TIMELINES 11/1/18

Radio Host Pleads Not Guilty

Former sports radio host, Craig Carton, plead not guilty to charges claiming he swindled investors in an entertainment ticket reselling business. Carton, of New Rochelle, was the longtime co-host of WFAN’s “Boomer and Carton” with NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason. The Assistant U.S. Attorney on the case claimed during his opening statement that Carton used the money for gambling and personal expenses.

Local Resident Reaches Top Horse Race

Rockland resident Ara Aprahamian grew up in West Nyack where he remembers seeing horses trot from their stables on Bardonia Road or Strawtown Road. Those childhood experiences sparked his passion for watching horses. He has, “more than six, but less than a dozen” horses. Aprahamian now is heading to Churchill Downs for the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup race. Once of his horses, Uncle Benny, is boarded at Belmont Park and will be competing this upcoming weekend. Uncle Benny has won both races he competed in, one in August at Monmouth Park, and a second in early October at Belmont Park. Aprahamian relies on his trainer and assistant trainer to get Uncle Benny ready. Even before Uncle Benny qualified, he planned to attend the breeder’s cup. But, the father of two has a travel softball game the same weekend for one of his daughters. Aprahamian will head to Tennessee from Kentucky to make both events in the same weekend.

Measles Count Keeps Increasing in Rockland

The measles count continues to rise in Rockland as the county works to vaccinate potential victims. There are 33 confirmed cases, with five more under investigation. Since the outbreak, more than 2,000 people have received the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella). Most of the exposure was in Monsey and New Square, but there was accidental exposure in Nanuet, New City and Montvale, New Jersey. It’s recommended residents receive two doses of the vaccine while children under four only need one.

Montebello Mansion Up For Sale

The Montebello mansion is now on the market, enabling someone to own a rich piece of Rockland history. The 44-room mansion is listed at $12 million and was built in 1901 as the summer home for financier Thomas Fortune Ryan and his wife Ida Barry Ryan. At the start of their summers, the Ryans would take a private railroad car up to the area and named their property Montebello, the Italian word for “beautiful mountains.” Since the wife’s death in 1917, the Archdiocese of New York, Phelps Dodge Corp., and Gary Goldberg have owned the property. Goldberg has sold off a lot of the surrounding land but restored the mansion. In 2005, the mansion became a “locally designated landmark.”

Clarkstown to Remember Local NYFD Lives Lost to 9/11 Illnesses

A Clarkstown street will now have an additional name in honor of a West Nyack firefighter who died from 9/11-related cancer. Garrecht Place will not be renamed but will also be named after Joseph “Toolie” O’Toole, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 61. This comes after an unnamed street was called, “Joe Stach Way” after another Clarkstown resident who succumbed to a 9/11-related illness. Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann said there’s probably about two dozen in Rockland who have succumbed to these types of illnesses and a plaque with the names of firefighters who died as a result of the Sept. 11 2001 attacks will be installed at Town Hall.

Controversial Banner Hangs in Nyack Until Elections

A banner quoting Abraham Lincoln is once again hanging in downtown Nyack. As of last week, the banner, hung by local activist Joe Hazucha and a team of high school students, reads, “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. Abraham Lincoln.” A few months ago Hazucha first displayed the banner but was ordered to remove it until he acquired the right permit. Hazucha, an Army veteran and lifelong Democrat, felt the village was questioning his first amendment rights. The village however claims permits for banners in the downtown area are granted based on banner sizing and location, not content. Hazucha’s lawyer, Dennis Lynch, informed the village the banner will remain hanging until Election Day on Tuesday.

Trump to Send Troops to Border

President Donald Trump is sending more than 5,200 troops to the U.S.-Mexican border as the caravan of refugees from South and Central America make their way toward the United States. This caravan contains thousands of migrants fleeing violence, and includes women and children. Trump is running Operation Faithful Patriot to focus on Texas, Arizona and California, where troops will be waiting when the migrants arrive. He also told news outlets he will build “tent cities” to house migrants while they wait to go through the legal asylum process. The caravan is still about 1,000 miles away from the border, but Trump is preparing to deploy weapons, helicopters, airplanes, barriers and miles of razor wire to help border patrol agents.

  current events, local news, news, news blurbs, rockland news, timelines