Pete Seeger on the Sloop Clearwater on the Hudson River.

While the Lower Hudson Valley celebrated sports and sponsorships this past week as the Superbowl wound its way to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, many others honored the passing of Pete Seeger. Continue Reading

The Slaughter Stand-Up comedy celebration rolls into Characters Friday night for an evening of insults, agita and astute commentary.

With Sloatsburg as its home base of operations, the Slaughter comedy collective has increased it’s reach throughout the Lower Hudson Valley. Continue Reading

A Sunday night Sparkill, NY fire, sparked by a space heater, damaged two buildings and put two families and some 21 people out into the cold. Firefighters arrived to a scene with flames shooting from several buildings, but were able to quickly tamp down the blaze.

Bill Demarest reported in Nyack Free Press first wrote on the incident and contributed to this report. Rockland County Director of Fire and Emergency Services Gordon Wren Jr. said Monday that a heater in an upstairs apartment unit was too close to clothing and led to the fire.

Firefighters of Sparkill’s John Paulding Engine Co. No. 1 were assisted by volunteer firefighters from Piermont, Orangeburg, Blauvelt, Nyack, Tappan and Northvale, N.J in a weekend Sparkill blaze. / Bill Demarest

Wren sent out the message urging Rockland County residents to use extreme caution with these electric space heaters. “With more extreme cold coming, we want people to be careful how they use these space heaters,” Wren said.

Wren said that Rockland County has experienced repeated incidents over the years involving electric space heaters, stressing caution in where people place their electric heaters, especially in bedrooms. Clothing, blankets, paper, and other items placed on heaters have caused major fires, such as Sunday’s Sparkill blaze, said Wren.

Sunday’s fire damaged two buildings, including the Roost restaurant and La Bomba Grocery, while landing four families that lived in upstairs apartments out in the cold.

The American Red Cross reported that it assisted 21 adults and four children in four families, related to the Sparkill blaze, providing emergency shelter for one family that did not have any place to go.

Firefighters of Sparkill’s John Paulding Engine Co. No. 1 were assisted by volunteer firefighters from Piermont, Orangeburg, Blauvelt, Nyack, Tappan and Northvale, N.J.

Firefighters worked in frigid temperatures, dousing the blaze while carefully maneuvering on in icy conditions. With several pockets of fire flaring up, firefighters eventually had to cut holes into the roof on the third story of one building to reach fire in the attic.

There were no injuries in Sunday’s Sparkill fire.

Space heater tips: 

• Electric heaters should be plugged directly into the wall outlet. If an extension cord is necessary, use the shortest possible heavy-duty cord of 14-gauge wire or larger. 
• Always check and follow any manufacturer’s instructions pertaining to the use of extension cords.
• Buy a unit with a tip-over safety switch, which automatically shuts off the heater if the unit is tipped over.
• Keep heaters away from clothing and other material that can catch fire.
• Use caution in the placement of the heater – don’t put an electric heater on top of a television or a plastic table.
• If you are using an extension cord, if it is thinner than the cord on the heater itself get a heavier extension cord.
• Don’t put a heater too close to a bed. Blankets, sheets, clothing and other items frequently fall off beds and can land on the heater.
• Don’t leave a space heater unattended.
• Replace aging space heaters with new models.
• Make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working condition.  

Photos and information courtesy of Bill Demarest and Nyack Free Press.

Interior of the new Rainbow Ace Hardware store in Suffern, NY.

Gone is the tattered facade of the old Suffern OTB across from the train station at Park Place on Orange Avenue. The darkened windows and parking lot pitted with potholes have been replaced by the new clean, well-lighted Rainbow Ace Hardware home supply store. Continue Reading

Map of Novartis plant location. Novartis building photo / Peter Carr / The Journal News

This week the Town of Ramapo and Rockland County had more than high winds and icy snow to battle. Novartis Pharmecuticals, a longtime corporate citizen in Suffern, NY, disclosed Tuesday that the company intended to shutter its huge Suffern campus before 2017. Continue Reading

The big Dakota Whiteout storm served up less snow and than predicted in the Western Ramapo hills. Once again, the Sloatsburg Public Works Department was out early and late — with the one DPW truck clearing roads after 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. Continue Reading

The Ramapo Central School Board of Education recently met at Sloatsburg Elementary School — and witnessed a big turnout.

The Sloatsburg Elementary School gymnasium was filled to standing room only as the Ramapo Central School Board held its first meeting of the new year — in the board’s new mode of community outreach. Continue Reading

The tide has turned for the Tuxedo Chamber of Commerce. After several years of successful membership building, the chamber will host its first meeting Wednesday evening in its new headquarters, the Tuxedo Train Station.

The chamber and the Town of Tuxedo recently worked out an agreement that will open the historic Tuxedo Train Station to the local business community, which will then promote the benefits of all things Tuxedo. Continue Reading

NYACK — State Sen. David Carlucci, D-New City, stood with Nyack Mayor Jen White, John Corlett, Chairman of the Legislative Committee for AAA New York State, Mike Hekker of the Nyack River Club and employees of the club to announce a new first of its kind toll relief plan specifically designed to ease the burden for commuters traveling throughout our area. Continue Reading

The halls of Suffern High School will be filled with technology hobnobbing Sunday as robotics teams from across the Lower Hudson Valley face off.

This weekend gathering — January 12 — will see 24 robotics teams gather for the Lower Hudson FIRST Tech Challenge Qualifying Tournament at Suffern High School, which is hosting the event for the very first time — a bit of Rockland history. Continue Reading