The little Saltbox House down in Torne Valley has helped do a few mighty deeds. One in particular has taken place this spring when the Ford Motor Co. came to Torne Valley to do paint sludge cleanup.

The various Rockland County Executives candidates kicked the issue around at a recent Rockland Water Coalition debate.

And Rockland residents splash, bathe, drink, and waste the clear elixir of life most every day. With weather patterns turning this bit of east coast geography into a sort of new Portland (rain and then more rain), how Rockland gets its future water is an important issue.

United Water has bet the farm on its solution, a proposed massive desalination project slated for the Hudson River’s Haverstraw Bay. But the issue is a sticky, tricky topic, and sentiment ranges from outright opposition, to more study please, to it’s a done deal. Continue Reading

Guest Editorial by Phil Tisi

School Districts Cut Into Reserves

While the state’s property tax cap is causing many school districts in New York State to exhaust their fund balances, an obscure, eleventh hour law passed by the Paterson Administration threatens to dismantle their educational programs.

“No one in, no one out,” said a Ramapo police officer standing guard at one of the two back entrances to the Town of Ramapo offices Wednesday afternoon, reported Rockland Newsday reporter Sarah Armaghan.

Get ready for a village wide rummage sale this Saturday. The Sloatsburg Scholarship Fund has put together a “town wide” garage sale that will involve some 30 and counting area families throughout Sloatsburg this Saturday, May 18. Each garage sale participant will be included in a special event directory that will be available the day of the event at Hayward’s Deli and Sterlington Station. Continue Reading

Something strange, something new, something borrowed, something blue.

The race for the next leader of Rockland County went all red, white and blue this past week when Ed Day was given the official nod to represent the GOP team in the upcoming Rockland County Executive election at the Rockland County Republican Committee’s convention. Day, currently a county legislator representing District 5 from his home turf of New City, is the lone Republican in the race and ran unopposed for the GOP nomination. Continue Reading

Rain or shine there is something going on somewhere around the village this weekend. From a Tuxedo art show and afternoon tea, to flowers aplenty, the Farmers’ Market, and Mother’s Day Sunday dinner. Continue Reading

There’s something about laid-back Sterlington Station in Sloatsburg that seems to attract action.

Thursday afternoon, three men crashed a car on the NY Thruway and then made their way to Sterlington Station, looking for directions. It was their good fortune to be helped by Tim McAleese, who can be found most days working the deli counter and register — as McAleese just casually goes about his business and tries to help anyone who walks through the door. Continue Reading

Note: After additional research on this topic, it appears that the perceived imbalance of Town of Ramapo Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals membership is root in jurisdictional authority. The boards only have jurisdiction in those parts of Ramapo not in villages (in which case, village planning and zoning takes precedence over the town). The makeup of the boards was set by former Supervisor Herb Reisman.

Keeping with its tradition of splashy articles that detail the inner workings of the Town of Ramapo, the friendly outliers at Preserve Ramapo recently published a scathing overview of the composition of several important town boards.

Last week Sloatsburg residents and businesses were checking power chords and wall outlets as the village experienced a sudden afternoon power surge.

And then just as businesses were booting back up, the Sloatsburg Volunteer Fire Department responded to multiple brush fires — several along the NY Thruway and one along Seven Lakes Drive. Continue Reading