TIMELINES 5/18/17

ROCKLAND COUNTY:

Health Department Continues Mosquito Breeding Prevention
The Health Department in New City has begun to prevent the population growth of mosquitoes by treating catch basins and storm drains. This treatment will continue until the end of the month. Residents should avoid blocking storm drains with their cars to allow easier access. County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert revealed that the West Nile virus is present within mosquitoes in Rockland, resulting in affected persons within the county. The Zika virus has not been found within these mosquitoes. The Health Department can be reached at 845-364-3173 or by visiting http://bit.ly/2aXY0E4.

Nonprofit Film Documents School Desegregation
“Two Schools in Hillburn” is a documentary that details the struggle to integrate the schools, Main School for white students and the Brook School for black students located in Rockland County in 1943. The documentary was created by Joe Allen after support from Wylene Wood and her husband, Rockland Community College President Cliff Wood. The film was created in 16 months by Allen and his Hudson Cove Group. It was a nonprofit project that was funded by grassroots donors. The documentary will be shown on May 20 at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. located at RCC’s Cultural Arts Center. Viewers can sign up here: www.twoschools.bpt.me with no charge for tickets.

Tree Company Fined Over Death of a Worker on the Job
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the Northern Tree Service company due to the death of a worker from a fallen tree limb. The 30-year-old worker, Oscar Salazar, was working at the Peach Hill Townhouse Community in Ramsey where he was injured and died later that day on October 13. The OSHA issued two violations, not having sufficient rope to properly tie up the limbs and not having proper head protection, adding up to $25,350 in fines.

Father Faced Charges After Son Consumed Marijuana Candy
After eating marijuana candy, a 10-year-old boy was taken to the hospital and his father was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The 37-year-old father Ephraim Zagelbaum of Spring Valley, left his son alone in the car with the candy consisting of 10 pieces of “pink lemonade belts” that contained medical marijuana. The son was released after treatment.

Real Estate Company Hired to Market Letchworth Properties
The real estate company, Cushman & Wakefield, has been hired by Haverstraw town officials to market the Letchworth Village properties, consisting of 173 acres. Brian Whitmer, part of the real estate company, is heading a team with the company’s Metropolitan Area Capital Markets Group based in East Rutherford, N.J. An asking price has not been set for the Letchworth property. For more than 15 years, effort has been spent on selling this property.

Voters Support Rockland County’s School Budgets
Voters in Rockland County have showed overwhelming support for school board budgets. For Clarkstown, the $206 million school board budget was approved. Mahopac’s $120 million budget was approved, along with the purchase of new buses. Nanuet voters supported the $71.9 million budget with 512 in favor as opposed to 154 against. North Rockland’s budget of $216.6 was approved and Nyack’s budget of $83 million was supported. South Orangetown voters approved the $88.9 million budget while Ramapo Central’s $137.3 million school budget was approved. A $65.8 million budget and a proposition to borrow $29 million for district-wide renovations was approved by voters in Pearl River. In opposition to the majority of approvals, East Ramapo’s $232.6 million proposed budget was defeated with opposing votes of 9,986 to 1,441.

WESTCHESTER COUNTY:

State Senator Latimer Won Democratic Nomination For Executive Race
New York State Senator George Latimer secured the democratic party’s nomination in Westchester County Executive Race. Latimer won the vote 71 percent to 28 percent. In the November general election, Latimer will be running against Republican Rob Astorino. Latimer’s focus is on unity within the community and the needs of the families in the county.

NEW YORK STATE:

New York State Assembly Passed E-Cigarette Ban in Smoke-Free Areas
The New York State Assembly has passed legislation that would prohibit the use of e-cigarettes in areas where smoking is prohibited. The bill will be enforced if it is passed by the State Senate and signed by Governor Cuomo. Director of New York Government Relations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Julie Hart explained how this law will limit secondhand exposure to nicotine and other harmful products found in e-cigarettes.

NATIONAL:

Political Unrest in Venezuela Increases
After worsening of the crisis in Venezuela, the United States convened the first-ever United Nations Security Council consultations on Venezuela. Venezuelan Ambassador Rafael Ramirez did not want to bring his country’s political unrest to the U.N. and accused the U.S. of intervening in domestic affairs. On April 28, Venezuela notified the Organization of American States that it intended to quit the regional group. After the announcement that the Supreme Court would be assuming the power of the National Assembly, which is controlled by the opposition, citizens distrust grew. The announcement was changed, but the opposition remains uneasy.

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