Breaking News

Rockland law enforcement agencies are getting $1.8 million in Law Enforcement Technology Grants from the new state budget. Rockland State Senator Bill Weber of the 38th District says the money will be split among the Sheriff’s department, and police departments in Orangetown, Clarkstown, Haverstraw, Ramapo, Suffern, Piermont, and Spring Valley…

Weber is also slamming a rally held yesterday at the state capitol in support of a bill that would strip New York charities of their tax-deductible status if they fund groups that engage in violations of the Geneva convention, specifically those that support Israel. Weber says stronger antisemitism legislation is needed to combat yesterday’s “Not on Our Dime” rally and bill proposal.

A Spring Valley man had to be airlifted to Hackensack University Medical Center after a single-car crash on the Palisades Parkway early yesterday morning. New York State Police say Rockland County 911 was notified of a crash near the PIP Exit 9W and exit 13N of the Thruway around 4:35AM. Troopers responded but were unable to locate the car. Around 6AM, a man, who it was later determined was a passenger in the car, crawled up an embankment just north of the Exit 9W ramp, and flagged down a motorist who then called 911. Police say the two men were heading north on the Parkway when they went off the right shoulder by Exit 9W, traveled down a steep embankment, and came to rest about two hundred feet into the woods. The vehicle overturned, the driver was ejected but partially trapped underneath. Firefighters got him out, and he was airlifted to the hospital. Police say neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been a factor in the crash. An investigation is ongoing. Volunteers from the Nanuet, Hillcrest, and Excelsior Fire Departments, as well as Clarkstown Police and Rockland Paramedics also responded to the scene.

East Ramapo Sets New Budget Vote
The East Ramapo school district has set June 18th for their next school budget vote after it failed to pass earlier this month, but the size of the new budget has not yet been released. The Journal News says last night’s board meeting ended abruptly without disclosing details given on the spending plan. The district’s $331 million budget and nearly two-percent tax hike was rejected last week by voters. The board has until tomorrow to approve and release a new budget proposal.

Western Ramapo Land Secured for Park Space
132 acres of land in western Ramapo known as the Eagle Valley Assemblage
has been acquired by the Open Space Institute to protect crucial water
resources and strengthen undeveloped land between Sterling Forest and
Harriman State Parks. Rockland County Executive Ed Day says the land will
be transferred to the county so that it can be used for a new county park
and creating links between the Sloatsburg train station and other
protected areas nearby.

Free Hudson Link Shared Use Path Service Resumes
The Hudson Link’s free weekend shuttle bus servicing the shared-use path
on the Tappan Zee Bridge is back in service as of this past weekend. It’ll
continue every weekend through October 27th. Pedestrians and cyclists can
use the service to access the path from several locations in Westchester
and Rockland counties. The shuttle will run every 20 minutes between 9:30
a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on weekends and make four stops: Palisades Center – Lot J, the Path’s landing in South Nyack, the Path’s landing in Tarrytown, and
the Tarrytown train station. Meanwhile, construction begins today on a new bridge giving bicyclists and pedestrians easier access to the path in Tarrytown. The NYS Thruway Authority and the DOT say the 270-foot-long pedestrian-bicycle bridge will go over the Thruway near South Broadway and Paulding Avenue. Work will take place daily, and it’ll take about six weeks to complete. For more information, visit the bridge’s website, mariomcuomobridge.ny.gov.

Funeral services are being held today for the Clarkstown Councilman who died Friday May 17th of an apparent heart attack. A visitation for Mark Woods will be held from 3-6PM at St. Francis of Assisi in West Nyack, followed by a funeral service from 6-7PM. At the town of Clarkstown’s Memorial Day ceremony on Friday, supervisor George Hoehmann said after working in the military and the NYPD, and then taking some classes at RCC, Woods looked to make a different impact in the community…

Woods was elected to his first term this past November, he was a decorated retired NYPD Detective and Combat Army Veteran who served in Afghanistan. At the time of his death, he was serving as Director of the Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer Services program at Bridges. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with various expenses. Mark was 54 years old.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms pummeled the region early Thursday morning, knocking out power to thousands of Orange & Rockland customers. O&R’s Diane Rainey says overhead line crews and tree removal experts, and the company’s emergency response team got to work around 7am…

As of this morning, there’s just a handful of outages remaining in Orange and Passaic counties. The National Weather Service said where the damage was worst in the Orange County village of Greenwood Lake, was reportedly from straight-line winds, not a tornado or microburst.

The owners of the former Spring Valley adult home where two people died three years ago have agreed to fence in the property and bring in 24-hour security so no one enters the property. That’s according to the Journal News. The agreement between Rockland County and Evergreen Court’s owners reportedly means the court case against them comes to an end. Rockland’s Office of Building and Codes last month sued to force the owners to secure the site after many violations were found. 35 year-old Lieutenant Jared Lloyd of the Spring Valley Fire Department and 79 year-old resident Oliver Hueston died in the fire that engulfed the facility, the result of a Passover cleansing by two area Rabbis.

Bus Aide Charged With Sex Abuse

An Orange County man has been arrested and charged by New York State Police with sexually abusing an 8 year-old girl on a school bus while he was employed as a school district bus aide. State Police say 76 year-old Nicola Loguerico of New Hampton was working for the Minisink Valley Central School District when the incidents occurred. Police were notified by the district, and their investigation revealed Loguerico allegedly had been inappropriately touching the victim for about a week. He was charged with first degree Sex Abuse and sent to the Orange County Jail on $5,000 cash bail. He is due in the Town of Wawayanda Court today. State Police ask if you have any information about this incident or any other information to contact them at 845-344-5300.