Archive for December, 2011
PV Man Forms Exploratory Committee for 90th Assembly District
A Putnam Valley resident and small business owner has filed the necessary paperwork to form an exploratory committee regarding a potential run at the 90th Assembly District currently held by state Rep. Sandy Galef. Dario Gristina, CEO of Genergy, a New York City-based energy and utilities monitoring and management firm, will most likely attempt his [...]
White Plains Examiner Sponsoring Send-Off Bash for Yorktown USA at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza
The White Plains Examiner is sponsoring a send-off party for Christina DeLeon, who was the inaugural Miss Westchester USA in 2011, on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza. The party starts at 7:30 p.m. at the White Plains restaurant. DeLeon will compete Jan. 13-15 in the 2012 Miss New York USA. The public is invited [...]
Eby Teaches Students Through Coaching and by Playing Soccer at a High Level
As a journalist sometimes you get lucky when researching a story and you come across something or someone that makes you do a double take and say to yourself “this is an amazing story that I can’t wait to tell people about.” A few weeks ago I started looking in doing a story about [...]
Riley Leaving as Mount Kisco Library Director
Mount Kisco Library Director Susan Riley, who oversaw the construction of a new library, is leaving her job later this month for the same post in Mamaroneck. Riley, a Brewster resident who has lead the Mount Kisco Library for the past 10-plus years, will leave her current job on Jan. 15 and take her new [...]
First Ever Toys for Tots ‘Winter Celebration’ Huge Success
What began as a simple jam session to raise money and toys for underprivileged children in the area transformed into a daylong “Winter Celebration” of community and the spirit of giving thanks to guitarist Bill Flash and the rest of his band. The event, which was held on Dec. 10 at the Brewster Ice Arena, [...]
Ossining Woman to Ride on Tournament of Roses Parade Float
On Jan. 2, while 47 million people across the U.S. watch the televised Tournament of Roses Parade, one northern Westchester resident will watch it up close, from a float, in fact. Mary Wu, a 29-year-old Ossining resident, has been selected as one of the 28 riders for the Donate Life float. “I am excited, humbled [...]
Village of Pleasantville Looking Ahead
It is not yet 2012, yet the Pleasantville Village Board is already looking ahead to 2013 and beyond. At a recent work session, the board discussed some of its upcoming costs in the coming years and what future budgets might look like. Like all municipalities across New York, the village has dealt with rising pension [...]
Pro Choice Group Criticizes Nonna
A Westchester-based pro-choice group has come out against an unlikely target. Choice Matters harshly criticized outgoing County Legislator John Nonna (D-Pleasantville) for recommitting a bill while in committee that would have provided women safe access to sites that perform abortions. Since the bill was recommitted, the Board of Legislators did not vote on it. By re-committing the bill, [...]
Ball Continues Campaign for Tough Fracking Standards
Trying to build on lessons learned from Pennsylvania’s drilling debacle, state Sen. Greg Ball continued his campaign for tougher regulations on hydraulic fracturing in New York State at Lewisboro Library this past Wednesday. Ball’s presentation, which was borrowed from the executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, focused on the environmental impacts of [...]
The Disappearance of Anonymous Comments Will Benefit Responsible Businesses & Individuals
There has been a great deal of talk lately about the value — and potential problems — of anonymous online comments. So much so, that in the past month alone we’ve seen major changes implemented at both the NYTimes.com and on The Journal News’ online website, Lohud.com. Feedback and engagement are highly sought-after components in [...]
Cindrich Seeks to Market Mount Kisco to Businesses
Mayor Michael Cindrich is making a push to market Mount Kisco as a good place to do business. At the Dec. 19 village board of trustees meeting, Cindrich said he wanted to meet with landlords of commercial buildings in the village in either late January or early February to discuss ways to encourage businesses to [...]
Route 120 Bridge Replacement Commemorated in Chappaqua
After more than a decade of design, discussion and construction, officials from the state and the Town of New Castle officially commemorated the opening of the new Route 120 bridge on Thursday morning. The bridge, which cost $20 million to replace, feeds directly into downtown Chappaqua from the Saw Mill River Parkway. It was fully [...]
Are You Getting a Return on Your Social Media Investment?
Was 2011 finally the year that you started seeing a return on your investment of time and money in social media? If the answer is no, fear not — you are not alone, and there is more hope than you know. There are still many businesses and organizations in Westchester that are not seeing positive [...]
Business of the Week: Buzz Creators
One of the hardest things to do in business is getting your message out. It is a matter of knowing what to say to whom and how. It has to have all the right ingredients or your potential client will not be receptive to it. It is a tough code to crack, so what do [...]
Lowey Blasts GOP for Inaction on Payroll Tax
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-Scarsdale) blasted House Republicans Tuesday for rejecting a plan to extend the payroll tax holiday for two months after the Senate had passed the legislation with bipartisan support. “The House Republican majority’s decision to reject tax relief for hard-working, middle-class families is outrageous and inexcusable. There could be no clearer illustration of [...]
Facilitating Social Awareness
Social difficulties are a hallmark of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Parents of ASD children constantly struggle to help their children understand social nuances. For non-ASD children, social skills develop naturally from infancy through adulthood. In fact, when these children become adults, they will have difficulty recalling that development. Social skill development is a complex puzzle, [...]
Chappaqua Therapist Uses Art, Yoga to Help Others Overcome Eating Disorders
As a psychotherapist and certified eating disorder specialist for more than 20 years, Susan Schrott has counseled clients who have sought help for anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and other problems that can ruin their lives. What sets Schrott apart from some of her colleagues is the integration of her other skills and interests to assist [...]
Public’s Help Sought For Missing Put Valley Woman
Authorities are seeking help from the public after the disappearance of 54-year-old Putnam Valley woman. Cathleen Venditti was last seen by her family at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 19. Her husband notified authorities after Venditti did not return home. According to police, she left her Cherry Street home for an appointment in Croton early [...]
Avoiding Medical Errors 101 …
Most of you are quite familiar with the rather astounding facts regarding medical errors. There are many reasons why medical errors occur in healthcare. There are errors in omission, there are errors because of poor communication, there is the ever present risk of human error and perhaps the ever increasing stress on physicians to see [...]
Town of Ossining Approves Budget
The 2012 Town of Ossining budget was passed by a 4-1 margin, with Councilman Peter Tripodi, the lone Republican on the board, voting against the spending plan. The 2012 budget features a .07 percent tax decrease for town general residents and .02 tax decrease for town outside residents. This is the second year in a [...]
Suggestion Swirl Around Putnam Valley Board Debacle
With the Putnam Valley Town Board out of session for 2011, opinions and suggestions are swirling around what the new board should do come the beginning of January when it must decide whether or not to fill its soon-to-be vacant seat. Some concern a coin-flip, while others call for the appointment of an independent body [...]
New County Center Clock Honors Veterans
The week in which President Barack Obama declared America’s involvement in the Iraq war to be over was an appropriate time to make a dedication to Westchester’s veterans, according to County Executive Rob Astorino. A new clock across from the Westchester County Center in White Plains was dedicated on Dec. 16 The original clock, which [...]
Sunday Benefit to Honor Blues Guitarist ‘Little Marty’ in Mt. Kisco
Marty Schechter may not have been a formally trained guitarist or have been able to read music but for a couple of his band mates whom he played with regularly there wasn’t a finer man to have on stage or to befriend. Schechter, a mainstay on the blues jam music circuit throughout Westchester and Putnam [...]
The Bagel Shop – Brewster
It may be mere coincidence that Gus Atalla celebrated his birthday on the same day his business, The Bagel Shop, celebrated its grand opening ceremony at 851 Route 22 in Brewster on Dec. 1. What is not coincidence, however, is the early success The Bagel Shop has experienced since its doors first opened a little [...]
Hendrick Hudson Voters Soundly Reject Bond
Voters in the Hendrick Hudson School District have overwhelming defeated the proposed $25,094,908 capital projects bond. The bond went down by a vote of 1,777 to 977 on Dec. 14. The bond split residents who spoke both in favor and against the bond during school board meetings leading up to the balloting. Shortly after the [...]
Flower Power
Dear Garden Guru, I love the holidays but I need a break. Is there something I can do in my garden to take me away from the “holiday madness” for awhile? Tired and in need of refueling, Joan from Putnam Valley. Dear Joan, So, like many of us this time of year, you are in [...]
Bob Hyland Takes a Look Back to His Football Playing Days
By Peter Gerken Writer’s Note: I conducted this interview a few weeks before Thanksgiving in anticipation of Bob Hyland celebrating 30 years owning Bob Hyland’s Sports Page Pub. Due to the length of this interview it will be presented in two parts. Below is the first part. I hope you enjoy reading this. PG: How [...]
Business of the Week: Events to Remember
You want to put on a spectacular event, but in an age where people are not only working full time but they are wearing multiple hats it is hard to find the time and you do not know where to start. That is why using Events to Remember, a premiere event planning company in Westchester, [...]
Astorino Issues 27 Vetoes Totaling $10 Million
County Executive Rob Astorino announced his list of vetoes in the 2012 budget passed by the Board of Legislators and, as expected, neighborhood health centers and changes in the county’s daycare subsidy were two of the big-money items on the list. In total, though, the second-year county executive issued just 27 vetoes, a fraction of [...]
Bob Hyland’s Sports Page Pub Celebrates 30th Anniversary
By Peter Gerken Thirty years ago this Thursday, White Plains native, Stepinac alumni and former professional football player Bob Hyland opened his second restaurant. On December 15, 1981, the first drinks were served at Bob Hyland’s Sports Page Pub in White Plains. Today Hyland and his wife, Liz, run the sports bar/restaurant located at 200 [...]
