New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that her office has reached agreements with Orange County and the Town of Chester to end their use of discriminatory housing practices that were designed to prevent members of the Jewish community from moving to Chester, New York. The agreements mandate that the county and the town comply with the Fair Housing Act and take preventative measures to ensure equitable housing practices moving forward. “The discriminatory and illegal actions perpetrated by Orange County and the Town of Chester are blatantly antisemitic, and go against the diversity, inclusivity, and tolerance that New York prides itself on,” said Attorney General James.

Emergency personnel were on the scene of a chopper down in Sullivan County in the Swan Lake area. The chopper went down at around 9:00AM in a wooded area (off Stanton Corner Road). Emergency personnel had to gain access using ATV’s and “brush unit” vehicles from the fire department. There are two occupants on the chopper. Both are in serious condition, one with a back injury, one with a leg injury. – both are conscious and alert. Two additional choppers have been requested to airlift both patients. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Over the past 18 years, thousands of travelers have made use of the Tefilas Mordche Mincha Area on the New York State Thruway, stopping on their way upstate for evening prayer services. Named in memory of Rabbi Mordechai Friedman Z”L, father of police chaplain Rabbi Abe Friedman, who dedicated his life to community service and to the Mincha Area in particular, the Sloatsburg rest stop has provided motorists with a safe location for prayer as they headed to the Catskills on Thursday nights. Having worked closely with the New York State Thruway Authority, the New York State Police and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, we are once again able to open the Mincha Area at the rest stop’s upper deck on Thursday, June 17th.

Three people are in critical condition after a head-on crash in South Fallsburg, Friday afternoon. Catskills Hatzolah, MobileMedics and Fallsburg Fire Department all responded to the crash at around 12:00PM in front of Skolya Bungalow Colony. Victims were pinned in the vehicle, and extrication was needed to remove them. There are three critical patients, one of whom is in traumatic arrest. Three Medevacs have landed to airlift the victims. DEVELOPING STORY JOIN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS WHO ALREADY ARE ALERTED OF BREAKING NEWS LIKE THIS IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be added to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A Shabbos afternoon accident on Main Street in Bloomingburg has sent a mother to Orange Regional Medical Center with minor injuries and her 3-year-old daughter was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center with a head injury. MidHudsonNews reports that at approximately 3:00PM, a car operated by a male allegedly swerved to avoid a squirrel in the roadway, drove onto the sidewalk where he struck a mother and her young daughter at the time. Catskills Hatzolah was assisted by Mobile Medics on the scene. The child was airlifted to Westchester Trauma Center. Her name for Tehillim is Toiva Raizel bas Malka Devorah Nechama [טויבא רייזל בת מלכה דבורה נחמה]. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

For the second time in two weeks, a Shul in the Catskills collapsed. The latest incident happened at around 10:00AM Monday morning, at the Chernovitz Bungalow Colony on Hasbrouck Road in Woodbourne. The Woodbourne Fire Department responded along with Catskills Hatzolah, the NY State Police and other emergency personnel. Thankfully, there are no injuries reported as the building was vacant, and the Sefer Torah was not in the building. Sources tell YWN that it appears that the collapse was caused by heavy snow and ice sitting io the roof for months. This is the same thing that caused a Shul to collapse at Laurel Ledge in Fallsburg, two weeks ago. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

NY Governor Cuomo says summer camps can plan on reopening this summer. Cuomo made the announcement at Wednesday’s press conference. “As of now, overnight summer camps can plan on reopening. That doesn’t happen until June and we hope the current trajectory stay until June 1. We’re keeping an eye on these variants of interest, but they can plan on reopening.” Beginning March 26th, indoor family entertainment centers can reopen, Cuomo says. Outdoor amusement parks can reopen on April 9. DEVEOPING STORY

The Shul at Laurel Ledge in Fallsburg collapsed on Tuesday morning. The roof reportedly collapsed due to heavy snow sitting on roof, and a heavy ice storm that fell overnight in the Catskills. Laurel Ledge is located on Laurel Avenue, just behind the Yeshiva of South Fallsburg. No one was injured in the incident. See the videos and photos below: (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)  
The post Shul At Laurel Ledge In Fallsburg Collapses From Weight Of Snow [VIDEO AND PHOTOS] appeared first on The Yeshiva World.

Thanks to a persistent NY State Trooper, a missing girl was miraculously found in a forest, Sunday afternoon. Sources tell YWN that Catskills Hatzolah and the NY State Police were called to a report of a missing teenager in the White Lake area. Upon arrival, first responders learned that a 16-year-old girl was missing in a heavily wooded area – with at least two feet of snow in many places. The search began, NYSP Zone Sergeant Hafele deployed a drone, while Trooper Nicholas D’Angelo of the New York State Police Liberty barracks began walking into the forest. Eye-witnesses tell YWN that the forest was covered in snow, and D’Angelo walked for hours, never relenting despite the snow and cold.

Oorah “The Zones” Camps have filed a lawsuit in Federal Court against Schoharie County alleging they were targeted for their religious views. Oorah claims their camps were the victims of discrimination over the way they were treated during last summer due to COVID restrictions against them versus other camps. Oorah has a boys camp in Jefferson and a girls camp in Gilboa, both in Schoharie County. As YWN reported extensively, NY Governor Cuomo had ordered all summer camps closed for the summer of 2020 due to CIOVID-19. Many camps – including Oorah opened as “family residences” and not as “camps”. In the lawsuit, Oorah says their First and 14th Amendment protections, for freedom of religion and equal protection, were violated.