News

The Rockland Codes Initiative is being targeted by a lawsuit, claiming the county executive improperly bypassed the legislature by using the Health Department for code enforcement. The legal action, which was reportedly filed by a group of Orthodox Jewish congregations, suggests the initiative singles out their community. Rockland County Executive Ed Day says the law targets everyone…

Attorney Dennis Lynch told The Journal News the law’s mandate for the inspection of buildings with three or more units is arbitrary and instead all buildings should be inspected. The county attorney said the law is necessary to protect public health and safety.

The New City man whose 1-year-old twins died in a hot car while he was at work is expected back in a Bronx courtroom today. 39 year-old Juan Rodriguez faces second-degree manslaughter charges, among others, but his attorneys have been asking prosecutors to drop the case. Rodriguez has claimed he thought he had dropped the twins off at day care before going to work at the VA hospital in the Bronx.

Sloatsburg’s long-time former mayor, Samuel Abate, died Sunday in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Abate helped to get rid of the county’s Board of Supervisors and replace that with a 21-member Legislature. He also supported establishing a county executive form of government in the mid-1980s. Rockland GOP Chairman Lawrence Garvey holds the position once held by Abate…

Abate won election to the Sloatsburg Board of Trustees in 1962, then served as mayor from 1963 to 1967. He served again from 1981 to 1985, and then again from 1989 to 2000. In between he also helped run the family flower shop in the village. He is survived by his wife Louise, three children, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held in South Carolina tomorrow. Memorial donations can be made in his name to Roper Hospice Cottage in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. He was 88 years old.

Two local communities are looking at ways to improve housing and retail in their train station areas, but a local business leader thinks Rockland is already at a disadvantage. Both Nanuet and Pearl River have released plans recently for potential improvements to their downtown areas along the train stations that serve them, generally targeting millennials. The head of the Rockland Business Association, Al Samuels, says most transit-oriented development projects focus on areas with dual tracks and one-seat rides to the city…

Trains into the city from Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley on the Pascack Valley line are on a single track with fewer routes and don’t go directly into the city.

A new moms circle support group series began this weekend at Montefiore Nyack Hospital. Patti Guzman is a board-certified lactation consultant with Nyack Hospital, and says healthy moms, babies and families are the focus of the new group, and they’ll be meeting once a month through January…

The monthly meetings are held at The Prenatal Center at Montefiore Nyack Hospital and they run from 11 am to 1 pm. They’re designed for new moms with infants and toddlers up to 24 months. The meetings are free and walk-ins are welcome, but pre-registration is appreciated. Call 845-348-7505 or send an email to ThePrenatalCenter@Montefiorenyack.org.

Here’s a list of future meetings and their topics:

· Oct 19 – “Talk, Sing & Point” led by Nichole Lande, “Wee Can Sign,” founder and ASL educator

· Nov 16 – “Count, Group and Compare” led by Lynnette Marshall, Nyack Schools Basics Coordinator and early childhood educator

· Dec 7 – “Explore Through Movement & Play” led by Jeffrey Friedberg MT-BC, LCAT, lead musician and music therapist

· Jan 11 – “Read & Discuss Stories” led by Melinda Watkins, Children’s Librarian at Valley Cottage Library