area…

Meanwhile, Rockland Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski says if you’ve been impacted by Ida, the state Department of Financial Services’ Disaster Hotline can be reached at 1-800-339-1759. They can help with insurance questions, such as preparing claims or other important information. You can also go to http://ny.gov/ida to find out how the state can assist you.

Most Rockland school districts are now open as of today, the exceptions being Nanuet and East Ramapo, which, along with BOCES, open tomorrow, and Suffern Central which opens Monday. New York governor Kathy Hochul says it’s important for schoolteachers, staff and children to all be safely back in the classroom…

The state has instituted a universal mask requirement for all schools in the state, regardless of whether people are vaccinated. They also have recommendations for school districts regarding physical distancing and quarantine protocols. Meanwhile, the COVID death toll here in Rockland has risen to 724, with 20 hospitalized with coronavirus and 707 active cases.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the son of the woman killed in a hit and run incident in Clarkstown. 40 year-old Katrina Grigsby of Nyack was struck by two cars around 4am Saturday September 4th near Route 9W and Rockland Lake North. DailyVoice.com says her only child, Khasyi, launched the GoFundMe page. Meanwhile, Clarkstown Police still need your help in tracking down one of the drivers, the other was tracked down and caught in Haverstraw. If you have any information or video, contact Clarkstown Police at 845-639-5800.

A weapon and a vehicle involved in the North Rockland chase from earlier this week have been recovered. Rockland Sheriff Lou Falco says there were some pretty tense moments early Tuesday after a home invasion in West Haverstraw, but thankfully no one was too badly hurt…

The investigation into the incident continues by the Town of Haverstraw and Stony Point Police departments. In other news, Falco says Airmont’s Deputy Mayor has been released from jail on bail. 47 year-old Brian Downey, who also serves as a Ramapo deputy building inspector and part-time court officer, was hit with numerous federal and local gun charges. The investigation is on-going. We reached out to Deputy Mayor Downey for comment, but did not hear back.

The village of Airmont is holding a public hearing at tonight’s (Thursday, September 9th) Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on the potential to become host to a Battery Energy Storage System. This meeting was originally to be held last month, but was cancelled after a COVID exposure at Village Hall. RWE Solar Development LLC is looking to build the battery storage system at 375 Route 59, near College Road and New County Road, to supplement the O&R electric grid. Tonight’s meeting begins at 8pm and is being held at Airmont Village Hall on Cherry Lane.