Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake
PA S C AC K VA L L E Y ’ S H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R
VOLUME 26 ISSUE 12
Stellar student
JUNE 6, 2022
ALL-AMERICA TEAM PLAYERS
HILLSDALE
OLDER RESIDENTS ON MIDDLE SCHOOL SPENDING
Voices from the road show; trustees vote June 13 on options for George G. White, up to $82.5M BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
Hillsdale Public Schools Superintendent Robert Lombardy told about three dozen senior residents at a May 26 public forum that using the stateʼs property tax “senior freeze” program was one way they might limit their local tax bite should local voters approve an $82.5 million referendum to replace the century-old George G. White Middle School. However, school trustees must
See OLDER on page 284
HOT SPOTS
ON DEER College lacrosse powerhouses from valley STRIKES AS NUMBERS UP
J
Pascack Press reviews police reports: trends on locations and time
BY NOAH SCHWARTZ OF PASCACK PRESS
The Shy Touba Memorial Scholarship goes to Michaela Keenan, pursuing an MLS at Clarion University. SEE PAGE 21
RIVER VALE
LAROCCA has put together one of the most prolific careers in the history of womenʼs lacrosse at The College of New Jersey. The Pascack Valley High School alum and River Vale native was recently named to the Division III All-America first team after breaking the program record for points in a season with 140. The senior ranked second on the team with 63 goals, while her 77 assists were best on the Lions. She finished sixth in the nation in assists per game at just under 3.7. She recently became just the third player in school history to total more than 100 goals and 200 points in a career. Over the course of her senior season, LaRocca had numerous record-setting performances, including a 12 point, 10 assist game against Ramapo College in the regular season finale. The 10 assists tied a program record. She also matched the Lionsʼ single-game mark with 13 points in a March victory over ClaremontMudd-Scripps. LaRocca was named the NJAC Attack Player of the Year for her efforts, as she led TCNJ to an 18-3 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament semifinals. While LaRocca was producing for her team on the offenENNIFER
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
LAROCCA
sive side, few players in Division III have been better in net than Allyn Lilien, a graduate student at Montclair State. The goalkeeper hails from the Township of Washington and played at Westwood Regional High School. Lilien finished her final collegiate season with 132 saves and myriad accolades to add to her resume. She was selected to the DIII All-America third team for a second time and became the second player in school history to be an All-American twice. She was also picked as the New Jersey Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and was named first team All-NJAC and
PHOTOS COURTESY RESPECTIVE SCHOOLS
LILIEN
first team All-Boardwalk Region. Lilien ended her career with a .520 save percentage and 20 victories, which ranks fourth and sixth on the programʼs leaderboard. Lilien not only stood out during her college career on the field for the Red Hawks but also in the classroom, where she majored in mathematics. Based on her scholastic achievements, she was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District team for the second time. — Noah Schwartz is an Ithaca College senior studying sports media and journalism.
Deer–vehicle collisions have increased over the last two full years from 2020 to 2021, with police accident reports showing about a 20% increase. A Pascack Press review found a large percentage of those accidents occurring on Rivervale Road, Piermont Avenue and Westwood Avenue. Other township roads were also cited regularly in reports of deer–vehicle mishaps, including Prospect Avenue, Poplar Road, and Orangeburgh Road. And true to prior warnings, the majority of accidents — 70 reported accidents over 2020 and 2021 — occurred around dawn and dusk though accidents also seem to be occurring randomly at all hours of the day, meaning a deer may be active and enter a roadway when you least expect it. So far by May 2022, 12 deer had been killed in deer–vehicle collisions, slightly lower than prior years. “We have approximately 20 to 25 deer crossing signs posted throughout town. That includes county and municipal roads. On all county roads there is a sign near the entry of the road in both directions.
See HOT SPOTS on page 164
LENDING A HAND
B ck in time...
Students from Jeff Jasper’s PVHS government class volunteer to run a poppy drive at school ontwo mornings the week prior to Memorial Day.
Our snapshot of Chestnut Ridge Road in Montvale in the early 1960s shows a new St. Joseph Regional High School and a portion of the pony farm that worked next door. SEE PAGE 4
SEE PAGE 22