Tanning beds are a top cancer risk, scientists from the World Health Organization announced. (See story here.)

A new analysis of about 20 studies concludes the risk of skin cancer jumps by 75% when people start using tanning beds before age 30.

What does that mean for Rockland? Well for county legislators who in 2006 pushed through legislation to ban on sunless tanning by those under 16 and required parental consent fo rthose 16 and 17, it means vindication. At least for the legislator behind the law, Alden Wolfe, D-Suffern. Westchester has a similar law.

Today, Wolfe sent out a press release:

.., Rockland County set the standard on this important issue, enacting one of the strongest measures in the country.  This study justifies what I believed all along – that the dangers of tanning, particularly to our youth, cannot be underestimated.”

Now, the tanning law was one of a series of legislative activity that had many crying “nanny state.” They included a smoking-with-kids-in-the-car ban, and a much misunderstood 3-minute curb on idling that was part of a federal Environmental Protection Agency agreement with metropolitan area municipalities. The tanning ban, though, caused a lot of ruckus. County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef, who pushed the idling law, vetoed the tanning ban, but the Legislature mustered the votes for an override.

The ban also helped launch a run for public office. Frank Sparaco, who owned a tanning salon and was president of the Rockland County Young Republicans, challenged fellow Republican and 38-year incumbent Theordore Dusanenko. ‘The Dus” retired.

Sparaco went on to win. His priorities were keeping the county budget, and taxes down, and keeping governent out of people’s personal lives. Certain decisions should be left up to the individual and not the government,” he said when announcing his challenge.

A state Supreme Court justice has tossed a lawsuit opposing the town’s sale of an old  quarry in Suffern, in part dismissing the argument that the town needed to get state Legislature approval to sell open space. (See story here.) State approval wasn’t needed because the property wasn’t formally dedicated as parkland. (At right, that’s file photo of the old Tilcon quarry in Suffern.)

That’s, of course, not the main issue of the town’s sale to a developer of the old Tilcon quarry that was gifted to the town, but it underscores a ound-and-round argument in Ramapo that took up a lot of debate during the last Ramapo town supervisor’s race. Preserve Ramapo had said that the town’s purchases of property for open space and recreation lacked that state-recognized designation, so they said the town, more specifically, the leadership of Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence, could sell land. The so-called “Quarry Ridge” property has always had a little different status than other sites because it was given to the town. And the deal to sell the land included an agreement that the developer would undertake a flood-mitigation project that would help fix a decades-long flooding problem in parts of the village of Suffern.

But the suit does point out the issue of open space dedication that caused a lot of hoopla in the last Town Board election, in which Preserve Ramapo pushed for formal dedication, and St. Lawrence said it wasn’t necessary in most cases, by virtue of the bonding agreements.

This editorial board advocated for the “belts-and-suspenders” approach and encouraged formal dedication, starting with the August 2008 purchase of Liberty Rock in Sloatsburg. We noted that:

“Maybe not all the spaces should be given the parkland designation. But even that decision – which will be dedicated and which will not – gives residents important information. Let residents know, from Day 1, whether the intent of the land is parkland forever, or holding onto the property for another future use.”

The board then acknowledged that the “Quarry Ridge” property, with the flood project-for-condo deal, may not be right for the designation. Not that the property’s future development, even with the flood project plan, is not even up to the town; that’s up to the Village of Suffern, where the property lies, and where land use boards the zoning.

In our 2008 editorial, we noted that St. Lawrence had pledged to begin the process of dedicating open space. And, that began to happen. The town has dedicated Liberty Rock and myriad other properties.

Here is the complete editorial from Aug. 22, 2008:

Dedicating Liberty Rock

Ramapo’s decision to purchase 55 acres in Sloatsburg, including what’s known as Liberty Rock, has the elements of smart decision-making. The property is historic and controversial – the property owners once brought a federal lawsuit against the village. Moreover, the town earned favorable borrowing terms for the $2.75 million purchase. Now, though, one more step needs to be taken: Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence must set forth in formal documents that the purchase will be dedicated as parkland.

It’s an issue that has caused St. Lawrence much consternation. Preserve Ramapo had pointed out the lack of official “open space” resolutions from the town on 23 properties. It became a hot-button election issue last year in a town where future growth and land use top the list of many residents’ concerns. St. Lawrence at first balked at formal parkland designation on many town open-space purchases made over the last several years. Not necessary, he said. After last November’s election, in which St. Lawrence handily beat back a challenge by Preserve Ramapo’s candidate, the supervisor talked about going ahead and formally dedicating the lands, saying it wouldn’t hurt, even if he saw it as unnecessary, if people wanted it. That hasn’t happened yet.

Town Attorney Michael Klein yesterday told the Editorial Board that the Town Board is considering a number of dedications over the next year or so. The move, he said, was for people’s comfort level: “It’s really not legally required, but we will do it if it results in more public confidence.” Great. Now, let’s get that in writing. Maybe not all the spaces should be given the parkland designation. But even that decision – which will be dedicated and which will not – gives residents important information. Let residents know, from Day 1, whether the intent of the land is parkland forever, or holding onto the property for another future use.

Case in point: a former quarry site in Suffern, gifted by Tilcon New York to the town several years ago. St. Lawrence recently announced a deal to sell the property to a developer who wants to put a large condominium complex there, as long as the builder also installs a flood-mediation project. Many balked at a plan for what would be called “Quarry Ridge” on land once listed by the town, along with other land acquisitions, under the heading “Open Space, Parkland & Historic Preservation.”

A parkland designation may not ever have been right for the old quarry site. A proposed condo-for-drainage project may be determined to be beneficial for residents in flood-prone areas of Suffern, and seen as a worthwhile endeavor for the village to allow. That decision sits with the Suffern village board. Yet, if parkland dedication becomes the norm in Ramapo, residents will know what to expect – by virtue of what is dedicated and what is not.

Does formal parkland dedication really matter? By virtue of bonding, we have been told, the land is protected. The bond itself had been designated for purchase of land for open space and recreation – so that’s how the land must be used. But bonds are paid off. Memories fade. Ramapo residents 50, 100 years from now deserve the protection of open space and greenery that town residents are investing in today. They deserve to get those assurances in writing.

A Journal News editorial

The latest installment of Editorial Spotlight, The Journal News Editorial Board’s community affairs Web cast, brings together three senators who represent portions of the Lower Hudson Valley to discuss the future of the post-coup state Senate.

Joining us Tuesday at 1 p.m. will be Senate Deputy Majority Leader Jeffrey Klein, D-Bronx; Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers; and Sen. Thomas Morahan, R-New City.
Watch LIVE at Editorial Spotlight. View the program on demand at Editorial Spotlight, click “on demand” and select the program from the list at right.
Readers can submit questions in advance for possible use during the interview; e-mail tprinciot@lohud.com.

Plenty are paying attention to United Water’s plans to build a water treatment processing plant on the Haverstraw shore of the Hudson. And, everybody’s got an opinion.

Details about United Water’s Hudson River Water Treatment Plant can be found at www.haverstrawwater.com/deis.

The plant would boost supply, and therefore quell Rockland’s constant worries about water shortages, since currently, all of Rockland’s water comes from within its borders. Both critics and proponents cite that one. (Critics point out that limited water supply should mean limited building, rather than seeking a new water source to aid continued development.) Some say tax-base damaged northern Rockland should be grateful for the ratable. Others say that the plant will be expensive to operate and push water rates sky high.

A letter by Diego Aviles published Wednesday, (read letter here) advocates for the plant, citing the tax revenue for North Rockland schools.

He sums up the argument here:

Although there are environmental concerns that must be addressed, we must let the state Department of Environmental Conservation be the judge and not “special interest groups.” As a North Rockland resident, I urge our public officials to quickly approve this project and let the DEC come back with a verdict instead of wasting time debating this with no end. North Rockland needs action now.

And some forum posters respond:

The Hudson River plant is just the kind of ratable that North Rockland needs to attract to help offset the Mirant crisis. In fact, Stony Point and Haverstraw needs to aggressively seek similar projects that generate taxes.

The desalination plant would be paid for by the people of Rockland County and it will not come cheap. It would also place a huge burden on our infrastructure which would also be paid for by the people of Rockland. It is important to look at the big picture, not just the short-term. The desalination plant would place a huge financial burden on ALL Rockland residents.

The environmentalists are blinded by the light. The North Rockland community desperately needs tax ratables to offset skyrocketing property taxes.

Roslyn E. Wallace of Pearl River was the first woman to receive a prestigious Scientific Achievement Award for cancer research. She was the first female director of a laboratory at Lederle Laboratories in Pearl River.
Wallace, 84, died Saturday. (Read obituary here.)

(UPDATE JULY 22: I spoke with Paul Phinney, Orangetown justice and Blauvelt-based lawyer who handled Wallace’s estate matters. He said that Wallace worked not only in cancer research, but in her earlier career at Lederle, in the 1940s, she worked on a vaccine for the polio virus. She also was noted for breeding a special kind of “nude mice” that allowed the growth of human tumors for studying. And, she developed tissue cultures for testing, which could foster a great decrease in animal testing. Her tissue cultures drew the attention of the National Institutes of Health. “She was one of the leaders in her field,” Phinney said. Developing the tissues was key “to allow herself and other scientists to do the experiments that led to the drugs we need today,” Phinney said. He described her as “one of the smartest people around but never flaunted it.”)

“She was very collaborative and helpful to young investigators,” said Dr. Jay Gibbons, assistant vice president of oncology research at Wyeth, whose career in Pearl River overlapped with Wallace for a year or so. “She had a lot of experience with chemotherapeutic drugs … and was well-respected and well-liked.” He stressed that she was “extremely generous in her collaborations.”

Wallace spent 45 years at Lederle as a research scientist, becoming a laboratory director before retiring in 1984. Her educational background was stunning: graduating from the Brenau Women’s College in Georgia 1944, earning a doctorate in biology from Harvard, a Fulbright Award for innovative bone marrow research she completed during her studies at the Sorbonne in Paris.

Wallace shared a patent on a method of accelerating growth of bone marrow stem cells from her Lederle work, and her name is attached to other breakthrough cancer research.

In her retirement, she traveled the globe, including Africa and Southeast Asia.

Interesting woman, doing interesting work. She broke ground in her field, and cancer research benefited from her dedication, so we all did.

It’s back to basics here, folks. When you send a letter to the editor, you must, must, must include your address and a daytime phone number. That’s for letters sent via the U.S. Postal Service, the fax machine or to letters@lohud.com via e-mail. We only publish your name and municipality (town, village or even hamlet) but not your street or phone number. We need the latter for verification purposes. And yes, we verify letters (refer to this April 17 post, “Why We call,” in the Opinion Exchange blog if you wonder why.)

I bring this up because today I received a rather pointed letter about the Stony Point Little League and the arrest of the league’s ex-treasurer on accusations of stealing at least $130,000 from the league. But I can’t read the name. I tried to guess at the address, and even tried to consult a reverse directory, but that didn’t turn up any leads. And, the writer didn’t include a phone number. The whole letter is handwritten, and that’s OK! Even not the greatest penmenship can be deciphered. But, the name, that’s key. And the phone number. So, if you are snail-mailing a letter to the editor, make sure you PRINT your name and include a phone number so we can verify you are you and you sent your letter. We want to publish varied opinions, but we need to be able to read them first.

The repairs over the Mountainview Avenue Bridge (Nyack-to-Valley Cottage) that began July 8 were expected to cause considerable traffic problems. So far, the feedback’s been somewhat positive. Sure, it’s a mess for residents of Mountainview Avenue to head out toward Christian Herald Road on the windy road, then turn right to Route 9W or left toward a couple connections to Route 303. An article Saturday, reviewing the traffic since the Wednesday closure, said most were saying their fears of massive delays had not materialized. The project is expected to take six weeks, max. The bridge also has a Thruway entrace, which is still accessible from Route 59 (yeah).

What’s become a significant complaint is drivers heading north on Christian Herald who use the residential Storms Road to cut over to Route 303, rather than continuing to Lake Road and making the quick left then left again at the Route 303 intersection. This week’s Watcher discusses the concerns of turning left from Storms Road on 303. There’s no light there, and it’s at a rise on the highway, so it’s not exactly a clear line of vision, plus, people speed on 303. But the Lake Road intersection is pretty notorious for confusion, too, with Christian Herald feeding in so close to 303 that there’s hardly any room to queue into the proper lane to turn left, proceed ahead or turn right.

But the difference is, there’s a light at Lake and 303, complete with a left-turn arrow. It’s hairy at times, especially in the morning (less so now that school’s out, since there are two elementary schools on different ends of Lake Road, so the usual school buses that can clog the area are mostly gone.) And if you want to go southbound on 303, say to pick up the Thruway, it seems like you’ll save time if you go down Storms Road instead of adding the distance up and back from Lake. But if you sitting there, inching out, waiting for your break to zoom left onto 303, is that worth the stress? And will it even save time?

Here’s what the forum posters advise on the Watcher column:

So start taking Christian Herald Road all the way to Rt 303 and stop cutting through Storms Road. Problem solved.

I also think she should take Christian Herald to Lake to 303. It’s not a hard intersection to navigate if you’re a good driver. You just have to be alert and paying attention to where everyone is going.

Your thoughts?

Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef spoke about the maybe-maybe not lieutenant governor, the party-swapping Sen. Pedro Espada and whether the senators “get it.” (Here’s the latest on Espada’s flip-flop, and more on the Ravitch appointment.)

Vanderhoef, who ran against Paterson for the lieutenant governor’s job in 2006, said he doubted the legal basis for Ravitch’s appointment. “The one thing that all of us have sworn to do is to uphold the law,” the Republican said. “Testing the law in terms of a gray area is one thing. But even his own attorney (State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo)” has said the governor’s appointment of a lieutenant governor isn’t legal. “Just because the law doesn’t say you can’t doesn’t mean you can.”

Vanderhoef said he doesn’t know Ravitch, but he has the kind of reputation that would make sense to choose him for the post, “barring the fact that it’s illegal.” Vanderhoef earlier this week held a press conference seeking the Senate’s cooperation in rolling back the MTA payroll tax that a group of local politicians and business leaders say will be devastating to Rockland. Today, he pointed out that Ravitch’s plan also called for tolls on East Side bridges, which the Senate didn’t implement. He did, though, point out that the Ravitch Commission focused on revenue for the MTA, rather than examining expenditures and performing audits to find efficiencies.

As far as Sen. Espada (sometimes D-sometimes Bronx) and the rest of the Senate, Vanderhoef said, “Cloistered up there, they misjudged the anger.”

Senators should soon start passing bills, including home rule extensions, like Rockland’s sales tax bill, much to the relief of municipalities around the state.

And the decision of whether Ravitch will or won’t be lieutenant governor will wind its way through the courts.

Vanderhoef said, “the circus now arrives at the governor’s desk.” He later added: “I don’t think anyone looks good.”

Here’s a little slice of reality from People to People, Rockland’s largest food pantry:

In April 2008, People to People provided food to 450 families.

In April 2009, People to People provided food to 856 families.

In one year, about 90 percent more families are struggling enough to seek food donations.

Diane Serratore, executive director of People to People, said in a letter to supporters that she expects more children to need help getting school supplies through People to People’s “Back to School with Dignity” program that provides backpacks, pencils and every other kind of school supply for kids heading back in September.  Last year, more than 2,200 children received some school supplies through the program. This year, People to People plans on readying 3,500 backpacks full of school supplies for kids, Serratore wrote.

It’s a tough time for everyone, but People to People is still seeing individuals and organizations pitch in. (Girl Scouts and the Town of Clarkstown are working together to collect food times for People to People and Meals on Wheels during several July community events, for example.) And school supplies are a major investment — those pencils, 2-inch binders, plastic folders, erasable pens, pencils, rulers, etc., add up fast. Those of us who can buy the supplies ourselves can look for 2-for-1 sales, etc., to start a little basket for People to People. That goes for food items, too.

Find out more at People to People’s Web site, www.peopletopeopleinc.org, or by calling them at 845-623-4900.

2003 FILE PHOTO: Girl Scout Jennifer Bryant, right, collects back to school items outside the Office Depot as part of People to People’s “Back to School with Dignity” program.  On left is the director of the program, Linda Protzmann.

When I spoke yesterday with state Sen. Thomas Morahan, R-New City, we discussed more than his decision to vote “no” if the gay marriage issue comes to a vote in the Senate. (See Opinion Exchange blog item here.)

Here are some comments from our conversation:

When asked why the Republican senators were now sticking to their calls for a  balance of power, even though they kept the lion’s share of member item money and other powerful tools during their long tenure in the majority:

You can rightfully say we did it when we were in charge. That’s true … We put rules in June 8 that acquiesce all the reforms that were asked for by good government groups and the minority (then the Democrats) last year … We didn’t do it before, but does that mean we don’t do it now?”

On concerns that bills aren’t being passed, including important legislation for his constituents (a “home rule” extender for Rockland County government’s added 1 percent to sales tax):

All the bills will be passed … Nothing will go through the cracks. … (it may take) maybe a day or two.

All these bills that have financial impact on the locals will get done. When? In time.

Remember, we used to be here doing a budget in August … months and months late.

Later that afternoon, Morahan sent out a press release on the Albany Senate standoff. It read, in part:

I want to take this opportunity to let you know that I share many of your concerns regarding the events that have been taking place in Albany over the past six months. I have been particularly angered by legislation that has adversely impacted my constituents in Rockland and Orange Counties. These actions were implemented by Senators, predominantly from New York City, who prior to June 8th, constituted the Senate Majority. Prior to June 8th the Senate Majority voted for the following:

• To impose new taxes and fees on middle class families

• To eliminate STAR Rebate Checks

• To pass a disastrous MTA bailout that shifted the burden to the Hudson Valley

• To increase spending by $12 billion

• To renege on their promises to reform the operation of the Senate

Unable to endure the adverse impact on important programs, services, and legislation that have adversely impacted the constituents I serve, I voted on June 8th for a change in leadership, and supported a bi-partisan reform coalition to protect Rockland and Orange from further harm. Unfortunately, the Senators who had held the majority refused to acknowledge the change of leadership, and have stalled action that would put critical reforms in place.