Author Archive for Rick Pezzullo
HV Hospital Seeks Rezoning to Construct New Building
Hudson Valley Hospital Center is seeking a rezoning change from the Town of Cortlandt to construct a new three-story building for primarily physician offices. In a letter to Supervisor Linda Puglisi last month, George Cronk, project manager for The Chazen Companies, which is overseeing the development, stated the 36,000-square-foot structure is needed to accommodate additional […]
County Reviews Report on Pipeline Expansion in Cortlandt Park
A report on the effects the expansion of a proposed Algonquin natural gas pipeline would have on Westchester County-owned Blue Mountain Reservation in Cortlandt was reviewed by the Board of Legislators’ Labor, Parks, Planning & Housing Committee last week. An independent environmental assessment completed by the non-profit institute Hudsonia concluded the construction activity of removing […]
Mini-Town Center Project Draws Mixed Reviews in Cortlandt
Plans for a new shopping center across from the Cortlandt Town Center received mixed reviews from residents at a public hearing last week. Acadia Realty, owners of the 8500,000 square feet Town Center, is proposing a total of approximately 170,000 square feet of retail space on 17 acres of the 36-acre property on Route 6. […]
Yorktown Police Seek Help in K-Mart Parking Lot Robbery
The Yorktown Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance investigating a robbery that occurred in the parking lot of K-Mart Thursday afternoon. At about 3:45 p.m. a local woman reported to police that she was sitting in her car when an unknown male opened the passenger side door, sat inside and held her […]
Candidates Chosen for Special Election in Yorktown
Candidates for a special election in March to fill two vacancies on the Yorktown Town Board were chosen by the Democratic and Republican committees this week. The Democrats met Thursday night and selected Rosanne Brackett, who has been a vocal opponent of Supervisor Michael Grace and the proposed natural gas pipeline, to run for […]
Special Election for Vacancies on Yorktown Town Board Set
After months of squabbling and at loggerheads, the Yorktown Town Board finally agreed last week on how and when to fill two vacancies on the board. Supervisor Michael Grace, a Republican, and Democratic Town Board members Vishnu Patel and Susan Siegel unanimously decided to schedule a special election for Tuesday, March 10 for residents to […]
Ossining High Seniors Charged with Making Social Media Threats
Two Ossining High School seniors were charged Friday with making terroristic threats on social media that caused a lockout at three district schools on Thursday. Village Police said the two unidentified 16-year-old males made what was reported as a non-specific threat on Twitter. They were charged with felony counts in Westchester County Family Court. The […]
Peekskill Hudson River Plunge Raises $10,200 for Good Cause
Some of the 28 participants who signed up for the third annual Polar Plunge at the Riverfront Green in Peekskill on New Year’s Day were stripping down for the first time. Others, such as Christine Bischoff of Peekskill, were returning for a third consecutive frigid dip in the Hudson River. Dan Keegan, 41, of Peekskill, […]
Yorktown Resident, News Photographer Stan Gitner Dies at 85
Stanley Gitner, a beloved community treasure and award-winning newspaper photographer, died Saturday at Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Cortlandt following a recent illness. He was 85. Mr. Gitner and his cherished wife, Sonia, lived in Yorktown for more than half a century. During that time he volunteered for 53 years with the Yorktown Auxiliary […]
Murphy Sworn in as State Senator in Yorktown Ceremony
By Rick Pezzullo New York State Senator Dr. Terrence Murphy (R,C/Yorktown) was sworn in on New Year’s Day in his hometown in front of hundreds of family, friends and supporters in a packed Yorktown Stage. Murphy, 48, flanked by his beaming wife Caroline and children McKayla, Jack and Kian, took the oath of office for […]
Peekskill Resident Charged in Armed Robbery of Gas Station
Peekskill police charged a 19-year-old city male with robbing a gas station on North Division Street in the early morning hours of December 23. According to police, Officer Steve Zappolo was on patrol at approximately 3:45 a.m. when he observed a suspicious male on a bicycle ride into the parking lot of the Shell station. […]
Peekskill to Celebrate New Year’s Eve with Ball Drop
The City of Peekskill will be ringing in 2015 with a new event featuring a ball drop at midnight. Piggybacking on the success of other municipalities that stage similar New Year’s Eve celebrations, such as the City of White Plains, the idea to host a community gathering was initiated by Mayor Frank Catalina, who is […]
Business Profile: Calabria Pizza & Pasta, Shrub Oak
Danny Alo always wanted to name a business after the southern region of Italy where his parents are from, and 18 months ago he achieved that dream when he opened Calabria Pizza & Pasta on Old Yorktown Road in Shrub Oak. “I feel like I’ve been here a long time. I like Yorktown. So far, […]
Permits for BJ’s, Costco Gas Stations Approved in Yorktown
Required special permits for member-only gas stations at BJ’s and a proposed Costco wholesale clubs on Route 202 in Yorktown were approved Friday at a special Yorktown Town Board meeting. Plans for each project still need to be approved by the town’s Planning Board and the state Department of Environmental Protection before they can be […]
Five Hurt in Double DWI Crash in Yorktown
Five people were seriously injured in a two-car crash Thursday night in Yorktown where both drivers were charged with driving while intoxicated. According to Yorktown Police, Adam Kaczor, 19, of Saw Mill River Road, Yorktown, made an improper left turn and failed to yield one-half of the roadway at the intersection of Route 35 […]
Mayor Throws in Towel in Trying to Oust City Manager
Peekskill Mayor Frank Catalina appeared to throw in the towel last week in his long quest to have City Manager Anthony Ruggiero removed. Responding to comments from a few speakers who questioned Ruggiero still being able to keep his $163,000 position despite not adhering to certain requirements under the City Charter, Catalina seemed to concede […]
Yorktown Heights Fire District Voters Approve $1.5M Bond
Voters in the Yorktown Heights Fire District approved a $1.5 million bond Tuesday night to fund improvements to the Locksley Road firehouse. By a slim margin of 167 to 159, voters in primarily the southern end of Yorktown gave the go-ahead for the construction of a second addition on the 30-year-old building, which is […]
Grace Warns Board Members About Vote on Sober Home
Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace warned his fellow board members they could be held personally liable for legal damages if they vote against issuing a special permit for a proposed facility for recovering alcohol and substance abuse addicts on Underhill Avenue. While emphatically expressing his support for the town’s first sober home during a work session […]
Rain Postpones Holiday Electric Lights Parade in Yorktown to Sunday
The third annual Electric Lights Parade “Jingle Bells,” in downtown Yorktown, originally planned for Saturday, has been rescheduled to Sunday due to the wet weather forecast for Saturday. The parade of creative and festive holiday floats, stretching from Front Street to Veterans Road, will still begin at 6:30 p.m. and conclude with a […]
Bakery Owner Frosted Over Loss of Parking from Lincoln Project
Rose Sanca will not be putting out a welcoming mat any time soon for a new visitor’s center and public plaza being constructed in front of the Lincoln Depot Museum on South Water Street. Sanca, who has owned popular Homestyles Desserts for the last 30 years, asserted last week she had been disrespected and “bullied” […]
Peekskill Council Votes Not to Exceed Tax Cap in Budget
The Peekskill Common Council voted unanimously last week not to exceed the state mandated tax levy cap in the 2015 city budget. The somewhat surprising united front means the spending plan the council had to adopt by last night (Monday) cannot raise taxes for property owners more than 2.26%, or approximately $47 for homes with […]
Police Investigate Shooting at Cortlandt Bar
State Police are investigating an early morning shooting on November 27 at a bar in Cortlandt. Police received reports of shots fired at 4:49 a.m. in the parking lot of Popeye’s Pub on Route 6. Responding troopers found evidence that a shooting had occurred and several parties had fled the area. The investigation is […]
Peekskill Ponders Exceeding Tax Cap in ‘Scary’ Budget
The Peekskill Common Council continued to haggle last week over what Comptroller Ann Maestri labeled a “scary” proposed 2015 budget. The council spent more than four hours during two separate work sessions debating the use of fund balance, dealing with state pension costs, getting a grip on much higher than anticipated fire department overtime and […]
Hen Hud Students Visit ‘The People’s Court’
Business Law students from Hendrick Hudson High School got a first-hand look at the law in action when they traveled on Wednesday to Stamford, Conn. to see a taping of the reality court television program “The People’s Court.” Accompanied by teachers Maura Koch, Gloria Flick and Sharon Vigliotti, the students sat as court observers […]
Tempers Flare at Testy Peekskill Budget Public Hearing
Emotions reached a fever pitch last week during a testy public hearing on the proposed 2015 Peekskill budget. An infuriated Mayor Frank Catalina scolded Comptroller Ann Maestri for not being prepared with data to illustrate her claim that the city is “structurally imbalanced” financially based on a reliance on fund balance and other decisions that […]
Shop Local: A Community Impact
By Ginny and Ken Ryan, owners of Somers Custom Framing Did you ever think, “Why should I shop local…what does it do for me? With the volume of information and buying opportunities online it seems easier to click a button on your phone or computer than to drive into town to shop. With a […]
Peekskill Breaks Ground for Lincoln Depot Plaza, Visitor’s Center
City of Peekskill officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking Friday for Phase 1 of a new public plaza that will surround the recently opened Lincoln Depot Museum on South Water Street. The $600,000 project on a one-acre city-owned site with include a boardwalk and landscaping along McGregory Brook, decorative lighting, a new station platform in the […]
Proposed 2015 Cortlandt Budget Well Below Tax Cap
Continuing what she proclaimed has been a 24-year tax cap during her administration, Cortlandt Supervisor Linda Puglisi delivered a proposed 2015 budget last week that calls for a less than one percent tax increase for property owners, the lowest since 2006 when the town experienced one of 11 tax freezes. If the $37.86 million budget […]
Siegel Holds Lead in Yorktown Town Board Race
Former Yorktown Supervisor Susan Siegel appears to have defeated Republican Thomas Diana to serve the last 13 months of former Councilman Dave Paganelli’s unexpired term, according to unofficial results posted by the Westchester County Board of Elections. With 100% of the 43 districts reporting, Siegel received 5,543 votes (51%) to 5,414 (49%) for Diana. […]
Residents Vote to Help Yorktown Town Board Fill Vacancies
Yorktown residents weighed in Tuesday night on giving the depleted Yorktown Town Board more options to fill seats when they become empty. According to unofficial results with the Westchester Board of Elections, 75% of voters approved a proposition on the ballot stipulating when a vacancy occurs in the offices of town supervisor, town council, […]
