News of the armed deli heist at Sterlington Station made its way through Sloatsburg yesterday faster than Twitter can break a story. When Sloatsburg Elementary School briefly locked down while police searched the surrounding neighborhood for the robbery suspect, news of the incident spread through social networks and the proverbial grapevine. Soon the village was abuzz about the crazy caper pulled off in broad daylight and certain to bring down the hard hand of the law.

It was later reported that 24 year old Sloatsburg resident Jeremy Olano was being held Monday night at Ramapo police headquarters, waiting arraignment in Sloatsburg Village Court for the reported holdup. He is being charged with second-degree robbery, a felony.

Hudson Valley News 12 swooped in for the story yesterday as it was breaking, with intrepid gumshoe reporter Ty Milburn reporting at the crime scene.

“Police were inside and outside of Sterlington Station in Sloatsburg on Monday afternoon after the deli and restaurant on Seven Lakes Drive was robbed at gunpoint,” Milburn exclaimed. “The suspect stormed into the deli wearing a mask and carrying what later turned out to be a fake gun, and then escaped by bicycle up Allen Lane.”

Ramapo police officers converged on Sterlington Station, joined by the Rockland County Sheriff Department, and just after 2 p.m. ordered a lockdown of Sloatsburg Elementary School. Officers then fanned out through the neighborhood in what turned out to be a brief manhunt for the suspect. Lohud reported that Ramapo Detective Sgt. Brian Corbett said that officers from three additional police departments were called in to assist with the search and that the school lockdown was a precaution because of its proximity to the reported armed robbery.

New York State Park Police and the Tuxedo Police Department joined the sheriff’s department and Ramapo police.

Olano was found at his apartment on Apple Street, a secluded narrow slice of road that runs parallel to Allen and just a brief village block from Sterlington. Witnesses described the robbery suspect as wearing a black hoodie and red striped pants. The deli robber reportedly pulled a gun that turned out to be fake, but New York law recognizes the use or threat of use of a weapon or simulated weapon in a crime as a felony. Olano is a Cablevision employee in Orange County. Cablevision is the parent company of News 12.

The amount jacked from Sterlington Station was reported as anywhere from $500 to as much as $3500.

Delores Manning, longtime former owner of the deli and restaurant when it was known as Miele’s, happened to be at Sterlington around the time of the heist.

“I’ve been sitting here for an hour and a half today, then I left and then it happened,” Manning said when interviewed by Milburn. “All those years we’ve been in here, we never had this problem, never.”

Source: Lohud and News 12.

The hard work and organization of the Sloatsburg Scholarship Fund and village officials paid dividends this past Monday when Sloatsburg made a strong showing at the Evening of Excellence awards dinner, held at the William L. Ransom auditorium at Suffern High School. Led by Mayor Carl Wright, Sloatsburg awarded five scholarships to Sloatsburg students during the evening’s ceremonies. Continue Reading

Saturday should be a busy day in Sloatsburg, with the Car Show coming to the village and Auntie El’s celebrating 30 years in business. But bargain shoppers should look north, as Tuxedo will feature a couple of church yard sales during the afternoon.

From 9:00 a.m. – 2 p.m. today, June 9, at the Tuxedo Train Station, St. Mary’s in Tuxedo hosts a yard sale to benefit its outreach ministries. Simultaneously, Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Rt. 17 across the street opens opens its doors to the curious for a church garage sale. So, if you’re in the busy of bargain hunting, go have a look.

Source: Photo from Muscogeemoms.

Sloatsburg awoke to blue skies Friday morning. And here’s to hoping it holds as today Sloatsburg Elementary School celebrates Olympic Day, that annual spring student rite of passage. Yesterday’s late afternoon rains crowned Sloatsburg in a double rainbow. Today, students at the elementary school will don multi-colored shirts and compete in an assortment of fun activities.

Sponsored by the Ramapo Valley Rotary, and with the support of various Sloatsburg businesses such as Hayward’s Deli, Olympic Day features a series of student competition, from foot races and a long jump to basketball shoot, fiercely fought soccer matches, and the infamous pizza box race, where students team up and race while seeing how many pizza boxes they can pick up and carry along the way. Different classes represent an assortment of countries from around the world and wear colorful t-shirts that reflect their country. At the end of competition, an overall champion is crowned.

Many parents, village officials and community leaders participate in Olympic Day by volunteering time and services. The morning and afternoon event culminates in a parent/student picnic lunch.

With cigarette in hand and distinctive Fu Manchu moustache and matching faint widows, Paul Paulson comes across as a throwback to another time. His orange Pontiac GT, lovingly restored to 1970s fighting trim, clinches the deal. Paulson is a sort of custom classic car cowboy who likes to fix things. Continue Reading

Suffern High School musicians performed their last concert of the school year Wednesday night, June 6, with a special celebration for retiring Music Department chair and band teacher John Wagner. Wagner has been at Suffern 32 years, 13 of them as department chair, and has helped to develop the school’s music program into a high-level, multi-discipline musical education juggernaut. Continue Reading

For many locals, it’s one of the last spots passed on the way out of the Sloatsburg. With season-changing rows of tabled green herbs and garden goods, it’s also a welcome site upon returning to the village. Auntie El’s Farm Market stands as a friendly roadside attraction just outside Sloatsburg on Rt. 17. Open early, and seven days a week, people can make a last-minute garden supply run or get that key cup of morning coffee with muffin. Auntie El’s seems to have just about everything. Continue Reading

It’s been a very good year for Suffern High School. As the school year winds down, students are not only preparing for the Regents Exams but Prom — as well as participating in those final year-end projects. But this long school year has produced many notable successes, if not much winter weather. Continue Reading

The Suffern High School USO and PTA will host its first annual community blood drive for the New York Blood Center on Wednesday, June 6 from 2pm-8pm at Suffern High School, 49 Viola Road, Suffern. No appointment is needed; participants may give blood or platelets.

Local residents ages 16 and older are encouraged to participate. New York State requires 16-year-old donors to provide a signed permission slip; all SHS students are required to have school permission slip regardless of age. Click here for the permission slip.

All donors are advised to bring a photo or signature I.D and should arrive well-hydrated with a full stomach. For information on who may give blood, visit the New York Blood Center‘s eligibility page.

Source: Ramapo Central Schools.

Under a bright blue Thursday afternoon sky, BOCES students finished their last trip to the Saltbox House along Torne Valley Road in Hillburn, where they’ve been coming like clockwork all year to lend a helping hand. Continue Reading