Joseph P. Sorice died this past Saturday, September 15, 2012 at age 86. Sorice was known near and far for his work at Sorice Landscaping, a company he built into a very successful landscaping business in Sloatsburg. Sorice literally helped build the village. Sorice trucks can be seen working most days in neighborhoods throughout the area, trimming trees and lawns, and building beautifully executed rock retaining walls. The company is now run by his son. Continue Reading

A big civic conflict in small communities is often the issue of growth — how it happens and where and when. There are those who are pro business, or take to heart the mantra ‘build it and they will come’. Then there are people who advocate converting what is to what could be, such as redeveloping an historical village center. Some residents are Nimbys. Continue Reading

The Twin Towers collapsed onto the streets of Lower Manhattan 11 years ago today, taking with them friends and family and a certain era in the continuing American story. On the local level, the event in New York City had very real consequences and each anniversary offers an occasion to look back and remember. Continue Reading

Go ahead, it’s already September and you need to head over to the Tuxedo Farmers’ Market this Saturday. There’s fresh produce and baked goods for Labor Day dinner, and a generally fun experience waiting. With the market season heading into the autumn homestretch, the Farmers’ Market is drawing people from throughout Orange and Rockland Counties who want to shop for locally made products. Continue Reading

Now that school is out for the summer, Annmarie McAnany, children’s librarian at Sloatsburg Public Library, kicks it up a gear as the summer reading season starts. For more than a few years now McAnany has been a literacy pied piper, building up the Sloatsburg Library’s annual summer reading program into a well-attended, active community outreach initiative that draws in elementary age students from across the village. Continue Reading

Gone is the close quartered chaos of the old Jessie’s Bagels, where weekend mornings the double doors would swing open and close with customers coming and going. After 20 years in the same spot, owner Tony Grippo decided it was the right time to expand the shop, try something new and move. Next door. Less than two weeks ago, Jessie’s Bagels made their long anticipated move across the parking lot to the abandoned building that used to house Pacific Pool & Spa. Continue Reading

The library gods must have been pleased when the Tuxedo Park Library appointed Diane Loomis as its new director. Whenever found behind the checkout desk, Loomis nearly always has a smile or encouraging word for patrons. As former head of Tuxedo Park adult programs and reference, as well as library webmaster, Loomis brings a quiet veteran competency and enthusiasm to the job that should serve her well as library leader. She replaces former director Claudia Depkin, who has filled that same position at Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library. Continue Reading

The sentencing for Ann Milliaressis, the lunch lady who pleaded guilty in March to skimming thousands of dollars from Sloatsburg residents, will be postponed according to this report. Continue Reading

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

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