Yorktown and Cortlandt region

The Chili’s restaurant chain in Somers is hosting a fundraiser this Thursday for veterans.

Here’s how it works: Dine at Chili’s in Baldwin Place on May 31st,  present your coupon and Chili’s will donate 10 percent to the Somers VFW Post 8213 Relief Fund.

The coupon is valid from  11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Chili’s, 80 Route 6.

Coupons were available at Monday’s Memorial Day parade in Somers and are also available  here.

For an upcoming story on food trucks, we want to know your favorite spots. We’d like to know about those hot dog trucks, sure, but what we’re really looking for are the trucks that are doing something out-of-the-ordinary.

Let me know and we might feature your favorites in the paper!

Read on for how to link in to the town hall with Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, which starts at 7 p.m. May 30.

COUNTY EXECUTIVE ASTORINO TO HOST “ASK ASTORINO” TELE-TOWN HALL

Residents invited to call in with questions or just listen

Want to ask County Executive Rob Astorino how he is working to lower your taxes or any other question? You will get your chance on a live telephone town hall meeting hosted by Astorino next Wednesday night, May 30 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

To ask a question, or just listen in, residents are invited to call toll-free 877-228-2184 and enter event ID 19135. More →

Medical staff at Hudson Valley Hospital Center are taking disaster-preparedness seriously. From the hospital:

Practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to disaster response. So it’s no surprise that emergency room staff at Hudson Valley Hospital Center celebrated Emergency Medical Services Week doing what they do best: drilling for emergencies.

On May 22 as part of National EMS week May 20-26, the Hospital participated in a New York State Department of Health preparedness drill as part of an exercise done with the hospitals in the region. The drill provided a chance for local EMS agencies to participate as well as showcase their response capabilities.

Justin Costable, EMS coordinator at HVHC, said the drill was designed to test the Emergency Department staff’s ability to test the hospital’s surge capacity and to perform critical triage tasks used whenever there is a large scale emergency. In the scenario practiced on Tuesday, the emergency room had to treat 20 people who were injured during a train derailment caused by a tidal surge during a hurricane.

“We routinely conduct drills because it is important to be ready should a real emergency arise,’’ said Costable. “Not only do staff have to be prepared to respond to an emergency, but coordination with other agencies is key in disaster response,’’

Costable said that Tuesday’s drill went smoothly and also gave the Emergency Department the opportunity to go over security protocol, disaster supplies inventory and test mass radiation detection equipment used in radiological drills. Since HVHC is the hospital closest to Indian Point nuclear power plants, it holds an emergency response drill with the plant’s operators Entergy each year.

“It’s important to test our radiation equipment as well as policy and procedures frequently throughout the year,” he said.

EMS week is also an opportunity to thank all the EMS agencies in Westchester and Putnam counties who work with the Hospital all year long, Costable said. This week, the Hospital in cooperation with Emergency Medical Associates provided food and t-shirts to EMS workers and raffled off prizes including some tablet computers.
“We have a great relationship with the men and women, many of them volunteers, who work tirelessly to save lives in this community,’’ said Costable. “We want them to know that we are grateful for their service.’’
EMS week is celebrated nationwide to recognize the contributions of Emergency Medical Services. It was created in 1974 under President Gerald Ford.

(left to right) Patient Care Tech Billy Lang; Physician Assistant Lindsay Aarstad; Patient Care Tech Patrick Bolbreck, RN Laura O’Grady and Patient Care Tech Jimmy Basher.

Ossining Mayor William Hanauer  has announced his nuptials to his longtime partner, Dr. Alan Stahl. The couple will marry June 3 at Sparta Park. Read below for more information from them on the event:

The wedding of the Hon. William R. Hanauer and Dr. Alan M. Stahl will take place at noon on Sunday, June 3, in Sparta Park, Ossining, New York. The Reverend Lynda Clements, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Ossining and a close friend of the couple, will officiate.

Mr. Hanauer is the three-term incumbent Mayor of the Village of Ossining and is running for re-election in November. Previous to entering politics, he was a professional in the entertainment industry, holding leadership positions in the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and the American Guild of Musical Artists, as well as having pursued a career in acting and theatrical design. He is the son of the late Milton L. Hanauer, a grandmaster chess player, an educator, an author, and an attorney, and of the late Ethel R. Hanauer, an educator and author of biology text books.

Dr. Stahl is Curator of Numismatics at Princeton University and a lecturer in the Departments of Art and Archaeology, Classics, and History at Princeton. He is a specialist in the coinage of the Middle Ages and in the medieval and renaissance history of Venice. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship, the Jameson Award of the American Historical Society, and the Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society. He is the son of the late Ben Stahl, a labor organizer, and of the late Evelyn Miller Stahl, a professional in the field of integrated housing.

The couple met in 1974 at the (now demolished) North Passenger Terminal of JFK International Airport, waiting in line to board a charter flight to Europe, where Hanauer, then Director of Cultural Affairs and adjunct lecturer in the Department of Performing and Creative Arts at Staten Island Community College, was to visit friends and relatives and Stahl, then in graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, was heading for an archaeological excavation. They travelled together for a while that summer, and have lived together since. They moved to Ossining in 1996, where they live in a converted church overlooking the historic Sparta neighborhood and the Hudson River.

Here’s the announcement:

PLANNING PROJECTS TO BE SHOWCASED AT JUNE 7 AWARDS DINNER

Westchester Municipal Planning Federation celebrates best of local efforts; two county government projects among the award winners

The winners of successful planning projects that enhance Westchester’s quality of life will be honored at the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation’s (WMPF) 39th Annual Awards Dinner on Thursday, June 7, at 6 p.m. at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough.

Winning projects were in New Castle, Ossining Village, Pelham Manor, White Plains, Yonkers, Mamaroneck Village and Rye Brook, plus two county government projects. Three individuals will also be given special recognition. More →

Croton-Harmon High School got a favorable notice on the list of high-achieving high schools put together by a national magazine. The announcement from the school:

Croton-Harmon HS Ranks 51st in NY State, 372nd in U.S. for AP

U.S. News & World Report has released its annual ranking of the country’s high schools, which is based on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam scores, among other academic criteria. Croton-Harmon High School (CHHS) did quite well, ranking 51st out of 1,165 schools reviewed in New York State and 372nd out of approximately 21,800 schools reviewed nationally, placing it in the top two percent of ranked schools in the country.

As a result, the school has received Gold Medal status from the magazine. Only 68 schools in the state were award Gold Medal status this year, and just 500 nationally.

“I feel this award it is a tribute to our teachers and guidance department who encourage and support our students and I want to thank our Board of Education, Superintendent, district administration, parents and supportive community who make it possible for us to provide such a strong, well-rounded educational program,” said CHHS Principal Alan Capasso.

Rankings are based on the latest data available to the College Board from the 2009-10 school year. CHHS ranked well above the NYS average in terms of college readiness and proficiency in Math and English. The school has a 58 percent participation rate in AP examinations with 81 percent of students scoring a 3 or higher on their exams. A grade of 3 or higher on an AP exam indicates that the student is achieving at or above college level.

Young musicians from Yorktown gave a good account of themselves at a recent competition.
From the Yorktown School District:

The YHS Concert Band is made up of 82 student musicians in grades 9-11. On Saturday, May 19, 2012, the band participated in the Music in the Parks Festival in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where they earned the highest possible rating of “Superior.”
As part of the festival, the band was judged by a panel of college music professors who evaluated the group’s ability to play with correct technique, tone, balance, intonation and musicality. In addition to a rating, the group also received written and audio-taped comments, where the judges offered constructive feedback and musical advice.
For the festival, the ensemble performed two very contrasting musical selections. Their first piece, “Among the Clouds,” by Brian Balmages, offered both lyrical musical passages where the students could demonstrate their ability to play with elegant phrasing, soft, full tone—and also fast rhythmic sections where technique and articulation were displayed. The second selection, “Foundry,” by John Mackey, is an extremely aggressive and contemporary work meant to convey the sounds of a metal foundry. Scored for twelve percussion parts, the students had fun making music with unusual items such as metal bowls, “rattling piles of metal” and a brake drum struck with a hammer.
Ms. Kluga remarked, “It was a pleasure to spend the day with the students! I always love watching the camaraderie that is developed as the students try their collective musical best and show their band pride and spirit; these are the kind of moments that really help unite and build a strong band program. We thank our supportive parents and administrators for making this all possible!”
Students in both the middle and high school bands will perform for the community and honor veterans at the Yorktown Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 28th.

Library-lovers from Yorktown, take note:

The Library Board of Trustees is currently accepting applications for a position on the Board.
Send a brief letter of application and resume to:
Patricia Barresi, Director
John C. Hart Memorial Library
1130 E. Main St.
Shrub Oak, NY 10588

All must be received by July 1,2012

Read below for more information on the 15th annual Open Studios Weekend in Peekskill:

For the first time during Peekskill’s 15th Annual Open Studios Weekend, Saturday and Sunday, June 2 – 3, 2012, from 12 noon to 5pm, the performing arts, featuring world-renowned performers, will take center stage amidst the largest variety of traditional and contemporary visual artists ever to participate. In addition, restaurants and other businesses will open their doors to the expected crowds.

Included are more than 100 painters, videographers, ceramic artists, photographers, sculptors, and mixed media artisans exhibiting at galleries and exhibit spaces. Those coming to Open Studios will be able to visit with over 60 artists. The healing arts are also being included for the first time.

“Peekskill is a growing enclave of recognized artists and talented performers as well as an entertainment and dining destination. Our long-established artists, our newer artists and our award-winning restaurants are showcasing Peekskill like never before during this year’s Open Studios Weekend,” said Peekskill Mayor Mary F. Foster.

The City of Peekskill produced interviews with several of the participating artists: Maureen Winzig at http://youtu.be/hBJAkgyWQ_8, Toni Quest and Marc Yarnes at http://youtu.be/s5AqlufvrX4, Lisa Breznak at http://youtu.be/ap6bjI0A4RE and Larry D’amico at http://youtu.be/yfdJWemPtIc.

Works of art will be on display and for sale in public areas and private studios where visitors can meet, greet and see artists at work. There will also be an outdoor arts & craft fair on Esther St., directly across from the Paramount Center for the Arts. And all of the downtown restaurants and eateries will be open. The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art is offering free weekend admission.

Free guided tours of the artists’ studios will start at 1pm and 3pm both days and will leave from the Gazebo, located at the corner of Park and Division Streets. Self-guided tour maps of open studios and performance schedules will be also available at the information booth at the Gazebo.

“The Peekskill Arts Alliance has taken a huge step forward in creating an all-inclusive event this year. Art surrounds us on every corner in Peekskill from music, visual, dance, spoken word, theater, performance art and the healing arts. Collaboration is the key to bringing a community together, creating an excitement and vitality for the entire city. Open Studios weekend is a shining example of that,” said Maureen Winzig, Peekskill Open Studios Chairperson.

As an added convenience this year, rides aboard Stella the Trolley will be available for $1 per ride or $3 for an all-day hop and ride pass to visit with as many artists as possible.

Information is available on https://www.facebookcom/pages/Peekskill-Open-Studios/342248589161006.

For information not included above, call 914-734-1292 or 914-438-6084.

Annual Open Studios 2012 is being presented by the Peekskill Arts Alliance, the City of Peekskill, the Peekskill Business Improvement District, The Paramount Center for the Arts and the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce.