The Journal News from White Plains, New York • Page 3

Rockland Journal-News JN Jf Saturday, November 29, 1997 3A Local NewsTony Davenport: 578-2424 elHat of the Cat in to Hot oo toe I i -'V 6a said. "He was very sympathetic. I felt he was sincere." Howling winds wreaked havoc on the 17 balloons, which normally float three to four stories above the street. Most never got more than a few feet off the ground. Parade-goer Margaret Francke-Olano, 34, of West Nyack saw a number of banged-up balloons and floats at 44th Street at Times Square.

Francke-Olano, a speech therapist whose husband is a city police officer, was in an area reserved for officers' families. "They had a lot of trouble with the Pink Panther," Francke-Olano said. "I saw it come down on people. The Snowman lost his head. One officer was diving to get the head." Francke-Olano said she heard talk about the Cat in the Hat bringing down a street lamp.

"I can imagine how frightening that would be," she said. "I hope they are all right. It would would have put a cramp in anyone's day." It was more a headache for Clohessy, whose Thanksgiving meal was a hospital box dinner with a turkey sandwich as the main course. She could not eat anyway since the morphine and antibiotics they gave her made her sick. Her first meal was stuffed shells at home not exactly the traditional meal of the day.

"It was Thanksgiving, and I never had a piece of turkey," she Pearl River woman recovering from parade injuries By Steve Lieberman Staff Writer Maria Clohessy will never forget the Cat in the Hat or her first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan. Ferocious winds and the mischievous cat combined to send the 44-year-old Pearl River woman to a Manhattan hospital, where she spent most of her Thanksgiving. "I was watching the Cat in the Hat hit the lamppost three times," Clohessy said yesterday morning. "The third time the post just went. I put up my left hand.

As the pole came, it caught my hand and head." Clohessy, a mother of three grown children, needed 14 stitches to close a 2-inch-wide gash to her head. She broke a middle finger and suffered ligament damage to a thumb. Thanksgiving Day started off just fine for Clohessy, who wanted a firsthand view of the parade. She and her boyfriend, Fred Sasparini, got a good spot at 72nd Street and Central Park West, just across from the Dakota apartments where John Len-non was killed in 1980. The weather was brisk but great.

The atmosphere was festive among the estimated 1 million parade-goers lining the 2 Ve nule route from the Upper West Side to Macy's flagship store at Herald Square on West 34th Street. Clohessy and Sasparini laughed and pointed at balloons, dancers, singers and floats. No problems from Big Bird or Arthur. Spider-Man defied the wind as he went by. Then, winds of 40 mph pushed around Dr.

Seuss' cat whose antics Clohessy once read to her children. The cat crashed into a street lamp, breaking off the metal arm. "It was great until then," Clohessy said. "Once in awhile, the winds would kick up, and a few of the balloons would hit the lampposts on both sides of the streets. I never even gave it a thought that the light could come down." When it did, Clohessy found herself surrounded by paramedics.

She got to St. Luke's Hospital at 10:30 a.m. She was home in Pearl River at 9:30 p.m. Kathy Caronna, 32, of Manhattan remained listed in critical condition yesterday with head injuries. Janet Keating, 45, and Jay Ackroyd, 39, both of Manhattan, were treated for bruises.

Clohessy said Caronna was about 3 feet from her. "I'm amazed I can walk away from this," Clohessy said. "The other woman was not as lucky. I hope she's OK." Clohessy did meet Mayor Rudolph Giuliani at St. Luke's.

"He spoke to the doctors," she 'i .4 i v. '3 Aiw' a) Maria Clohessy of Pearl River recounts the caroming-balloon incident that left her injured Thursday at the Thanksgivi ng Day Parade. At left is her boyfriend, Fred Sasparini who was with her at the ti me of the accident. 1 said. the holidays.

She considered vis- "Now I'm not too sure," she Clohessy's experience may iting Rockefeller Center's Christ- said, with a laugh. "If the tree keep the Bronx-born woman out mas tree which came from came down, it probably would of Manhattan when celebrating Stony Point. fall on me." Clarksfown police hunt leads in spate of 'kick-in' burglaries Being good, for goodness' sake 4" MWhen the lights are out during the early evening, you don't have to be a brain surgeon to figure out no one is home. 33 Detective Sgt. Bernard Cummings the lights are out at 4 o'clock in the morning, you can assume someone is sleeping." Most of the burglaries have been after the sun sets between 5 p.m.

and 8 p.m., police said. Tuesday night's burglaries were on Marten Drive and Strawtown Road houses within two blocks of one another, Sgt. Tim O'Neill said. The Strawtown Road burglary came first at 5:20 p.m. when police received the alarm, O'Neill said.

The Marten Drive house was hit soon afterward. The burglaries were similar to the previous 11, O'Neil said. Police found either a front or rear door knocked open, with jewelry andor cash taken from a bedroom. "We're usually getting two break-ins on the same night, within a small proximity of each other," O'Neill said. "These guys are not concerned about burglar alarms.

They are in and out." Though the burglaries are called "kick-ins," Cummings said he and other detectives are not quite sure how the burglars are breaking i I By Steve Lieberman Staff Writer NEW CITY They bust into unlit houses after dark and head straight for the master bedroom. They grab all the jewelry and cash they can find. Within minutes, they are gone. Sometimes they hit another house nearby. Police call them kick-in burglars.

This ring has hit 13 houses in the New City-West Nyack area since Sept. 8, stealing thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry, Clarks-town police said yesterday. One September burglary alone netted the thieves $8,000 in jewelry. Houses 12 and 13 were broken into Tuesday night in West Nyack. "These groups usually work with two to three guys, but I think this group could be anywhere from six to a dozen different players," Detective Sgt.

Bernard Cummings said yesterday. "They have been tough to catch." Cummings said he was confident the burglars eventually will trip themselves up or be spotted by a neighbor. As a general precaution, residents should install timers that turn on their house lights, Cummings said, or keep their lights on a small price in electrical costs compared with being robbed. These burglars are attracted to dark houses. To them, lights off means no one is home and they can get in and out without a confrontation, Cummings said.

"When the lights are out during the early evening, you don't have to be a brain surgeon to figure out no one is home," Cummings said. "If Vs; -1 Gerard Simonetti down doors. They have not found footprints on the doors or sledgehammer marks, he said. "Maybe they are using their bodies in the process," Cummings said. "They are just blasting the doors open." So far, this group has not moved to other neighborhoods or neighboring Orangetown which police said happens.

Orangetown police have not recently seen any such kick-in burglaries, though they have had their share in the past, Detective Sgt. Terry Hutmacher said yesterday. "Fortunately, we haven't had a rash or any definitive pattern like those in Clarkstown," he said. "These happen a lot this time of year. We had one group doing them in the past" However, Orangetown detectives have their own headaches with a few violent break-ins involving residents being beaten, as well as other nonviolent burglaries.

One Nyack case is linked to a recent Upper Nyack case being investigated by Clarkstown police. Detectives suspect the same man who robbed a woman by forcing her into an Upper Nyack house also robbed a Nyack woman inside a Gedney Street house. Orangetown detectives also are keeping in contact with South Nyack-Grand View police, who are working on eight house burglaries between Sept 21 and Oct 29. Thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry have been stolen in those burglaries. "Our burglaries have not shown any definitive pattern," he said.

"Clarkstown's situation has not gotten to us yet" in store James Lauler, the village's Commissioner for Buildings and Grounds. The village has two options to privatizing collection: It could go out to bid through the Rockland County Solid Waste Management or hire a contractor directly through bids. No decisions have been but the Board of Trustees plans to hold a workshop on the plan in the near future, Wassmer said. Trustee Angelo Cintron has some serious doubts about the plan, saying it could end up costing too much to village residents. "I'm concerned about the additional expense on the village.

This would not reduce their taxes," Cintron said. "This needs a great deal more study and input from the community. We are already highly taxed, and this is an additional hidden tax that could break the camel's back," he said. Cintron, the village's Commissioner of Public Works, said a breakdown of the hours spent on garbage collection and infrastructure work should be looked at by the village before making any decisions. V.

I V.V. U. .1 n. mm mmmimmmmtm Staff photoPeter Carr Joanna Berry, 8, of Upper Nyack puts afallen ornament back on the Christmas tree while munching on a cooki yesterday at the Ch ristmas tree I ighti ng ceremony i Nyack at Mai and Cedar streets. Santa arrived on a Nyack Fire Department i retruck after stopping off at Nyack Hospital to visit the pediatric ward.

Added tasks may be i. Staff photoPeter Carr Haverstraw had been obscured on Jefferson Street this year. which stretch from Battery Park in Manhattan to the town of Water-ford in Saratoga County, as well as provide recreational opportunities, promote tourism, boost agricultural efforts and highlight historic places. The council conducted numerous public hearings throughout the state in the late 1980s to learn what residents and municipalities wanted from the creation of the trail. A law was enacted in 1991 that made the council a permanent regional planning agency.

The same law created the conservancy, which aids projects that support trail expansion, regional tourism, agriculture, public access projects and natural and cultural resource protection. Vinciguerra said the conservancy provided a $23,000 grant to Haverstraw last year that enabled the village to make improvements at Emeline Park. Another $3,750 grant last year helped the county Department of Tourism produce a color map listing all of Rockland's hiking, biking, jogging and walking trails. works employees The river view at Jefferson Park in before renovations at the park and Greenway grants funds for parks By Laura Incalcaterra Staff Writer Children will get a chance to experience the river up close and parks will be improved, thanks to $5,500 awarded by the Hudson River Greenway Conservancy. Spring Valley's Housing and Community Development Office will receive $3,000 of the award for its Hudson River Enhancement Program.

The grant will let children participate in river-based activities. The goal is to allow children, inrlnHine manv who have never seen the river, to enjoy such activities as boating, fishing and hiking, Hudson River Greenway Conservancy executive director Maggie Vinciguerra said yesterday. Spring Valley Mayor Allan Thompson said the money would indeed be used to educate kids about the importance of the environment with program details still to be worked out. Also sharing in the award is Haverstraw Village, which was given $2,500 by the conservancy for planning and designing the Greenway Bowline Trail, Vinciguerra said. The walking trail also will provide exercise stations throughout the route, she said.

Yesterday, Haverstraw Village Mayor Francis "Bud" Wassmer said the money would enable the village for public Paths, pier, facades are possible projects By Diana Pena StaffWriter HAVERSTRAW Village officials are discussing a proposal to privatize garbage collection services and free up public works employees to work on projects. Mayor Francis "Bud' Wassmer wants trash services privatized so that the 11 employees from the Department of Public Works can dedicate more time to maintaining roads, public buildings and parks. They also expect workers to implement the village's comprehensive revitalization plan, which calls for the construction of a walking path, a fishing pier and facade program for downtown buildings. Only five of the workers currently do infrastructure work and respond to residents' calls alerting them to potholes and other problems around the vil lage. The remaining six work on collecting garbage every day.

Wassmer doesn't think five men can effectively take on the MThis needs a great deal more study and input from the community. We are already highly taxed, and this is an additional hidden tax that could break the camel's back. 33 Trustee Angelo Cintron workload. "We have a lot of things that get put off. Some of our sidewalks are over 100 years old.

We have signs that would take about a year to take down because we have so much garbage to pick up," he said. Although the plan will not return taxpayers' money, officials stress the physical appearance of the village will improve and increase homeowners' property values. "As a matter of fact, this is not intended to save money, but it will save money," said Trustee to continue improving its parks, which in turn boosts overall revita-lization efforts in the village. The village is in the process of building a trail around Bowline Pond. The trail will connect to a part of the Greenway Trail that already exists from the Nyack line to the Dutchtown section of Haverstraw.

On Wednesday, the village re-paved its newly widened Jefferson Street which is host to Jefferson Park. The Greenway Bowline Trail will pass Jefferson Park and eventually link up with Peck's Pond in the village of West Haverstraw, Wassmer said. Wassmer said work already completed opened up a clear view of Bowline Pond and Jefferson Park for the first time in years. The Hudson River Greenway Conservancy is an outgrowth of the Hudson River Greenway Council, formed to create the Greenway Trail, which links natural, cultural, agricultural and historical sites along the river. The goal is to preserve the sites,.