Today is the 54th anniversary of Earth Day, an annual event to spotlight environmental protection efforts. The Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library is celebrating Earth Day by letting kids “Decorate Your Own Tote Bag” today from 4:30 to 5:15. Call 845-786-3800 for more information. The New City Jewish Center is holding an Earth Day Celebration at Palisades Center in West Nyack today from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM on the first floor near H&M. There’ll be crafts, music and games to celebrate the day. Click here for additional information.
News
MTA Promises NJ Money from Congestion Pricing Plan
As they battle it out in court, the MTA is promising New Jersey will get some of the cash generated by its controversial congestion pricing plan. Published reports didn’t get specific, with the head of the MTA saying it depends on how much traffic is generated. No such money has been promised for Rockland or other areas west of the Hudson, as County Executive Ed Day and the county continue their fight in court to prevent congestion pricing from being implemented later this spring…
New Jersey claims the tolls would increase pollution in the Garden State and calls it an MTA money grab. MTA’s lawyers counter that the plan would reduce traffic without harming any part of New Jersey, but promised the MTA would help mitigate any impacts that congestion pricing might have on the western side of the Hudson. Under the plan, cars would face a $15 toll to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, while trucks could be charged up to $36, depending on size.
NYS Lawmakers Scramble to Pass Budget Before Monday Passover Holiday and Two-week Recess
State lawmakers are scrambling to possibly pass the New York State budget before their two-week recess starts on Monday, coinciding with the holiday of Passover. With a computer snafu slowing things down even more, Rockland State Senator Bill Weber of the 38th District says there’s a lot of paperwork to go through…
Meanwhile, though environmentalists were hoping the New York HEAT Act would be part of the budget to help reduce natural gas use in the state, it’s reportedly been dropped as budget negotiations continue. Weber called that “common sense” and “a victory for all New Yorkers.” Patrick McClellan of the New York League of Conservation Voters laments lots of people still have a preference for natural gas, though other challenges made the legislation hard to digest…
Governor Kathy Hochul is talking up the budget after her surprise announcement of a “conceptual agreement” earlier this week. Hochul says, for example, the budget would add new initiatives to crack down on organized retail theft and protect frontline retail workers…
Lawmakers were to have voted yesterday on a 6th extender bill keeping the government operating and state employees paid. The $237 billion 2025 fiscal year budget reportedly includes plans for new housing construction, addresses the migrant situation and cracks down on illegal marijuana shops. It was due April first. The legislative session ends June sixth.
Weekend Events: Earth Day Arts & Science Festival in Haverstraw, Pop-Up Repair Café in Sparkill
The Haverstraw Brick Museum and other groups are hosting an Earth Day arts and science festival tomorrow at Haverstraw’s Emeline Park. Town supervisor and the head of Rockland Green, Howard Phillips, says it’s a fun learning experience for the whole family…
The festival runs tomorrow from noon to 4:30. For more information visit their website, HaverstrawBrickMuseum.org or call 845-947-3505. If you can’t get there, maybe because you have some items that need fixing, Phillips says you can go to the Pop-up Repair Café being held in Sparkill tomorrow…
The Pop-up Repair Café is being held tomorrow from 1-4 at the St. Thomas Aquinas College on Route 340 in Sparkill. For more information, click here.
News Briefs: Fires Strike in Pomona, Chester
90 percent of a Pomona synagogue burned to the ground early Wednesday morning, though thankfully there were no injuries reported. That’s according to The Journal News. Hillcrest Fire Company Captain Corey Martin said the fire struck the synagogue “Chassidim of the Heights” around 5:30 Wednesday morning at 34 North Ridge Road in Pomona. It took several hours for volunteer firefighters from Hillcrest and Thiells to bring the blaze under control, the cause of which is not yet known. A Jewish website, Matzav.com, reported that three Torahs were destroyed in the fire.
Fire Displaces Residents in Orange County
No one was injured but several residents were left homeless after a fire tore through an Orange County townhouse complex late Tuesday afternoon. DailyVoice.com reported the blaze began at Whispering Hills in Chester around 5pm, possibly starting in a garage and spread to the units above. The building was reportedly destroyed after the roof caved in. Investigators are checking to see whether a car in the garage sparked the fire. The Red Cross was assisting residents who were displaced. 75 firefighters got it under control within a half-hour.