A New City man has pleaded guilty to the murder of a North Rockland funeral home general manager. Rockland D-A Tom Walsh says 61 year-old Gerard O’Sullivan faces sentencing in February after admitting to killing 42 year-old Noah Hamer, the general manager of the T.J. McGowan Sons Funeral Home in Haverstraw earlier this year, just hours after he was fired. O’Sullivan faces life in prison, with a minimum of 15 to 25 years before he becomes eligible for parole.
Breaking News
South Nyack Man Charged with Murder of Nyack Man After Sunday Night Shooting
A South Nyack man has been charged with second-degree murder after a fatal shooting in Nyack Sunday night. 35 year-old Gregory Dubuisson of Nyack was found on the sidewalk on Franklin Street just after 7pm Sunday night. Attempts at first aid failed and he was pronounced dead at Nyack Hospital. Orangetown Police say 26-year-old Wendy Jean was arraigned Monday in Nyack village court and sent to the Rockland County Jail. He is due back in court December 3rd. Police did not release a motive for the shooting. Anyone with information should call them at 845-359-3700.
Nyack Shooting Under Investigation by Orangetown Police
Details are scant at this time, but Orangetown Police are investigating a shooting incident from last night in Nyack. Police say the shooting occurred around 7:15 Sunday on Franklin Street. They say they’ve found parties of interest and there’s no threat to the public. Anyone who has additional information should call the Orangetown Police Department at 845-359-3700.
Rockland Areas Moved Into COVID “Yellow Zone”
Several Rockland areas have been newly-designated as COVID yellow-zone micro-clusters by the state. The state’s COVID map shows Suffern, Stony Point, Pearl River, New City and West Haverstraw now face new restrictions. They include a 25-person maximum on non-essential mass gatherings, if you’re dining out, there’s a four-person limit per table, though bars and restaurants could be subject to curfews, schools can stay open if state testing requirements are met, and houses of worship are restricted to 50% capacity. Changes go into effect Friday, schools would be affected Monday.
The North Rockland school district, meanwhile, had already decided to shut down and go all-remote starting Monday through January 19th. Stony Point supervisor Jim Monaghan says he understands the position the school is in…
None of Rockland’s other school districts has made a similar move to all -remote learning for the winter.
Rockland Sends More Staff to Work from Home due to COVID Increases, County Records Another Fatality, Pearl River’s Pfizer Vaccine Closer to Approval
Increasing COVID-19 numbers in Rockland is sending some county employees to work from home. Staff from designated departments will, starting tomorrow, join their colleagues who were already working remotely to ensure the continuation of critical government services, though in-person meetings will be limited. And speaking of in-person meetings….
New York’s governor is predicting a huge spike in COVID cases after Thanksgiving. Andrew Cuomo says it’s just a matter of human behavior…
Several groups have filed emergency applications asking the U.S. Supreme Court to remove New York’s COVID-19 limits on attendance at houses of worship. The Times Herald-Record reports Agudath Israel of America, a national group representing Orthodox Jewish congregations, and two Orthodox congregations from New York City filed an emergency application on Monday. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brooklyn filed its application on Thursday. Both claim Cuomo’s executive order restricting attendance for houses of worship is unconstitutional. New York State Attorney General Letitia James has until Friday to respond.
Pfizer announced yesterday that new test results show its coronavirus vaccine to be 95% effective, up from the estimated 90% effective rate announced last week. Pfizer and its co-development partner said the vaccine is safe and protects older people who are most at risk of dying. They will formally ask U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of the vaccine. Globally, the companies expect to produce up to 50 million vaccine doses this year. Pfizer has research and development facilities in Pearl River.
COVID-19 by the numbers now, here in Rockland, we’ve lost another to COVID, the death toll now at 691. We’ve got one in the hospital being examined, another 51 are hospitalized confirmed with coronavirus, and a total of 1,524 active cases. The state says since the crisis began, we’ve had a total of 20,176 reported cases, 132 more than Wednesday.