TIMELINES 7/19/18

Woman killed in New City accident

(MidHudson News)

NEW CITY – A 21-year-old woman, who was a passenger in a car driven by a Monroe man in New City, was killed when the Jeep Wrangler they were in ran off Mark Lane and struck an unoccupied dump truck. She was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. 

Clarkstown Police have released the identity of the woman killed when the car in which she was a passenger ran off Mark Lane in New City and rammed into the back of an unoccupied dump truck. The victim was Kaylyn Wynne, 21, of Monroe, who was ejected from the Jeep Wrangler in which she was riding on Sunday. The driver, a 22-year-old Monroe man, was issued a summons for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

The accident investigation is continuing.

Town to Open New Playground at Kings Park in Congers

New City, NY – Supervisor George Hoehmann and Superintendent of Recreation Elaine Apfelbaum announced the new playground at Kings Park will open tomorrow, July 19th, at 10:30 am.  The park is located on the corner of Parkside Drive and Kings Highway in Congers.  

The former playground equipment was over 20 years old and was replaced with two play areas, one for children ages 2-5, and another for ages 5-12. The Town also installed new safety surface around the entire playground area and added adult exercise equipment.  

Residents and media are welcome to join Supervisor Hoehmann, the Town Board, and the Parks Board and Recreation Commission at the ribbon cutting and official opening. 

State Passes Law for Drug “Take-Back” Program

A new state-wide law to collect unused prescriptions models after Rockland’s own “take-back” program. The goal of this program is to prevent young people from abusing unused drugs which fuels the opioid crisis. This state law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo supersedes the county law which was unanimously passed last year. It will provide a statewide program for collecting and disposing of unused medications and requires pharmaceutical companies to cover the cost of collecting at pharmacies and other facilities. They will also be responsible for disposal and destruction efforts. Pharmacies with at least 10 locations, including CVS, Walgreen’s and Rite Aid, will be required to accept unused medications while mail-order pharmacies will be required to provide pre-paid envelopes to customers to return unused drugs. The goal of this program is to prevent drug abuse and protect the environment by offering alternatives to flushing drugs down the toilet. 

Interactive Fantasy Park Might Replace Tuxedo Farms Housing Development 

An interactive fantasy adventure park might find its home in Tuxedo after a representative spoke with town officials about purchasing and converting the Tuxedo Farms housing development lot into the park. DraggonsGate Entertainment Ltd., is a publically registered company in New York that has Tuxedo on its short list of locations for a virtual reality based fantasy park. It would provide financial support and jobs to the Tuxedo area. The proposal is in early stages, but would be an interactive adventure with hundreds of costumed characters, Hollywood movie sets, and utilize virtual reality. By the end of 2017 none of the 731 approved lots for homes were sold on the property, making the Tuxedo Farms housing development more of an idea that a reality for some. The town’s chamber of commerce president is looking for something to bring the community together and give back to it. 

Polls Aren’t Showing Progressive Turnout 

A Quinnipiac Poll surveying registered voters showed a reflection of who is likely to vote in September during the Democratic primary race for governor. Cynthia Nixon’s spokeswoman Lauren Hitt explained in a statement that the polls aren’t registering the Democrats who have been turning out to the polls. She believes voter turnout has been more progressive than polls claim as proved by Alexandria Ocascio-Cortez’s win over Joe Crowley, who lost by 15 points. The poll also showed Governor Andrew Cuomo’s job approval and favorability are below 50 percent and reflected that 40 percent of registered Democrats did not know enough about her and her position to form an opinion.  

State Ramps up Election Cybersecurity after Russia Indictment in 2016 Election 

On July 17, Governor Cuomo’s administration released a new state initiative to strengthen the state’s cybersecurity as election season approaches. The efforts will help County Board of Elections increase cybersecurity in the face of foreign threats after the indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers accused of hacking during the 2016 Presidential election. Cuomo secured $5 million in the 2019 budget to expand security infrastructure including cyber security risk assessments, enhanced intrusion detection devices and managed security services. “The integrity of our Elections system is our number one priority,” according to Co-Executive Director of the State Board of Elections Robert A. Brehm. “The State Board has and will continue to diligently work and collaborate with our federal, state and county partners to strengthen and protect our elections infrastructure from any interference.”

New York Sues over SALT Cap

New York is one of three states that filed a lawsuit against the federal government on July 17 over a provision in last year’s tax overhaul limiting state and local tax deductions to $10,000. New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood is leading the lawsuit, joined by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey. They claim it disproportionately harms taxpayers and cites public statements claiming the deductions cap, known as SALT, from Trump’s administration that it would target Democratic states. 

Australia Permanent Resident Numbers to hit 10-year Low 

Australia is seeing its lowest permanent migrant numbers in almost a decade as the government scrutinizes applications. The current annual trajectory for 2017—18 intake is expected to drop to between 160,000 and 170,000, significantly lower than the official target of 190,000. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton confirmed this year’s numbers are expected to be lower after they “tightened the screws” in 2015. This rule change allows the numbers to be lower, without a formal cut to the 190,000 cap. According to Dutton the program is skewed two-thirds toward skilled applicants, and one-third are family, usually in a spousal situation. 

FCC Admits Broken Comment Process 

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai claims the agency will take steps to improve security of their public comment system after being criticized for ignoring fraud and abuse. A majority of the 22 million Americans who voiced their thoughts on the Net Neutrality repeal were against the decision. None of the comments were cited in the FCC’s 218 page justification for their decision. The continuous fraud found among the comments led to an ongoing investigation by New York’s Attorney General. The agency is also facing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit as many identities were stolen and used to file fake comments. 

Kiryas Joel will still exist when Palm Tree is created

(MidHudson News)

KIRYAS JOEL – When the Town of Palm Tree becomes a reality on January 1, 2019, the Village of Kiryas Joel will still exist. The new town will be comprised of the land in the village and a portion of the Town of Monroe, but the village will remain as a separate government entity.

Both the town and village will be operating separately and independently as they have separate borders, said Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin.

“If the boundaries of the town and village will one day be adjusted to be coterminous via annexation, then the voters may vote to eliminate one government and have it consolidated and the voters will decide at that referendum which government is to stay and which is eliminated,” he said.

Szegedin will also serve as town clerk of Palm Tree in January as he is the sole candidate on this November’s ballot for that post. Village Mayor Abraham Wieder will also serve in a dual role as he is the only candidate on the ballot in November for town supervisor.

  nation, news, news blurbs, Rockland, timelines