News

Spring Valley Police need your help after a man died of a gunshot wound Sunday night. News 12 reported that the unidentified man was pronounced dead at Nyack Hospital. Police say the incident reportedly occurred at a Spring Valley apartment complex on Liberty Parkway around 11 Sunday night. Anyone with information is asked to call the Spring Valley Police Department Detective Bureau at 845-356-7400.

Rockland schools are starting this week and an area chief of police is warning motorists to be on the lookout for school buses and their passengers. Ramapo police chief Brad Weidel says drivers risk five points on their license and a fine if they are convicted of passing a stopped school bus…

Weidel says they also do random safety and security checks at the town’s school buildings throughout the year.

If you’re a Haverstraw Elementary School student, you can apparently thank a family of raccoons and the flea infestation they brought for altering the start of your school year. The Journal News says the raccoons were discovered in early August followed by the fleas, and then, thanks to an asbestos issue that was discovered during the clean-up, the school’s 622 4th through 6th grade students will have opening day activities today, but they’ll be at North Rockland High School instead. According to a document posted on the North Rockland School District’s website, fourth graders will be at St. Peter’s and 5th and 6th graders will be at Farley Elementary School for the rest of the week. The raccoons are believed to have gotten into the school through the basement.

Around 2,000 backpacks full of school supplies have been distributed to needy students for this school year thanks to People to People’s “Back to School with Dignity” program. People to People’s Executive Director Diane Serratore says the program was greatly boosted by a $15,000 donation from Orange and Rockland Utilities and other generous Rockland companies and groups…

People to People has been running this program for 25 years.

That was former area state senator Bill Larkin, who died Saturday. Larkin was a World War II and Korean War veteran, became supervisor of the Town of New Windsor in Orange County, an assemblyman, and then was elected in 1990 to the state Senate covering portions of Orange, Ulster and Rockland counties. He retired last year. Senator James Skoufis, who replaced Larkin in the Senate, called his “unwavering dedication” an “inspiration.” Assemblyman Colin Schmitt said his “legacy of selfless service set the standard for others to follow.” Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center in the William and Pat Larkin Education Center. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Thursday morning at 11 at St. Thomas of Canterbury in Cornwall-On-Hudson. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations can be made to Newburgh Armory Unity Center, Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties and Nora Cronin Presentation Academy. He was 91 years old.