Mid Hudson Times Sep. 14 2016

TIMES MID HUDSON Vol. 28, No 37 3 SEPTEMBER 14 - 20, 2016 New World Swimmers 3-0 Page 14 Page 48 PFOS info meeting planned for Sept. 19 The New York State Department of Health, Tuesday, announced plans to test City of Newburgh residents for levels of water contaminant, which can be associated with severe health issues, following the discovery of the carcinogenic chemical PFOS in a city reservoir. The decision to test residents, long sought by city officials, has been hailed by elected officials. “My neighbors in Newburgh deserve clean drinking water, and they deserve to know of any health risks they may be facing because of years of unsafe drinking ONE DOLLAR SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR State orders blood tests BY SHANTAL RILEY [email protected] 3 water,” said Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney. “I’m glad that the New York State Department of Health has agreed with our call to test folks in Newburgh for contamination – this is a critical step to learning the extent of our exposure and determining the potential health effects of Continued on page 4 Rembering 9/11 Carl Aiello A City of Newburgh Fire Department Honor Guard stands at attention, Sunday morning, during the annual 9/11 Memorial Observance. More photos on pages 24-25. WWW.MIDHUDSONTIMES.COM ‘Light up’ petition Residents demand street lighting, video cameras in wake of shooting BY SHANTAL RILEY [email protected] One-by-one, they lined up to express their pain and concern over the recent death of an 18-year-old city resident shot in front of an unlit storefront. “My son was not the intended target,” said his grieving mother Jennifer Bediako, speaking in front of the Newburgh City Council Monday night. Bediako was joined by a slew of friends and family, appearing before the city council to demand working, videosurveillance cameras and adequate street lighting to keep residents safe from the kind of gun violence that took Keyshan Gayle’s life this month. Gayle was fatally shot in the back near the corner of Fullerton and Third Street on Aug. 30, just weeks after graduating from Newburgh Free Academy. His death comes amid a wave on ongoing gun violence plaguing the city. Bediako explained her son was shot in front of a store that was unlit, with a broken surveillance camera nearby. “It was pitch-black in front of that store,” the bereaved mother said. “We’re not going to tolerate it,” said Schnekwa McNeil. “We have to do more.” McNeil wielded a petition, signed by more than 2,000 people, asking the city to “light up” the streets with key cameras - mini cameras used on key chains, computers and small devices. Continued on page 2