A former Orange County man who worked in the Rockland Sheriff’s Department has been sentenced after admitting to exposing himself to a female inmate at the county jail and falsifying records at the facility. Rockland County D-A Tom Walsh says 39 year-old former Rockland Corrections Officer John Kezek of Knoxville, Tennessee, formerly of Florida, New York, was sentenced yesterday after pleading guilty three years ago to Tampering with Public Records and Official Misconduct. The incident took place in 2019. Kezek got five years’ probation with drug and alcohol conditions. An order of protection was issued in favor of the victim.
News
Battle Over Congestion Pricing Heats Up Between NY and NJ
With less than three weeks to go before congestion pricing kicks in for many commuters into the city, the governors of New York and New Jersey are locked in tense negotiations over how to put an end to Jersey’s litigation aiming to stop it, and accusations of bad faith negotiations between the Garden and Empire States. That’s according to several published reports. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said at a press conference Wednesday, New Jersey was leaving a lot of money on the table…
A spokesperson for New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said he was “respectfully declining” to comment on the settlement talks. Rockland officials, meanwhile, are moving ahead with litigation plans of their own, and other potential ways of stopping it before it’s set to start on January 5th. At a congestion pricing press conference earlier this week, Rockland County Executive Ed Day called it misguided policy and an enormous burden on all commuters…
Rockland State Senator Bill Weber of the 38th District says it might take legislation on the state level to stop it in its tracks…
Unless legal actions brought by Rockland, New Jersey and other plaintiffs succeed, January 5th will see the start of congestion pricing, which is going to charge most drivers an extra nine dollars daily, for now, to get into the city and drive below 60th Street.
Orangetown Looks to Beef Up “No Knock” Law
The town of Orangetown in 2025 will be looking to beef up its “No Knock” registry to help keep unwanted solicitors from selling stuff door-to-door. Supervisor Teresa Kenny says a loophole needs to be closed…
The law is expected to be fixed near the end of January.
Clarkstown Appoints Ward 4 Councilman
The town of Clarkstown has a new Town Councilman. Bob Axelrod was appointed to represent Ward 4 at the final Town Board meeting of 2024 earlier this week. Clarkstown supervisor George Hoehmann says Axelrod is a retired Speech and Communication Professor at RCC, a member of the New City Library Board, and a former member of the Camp Venture Foundation board…
Axelrod replaces Pat Carrol, who was elected last month as the District 96 representative in the state Assembly, replacing Ken Zebrowski who stepped down from that position in July to join an Albany-based law and lobbying firm, and become president of the Rockland Business Association.
Rockland Towns Urge Residents to Dispose of Leaves Properly
The town of Clarkstown is aggressively going after homeowners and landscapers who improperly leave leaves in the street. Supervisor George Hoehmann says by the end of November the town had issued 97 violations…
Orangetown supervisor Teresa Kenny says her town usually gives residents warnings first…
Michael Wilson is with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Stony Point and hosts “The Storm Water Consortium” monthly show here on WRCR, and he says you’re best off leaving the leaves where they are…
Each municipality may do leaf pick-up differently, check with your village or town to make sure you’re doing it right.