A New City man has been indicted by a Rockland County Grand Jury on three counts of sexual abuse involving a 12 year-old girl. District Attorney Tom Walsh says 54 year-old Hiten Lakhani was arraigned Wednesday, ordered to surrender his passport and return to court in two weeks. He faces up to seven years in prison on the top count of First Degree Sexual Abuse.
Breaking News
Rockland County Legislature Approves Legislative Maps for 2024, County Exec. to Weigh-in
In a bipartisan, 13-1 vote, the Rockland County Legislature Tuesday night adopted a local law that sets new legislative districts. Charles Falciglia of Suffern, a Republican, was the lone “no” vote. Vince Tyer of Pearl River, Laurie Santulli of Congers, and Phil Soskin of Monsey were not in attendance. The new district lines were based on the 2020 Census, and each of Rockland’s 17 new districts contains roughly the same number of people, about 20,000. Legislator Michael Grant said the new districts would remain in effect for the next ten years…
The plan now gets sent to Rockland County Executive Ed Day, who can approve it, veto it, or not sign it at all…
The new district lines take effect January first, 2024. Legislators running in November 2023 will take over the new districts. To view the new map, click here.
Stony Point Man Nominated to be Rockland’s Next Human Rights Commissioner
Rockland has a new nominee for Commissioner of Human Rights. Stony Point’s Spencer Chiimbwe has previously worked with The ACTION Support Center, The United African Congress, and he was the Vice President of a humanitarian and philanthropic nonprofit, the “When In Need Foundation”…
Most recently, Chiimbwe worked for the county as a Grants Specialist in the American Rescue Plan Act department. Rockland County Executive Ed Day says he has extensive experience working across cultural lines in diverse communities. He still needs to be confirmed by the Rockland County Legislature.
Rockland Towns Start Work on Next Year’s Budgets
Orangetown came out with a preliminary budget late last month. Supervisor Teresa Kenny says things were made a little more complicated this year following the absorption of the village of South Nyack…
Changes can still be made by the next meeting in mid-November. Over in Ramapo, supervisor Michael Specht says their tentative budget is being reviewed by the town board…
Specht says increased costs are the result of inflation, and rising fuel and insurance costs.
Rockland D-A’s Office Mourns Death of Drug Task Force Supervisor
A supervisor with the Rockland D-A’s Drug Task Force has died. In a statement, the D-A’s office said Detective Xavier Fernandez always wanted to “get the bad guys” when he grew up, so he joined the NYPD seven years ago. He joined the Drug Task Force a year ago and worked with federal, state and local law enforcement to fight drugs and related violence in all Rockland’s communities. The cause of death was not released. Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced. Fernandez was 31 years old.