Nyack changes its mind, a lot.

In the past year, the Village Board reversed a decision on parking rates and postponed the date that new rates would take effect. In its most recent about-face, the Nyack board voted last week to change the structure of parking penalties, just three months after new penalties were set.

Some business [...]

Richard Kavesh and Louise Parker have filed petitions with the Rockland County Board of Elections to run for re-election to the Nyack Village Board.

Kavesh filed to run on the Democratic and Working Families party lines, while Louise filed on the Democratic line only.

No surprise here: No GOP candidates have filed to challenge the incumbents. Nyack, [...]

This picture was sent to me by Donald Sullivan, a Tappan resident who is organizing opposition to a proposed Orange & Rockland substation on Oak Tree Road.  Sullivan and other residents are meeting on a regular basis to plan their protest and are speaking up at town meetings. They’ve also put up signs like this:

[...]

The county is just about done with improvements to the center of Tappan, where crews replaced sidewalks, repaved streets, did drainage work and added decorative light posts. The new look, with brick sidewalks and cobblestone print on the road surface, was meant to evoke old-world charm in the historic area.

Business owners say the county should [...]

Orangetown has hired its first certified Spanish-speaking police officer and has plans to hire a second. The town has been criticized for the past few years for being the only town police force without a Spanish-speaking officer.

Police Chief Kevin Nulty said he had been unable to hire a police officer who speaks the language because [...]

Orangeburg firefighters are weeks away from moving to their new home, said Kenny Gordon, chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners for the Orangeburg Fire District.

Gordon said exterior work on the department’s new firehouse was finished, but the building still needed still plumbing and electrical work and phone lines.

Voters approved $5.2 million bond in a [...]

A group of residents will meet tonight in Tappan to organize a fight against Orange and Rockland’s plans for a new substation in their neighborhood. O&R wants to build the facility on a wooded lot on Oak Tree Road, which residents say is too close to their homes and to wetlands.

The meeting takes place at [...]

In an unusual decision, the Orangetown Town Board decided last month to sue its own Zoning Board of Appeals to challenge a decision to approve a new warehouse and self-storage complex in Pearl River.  The lawsuit won’t come cheap.

The Town Board will vote at its meeting tonight to authorize the Zoning Board and the Planning [...]

Riverspace Arts in Nyack estimates it will cost $100 million to fulfill its lofty plans to build a new arts, retail and residential complex in downtown Nyack.

The catch  is they want about a quarter of that funding to come from taxpayers, via support from state and local government. Riverspace, a not-for-profit organization, also wants to [...]

The Rev. Patricia Ackerman has pulled plans to hold a second “Healing the Moment: Reclaiming our Youth” rally on June 7.

Terri Kayden, who handled public relations for the first “Healing the Moment” rally on April 27, said the event would not be held that day and has not been rescheduled. “As far as I know, [...]

South Orangetown school board members were tight-lipped last night about the whole fiasco surrounding Howard Sokol. Sokol is the lawyer from Blauvelt who was elected to the school board May 20, and the following day was busted by cops for drinking and driving.

The board called a special meeting to talk about Sokol, then broke into [...]

Meryl Streep is in South Nyack today to film the upcoming movie “Julie & Julia.”

In the movie, she plays famous chef Julia Child, according to IMDB.com. The movie also stars Amy Adams, who plays a woman who attempts to cook all 524 recipes in Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and famously blogs about [...]

Orange & Rockland plans to visit Blauvelt homeowner Maureen O’Neill today, but this time the visit will be welcome.

O’Neill was one of many residents who protested when O&R cut down trees in her backyard as part of a tree removal program meant to prevent power outages. Residents complained that more trees were cut that necessary [...]

Speaking of Hillside (see my last post), it appears developer Edmund Lane is holding his ground when it comes to his plans for Hillside Commercial Park.

“If the town’s going to court, then go to court. If they want to waste the taxpayer’s money, then waste it,” Lane’s lawyer, Donald Brenner, said yesterday.

Town Supervisor Thom Kleiner [...]

It’s been just about a month since Pearl River homeowners formed Residents United to Save Hillside. But already the group has hired a lawyer, launched a website and held several well-attended meetings.

Now, the group has plans for a fundraiser on May 21.  It will be held at The Saloon in Pearl River. Proceeds will go [...]

Here is the statement that Nyack Mayor John Shields gave at the start of a community forum Wednesday that was organized to discuss recent gang-related violence and ways to help young people:

Rockland County is a large, diverse community that must strive to meet the needs of its diverse constituents. The recent fight on Franklin [...]

Whoa! Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner is asking for some big bucks to party at his 50th birthday soirée June 7.

For a quarter page in the birthday “playbill” and one reserved seat, you gotta fork up $250. It’s $500 for a half page and two seats, and $1,000 for a full page and two seats.

Want the [...]

Residents United to Save Hillside (RUSH) is keeping the pressure on to try and stop a commercial park from being built along Route 304 in Pearl River. The group has launched a website that states its case against the proposed development and lets people know how they can help. It can be found at www.rushpearlriver.com.

The [...]

Nyack will hold a community forum Wednesday to talk about the gang fights that took place on village streets last month involving between 40 and 50 teenagers.

The meeting was supposed to be held Monday, but was changed to accommodate the schedules of public officials. Nyack Mayor John Shields, the Nyack Village Board of Trustees, Orangetown [...]

Maureen O’Neill didn’t consider herself an environmentalist and kept out of public affairs until about a month ago, when a group of trees were cut in her backyard. Since then she’s been one of the key residents who have railed against Orange and Rockland Utilities’ tree removal program.

It’s been that kind of issue. The tree [...]

Marvin Baum believes congratulations are not in order. Browsing through Orange & Rockland’s press releases, the Valley Cottage resident learned that The National Arbor Day Foundation named the company a “Tree Line USA Utility” in January. The designation recognizes national leadership in caring for trees while meeting service objectives.

In a letter to O&R, Baum [...]

Is Nyack Mayor John Shields back on the market? Looks that way.

The 64-old mayor, whose hobbies include cooking, working out and resolving parking conflicts, was featured in a photo in a recent singles-themed issue of New York magazine. In the photo, Shields is standing at a phone booth and an arm is extended over his [...]

Representatives from the state’s Public Service Commission are coming to Rockland County to talk about a controversial tree-removal program that has upset many local homeowners. (See posts below.) The event is sponsored by State Sen. Thomas Morahan and assembly members Ellen Jaffee and Ken Zebrowski.

The community forum takes place Monday, April 28, from 6 [...]

The New York State Department of Labor sent a letter to the Orangetown Mighty Midgets and the South Orangetown Little League this week warning them that they had to pay prevailing wage to workers building concession stands at town ballfields.

This letter comes after at least one worker complained to the state that they weren’t paid [...]

Responding to complaints from dozens of homeowners about a tree-clearing program, the Orangetown Town Board took action last night. The board passed a resolution asking the state’s Public Service Commission to stop removing trees from transmission right-of ways until there is a full public review of the program. The board also asks Orange & Rockland [...]