Nyack New and Views

Super Bowl 2012: Indianapolis Today, Hollywood Tomorrow

by Max Cea Today is Super Bowl XLVI, the one day each year when football fans wish they had paid better attention when Roman Numerals where taught in elementary school. Today's event is the culmination of  the games and festivities that have been in full swing for weeks. Las Vegas oddsmakers are notorious for game-related bets including who will win the opening coin toss (1-2 odds favoring the Giants) and whether Kelly Clarkson’s bare midriff will be exposed when she sings the national anthem (1-3 odds). However, there is one bet that I have yet to hear: how long will it take for the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl matchups to be adapted into a major motion picture? It's not a question of "if," but "when." (read more)

CoreyToons: Welcome To The Future Haverstraw Bay

By Lee Corey United Water hopes to build a desalination plant at Haverstraw Bay on the Hudson River. (read more)

Winter Woes: Why Is it So Warm?

by Owen Voutsinas-Klose Have you noticed the unseasonably warm weather lately? Just about a year ago, our area was digging out from a Groundhog's Day Blizzard that shut down schools, closed businesses businesses and covered the streets with snow. This year is shaping up to be the second warmest Winter on record for our region. This is amazing and sometimes saddening to see we are not having the classic Winter weather promised to us by Mother Nature. (read more)

Gerrymandered New York: Eagles, Octopi and Aliens. Oh My!

by Elijah Reichlin-Melnick

In Part I of this two part series, Elijah Reichlin-Melnick looks at the history of the Dark Arts of political redistricting. Part II will examine why it's hard to draw lines everyone agrees are fair.

"A mother eagle feeding her young. An octopus after crashing through a boat propeller. A baby alien popping out of a stomach." In response to last week’s release of proposed district lines for the New York State Senate and Assembly, observers were left reaching for whimsical ways to describe the look of absurdly shaped districts that zig-zag crazily across the state with little apparent concern for any consideration other than the political survival of the incumbent legislators who drew them. (read more)

Study: Indian Point Threatens Water Supply

by Cliff Weathers The Indian Point Nuclear Facility in Westchester County threatens the drinking water to more than 11 million people in the region, according to a report released by an environmental advocacy group. Leaked radioactive contaminants in the event of even a minor mishap could put the health of 11.3 million people at risk, says the study from Environment New York. The report also shows that Indian Point threatens water supplies for more than twice as many people compared to any other nuclear facility in the nation. (read more)

Who Will Stop the Tappan Zee Bridge-doggle?

by Cap’n Transit Last week the Federal Highway Administration released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Tappan Zee Bridge reconstruction project. This is big news because it finds, in the words of an Associated Press writer, "no ecology obstacles" to the plan. However, lots of people who submitted statements in favor of transit on the bridge were frustrated because the project leaders refused to do more than build a car bridge that "will not preclude transit. (read more)

Nyack Sketch Log: Save Our Green House

by Bill Batson The man who built this house, with the benefit of slave labor, laid much of the foundation for the village we occupy.   Since his death in 1842, John Green’s house has had many owners and tenants.  Because of the neglect of its current absentee landlord, the building might soon crumble into dust. (read more)

Hyper-local Is For The Birds

By Jennifer Hausler Once the snow hits, and the ground is inaccessible, the action at bird feeders really picks up. That means the best time of year for bird watching has begun! The Audubon Society’s Great Backyard Bird Count was set up to help track wild bird populations. It helps scientists figure out which species are surging in numbers and which might be declining. (read more)

As Others See Us: Tappan Zee Bridge Storefront For Sale

StreetsBlog is running a caption contest for one of the empty storefronts in Nyack. Like many small businesses with a "For Sale" sign in the window, this shuttered storefront started with high hopes and ended with broken dreams. (read more)

Tron! and DVD: Bridging the Gap to a New Generation of Rap

by Max Cea Nyack’s Tron! and DVD are far from your traditional hip-hop duo. Most artists come from big cities but they grew up in a small village. The brothers don’t rap about peddling drugs or acts of violence. However, the process by which Norvin (Tron!) and Darian (DVD) Van Dunk have created a hip-hop network in Nyack is very similar to some of the earliest and most famous rappers. (read more)