Rockland County Executive Ed Day

Four county executives in New York, including two from the Hudson Valley, are calling on the state to expand capacity at smaller baseball stadiums. They say current restrictions on the kinds of baseball parks in their counties would amount to a summer strikeout.

County executives from around New York held a media call Thursday to talk about impacts from the proposed state budget; federal COVID-19 relief bill negotiations; vaccine distribution and more.

With their residents expressing frustration and confusion, Hudson Valley county executives are directing them to go to the state with their issues about signing up for the COVID-19 vaccine. And one leader is imploring the state to send more vaccine as all the counties grapple with high demand and little-to-to-no supply.

Because of increasing COVID-19 case numbers throughout the Hudson Valley, some county employees will be switching from in-person work to working remotely.

As the number of COVID-19 cases rises nationally and in New York, counties in the Hudson Valley are also seeing their numbers increase. One leader says his county is at the beginning of a second wave, while another is hopeful as a drug company with offices in his county is developing a COVID-19 vaccine.

In New York, the Rockland County executive is recuperating after shoulder surgery.

Hoping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in certain New York City, Broome County and lower Hudson Valley hot spots, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced an initiative that implements zones. The color-coded system essentially amounts to containment zones with new rules and restrictions in each. The Orange and Rockland county executives say they fully support the new effort.

It’s budget proposal time across New York as COVID-19 has wreaked fiscal havoc on both state and local governments. Rockland and Orange Counties are seeing some sales-tax recovery and hope for a continued upswing. The proposals don’t include layoffs, but there are property tax increases.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he spoke with Orthodox Jewish leaders Wednesday morning to come up with an action plan to contain the spread of COVID-19 clusters. A second discussion to set the outreach plan in motion was slated for 3 Wednesday afternoon. Cuomo says 20 zip codes in the state have high infection rates. Among the highest are three locations in Orange and Rockland Counties.

Remembrance ceremonies are taking place throughout New York and elsewhere today, honoring the lives of those who died in the September 11th terrorist attacks 19 years ago. And for the first time, some remembrances are virtual because of COVID-19 safety concerns. A few Hudson Valley counties held their ceremonies this morning, while others will host evening ceremonies on what is now called Patriot Day.

The Rockland County executive is calling out cellular providers for poor service after Tropical Storm Isaias.

As outages persist throughout New York’s Hudson Valley following Tropical Storm Isaias, some elected officials are pointing fingers at the response of their utility companies. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has called for an investigation and some power restoration estimates are still pending.

Months after the lower Hudson Valley became the first epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., Rockland County officials say a new COVID-19 cluster has emerged after a person who was ill with the virus held a party in June. COVID has since spread, and the county health commissioner says partygoers have not been cooperating with contact tracing. And officials are promising enforcement July Fourth weekend as they find out about more parties.

The Rockland County executive has taken another step to mitigate the fiscal damage from the COVID-19 pandemic. Municipalities around New York hard-hit by the virus have been taking similar measures.

The Rockland County executive is trying to curb the COVID-19 pandemic as residents in certain pockets of the county ignore social distancing rules. Following last week’s uncertainty about enforcing the rules, and a back-and-forth with the governor’s office, Republican Ed Day says there is now clarity as confirmed cases in his county continue to rise.

A New York state senator from the Hudson Valley is calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to marshal coordination with local law enforcement to ensure residents in Orange and Rockland counties are adhering to the state directives for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rockland County executive has been pressing the state to allocate more resources to his county.

The White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator has singled out two counties in the New York City suburbs as having the fastest growing number of cases. And now the Rockland County executive is asking for immediate state assistance.

Following similar moves across the Northeast, the Rockland County Executive has declared a state of emergency. It includes four orders, which, if violated, carry penalties and fines. The last time he issued orders with such teeth was about a year ago during the measles outbreak.

Rockland County leaders have come up with a human rights strategy following the Monsey machete attack at a rabbi’s home in late December.

As the Ramapo, New York community tries to heal after a machete attack at a rabbi’s home during a Hanukkah celebration, residents and lawmakers in Rockland County strive to find a path forward. WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne reports that path includes smoothing relations between the Orthodox Jewish community and other groups and lawmakers.

Federal and state lawmakers are considering ways to help combat anti-Semitic violence. This comes following the Saturday stabbings during a Hanukkah celebration in Monsey, in Rockland County, and after similar attacks in New York City and New Jersey. New York U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a roundtable Monday, where participants discussed needed laws and education.

The Westchester County executive has signed a bill to strengthen the county Health Department’s ability to prevent the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases. The legislation was prompted by a measles outbreak in Rockland County and New York City. It comes as Rockland County officials have declared the measles outbreak in their county over.

The Rockland County executive is declaring an end to the measles outbreak in his county.

The Rockland County Legislature has voted unanimously on a resolution to urge a New York state panel to provide discounted tolls for Rockland residents on the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

Two Democratic New York state senators have released a report on code enforcement following a six-month investigation. There are a number of findings and more than 10 legislative recommendations. The report singles out a town in Rockland County for alleged persistent noncompliance.

For the first time since he first declared one, the Rockland County executive is not renewing a measles state of emergency. Republican Ed Day allowed his fourth declaration to expire at midnight, saying the measles crisis has subsided but the outbreak hasn’t ended.

As of this week, New York no longer allows religious exemptions for vaccinations. Amid the nation’s worst measles outbreak in more than 25 years, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Thursday removing non-medical exemptions from school vaccination requirements.

In another largely symbolic move, the Rockland County executive has renewed his measles state of emergency for a third time.

Amid a measles outbreak in Rockland, County Executive Ed Day has written to President Trump requesting federal government intervention.

The number of confirmed measles cases in Rockland County, New York, continues to rise. The county executive is highlighting his health department’s recent orders, while a state senator is introducing a bill to counter misleading vaccination information.