Archive for June, 2011
Cuomo Signs Tax Cap into Law in Pleasantville
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, surrounded by local state legislators, signs the tax cap bill into law in Pleasantville. After years of discussion, it took Gov. Andrew Cuomo six months in office to sign a property tax cap into law. Cuomo officially signed the bill on Thursday afternoon during a ceremony in Pleasantville that will limit village, [...]
Patterson Man Killed in Car Crash
A Patterson man was killed Wednesday evening in a car accident at the intersection of Routes 22 and 164 in the town, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office reported in a statement released late Wednesday night. Investigation suggests James Dalton, a 79-year-old Farm to Market Road resident, entered the intersection while trying to make a left [...]
Faith Bible Church Hearing Adjourned
Mohegan Lake residents will have to wait a little longer to find out the fate of the Faith Bible Church’s proposed expansion. Last Thursday, the Zoning Board of Appeals decided to adjourn the church’s application for several variances related to the church’s plans for expansion until an August 11 meeting. The decision came after a [...]
Ossining Ponders Significant Changes
The Village and Town of Ossining are working together to choose a consultant to look at the governmental structure of both municipalities. The municipalities have narrowed it down to two different consulting firms, CGR and Fairweather, and will make a decision at Tuesday’s board meeting. At a joint meeting on June 16 the municipalities heard [...]
Katz and Kolb Call for Constitutional Convention
Assemblyman Steve Katz (R-99) was joined by Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (R-129) Tuesday at the Mahopac Library to discuss holding a special Constitutional Convention to make changes to the New York State Constitution. Both Kolb and Katz favored the idea of calling for a Constitutional Convention before 2017, when the voters will automatically be [...]
Honoring History and Soldiers in Cortlandt Manor
The 10th annual open houses at Old Saint Peter’s Church and the Van Cortlandtville Historical Society’s Little Red Schoolhouse in Cortlandt Manor on Sunday, July 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. will shed light on the area’s participation in the American Revolution and honor the soldiers who fought. The events are open free to the [...]
Ossining Director to Lead WCSMA Band in 2011-2012
The Ossining School District Director of Cultural Arts, Bradley Morrison, has been selected by the Westchester County School Music Association (WCSMA) to serve as conductor of the WCSMA Elementary All-County Band in 2011-2012. Each year, the association chooses to honor one WCSMA member in each of three areas – band, chorus and orchestra – by [...]
Newcomer Jumps into North Castle Town Board Race
Matthew Rice didn’t plan on running for local political office upon moving to Armonk with his family two years ago. But after watching some of the issues unfold during that time and the controversial debates that have erupted and taken over the spotlight, Rice thought he could provide a fresh perspective to the town. Last [...]
Young Yorktown Advocates United Reach Financial Milestone
The peer-to-peer group Young Yorktown Advocates United (YYAU) has achieved its first financial milestone by raising the $5,000 needed to bring the non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms to Yorktown. YYAU is a group of local youth whose mission is to discover healthy outlets for the youth population so they can express their individuality and their [...]
Yorktown Officials Want a Probe on Audit Leak
Yorktown Town Board members announced during their meeting on Tuesday, June 21 that they wanted an investigation conducted to uncover who among them leaked the town’s confidential draft of the state comptroller’s office audit results. Councilman Jim Martorano, an attorney, said that he initiated a probe to see who gave members of the media access [...]
Bio-Tech Development Near Westchester Medical Center Mulled
Mount Pleasant Supervisor Joan Maybury said last week she was receptive to the concept that calls for a bio-tech business near the Westchester Medical Center that would also include a children’s museum, hotel, assisted living facility and retail on the 80-acre site. At the June 21 town board work session, developer John Fareri and his [...]
Back in the Blogging Saddle Again
More than two months ago, as I started to feel the time crunch from my many activities — career, family, community and other — I wrote a column about the importance of consistency when publishing a blog. I had been struggling to find the time to write my weekly columns, and I think the words [...]
Senate Votes to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage; Gov. Makes it Law
The New York State Senate voted Friday night to legalize same-sex marriage and the governor swiftly signed the bill into law. New York is the sixth state in the nation — and the most populous — to legalize same-sex marriage. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo had lobbied lawmakers to pass the measure, and signed it into [...]
MLB Closers Wanted: Suspected Trade Deadline Closers
Come the trade deadline, many players will move and that includes closers. I have no doubt that right after the All-Star game, several players will start to move. Teams that are competing are almost always looking for bullpen depth. That can spell doom for your closer or create a closer from a top-notch setup man. Some [...]
Support Connection Reschedules Peekskill Home Run Derby
Support Connection, Inc, announced a new date for its second annual Home Run Derby for a Cause. Originally scheduled for today, it has been rescheduled to Friday, Sept. 9 due to inclement weather. If you registered already, you will be kept on the list for Sept. 9. Additional registrations accepted until Sept. 1; space is [...]
Ball Says He’ll Vote Against Same-Sex Marriage
After weeks of saying he was undecided on the issue, Sen. Greg Ball announced Thursday night that he would vote against legislation legalizing same-sex marriage. “Knowing that marriage equality was likely to pass, I thought it important to force the issue of religious protections,” Ball said in a statement, released shortly after 8:15 p.m. Thursday. [...]
Minus Full-Day Kindergarten, Mahopac Budget Passes
After the board scrapped plans to expand to a full-day kindergarten program, the Mahopac School District’s 2011-2012 budget passed, on its second try, with 54 percent supporting it Tuesday. The $111,011,490 budget represents an approximately $1.8 million decrease from the budget voted down on May 17. The budget, which passed with 1,929 votes for and [...]
Peekskill Drug Sweep Nabs 22 Arrests
A drug raid in Peekskill kicked off a large-scale drug sweep by the city, state and county police resulted in the arrests of 22 people on narcotics related charges. The City of Peekskill Police, Westchester County Department of Public Safety, and the New York State Troopers, had been working in a collaborative effort over the [...]
Flower Power
1. What type of plants would grow in a sunny, hot, southern exposure in a ground which is very moist (even though it is in a sunny spot). M.G from Ridgefield, Ct Although it may look like a very difficult site to garden in, there are many many trees, shrubs and flowers that [...]
Sabermetric Buy-Lows and Sell-Highs-Starting Pitchers
*** Fantasy Phenoms PLUS Preview*** At this point in the season, trading for the right players and trading away the right players can make all the difference. Sure seeing a solid pitcher with an ERA over 4.00 may not seem like a desirable “buy-low” move. However, looking at the Sabermetric Pitching Index lets us track those pitchers [...]
Ossining’s Wadi Jones Makes So You Think You Can Dance Top 20
Wadi Jones of Ossining is one of the 20 finalists on Season 8 of the dance competition television show “So You Think You Can Dance,” which airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Fox. The 24-year-old specializes in hip-hop and breaking and, with the exception of three months of formal contemporary dance training and [...]
Grace and DeChiaro: Possible Running Mates
Two challengers to the Yorktown Republican-endorsed candidates are circulating petitions together and are generating talk that they plan on running as a ticket. Local lawyer Michael Grace and Winery at St. George owner Tom DeChiaro are gathering signatures to force a primary for
The Closer Report Rankings
The Closer Report: Closer Power Rankings Every two weeks throughout the baseball season, The Closer Report will provide the Closer Report Power Rankings. These power rankings are not based on a closer’s legacy, name, or team. It’s based on a formula that considers the pitchers historical stats, current stats, reliability, injury, and more importantly what [...]
The Examiner’s Sam Barron: Movie Marathon Man at The Burns
I think the moment I appreciated the 24-hour movie marathon was on Sunday at 4:55 a.m., when Theater 1 was showing “Play Dirty,” a 1968 Michael Caine movie set in World War II. Maybe five people had seen this movie in the last 39 years, yet at nearly 5 a.m. the theater was half full, [...]
Ball Potential Swing Vote on Same-Sex Marriage Law
The past two weeks, Sen. Greg Ball found himself in the forefront in the debate over legalizing same-sex marriage, as the Senate headed is now as little as one vote shy of passing the Marriage Equality Act, according to some reports. Ball is one of a few Republican senators who remains undecided, but has said legislation put [...]
Mount Kisco Trustees Ban Crematoriums
Despite a lawsuit threat, the Mount Kisco Village Board of Trustees voted unanimously on June 13 to ban crematoriums. Currently, there are no crematoriums in the village, but Oakwood Cemetery has plans for one on its Lexington Avenue properties. Members of the cemetery board told the trustees during an April public hearing that a crematorium [...]
Autism and Eye Contact
Question: Can a child who makes eye contact and who relates well with his parents be autistic? – Sarah in Hartsdale Answer: That is a good question, as it is often confusing when a child has a delay in development but also has notable strengths. Eye contact in particular has received much attention, and the [...]
New Political Party Formed in North Castle
Hoping to halt the nasty bickering that has pervaded North Castle politics, a coalition of town residents with varied political affiliations has formed a new party to wage an issues oriented campaign this fall. Alliance North Castle announced on June 16 its endorsement of candidates from the Democrats and Republicans who recently declared their candidacies. It [...]
Rohde Appointed Veterans’ Director in Putnam
County Historian Karl Rohde, a past state commander of the VFW and a former Kent councilman, was appointed the Veterans’ Director of the Office of Veterans’ Affairs for Putnam County, County Executive Paul Eldridge announced Friday afternoon. The appointment must now be confirmed by the legislature. “Although our office received numerous resumes from well-qualified individuals [...]
Vincent Kwarula, A Truly Inspirational Man, Soccer Coach and Humanitarian
Sometimes I am lucky enough to meet people who inspire me. Vincent Kwarula is one of these people. I first met Vincent when he coached my youngest son in soccer several years ago. I knew from the moment I watched Vincent interact with his young players that he was a special man. He has an [...]
