Layoffs and furloughs are coming to Rockland Community College as the school faces a mounting deficit. As the Journal News reported, that can be as much as $3.4 million. RCC says the furlough plan addresses financial constraints while minimizing impact on its employees as much as possible. There will be nine days off without pay between January and June, and layoffs will be necessary, though that’s only expected to impact ten or fewer employees. Members of the Civil Service Employees Association are not included in this round of layoffs and furloughs. RCC says they will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as necessary to ensure their fiscal stability.
Breaking News
Governor Signs Bill Switching Some Local Elections to Coincide with National Campaigns
The governor is getting heat from area lawmakers after she signed a bill into law that would move local elections from odd-numbered years to even years. By holding local elections in even-numbered years, they coincide with national congressional and presidential elections. Orange County State Senator James Skoufis, the bill’s sponsor, says the plan would save money and bring more people out to the polls to vote. Rockland County Executive Ed Day told “The Morning Show” earlier this month that local issues would be overshadowed by national politics…
Rockland’s State Senator Bill Weber of the 38th District had voted against the bill…
But 99th district Assemblyman Chris Eachus, who covers Stony Point and portions of Orange County, says the law will help more people participate in the process…
City and village elections are excluded from the law, as are races for county clerk, sheriff, district attorneys, local judges and others protected in the state Constitution to be held in odd-numbered years.
GoFundMe Page Launched for Victims in Fatal Crash in Valley Cottage, One Year-old Killed
A North Rockland church has launched a GoFundMe page for family of the infant girl killed in Tuesday morning’s crash in Clarkstown. That’s according to the Journal News. St. Mary’s Knanaya Catholic Church in Haverstraw posted the page, explaining that the mother, 31 year-old Chinnu Kunnakattumalayil will have to undergo months of rehab for a shattered leg, while her son, Johan, suffered minor injuries. One year-old Jacinta died in the crash, when her mom’s SUV collided with a box truck on Route 303 near Hillside Lane in Valley Cottage. If you have information about the incident, contact the Clarkstown Police at 845-639-5800.
Report: One Year-old, Youngest Victim of Tuesday Crash in Valley Cottage, Dies
The youngest of the four victims in Tuesday morning’s SUV-truck crash in Clarkstown has died. Route 303 in Valley Cottage near Hillside Lane was shut down early Tuesday morning after the accident just before 9am. The Journal News reported the driver of a box truck and a baby that was a passenger in the SUV had to be extricated by the Valley Cottage Fire Department. The 31 year-old driver of the SUV and its passengers, a one year-old girl and three year-old boy, and the truck driver, were first taken to Montefiore Nyack Hospital then transferred to Westchester Medical Center for treatment. The baby died at Westchester Medical. Their identities have not yet been released as family members are still being notified. If you have information about the incident, contact the Clarkstown Police at 845-639-5800.
Hillburn Street Closed for Investigation
The Town of Ramapo Police Department says Route 59 in the Village of Hillburn from the Village of Suffern border to the 4th Street Bridge is currently closed due to a crash investigation.