Free Republic

The paroled convicted killer of a Rockland teen who has been petitioning for release from jail following a recent arrest is in the hospital, leading to an indefinite postponement of an anticipated bail hearing originally scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Court officials learned just before the hearing was to take place that Robert McCain, 64, had what his attorney called a "cardiac event," requiring him to be rushed to the hospital. Westchester County Judge Robert Prisco was going to consider McCain's request to lower his bail relating to his latest charge, which he denies. His bail is currently set at $25,000...

Disgraced outgoing Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s stain is even affecting the legacy of his late father, three-term Gov. Mario Cuomo. Some Democrats are entertaining a push to remove Mario Cuomo’s name from the new $4 billion Hudson River crossing in Rockland/Westchester — an idea unthinkable just months ago. It would be renamed with its original moniker — the Tappan Zee Bridge. Queens Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, a Democratic socialist, has signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill to rename the bridge.

There have been numerous sad instances of people jumping off of freeway overpasses to their deaths.(snip) But one officer encountered a truly unique situation that could have easily claimed her life, too. When 28-year-old Officer Jessie Ferreira Cavallo saw what looked like a teenager run off an overpass, she didn’t really have to think about what she was going to do next; she just acted.(snip) The young officer could see the teenage boy lying on the concrete below, though the thing that she noticed most was the blood everywhere. The scene didn’t look promising. “I wasn’t thinking too much,” Cavallo...

It’s one of Rockland’s worst kept secrets. GOP and Preserve Airmont candidate for mayor Philip Gigante is the grandson of the late Vincent “The Chin” Gigante, longtime godfather of the Genovese crime family and arguably the most powerful gangster of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The Chin Gigante was best known for an intricate act he put on to appear insane, so clever that he was able to fool court-appointed psychiatrists, and for walking around in bathrobes and talking to himself around Greenwich Village. The act earned him the monicker “The Oddfather.” He also gained fame for a...

ROCKLAND, Maine — The streets of downtown Rockland echoed with the sounds of the blues Saturday as thousands of spectators watched performers from around the country during the first day of the annual North Atlantic Blues Festival. Although the weather forecast had called for rain, the storms that hit other areas of Maine largely skipped Rockland for much of Saturday afternoon apart from the occasional shower. The two-day festival continues Saturday night with the annual “club crawl,” featuring live music in locations throughout Rockland, and resumes at 11 a.m. Sunday. Tickets for Sunday’s performances in Harbor Park are available at...

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070417/NEWS03/704170351/1028/NEWS12 NEW CITY - Local Muslims outraged that the Rockland county jail chaplain distributed anti-Islam tracts to inmates at the jail are calling for her dismissal. Teresa Darden Clapp, an ordained Christian minister, was suspended Thursday for passing out religious cartoon booklets that condemned Islam and contained derogatory depictions and descriptions of Allah and the prophet Muhammad, including characterizing Allah as an "idol" and devil and Muhammad as a criminal and a "religious dictator." "Our congregation was very shaken. We are very upset about these false allegations against our religion," Azra Fasihuddin, a West Nyack resident and member of the...

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York announced plans yesterday for the most sweeping reorganization in its history of more than 150 years, recommending the closing of 31 parishes and 14 schools throughout the metropolitan region.At the same time, the archdiocese recommended creating five new parishes in Staten Island, Orange County and Dutchess County and constructing several new church buildings, mostly in northern Westchester County, Rockland County and Dutchess County, where many Catholics who have left the city have relocated.The closings would hit the archdiocese the hardest in its southern parts — the Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan, Yonkers and central...

The Journal News in New York has an excellent story on Mirant and the Rockland school district tax dispute. It is well worth reading. The writer admits Mirant is probably due a refund. Go to the following link (insert "tt" where necessary) and read: h**p://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/091204/b087ep01jn0912.html

Twenty years ago, Rockland, Maine, was a gritty, blue-collar community with a string of waterfront fish processing plants. "Camden by the Sea, Rockland by the Smell" became its unofficial slogan, accentuating the old harbor's coarseness compared to its upscale neighbor. Then one by one, the plants that employed most of Rockland's residents closed. As the fishing industry collapsed, so did the local economy. The community's self-esteem hit bottom, the crime rate escalated and the once-bustling downtown turned barren. Today, that slide seems like ancient history. Residents and city officials are proud of their downtown's renaissance, which sprang from a combination...