Hudson Valley News

Orange County, New York Legislator Roxanne Donnery has officially thrown her hat into the ring as the Democratic candidate for county executive.

Donnery addressed a room of over 170 supporters in Highland Mills about what she believes to be the state of county government.

“My God, what has happened to this county? Where is the trust?” she said.

The shuttered Orange County Government Center and Valley View nursing home were key issues Donnery addressed.

“You want your government back and I’m going to give it to you,” Donnery said.

The comment period has ended for a draft environmental permit for construction of the replacement Tappan Zee Bridge. At least one environmental group is raising a number of concerns with the draft permit, while state officials maintain the permit has strict requirements.

NEW CITY, N.Y. (AP) — Police have accused a Hudson Valley man of making death threats on Facebook against New York’s governor, New York City’s mayor, and several members of Congress. Police say they found two rifles, bayonets, ammunition. and body armor at the man’s Rockland County home. Clarkstown police say 49-year-old Lawrence Mulqueen of Nanuet was arraigned Thursday on charges of making terroristic threats, illegally possessing weapons, and harassment. Police were called Wednesday afternoon by Mulqueen's landlady, who said he'd been harassing her. They say she tipped them to Mulqueen's alleged threats, made on a Facebook page under a pseudonym. Police say the FBI helped with the investigation. A town court clerk says no lawyer is listed for Mulqueen in court records. Mulqueen is being held until a court date Monday.

MONTICELLO – The Sullivan County Legislature voted unanimously to authorize issuing bonds, next year, to pay for a major upgrade of the county’s emergency communications system. 

During public comment at Thursday’s monthly meeting, Al Dumas, a member of the Monticello Fire Department, put it in terms of history and pop culture.

“From smoke signals from maybe 400 years ago that was used and might have guided the Mayflower ship into port in 1621 to the light from Batman in 1966, the whole idea is that we need to know what’s going on,” Dumas said.