Breaking News

Construction on two cell phone towers is now underway to help create better cell phone service in the dead zone that blankets parts of North Rockland and Orange County around the Palisades Parkway. The two towers are being built by Verizon in Tomkins Cove and Bear Mountain, and should be done by the end of August. Rockland and Westchester state senator David Carlucci says these improvements are long overdue…

Back in February, the president of Woodbury Community Ambulance, Debbie Vobroucek, lamented that without sufficient cell service, it’s near impossible to get an accident victim’s precise location…

Electric service will be installed after the towers are complete, and then they’ll be fully activated by the end of the year.

As temperatures continue to soar into the “feels-like-triple-digits” range, area officials are encouraging you to keep cool and check on others who may need assistance. Clarkstown supervisor George Hoehmann says town hall is available if people need to cool down in this extreme heat…

Ramapo Town Hall is also open as a cooling center from 9 to 5. Check with your town or village to see what cooling center options there may be for you. The county’s facilities aren’t open but they have “Stay Cool” tips on their website. O&R suggests closing curtains and shades to block out the sun during the day, and they remind you to turn off your air conditioning while you’re away or at work to help lower your energy bill.

Traffic is snarled on the northbound New York State Thruway near Tuxedo after a fatal accident earlier this morning. News 12 reports the accident involved a car and a tractor-trailer. We’ll have more details as soon as they are available.

If you’re missing a goat, Clarkstown Police may have found it for you. Officers found a goat near Eagle Ridge Way and Kingsgate Parkway in Nanuet yesterday. He was handled with “kid” gloves by the officers on scene, as they say they could tell how “baaaaad” the goat felt. Call Clarkstown Police at 845-639-5800 if it’s yours.

New York has developed some guidance for opening schools this fall. Governor Andrew Cuomo said he wants to open the schools, but it can’t happen until it’s safe…

New York schools that are in regions that have already entered phase four can hold in-person classes this fall, but they have to maintain a daily infection rate below 5%, based on a 14-day average. Only New York City is in phase three, the rest of the state is already in phase four. Any classroom safety modifications for schools that do open will be determined by local school districts, though the state Department of Education will be publishing guidance for local officials Monday. Masks will be required when social distancing is impossible.

COVID-19 by the numbers now, in Rockland, we’ve got four in the hospital being checked out, three have been confirmed with coronavirus. The state says we’ve got 13,719 reported cases, 28 more than yesterday, and the Rockland Health Department confirms 670 fatalities here in the county.