The Good Friday Agreement, which ushered in a new era of peace of cooperation in Northern Ireland, turned 10 years old Thursday. That’s a cause for celebration for Irish Americans in the area, many who left their home county because of poverty and violence linked to the long-standing sectarian conflict.

It’s also a cause for celebration [...]

Their gripe — Orange and Rockland’s hired crews clear-cut through a number of backyards, leaving tree stumps and tree debris in their wake. Not pretty.

In its defense, O&R was only doing what it was supposed to do. In [...]

A reliable tip came in about the state Department of Labor’s investigation into the construction of ballfields in Orangetown. Looks like more than one worker may  have filed a complaint to the agency about being paid less than the prevailing wage. We’ll continue to follow the story. Any more tips, please send this way.

The rule of the Nyack Parking Authority is over, at least for now.

The Nyack Village Board yanked its lease with the agency, a move that stripped it of its power and basically left it an organization in name only.

Some residents cheered the end of the authority’s role in Nyack. The agency has attracted its fair [...]

Here is a link to the four-page consent decree and settlement of a taxpayer lawsuit against the Nyack Parking Authority.

In the settlement, signed March 18, the authority agrees to give more public notice on matters related to spending and to comply with the law that governs public authorities.

Two taxpayers who filed the lawsuit had [...]

The Nyack Parking Authority settled a taxpayer lawsuit last week alleging that the agency abused its powers and mispent taxpayer money when it bought $424,900 in parking meters without bidding. The Authority said it settled to avoid a long, expensive legal battle, and not because it did anything wrong.

In the settlement, the Authority agreed to [...]

There’s peace in Ireland, but that doesn’t mean Irish Americans should put up their feet and relax, according to Gerry Adams, president of the Catholic-backed Sinn Fein party.

Adams said the Irish in the US should keep up the pressure to make sure that Northern Ireland follows through with power sharing that was outlined in the [...]

Yankees announcer John Flaherty gave a shout-out to Pearl River during a spring training game Sunday against Cleveland.

Flaherty, who grew up in West Nyack and now lives in Pearl River, talked about how great the hamlet’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is every year. Though he was busy working, he said his wife and daughter marched [...]

By now, many of you have heard about Riverspace’s grand plans to raze several blocks on Main Street in Nyack and replace it with a new arts, retail and residential complex with a parking garage. The art center’s board envisions a group of staggered buildings that preserve a Main Street charm, none higher than four [...]

Nyack dog owners fighting for off-leash hours at Memorial Park stressed that they always clean up after their dogs and that the dogs and their owners benefit from socializing and exercising at the park.

But those reasons weren’t enough to shake the ick factor for some critics. The opposition’s argument went something like this: you can [...]

The letters and phone calls to spare Joe Byrne of Pearl River from extradition apparently did not help. A friend of the Byrnes reports that Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice signed the extradition order from Ireland yesterday. Joe Byrne will be asked to turn himself in on or before Feb. 29.

Byrne is wanted in connection [...]

Thanks for your feedback about the new Nyack meters, which I blogged about here last week. Readers wrote and called to tell me they were ticked off that the meters were installed with little notice and no signage, and that they got tickets anyway.

Nyack’s Mayor John Shields believes that new signs, installed Friday, will put [...]

The Nyack Parking Authority says it didn’t have to bid for $424,900 in new parking meters because Parkeon Inc. was the only company that met its needs by offering full credit card processing without the need for additional equipment and staff.

But leaders in the parking meter industry say it’s not true. Executives from other multi-space [...]

In a letter to the editor yesterday, a man complained that the parking changes in Nyack have been confusing. He said he didn’t realize he had to buy a ticket at the new multi-space meters and got a parking ticket (though it was later dropped). The mayor said signs would be installed this week to [...]

I wrote in today’s newspaper about Kate Buggeln, a Grand View resident who has been doing some amazing work in Rwanda and Afghanistan with the Business Council for Peace. Kate works overseas to help women in conflict and post-conflict areas start and develop new businesses. Here is a video showing Kate during a recent [...]

Piermont condo owners have threatened a lawsuit over taxes for more than a year. Last week, they followed through with that threat.

Representatives of three condominium complexes filed suit against the village for an astonishing $85 million dollars. They argued that Piermont is unfairly taxing them by making them pay for services that they get [...]

It’s a new year and a new Democratic majority in Orangetown. Changes were bound to trickle down.

Deputy Town Attorney Kevin Mulhearn announced he will leave his position in the next few months, and Supervisor Thom Kleiner is looking to hire a replacement. Mulhearn said he is leaving to dedicate more time to his own law [...]

In case you’re interested, here’s a copy of Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner’s State of the Town address in its entirety.

STATE OF THE TOWN
Town of Orangetown

Supervisor Thom Kleiner
January 7, 2008

On behalf of returning council members Marie Manning and Denis Troy, new members Mike Maturo and Nancy Low-Hogan, and those who were sworn in again with us [...]

Here are some highlights of last night’s reorganizational meeting of the Orangetown Town Board.

• Nancy Low-Hogan, who was sworn in as a member of the Orangetown Town Board last night, promised to hold monthly meetings with the community to talk about town issues.

• Michael Maturo, a 23-year-old from Sparkill, was also sworn in as a [...]

During his State of the Town speech tonight, Supervisor Thom Kleiner will talk about affordable housing for seniors, about the environment, and about economic development, among other topics.

But here’s one topic that he won’t touch: the town’s botched handling of a $4 million payment stemming from a tax settlement with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

The town didn’t [...]

Business owners in downtown Nyack think a parking garage might be a solution to their woes. They want the village to reconsider a proposal to build a garage so that customers will have more places to park. Mayor John Shields said he is willing to consider such a plan.

The village has floated the idea for [...]

Nyack’s dollar-per-hour priority zone isn’t happening after all.

The Village Board decided last night to reverse its vote to increase in parking from 25 cents to $1 in busy parts of downtown along Main Street and Broadway. The board made its decision after getting a deluge of complaints from business owners and residents about the price [...]

Could this be the end of the Nyack Parking Authority?

The NPA has decided to suspend all activity, for now. The NPA says it will not do business until it settles a legal agreement with the village giving it authority over the marina and parking – if they settle.

The NPA and Village Board have butted heads [...]

The town board said goodbye to Denis O’Donnell and Thomas Morr, who lost re-election bids, at its final meeting of the year Monday.

The board thanked them from their hard work and dedication and the supervisor gave them certificates of appreciation.

Accepting his certificate, Morr gave a speech that could have used during his campaign. He [...]

The Nyack Village Board’s decision to raise the cost of parking meters has sparked lots of a local outrage. People are complaining up and down Nyack that the increase — from 25 cents to 50 cents an hour, or one dollar an hour in the “priority zone” — is a bad idea. They don’t want [...]