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Jeff Lewis

Day Two of the “Rockland Blood Drive Challenge” Brings Orangetown Residents out to Donate and Become Donors

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Day two of the “Five Towns of Rockland Blood Drive Challenge” was held yesterday in Orangetown. The friendly competition is designed to increase the dwindling local blood supply and register more people to be regular blood donors. At the contest launch in Ramapo Tuesday, Rockland State Senator Bill Weber of the 38th District said it’s important to stock the shelves…

Stephanie Dunn-Ashley is with the American Red Cross Metro New York North Chapter, and she says since there’s no alternative for blood, hospitals rely on human donations…

Orangetown supervisor Teresa Kenny says despite the lopsided populations of the different towns, she’s confident her town can win…

Today’s blood drive is being held at the Stony Point Senior Center on Clubhouse Lane from 10 to 3pm, Clarkstown goes tomorrow at town hall from noon to 5pm, and Haverstraw’s donation day is Saturday from 10 to 3pm at their town hall. For more information, click here.

Monsey Woman Arrested, Charged with Trying to Burn Down Former Employer’s Building in New City

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A former employee of the 7-Eleven in New City has been arrested and charged with attempting to burn the place to the ground. Clarkstown Police Detective Norman Peters says it all began Friday night around 10pm when they received a call from someone who admitted setting a fire behind the 7-Eleven store at 26 North Main Street. The caller also threatened to destroy the store. Detective Peters says they found 43 year-old Oksana Aleksenko of Monsey by the building where a dumpster was a-blaze, and she was holding a lighter…

Aleksenko was charged with 2nd degree Arson, Reckless Endangerment and other charges. She was arraigned in the Town of Clarkstown Justice Court, bail was set at $20,000. She was taken to the Rockland County Jail and is awaiting her next court appearance.

“Five Towns of Rockland Blood Drive Challenge” Kicks off in Ramapo

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The “Five Towns of Rockland Blood Drive Challenge” kicked off yesterday in Spring Valley with the Town of Ramapo leading off the friendly competition designed to increase the dwindling local blood supply and register more people to be regular donors. Rockland’s State Senator Bill Weber of the 38th District says now was the perfect time for the blood drive, as the summer tends to be the hardest hit months and the time of year when blood is desperately needed…

Stephanie Dunn-Ashley is the CEO of the Metro New York North Chapter of the American Red Cross, and she said she’s hoping to collect 100 units of whole blood during the friendly competition…

Ramapo supervisor Michael Specht said with all the donations from each of the five Rockland towns, everyone in the county is a winner…

Today’s blood drive is being held at Orangetown town hall in the town of Orangetown from 9am to 3pm. Stony Point goes tomorrow at the Senior Center, Clarkstown goes Friday at town hall, and Haverstraw’s donation day is Saturday at their town hall. If you saw the Tappan Zee Bridge lit up in red last night, that was because the Thruway Authority did that to help spread awareness of this life-saving initiative. For more information, click here.

Farm Stand Returns Wednesdays to Finkelstein Memorial Library in Spring Valley

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The Farm Stand has returned to the Finkelstein Memorial Library in Spring Valley for the summer and fall. Maria Vanessa Cipolla is the head of public relations at the library, and she says this is the second year of the stand’s operation. Cipolla says she’s seen the community sometimes come to the library just for the fresh food from Goshen’s J&D Farmstand, but often they end up learning about other services being offered…

Various Rockland agencies and other organizations participate, including Bridges, The Center for Safety and Change, The Department of Health, and others. The Farm Stand operates outside the library’s front entrance every Wednesday from 10am to 4:30 through November.

Murder Suspect from Haverstraw Nabbed in South Carolina, Police Release Details of Killing of Pomona Man

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Four weeks after a Pomona man was shot and killed in Haverstraw, a suspect has been caught. Haverstraw Police and other officials held a press conference yesterday to provide additional details on the incident. They said family members of 18 year-old murder suspect Yandie Martinez of Haverstraw tried to get him to surrender, but eventually Haverstraw Police Chief John Gould said social media accounts and technology were used to pinpoint Martinez’s location in Piedmont, South Carolina…

The incident occurred around 4pm on July 1st, when Martinez and 29 year-old Christian Alvarado got into a fight on Main Street in the Village of Haverstraw. As Martinez chased him, Gould said Alvarado got into his car and drove off. Martinez fired at Alvarado, wounding him in the abdomen and the torso. Alvarado crashed his car into a parked car on Fairmount Avenue as Martinez fled. Though the two knew each other, Gould said the motive for the fight and shooting is unclear. At Monday’s press conference, Rockland District Attorney Tom Walsh said Martinez will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law…

Gould says a weapon was not recovered, it’s unknown how Martinez got to South Carolina, and he wouldn’t comment as to whether this was gang-related. Gould said Martinez was already known to the local police, but those records were under seal, and he could not discuss them. Martinez is being held at the Greenville County Correctional Facility in South Carolina. He’s expected in court there on Monday on a federal warrant charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He’ll then be returned to Rockland by U.S. Marshals, and he’ll face multiple felony counts, including second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Meanwhile, the investigation continues, and Gould said they are also looking into who may have helped him try to escape, to bring them to justice, as well.