As concerned residents and environmentalists gathered on Sunday afternoon at the Four Corners Pond in Sterling Forest Park in demonstration over waterway contamination, the Town of Tuxedo disputed the source of the recent fish die-off.

Department of Environmental Conservation spokeswoman Wendy Rosenbach was quoted by Time-Herald Record reporter John Sullivan as saying that the DEC “water quality experts who visited the Tuxedo pond on March 13 determined the cause of the die-off to be a depletion of oxygen in the water. The department is looking into the mulch pile as a potential catalyst for the problem but has yet to make a determination, she said.” Continue Reading

Tuxedo Reserve, the massive development planned by Tuxedo Reserve Owner LLC, recently won its case against the Tuxedo Land Trust, a non-profit group that organized against the development. When built, Tuxedo Reserve will straddle both Tuxedo and Sloatsburg Continue Reading

Rockland County carries a mighty debt load, to the tune of nearly $80 million, most of it directly related to Summit Park Hospital/Summit Park Nursing Care Center.

Bear in mind, the county’s primary source of revenue is property taxes. With a population base of approximately 312,000 people, not all homeowners, well, do the math. That’s a lot of debt.

At $1,342, Rockland County has the second highest debt per capita of the 62 New York counties, trailing only Nassau County. Rockland ranks 11th among counties in expenditures per capita at $2,285. The long and short is the books don’t balance. At the end of 2011, the NY State Comproller issued an audit concerning the county’s financial practices. Continue Reading

When the Millenium pipeline project cut through Harriman State Park a few years back, the swath of scarred landscape was wide and staggered along slopes for miles.

In an August 2011 NY/NJ Trails Council Meeting, the Millenium mediation in Harriman was reported as “satisfactory.” And that kind of glowing report for industry follow-through was given on a gas pipeline expansion nearly 10 years in the making, with buy-in at all levels. Continue Reading

Interesting. Crows mimic the low-throated grawk of a raven. Recently, running up the front side of Torne Mountain, I came across two crows chasing a bigger black bird that passed low overhead, grawking in irritation.

First thought: why, that’s got to be a raven. What’s it doing in these parts? Now, an answer. Sure enough, ravens are roosting in Rockland County. More than once there has been the stray flying crow doing that loud grawk. So, those crows were perhaps ravens. The smartest black bird. Corvus corax. Trickster. Creator. Mythological creature. First animal released from the ark. Quarrelsome devoted family bird. Continue Reading

NYaltnews reports on the State Comptroller’s report that says Ramapo could leave taxpayers with an increased burden because of the Town’s financing of the $60 million stadium to showcase the Rockland Boulders semi-pro team. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said that Ramapo ignored warnings that the project might not be fiscally advisable and has put town finances at risk. Continue Reading

This past January 10, 2012, Village of Tuxedo Park Mayor Thomas Wilson officially announced his candidacy for Congress in the 19th district of New York. The mayor recently sat down with TPFY, a website that focuses on issues related to Tuxedo Park and the Town of Tuxedo, to chat about his upcoming campaign against Nan Hayworth. Continue Reading

The East Ramapo School District continues to face a budget crisis, with fewer tax dollars and resources at its disposal. Last year, the district endured a drawn-out budget process that voters eventually rejected. That $200.5 million budget included an 8.8 percent property tax increase and raised spending by 2.31 percent. Continue Reading

Many people have experienced the exorbitant cost of healthcare, where an overnight stay for care can run upwards of the thousand dollar range and aspirins cost as much as a high-priced New York cocktail. Non-profit hospitals are run like Fortune 500 companies, where the insurance industry dictates coverage and profits can take priority over patient care. Should healthcare in any form be a profit center? That is the crux of the healthcare cost quandary. Continue Reading

Budget depleted Hi-Tor Animal Care Center in Pomona, NY is hanging in there with the help of recent community fundraising. Rockland County’s only animal shelter, Hi-Tor cares for nearly 2,500 animals a year, which can be an expensive operation. A fundraiser at PetSmart in Nanuet raised $1,500 for the struggling center. Continue Reading