Timelines 6.11.14

Nyack DPW supervisor dies at 49

After a long, trying winter of fighting both heavy snows and cancer, Nyack Department of Public Works Supervior Victor Overton died of his illness last Friday.

Overton, a popular and ever-present figure in the Nyack community, worked almost to the day of his passing, making road repair plans after one of the most damaging winters in recent memory. As a lifelong Nyack resident, he was intimately tied to the community, performing his DPW duties while also serving as a volunteer firefighter.

Overton also oversaw the DPW during one of Nyack’s most trying times. After Hurricane Sandy, he took charge of emergency duties, assisting with cleanup in the riverfront community.

He is survived by his wife, two sons, three daughters, three brothers and three grandchildren.

 

Sontag pleads guilty, will repay money

Ramapo community leader Shimon Sontag pled guilty to third-degree forgery on Wednesday and agreed to pay more than $55,000 in restitution for filing a forged document to obtain a property tax exemption for a charity.

The guilty plea will not include jail time. However, Sontag, who acts as president of the Rose Ocko Foundation, is obligated to pay $55,129 to Ramapo to compensate for the fraud. Sontag sought to renew a tax exemption for the Foundation, a nonprofit established in 1978 to provide assisted living housing on a 34-acre plot in Ramapo.

Though construction and land improvements had not begun, Sontag filed papers with the Ramapo Tax Assessors’ Office which purported that improvements had been made and that the Foundation was consequently eligible for the tax credits. According to Sontag’s legal counsel, the filing was not made by Sontag.

 

Undercover child sex sting nets 22 in Florida

An online sting by police in two Florida counties nabbed 22 individuals who now stand accused of attempting to arrange sexual liaisons with underage girls.

The suspects were solicited online by undercover cops posing as teennage girls, then drawn to a vacant house in Clermont, Florida where they were arrested. Among those charged was Jeff Conrad, a former employees of Disney World, Ryan Mayer, a SeaWorld employee and Thomas Adames, a Universal Studios employee. Both parks stated the mens’ employment had been terminated after their arrest.

The sting also resulted in the arrest a Muslim youth counselor Ahmad Saleem. Saleem had also worked as an organizer for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Another phase of the sting where police posed as prostitutes and johns resulted in the arrest of 79 more suspects including two teenage girls, a pregnant woman and a man attempting to pimp his own wife.

 

Riot erupts outside concert at Metlife Stadium

A disturbance turned into a small riot at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey after a crowd of concertgoers who did not have tickets attempted to force their way inside late Sunday night.

The incident began when an altercation between concertgoers forced authorities to close the gates into the stadium during the Hot 97 Summer Jam, backing up lines and frustrating crowds of about 1,000 people. By 7 p.m., some attendees grew so frustrated that they began to hurl bottles at police, knock down metal barriers and climb fences to get inside.

In repsonse, police in riot gear blocked the entrance, ordered the crowd to disperse and eventually attempted to force the crowds back with crowd control noise machines, armored, military-style vehicles and tear gas, bringing the situation under control at around 10 p.m.

About 61 arrests were made, mostly for disorderly behavior but also for trespassing, weapons possession and soliciting without a permit. 10 New Jersey State Troopers sustained minor injured in the scuffle as well.

Vice President Biden’s son laid to rest in Delaware

Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden and a former Delaware Attorney General of Delaware, was buried in his home state on Saturday at a funeral service attended by over a thousand dignitaries.

The mourners, who included President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, gathered to celebrate the life of Beau, who died of brain cancer at age 46. Public mourning took place for three days prior and included an honorary laying of the casket in the Senate chamber on Thursday.

Like his father, Beau had a storied, promising political career. After a period of military service in Iraq, the younger Biden served as Delaware’s attorney general and had aspirations of governorship before his career was cut short by a stroke in 2010, his subsequent cancer diagnosis and a barrage of other health issues.

The Biden family is no stranger to untimely tragedies. Beau’s mother and infant sister were killed in a car crash when Beau was only 3-years-old.

 

American Pharoah wins first Triple Crown in 37 years

American Pharoah, the 3-year old bay colt who had previously astounded racegoers at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, became the first horse in 37 years to win the Triple Crown when he galloped to victory at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.

The betting favorite, though slow to start on a wet track, overtook the other horses by the first pole and maintained a steady pace. Ultimately, the horse finished with a time of 2:26.65, the sixth-fastest time in the storid history of the race.

American Pharoah is the first horse to win the prestigious award since Affirmeed’s victory in 1978 and the 12th overall. The horse also managed to finish two seconds off Secretariat’s record.

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