News

A fundraiser is being held Sunday at Caribe Tapas in Haverstraw on Main Street for Puerto Rico, which was hit recently by two earthquakes. Haverstraw supervisor Howard Phillips says they’ll be collecting various items, including toothpaste and toothbrushes, tents and insect repellant…

That’s at Caribe Tapas at 4 Main Street in Haverstraw and it starts at 4pm on Sunday. They’ll also be collecting goods to send to Puerto Rico at the Haverstraw Village Fire Department on Fairmont Avenue Sunday from 11 to 3.

A stand-up comedy fundraiser tomorrow in Ramsey will not only tickle your funny bone but also try to bring pancreatic cancer to a halt. Suffern comedian Lesley Anne says 50 percent of the proceeds will go to the Lustgarten Foundation…

Featured comedians include J.P. McDade, Monty Mason, John Kim and Jimmy McDonald. It’s tomorrow night at 9:30 at the Ramsey Theater on East Main Street. For more information go to RamseyTheatre.com (or click the link).

The first trailer for Suffern’s Grace VanderWaal’s first film hit the internet Wednesday, her 16th birthday. Directed by Julia Hart, Stargirl is a coming-of-age story…

Stargirl premieres on Disney+ March 13th.

The man charged with federal hate crimes in the Hanukkah attack in Monsey could be back in Rockland this week to face charges handed up by a county grand jury earlier this month. Rockland County Sheriff Lou Falco says between the local and federal charges, and despite the new bail reform laws in New York, 37 year-old Grafton Thomas of Greenwood Lake likely won’t be getting out of jail very soon…

Thomas has pleaded not guilty to federal charges stemming from the attack, in which five were injured, one remains hospitalized in a coma. His attorney is reportedly considering asking for a competency hearing to determine if Thomas is fit to stand trial. His family has said he has mental health issues. The New York Post reports Thomas has had more than 20 run-ins with area police since 2002.

The Assembly Republican Conference yesterday called for the repeal of bail reform measures that went into effect January first. Western Ramapo and Orange County Assemblyman Karl Brabenec says concerned New Yorkers should contact leaders in the state assembly, the Senate and the governor to get reform done right…

Assemblyman Colin Schmitt brought the family of the Stony Point hit-and-run victim to the press conference. The man charged in her death was allegedly in the country illegally and had no license to drive. 35-year-old Marie Rose Osai was killed in the crash at the intersection of Route 9W and Filors Lane the night of Christmas Eve. Assemblyman Schmitt cited the new bail reforms as the reason Jorge Flores-Villalba of Haverstraw was released after he was initially arrested and arraigned in Town Court…

Osai’s cousin, Sheila Harris, says Christmas for her family will never be the same…

Neither the Democratic leaders in the Senate and Assembly nor the Governor has shown any signs of looking to change the laws that were put into effect January first.