Akiko Matsuda
Akiko Matsuda has been a reporter with The Journal News since August 2005, covering the communities of North Rockland, including the towns of Haverstraw and Stony Point and the villages of Haverstraw, West Haverstraw and Pomona. Before that, she covered local governments in upstate New York and Connecticut. A Japanese native, she was a reporter and news anchor for a TV station in Sapporo, covering various beats, including courts, politics and the environment.
E-mail Akiko Matsuda at amatsuda@lohud.com
Entries written by Akiko Matsuda
- October
- 1
My colleague, Khurram Saeed, asked me to post the following information. Richard Kavesh, the Democratic candidate in the Nyack mayoral race, will host a thank-you party for all village voters at 3 p.m. Saturday at Nyack Plaza. It will be held on the Artopee Esplanade right in front of the Depew Senior building at 100 [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on October 1st, 2009 | Post a Comment »
- September
- 10
The Dancing Under the Starts and International Food Walk will be held tomorrow in Haverstraw villages downtown. The free dancing event will be from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in front of Haverstraw Village Hall at 40 New Main St., and the food event, where people can try samplers at participating Haverstraw restaurants starting at [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on September 10th, 2009 | Post a Comment »
- August
- 27
Kenneth Byman, a veterinarian with the North Rockland Animal Hospital in Stony Point, wanted to remind people that rabies virus was real. The veterinarian yesterday spotted a rabies-infected stray cat. Byman said a Stony Point resident rescued a stray cat about two or three weeks ago because it was injured. She took the cat to [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on August 27th, 2009 | Post a Comment »
- August
- 20
Haverstraw village has scheduled a public hearing for a plan to expand a sober house on Hudson Avenue. The facility is operated by Open Arms, an agency that provides residential treatment services for newly recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. If approved, the state Department of Mental Health would finance the renovation project. Advocates of the [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on August 20th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
- August
- 12
Joe Cannavaro, foreman of the Haverstraw town Highway Department, had a narrow escape from a major accident this morning when he was driving on Rosman Road as part of his routine patrol. Following a thunderous cracking noise, a gigantic tree branch fell onto his foreman truck, ripping down electric wires. The body of the truck [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on August 12th, 2009 | Post a Comment »
- August
- 8
The Haverstraw village board will hold a regular meeting at 8 p.m. Aug. 10 at Haverstraw Village Hall at 40 New Main St., and the board will open the scheduled public hearing for a proposed affordable housing development, to be known as Murphy Manor Apartments. But no discussion will take place because the developer, Ginsburg [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on August 8th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
- August
- 5
William Sherwood, a retired state Supreme Court Justice, will announce his candidacy for Stony Point Town Supervisor at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow at Republican Campaign Headquarters at Colonial Plaza on South Liberty Drive, just north of Hogan’s Diner. Democratic Town Supervisor Phil Marino, whose term is ending this year, is not seeking reelection this fall. Sherwood, [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on August 5th, 2009 | Post a Comment »
- July
- 15
Martin Bagrosky of Thiells said he was excited when he recently witnessed the long-delayed project in Mount Ivy has finally restarted. Bagrosky said he has been petitioning local representatives to finish the Mount Ivy renewal project, which is closely connected to the state Department of Transportation’s project to replace the Palisades Interstate Parkway bridge over [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on July 15th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
- July
- 3
RenewHaverstraw, a newly-formed nonprofit based in Haverstraw village, is holding a tag sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 19 at Haverstraw village’s Farmers Market. The proceeds from the sale would be used to operate the group, organizers said. The organization consists of village residents who care about Haverstraw’s current and future. The group [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on July 3rd, 2009 | 1 Comment »
- June
- 12
After more than three hours of heated discussion, the Haverstraw village board Wednesday adjourned the public hearing for a plan to build a 26-unit affordable housing development, to be known as Murphy Manor Apartments, on Samsondale Avenue. The hearing will be reconvened during the regular board meeting at 8 p.m. Monday at Village Hall at [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on June 12th, 2009 | Post a Comment »
- June
- 10
The Haverstraw town Zoning Board of Appeals will be holding a public hearing at 7 p.m. tonight at Haverstraw Town Hall at 1 Rosman Road in Garnerville to consider a plan to build a 90-foot cellular tower on the south side of Willow Grove Road, just west of the intersection of Blanchard Road.
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on June 10th, 2009 | Post a Comment »
- April
- 11
I recently received an anonymous call, telling me that Haverstraw town Supervisor Howard Phillips bought a new town car for him despite the town’s challenging financial condition. The town had to raise its tax rate for 2009 by 12 percent to finance its $32.96 million spending plan. Phillips defended the purchase, saying that the town [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on April 11th, 2009 | 9 Comments »
- March
- 31
The plan to build a New York Sports Club fitness center at Rosman Center on Route 202 was supposed to be completed last fall, but no building has been built at the site yet. Haverstraw town Supervisor Howard Phillips said the town recently issued a stop-work order for the project because the town’s inspector found [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on March 31st, 2009 | 1 Comment »
- March
- 21
Jeannine Rippa with the Rockland County Multi-Faith Coalition, which has been organizing a 40-day round-the-clock anti-abortion vigil in front of Planned Parenthood in Spring Valley, said that the coalition’s signs disappeared from the site this morning. The group reported the incident to police. Signs were later found in a dumpster in a nearby parking lot, [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on March 21st, 2009 | 1 Comment »
- February
- 11
The recently-started grading work on the 10-acre lot on Holt Drive a/k/a/ Kay Fries Drive — where a Super ShopRite strip mall is proposed — surprised neighbors because they thought nothing should be done to the site until state Supreme Court in New City decides on the Article 78 proceeding filed by a group of [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on February 11th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
- January
- 29
Haverstraw village, in conjunction with the Haverstraw Town Police Department, is seeking to establish a village neighborhood watch program. Residents who are interested in participating in the program are encouraged to attend an orientation meeting at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at the 2nd floor meeting room at Haverstraw Village Hall at 40 New Main St. [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on January 29th, 2009 | Post a Comment »
- January
- 9
The Stony Point Town Board might be ready to adopt the proposed local law, which would regulate how businesses conduct environmental cleanups, at its Tuesday meeting at 7 p.m. at Rho building in Letchworth Village. The proposed law, the Environmental Protection and Abandoned Commercial Property Reclamation Law, would directly empower the Town Board to regulate [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on January 9th, 2009 | Post a Comment »
- December
- 4
At the Stony Point Town Board workshop meeting this week, Town Board member Louis Vicari told the public, the supervisor and other board members that he wanted to propos a moratorium for the town’s spending money on “all amenities,” including seminars and lectures for town employees. Vicari made his statement when the board discussed a [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on December 4th, 2008 | Post a Comment »
- November
- 26
We’ve reported on two red swastikas that were found spray-painted on trees on South Mountain Road in New City. The Nazi symbol angered residents in the Lake Lucille community on South Mountain Road, but they responded to the vandal(s) with humor. Barry Carl, president of the Lake Lucille Property Owners Association, said they covered the [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on November 26th, 2008 | 1 Comment »
- November
- 5
On Veterans Day, Haverstraw town in conjunction with the North Rockland school district will be dedicating the bridge on American Legion Way in Thiells to all the men and women who have served the country. The dedication ceremony will take place following the Veterans Day service at Calico Hill in West Haverstraw, which will start [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on November 5th, 2008 | Post a Comment »
- November
- 4
A machine glitch at a West Haverstraw polling site appears to be much bigger than the Republican Board of Elections commissioner explained to a reporter. Commissioner Joan Silvestri said this afternoon that a voting machine for the West Haverstraw’s District 3 did not have names of village candidates when the poling site opened at 6 [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on November 4th, 2008 | Post a Comment »
- October
- 30
At a recent Stony Point’s budget hearing, several residents spoke against the town’s proposal to close Kirkbride Hall in Letchworth Village to save taxpayers’ money. Town officials have said that they would have to close the building because it has been costing the town about $50,000 annually for utilities. One of residents told the Town [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on October 30th, 2008 | 1 Comment »
- October
- 22
I stopped by Admiral’s Cove Marina in Haverstraw last week to see some happy faces of North Rockland Rowing Club members: The club held a dedication ceremony of the club’s new dock, which would be used by club members, including North Rockland High School crew team. I met club members for the first time on [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on October 22nd, 2008 | 1 Comment »
- September
- 10
West Haverstraw village Democrats will hold a caucus at the village’s community center at 6 p.m. tonight. One trustee seat with unexpired term is up for election in November, and the committee is expected to nominate a candidate for the seat, vacated by Joseph Denise, who was recently appointed to a newly created position, Department [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on September 10th, 2008 | Post a Comment »
- August
- 23
State, county and local officials as well as representatives of businesses will once again get together Monday to discuss solutions to the pressing issues involving the James A. Farley Memorial Bridge on Route 9W in Stony Point. The meeting is to follow up the ideas that came out of the Aug. 7 meeting, initiated by [...]
Posted by Akiko Matsuda on August 23rd, 2008 | Post a Comment »