Author Archive for Rick Pezzullo
Debate over Filling Yorktown Town Board Vacancy Continues
A second attempt by Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace to fill a four-month vacancy on the Town Board with Rich Campanaro failed again last week. Grace made a motion to appoint Campanaro to the seat held by Dave Paganelli before Paganelli was elected highway superintendent following a public hearing on a proposed local law that would […]
Hen Hud Names New Principal for Furnace Woods School
The Hendrick Hudson Board of Education selected a new principal for Furnace Woods Elementary School last week to succeed Dr. Helene Kane, who is retiring in June after 18 years at the helm. Dr. Cynthia Kramer, currently assistant principal at the Bedford Road School in Pleasantville, will officially take over on July 1. “It was […]
Gas Pipeline, High Voltage Station Raise Major Concerns
Cortlandt Officials Declare: “Enough Already!” Two separate projects proposed on a 100-acre former quarry site in Verplanck involving a gas transmission line and a high voltage converter station have officials and residents in Cortlandt fired up. More than 100 onlookers packed into Cortlandt Town Hall last week to learn more details about plans pending before […]
Ossining Man Paralyzed in Train Crash Suing for $100M
An Ossining man who was paralyzed in the December derailment of a Metro-North Railroad train that killed four commuters is suing for $100 million to ensure his future medical care. Samuel Rivera, 39, a Metro-North mechanic, was traveling to New York City on the morning of December 1 with his son, Sam Jr., 14, when […]
Public to Have Say in Filling Yorktown Town Board Seat
Yorktown residents will get a chance to weigh in next week on the vacancy on the Town Board that has existed since January. The Town Board has scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall on a proposed local law that would allow for a special election to be […]
Lakeland School Taxes to Drop in Cortlandt in New Budget
Cortlandt residents in the Lakeland School District will enjoy a tax decrease next year under the 2014-15 budget adopted by the Board of Education last week. If the $161.17 million budget is approved by voters on May 20, school taxes in Cortlandt, which make up 60% of a property owner’s total tax bill, will drop […]
Youth Charged with Making False Bomb Threats to Schools
A 14-year-old boy was charged with phoning in false bomb threats Monday to Lakeland and Walter Panas high schools. The unidentified youth was arrested at his home following an investigation by detectives from the Westchester County Police General Investigations Unit into the threat at Panas in Cortlandt. In addition, the youth faces a similar charge […]
Shrub Oak Family Seeks Funds for Cure for Daughter’s Rare Disease
Before Lisa Hodes was one year old, there were some signs that something just wasn’t right. One day she had some peculiar eye movements. Another day she couldn’t hold herself up. When she went to the doctor, all her vital signs were normal. She later went to a neurologist and spent 12 days in […]
Town of Ossining Moving Ahead with Property Revaluation
While the City of Peekskill wrestles with spending $1 million on a revaluation of residential and commercial properties, the Town of Ossining is moving ahead with being the third municipality in Westchester to take the leap. Tyler Technologies, the company that is also handling the revaluation of properties in the City of Yonkers and Town […]
Grace Refusing to Throw in Towel on Preserving Trump Sales Office
Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace is refusing to give up on preserving a building at Trump Park Residences in Shrub Oak that was supposed to be torn down six years ago. Despite objections from residents at the complex who have reminded town officials of an agreement that the 8,000-square-foot office would be demolished to make room […]
Ondek Throwing Hat in Ring for Peekskill Board of Ed
After unsuccessfully running for Peekskill mayor more than 20 years ago, George Ondek vowed never to run for public office again. However, the cable television show host and local activist is so dissatisfied with the actions and non-actions of the Peekskill Board of Education that he has decided to seek one of the two seats […]
DEC Violations at Mohegan Club Site Still Not Cleaned Up
Despite assurances by Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace to the contrary, violations cited a year ago by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on the former Holland Sporting Club property in Mohegan Lake still remain. In an email to Councilman Vishnu Patel on Thursday, Wendy Rosenbach, a DEC spokesperson, stated she confirmed with David Pollack, […]
Peekskill Receives $788,000 in Federal Funds to Revitalize Downtown
Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) paid a visit to Peekskill last week to announce $788,000 the city had received for downtown revitalization improvements. The federal funds will be used for the estimated $985,000 construction costs associated with the second phase of Peekskill’s streetscape plan that will include new sidewalks, lighting improvements and tree planting along Brown, […]
Yorktown Justice League Students Soar to the Final Four
The Justice League of Yorktown High School is heading to the Final Four, not the March Madness basketball championships in Texas, but at the Westchester County Supreme Court in White Plains. The team of seniors, juniors and sophomores recently won its third round of competition in the 2014 New York Statewide High School Mock Trial […]
Knickerbocker Elected New Mayor in Buchanan
Theresa Knickerbocker became only the second woman in the history of the Village of Buchanan to be elected mayor last night by defeating former Mayor Alfred Donahue. Knickerbocker, 57, running on the Democratic and Residents Party lines, received 324 votes, while Donahue, 78, who ran with Republican and Village Justice line backing, picked up 187 […]
Yorktown Trash Hauler Seeks Fueling Option for Truck Lot
The fate of an application by the Town of Yorktown’s trash hauler to park garbage trucks on a town-owned piece of land off Front Street could hinge on fueling options. Competition Carting has been illegally parking its trucks on Richard Place since it was awarded garbage pickup services from the Town Board in January […]
Bomb Ingredients Found in High School Student’s Home
Ingredients used in incendiary devices were found at the home of a sophomore at Walter Panas High School Friday morning after a two-hour search in the school that caused an emergency evacuation of students and staff. Westchester County Police, which led the investigation that included bomb sniffing dogs and the bomb squad, confirmed some comments […]
Bomb Ingredient Reportedly Found in High School Locker
An ingredient used in incendiary devices was reportedly found in the locker of a sophomore at Walter Panas High School Friday morning after a two-hour search that caused an emergency evacuation of students and staff. Westchester County Police, which led the investigation that included blood sniffing dogs and the bomb squad, were not commenting on […]
Donahue, Knickerbocker to Square Off for Buchanan Mayoral Seat
The two candidates vying for the mayoral seat in the Village of Buchanan next week appear to be on the same page in wanting to put Entergy back on the tax rolls next year, but that’s about all they seem to agree on. Trustee and Deputy Mayor Theresa Knickerbocker, a registered Independent, is running on […]
Proposed Sports Field in Cortlandt Divides Residents
A sports field that could be part of a proposed luxury housing project on Croton Avenue in Cortlandt has nearby residents at odds with community coaches and other recreation proponents. A third public hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Hanover Estates, a 25 to 27-home development on the former 36-acre Croton Egg Farm, […]
Man Loses Part of Nose in Peekskill Scuffle
An unidentified man lost a large portion of his nose during a fight with a Spring Valley man in Peekskill earlier this week. Patricio Guartan-Jimenez, 30, of Spring Valley, was charged with assault following a report of an altercation at 623 Smith Street on March 2. Upon arrival, Peekskill officers found a male with […]
Peekskill School District to Reorganize Central Administration
The Peekskill Board of Education last week approved a plan to reorganize the district’s central administration, including naming Middle School Principal David Fine as the new superintendent of schools. Fine will earn $230,000 annually under a three-year contract that is effective July 1, 2015. At that time, he will replace current Superintendent of Schools Dr. […]
Former Somers Supervisor to Head Westchester Tax Commission
Less than two months after leaving her 16-year post as supervisor in the Town of Somers, Mary Beth Murphy has returned to the public sector. Last week, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino announced the appointment of Murphy as executive director of the Westchester County Tax Commission at an annual salary of $132,155. “I am pleased […]
Former NBA Pro Discusses Story of Addiction at Lakeland
By Neal Rentz Chris Herren seemed to have it all. Herren was a basketball star in high school in Massachusetts and at Fresno State. He was drafted by the Denver Nuggets and later played for his hometown Boston Celtics. But Herren’s life has been anything by idyllic. In fact, at the age of […]
Cortlandt Weathering Storms with Ample Fund Balance
The winter season has been a difficult and costly one for municipalities. The Town of Cortlandt has not been able to escape the brunt of the storms, but, unlike others, it has managed to withstand the financial onslaught by having a healthy “rainy day” fund. “We have saved funds in our highway accounts for these […]
Catalina Raises Concerns about Paramount Operators
Peekskill Mayor Frank Catalina asserted last week the city’s historic Paramount Hudson Valley theater was “a leaking siv” that had him worried about the ability of the current management group to viably operate it. After analyzing a spreadsheet of expenses to the city over the last 10 years, Catalina maintained he was alarmed by the […]
Sober Living Retreat Owners Say They Strive to be Good Neighbors
The owners of a proposed sober living retreat facility on Underhill Avenue in Yorktown that has triggered opposition from some nearby property owners say they are looking to be good neighbors and help others in need. Tom McCrossan, who, along with his partner, Mark McGoldrick, is seeking a special permit from the Town Board to […]
Development Projects for Market Square in Ossining Presented
Two possible redevelopment projects for the Market Square section of Ossining were presented to the public and Village Board of Trustees last week. The enhanced urban design study looked at four parcels totaling about 1.5 acres at Main and Spring streets in what has been considered an underutilized historic section of the village. Ten different […]
Peekskill Principal Who Triggered Transcript Probe Stepping Down
The Peekskill Board of Education was expected Monday night to accept the resignation of high school Principal Fred Hutchinson. Hutchinson, who was hired by the district in June 2012 and uncovered transcript irregularities affecting 34 high school students last year that resulted in four guidance counselors and a social studies department chairperson being placed on […]
Peekskill Urged to Approve Property Revaluation
Peekskill’s city assessor is pushing the Common Council to approve the first revaluation of city properties in 56 years. City Assessor Michele Jordan told the council last week “inequities” have existed in Peekskill for decades with properties that are either over assessed or under assessed. As a result, over the last six years, Jordan said […]
