Four Quick Things to Know This Week + Sports Shouts

Pong Records, Peekskill Apartments, Solar Energy, Staffing Local Job Market 

From our Examiner+ member newsletter

Before I get into this week’s local news roundup, three quick interconnected Examiner sports shoutouts. 

First, to Examiner Sports Editor Ray Gallagher, who earned his Ripken nickname this week, willing another section into existence despite being hobbled by illness. 

Imagine pulling together our 12-page print sports section while battling a bug.

Next, to our girls’ soccer and field hockey freelance sports reporter Tony Pinciaro, who endured weeks of my nudging to help awake a few of our non-responsive programs from a slumber. (We’re coming for the still sleeping.)

Last but not least, big ups to White Plains girls varsity soccer rookie head coach Ali Rainone.

With Tony busy at his teaching job — we’re his passion-based side hustle — I conducted a phone interview with Ali yesterday about her young squad of mostly freshmen and sophomores. (There’s even a wunderkind eighth grader on the team.)

Ali displayed a particularly strategic mind and shared with me how she deployed one of her defenders to the front in the 70th minute of a game deadlocked at zero against Port Chester last Thursday. The maneuver produced three quick goals in five minutes, delivering the Tigers a 3-0 win. 

Check out all of Tony’s Section 1 local girls’ soccer coverage in his reporter’s notebook this week, with a few little tidbits from me.

Speaking of Ripkenesque streaks, be sure to read Examiner Editor-in-Chief Martin Wilbur’s fun piece on local ping pong iron man Will Shortz.  For the past decade, Shortz, who has owned and operated the Westchester Table Tennis Center in Pleasantville since its 2011 opening, has played table tennis every single day. (Not a typo). 

That’s a whopping (and sort of insane – Hi, Will!) 3,652 consecutive days, as of Oct. 3, the 10th anniversary of the last day he missed.

As you might know, Shortz is also The New York Times crossword puzzle editor and just an all-around awesome guy. Not to mention a loyal Examiner member. 

One of my favorite Examiner memories was when we hosted a politics and ping pong party together at the table tennis center in 2012, and my New York Times crossword-puzzle loving grandmother (who has since passed) seized the opportunity to meet Will at the event. 

Anyway, check out Martin’s feature here. 

Meanwhile, up in Peekskill, Examiner news editor Rick Pezzullo writes the latest on new proposed apartments.

While the reaction seemed largely favorable at the city council meeting, Mayor Vivian McKenzie did cite concerns about the size and scope.

“It looks like a huge building dropped on a corner. My hope would be to scale it down to fit that neighborhood,” she said. 

Read all about it here.

Heading back down south, this time to White Plains, construction has been completed on the largest municipal solar energy in Westchester County.

White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, in the position since 2011, has been one of the region’s most vocal and longtime trailblazers when it comes to the environment. He’s proven that municipal leadership makes a difference.

“We are in a climate crisis and are obligated to recognize the urgency and take deliberate action to build a sustainable, resilient planet,” the mayor said.

Details here.

Heading up north to Putnam County, in case you missed our Sneak Peek standalone sent yesterday, we published a piece on a forecasted struggle for local businesses to attract workers. 

Our editors get invited to a lot of symposiums and the like. With a small staff, we have to pick and choose. But this one, hosted by the Putnam County Economic Development Corporation, sounded pretty interesting, so I asked Rick if he could attend the breakfast meeting. 

“There’s a major shortfall the region has to wrestle with,” said Adam Bosch, who is the president and CEO of the Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, as well as a former journalist and adjunct journalism professor. 

So put a pin in that prediction, and plan accordingly if you’re in the local business space or impacted by it in any way. 

See you here again tomorrow.