News

High winds Friday took down some power lines along Route 9W in Upper Nyack, causing the roadway to be temporarily closed as flames were sparking from the downed wires. The Clarkstown Police Department says the incident occurred just after noon on Friday between Christian Herald Road and Glenbrook Road. On Friday’s “Who Wants to be a Volunteer” program, Rockland’s Director of Fire and Emergency Services, Chris Kear, said Orange County appeared to get hit worse by the winds than Rockland did…

Kurt Mulligan of the Stony Point Fire Department said a fire also sparked up Wednesday night in Sloatsburg, causing an outage in western Ramapo… 

If you encounter downed or low-hanging power lines, do not touch them. Immediately call 911 to report the situation, and also call Orange & Rockland to alert them as well. Meanwhile, a brush fire out on Long Island has reportedly burned more than 400 acres is now over 80% contained. Governor Kathy Hochul declared a multi-regional burn ban due to the conditions including Rockland and the rest of the Hudson Valley. The ban prohibits outdoor fires for brush and debris disposal, uncontained campfires, and open fires used for cooking.

A trip to Buffalo and several attacks on the governor’s policies in New York State have some wondering whether Rockland’s Congressman might try for Albany in 2026. While he hasn’t confirmed he’s running, Mike Lawler has, on occasion, sounded like a candidate. Rockland’s New York State Senator, Republican Bill Weber of the 38th District, says Lawler could take on Governor Kathy Hochul…

For his part, Lawler says he is focused on his work in Washington. But at the same time, he continues to occasionally dip his toes into gubernatorial waters…

Lawler continues to hammer away at the governor on congestion pricing, high taxes, population loss, and the migrant issue among others. He traveled up to Buffalo last month to criticize her in her hometown over manufacturing sector job losses.

A beloved dollar store in Pearl River has returned. A fire at the former RISE Firing Range on Middletown Road in November 2021 destroyed the nearby Dollar General store and a Dunkin’ Donuts shop. Orangetown supervisor Teresa Kenny says everyone really wanted Dollar General to come back, and they did late last month…

The firing range was destroyed and not replaced, while the Dunkin returned last August.

The investment community is concerned about recession after the roller coaster ride on Wall Street this past week. The threat of tariffs have largely been behind up-and-down swings of the stock market, but WRCR market analyst Ken Mahoney of Mahoney Asset Management says the components for the definition of recession aren’t there…

After the president gave a one-month tariff exemption to U.S. automakers earlier this week, the Associated Press reported yesterday he also postponed 25% tariffs on many imports from Mexico and some imports from Canada for a month, but those on China remain. Responding to tariffs imposed on China, in a social media post, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. said earlier this week, “If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.”