Author Archive for Rick Pezzullo
Lakeland Education Foundation Awards $50,000 in Grants
The Lakeland Education Foundation (LEF) awarded more than $51,000 in grants last week for programs, projects and equipment in the district. “This was a busy and very successful year and it feels good to keep writing bigger and better checks each year,” said Mike Daly, treasurer of LEF. “These funds will impact our schools and [...]
Judge Backs Peekskill Planners in Meth Clinic Lawsuit
A state Supreme Court justice has backed the Peekskill Planning Commission’s approval last year of a controversial methadone clinic off Highland Avenue. Judge Lester Adler last week dismissed the Common Council’s Article 78 proceeding against the Planning Commission that the drug treatment facility was not permitted in the M-2 Zoning District, ruling the commission acted [...]
School Budgets Approved in Local Districts
School budgets in all local school districts were approved by voters by wide margins Tuesday night. Meanwhile, in the contested Board of Education races, Michael Simpkins, Jillian Clausen and Marie Pereira prevailed in Peekskill; Iris Cross-Bugliosi and Joshua Diamond won in Croton; Bill Kress and Lisa Murray won easily in Ossining; and Ifay Chang, Donna [...]
Burke Rehab Opens Outpatient Facility in Somers
For nearly 100 years, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital has been helping patients recover from disabling illnesses and injuries at its White Plains campus. Now, residents in northern Westchester in need of services won’t have to travel as far for care since Burke recently opened an outpatient location on Route 100 in Somers. Steve Tisser, senior administrator [...]
Bianco Enters Race for Yorktown Supervisor
Yorktown Councilman Nick Bianco is not happy with the direction of the town under Supervisor Michael Grace and he has decided to do something about it. The 41-year resident and 16-year Town Board member interviewed with the Democratic Committee Monday night in hopes of gaining its endorsement and a November showdown with Grace, who is [...]
New Operators of Paramount Hudson Valley in Peekskill Welcomed
City officials, leaders and residents officially welcomed the new operators of the renamed Paramount HudsonValley theater Wednesday afternoon during a lease signing/ribbon cutting ceremony outside the historic marquee. “It’s wonderful to see how excited everyone is,” Mayor Mary Foster said. “This is a big day for Peekskill and WestchesterCounty.” Peekskill and Red House Entertainment reached [...]
School Budgets, Board of Education Races Set for May 21 Votes
Voters in local school districts will be going to the polls on Tuesday, May 21 to decide on proposed budgets for the 2013-14 school year and candidates for the Board of Education. The following is a quick glance on what residents will be facing. Lakeland Budget: $160.3 million Mohansic Elementary School 7 a.m. to 9 [...]
Five Cortlandt Residents Charged with Heroin Trafficking
A seven-month joint police investigation resulted last week in five Cortlandt men being charged with heroin trafficking in northern Westchester. According to Westchester District Attorney Janet DiFiore, each of the five suspects was observed making multiple sales of heroin to an undercover officer in Cortlandt, Peekskill and Croton-on-Hudson. DiFiore noted there appears to be no [...]
Community Rallies Behind Cancer Stricken Local Woman
Last summer, Brittany DiDonato, 24, went in for a routine medical exam and was told her liver functions were not normal. Surgery was scheduled to remove a cist, and then a large tumor was discovered. The tumor was removed and she was declared cancer-free. A few months ago, DiDonato was diagnosed with Stage 4 liver [...]
Politics Alleged in Denial of Winery Use of Town Land
Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace accused the majority of the Town Board and the co-chairman of the town’s Democratic Committee of staging an “orchestrated political stunt” following the denial of advertising a public hearing for a wetlands permit for a winery in MoheganLake. “I am absolutely disgusted by the three board members who decided not to [...]
Driver Charged in Death of Popular Yorktown Man
The driver who killed a popular Yorktown man who was walking his dog not far from his home on Farmwalk Road in November was charged Friday with criminally negligent homicide. Brett Nelson, 18, of Gomer Street in Yorktown was indicted by a Grand Jury following a lengthy investigation by Yorktown Police and Westchester County Police. [...]
Yorktown Unites to Raise Awareness for Relay for Life
Barney was nowhere in sight, but everything else was purple, and white, in Yorktown Friday to raise awareness for the annual Relay for Life event on June 14. Jane McCarthy, co-organizer of Yorktown’s fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, shouted “Purple power, purple power!” as motorists stopped on Commerce Street to drop money into fireman’s [...]
Lakeland Staff Help save Another Life
For the second time in a month, quick actions by Lakeland School District staff helped save an individual who collapsed on school grounds in sudden cardiac arrest. The most recent life-saving event took place on May 1 at Lakeland High School, where a male spectator headed to a junior varsity softball game collapsed outside the [...]
Cortlandt Kicks Off Local Business Promotion
About 20% of businesses in the Town of Cortlandt are offering special discounts during May as part of the town’s efforts to urge residents to shop and dine locally. Town officials kicked off “Shop and Dine Cortlandt” Friday at the Cortlandt Farm Market on Route 202, a family owned business for 37 years. Farm Market [...]
Peekskill to Benefit from Paramount Success
The City of Peekskill will receive a percentage of ticket sales at the Paramount Center for the Arts under a lease agreement with the new operators. Under a 17-year contract approved by the Common Council Monday night with Red House Entertainment to lease, manage and operate the historic venue on Brown Street, Peekskill will be [...]
Former Yorktown Resident Killed in New Orleans Shooting
A former Yorktown resident was shot and killed in New Orleans on April 28 by a homeowner who reportedly feared for his life. According to published reports, Joseph Cahill,40, a well-respected lighting designer who had been touring with the band Leftover Salmon and remained in the area to attend Jazz Fest, was bloody and upset [...]
Peekskill, Croton-Harmon Station Renovations Celebrated
The completion of major renovations at the Peekskill and Croton-Harmon train stations were applauded Friday by local elected and Metro-North officials. “Hooray for Metro-North!” state Assemblywoman Sandra Galef (D/Ossining) exclaimed in front of the Peekskill station platform where the ceremonial ribbon cutting took place. “This is a gateway to a community. It’s the door. You [...]
Traffic Signals Slated for Fall on Route 202
Two long-awaited traffic signals on Route 202 and the Bear Mountain Parkway in Yorktown are scheduled to be installed this fall, according to the state Department of Transportation. DOT officials met with a few dozen residents last week at the Yorktown Community and Cultural Center to outline details of its $11.58 million improvement project, which [...]
Peekskill High Teacher Charged with Altering Exam Grades
A Peekskill High School teacher and chair of the Social Studies Department was charged Monday with altering the answer sheets for two separate Regents examinations in January. Allison Risoli, 53, of Westchester Avenue, Peekskill, was arraigned on two counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, a Class E felony. According [...]
Phoenix House Under Scrutiny from State Comptroller
Phoenix Houses of New York, which runs a facility in Shrub Oak, provided inappropriate perks to its executives exceeding $223,000 while under contract with the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), according to a report released last week by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. DiNapoli’s report, which was referred to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara [...]
Group Envisions ‘Mini-Mystic’ at Peekskill Riverfront
A non-profit organization is planning to embark on a multi-million dollar campaign to raise funding for what it envisions as a “mini-Mystic” Seaport on the banks of the Hudson River in Peekskill. The National Maritime Historical Society recently sought the support of the Peekskill Common Council before it publicly solicits $5 million to construct an [...]
Katz Gets $75 Fine, Community Service for Pot Bust
State Assemblyman Steve Katz (R/C-Mohegan Lake) received a $75 fine and 20 hours of community service as part of a plea bargain deal for his March arrest for unlawful possession of marijuana following a traffic stop for speeding en route to the State Capitol. As part of the agreement reached in Town of Coeymans Court, [...]
Dry Cleaner to Press Cort Dems for Board Nod
Domenic Volpe is no stranger to local elections, having been a candidate three times in the past for Westchester County Board of Legislators and twice for the Cortlandt Town Board. The longtime owner of Domenic’s Cleaners in Peekskill and a 25-year resident of Cortlandt is hoping the third time is a charm in his quest [...]
Yorktown Marathoners in Middle of ‘Chaos’ in Boston
Yorktown residents Michael Moccia and Mary Natell crossed the finish line a few minutes apart at the Boston Marathon, less than one hour before two bombs allegedly planted by two brothers exploded, killing three people and injuring about 170. In fact, prior to the race, Moccia, 53, posed for a photograph in the exact location [...]
Tax Hikes Fluctuate in Adopted Lakeland Budget
Projected tax increases for property owners in the Lakeland School District will range from less than one percent in Carmel to 4.6% in Cortlandt under the proposed $160.3 million 2013-14 budget recently adopted by the Board of Education. Tax rates vary in the six municipalities in the district due to assessments and equalization formulas which [...]
Peekskill Schools Budget Would Raise Taxes 3.6%
The $78.4 million budget adopted by the Peekskill Board of Education last week would raise taxes 3.66% for city residents. School officials opted to utilize $4.06 million from the district’s fund balance to keep the tax levy within New York State’s mandated tax cap. The district still has approximately $4 million at its disposal. Despite [...]
Peekskill’s Mount Olivet Baptist Church Pastor Honored
Reverend Dr. Adolphus C. Lacey, senior pastor of Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Peekskill, was inducted into Morehouse College’s prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. International Board of Preachers April 4 in Atlanta, Georgia. The ceremony recognized individuals who are living their lives according to a high standard of ethical values, have demonstrated great achievement in [...]
Ossining Earth Day/Stash the Trash 2013: A Day of Fun & Learning
Looking for a fun and educational family day out that can also help you live a more sustainable life? Come out with your family and friends to Ossining’s Earth Day/Stash the Trash event at the beautiful Louis B.Engel WaterfrontPark on Saturday, April 20 from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. (rain date: April 27). Join your neighbors [...]
Yorktown GOP Endorses Full Slate; Paganelli to Run Primary
The Yorktown Republican Committee completed its slate for the November election last week by nominating two Town Board candidates and a highway superintendent. Councilman Terrence Murphy received the nod to seek a second four-year term, while Dorothy Forcina, president of the Yorktown High School PTA, will run for a first term. In the highly coveted [...]
Business Profile: The Art Barn, Ossining
The Art Barn has been a mainstay in Ossining for more than 40 years, and recently relocated to a new building at 325 North Highland Avenue, near St. Augustine Church and Eagle Bay. Carolyn and Paul DiLemme, a Valhalla couple who bought the business in October 2010, are still getting acclimated to their smaller building [...]
