O&R says the company-wide emergency response group is gearing up to repair damage and restore electric service interruptions that could result from possibly severe thunderstorms expected to arrive early Friday evening into early Saturday morning. The company says several critical O&R teams will shift into storm duty at that time. Reminder, DO NOT touch or approach any downed wire. Assume all downed wires are energized and dangerous. Call O&R’s toll-free hotline immediately at 1-877-434-4100 and local police if necessary.
WRCR News for May 26, 2022
by Michael Weiss
As Memorial Day approaches, area officials have been stressing the importance of boater safety. This week is National Boaters Safety week, held annually prior to Memorial Day, the biggest boating holiday of the season. Orange County Undersheriff Ken Jones reported 118 people were injured and 18 killed statewide in boating accidents, as reported by News 12. Jones added there were 192 boating related accidents during 2021. If you plan to go boating this season make sure you have proper training and avoid using any substances such as drugs or alcohol.
Following the tragic Texas school shooting, area police agencies are assessing security risks at schools locally. On Wednesday’s “Morning Show” we spoke with Rockland County Sheriff Lou Falco about the shooting and what will be done within the county moving forward.
The Orange County Sheriff Department is doing security assessments for schools to identify risks and educating students, teachers, and staff what they can do to stay safe should the necessity arrive. Here in Rockland, security issues have been heightened following recent allegations of racial incident by Pearl River students towards Nyack students, and an incident in East Ramapo in which a student reportedly drove a dirt bike in a school building during class hours as a prank. He was subsequently arrested. News 12 reported last week of an incident at North Rockland High School in which a student from a separate school was let in and proceeded to bludgeon a North Rockland student with a glass liquor bottle. The alleged assailant was arrested in that case, as well. Up in Newburgh, several students were assaulted when a group entered the school last December.
News 12 reported yesterday that, in light of the recent shooting in Buffalo, the New York State Regents exam in U.S History and Government has been canceled. The State Department of Education said they are “committed to supporting our students and fellow community members following the heinous mass shooting in Buffalo.” The department stated that content on the exam could potentially bring up trauma of the violence. The exams had already been printed for the June 1st test date, and state officials felt there wouldn’t be enough time to produce and distribute new ones.
WRCR News for May 25, 2022
by Michael Weiss
In the wake of the May 14th mass shooting in Buffalo, NY, the NAACP in Rockland County held a community vigil this past Monday. Attending the event were representatives of the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian Communities, as well as Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips and Rockland Legislator Toney Earl. They both spoke at the event and talked about not only the atrocities of the incident but also the need to stand in unity. Many reportedly left the vigil feeling inspired and hopeful, but also with the understanding that this could happen anywhere, any time.
Following last week’s release of the new election district maps, Rockland County is now part of the 17th district. Several area politicians who represented portions of other districts until now have indicated they would be running in the newly created 17th district. Confirmed candidates include upper Hudson Valley representative Sean Patrick Maloney, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Bronx and /Westchester state senator State Senator Alessandra Biaggi and just recently Rockland assemblyman Mike Lawler, who had just announced running for reelection for his Assembly seat, announced Monday that he would be joining the congressional race.
The seat they’re all vying for is currently held by Congressman Mondaire Jones, a Democrat, but he opted instead to run in the newly-created 10th district.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul last Tuesday signed the Adult Survivors Act into law. This law will open a one-year “look back window” suspending the statute of limitations for survivors who were sexually abused as an adult. The act was passed in the state Assembly after a unanimous Senate vote last month. News 12 also reported that the Child’s Victim Act opened a window from 2019 to 2021 for people who’d been sexually abused as a child.
Two Year-old Drowns in Nanuet
A two year-old boy drowned Sunday in Nanuet. Clarkstown Police Detective Norm Peters says around 8pm Sunday evening, police were called to a reported drowning incident on Tennyson Drive in Nanuet. Peters says upon arrival, officers entered the rear yard of the residence, where they found family
members had taken the unresponsive child from the pool and were performing CPR. Officers resumed lifesaving measures with the aid of an AED as Rockland Paramedics and Nanuet Ambulance arrived on scene. The unidentified child was taken to Montefiore – Nyack Hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased. The incident is under investigation. No additional information was available.
WRCR News for May 23, 2022
by Ken Connolly
The sweltering heat over this past weekend did not bode well for the North Rockland power plant in Haverstraw. According to News 12, the roof of the Bowline Power Plant caught fire due to heat from a steam pipe. There were more than 75 firefighters that arrived to assist with the situation. Many of the firefighters had to trek up 14 stories in full gear to reach the roof. No injuries or power outages were reported.
Over 40 people may be removed from unsafe living conditions in apartments in Spring Valley. While none have been evicted yet, they could potentially be left homeless if no action is taken by the landlord in the next two weeks. According to LoHud.com Rockland building inspectors have threatened to remove tenants from a Ridge Avenue apartment house which had a multitude of unsafe conditions while levying a 40,000 dollar fine against another landlord for state fire and building code violations. The owner of the building has been issued 27 violations by inspectors on the basis that the structure is unfit for occupancy. Ed Markunas, who is the head of the Rockland office of Building and Codes said that the property needs to be repaired, vacated, or demolished within the next 15 days.
Representative Mondaire Jones announced over the weekend that he will be running in the re-configured 10th Congressional District against former NYC Mayor Bill Deblasio. The 10th district is made up of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. Jones has held the U.S. representative seat for New York’s 17th Congressional District since 2021. The district includes most of central and northwestern Westchester County and all of Rockland County. Also this morning, Rockland assemblyman, Republican Mike Lawler, announced he would run for the new 17th Congressional district seat. He’ll go up against Orange County Democrat, Sean Patrick Maloney.