With the Asia Pacific rim a popular tourist destination these days, especially Vietnam, it’s hard to imagine the emotions and sheer fear that that far off land conjured for a whole generation. American students once rioted in the streets to end the Vietnam War.

It was a particularly nasty war, fought in tropical jungle-like terrain, with experimental chemical weapons and artillery against an often ghostly enemy — the difference between friend and foe was often indistinguishable. Continue Reading

The fruits of a lot of behind-the-scenes labor were celebrated Sunday at Harmony Hall. The old Jacob Sloat house that sits atop a hill off of Rt. 17 in Sloatsburg, and at one time overlooked Sloat’s prosperous cotton twine mills along the Erie Railroad tracks, is finally due for its make-over. Continue Reading

The meeting room in Hillburn Thursday evening was less full than the last few budget workshops, both of people and hope. The Ramapo Central School Board met in another special Budget Workshop to discuss how to bridge a prospective revenue shortfall in total of 10 million dollars. Continue Reading

Take the way back machine to the beginning of March. The Suffern Mounties hockey team were reigning state hockey champions and in the thick of another playoff run. Against rival Mamaroneck, Suffern mounted an epic comeback in the last seconds of the game to cap the team’s fourth consecutive Section 1 championship.

But then the Mountie magic tank went dry. The defending state champs got dethroned 3-2 in a bang-the-boards game against the Saratoga Blue Streak in a Division 1 state quarterfinal at Monsey’s Sport-O-Rama. It was the first time since 2009 that Suffern didn’t make the trip to Utica for the state tournament. Continue Reading

The auditorium at Suffern High School was packed with parents and students and even contingents from a competing North Rockland High School cast. This spring’s musical was West Side Story, and it showcased Suffern’s musical talent in a multi-colored display to nearly sold out perfomances. Continue Reading