Thirty six AmeriCorps Environmental interns gathered in Rockland County this past week as part of training and placement for a six week environmental program throughout Rockland County. The students will fan out across the county to various agencies, such as town and village highway departments, the Rockland County Drainage Agency, and the Rockland County Solid Waste Management Authority, where they will engage in environmental projects as part of their Americorp training. Continue Reading

Daniel O’Leary has started his Eagle Scout project, which involves blazing roads throughout Sloatsburg to mark fire hydrant locations. The yellow street tags are exceptionally helpful to fire department personnel by indicating with a bright yellow street design just where the village’s 100 hydrants are located. When the yellow blazes appear on a street near you, know that they’re being hand painted as a community project by a local Boy Scout who’s about to get his wings.

Now that school is out for the summer, Annmarie McAnany, children’s librarian at Sloatsburg Public Library, kicks it up a gear as the summer reading season starts. For more than a few years now McAnany has been a literacy pied piper, building up the Sloatsburg Library’s annual summer reading program into a well-attended, active community outreach initiative that draws in elementary age students from across the village. Continue Reading

Gone is the close quartered chaos of the old Jessie’s Bagels, where weekend mornings the double doors would swing open and close with customers coming and going. After 20 years in the same spot, owner Tony Grippo decided it was the right time to expand the shop, try something new and move. Next door. Less than two weeks ago, Jessie’s Bagels made their long anticipated move across the parking lot to the abandoned building that used to house Pacific Pool & Spa. Continue Reading

The library gods must have been pleased when the Tuxedo Park Library appointed Diane Loomis as its new director. Whenever found behind the checkout desk, Loomis nearly always has a smile or encouraging word for patrons. As former head of Tuxedo Park adult programs and reference, as well as library webmaster, Loomis brings a quiet veteran competency and enthusiasm to the job that should serve her well as library leader. She replaces former director Claudia Depkin, who has filled that same position at Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library. Continue Reading

In less than two weeks the twisted tale of former Village of Sloatsburg Building Inspector John Layne will begin winding its way through the justice system. Layne, 59, of Rustic Drive in Airmont, is due to make an appearance before Justice Thomas J. Newman, Jr. at Justice Court Wednesday, June 27 at 5 p.m., to face felony charges for public corruption related to his tenure in Sloatsburg. The felony counts against Layne carry a maximum of four years in state prison. Continue Reading

The sentencing for Ann Milliaressis, the lunch lady who pleaded guilty in March to skimming thousands of dollars from Sloatsburg residents, will be postponed according to this report. Continue Reading

Take some down time Sunday afternoon, June 17, and visit Harmony Hall in Sloatsburg for some soulful Summer Solstice celebration. The Great Lawn at the old Jacob Sloat House will be the setting for some intriguing music that preludes the approaching summer solstice this coming Wednesday, which will be the longest day of the year. Continue Reading

Early Saturday morning — we’re talking early, as in when the birds begin chattering loudly in unison at first light — people will already be packing up their goods and heading to Tuxedo for market day. The Tuxedo Farmers’ Market celebrates its opening day of the season June 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a market day full of produce, song and other surprises. The market is the perfect place to pick up hand-made rolling pins and cutting boards to interesting herbs and cheese products or grass fed beef and tasty fresh tomatillos to mix up some weekend salsa. Continue Reading

In scouting lingo, guys start out mere cubs but eventually get their wings and become eagles. The in-between takes a lot of hard work. This week features a perfect dovetail of the whole scouting process, as Cub Scout Pack 46 hosts a member recruiting ice cream social this Friday while Suffern High School junior Justin Leanza, from Boy Scout Troop 46, holds his Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony. Continue Reading