Fire engulfed a home last night in Chestnut Ridge and now 20 people are reportedly left homeless. News 12 says fire officials found no working smoke detectors, multiple space heaters and electrical issues in the house, located on Chestnut Ridge Road, near the corner of Old Nyack Turnpike and village hall. The residents were taken to the Salvation Army facility in Spring Valley and are being assisted by the Red Cross. No word on the cause or any injuries.
Breaking News
Trial for Two Spring Valley Building Department Officials Delayed Until 2023
Two former Spring Valley Building Department officials will have to wait until next year for their trial to begin. Building Department Chief Wayne Ballard and Assistant Building Inspector Raymond Canario were both slated to begin court proceedings next week, but News 12 says attorney scheduling issues were the reason for the delay. The two are charged with filing false inspection reports, in connection with 2021’s fatal fire at a village adult home that killed a resident and a volunteer firefighter.
Orangetown and Nyack School to go to Court Next Week Over Alleged Code Violations at Former College Site
The town of Orangetown and an Orthodox Jewish congregation that operates several schools on the former Nyack College campus will be in court next week arguing over multiple zoning, fire and safety code violations allegedly found there. Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenny says the town wants everything to be brought up to code…
Nyack College sold the campus for about $45 million two years ago. An unknown number of violations pre-date the sale.
Rockland’s Outgoing State Senator: No Plans Yet, but Not Going Away
With Rockland’s New York State senator looking at his last month-and-a-half left on the job, he says it’s too early to say what’s next for his career. Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick told “The Morning Show” yesterday he’ll make the most of his last few weeks in office…
Reichlin-Melnick says he looks forward to spending more quality time with his wife and five-month-old daughter. Republican Bill Weber takes over the Senate seat in January. The two had a close race two years ago when Reichlin-Melnick first won the spot.
Rockland’s Office of Buildings and Codes Details First 9 Months on the Job in Spring Valley
Rockland’s Office of Buildings and Codes has opened the curtains on the challenges they’ve faced in the last nine months since being directed by the state to take over Spring Valley’s building and code enforcement responsibilities. That came in the wake of the fatal fire that killed a village firefighter and a resident of the Evergreen Adult Home. OBC Director Ed Markunas says since taking over, they’ve uncovered more than 4,000 violations…
The county says it will take time to correct decades of mismanagement and neglect. If you have any building and code violation complaints in Spring Valley, call 845-364-3700 or send an email to BuildingsAndCodes@co.rockland.ny.us.