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