Reporter David Schepp called over to the mall to check out the valet situation and he found that yes, indeed, there was a new area at that spot, in addition to those on Level 2 of the parking deck and in the underground parking garage.

“We moved the valet parking around a little bit,” mall spokeswoman Ann Marie Dell’Accio said.

Whether the valet area in front of Staples will remain after the holidays isn’t yet clear.

“That I’m not sure of yet,” Dell’Accio said.

What do you think? Should they keep it or can it?

The appointed hour came, and … nothing.

What happened? Simple: Our photographers couldn’t get an Internet connection from where they were stationed in Verplanck.

I think everyone has gotten so used to Wi-Fi and network cards and Internet service everywhere they go that it never occurred to anyone that a signal would be a problem. But it was.

So, here’s the video from today’s action:

And here’s a slideshow of the smokestack toppling down:

Oh, and our apologies. Next time, we’ll make sure we can get an Internet signal first.

This presidential race was no exception, though I can tell you that it’s usually the local races that really bring out the sign-stealers.

We don’t generally write about them, as both sides tend to be equally culpable and I can report that in this presidential race we received plenty of reports of both Obama and McCain signs being stolen.

A call this morning was a bit different from the rest.

Erik Johnson of Valley Cottage rang me up this morning and told me his story. He’s an Iraq War veteran who designed his own sign and spent $25 to have it printed.

It was on his lawn through the election, but this morning, Johnson went outside and discovered someone had snatched it — along with other Obama-Biden signs on his street — sometime during the night.

Here’s what Johnson had to say:

I traveled all the way to Philadelphia to canvass before the election. There were other New York Vets doing the same.

We’re in two wars, with Afghanistan escalating. The Soviets didn’t fare well there even with 200,000 troops in country. We need leaders who think before they act. That’s why I designed the sign. Hopefully there will be a time soon where we have 5 or 6 choices for President in each election. That will require more thought by the electorate. Less television. We shall see.

Anyone who needs a ride can call any of these numbers:
• NAACP, 362-6227
• Spring Valley Obama Headquarters, 426-0312
• Pilgrim Baptist Church, 358-3978

If anyone knows of any other folks/organizations offering free rides to the polls tomorrow, please e-mail me at avernon@lohud.com and I’d be glad to update this post with the information. I will confirm any information before I post it.

• The Chamber of Commerce of the Nyacks’ annual Halloween parade begins assembling at 3:15 p.m. Sunday — bands, floats and marchers assemble at the upper level of Memorial Park, at the corner of DePew and Piermont avenues.

• Haverstraw’s annual Halloween festival has been moved to noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at Bowline Point Park.
• Sloatsburg’s annual Halloween parade has costume judging beginning at 4 p.m. and the parade at 5 p.m., at the entrance to the community fields by Route 17. The parade goes up Route 17 to the elementary school.

Pomona’s not changing its Halloween party, scheduled for 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Village Hall.

Suffern’s parade was already planned for 2 p.m. Sunday at the corner of Orange and Lafayette avenues, so it’s not changing. Costume judging, cider and donuts immediately follow the parade at the Virginia Menschner Gazebo on Washington Ave.

Have fun!

A good question, and one I didn’t know the answer to, so I asked ace reporter Khurram Saeed to find out.

Here’s his report:

Nyack Library Director James Mahoney was able to explain:

Every library is an independent entity. Their board of directors decides which days they will be closed.

Each library probably has its own reason.

Some may feel not enough patrons will show, but considering how diverse most communities in Rockland are, it’s hard to figure that’s the primary reason.

Mahoney said sometimes it’s done as a sign of respect.

For example, Nyack Library now closes on the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday holiday in January, though for many years it was open on that day.

Another issue may be staffing. If a library has predominately Jewish employees who are taking the holiday off, opening on Yom Kippur might not be a viable option.

At a previous event — around Valentine’s Day 2007 — more than 100 ponytails were cut off and donated to the organization, which uses the shorn locks to make wigs of real hair (called hair prostheses) for children who have lost their hair in chemotherapy for cancer or due to other diseases or conditions.

Jean Moss, a local resident who has alopecia areata (click here for more information on this condition, in which the body’s immune system attacks a person’s hair follicles), sent me the flyer on the event, which you can download by clicking here.

The Rockland salons participating are:

Maggie’s Place Hair Salon in Monsey, 426-1052
Salon Delia in Nanuet,  623-9090

If your hair’s not long enough, but you want to help out, you can send a donation to:
Locks of Love
2925 10th Ave. North
Ste. 102
Lake Worth, FL 33461

To find out more about Locks of Love, check out the organization’s website here.

Anyhow, here’s the week in review; links to the appropriate articles to come soon. Happy Friday!

Podcast file:

Flash video:

If you work for Barr or know someone who does, we’d like to hear from you for a story about the fate of the Rockland plant and its employees. Reach business writer David Schepp at dschepp@lohud.com or 845-578-2437.

• Cheryl Manasier, an RN at Nyack Hospital — Nurse of the Year
• Brandon Smith of the Rockland EMS Training Academy and a volunteer with the Spring Hill Ambulance Corps — EMS Educator of the Year
• Dr. Oscar Marcilla, based at Nyack Hospital — Physician of the Year
• John McCullough of the Rockland Paramedic Service and a volunteer with the Sparkill Fire Department — ALS (Advanced Life Support) Provider of the Year
• Rockland Paramedic Service — EMS Agency of the Year

There were eight categories, and Rockland snagged honors in five of them. They move on to the next level and in September, the state EMS Council will name its statewide honorees.

The other categories were EMS Communications Specialist of the Year (Rockland’s was Jenny Kugler, a dispatcher with the Stony Point Police Department), Basic Life Support Provider of the Year (Rockland’s was Anthony Masi, a volunteer with the Haverstraw Ambulance Corps) and Youth Member of the Year (Rockland’s was Ephraim Tauber, with Spring Hill).

Here are the bios on Rockland’s regional winners, provided by the County Executive’s office:

Registered Professional Nurse of Excellence
Cheryl Manasier RN
Nyack Hospital

Criteria: Contributions to the EMS community as a NYS registered professional Nurse. Dedication, responsibility, professional behavior, ingenuity, special skill or insight in the prehospital environment.
Eligibility: New York State licensed registered professional nurse serving within the EMS System.

Cheryl has more than 25 years of service looking out for our EMS providers. She has shown an enormous amount of strength and determination. While she has had some personal challenges there was never a doubt she would return to the ER. Cheryl always greets us with a warm welcome and takes an interest in the crew and patient we deliver to the ER. She treats everyone with respect and goes out of her way to educate the crews.

EMS Educator of Excellence
Brandon Smith
Spring Hill Ambulance/Rockland County EMS Training Academy/EMS-9

Criteria: Individual who through outstanding teaching, educational administration/coordination, publication or research has maximally improved prehospital services at the local, county, regional or state level.
Eligibility: EMS Educator or equivalent

Brandon wears many hats in his service to the community. He joined Spring Hill VAC in 1993. Brandon also maintains active status with the Hillcrest FD, DMAT NY-4 and is an instructor at the R.C. EMS Academy. He was appointed R.C. Deputy EMS Coordinator EMS-9 in 2007.  In 2006 he completed his NYS DOH EMT Certified Instructor Certification. He is not one to say no and can usually be found providing CME lectures or teaching his classes. While it might seem to be a busy load he is always willing to help someone with a desire to learn. He has the patience and ability to teach the most challenging student. People like this don’t come along often and we are fortunate to have Brandon there with a smile willing to share his experience and knowledge.

Physician of Excellence
Dr. Oscar Marcilla MD
Nyack Hospital

Criteria: Contributions to the EMS community as a physician. Dedication, responsibility, professional behavior, ingenuity, special skill or insight in the prehospital environment.
Eligibility: NYS licensed physician serving an EMS system.

Dr. Marcilla is the Medical Director of Nyack ER.  He makes it a point to attend as many meeting and events with the EMS providers as time permits. If he is not available he arranges to have a representative present. Dr Marcilla listens with an open ear and addresses all concerns. We are fortunate to have him in our community as a resource and a friend.

John McCullough
Rockland Paramedic Service

Criteria: Contribution by an individual to the community as an Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate (EMT-I), EMT-Critical Care Technician (EMT-CC), or Paramedic (EMT-P). Dedication, responsibility, professional behavior, ingenuity, special skill or insight in the EMS environment.
Eligibility: NYS Certified EMT-I, EMT-CC, EMT-P.

On May 14th 2007 at approx. 5:30 p.m., John was detailed to Medic 21. A call was received for a motorcycle accident with 2 victims. Medic 21 as well as Nanuet & Pearl River VAC responded to the scene. One victim unfortunately succumbed   to his injuries while the other was left with critical injuries including an arterial bleed to the leg. All attempts to stop the bleeding failed until John made the decision to use quik clot.  John is dedicated to serving his community. John’s career includes NYPD, Sparkill Fire Dept, South Orangetown VAC and Rockland Paramedic Services.

EMS Agency of the Year
Rockland Paramedic Service

Criteria: Any agency, which strives for consistency in EMS excellence and exhibits exemplary performance when providing prehospital emergency medical care.
Eligibility: A NYS certified volunteer or career EMS agency, i.e., NYS certified ambulance service or fire department.

RPS has made it a point to advance patient care in their service area. They do not take the easy road and are constantly reviewing new ideas, concepts and products in the EMS field. They work together with the Volunteer agencies to provide Rockland County residents with the best EMS system possible. They participate in all local, regional and state EMS meetings to keep current on changing trends. They have also participated in several pilot programs through the Hudson Valley Regional EMS council. These programs were not mandatory and required many hours of documentation.  Where there is a need RPS will find a way to assist. They are a valuable asset in our EMS community.

It came in at No. 71. Plymouth, Minn., topped the list at No. 1.

The other New York towns on the list:

Clay, No. 59 (Onandaga County)
Greenburgh, No. 80 (Westchester County)
North Hempstead, No. 46 (Nassau County)

Criteria were jobs/economy, safety, education, housing affordability and leisure/arts. The rankings were among the 716 cities/towns in the U.S. with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.

Not included: retirement communities, places with income to far above or below the state’s median income, those more than 95 percent white, and with high crime rates, population declines and significant unemployment/job loss.

Finally, the magazine said, locations were visited and residents interviewed to assess intangibles such as like sense of community.

Neighboring New Jersey had more towns on the list:
• Edison, No. 35
• Franklin Township, No. 5
• Hamilton, No. 51
• Howell, No. 77
• Middletown, No. 86
• Parsippany/Troy Hills, No. 13
• Union, No. 75
• Washington, No. 58
• Wayne, No. 100

This was the first event organized by Rodney Smith, the center’s new Youth Outreach Coordinator, along with Teen Drop-In coordinator Johnsie Valdez and tutor Shawn Leonard. Afterward, they went back to the center for a barbecue, where the food was supplied or donated by Johnsie Valdez, Johnna Downing, Green Harvest Gourmet, Rochelle Pitt and the Nyack Center.

The center will host a barbecue welcome reception at 6 p.m. July 24 to officially welcome Smith. He’s worked in the New York City probation department for more than 15 years and has five children. The public is invited to meet him.

Photo courtesy of the Nyack Center of the winning team from July 3: From left, front row, Winn Joseph, Tyrell Augustine, Maurice Jones, Shawn Leonard, Dequan Rogers, Dexter Fisher, Wendy Jean. From left, back row, Dashawn Rodriguez, Jamar Jones, Shamir Howard, Rodney Smith.

Who has them, why they exist and possible solutions to the property tax problem in New York have all been addressed in several articles, all of which are available through the Rockland page on LoHud.com.

One thing Laura did that we were unable to fit in among everything else was to create a list for each town that shows how much of each class (i.e., type) of property in each town is fully tax-exempt, by assessed value.

Each of these files is available by clicking on the links below, starting with perhaps the most important, the key to identifying each class.

Key to class numbers and names — Use this file to figure out what each class number on each file corresponds to which type of property.

Clarkstown

Haverstraw

Orangetown

Ramapo

Stony Point

We welcome any comments or questions about this series. Feel free to e-mail Laura or myself directly or drop us a line below.

I laughed, but year after year discovered that it didn’t much matter what meteorologists predicted, if it was Greek Festival weekend, it was most likely going to rain.

There would be fantastic food (check out those kebobs from 2003, to the left) , great dance and music performances and anything from drizzle to a monsoon. Guaranteed.

So when I first heard it was supposed to be sunny and hot this weekend, I was surprised. And skeptical.

But the festival opened last night and started up again at noon today and, so far, no rain. In fact, the sun has finally come out and it’s shaping up to be a lovely day.

I began to wonder: Did it just seem as if it rained every year?

Well, I went back into our photo archives and this is what I came up with:

2002:

2003:

2004:

While far from conclusive, it does, at least, show a trend of a few years.

But let’s hope that this year keeps sunny skies so the festivities can be more like this, from 2007:

If you want to head out to the festival, it continues until midnight tonight; from 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 1 Mary Crest Road, West Nyack.

Photos:
• 2007 by Angela Gaul
• 2004 by Peter Carr
• 2003 by Morris J. Kennedy
• 2002 by Tom Nycz

No, you’re not imagining things. That is a photograph of town supervisors Alexander Gromack (Clarkstown), Howard Philips (Haverstraw), Thom Kleiner (Orangetown) and Phil Marino (Stony Point), wearing muscle T-shirts and performing at the gala.

The gala honored Bill and Ginny Maloney of Vista Electrical Contractors Inc. and raised $129,000 (a record for UHR) to help build the agency’s first Hospice House in the county.

Here’s some other photos from the event, all shot by Rooney:

Ann Hickey, retired 15-year Rockland County Commissioner of Jurors, posing as the “Hospice Housekeeper” for the new residence

“Hospice Foreman” Michael Kabula with Betsy Feeney, Victoria Gable, Carolla Dost, Caroline Winter and Terry Siracusano

Honorees Bill and Ginny Maloney of Vista Electrical Contractors Inc.

Finally, Hospice noted the following folks and companies that made substantial donations:

2008 benefactors

Cornerstone sponsors

Bricks & Mortar Patrons

For more information about UHUR, you can:
• Call 845-634-4974.
• Fax to 845-634-7549.
• Visit www.hospiceofrockland.org.
• Write to United Hospice of Rockland, 11 Stokum Lane, New City, NY 10956

The project is called The Riverspace Downtown Project, and you can find out lots about it on the group’s website (a page on the Riverspace website).

The meeting will be at Riverspace, 119 Main St., and there’s free babysitting available from the Rockland Parent-Child Center (137 First Ave.), but there are limited spots and you have to call to register for it (845-358-2702)

Here’s a pdf of the flyer, if you want to download it and print it out.

But my colleague, Rockland Editorial Page Editor Nancy Cutler, beat me to it on the In Focus: Rockland blog. So I’ll just tell you that the Nyack NAACP honored Jennings and four other Rockland residents at its annual dinner in April.

And if you click here, you can download a PDF of an article staff writer Suzan Clarke wrote about ACT in 2006.

File photo: Nina Grant (right) jokes with her mentor Penny Jennings about how beautiful she looks Aug. 1, 2006 outside the Nyack Center, which serves as home to ACT: Adults Caring for Teens, Inc. The mentoring program is directed and founded by Jennings, who remembers how mentors had helped her when she lost her mother as a teen. ( Kathy Gardner / The Journal News )

Why?

Well, for starters, the bus company didn’t advertise to its customers that there might be a strike.

Then, many folks who read our article yesterday about the strike the other day were confused by it, and I can understand some of the confusion: Several bus lines that ferry commuters between Rockland and New York City are owned by Coach USA. Short Line is only one of them. Red and Tan weren’t affected by the strike, for example.

But, as noted in the article, drivers and others with other Coach USA lines weren’t going to cross the metaphorical picket line and take over driving the Short Line routes.

They did, however, continue to honor their own contracts and drive their own routes.

Check out our article in tomorrow’s paper for continued updates on the strike.

About 240 drivers, mechanics and ticket agents who belong to Local 225 of the Transport Workers Union of America  failed to reach a contract with Hudson Transit Lines, a Coach USA subsidiary.

The strike would affect about 750 commuters who use Coach USA’s Express service from the Exit 14 park and ride lot in Nanuet and another 250 or so who catch Short Line buses from Suffern to midtown and downtown.

For more information call the CoachUSA at 800-631-8405 or go to www.coachusa.com/shortline for bus schedules for working routes.

In preparation for the bus strike, the MTA’s Metro-North Railroad and the New York state Department of Transportation released their plan to help ferry commuters into the city.

Here’s the news from MTA:

In the face of a potential strike by employees of Coach USA/Short Line bus company at midnight tonight, MTA Metro-North Railroad is making plans to increase service on the Port Jervis Line, the Newburgh to Beacon bus and the Newburgh to Beacon ferry.

Starting Friday morning, NJTRANSIT will be prepared to operate two extra trains from Suffern to relieve overcrowding through the end of the strike. On Friday only – one extra train from Harriman will operate if needed to accommodate any overcrowding. And in the afternoon NJTransit will add a car to the 4:08 p.m. from Hoboken due Port Jervis at 6:14 p.m.

There is available parking at all Port Jervis Line stations from Harriman to Middletown.

On Tuesday, NJTRANSIT will be prepared to operate two extra trains from Suffern through the end of the strike in the AM peak.

On Tuesday, Metro-North also will add extra Newburgh-Beacon ferry service connecting to Beacon station on the Hudson Line. For a ferry schedule please check the MTA web site noted below.

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will be adding additional bus service through its contract with the Newburgh Beacon Bus Shuttle serving Route 17K Park and Ride in Orange County and the Metro-North Beacon train station. NYSDOT will also provide available updated traveler information at www.trips123.com and www.travelinfony.com.

Additional information will be available at mta.info

For 60 years, the parade has stepped off at the intersection of Collyer Avenue and South Main Street, heading up Main to the lawns of the county courthouse.

But safety concerns have prompted the town to make the change, moving one-third of the route to Maple Avenue. Main Street is in disrepair, officials said, with crumbling sidewalks and blacktop-filled potholes creating an uneven surface. The road will be repaved this summer as part of a hamlet revitalization project.

So instead of having anyone trip and fall on the roadway, the decision was made on the advice of the town’s safety officer and insurance agent. Check out Hema Easley’s story tomorrow on LoHud.com and in The Journal News for the full details.

And, after the break, a full list of Rockland’s Memorial Day parades and events:

May 23

May 24

May 25

May 26

May 29

May 31

2006 parade photo by Peter Carr / The Journal News/LoHud.com

No, it’s not a day where you get to just complain about anything and everything; it’s the deadline for folks to file formal grievances on their property tax bills.

Calhoun included a link to a helpful pamplhet: “Fair Assessments: A Guide for Property Owners,” as well as a link to the overall Office of Real Property Services site.

The Assemblywoman also reminds folks of an important point: You need not pay anyone to help you file a grievance. Forms are free at your assessor’s office; you just have to drop them off at the office on or by May 27.

Good luck.

First off, relating to today’s story about how many schools and districts in the Lower Hudson Valley, including some in Rockland, received high marks from the state Education Department for their academic performance and for closing the achievement gap.

Here’s a link to the article about it, written by Journal News reporters Randi Weiner and Dwight R. Worley: Nearly 150 schools show improvement. And here’s a link to the database.

Then, we have the database the desk put together on tax levies and school spending. Check out how your school district compares with others.

Our data desk has put together a searchable database that you can access here.

Rockland’s lone state senator, Thomas Morahan (R-New City), ranked in the top 10 of all state legislators in the amount of money he secured for projects and organizations in his home district.

He alone brought about $2 million to his district. For all of Rockland’s legislators combined — Morahan and Assembly members Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern; Nancy Calhoun, R-Blooming Grove; Annie Rabbitt, R-Greenwood Lake; and Kenneth P. Zebrowski, D-New City — nearly $3 million came to their constituents, though Morahan, Rabbitt and Calhoun also serve parts of Orange County, where some of those funds went.

Friesel, the former New Square village clerk and a son of the village’s only mayor, fled the Rockland and United States after being charged in a far-reaching scheme that bilked thousands of dollars from the federal government.

Despite how big the case was at the time, it took on an even larger dimension back in 2000, when Hillary Clinton was first running for the U.S. Senate and her husband pardoned four of those convicted in the case just before he left the presidency.

You can find the database here.

Basically, as has already been reported in The Journal News and on LoHud.com, existing home sales dropped 38.6 percent in Rockland from a year earlier, while the median sale prices dropped 3.6 percent to $462,500.