NY - Court Tosses Village of Woodbury Law to Block Sale of Water to Kiryas Joel

GOSHEN – A State Supreme Court justice has declared a Woodbury village law that prohibits the sale of ground water within its bounds to other municipalities null and void. The ruling by Justice Lawrence Ecker tossed the local law saying the state, not a local municipality, has control over groundwater and what it wants to do with it.

The Woodbury Heights Estates Water Co., Inc. filed the law suit against the village. The company owner argued that the real purpose of the local law was to prevent his development of Forest Edge subdivision, and, consequently to stop the expansion of the Hasidic Village of Kiryas Joel in the area.

The company’s owner, Zigmond Brach had sold property in the village months after the law was adopted so that Kiryas Joel could build a water tower to provide its residents with potable water.

The Village of Woodbury sought to block that maintaining Brach did not obtain subdivision approval. But, Supreme Court Justice Elaine Slobod ruled in favor of Brach contending Woodbury could not indirectly affect KJ’s property rights by seeking an order compelling Brach to rescind the deed.

Harriman, NY - Police Investigate Anti-Semitic Lettering in Wal-Mart

MONROE – When Moishe Schwartz, a resident of Monroe walked through the crafts section of Wal-Mart in Harriman late Wednesday night, what he saw made him feel faint.

He had just been released from the hospital the day before for his heart condition and when he walked down the aisle and saw wooden letters on a counter spelling out, “JewKill,” he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Schwartz, 61, an Orthodox Jew, reported it to store security and the Monroe Barracks of the State Police. A trooper came over and took a report and Schwartz took a picture.

Schwartz, a retired New York City EMS worker, was shaken by the incident.

“I’d had been working with the 911 system in New York City for 21 years and I have seen a lot, but when it comes to my backyard where most of the customers are Jewish people, and to see that, I felt very bad and I notified the State Police,” he told MidHudsonNews.com.

State Police, meanwhile, are investigating the incident as being bias-related, said BCI Lt. Brian Shortall. Police will review the store surveillance video to see if it provides any leads as to who spelled out the slur.