Nyack Man Charged in $13,000 Theft of Unemployment Benefits

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe today announced that Andrew Naclerio (DOB 08/30/62) of Nyack, New York has been charged with:

* One count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class “D” Felony

* One count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a class “E” Felony

in a scheme to steal unemployment benefits.

Between October, 2010 and June, 2011, Naclerio allegedly applied for and received Unemployment Benefits from the New York State Department of Labor. Each week, the defendant would certify that he was unemployed and looking for work.

At the time, Naclerio was actively employed as a general contractor and a partner in a home improvement business.

According to the charges, the defendant collected benefits from the state’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) trust fund while earning a paycheck.

He is accused of illegally collecting nearly $13,000 in unemployment benefits.

The arrest of the defendant resulted from an investigation conducted by the Rockland County Special Investigations Unit and the New York State Department of Labor.

Naclerio was arraigned in the Village of Nyack Justice Court on June 14, 2011 by the Honorable Robert Lewis and was released after posting $1000 bail. He is due to return to court on September 22, 2011.

On July 20, 2011, the defendant was re-arrested after allegedly cashing two checks totaling $1500 at a local check-cashing establishment. It is alleged that Naclerio knew there were insufficient funds in the account to cover the checks.

The defendant was arraigned on the check-cashing incident in Clarkstown Justice Court by the Honorable Rolf Thorsen on July 20, 2011. He was released on his own recognizance.

He is due to return to the Spring Valley Justice Court on August 10, 2011.

The defendant faces up to seven years in state prison, if convicted.

Rep. Engel Calls on President Obama to Tighten Sanctions on Syria

Leads Bipartisan Group of 223 House Members 

Washington, DC—Today, Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-NY-17), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urged to President Barack Obama to respond to the repression in Syria by tightening sanctions against the regime.

“The Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad is murdering its own people.  Tanks and armed soldiers are attacking cities and civilians in this brutal campaign of repression.  The Administration’s actions taken so far against al-Assad, his family, and his associates have helped, but I believe it is time to significantly increase pressure by imposing penalties under the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Act of 2003 (Syria Accountability Act),” said Rep. Engel.

Rep. Engel was the author of the Syria Accountability Act, and is the lead Democratic sponsor of the Syria Freedom Support Act, along with Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL).  Along with Rep. Engel, the letter to President Obama (TEXT ATTACHED) is led by five other senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee:  Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-CA), and Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Steve Chabot (R-OH), and Connie Mack (R-FL).

Rep. Engel – No More Delays on a Jobs Bill

Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) called on the House Republican Majority to use the promising July jobs numbers to finally fulfill its promise to the American people to have a “laser-like” focus on jobs.  The self-inflicted distraction of the debt ceiling debate has passed, so there is no excuse to continue avoiding any kind of jobs bill to help Americans get back to work.

The July report indicated that not only did the nation add a total of 117,000 jobs, but the U.S. Department of Labor also amended the May and June reports by showing an additional 56,000 jobs added for those months.  The private sector added 154,000 jobs in July, with the state and local governments suffering job losses to drop the total down to 117,000.  A portion of those lost government jobs stemmed from the Minnesota government shutdown. 

“With 13.9 million Americans still out of work, the path to employment is long, and full of roadblocks.  Unfortunately, the federal government has been placing some of those obstacles up themselves,” the 12-term congressman said. 

“Many economists believe that deep budget cuts are bad for the economy, and that the federal government needs to spend to stimulate recovery.  A balanced budget is nice in concept, and important for families to achieve, but for the federal government it leads to situations where disaster victims were told they must find an offset before FEMA is able to help them recover after their town was destroyed.

“After opposing every jobs bill introduced in 2010, no one can be shocked they have ignored the unemployment problem since taking the majority.  

“Instead of putting the resources of the federal government to help the recovery and put more people back to work, the Republican agenda has focused more on repealing the Affordable Care Act, and eliminating the thousands of jobs connected to it.  The Tea Party-led Republican Majority led the nation to the brink of default for no good reason other than to advance their anti-government agenda.  The answer is not more rhetoric on lowering corporate taxes; in fact, total federal tax revenue as a percentage of Gross National Product has averaged 14.9% since January 2009, the lowest in decades.  It is expected to drop even further in 2011.  That type of policy is what got us in this mess in the first place. 

“Let’s stop the ideological gamesmanship, work together, and produce a jobs bill which helps the unemployed and aids employers at the same time.”

Jaffee Bill to Stem Female Substance Abuse Signed in to Law

Albany, NY – In the growing fight against substance abuse, New York women are getting a new ally now that the Governor has signed in to law legislation (A1078) sponsored by Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee (D-Suffern) to provide medical professionals with tools to better diagnose those suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.

“With this legislation in action, women and their families will no longer have to worry about the stigma associated with seeking help for substance abuse”, said Jaffee. “Women deserve the peace of mind knowing their health care providers are equipped with the knowledge necessary for diagnosis and treatment.”

Jaffee’s legislation will require the Commissioner of the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Department of Health, to provide and publish educational materials for health care providers regarding the best practices for screening, assessment, and diagnosis of women for alcoholism and chemical dependency.

As chair of the Assembly Task Force on Women’s Issues, Jaffee has closely followed the rising number of women suffering from alcohol and substance abuse. According to a recent study, there has been a 50% increase in the number of women reporting alcohol abuse in recent years.  Furthermore, federal health researchers reported a staggering 84% of the annual average of the 6.3 million women aged 18 to 49 requiring treatment annually for substance abuse neither received treatment nor were perceived as needing it by medical professionals.  

These alarming trends indicate a dire need for increased and improved education regarding the growing problem of female substance abuse. In light of this, Jaffee led the push for the advancement of this care-strengthening legislation, garnering near-unanimous bi-partisan support in both houses.

“I am hopeful this legislation will not only help women obtain more timely diagnosis and treatment, but also shed light on this pressing health issue”, said Jaffee. “Alcoholism and substance abuse have long been considered a disproportionately male problem. Unfortunately, the statistics reveal that women are equally likely to use and abuse. This bill will certainly aid in breaking the silence.” 

Recent Rockland Community College Achievements

Ramapo, NY – Recent performances, publications, presentations, awards and other notable achievements of Rockland Community College students, faculty and staff.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS 

Nursing Student Diane Spuler won the Rockland County Nurse Recognition Day Scholarship.

Max Tassy won the 84^th annual Golden Gloves Competition at Madison Square Garden.

Herve Alexandre won First Place in the May 25^th Amateur Night competition at the Apollo Theater in Manhattan.

John Nash won the "My Movie Pitch," contest, with his movie Mr. Stache.  The short film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.  The contest is sponsored by the Tribeca Film festival and American Express.

At the Beacon Conference at Lehigh-Carbon Community College, RCC students Chris Saffran and Laura Duran were named Best Overall Presenters in their categories. Saffran presented, "The Digital Natives are Restless," in the Social Sciences category. Duran presented "Shakespeare's Ariel and Caiban: The Others," in the Literature (Drama and Poetry) category. The aggregate of campuses sending students to Beacon represent 100,000 students. From this group, 66 students were invited to present at Beacon, and nine were from RCC.

FACULTY and STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS

Adjunct Nursing Instructor Christine M. Davies, RN, BSN, MA, CLNC was awarded the “Outstanding Student of the Year,” award at Pace University, where she has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her graduate studies while receiving a Master’s of Art in Nursing Education.   Davies was also inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and was honored at Commencement. 

Legislature Approves Wolfe’s Request to Add Flood Remediation Study to Capital Projects Budget

New City, NY (August 3, 2011) –  The Rockland County Legislature approved the request of Legislature Vice Chairman Alden H. Wolfe by voting to add a revaluation and updated study for a proposed flood remediation project along the Ramapo and Mahwah Rivers in Suffern to the Capital Projects Budget.  For many decades, the Mahwah River, which runs through Suffern into New Jersey’s Ramapo River, has been the source of significant flooding in Western Ramapo, predominantly in the Squire’s Gate and Lake Antrim areas of Suffern, as well as the area of Lake Road in Montebello.

The project was originally authorized by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1990’s under the Federal Water Resource Development Act of 1986, but lay dormant until 2000 when the involved parties (States of NY and NJ, Village of Suffern, Mahwah, NJ Township and the County of Rockland) expressed interest in resuming the project.  The Corps completed a feasibility study and reauthorized the project in 2008 and advised that it was ready to proceed with a reevaluation study to report on changed conditions and the potential for new or alternative plans.  The cost of that study is shared by the federal, state and local government.  The local government share in 2010 was $344,000.  Wolfe had requested that the Capital Project be increased to $400,000 to take into consideration any inflationary increases.

“I thank my colleagues for recognizing the importance of this long-delayed update,” said Wolfe. “This project has languished for years while our neighbors continue to suffer financial and emotional losses.  I trust that this commitment will allow us to finally move forward with this critical study, in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers and the States of New York and New Jersey.”

Simple Meets Special for Summertime Brunch

(Family Features) Gathering with friends and family for brunch is a fun and budget-friendly entertaining alternative.  To transform a brunch celebration from average to outstanding, follow some simple tips from Hollywood chef and caterer Paul McCullough.

"Brunches are the entertaining solution for any occasion. They're great for baby showers, birthdays, family reunions, weddings, or just gathering for fun. There's something revitalizing about friends and family coming together in the late morning, enjoying great food, coffee and conversation," says McCullough.

To get started, plan the menu around one of McCullough's simple, yet crowd-pleasing recipes:

Coffee Granita: Brew two cups of double strength coffee. Pour into a bowl and stir in a quarter cup of sugar until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Mix in one-half cup half and half. Place in an 8-inch square dish and freeze two to two and a half hours. After the first hour, use a fork to scrape up the coffee crystals; scrape again at the second hour mark. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve. For an upscale presentation, serve in a martini glass and top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

McCullough recommends using Starbucks Natural Fusions Vanilla flavored coffee for this refreshing treat because unlike other flavored coffees, it's made with natural flavors and real ingredients - like vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg - blended right in with the coffee.

Super Hero Scramble: Mix one pound sautéed spinach, one pound browned and crumbled turkey sausage, and one-half cup julienned sundried tomatoes, then set aside. Scramble eggs until almost done but still soft. Fold the spinach mixture through; then sprinkle with eight ounces of seasoned feta.

"A brunch should incorporate elements of breakfast and lunch with harmony. Contrast sweets like blueberry muffins and coffee-glazed scones with savory elements, like smoked salmon with capers and onions. Or try a scramble with new flavor combinations like chicken and asparagus or crab and avocado with a dollop of sour cream and chives," McCullough suggests.

Once you've decided on the menu, set the stage for a special morning with these fresh presentation ideas:

• Liven up bread baskets by lining them with fresh rosemary for added color and aroma.
  
• A cheese board makes for an attractive and functional display. Create the perfect mix of flavors with this twist on a familiar adage: Something old, something new, something smoked, something blue (e.g., aged cheddar, fresh bocconcini mozzarella, smoked Gouda and blue cheese). Water crackers and sliced baguettes will round out the presentation nicely.
  
• Create centerpiece arrangements using colorful veggies like Swiss chard, kale, parsley and bok choy. These beautiful and unique displays will cost less money than flowers, and can be incorporated into a meal in the near future.
  
• An omelet bar requires a fair amount of prep work for all the toppings, but it's a real favorite for guests and a sure way to satisfy picky eaters. Just remember to keep the guest list small or enlist a co-chef to handle all the enthusiastic orders. 

Owner of Paul's Kitchen catering business, McCullough specializes in classic American cuisine and is known for his simple and down-to-earth approach to cooking, resulting in upscale food that's not uptight. 

For more about Starbucks Natural Fusions flavored coffee, visit www.starbucks.com.

SOURCE: 
Starbucks