News

President-elect Donald Trump has wasted little time announcing his cabinet picks over the last few days, but one that raised many eyebrows was his choice of now-former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General, who yesterday announced he was withdrawing his name from consideration, and he was then quickly replaced with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Rockland Assemblyman John McGowan of the 97th district, a Republican and also an attorney, told “The Morning Show” last week he wasn’t expecting Gaetz to be the nominee, but at the time he said he, like anyone who gets nominated for a cabinet position, deserves a chance…

Other picks for the incoming cabinet include Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, “Fox & Friends” weekend anchor Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary, and former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard for U.S. intelligence chief. Trump has also picked Dr. Mehmet Oz to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Linda McMahon, to serve as secretary of the Department of Education, which Trump has promised to get rid of, and Howard Lutnick, the chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, was tapped to be commerce secretary. Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 employees who worked in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11th. Lutnick survived because he was taking his son to kindergarten at the time.

A local Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient who passed away in September was honored by Rockland’s Congressman on the House Floor on Monday. Mike Lawler of the Hudson Valley’s 17th District praised Suffern’s Jeremy Honey, who gave a lifetime of service to our country, community, and his fellow veterans…

Honey served as an EMT and taught various American Red Cross and First Aid courses with the Ramapo Valley Ambulance Corps. He established a disaster medical team for Rockland that ultimately became part of Homeland Security. He died in September at the age of 77.

If you have some items at home that need fixing you might want to check out the free and very popular Repair Café coming to Pearl River this Saturday. Rockland County Executive Ed Day says it’s been a very successful program…

Things like lawn mowers, chainsaws, and other gas-powered landscaping equipment are not eligible for repair at this event, neither are computers or other digital devices, but Howard Phillips heads up Rockland Green, says they pretty much can fix everything else…

The Repair Café is tomorrow (Saturday) from 11:30AM to 2:30PM at the Pearl River United Methodist Church on Franklin Avenue. For more information call Kathy Galione, the Repair Café Volunteer Coordinator, at 845-364-2932. While you’re in Pearl River you can check out the year’s final Central Avenue Farmer’s Market.

If you’re an artist and would like to participate in the 2025 Rockland Arts Festival, the deadline to apply is rapidly approaching. Lisa D’amico is with the Festival and she says 128 artists will be accepted into the online festival and 50 will get to partake in the in-person festival… 

The festival gets underway January 31st and runs through February 9th next year. For more information visit RocklandArtsFestival.org. Click here for the entry form. The deadline to apply is December 1st.