Mario Cuomo Bridge

Nyack’s Top Stories Of 2009 – Pt 1

Published

January 2, 2010

by Dave Zornow

Nyack, Jan 2 — Elections, fireworks, parking, boating, sailing, ROMPing and drinking were some of the big stories of last year. Here’s our countdown of Nyack’s Top 20 news and views of 2009.

This list is based on Google Analytics reports of NyackNewsAndViews site traffic., NyackNewsAndViews averages about 40,000 pageviews with about half of all adults 25+ reading NyackNewsAndViews on a regular basis (hover for details).

Although these are the “top stories” by popular demand, we all know the best performer isn’t always the winner on American Idol. Feel free to click the comment link and add your own suggestions to the list. Or topics you think deserve more attention in 2010.

#20 — Petersen’s Boatyard: On Dec 17, the Upper Nyack Village Board unanimously voted to abandon a proposed zoning amendment to allow residential development at the historic Petersen’s Boatyard site, effectively blocking the Beneville family from selling the property to a residential developer.
#19 — Fireworks denied and revived. The lean and mean 2009 Nyack budget didn’t include dollars to light up the skies on July 4th. Trustee Marie Lorenzini reached out to Provident Bank for $20,000 to sponsor the event for 2009 and 2010.
#18 — After all of the talk about late night rowdiness on Main Street, the Guardian Angels decided to come to our rescue. But the Angels didn’t receive the hero’s welcome they had hoped for and never created a presence during the late night hours when the complaints were registered.
#17 Gay Marriage — One of the big NYS legislature stories of the year started here quietly on July 2 when Thomas Morahan, the state senator from Rockland County, told a Journal News reporter that he preferred civil unions to gay marriage “because I’m a traditionalist.” Rocklanders held rallies to protest after the December vote by Morahan and fellow Republicans state senators to block gay marriage legislation.
#16 Schools — A change in leadership on the school board, the passing of a long time school board member, concerns about low minority achievement and high school taxes with a tight budget were all issues of interest to parents and taxpayers in 2009.
#15 — A river runs through alot of the conversations in the Nyacks. The village celebrated the quadricentennial of Henry’s discovery of the Hudson River on June 6 and throughout the year.
#14 Nyack’s rich history includes stories of fish and ships, the Dutch and the English, loyalists and patriots and elephant parades on Main Street. The outstanding Fish & Ships exhibition from Historical Society of The Nyacks‘€˜ ran through September.
#13 — Health Care: It was big news nationally as well as locally in 2009, culminating in a Healthcare For All rally which featured Peter Seeger, Tom Chapin and tea partiers hoping for their five minutes of fame on the Fox News channel.
#12 Dogs — Nyack villagers love their pooches. There were stories about dog runs, dogs running amuck and dogs running for mayor. And the sad passing of one of our favorite canine columnists.
#11 Late Night Main Street Mayhem — Concerns about loud late night music, excessive drinking and partying continue to be concerns for some village residents.