With a bold look to the future, Tuxedo may have not only created a solution for the long-term viability of its high school, but positioned the town as a beacon for higher education. The Tuxedo Union Free School District held an open forum last week in which the district’s consultant presented its finding on the future of the school, and the recommendations for George F. Baker High School called for a dynamic repositioning of the high school. Continue Reading

It’s the season of winter song as school choirs show their stuff this week. Elementary schools throughout the Ramapo Central School District celebrate with Winter Concerts Thursday and Friday.

Sloatsburg Elementary School led off the week when proud parents, grandparents and siblings crowded the gymnasium for the school’s K-2 Winter Concert Wednesday morning. Led by music teacher Alice Biss, kindergarten, first- and second-grade students delivered spirited performances of international songs and old favorites.

“Ms. Biss, our vocal music teacher at Sloatsburg, does an excellent job preparing students for these special concerts,” said SES Principal Eric Baird. “As their principal, it is always great to observe the genuine enthusiasm and pride that the children convey while they are performing for an audience.”

Viola and RP Connor Elementary Schools have their concerts Thursday morning, while Cherry Lane and Monetebello hold their Winter Concerts Friday morning. Additionally, Suffern Middle School will hold its Art Show and Music Night Thursday evening, with the music starting at 7:30 p.m. A followup Music Night at the middle school will be held Monday, January 14 beginning at 7 p.m.

Photo and information courtesy of Jennifer Citrolo, Ramapo Central Schools.

There’s a bit of Highlands history nearly everywhere surrounding Sloatsburg. Author and regional archeologist Ed Lenik led a group of enthusiasts on an historic walk through Ramapo Hamlet this past New Year’s day, the 31st year that Lenik has held the gathering and the first walk in the Torne Valley. Continue Reading

The heady holiday feeling is fading and heads are turning to a fresh new year. School starts back up again Wednesday. And Thursday, students and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary School return to school for the first time since December 14 shooting.

The students will return to a newly rebuilt school in Monroe, Connecticut, six miles away from the Newton, Conn. building where the shootings took place. Continue Reading

Thanks to all our readers who have stuck by us reading the stories and making comments. The community has been thoroughly worth the effort.

From dead fish caused by a mountain of smoldering mulch to a proposed food processing plant in Sloatsburg, life in our bucolic corner of the world had its share of action in 2012. There was controversy, or what might pass for controversy, and tragedy, and small acts of kindness.

Hurricane Sandy created gas lines in the village and also a business bonanza for many local merchants. The death of a young teen by his own hand caused the entire community to stop. There were fundraisers and chili cook offs, municipal improvements, and public debates. Some businesses grew and others shut their doors. Many more private moments were not even recorded. Continue Reading

The Journal News stepped into a visceral thicket of American beliefs when an article on gun ownership by Dwight R. Worley, published on December 23, included a map of people who have pistol permits. The article had the ominous headline: “The gun owner next door: What you don’t know about the weapons in your neighborhood.” Continue Reading

The Suffern High School Select Choir recently visited the Sloatsburg Senior Center for an afternoon of caroling. Composed of select students, the choir is led by Suffern music teacher Debrah Phelps, who took the group throughout the community to perform their magic this holiday season, including appearances at the annual tree lighting ceremonies of all three local villages — Suffern, Hillburn and Sloatsburg.

During their appearance, the students entered the Senior Center  practically breaking out in song and finished with a rousing round of We Wish You A Merry Christmas. The choir then descended on the buffet table ladened with cookies and brownies and other assorted sweets and breezed back out the door they came in, paper plates stacked high with desserts, and leaving the hall in very merry holiday spirits.

There’s a new Tudor-style bus shelter going up in Tuxedo, complete with shiny copper trim and spacious windows. Eventually, the bus stop will feature a $10,000 town clock.

Times Herald-Record reporter John Sullivan recently wrote that “the chateau,” as one Tuxedo resident called the shelter, will cost the town $63,000. According to Sullivan, Tuxedo Supervisor Peter Dolan, a member of the Tuxedo Local Development Corp. that spearheaded the project, said that the shelter is part of an effort to promote a municipal identity and replaces the worn-out open roadside shelter that was located directly across from the Tuxedo train station. Continue Reading

There’s controversy brewing out there regarding craft beer, which has experienced a sustained revival lately, along with home brew kits. Popular bar craft brands Blue Moon and Shock Top are not technically craft beers as both are produced by big-label breweries SABMiller and AB-InBev.

The very definition of craft beer involves small, independently brewed suds with a low production but higher quality beer. One of the features of craft beer is the surprise quotient. With each popped top, you’re not quite certain what you might get. Continue Reading

Students were thinking pink this fall and figured out creative fundraising activities that brought in the dough — for a good cause.

Students at Suffern Middle School and Suffern High School mounted a series of events for cancer awareness, screening and treatment that collectively raised more than $8,500. Continue Reading