Archive for January, 2011
Lockouts Loom Large
Lately there’s been quite a bit of chatter in the media regarding an impending crisis of epic proportions. No, it’s not the serious business going on over in Egypt. And no, it’s not the economy-collapsing budget deficit poised to end humanity as we know it. Heck, it’s not even the rumored export of Jersey Shore [...]
Mt. Pleasant Residents Strongly Advised to Boil Water
Residents of Briarcliff, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Grasslands Reservation, Elmsford, Irvington, Hawthorne, Valhalla and Thornwood are strongly advised to boil their water before drinking it or using it for food preparation due to high turbidity at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Catskill Aqueduct. The precaution, issued by the Westchester County Health Department Sunday [...]
Byram Hills Projects 1% Spending Hike Next Year
Byram Hills school officials project a spending increase of about 1 percent for 2011-12, the second straight year there would be a minimal jump. Superintendent Dr. Jacquelyn Taylor said she was upbeat about the upcoming budget, particularly in a difficult economy with the persistent challenge to preserve the district’s programs. Taylor and school trustees explained [...]
Take a Stay-cation to Eataly
We’re all tired of winter, and if you’re like me, longing for the tastes of summer. I found them on my visit this week to Eataly. A project of the B&B Hospitality group, Eataly is a gastronomic wonder. There are marketplaces selling all things food, such as pastas (4 aisles worth!), fish, cheeses, meats, wines, [...]
Two Locals Join Lincoln Hall Board
John L. Corcoran of Yorktown Heights and Edward G. Angelini of Baldwin Place have been elected to the Board of Managers of Lincoln Hall, President Douglas W. Wyatt, Esq. announced this week. “These two local residents join another Somers resident who is already a member of the Lincoln Hall Board, James L. Garrity, a former [...]
Mt. Pleasant Officials to Meet Obama’s Education Secretary
Mount Pleasant School District officials will be traveling to Colorado in February to meet with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan through a program paid for by the Ford Foundation. Mount Pleasant is one of 150 school districts that will be participating in the federally-sponsored conference “Advancing Student Achievement through Labor-Management Collaboration” on Feb. 15 [...]
Children Need More Sleep, But When Do They Have Time?
Left to their own devices, children would go to bed around midnight and pop up at the crack of dawn just to be sure they didn’t miss anything. But when you add up homework, sports, music lessons, and early school buses, a midnight to 6 a.m. is about all the time kids have left for [...]
Mount Kisco Library to Reopen
The Mount Kisco Library will reopen tomorrow. “We apologize for any inconvenience to our library patrons for the closure of the Mount Kisco Public Library” library director Susan Riley said in an email blast. “The Library will resume operations on Friday, January 28, but due to ongoing repairs, the children’s and teen rooms will be [...]
Eldridge Vetoes Term Limit Legislation
Putnam County Executive Paul Eldridge vetoed legislation passed last year by the county legislature to enact term limits. In a letter explaining the veto, Eldridge said the resolution that was passed incorrectly uses the word “tolling,” making the term limits inapplicable for an indefinite period of time. Eldridge vetoed the legislation Monday after last week [...]
Water Problems at Mt. Kisco Library
Faced with its second water problem in less than a week, the Mount Kisco Library was closed today. It was announced at Monday’s village board of trustees meeting that the children’s department on the left side of the first floor received damage when a sprinkler malfunctioned and went off.
Content Really Does Rule, But Businesses Need a Plan
The other day — quite possibly for the 50th time — I heard someone ask “So which is better for my business, Twitter or Facebook?” My standard response to that question has become: “Which is more useful to a carpenter — a hammer or saw?” The problem — and yes it is a very big [...]
Hayworth Responds to President’s State of the Union
Republican Congresswoman Nan Hayworth, who won election last year in part by highlighting her objection to President Obama’s agenda, quickly released a statement tonight criticizing the State of the Union. “In last year’s address the president claimed that job creation was his ‘number one focus,’ yet unemployment remains stagnant at over nine percent,” she stated. [...]
Mt. Kisco Residents to Be Hit With Hefty County Tax Hike
Mt. Kisco Mayor Michael Cindrich said village property owners could be hit with as much as a 9 percent county tax increase because the municipality is being penalized for having completed a more recent revaluation. Even though the board of legislators approved a 2011 budget that cut the tax rate by 2.2 percent, Mt. Kisco [...]
The Key to Retail Success
The neighborhood “variety store” was the cornerstone of communities in the 1960s and ‘70s. Every customer was respected, valued, and treated with care. The store carried everything for the home. And, if what you needed wasn’t in stock, the manager would order it for you. Fast forward 40+ years. Louis Bastone just took over and [...]
Jets Crash and Burn in Pittsburgh
Those sounds you hear are the collective sighs of millions of Jets fans in the wake of their team’s humiliating 24-19 defeat last night to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. In a contest that wasn’t nearly as competitive as the final score might indicate, not only did the “Same Old Jets” fail [...]
Panera Cafes to Donate to N. Westchester Hosp. Foundation
During the month of February, Panera Bread Cafes in Bedford Hills and Yorktown Heights will be raising money to contribute to the Northern Westchester Hospital Foundation to support its drive for free mammograms for the uninsured. This donation will assist individuals who do not have the funds or insurance needed to diagnose breast cancer, which [...]
Skarstad, Berard to Run Unopposed in Pleasantville
Deputy Mayor Brian Skarstad and Trustee Mindy Berard have announced they are running for another term on the Pleasantville Village Board. Skarstad and Berard, both members of the Village Party, will be unopposed for the March 15 election. Village Trustee Stephen Lopez confirmed this weekend the New Pleasantville Party will not nominate any candidates for [...]
Professional Women of Putnam: ‘Celebrate Your Heart’
Heart disease is the number one killer of women and the Professional Women of Putnam is planning an evening of education, networking and hands on demonstrations to help educate women and to fight the disease. Almost 420,000 women die annually from cardiovascular diseases. That’s more female lives taken than from the next four causes of [...]
P’ville Considers Sale of Village Hall
Pleasantville officials are considering a major move that would see village hall sold to a private enterprise and turn the United Methodist Church on Bedford Road into the new municipal building. Mayor Peter Scherer said Thursday night on his PCTV cable show “Inside Government” that the church would then buy the village’s old recreation center [...]
Eldridge Names Tully Deputy County Executive
John Tully wasn’t out of county government for long. Tully was tabbed by County Executive Paul Eldridge to serve as his deputy, the same position he held under former county executive Bob Bondi, Eldridge announced Friday. “With all the key issues facing the county including the Route 6 landfill closure, our bikeways, working with our [...]
The Myth of the Mousetrap
I’m sure most of you are familiar with the old axiom, “if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.” For many of us, this is a guiding principle when we start our own businesses. Most entrepreneurs generally believe that their product or service is better than what the [...]
Zherka Affiliated with Roma Building Buy
The Roma Building, which has been a staple of Yorktown Heights for more than 50 years, has been sold to a holding company that lists Selim “Sam” Zherka, the publisher of the Westchester Guardian, as its president and director, for $2.6 million. Joseph Roma constructed the building in 1961 and with his family maintained it. [...]
TBS in Mahopac Holds Millennium Breakfast
Temple Beth Shalom in Mahopac will hold its annual Millennium Breakfast this Sunday, Jan. 23, at 10:30 a.m. The breakfast will feature several guest speakers, and the topics will include their outlook for 2011 and the Arizona shooting. County Executive Paul Eldridge, former county executive Bob Bondi, Judge Jim Reitz, Deacon John Scarfi of St. [...]
Westchester Social Media ‘Experiments’ Yielding Results
Those who know me, know that I’ve been experimenting with social media for the past two years. In fact, a great deal of what I’ve learned has been through trial and error. Fortunately, we don’t have to gain all of our knowledge in this way, because there are others all around us conducting their own [...]
Office for the Aging Seeking Volunteers for Tax Program
The Putnam County Office for the Aging is looking for volunteers to help the county’s senior citizens complete their 1040 forms.
PCTV Hosting Two Live Call-in Shows
Pleasantville Community Television will be hosting live call-in shows with elected officials the next two nights. County Legislator John Nonna will be taking the public’s comments and questions on the 2011 Westchester County budget on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. On Thursday night, Jan. 20, Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer will also host a live [...]
Paper and (i)Pad
Yes. The world has changed a lot since 1956 when I was born. I grew up with a manual typewriter and Slicker lipstick. I shopped at the corner store (and the term “big box” only referred to things made of cardboard). Many business owners are struggling with the many changes that have happened so rapidly [...]
Book Talk with Roger Jewell at Field Library in Peekskill
This coming Wednesday, on January 19, at 7 p.m., The Field Library will present the first author visit and book-signing of the new year, a lecture with Roger L. Jewell, author of the recently published book, The Sawmill River Valley War. Following the characteristic path of classic research, The Sawmill River Valley War started with an investigation [...]
The Game is Afoot!
Rex Ryan did it. Last night he swept Jets fans off their feet by going toe-to-toe with the mighty New England Patriots and delivering a swift kick to Bill Belichick’s backside. Sure, no one can accuse the Jets of operating on a shoestring budget, but they simply refused to shoot themselves in the feet like [...]
Garrison Library Hosts MLK Events
The Desmond-Fish Library in Garrison will be honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday evening and Monday afternoon with a potluck supper and a series of guest speakers.
