There are three ways to vote this November. But first - are you registered? Need to change your address? If so, visit www.elections.ny.gov

At The Historical Society of Rockland County
A virtual exhibition called Leaving Her Mark: Women of Rockland, celebrates 100 years of women’s suffrage. Twenty notable women in Rockland’s history who overcame challenges to accomplish their goals are highlighted. Among the women is Isabelle Keating Savell, one of the people responsible for getting Snedens Landing designated a historic area. Thru November 1.

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The centennial of the 19th Amendment has inspired the publication of a host of excellent books on the topic in recent years. Here are a few highlights, plus an older title worth a read:

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We have chosen to focus our attention this issue on the 100th anniversary of a monumental event. On August 18, 1920, women gained the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. This is especially meaningful today as a national election looms ahead.

The "Old School" is turning 150 years old: 1870-2020
Our big 150th Birthday Party for the Old School (as it was called) planned for May 9, along with our annual Plant Sale, is postponed for a future date.
The Old School served the children of Palisades, grades K-8, for 100 years. Did you or a family member go to school there? Do you have photos? Memories or stories to tell?
Please e-mail us at: pcc@palisadesny.com Help us document this period of our Palisades history!

Need Help?
During this time of sheltering at home, if you need help with an errand or non-emergency issue, e-mail PCC@palisadesny.com. There are neighbors who are willing to lend a hand!

From the Library Director:
The library staff continues to serve Palisades patrons during our library building closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our dedicated team is ready to answer your questions via email or phone, provide virtual notary service, and online programming through our blog, recorded story times, and online book club. As soon as it is safe to do so, we will open our physical collection to circulation. We thank all our patrons for their ongoing support of our library and staff during this unprecedented time in our history and we look forward to seeing you again in person, in our beautiful library.

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On November 3, Rockland County residents vote not only for president, but to fill Congresswoman Nita Lowey’s 17th District seat.

As it navigates executive orders and New York State Education Department (NYSED) guidance pertaining to statewide school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Orangetown Central School District has focused on delivering critical safety net supports for families, providing high-quality remote instruction and ensuring continuity of business operations.

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Lisa Olsen is a longtime Palisades resident and a pulmonary nurse at a New Jersey hospital currently treating numerous COVID-19 patients. In late March Paul Riccobono interviewed her between shifts.

Paul: How quickly did COVID-19 change your work environment?
Lisa: The day I found out my nursing unit was to become a COVID-19 ward I cried. All of us who worked there were in a state of horrified shock. Somehow, we had convinced ourselves we might be spared and only the nurses in our ICU would have to deal with the patients. I worked on the unit the last night before we were to start receiving these patients when a company was installing special monitors in each room to monitor oxygen levels. Because COVID patients experience such rapid declines in oxygen levels, special monitors are placed on them. The last night I worked on the unit, we had to intubate two patients back-to-back in the middle of the night.

It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for ourselves and others.
Dalai Lama

As the world shuts down, life as we know it has drastically changed. Dealing with this pandemic is disruptive to some while for others it is disastrous. Many struggle as jobs disappear and concerns mount about debt burdens, illness, the purchase of everyday necessities and where to get the next meal. During this time of crisis, it is imperative that we reach out to those less fortunate. Can we lend a senior a hand with groceries or prescriptions, or just make a friendly call to see that everything is okay? The Palisades Community Center is assembling a list of volunteers who are willing to help out and the Rockland County Office for Aging is shopping for seniors (845-364-2110). The PCC is also collecting food for People to People and Hi Tor. There are a number of agencies in Rockland who would welcome a monetary donation or volunteers for food delivery. We have assembled a few you might want to consider supporting.

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The coronavirus pandemic impacts us all. One of the hardest hit communities has been among small businesses where the cushion to endure a long-term shut down is thin. Rockland County is no exception. Restaurants have been especially hard hit.

PALISADES COMMUNITY CENTER. 675 Oak Tree Road Palisades, NY

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We extend wishes of gratitude to Keith Buterbaugh for his years of service on the PCC Board. He was especially helpful with all our restoration projects. We are excited to welcome Sabelle Frasca onto the Board. We look forward to working with you!

In response to Paul Riccobono’s article “Our Salt Addiction,” Rockland County’s Superintendent of Highways Charles “Skip” Vezzetti further described the county’s salting policies and equipment, and concluded with this: “A study that we performed in 2013 indicated that the Rockland County Highway Department had reduced its salt usage by 50 percent and still achieved safe passable roads. That same year, an in-house study was also conducted which indicated that household use of lawn chemicals, water softeners and driveway and sidewalk salting contributed ten times the amount of chlorides to the ground water than the amount of salt spread annually on the roadway in front of each individual home.

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Kids today have no idea how lucky they are to enjoy the beauty of our shining Hudson River. People swim in it. They canoe, kayak and row on it. They build houses overlooking it, and they photograph and paint it. It wasn’t always this way. When I was a kid in the early 1960s, the Hudson was famously polluted; its name, like Cleveland’s “burning” Cuyahoga River, was a child’s joking shorthand for any toxic stream that bubbled with streaks of industrial waste and raw sewage.

Beginning March 1: all plastic carryout bags are banned from distribution by stores collecting New York State sales tax. Stores may charge five cents per paper bag at check out. Keep your reusable bags handy.

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Lamont invites our community into its world of discovery with the third public lecture of Our Changing Planet public lecture series. The series connects our community with world-leading scientists currently performing globally significant research right here in our backyard. The lectures are designed to illuminate what changes in our planet may mean, how and why they are happening, and how a scientific understanding of events may help inform vital solutions.

When Department of Transportation (DOT) representatives didn’t show up for a scheduled meeting in December, a new meeting was rescheduled for January with a sense of urgency. This was because DOT had contacted three Palisades families with property abutting Route 9W about acquiring portions of their property to implement Phase 1 of DOT’s preliminary safety improvements plan. This plan includes removal of the northbound bus stop at the intersection of Route 9W and Washington Spring Road, and installation of two new large bus stops; one in the “forever green” triangle on Oak Tree Road and the other on Route 9W slightly north of the Washington Spring Road intersection. The existing southbound stop would also be enlarged.

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Palisades Free Library
Member of the Ramapo Catskill Library System and ANSER Network
19 Closter Road, Palisades, NY 10964
845-359-0136, Fax 845-359-6124
www.palisadeslibrary.org

NOW OPEN EARLIER MONDAY - FRIDAY
Hours: Monday - Thursday 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Friday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

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On January 7, 2020, Teresa Kenny was sworn in as Orangetown Supervisor, the first woman to hold this position in Rockland’s 221-year history. While she has made it clear she does not want to be defined by this fact, it is noteworthy in this 100th anniversary year of women winning the right to vote.