Area shopping malls, gyms, and movie theaters are among those businesses that will not be allowed to re-open in phase four because the state says they need more study. Rockland County Executive Ed Day says the state claims indoor air-quality is part of their concern…

Al Samuels is the head of the Rockland Business Association, and says social distancing and safety are still very important, but business would certainly spike if malls and entertainment facilities were able to open up…

WRCR’s Market Analyst Ken Mahoney of Mahoney Asset Management in Chestnut Ridge says Palisades Center is critical to Rockland’s economic health…

In a statement on Friday, Pyramid Management Group, owner of Palisades Center, said their air circulation systems are as good or better than the freestanding restaurants, office buildings and large retailers that have been opened. They say they have implemented all of the guidance by the federal government, the CDC and the State of New York and are prepared to re-open safely.

New York State recorded its lowest COVID-19 death toll and hospitalizations over the weekend since the pandemic began. This amid news that a student returning from Florida may have infected several graduation parties in Chappaqua last weekend. No decisions have yet been made about schools in New York, where the governor said they are preparing for a September opening. He told NBC’s Meet The Press that the numbers are good now, but September is still two months away.

COVID-19 by the numbers now, in Rockland, we’ve got six in the hospital being checked out, six more have been confirmed with coronavirus. The state says we’ve got over 13,557 reported cases, and the Rockland Health Department confirms 667 fatalities here in the county, no deaths since Friday, June 19th.

Orange and Rockland Utilities has updated and improved its online Outage Map to give New York and New Jersey customers more detailed information about storm-related service interruptions. O&R’s Mike Donovan says in addition to providing estimated restoration times during an outage, the outage map has some new functionality…

The maps now also include improved graphics and federal and state political boundaries so public officials, civic leaders and their constituents can quickly find issues in their specific areas.

As some municipalities cancel Independence Day fireworks displays, people have been looking for ways to entertain themselves. As some COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, they’ve lately been turning to fireworks, some legal, some not. Rockland County Sheriff Lou Falco says, in some cases, things are getting out of hand…

Rockland’s Director of Fire and Emergency Services Chris Kear says the ones most likely to get injured are kids, and the injuries range from minor to very serious…

Both Kear and Sheriff Falco stress, fireworks are best left to the pros. Despite their relatively benign appearance, sparklers can be extremely dangerous. The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York says sparklers, which are now legal in New York, burn at nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, about as hot as a blow torch, and can be extremely dangerous.

The East Ramapo school district board of education has approved a plan that would allow private summer camps to lease school properties, even though, the Journal News reports, most public school students are unable to attend summer school due to coronavirus safety measures. The board voted 5-3 this week to let the camps use the schools. The three board members who voted against the plan questioned the economic benefit, whether it was fair to let private concerns use the facilities, and the COVID safety issues.

COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state dropped yesterday below 1,000 for the first time since March 18th. All the numbers across the state were down, except for the number of people discharged from the hospital, that number was up.

COVID-19 by the numbers now, in Rockland, we’ve got 7 people hospitalized, 4 of them confirmed with coronavirus. The state says we’ve got 13,549 reported cases, and the Rockland Health Department confirms 667 fatalities here in the county, still unchanged since last week.

The Sloop Clearwater, the ship launched by Rockland legend Pete Seeger to spread environmental awareness of the Hudson River, is heading our way after leaving port in Albany earlier this week. Captain Nicholas Rogers, who spoke with us as he was heading from Beacon to the lower Hudson Valley, says the “Our River Connects Us” journey represents their effort to unite Hudson Valley communities during these COVID-19 days of separation…

Clearwater leaves Beacon today and should arrive in Piermont around the 29th and then head to the city by July 2nd. For more information, visit www.clearwater.org.

What’s a summer without “Dancing Under the Stars” in Haverstraw? The town is hosting that tonight at the commuter ferry parking lot from 8-10:30pm featuring “The Showtime Dance Band.” Supervisor Howard Phillips says tomorrow is the big opening of Bowline Point Park…

And stay tuned for an announcement from us, detailing when Steve and I will go down the waterslide at Bowline. That’ll happen sometime this summer.