The Spring Valley man charged in the death of a Finkelstein Memorial Library security guard pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in court Thursday. 25 year-old Blanchard Glaudin’s attorney asked the judge to have him examined by a psychiatrist to see if he can help with his defense. 52 year-old Sandra Wilson was fatally stabbed after she asked Glaudin to lower the volume of his music. He’s being held without bail at the county jail. The D-A is reviewing how he was released from jail on a separate attempted rape charge in late December.
News
Local Lawmakers Mourn Passing of Spring Valley Civil Rights Leader
Local lawmakers are mourning the passing of a civil rights leader from Spring Valley. In a statement last night, Legislators Harriet Cornell and Toney Earl spoke highly of Dr. Stella Marrs, who served as project director for the anti-poverty Rockland Community Action Council in the early 1980s and led the Martin Luther King Multipurpose Center in Spring Valley for 20 years. She was honored along with four others earlier this week in Spring Valley for Black History Month. She was inducted into the Rockland County Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2003, and the street outside the MLK Multipurpose Center bears her name. Cornell called her a dear friend, and Earl, who was honored along with her just this week, said it was as if he’d lost a member of the family. She retired in 2006 and relocated to South Carolina.
Plastic Bag Ban Becomes Official in NYS March First
Plastic bags will be a thing of the past starting Sunday at New York supermarkets and other retailers. Some may impose a 5-cent fee on paper bags, but that’s their decision. Howard Phillips runs the Solid Waste Management Authority here in Rockland but isn’t the biggest fan of the new state recycling law that bans the plastic bags….
That notwithstanding, many people will opt for re-usable bags when they food shop. Jawonio’s Chief Development Officer, Diana Hess, says you can buy Community Bags during the month of March at Stop & Shop in New City to help not only the environment, but Jawonio as well…
The state’s Plastic Bag Task Force estimates New Yorkers use 23 billion plastic bags every year which often end up in waterways or tangled in tree, threatening wildlife. The DEC could fine violators of the new law up to $500.
For more information about the new law, click here.
Spring Valley Rabbi Shows up to Testify in East Ramapo Voting Case
The Orthodox Jewish Rabbi from Spring Valley who had failed to show up earlier in the week to testify in the East Ramapo school board federal voting rights case made it to court yesterday for the last full day of testimony. The Journal News says Rabbi Yehuda Oshry apologized before taking the stand, then admitted he worked behind the scenes collecting signatures in several campaigns for Orthodox Jewish board candidates. School District superintendent, Dr. Deborah Wortham, testified about some of the successes the district has had in recent years, though the plaintiff’s attorney noted the district was being monitored by the state. The Spring Valley chapter of the NAACP, with the Civil Liberties Union, is suing the East Ramapo Central School District over its at-large method for electing school board members, claiming it doesn’t fairly represent the community.
13th Annual Penguin Plunge for Kids with High Medical Bills Hits Nyack Sunday
The 13th annual Penguin Plunge to benefit local kids with outrageously high medical bills is being held Sunday in Nyack. Barbara Noyes helps run the event, and says two little girls will be the beneficiaries of this year’s 13th annual Penguin Plunge…
Last year’s plunge raised $50,000. Overall they’ve raised $440,000 and Noyes is hoping to crack half a-million with this year’s plunge. It’s noon-2pm at Nyack Memorial Park Sunday. For more information visit PenguinPlungeNY.com.