All Entries in the "The Examiner" Category
Calls for Chappaqua School Resignations Intensify in Sex Abuse Case
By Anna Young Chappaqua residents charged Tuesday evening that school district officials were neglectful for failing to take action against the disgraced former high school drama teacher while some called for the resignations of Superintendent Dr. Lyn McKay and board president. Numerous community members demanded at the Sept. 27 Chappaqua Board of Education meeting that […]
NWH Ready for Sunday’s Annual Support-A-Walk at FDR Park
Hundreds of organizations and thousands of walkers will put on their windbreakers and walking shoes on Sunday for the 2016 Annual Support-A-Walk at FDR State Park in Yorktown Heights. It is perhaps most fitting that there will be a team from Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) in Mount Kisco that will participate when the crowd begins […]
Move to Reduce Mt. Kisco Planning Board Seats Escalates Tensions
The public rancor between the Mount Kisco Planning Board and village board escalated last week when it was announced that trustees are considering a reduction from seven to five planning board members. The village board voted 4-1 last Tuesday to schedule an Oct. 24 public hearing on the matter. Voting in favor of setting the […]
Chappaqua Church Uses Prayer, Song in Fight Against Gun Violence
By Anna Young Faith and music filled the First Congregational Church of Chappaqua Sunday afternoon with hopes that the words spoken and sung in the sanctuary and across the country will result in a safer future. The church was one of about 350 venues across the United States that hosted The Concert Across America to […]
Traffic, School Enrollment Concerns in Thornwood Housing Proposal
By Anna Young Residents packed the Mount Pleasant Town Hall meeting room last Monday night to raise wide-ranging concerns about a proposed 116 single-family house subdivision in Thornwood. During a Sept. 19 public hearing before the town’s planning board, neighboring residents contended the cluster development, proposed for 582-590 Columbus Ave., would generate excessive traffic, flood […]
Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival Returns on Saturday
Chappaqua is well-known for being a great place to live, to send children to school and as the home of a former and perhaps future president. It is also now home to one of the premiere book festivals in the metropolitan area. The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, scheduled to take place for the fourth consecutive […]
Master Storyteller Kruk to Bring History to Life in Bedford Cemetery
By Andrew Vitelli It’s been 237 years since Bedford Village was burned to the ground by British forces during the American Revolution. This Friday, master storyteller and local history buff Jonathan Kruk will bring this past back to life at the Ferris Family Burial Grounds in Westmoreland Sanctuary. “There’s a bit of betrayal, salvation, patriotism,” […]
Mt. Kisco Planning Board’s Limbo Status Leaves Members Miffed
Four Mount Kisco Planning Board members are angered that they continue to serve while no decision to reappoint them to their posts has been made since last December. Chairman Joseph Cosentino and Vice Chair Anthony Sturniolo were scheduled to be reappointed to their leadership positions for another year on Dec. 7, 2015, while members Ralph […]
Greeley High School Protestors Call for McKay’s Resignation
By Andrew Vitelli Criticizing the district’s response to allegations of sexual abuse by former high school drama teacher Christopher Schraufnagel, Chappaqua parents protested outside the district’s administration building Monday morning and called for Superintendent Dr. Lyn McKay to resign. “We feel that our district needs new leadership,” said Julia Abitanta, one of the parents who […]
$15M New Castle Firehouse Vote Targeted for Oct. 25
New Castle Fire District No. 1 residents will vote on a $15.3 million two-proposition referendum scheduled for Oct. 25 that would expand Chappaqua’s King Street firehouse, improve safety for firefighters and enhance operations. Board of Fire Commissioners Chairman Christopher Weddle said the district faces a tight deadline to schedule a referendum for the 16,500-square-foot expansion […]
Top Talent on Hand for Shortz’s P’ville Crossword Fundraiser Tourney
By Andrew Vitelli Three years after New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz moved to Pleasantville he hosted the first Westchester Crossword Puzzle Tournament. The event has become a nearly annual tradition, and after missing last year, Shortz was back last weekend for the 19th annual tournament at St. John’s Episcopal Church. It raised […]
Pair Charged With Selling Heroin to Undercover Cops
A task force comprised of county and local police officers and FBI agents arrested two men on Wednesday following a six-month investigation into heroin sales in Westchester and Putnam counties. Neil Mena, 30, of Hatting Place in the Bronx, was arrested at home on Sept. 14 and found to be in possession of a loaded […]
P’ville Historian to Lead Tour on Benedict Arnold, Major Andre
If you love history, Pleasantville resident Dennis Corcoran has scheduled a tour for later this month that you won’t want to miss. Corcoran will be the guide for the Benedict Arnold and John Andre Conspiracy Tour, retracing some of the steps both men took locally during the Revolutionary War that ultimately resulted in the capture […]
Outraged Chappaqua Parents Demand Answers in Teacher Abuse Case
By Anna Young Infuriated Horace Greeley High School parents demanded to know Tuesday night how Chappaqua school officials could have missed warning signs that former drama teacher Christopher Schraufnagel had engaged in inappropriate behavior with students. Community members who packed the board of education meeting at the high school were angered that students were subjected […]
Mt. Pleasant, Chappaqua Rail Crossings Slated for Safety Upgrades
New York State last week received $5 million in federal grants for railroad safety and grade crossing improvements, several of which are at local sites including Valhalla’s Commerce Street where six people were killed last year. The funds, part of a $25 million initiative to enhance safety at rail crossings nationwide, will be used to […]
Westchester Sept. 11 Remembrances Keeps Spirit of Those Lost Alive
Westchester County and many of its communities spent a sparkling Sunday afternoon remembering and reflecting on the 15th anniversary of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Throughout the day somber but uplifting ceremonies recalled the nearly 3,000 lives lost at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the four airplanes that were crashed, along with the first […]
Rt. 117 Roundabout in Jeopardy; Chap Crossing Delays Possible
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) opposes granting a variance for the proposed Route 117 roundabout, which could force a return to a T-intersection at Roaring Brook Road and construction delays at Chappaqua Crossing. Representatives of developer Summit/Greenfield told New Castle officials last week that the DEP informed them in late August […]
Registration Still Open for County’s 9/11 Day of Service Volunteer Projects
In honor of those whose lives were lost or forever changed by the tragic events of September 11, 2001, County Executive Rob Astorino will join with Volunteer New York! and Robison Oil to host the 9/11 Day Serve + Remember volunteer opportunities from Friday, Sept. 9, through Sunday, Sept. 11. Service projects will kick off […]
Pleasantville Native Launches Video Call Service for Seniors
Hundreds of miles and busy schedules often keep generations of families apart. That can be especially true for seniors, who may move to retirement communities throughout the country while children and grandchildren maintain hectic lives elsewhere. In hopes of reuniting families, Pleasantville native Ellen Ferguson has developed a unique video service by using a 5-by-7-inch […]
Mt. Pleasant School Board Sends $39.6 M Bond to Voters
Mount Pleasant School District officials are hoping the third time is the charm. The board of education last Wednesday unanimously approved sending a $39.6 million capital projects bond to district voters on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Voters overwhelmingly defeated a single $55.8 million bond in November 2014 and a three-proposition referendum in March 2015 totaling more […]
Board of Ed Veep Objects to District’s Handling of Schraufnagel Fallout
Chappaqua Board of Education’s vice president last week harshly criticized the school district for placing responsibility on the students who were sexually abused by former Horace Greeley High School drama teacher Christopher Schraufnagel. In a prepared statement read shortly after the start of the board’s Sept. 1 meeting, Victoria Tipp said she had been unaware of the […]
Candidate Supports End of Statute of Limitations for Sexual Predators
A state Senate candidate held an emotional press conference last Wednesday at Mount Kisco Village Hall calling for lawmakers to pass legislation that would ease restrictions on the time childhood sexual abuse victims can report incidents. Boak, a Pound Ridge Democrat running next week in a primary for the 40th Senate District, said the Child […]
The Benefit Shop Begins New Chapter With Move to Mt. Kisco
By Andrew Vitelli A Rolls Royce, a set of 18th century carnival heads, a $56,000 diamond ring, a nine-foot Chinese terracotta warrior and a live pig are among the thousands of items which have passed through The Benefit Shop. Last week, items in the shop ranged from sofas and chairs to paintings and signed sports […]
Mt. Pleasant Receives $500G State Grant for Downtown Improvements
The Town of Mount Pleasant received a $500,000 check last week from state Sen. Terrence Murphy (R-Yorktown) to help pay for improvements to portions of the Hawthorne and Thornwood business districts. Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi accepted the money from Murphy that was from a state grant geared toward downtown revitalization projects. Town officials, who are in […]
Suspect Charged With Attempted Murder in Chappaqua Shooting
Downtown Chappaqua’s serenity was suddenly shattered Monday morning by gunfire outside Lange’s Little Store & Delicatessen on King Street where two men were wounded, including the former supervisor of the alleged assailant. New Castle police apprehended 49-year-old Hengjun Chao of Tuckahoe at about 7 a.m., moments after the shooting in the Walgreen’s parking lot across the street […]
Greeley Grads Launch App for Sexual Assault Victims
By Andrew Vitelli For Horace Greeley graduates Racquel Giner, Zach Csillag, Jack Zandi and Billy Sadik-Khan, post-college plans took an unexpected turn while playing the board game Settlers of Catan in 2014. The group of friends began discussing the problem of sexual assaults taking place on college campuses and wondered whether technology could be used […]
After a Five-Year Vacancy, Modell’s Fills Crucial Mt. Kisco Storefront
The long vacant storefront that formerly housed a Borders book store has been filled in Mount Kisco. An opening day ceremony for the new Modell’s Sporting Goods store at 162 E. Main St. was held on Thursday. Borders left the building in 2011 after the chain filed for bankruptcy. CEO Mitchell Modell said there is […]
New Castle Blocks Tourists from Clintons’ Street
By Andrew Vitelli Tourists passing through Chappaqua in hopes of catching a glimpse of the home of the former, and perhaps future, president are out of luck. The New Castle Town Board voted unanimously last week to restrict those driving down Old House Lane, the cul-de-sac on which former President Bill and Democratic presidential nominee […]
Petition Demands Accountability After Former Chappaqua Teacher Pleads Guilty to Sex Abuse Charges
By Andrew Vitelli – After a former Horace Greeley High School teacher admitted to having sexual contact with two students, and after the school district filed a court paper which appeared to place the onus on the students, a Chappaqua parent is circulating a petition demanding the district “acknowledge that this abuse occurred and make necessary changes to ensure the […]
Pleasantville’s Community Garden Looking for Fall Help
By Arthur Cusano – Do you have a green thumb? Even if the answer in no, the Pleasantville Community Garden could still use your help this fall in its continuing mission to provide fresh vegetables to the neediest people in Westchester. For the past few years, Pleasantville High School student Devon Juros has been running the […]
