TIMELINES 1/12/17

Peekskill Police Officer Runs over Two Teens; Ramapo Police Accused of Cover up

On September 7, 2016 a Peekskill Police officer ran over two yeshiva students on Route 22. The officer, Jonathan Mosquera, 24 years old of Suffern, was late for his night shift with the Peekskill Police Department and was allegedly speeding, trying to pass another car on the left when his vehicle struck the two victims; 19-year-old David Maldonado survived while 17-year-old Marcos Twail was killed. The Ramapo Police Department protected the criminal charges filed by the surviving student.

The Ramapo Police crash investigation determined that Mosquera had no criminal intent. The police issued the officer summonses accusing him of speeding, making an unsafe lane change and improper passing. Police Chief Brad Weidel said the Rockland district attorney agreed with the determination.

“While this accusation is without merit, any assertion of impropriety concerning our department is taken very seriously,” Weidel said. “Our investigative findings in this case are based on evidence, including numerous interviews. Although some may disagree with our findings given the emotions this tragedy has engendered, I stand by them firmly.”

Maldonado suffered a broken left ankle, a fractured skull, lacerated spleen and an injured right knee and back. He will need ankle and knee surgery.

Maldonado’s legal notice claims that Mosquera was driving recklessly and that Ramapo Police investigators acted negligently in collecting evidence and failing to interview all witnesses. The claim suggests that this was an effort to protect Mosquera and the Peekskill Police Department. Twail’s family has yet to file any legal actions.

South Nyack Residents Still Questioning New TZ Bus Route

The New York State Department of Transportation created a new project that will feature a new bus lines, linking Rockland and Westchester counties across the new Tappan Zee Bridge. The new buses are double-deckers with new technology to keep everything running smoothly. The project will start up in 2018.

The Department of Transportation said the system will include ramp meters at highway on-ramps to make traffic flow better onto I-287, transit signal priority which will keep the lights green as buses approach and additional bus lanes.

Commuters remain confused on what else this new service had to offer. In South Nyack, for example, residents and officials are upset with the placement of potential bus stops at the Franklin Street and Clinton Avenue intersection. South Nyack Village Mayor Bonnie Christian requested that the Department of Transportation move the bus stops elsewhere.

“We’re trying to keep our village intact and keep characteristics and integrity of our village and we know we need to protect these changes,” said Mayor Christian.

“Suddenly, our neighborhood is a tourist attraction,” said South Nyack resident Jessica Hans-Smolin. “We don’t love it.”

Professor from West-Nyack Heads Science Organization

West-Nyack resident and Lamont-Doherty professor, Robin Bell will take over the role of president for the American Geophysical Union, which is a non-profit scientific organization made up of 60,000 geoscientists across 139 countries. Bell plans to inspire people to become geoscientists themselves.

“It’s a pretty big job and I’m excited,” Bell said. “It’ll be a chance to reach out to the community and get them more involved with their communities and science. And, it’ll be a chance to get people to learn how scientific revolutions happen and figure out how to foster the next one.”

Bell has spent the last 30 years studying Antarctica and Greenland to determine what Earth’s changing climate could mean for sea levels and ice sheets. She has explored these places first-hand as well as other polar ice regions and the Gamburtsev Mountains.

Bell has been a role model for women who want to go into the science field. She was not only one of the first female professors at Lamont-Doherty, she was the first woman to chair the National Academy of Sciences Polar Research Board and the first person since 1930 to lead a project to map the Hudson River from Staten Island to Albany.

Bell is married with two children, Justin and Beryl who are older now. She said it was tough having a family and doing all the traveling and research but her family supported her whole-heartedly.

“The world of science has gotten more diverse since I started…Science wasn’t originally very family-friendly and I think it was hard for women to work and raise families,” Bell said. “At Lamont, it’s definitely gotten a lot easier for women studying on campus.”

Streep’s Golden Globes Speech Causes Stir

Meryl Streep won the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes on Sunday and during her acceptance speech bashed many things such as the NFL and MMA but mostly, Donald Trump. While Streep thought she was preaching to the liberal Hollywood choir, some celebrities were did not appreciate the fact that she brought politics into her speech.

Country star Travis Tritt in a tweet said, “Advice to all actors, musicians and entertainers: Please stick to your crafts that we all love you for and drop the political rhetoric. If you have fans who respect your talent enough to spend hard earned money to see your talent, be thankful and gracious and leave it at that.”

Piers Morgan added on to that tweet saying he hasn’t “heard such elitist snobbery since Hilary Clinton branded Trump supporters ‘a basket of deplorables.’” He also called her hypocritical.

Entrepreneur, web cam model and former adult film star, Jenna Jameson took to twitter as well simply tweeting “Please someone mute Meryl Streep.”

FBI Denies Request to Access DNC Servers

James Comey, FBI director, said Tuesday that his agency failed to gain access to Democratic National Committee servers and Hilary Clinton’s campaign chairman’s smartphone, which was allegedly hacked by Russia in order to help Trump win the election.

Chairman John Podesta’s device was stolen and thousands of his emails were made public during the presidential race. The requests for the FBI to gain access to the device were denied for reasons that Comey still is unsure of. Comey said the agency must rely on the findings of “highly respected private companies.”

“Our forensics folks would always prefer to get access to the original device or server involved,” he said in a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about Russia’s actions during the election.

A report that was released stated that Russia and their president; Vladimir Putin were involved in the election but did not tamper the votes.