Thursday, December 18, 2014
Vol. 5 No. 44
CANDY CANES FOR ALL!
See pages
11, 13 & 15
for last-minute
gift ideas and
deals from
your local
merchants!
Editor’s Note: The following
information was provided by
Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire
Department.
SCHOOLS
Superintendent search hits
dead end once again.
pg 4
With Santa safely back at the
North Pole tending to his reindeer
and getting ready for his big day,
he asked for four strong volunteer firefighters to fill in for him
on the 2014 Candy Cane Run in
Mahopac Falls on Saturday, Dec.
13. As we all remember, he was at
the annual tree lighting last week
but this time he had to pick four
of the Falls’ Finest to make sure
the children got into the spirit of
the season with one of his candy
canes and a last minute chance to
get in some ideas to give to Santa!
At precisely 10 a.m., lights on the
trucks were switched on and with
sirens blaring, the Annual Candy
Run headed off for all corners of
the fire district, with warm wishes
for a healthy and happy holiday
for all.
PIPELINE
Pigging station no longer
slated for Mahopac.
pg 6
Sydney Weis, 6 and Alexandra Weiss, 7, hang out with Santa and
Mrs. Claus on MacGregor Drive!
BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 37
CLASSIFIEDS
39
LEISURE
36
MAHOPAC MUSINGS
18
OPINION
10
SCHOOLS & CAMPS
28
SPORTS
31
Zach O’Connor, 11, hangs out with Santa and Mrs. Claus on the fire
truck.
Marissa and Jake
Luciano with Santa
and Mrs. Claus
PHOTOS: TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL
Lorraine Addorisio, Stephanie Juvak, 7, Olivia and
Claudia Addorisio, 9 and 10, meet up with
Francesca Mazzei, 2, with her
dad Rob and dog Harley to
see Santa.
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PAGE 2
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
The Staff
EDITORIAL TEAM:
BRYAN FUMAGALLI
EDITOR: 914-302-5830
[email protected]
BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER
MANAGING EDITOR: 914-302-5628
[email protected]
LIZ BUTTON
REPORTER: 845-208-0774
[email protected]
JIM MACLEAN
SPORTS EDITOR: 914-302-5236
[email protected]
TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL
PHOTO EDITOR: 845-208-0772
[email protected]
ADVERTISING:
KEITH MILLER
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: 845-621-4049
[email protected]
PRODUCTION:
CHRISTINA SCOTTI
PRODUCTION MANAGER: 845-208-0772
[email protected]
CIRCULATION:
MARKETING SERVICES MANAGER
845-208-8503
[email protected]
EXECUTIVE TEAM:
BRETT FREEMAN
PUBLISHER: 845-621-1115
[email protected]
KEN FREEMAN
CHAIRMAN: 845-621-4049
[email protected]
Mahopac teens charged with arson, criminal mischief
BY LIZ BUTTON
OF MAHOPAC NEWS
Three Mahopac teens were arrested for acts of arson and criminal mischief last month.
On Monday, Nov. 3 at around
10:27 p.m., Carmel Police Officer
Michael Sheil was called to the
scene of multiple fires on Agor
Lane in Mahopac, including a
mailbox fire, a brush fire and an attached garage fire.
A witness informed Sheil that
three young men had previously
been seen in the area. The officer
alerted the rest of Carmel Police
patrol to be on the lookout for suspects fitting the witness’ description.
Later that night, Sergeant Robert Behan was able to make an arrest after he recognized the three
youths walking west along Secor
Road, which is near Agor Lane.
Behan interviewed the teenagers
and established probable cause,
‘It’s something we have to enforce. I haven’t noticed any rise or
decline [in criminal mischief ]. It seems to be the same. Most officers
are good at being on the alert, being aware. I would say the rate
is pretty consistent.’
—Sgt. Det. Michael Nagle
Carmel Police Department
police said, noticing the boys had
green spraypaint on their hands as
well as lighters on their person.
Two nights before Halloween,
neighbors had reported $10,000
to $15,000 of property damage
including slashed car tires, rocks
thrown through car windows, a
basketball hoop on fire and spray
painted marks of vandalism, Sergeant Detective Michael Nagle
said.
The three teenagers were taken
into custody and driven to the
Carmel Police Station, where the
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mischief, a D felony; third degree
criminal mischief, a C felony; and
five misdemeanor charges: making graffiti, fifth degree arson, two
counts of fourth degree criminal
mischief (intentional damage to
property) and fifth degree marijuana possession.
Both teens appeared in court on
Nov. 18.
Nagle said criminal mischief
is something the town deals with
regularly.
“It’s something we have to enforce. I haven’t noticed any rise or
decline. It seems to be the same,”
Nagle said. “Most officers are good
at being on the alert, being aware.
I would say the rate is pretty consistent.”
Contact Us Mahopac News is located at 572 Route 6, Mahopac, NY 10541. You
can contact us at 845-621-1115 or email [email protected].
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THE DEADLINE FOR ADVERTISEMENTS
15-year-old was charged as a juvenile delinquent and the two
16-year-olds were charged as
adults.
The juvenile suspect was sent
to Putnam County Family Court,
where he will answer to three
charges as if they were committed
by an adult: second degree criminal mischief, a D felony; making
graffiti, a misdemeanor; and fifth
degree arson, a misdemeanor.
The two 16-year-olds were arraigned by Carmel Town Justice
Thomas Jacobellis and remanded
to the Putnam County Jail in lieu of
$5,000 bail for each.
They were charged with third
degree arson (intentional damage
to a building and/or motor vehicle),
a C felony; second degree criminal
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 3
Your Neighbor
Mahopac grad finds pinnacle of success as Navy engineer
Keith Benson named Military Engineer of the Year on both the regional and global levels
BY BOB DUMAS
‘Going to school in
Mahopac was a
great experience.
I remember my
wrestling coaches,
John and Joe Belluci.
They had a great
work ethic and really
stressed the student/
athlete concept, which
was big in Mahopac.
They were the epitome
of that.’
FOR MAHOPAC NEWS
Growing up in Mahopac, Keith
Benson always had a knack for
problem-solving and a natural inquisitiveness for how things were
put together.
“I was interested in building
things,” he recalled. “That was
exciting to me. Whether it was a
skyscraper in New York City or the
roads that we travel on in our cars,
I was intrigued in how the systems
went together.”
That curiosity led Benson, a
1992 Mahopac High graduate, to
pursue a master’s degree in civil
and environmental engineering and
a career in the Navy, all of which
recently culminated with him winning the Military Engineer of the
Year award, as well as several other
honors.
Benson, now a lieutenant commander, earned his bachelor of
science degree in civil engineering
from Norwich University in Northfield, Vt. After joining the Navy,
he went to Stanford University and
earned his masters. He could have
pursued an engineering career and
his love of “building things” as a
civilian, but he had a parallel calling to the military thanks to the influences of his father and his two
grandfathers.
“My father served and one of my
grandfathers served in World War
II, and the other provided support
back home,” he said. “So I knew
that is what I wanted to do at an
early age. I wanted to give back
to my country and [joining the
service] was the best way I could
think of to do it.”
One of Benson’s grandfathers
was deployed in 1944 during
WWII and was part of the amphibious landing at Anzio where he suffered a severe arm injury.
“I can’t help but admire that
dedication,” Benson said. “I have
—Lt. Cmdr. Keith Benson
Unites States Navy
PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. NAVY
Lt. Cmdr. Keith Benson
a photo of him and I had it [blown
up] and framed along with his business card and a copy of his honorable discharge. I have one and
gave some to family members as
Christmas presents. I mean, here
was a guy who signed up and for
five years was deployed away from
family and friends dealing with all
the bullets and bombs and shells.”
His other grandfather was back
in New York working in a munitions factory.
“One grandfather was dealing
with all those weapons, and the
other was making shells for them,”
he said. “So, for me, it’s nice to
give back and help the country and
add to our family history.”
Benson, who is part of the Naval
Facilities Engineering Command
(NAVFAC) where he is energy director, is stationed in Washington,
D.C. He was actually named Mili-
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tary Engineer of the Year on both
the regional and global levels.
“I was truly honored and humbled,” Benson said of his honor.
“It was a privilege to serve with
such a talented team of professionals and that made winning all that
much sweeter. When we competed
against all other regions and came
out on top [for the global honor], I
was really surprised by that.”
Besides being named Military
Engineer of the Year, Benson has
received other accolades for his
work. He recently went to the
White House where he and his
team received the Presidential
GreenGov Award for its energy
program.
“We met with the Council of Environmental Quality and I got some
really cool photos,” he said.
Next, Benson went to the National Archives where he received
an award from the Department of
Energy/Federal Energy Program
for the same project for which he
received the Presidental GreenGov
Award.
“Our project was building a
comprehensive energy and water
program,” he said. “We tried to
reduce energy and water consumption across naval facilities by integrating energy-efficient designs
into new construction and retrofit
other facilities.”
NAVFAC Commander Rear Admiral Kate Gregory said she was
proud of the award winners and the
nominees.
“We are very fortunate to serve
with a vast number of extraordinary engineers who lead NAVFAC
and the Navy with dedication, service, selflessness and technical superiority,” she said. “They continue
to build on our 172-year legacy of
serving the Navy with the ‘can-do’
spirit.”
Benson’s military career has taken him around the world to more
than 40 countries. While serving as
the Naval Support Activity (NSA)
Bahrain Public Works officer, he
led a team of 424 personnel in
managing 320 active construction
projects valued at $618 million that
supported 94 commands across the
Middle East. His efforts ensured
continued support to war fighters
while increasing readiness and effectiveness, while more than doubling the base’s footprint.
Benson cites his education and
experiences in the Mahopac School
District for laying the foundation
of his engineering career.
“Going to school in Mahopac
was a great experience,” he said. “I
remember my wrestling coaches,
John and Joe Belluci. They had a
great work ethic and really stressed
the student/athlete concept, which
was big in Mahopac. They were the
epitome of that.”
The discipline of balancing an
academic life and athletic endeavors is something that Benson carried over into his military career.
“You have to be in good shape,”
he said. “You need a healthy body
and a healthy mind. My experiences in Mahopac were very valuable.”
Benson called his career in the
Navy “a great adventure.”
“When I was in Mahopac and
signed the scholarship to go to
Norwich, I knew right away that
this is was what I wanted to do,”
he said. “So I have been very fortunate to not only serve in the Navy,
but also apply my education.”
Since his Navy career began
17 years ago Benson hasn’t had
the opportunity to come back to
Mahopac, but he hopes that will
change.
“I have three brothers who live
in the New York and Connecticut
area and dozens of friends in Mahopac,” he said. “Now that I am in
Washington, D.C., I want to return,
even if it’s for a short visit.”
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PAGE 4
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Board reaches another dead end in superintendent search
BY LIZ BUTTON
OF MAHOPAC NEWS
Some Mahopac Central School
District constituents are asking
themselves why, as 2015 approaches, the Mahopac Board of Education appears to have hit yet another
dead end in the search for the district’s next superintendent.
For the second time in one year,
it appeared that the board would
once again put two candidates before the public for a “Meet the Finalists” Q&A with feedback from
the school community. But this
expectation was derailed when the
board abruptly canceled the Nov.
19 event the morning of its scheduled date.
In a Nov. 21 email, Mahopac
Board of Education President Michael Sclafani told Mahopac News
that, “The [Nov. 19] meeting was
canceled because the board decided to continue the search.”
However, some of the candidates
who went through the process believe the delay must be attributable
to more than just the board’s pickiness.
One candidate, Anthony DiCarlo, principal of New Rochelle’s
Trinity School and former Carmel
councilman and County Legislator,
said he was shocked that the board
went so far as to schedule a “Meet
‘Are you really the
right people to be
doing this search?’
—Anita Olivier
District Parent
the Finalists” meeting while there
was a chance it could be cancelled.
At that point, he and the other
finalist(s) had already been through
multiple interviews with the board,
he said, and even made an appearance before a “cabinet” made up
of school administrators and community members who provided the
board with feedback.
DiCarlo, who in his educational
career has served as principal at the
middle and elementary school levels, and as director of curriculum
instruction as well as director of
athletics and of special education,
said the board has taken zero accountability in this case, especially
since he had to reach out to the
school’s executive search firm to
find out the meeting was canceled.
“You don’t do that to someone,”
DiCarlo said. “That’s protocol
101...and not even a response from
the board even after I reached out
to the firm. I have no words. It’s
just wrong. On so many accounts
you don’t treat anyone that way,
‘To be blunt, we’re the trustees, we’re voted in
to do this, to do these kinds of things. We are not
going to settle for any candidate unless we feel as
a group that that person is the right fit.’
—Michael Sclafani
President, Board of Education
never mind anyone who has given
service to the community for his
entire career.”
Another former candidate, Dr.
Brian Mahoney, had resigned from
the Board of Education in October
in order to pursue the position, even
though he had only been elected
that May. After interviewing with
the board in the weeks that followed, he was ultimately informed
that he had not been chosen.
Mahoney, a Mahopac resident
who serves as Headmaster of EF
Academy, a 9-12 international
boarding and day school in Thornwood, said he was disappointed
in the board’s recent decisions to
reject qualified Mahopac residents
such as DiCarlo, Peekskill City
School District Director of Teaching and Learning and Mahopac
Sports Association board member
Dan Callahan, and himself.
Mahoney, who has his doctorate in educational leadership from
Fordham University, who has
taught at Austin Road School and
served as principal and head of
school at others, said he thought
fellow contender DiCarlo was the
best candidate the district could
possibly ask for, even though he
was a contender himself.
If the board has already rejected
people such as DiCarlo, he said,
they are setting themselves up for
failure, especially since prospective candidates are being snapped
up as multiple superintendent
searches occur all over the area
amidst an influx of hopefuls from
New Jersey, where the state government recently capped superintendents’ salaries.
“They’re never ever going to
find [a more qualified] person and
that is why the superintendent position in Mahopac is going to remain
a revolving door,” Mahoney said.
To cover the position in the
meantime, the board appointed
Dr. Brian Monahan as interim superintendent starting July 1 under
a contract that ends on Dec. 31.
In an email last week, Monahan
informed all faculty and staff that
the board had extended his contract
until the school year ends in June
2015.
Monahan, who has three Masters
degrees and a PhD in curriculum
and teaching from Fordham and
has served as interim superintendent for two other districts, said he
is not interested in becoming superintendent on a permanent basis.
“I’ve had an enjoyable career
and I’ve enjoyed my time here but
I can’t make the kind of time commitment that I think the district deserves,” he said.
Sclafani agrees that if this is true,
hiring Monahan would only serve
to perpetuate Mahopac’s “revolving door” pattern: a series of superintendents who only stay for
four- or five-year stints, Sclafani
said, and a list that includes the district’s most recent superintendent,
Thomas Manko.
Public discontent with what
some see as the board’s erratic
and relatively closed-door vetting
process was evident at the board’s
Dec. 9 meeting, when parent Anita Olivier, a frequent contributor
to the meetings’ public comment
portion, asked the board a direct
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
SUPERINTENDENT
FROM PAGE 4
question: “Are you really the right
people to be doing this search?”
Sclafani answered that hiring a
superintendent is the trustees’ job
and they are taking it seriously.
“To be blunt, we’re the trustees, we’re voted in to do this, to
do these kinds of things,” Sclafani
said. “We are not going to settle
for any candidate unless we feel
as a group that that person is the
right fit.”
Sclafani continued: “I can tell
you from being in the banking industry for 30 years we’ve had people where you bring them in, you
interview them the first time, you
like them, the second time, you’re
not crazy about them. People could
say things or approach things differently if you’re not quite satisfied with the way they’re responding to certain questions.”
The board president also shot
back with a comment about Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates,
the executive search firm the
board hired while still under the
leadership of Raymond Cote.
“You have to understand, when
a company vets something they
are putting a product before you,”
he said. “Their main goal is to get
their fee and go away—that’s what
a headhunting firm does.”
PAGE 5
Sclafani later told Mahopac
News that the board does feel
that Hazard and Young has done a
good job working on the school’s
behalf.
The district had a previous false
start when its former top pick, John
Kopicki, superintendent of the
Forest City Regional School District in Pennsylvania, turned down
the district’s job offer following
the “Meet the Candidates” forum
last May, where he had squared off
against second finalist Marco Pochintesta, superintendent of Wappingers Central School District.
Kopicki hadn’t yet signed a contract and ended up taking his own
district’s counter offer of a salary
raise at the eleventh hour.
In August, after the Kopicki debacle, the board worked with Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates
to create a new schedule with new
benchmark dates, and the process
began anew.
Since then, the board has not
adhered to that tentative schedule,
which predicted an appointment
by Nov. 3, but Sclafani said one of
the reasons they chose Hazard and
Young was that the firm does not
charge beyond its initial fee until
the district finds a superintendent
and sticks with him or her for a
year.
In this second round, DiCarlo,
as one of two finalist candidates,
said that he went so far as to alert
his current employer that they
might be called as a reference.
After receiving no word from the
board following his interview with
the cabinet, he called up the search
firm only to find out on Nov. 18,
the day before the “Meet the Finalists” meeting was supposed to
take place, that he was no longer
a contender.
DiCarlo accused the board of
jeopardizing his livelihood due to
their lack of follow-up.
“They basically just let it evaporate after they canceled that meeting,” DiCarlo said.
Sclafani said that the board had
been alerted the previous week
that the candidate who members
believed was the right fit for the
district had taken a job in another
school district, so they took the
time and decided amongst themselves that the best course of action was to start over.
“You’re looking for a leader of
the district,” Sclafani said. “You’re
looking for someone who meets, if
not all, then a majority of the district’s and community’s criteria
and then you’re looking for a personality. [A superintendent] is an
interesting position because when
you look at it, it is not just an educator; it’s an educator, a business
manager, a philosopher, a psychologist. It’s all those things put
Promote Your Charity Send us a press release at [email protected], or give us a call at 845-621-1115.
together and you have to have an
answer to everyone’s problems.”
When asked about the current
status of the search, the school
board president said that while he
was not going to get into details,
a new series of interviews with a
whole new robust slate of candidates is set to begin in January.
In the meantime, the district’s
teachers are happy to have Dr.
Monahan filling in, according to
Mahopac Teachers Association
president Thomas McMahon, who
said the district’s interim superintendent has a pro-education stance
teachers like.
“I think he understands that
teaching is the lifeline of education,” he said.
Since he only became MTA
president this year, McMahon
said he cannot judge how working with Monahan compares to
working with Manko, but said he
was happy with the part Monahan
played in the securing of a teacher
contract after years of dissent. He
did say, however, that Monahan’s
relationship with the district’s
teachers is definitely better than
Manko’s was.
Manko announced he was resigning from the position in Nov.
2013, and left in June 2014 to pursue a career as a private school superintendent.
United Methodist
Cooperative Parish
announces Christmas
Eve services
DREW
7 p.m. candlelight service with
Bell Choir
28 Gleneida Ave., Carmel
MT HOPE
6:30 and 11 p.m. candlelight service
365 Hill St., Mahopac Falls
LAKE MAHOPAC
7:30 p.m. candlelight service
East Lake Boulevard and Route
6, Mahopac
PURDYS
5:30 p.m. candlelight service
106 Titicus Road, North Salem
Methodist churches
hold meditative
labyrinth walks
Attend the monthly meditative
labyrinth walk at Drew United
Methodist Church from 7 to 9 p.m.
Dec. 19, Feb. 20 and April 17.
Alternating months are hosted
by Lake Mahopac United Methodist Church on Jan. 16, March 20
and May 15.
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PAGE 6
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Pigging station, pipeline expansion no longer planned for Mahopac
Carmel Town Board facing criticism from local environmental group over response to pipeline
BY LIZ BUTTON
OF MAHOPAC NEWS
Residents of Stephanie Lane
in Mahopac may be glad to learn
that the pigging station a natural
gas company had planned for construction within the Town of Carmel’s borders is now proposed to be
built in Somers instead, according
to Carmel Supervisor Ken Schmitt.
Schmitt said he and Councilwoman Suzi McDonough recently
met with representatives from
Spectra Energy, who told them that
the Atlantic Bridge pipeline expansion is no longer proposed to take
place in the Town of Carmel at all
due to a decrease in demand among
their customer base, and that the
station, which is designed to clean
out the pipeline with giant brushlike devices, is now planned to be
built in Somers.
Now that there is currently
no pipeline expansion planned
for Carmel, the station has been
moved further west of its original
planned location and will now be
constructed closer to Route 118,
but not as far as Stephanie Lane,
which runs along the Somers border that divides Westchester and
Putnam Counties.
Although the Carmel Town
‘This is not a Democratic or Republican
issue. This is my home district and I am very
disappointed in people who claim to be concerned
about their constituents.’
‘That’s nonsense. That is absolutely the furthest
thing from the truth—that the Carmel Town
Board is not overly concerned about it.’
—Supervisor Ken Schmitt
—Jerry Ravnitzky
Town of Carmel
Stop the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion (SAPE)
Board learned about Spectra’s
original plans to expand pipeline
circumferences in Carmel and
to build a pigging station in Mahopac fewer than three months
ago, it has already faced criticism
from the anti-pipeline group Stop
the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion
(SAPE) that it has not done enough
to actively learn about the dangers
of the project.
Courtney Williams, a biological
engineer from Peekskill, spoke on
behalf of SAPE at Mahopac’s Dec.
9 Board of Education meeting and
outlined the scope of the project and
the deleterious environmental and
health consequences that can result
via the pigging station mechanism.
Known technically as a launcher
and receiver, this machine sweeps
out dangerous chemical and radioactive material from the pipes,
which is then disposed of at anoth-
er location. According to scientific
research cited by SAPE, which appears on the group’s website, this
material can become airborne and
have carcinogenic effects.
At one point in the presentation,
Williams stated that it seemed as if
the Carmel Town Board is less than
interested in considering the possible health and environmental dangers associated with the pipeline
issue. Schmitt, however, said statements such as these are completely
false and called the comment “fearmongering.”
“That’s nonsense,” he said.
“That is absolutely the furthest
thing from the truth—that the Carmel Town Board is not overly concerned about it.”
Mahopac resident and SAPE
member Jerry Ravnitzky, who has
appeared twice before the Carmel Town Board to speak about
the issue, sent the board information in order to prepare for an official SAPE presentation, but board
members deemed what was sent
insufficient backup material.
Ravnitzky, who is also the president of Concerned Citizens of Carmel and Mahopac, a local political
group that usually backs Democrat candidates, said that if members of the Town Board think this
is just a political issue proffered
by Democrats to target Republicans, then they are wrong. Many
majority Republican town boards
SAPE has visited have since taken
it upon themselves to pass resolutions calling for independent safety
and health assessments and deeper
environment impact studies to be
conducted for any pipeline project,
he said.
“This is not a Democratic or Republican issue,” Ravnitzky said.
“This is my home district and I am
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“There is no other town or
county or school district that we
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the Carmel Town Board has,” he
added. “[Belief that it is a political
issue] was the only reason that I
could assume [Carmel was throwing up roadblocks] based on what
their reaction was.”
Somers Town Supervisor Rick
Morrissey, a Republican, said he
has made it the town’s business to
hear from both SAPE and Spectra
on an issue he says is relevant to
residents. Morrissey’s Republican
majority Town Board has already
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PIPELINE
FROM PAGE 6
with residents, and I’m sure Carmel will do what we did,” Morrissey
said.
Although he sent Ravnitzky an
email several weeks ago requesting
background materials for a backup
packet to go along with a possible
future presentation, Schmitt said
that the board has not received sufficient information, which is why a
date has not yet been set for a presentation to the board.
“To this date they have not provided us with the backup we asked
for,” Schmitt said. “So whose fault
is it? If they are trying to blame
someone they should look at themselves because they are the ones
who have not given us what we
asked for...Once we have that information we will gladly put them
on the agenda.”
Schmitt said that the idea that
the board is resistant to learning
about the issue is absolutely incorrect, and insisted that the board is
committed to educating themselves
about the nearby project.
“I am not concerned about [Spectra’s] bottom line,” Schmitt said.
“I’m not concerned about the money or their shareholders. I am saying our concern is the health, safety
and welfare of our residents…We
PAGE 7
are committed to learning as much
as we can and having as much information as we can with respect
to this project. I will listen and
believe and trust what the Spectra
people are telling us but we will
also verify what we are being told
to make sure the information that
we are given is accurate.”
Spectra already has one pipeline
expansion project on the books,
known as the Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline expansion project, which calls for the
installation of a high-pressure 42inch diameter transmission pipeline to replace the existing 26-inch
pipe that runs through New York,
Connecticut, Rhode Island and
Massachusetts.
The AIM expansion project, as
currently proposed, ends at Stoney
Street in Yorktown, which Spectra
has tentatively put forward as a
possible site for a separate pigging
station. As proposed, the Atlantic
Bridge pipeline expansion project
would pick up where the AIM project ends and continue into Somers
where it would travel through open
spaces for five or six miles.
But the Atlantic Bridge expansion route and proposed location of
associated pigging stations continues to change, as this project is still
in the very early stages, according
to Spectra spokeswoman Mary Lee
Hanley.
Hanley said that the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) has recently revised the
procedural schedule to change the
projected issuance of the final environmental impact statement for the
AIM project from Dec. 19 to Jan.
23, but this later date still works
within that project’s construction
schedule.
“The Algonquin pipeline expansion and the Atlantic Bridge pipeline expansion are two separate
and distinct projects,” Hanley said.
“We have not filed anything. The
Atlantic Bridge project is still in
the very early stages and nothing
has been filed with FERC at this
time.”
While Spectra has portrayed Atlantic Bridge as a separate expansion project, some contend it is actually the second phase of one large
project that began with the Algonquin pipeline expansion. Hanley
said that the placement of the pipe
is tied to customer demand.
“We are still evaluating our contracts with our customers and determining what facilities will be
needed and so I can’t say where
the pipeline will be, what the volumes are,” she said. “None of those
things have been finalized at this
date.”
The Houston-based company,
which provides natural gas service
transportation service to customers
who are local distribution companies in the region, is still gauging interest with local distributors
before submitting anything to any
regulatory agency regarding the
Atlantic Bridge project, Hanley
said.
SAPE co-founder Susan Van
Dolsen said she believes that the
delay in FERC’s Environmental
Impact Study on the Algonquin
pipeline expansion project will
likely affect the timeline of the
Atlantic Bridge project. This, she
said, would be clear evidence that
they are just two parts of the same
pipeline. In SAPE’s view, it is unlikely that Spectra would move
forward with the Atlantic Bridge
project if the Algonquin project is
not approved to move forward, Van
Dolsen said.
Spectra is also planning a third
pipeline expansion, known as the
Access Northeast pipeline project.
Access would add 40 more miles
of pipe.
The cost of all three projects
combined is estimated at $3 billion, and, if approved by FERC,
Spectra said it hopes to have these
completed by November 2017.
Contact Us
Mahopac News is located at 572 Route 6, Mahopac, NY 10541. You can contact us at 845-621-1115 or email [email protected].
Putnam Arts
Council holds
holiday craft show
and sale
All craft sales are not created
equal.
The Craft Show and Sale
at the Putnam Arts Council is
unique in its vendor selection
process, inviting hand-picked
artisans from all over the Hudson Valley to create a boutique
holiday showcase.
The sale runs from noon to
5 p.m. through Dec. 21 (closed
Mondays and Tuesdays).
When you visit, you will discover a distinctive selection of
handmade crafts to suit every
budget and delight your senses,
all presented in the beautifully
appointed A. Eric Artcander
gallery space at Belle Levine
Art Center in Mahopac. There
are gifts for every heart’s desire, including your own.
Free admission and free
parking, supporting regional
artists and designers along with
our local economy, adds up to
holiday joy for all.
The Putnam Arts Council
is located at the Belle Levine
Art Center, 521 Kennicut Hill
Road, in Mahopac. For more
information, visit putnamartscouncil.com.
CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST
Christmas Eve
4:00 PM ...................................Vigil Mass - OLQA
4:00 PM ........................ Vigil Mass - Main Church
6:00 PM ..................... Family Mass - Main Church
8:00 PM ........................ Vigil Mass - Main Church
9:30 PM ......................Spanish Vigil Mass - OLQA
12:00 AM............... Midnight Mass - Main Church
12:00 AM............... Polish Midnight Mass - OLQA
Christmas Eve
Family Mass
6pm
Christmas Day
6:00 AM................ Mass of the Shepherds - OLQA
7:30 AM ....Mass of Christmas Day - Main Church
8:45 AM.....Mass of Christmas Day - Main Church
9:45 AM.....Polish Mass of Christmas Day - OLQA
10:45 AM...Mass of Christmas Day - Main Church
12:30 PM ...............Gala Finale Mass for Christmas
2:00 PM ................ Spanish Mass of Christmas Day
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST
221 East Lake Boulevard
Mahopac, New York 10541
845-628-2006
www.sjtemahopac.org
www.facebook.com/sjtemahopac
bronxdesign.com
PAGE 8
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Melinda Franzese displays new paintings at library
Editor’s Note: The following
information was provided by
Mahopac Public Library.
Mahopac resident Melinda Franzese has been painting with watercolors for over 35 years. Her
current show, installed in the third
floor gallery at Mahopac Public
Library, is a culmination of a oneyear effort focusing on the beauty
of the seasons in Mahopac and the
surrounding area. This new exhibit
will remain on display through
Dec. 30 and can be viewed during
regular library hours.
Melinda enjoys working small.
This allows her to hyper focus on
each piece and to draw the viewer
in close. Her larger pieces give her
the opportunity to open the focus
of the page and to permit the viewer to step back to appreciate the
work. Each piece takes many hours
to create, even the smaller ones.
There are layers of color, shapes,
lines, and values which are placed
into each work. As an art teacher
at a private school in Westchester,
this is a process she tries to convey
to her students: to step back, assess each layer, and consider what
should come next.
Melinda strives to create paintings that appeal to her and others,
so that her passion for the subject matter and the medium shine
through. The simplicity and composition of “Birches in the Snow”
conveys the stillness after a winter
snowfall. Her small pieces entitled
“Birch Forest” and “Birches in
“Snow” share the feeling of a walk
in the woods on a quiet, winter
day. Some of the other lovely images include “Fence and Flowers,”
“Farm,” “Cardinal,” and a beautifully articulated piece entitled “Artichoke.”
Visit Mahopac Library to view
Melinda’s work, all of which can
be purchased by contacting the
artist directly. For additional information about the Third Floor
Gallery, call Debra Feiman at Mahopac Public Library: 845-6282009, extension 108. The library
will be closed on Christmas Day
and will close at 1 p.m. on Dec. 24
and Dec. 31.
Photo Submissions Photos submitted to Mahopac News need to be a high-resolution image. Images that are submitted
at a low resolution cannot be published. Submit photos to Mahopac News by the Thursday before the next publication date.
Submissons can be emailed to [email protected] or mail it to Mahopac News, 572 Route 6, Mahopac, NY
10541. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you’d like your photo returned.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MAHOPAC PUBLIC LIBRARY
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 9
YOUR LOCAL MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP
After half a century, Estate Motors still cultivating that ‘hometown feel’
BY BOB DUMAS
FOR MAHOPAC NEWS
If you travel along Interstate 684 with
any frequency, there’s a good chance
you’ve observed the iconic Estate Motors
building looming over the freeway from
its perch in Goldens Bridge on the east
side of the freeway.
The Mercedes Benz dealership has been
there since the 1960s and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Now in its
51st year, the business is the oldest familyowned and operated Mercedes Benz dealership in Westchester County.
The dealership was started by Charles
Buonanno in 1963. His son, Chris, who
has worked at Estate since 1995, took over
the reins of the business in 2010 in the
wake of Charles’ retirement.
It’s no fluke that the business has not
only lasted 50-plus years, but has thrived
despite the increasing competition from
other high-end car models.
“[Charles Buonanno] built the business
on the customer and their relationship to
this dealership,” said Bob Federico, Estate Motor’s general sales manager. “It’s
not uncommon to find a customer who has
purchased more than 10 cars from us since
we’ve been here. We are not just the oldest
Mercedes Benz dealership in Westchester,
we are one of the first in the country.”
Federico, who started in the car business
in 1978 selling Oldsmobiles and Lincolns,
said it’s Estate’s high standard of customer
service that allows it to compete with the
larger Mercedes Benz dealerships.
“That’s what Mercedes Benz is known
for,” he said. “You have to have excellent
service. There are a lot of nice cars out
there, so it takes a dealership with good
pedigree and background to keep customers loyal. As much as we’ve grown, we
still never lose that hometown feel. Here,
a customer is not a number, but a family
member.
“We realize customers can do business
with a number of [Mercedes] dealers anywhere in the tri-state area,” Federico adds.
“All the dealers are within miles of each
other. But the reason people do business
with us is our personalized touch. The
owner and management team are accessible to our customers at any time to make
sure the buying experience is a pleasant
one. We offer the most competitive pricing
because our costs are low because we’ve
been in business all these years.”
To accentuate its customer service, Estate also offers its customers free pick-up
and delivery for when their car needs servicing.
“We understand their time is precious,
so we try to make it as convenient and effortless as possible,” Federico said.
Federico also said that another reason
Estate Motors has had longtime repeat
customers is because many of its employees have been with the business for most
of their careers.
“Most of our service team has been here
Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, center, with Estate Motors General Sales Manager Robert
Federico and Estate Motors Owner Chris Buonanno.
The show room at Estate Motors.
PHOTOS: BRETT FREEMAN
Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, who has appeared in commercials for Estate Motors, a
Mercedes Benz dealership in Goldens Bridge, was on hand to sign autographs at the
dealership on Oct. 16. Back row: General Sales Manager Robert Federico, Noel Soto,
Anthony Anzalone, Glenn Visconti, Joe Girardi, Dan Azadian, Justin DeAngelis and Kevin
Hebert. Front row: Ralph Brechter, Jenna Garland, Estate Motors Owner Chris Buonanno,
Alma Curro, Adria Nestro, George Rodriguez and Kim Kneuer.
for many, many years,” he said. “We have
employees who started here as porters and
valets when they were practically children
and then move up through the company.
One of our senior sales reps, Adria Nestro,
started out as a receptionist and is now one
of our best sales people. One of our service
advisors, John Chipman, started here as a
ADVERTORIAL
young man and now has developed quite a
following.”
Another senior sales rep, Glenn Visconti, while relatively new to Estate Motors,
has been selling Mercedes Benz for 34
years, bringing a wealth of product knowledge with him.
Federico also noted that the demographic for Mercedes Benz owners has changed
and broadened since the dealership first
opened its doors. While still considered
a high-end vehicle, Mercedes Benz is not
just for the affluent anymore.
“In the past, we were a brand that was
just for a privileged few who could afford
it,” he said. “Now the selection has increased with a more diversified line-up [of
cars]. You can buy a basic car — the CLA
— for under $30,000. The hope is to bring
them in with the base car and then turn
them into a customer for life. Today you
can buy the most sophistically engineered
product for the same price as a common
domestic car.”
And it is that engineering, along with its
safety features, that sets Mercedes Benz
apart from other high-end luxury vehicles.
Federico said that unlike most car companies, each Mercedes Benz model is unique
unto itself. They don’t share chassis with
other models differentiated only by the
trim and the seats.
“When you buy a Mercedes Benz, you
buy it from the ground up,” he said. “It’s
not shared with products of a lesser brand.
It’s a Mercedes Benz from top to bottom.
And the safety features are the same ones
you’ll find in the most expensive model
down to the entry-level model.”
The concept of leasing, which came to
fore in the 1980s, is another way Estate
has been able to cultivate repeat customers. Federico said a customer can stay in
a vehicle for three or four years and then
transition to a new one with very little
hassle.
“The process is very seamless to go from
car to car, and it gives [the customer] more
flexibility,” he said. “That’s important because having a car isn’t a luxury anymore;
it’s a necessity, especially around here.”
After five decades, Federico said Estate
Motors continues to be a one-stop shopping point for Mercedes Benz aficionados.
“We offer full service – sales, service,
parts and detailing,” he said, “whatever
the customer needs.”
Estate Motors is located at 321 Route 22
in Goldens Bridge, and can be reached by
calling 914-232-8122. You can also visit
their website at estatemotors.com.
Estate Motors
Mercedes Benz Dealership
321 Route 22, Goldens Bridge
914-232-8122
PAGE 10
Opinion
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Let’s expect the best
How food has
O
influenced my life
ver the last month, many of us have him with supplemental oxygen, despite
been involved in conversations
the fact that he was heard crying out that
about racism and its influence on
he couldn’t breathe. An EMT could also
how cops act on the job. Brooklyn, Cleve- have inserted an airway tube to assist in his
land, Phoenix, Orlando,
breathing until transport
Los Angeles, Ferguson;
to an emergency facility
week after week, it
was completed. They
HERE
seems, we’re being conwere later suspended.
AND
fronted by news reports
It’s no surprise that
NOW!
of unarmed black boys
people of color watching
Bernie
and men being shot
these videos would be
Kosberg
dead who may or may
extraordinarily upset, esnot have disobeyed the
pecially considering the
law. And, if they did
appalling failure of the
transgress, none did so
criminal justice system
seriously enough to warrant their immedi- to indict, and the indifference demonstrated
ate execution. Killing another human being by the emergency services workers when
is not something that should be easily
called on to provide treatment.
excused as a mishap or mistake.
Policing is a tough, demanding and
However, the death of Eric Garner after
frightening job. No amount of ongoing
being placed in a chokehold during an attraining is ultimately sufficient to avoid the
tempted arrest on Staten Island for selling
rigors and everyday frustrations inherent in
untaxed cigarettes is different.
a job which demands that order be mainFirst, the entire scenario was caught on
tained, laws enforced, crime prevented, and
several cell phone videos.
the morals of a community maintained.
Second, Garner wasn’t shot by a cop,
Cops expect themselves to uphold their
acting in relative isolation and fearful for
community’s ideals, which is an essential
his safety. Garner was violently and need- element of an orderly society. But, cops
lessly taken down and choked for a full 15 also expect to be respected beyond reseconds, and had his head smashed into the proach even when applying questionable
sidewalk for an additional10 seconds, as
tactics born out of antiquated “stop and
four cops held him down and cuffed him.
frisk” and “broken windows” policing
Third, the New York City Medical
philosophies. Personally, I can’t imagine
Examiner’s Office ruled Garner’s death a
how well I’d deal with the frequent reality
homicide caused by a police officer’s ilof being confronted by police and searched
legal chokehold, along with chest and neck for no reason other than being a person of
compressions and prone positioning during color.
the restraint.
The emergence of cell phone video
And, lastly, no one attempted to detechnology has significantly increased
escalate the incident even when Garner
the capacity of everyday citizens to act as
pleaded repeatedly that he couldn’t breathe reporters in the field, bringing the stark reand passed out.
ality of this racial divide to wide attention.
Yes, Garner was in poor health—heart
Watch YouTube for an hour, and you can
disease, severe asthma, diabetes and
see one video after another of situations
obesity—but it is widely felt that his death spiraling out of control when a volatile cop
was avoidable. Politicians of all persuais faced with a person of color offering
sions nationwide, as well as mainstream
any type of resistance, or questioning the
media, have expressed outrage after a
officer’s authority, in any way.
grand jury declined to indict the New York
After my column on Ferguson a few
City policeman seemingly responsible for
weeks back, I received several emails from
Garner’s death. The other cops involved in local parents detailing incidents of racial
the takedown at the scene were granted im- profiling right here in Putnam County. One
munity from state prosecution when they
sentence from a Latino mom, in particular,
agreed to testify before the Grand Jury.
caught my attention:
Disturbingly, what makes matters even
“We must teach our boys to know who
worse is that a video shows that as Garner they are and how they’re seen, and if they
lay dying, a group of police officers aptalk back or catch an attitude, they’ll be
peared to be meandering about, seemingly hurt.”
indifferent to the tragedy unfolding before
The mother of an African American teen
them.
wrote:
But, it doesn’t end there. When the
“There’s no let up. I worry when he’s in
EMTs arrived, they did not follow esschool and I worry when he’s in town. I
tablished protocol; they did not assess
See kosberg page 12
Garner’s vital signs, nor did they provide
toes and vegetables, homemade soups of
all kinds, stews and potato pancakes with
homemade apple sauce, were all foods
As a child, I grew up in a very close-knit that would go far. Nothing was wasted, but
Catholic, Italian town. All of my classrather converted and used in another menu
mates and friends were of Italian descent.
plan. Nana also taught me the art of pack
The aromas that encircled that little town
ratting; canning, pickling and freezing so
each evening were truly wonderful. There
there would be fresh food supplies during
was always a pot of gravy (spaghetti sauce) those lean winter months.
with meatballs simmering on the stove.
When I grew and married, it was to a
The fresh scent of garlic sautéing, with
local Italian, Catholic boy. My husband
escarole and beans, fried eggplant parmehas a lovely family, and his mother Lousan and a huge mixed green salad, would
ise was an excellent cook. The Italian
set the scene for the nightly social gathertraditions in my husband’s family were
ing of family and friends around the supper extremely different from my own simple
table. I would often enjoy one of those
food upbringing. Many of these foods that
delicious meals while visiting with one of
were prepared were grown fresh in their
my friends.
gardens or purchased in an Italian specialty
I was the only child born to Caroline
store. These gatherings around the food
and Stanley Ratigan, right after the war
table started with Grace and many of these
had ended. Both of my parents were deaf.
special foods.
They found it hard to work and care for a
My first holiday meal with Jim’s famnewborn baby during those hard times, so
ily gave us many hours at the dinner table,
Grandma stepped in and took me home
with many different courses being served.
with her to live. My parents would visit me Their guests would only take time away
each weekend, but my roots began to take
from the table to walk around outside,
hold in that little Italian town as I began to stretching and making room for the next
grow.
course. A typical holiday meal started with
My grandmother, Nana as we called
a shrimp cocktail, homemade manicotti
her, was a poor but very strong German,
with freshly ground parmesan cheese, and
Protestant woman. She was left a widow
a hot and cold antipasto. A fresh killed bird
and alone to raise her five children. Times
(turkey or capon) was heavenly baked to a
were hard and she supported her famgolden brown, bulging with her homemade
ily by ironing and cleaning the homes of
sausage stuffing. Assorted fresh vegetables
wealthier residents she knew in the town.
and potatoes with brown gravy concluded
My grandmother was very cautious with
the main course. This large meal always
her money because she had to be. Those
ended with a fresh green salad, fresh fruit
depressed times put much strain on her.
and nuts, and a large piece of fenuke (a
She would stand on line for hours to get
licorice flavored, celery-like food) sliced
bags of flour, sugar and other staples given on a decorative plate. Later in the day,
out by the Red Cross. Nana would often
fresh espresso coffee with a twist of lemon
tell me stories of how she would have to
and some Anisette was greatly appreciated.
strain the bugs and impurities from these
Homemade cheesecake, fresh baked pies,
goods before she could use them. These
cakes and cookies made everyone glow
hard times influenced her way of cooking. with approval. This gave me, not only the
She cooked simply, making great food
flavor of many different foods, but also a
menus that would stretch to feed her five
taste of a more formal eating atmosphere.
children and several of the neighbors in the
Along with all of that wonderful partakneighborhood.
ing came much talking and sharing, and
Growing up with my grandmother taught
See ucci page 17
me the simple ways of eating. Meat, potaBy Ida Ucci
Special to mahopac news
CORRECTION
In last week’s article, “Town funds Long Pond Road Improvement District,” (Dec. 11,
Page 5), the association that was the subject of the article was referred to as the Long Pond
Property Owners’ Association. The name of the group referenced is actually the Long
Pond Association. The Long Pond Property Owners Association is an entirely separate
organization.
Brett Freeman, Publisher
Bryan Fumagalli, Editor
Shelley Kilcoyne, Advertising Manager
Christina Scotti, Production Manager
Editorial Office: 914-302-5830
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©2014 Halston Media, LLC
Letters to the editor and op-ed submissions may be edited. The views
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or are anonymous will not be published. Please send your submissions
to the editor by e-mail at [email protected].
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 11
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OPINION
PAGE 12
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
A parent’s guide to holiday havoc
Dear Dr. Linda,
I know the holiday season is
supposed to be a joyous and fun
time for kids and adults, but I have
to tell you that I begin dreading
the holiday season around Halloween and don’t calm down
until after New Years. Every
year seems to be the same. I end
up getting crazy with shopping,
baking, gift wrapping, sending out
holiday cards, etc. My youngest,
Evan, is now in fifth grade and
my daughter, Maddie, is now in
eighth grade. They always seem
to start doing poorly in school
at this time of the year. I know
why. I usually help them with
their homework but I don’t have
the time or strength to help them
during the holidays. My husband
is rarely around because he travels
for business. Well, this year is not
any different. Last night, Evan
was so confused by his homework
that he needed more help than
usual. I was so stressed out that I
couldn’t figure it out either. The
combination of the homework and
my inability to help caused him
to have a total meltdown. Then,
this morning, I got a call from
Maddie’s school counselor to tell
me that her teachers would like to
have a meeting with me to discuss
accessible sometimes is enough.
Maddie’s grades and her attitude
are the symptoms you’re seeing.
Since you’ve had this experiDR. LINDA
ence in the past, I recommend you
SILBERT
make some changes. You need
to regroup so you can enjoy the
holiday season. You also need to
maintain structure in your home so
your kids can continue to function
Maddie’s recent drop in grades
well at school.
and her attitude. How do other
Talk to your kids and explain
parents do this?
Mom Dreading Holidays what’s going on. Tell them how
overwhelmed you are. Make a
plan together that will work for
Dear Mom Dreading Holidays,
everyone. Teach them what to do
I talk to so many moms who
feel the same way. Holiday prepa- when they become overwhelmed
ration alone can be overwhelming and stressed out.
Instead of punishing Maddie for
without having to deal with kids’
her low grades and attitude, talk
school work and after school
about what’s been happening to
activities.
you and explain, that as a result,
School, homework and some
you haven’t been there for her
free time for most kids takes up
lately. Then listen carefully to her.
their whole day. If they can’t do
Talk with her instead of “at” her.
their homework or can’t understand it, a parent often jumps in to Acknowledge how she feels and
what she thinks.
help.
If Maddie continues to do
When Mom or Dad are too
poorly in school and has an attistressed out to help, kids often
tude issue, then her behavior is not
take it personally and will start
coming from the present situation.
acting out. Kids need their parHave Maddie talk with the school
ents’ support continuously. This
counselor or psychologist. Your
doesn’t mean they can’t do their
pediatrician may also be able to
schoolwork without you, but just
recommend someone for Maddie
knowing that you’re there and
STRONG
LEARNING
to see. Find out what’s causing the
problems. Problems can be solved
once you know the cause.
You have options too.
To begin with, you don’t have to
do everything. Look at your list of
holiday tasks. What can you cross
off? Baking may be one of them.
Buy baked goods instead. If wrapping presents takes a lot of time,
use tissue paper and gift bags.
If you’re having several parties
or big dinners, do fewer and use
caterers. Purchase gifts throughout the year instead of shopping
for everything at once…you can
also take advantage of great sales
this way. Ask your friends how
they manage their time during the
holidays and what they’re choosing not to do.
By the way, it’s okay to go on
vacation during the holidays if
things get too stressed for everyone.
Have a very happy holiday,
Dr. Linda Silbert
As my holiday gift for your
children, you can get two of my
fun, educational games or my
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stronglearning.com/your-freegifts.
kosberg
FROM page 10
even worry when he’s on the
ball field.”
Most cops are quite resilient
and quickly figure out ways to
cope with the reality of politically discriminatory laws and
harmful policing practices.
They are excellent at maintaining self-control, remaining cool,
and doing their best to avoid
conflict. But some, when faced
with pushback or caught in a
tense situation, may become
threatening, intimidating and
unusually harsh. These few ruin
the reputation of the vast majority of good cops who want to be
fair and reasonable, and do their
job well and safely.
As in other professions, accountability and responsibility
must be manifested from within
the police system itself. Police
officers should demand the best
from each other, be willing to
call each other out for questionable behavior, and hold each
other accountable. Unfortunately, the “blue code of silence”
often gets in the way.
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PAGE 14
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Row, row, row your basement
Whoever said, “Bad things
happen in threes,” clearly never
lived in my house. In the span of
24 hours, my husband got food
poisoning, the dog got sick, and
my daughter came down with
mono.
Confident our run of bad luck
had come to an end, I turned to
my husband and said, “Well, at
least we still have a roof over our
heads.”
Then the ceiling caved in.
“What do you mean the ceiling
leak,” I explained, staring at the
large hole where my basement
ceiling used to be. “The water
built up under the floor, and then
TRACY
blammo…the basement ceiling
BECKERMAN
caved in.”
“You mean, the brand, new
renovated basement with the new
carpet and new furniture?” he
caved in?” boomed my husband
asked.
over the phone from his business
“Yes. That basement.”
trip.
T:7.97”“Fan-tastic,” he sighed.
“One of the pipes from the new
Both of us were quiet as we
upstairs washing machine got a
had a moment of silence for our
LOST IN
SUBURBIA
new, dearly departed basement.
For me, it was about the loss of
the furniture. For him, it was the
pain of the insurance deductible.
The worst part, of course, was
that we had just, just completed a
six-month house renovation. We
hadn’t even had a day to enjoy
the new basement yet when the
pipe burst. It was the equivalent
of baking a cake and then having
the dog eat it before you get to
have the first bite. Except instead
of a cake, it was a basement, and
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Putnam Hospital Center seminar
December 18th at 4:30 PM
instead of a dog, it was…
A mouse.
“What???” I asked the plumber
incredulously.
“A mouse ate through your
water line,” he repeated. “That’s
what caused the leak.” He bent
down from the top of the ladder
and showed me a small section
of pipe. I could clearly see the
tiny little mousy bite marks that
bisected the pipe. How something
so small could cause so much
destruction was beyond me.
But there were no ifs, ands, or
squeaks about it. It was a mouse.
At first I was stunned. Nice
people don’t get mice. Especially
nice people who keep a clean
house and set mouse traps with
cheese in the basement. Apparently though, the mouse missed
the memo that I was a nice clean
person and he decided to bypass
the cheese and go straight for the
pipes. Personally, I’d choose a
lovely piece of Jarlsberg over a
piece of rubber tubing any day,
but then again, I’m not a stupid
mouse.
“Okay, fine,” I said to the
plumber. “So what do we do
now?”
He looked up into the hole that
was once my ceiling. “Well, first I
suggest you get some fans to dry
out the carpet. They you should
get an estimate for repairing the
damage. Then you should contact
your insurance company to find
out what they’ll cover. “
I wrote furiously on a notepad
to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
“Fans, estimate, insurance. Got
it,” I repeated. “Anything else?”
“Yeah…” he said, looking at
the piece of chewed up pipe.
“Then you should get a cat.”
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Letters and Op-Ed Policy
Letters to the editor and op-ed
submissions may be edited. The
views and opinions expressed
in letters and op-eds are not
necessarily those of Mahopac
News or its affiliates. Submissions
must include a phone number and
address for verification. Not all
letters and op-eds will necessarily
be published. Letters and op-eds
which cannot be verified or are
anonymous will not be published.
Please send your submissions
to the editor by e-mail at
[email protected].
For more information, call the editor
at 845-621-1115.
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 15
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PAGE 16
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Race-baiting Kosberg is wrong on Ferguson
potential life or death situation for
the officer. Forensic evidence and
eye witness accounts disputed the
This letter is in response in
claim that his hands were up. FurMr. Kosberg’s column regarding
thermore, eye witness testimony
Ferguson. I hear the rant of racdisputing that claim came from
ism and see the protests covered
several African-Americans. So
in so many media outlets. Now,
where is the racism and cover up?
Mr. Kosberg, a liberal pundit, is
If this was a white unarmed
calling this another case of racism male who just committed a robreferring to the Ferguson incident bery and acted in the manner Miinvolving a police officer shooting chael Brown did, I am confident
Michael Brown, an unarmed black the outcome would have been the
man. When are the people who
same. To say that Officer Wilson’s
are calling this incident “racially
actions were based on color is not
motivated” going to stop this false fair. In Mr. Kosberg’s article he
accusation? I have heard the prowould lead the reader to believe it
testers shouting, “Hands up, don’t was racially motivated. When he
shoot.” The fact is, as informed
states the incident that happened
people know, Michael Brown did
to his black friend Errol over 40
not have his hands up when he
years ago, the reality of that time
was shot. He was being questioned was civil unrest, disobedience, and
by the officer about a robbery in
violence. The police were dealwhich he was involved. He then
ing with numerous riots. During
assaulted the police officer and
those riots police had all sorts of
a struggle ensued in an effort to
objects hurled at them, they were
get the officer’s gun. Obviously a
being taunted, spit on, and given
BY KEN FERRARA
SPECIAL TO MAHOPAC NEWS
THESE PRICES ARE
VALID WITH AD ONLY
Merry CHristMas & Happy Holidays
no respect. In case some have
forgotten, police are only human
and have to react to situations
often times in a matter of seconds.
But to say what happened to Errol
was solely racially motivated may
be an overstatement as the officer
involved offered Mr. Kosberg
that same treatment if he did not
obey his commands. I feel the
comparison of that incident from
the past to the incident in Ferguson is not fair. Mr. Kosberg goes
on to state that one in three black
men can expect to go to prison
in their life, compared with one
in every 17 white males in an
effort to have us believe racism
is running rampant in our justice
system. Here is a thought, perhaps
only one in 17 white males are
committing crimes as opposed to
one every three black males. But
if I was to believe his statement I
could go out and rob a store and
stand a good chance of not going
to prison because I am white. How
ludicrous!
In addition to Mr. Kosberg, we
have the Rev. Al Sharpton fanning the flames of racism with
unjust calls for protest yelling
“put your hands up!” Let’s face it,
Al Sharpton is in the business of
racism. If racism did not exist he
would be irrelevant and basically
unemployed. Then we have Louis
Farrakhan, who in my opinion
is a racist and will use this as an
opportunity to incite more hatred
between the races. Worst off, we
have an attorney general of the
United States calling for an unnecessary investigation into this
case when a grand jury has found
no justifiable cause to indict Officer Wilson. This also contributes
to civil disobedience. Attorney
General Holder should be denouncing the violence instead. The
media also seems to fan the flames
of racism for ratings, going by the
playbook of “if it bleeds, it leads”
Another statement by Mr.
Kosberg regarding conservatives
I object to: He writes, “Conservatives fight against the Civil
Rights Act…and successfully
disenfranchise millions of people
of color across the country by
inventing a voter-fraud crisis that
does not exist.” I find this highly
objectionable. If anything could be
considered racist and goes against
civil rights, it would be affirmative
action. To say someone of color
should be given an advantage
based on their skin color is in fact
racism. Remember the quote by
Martin Luther King Jr.: “I look
forward to the day when people
will not be judged by the color
of their skin but by the content of
their character.” Therefore, Mr.
Kosberg’s statement is antithetical
to Mr. King’s desire for equality.
Regarding voter fraud allegations,
conservatives only asked for a law
requiring voters have IDs when
voting. How horrible! We require
IDs for so many other things, why
not at the voting polls? I don’t see
how this disenfranchises anyone.
The social safety net as he likes to
call it is what others know as welfare. I ask how well that is working. It leaves people with no desire
to seek employment and it has
led to fraud and wasted taxpayer
money. I believe welfare has held
people back as it has become a
way of life for so many, as generation after generation becomes
dependent on the government. As
for the wealthy, they do in fact pay
the majority of the taxes in this
country. Mr. Kosberg would lead
the reader to believe we live in
such an unfair country, and blames
it on conservatives. To believe
him, it makes me wonder why so
many people want to come here.
Is it for the government freebies?
Or, does the USA have so much
more to offer if people are willing
to put the work in. I hope it is not
for the government handouts as
we are already over taxed and in
deep debt.
I would hope for future generations that we do judge people as
Dr. King hoped. I also hope we
hold people responsible for their
actions, and stop this race-baiting
of pitting black against white, and
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Dickens’
Christmas mystery
Editor’s Note: The following
was provided by The Center for
Vision & Values at Grove City
College (Grove City, PA) as a
free service.
For fun Christmas reading
this season, I highly recommend John Grisham’s “Skipping
Christmas,” or Maeve Binchy’s
“This Year It Will Be Different.”
For a more thought-provoking
read, however, I suggest Charles
Dickens’ short story, “A Christmas Tree.”
I have often contended that
Dickens is at his greatest when
he is brief. Although I have
enjoyed some of his long tomes,
my favorites are of moderate
length: “A Tale of Two Cities,” “Great Expectations,” and
“Hard Times.” His most famous
work is, of course, the shorter
“A Christmas Carol.” While “A
Christmas Tree” runs only 20
pages, I have contemplated it repeatedly since I first read it many
years ago.
On goodreads.com, this short
story earns a rating of only 2.7
on a five point scale, reflecting
the reality that the story is more
thought-provoking, rather than
enjoyable. But, because I wish
you and yours a Blessed Christmas, rather than just a “Merry
Christmas,” I encourage you to
read this story and to consider
what meaning a Christmas tree
might have for us.
“A Christmas Tree” was
published in 1850 at a time when
the Christmas tree tradition was
strong in Germany, but not yet
the fad that it has become in the
21st century. Dickens was showing some English readers a first
look at this Christmas tradition.
He begins by describing the
glittery bright ornaments of a
particular tree: dolls, clocks,
figurines, instruments, jewels, weapons, fruit, candy, and
masks. He then reminds his
reader of the spiritual images on
the tree, including angels, shepherds, and stars. He also tells us
that the Christmas tree points us
to the Christian cross.
But in a strange twist (and one
that the reviewers on goodreads.
com fail to understand), he then
switches to ghost stories. His
children on Christmas Eve have
difficulty sleeping, and they
dream of haunted and mysterious
stories of drama and death that
defy our human imagination,
GUEST
CORNER
DR. GARY
WELTON
stories that force us to consider
diverse supernatural mysteries.
Lastly, as the story draws to a
close, Dickens’ eyes move to the
top of the tree, and he describes
the most incomprehensible mystery of all: the star.
The bright star that sits atop
the tree reminds us of the natal
star that rested above the stable.
The mystery of the incarnation,
God the Son, taking on human
essence, is more mysterious
than any ghost story Dickens
can imagine. Dickens’ tree turns
the child’s heart to the figure of
Christ, and encourages trust and
confidence.
Many Christians complain
about the secularization of
Christmas, and rightly so. Yet, it
is worth considering the Christmas tree, and allowing it to point
us to the mystery of the ages.
From the closing words of the
story, “This, in commemoration
of the law of love and kindness,
mercy and compassion. This, in
remembrance of Me!”
I suggest, after you have put
up your decorations and prepared
your mulled cider that you read
Dickens’ “A Christmas Tree,”
and allow this sacred writing
to draw your heart and mind to
remember and contemplate the
mystery of all mysteries, the
mystery of the ages.
Dr. Gary L. Welton is assistant
dean for institutional assessment,
professor of psychology at Grove
City College, and a contributor
to The Center for Vision &
Values. He is a recipient of
a major research grant from
the Templeton Foundation
to investigate positive youth
development.
PAGE 17
UCCI
FROM PAGE 10
just being together. Social
conversations with gatherings
of family and friends are very
important to Italian heritage.
Holidays and religious days were
always reverenced by “special”
foods and the ways of preparing
them. A good example of this
was the way bacalla (a native
Italian dried fish) was prepared.
This bacalla was soaked for days
to rehydrate the fish and remove
the salts. This would then be
used to make a cold bacalla salad
for Christmas Eve, in which no
meats were served. No meat on
Fridays and during Lent also
made up some of those early traditions and customs of my new
Italian heritage.
My husband and I have been
married for 50 years, and our
three daughters grew up with the
best of both worlds. They have
learned the art of simplicity and
the enchantment of traditions,
customs and religious beliefs
within their own heritage, and
within their own lives.
Yes, food has played a very
important part in the nature
of my life. It has created and
molded, in me, who I am today.
I am so glad to have had the opportunity to help others, through
the dietary field, to understand
how much their natural food habits have contributed to their own
natures and how they can cope
with changing or altering them
to maintain a good and healthy
quality of life.
Buon Natale. Merry Christmas.
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MAHOPAC MUSINGS
PAGE 18
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
NEW CHRISTMAS CRECHE AT ST. JOHN’S
A new Christmas Creche
was unveiled during Mass
last weekend at St. John the
Evangelist Church. After
finding old, unused pews in
the Our Lady Queen of Angels
Chapel, several talented
parishioners, including Bobby
Hurley and Billy Nelson
(overseen by Fr. Patrick)
recycled the wood to construct
the Creche. It will make a
beautiful addition to St. John’s
Christmas decorations for
years to come.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALICIA BALZANO
Knit and crochet
group to meet
Mondays
take notes on teaching videos or
hear men share life lessons from
the Scriptures. They then have
lively discussions in small groups
flushing out the truths heard earlier
Knitting and crocheting have the in the teaching section.
same calming effect on the nervous
system as yoga.
WHO ATTENDS MEN’S
Come and relax with the Mon- FRATERNITY?
day Night Knit/Crochet Group at
Men that want to contribute
the Mahopac Library from 7 to 9 more towards their relationships
p.m.
with their families, co-workers,
If you like to knit or crochet, or friends and community. Men wishwould like to learn how, come join ing to become better examples of
this free knit/crochet group, which an authentic man as modeled by
meets in the Land Use Room on Jesus Christ.
the second floor of the Mahopac
For more information, call 914Library every Monday night.
949-3714.
For more information, email [email protected].
Mahopac Men’s
Fraternity to meet
Mondays
The Mahopac Men’s Fraternity
will meet every Monday from 7 to
8:30 p.m. at the Mahopac Public
Library.
Their meetings help men understand their masculine identity and
shows them how to make the pursuit of authentic manhood a lifelong priority.
Study topics include:
• Seasons of a Man’s Life
• Uncovering a Man’s Wounds
• Defining Manhood
• Deepening the Marriage Relationship
• Raising Sons and Daughters
• Developing a Manhood Plan
Join other men from Westchester, Rockland and Putnam County
in seeking real manhood.
Men’s Fraternity is designed
to help men come together and
strengthen each other through
weekly sessions that combine Biblical teaching and small group interaction.
After you sign in and get a name
tag, the group begins sharply at 7
with a few announcements and
prayer. They then either watch and
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Laundered Shirts
Carol L. Weber, RN, has retired
from her position as vice president
of the Putnam County Board of
Health, leaving an opening on the
seven-member board for a lay person.
The board serves in an advisory
capacity to the county’s Commissioner of Health, Allen Beals, MD,
JD, who has led the health department since 2012. The by-laws dictate that at least one legislator and
three physicians are members of
the board. The remaining four are
laypersons; all must be Putnam
County residents. A second opening for a physician is anticipated at
year’s end.
The search for two candidates—
a layperson and a physician—begins immediately. Board responsibilities include attendance at a
monthly meeting, held from 6 to 7
p.m. on a Monday evening at the
Health Department’s main office
at One Geneva Road in Brewster.
Interested candidates should forward a letter of interest and resume
or CV to: BOH Search, Health
Department, One Geneva Road,
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Board of Health VP
retires; search begins
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 19
CoZi’s Barbershop
is located at
898 South Lake
Boulevard in
Mahopac, a few
doors down from
Anthony’s Deli.
A mural
at CoZi’s
Barbershop
Photos: Brett
Freeman
Photo courtesy
of CoZi’s
Bringing tradition back to the barbershop
By Brett Freeman
CoZi’s wants men of all ages to sit back and relax
Of Mahopac News
It’s not just about the haircut at CoZi’s
Barbershop on South Lake Boulevard.
“This is a gentleman’s shop where gentlemen can feel relaxed,” said Robert “Bobby”
Cobelli-Zizolfo, who opened his shop a few
months ago with a mission to recreate the
barbershop from a grander era. “I wanted
to bring the customer back to the heyday of
barbershops.”
But don’t confuse CoZi’s for the barbershop equivalent of a Johnny Rockets. It’s
definitely the year 2014 at his shop, with a
large flat-screen TV often showing iconic
movies from the 1980s and music set to the
sounds of Billy Joel or Sinatra.
Men are also invited to enjoy a hot coffee or Scotch on the rocks while waiting for
their turn in the chair and can certainly feel
free to stick around after their cut.
For haircuts, Bobby, who graduated in
2011 with a Master Barber license from
the iconic Atlas Barber School in Manhattan, combines the best of the old and new
by utilizing state-of-the-art tools along with
old-school scissors. He finishes all haircuts
by cleaning up the back of the neck with a
straight-edge razor.
Men can also enjoy a traditional hot-towel
shave and facial massage, a service no longer
seen at many of the modern unisex salons.
“I’ve always had a love for the nostalgia
and the history of the barber shop,” Bobby
said. “I love the smell of the Clubman Powder and aftershave.”
Bobby explained that during the late
1800s and early 20th century, barbershops
often held political gatherings. They were
regal and elegant. Especially after the invention of the Gillette disposable razor, barbershops were a place to pamper yourself rather
than a place to go out of necessity.
“You went there to re-center yourself,” he
said, noting that shops had rich colors and
wood flooring.
In the 1950s, barbershops started to resemble dentist offices, with white tile floors.
Later, during the “Scissorless 70s” barbers
fell on hard times due to many men in the
Jared Freeman, 10 months old, sitting on the lap of his mom, Lauren, while getting his first
haircut at CoZi’s.
‘I’ve always had a
love for the nostalgia
and the history of the
barber shop.’
Bobby Cobelli-Zizolfo
Owner of CoZi’s
Robert “Bobby” Cobelli-Zizolfo giving a hothippy generation keeping their hair long. towel shave, one of his signature services.
With not much money going to barbers in
the 1970s, barbershops often resembled
He spent a couple years as a theater major
holes in the wall by the1980s.
and then studied English before becoming a
At CoZi’s, Bobby combines all the best bank teller and personal banker. But Bobby,
elements from the history of the barbershop. who got married in 2007 and lives in Lake
At 30 years old, Bobby is a young man Carmel, didn’t feel fulfilled in his career.
with a passion for his profession. While
So in the spring of 2011, with constant
growing up in Yonkers and attending Catho- support from his family and friends, he delic School, Bobby also has fond memories of cided to attend barber school.
going to Lennie’s, an old-school barbershop,
“You found out the first day whether you
with his dad, and recalls everyone laughing are going to love it or not because you imand smiling.
mediately start cutting hair on NYU students
ADVERTORIAL
looking for a $5 haircut,” he said. “So I put
my heart in one hand and my clippers in the
other. It was electrifying! I was so excited to
get to the train the next day so I could learn
more.”
For his test several months later, he needed to cut at least four inches of hair, so he
recruited a friend to let it grow out. He also
needed to demonstrate a 14-point shave,
which is another skill that sets Master Barbers apart from cosmetologists working at
unisex shops.
Since graduating, Bobby has worked at
several locations while honing his skills.
“I really tried to set myself apart from everyone else,” he said. “I was able to create
relationships that followed me.”
On his 30th birthday in April, Bobby took
one final leap to establish his identity. He got
a tattoo of a barber pole on his forearm.
“This is who I am,” he said.“This is the
path I will be on for the rest of my life.”
When he opened his barbershop a few
months ago, he also commissioned an artist
to paint a mural, which is an image of Bobby
giving a hot towel shave to a customer while
surrounded by a barbershop quartet. This
same concept of a barbershop quartet was
used in real life to entertain customers during his grand opening.
Bobby has since joined the Greater Mahopac-Carmel Chamber of Commerce and
does everything he can to support the community, including giving discounts to veterans and active duty military.
“The bottom line is, I just simply believe
in a clean and consistent barbershop where
gentlemen from all generations can gather
together in this amazing community of
ours.”
CoZi’s Barbershop
898 South Lake Boulevard
(a few doors down from Anthony’s Deli)
845-803-8539
[email protected]
cozisbarbershop.com
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 20
PAGE 21
FALLS CANDY
CANE RUN
PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBI WEISS
Timothy, 3 and Katherine Kennedy, 5, were
a little shy.
Bye Santa! Sydney Weiss, 6, and
Alexandra Weiss, 7, wave goodbye to
Santa with their rescue dog Riley.
Jake Couzens, 10 and Ryan Hanrahan, 12
PHOTO COURTESY OF JACK CASEY
Under the watchful eye of Senior Operator
Gary Link, a 40 year veteran, the crew
wishes all our friends a Merry Christmas.
Abigael Haughey, 7
Thomas Castrovinci, 10,
catches up with Santa and
Mrs. Claus for a quick picture
and candy cane.
Gloria Gristina and her son
Marcello, 10, and, of course,
little Louie!
Kevin, 4, Jack, 6 and Emma Fries, 3, ran
down their driveway to see Santa and Mrs.
Claus.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JACK CASEY
Santa and Mrs. Claus check the candy
canes for the children at the next stop
along the way.
Spiro Manses, 2, can’t keep his eyes off
the candy canes.
Troy Franzetti, 11, is able to see Santa
and Mrs. Claus before rushing off to
Taekwondo.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JACK CASEY
Firefighters and EMTs stop for the annual group picture before heading
out for the day to meet the children of the Falls fire district.
Our meetings help men understand their masculine
identity and shows them how to make the pursuit of
authentic manhood a lifelong priority.
What is Men’s Fraternity?
Men’s Fraternity is designed to help men come
together and strengthen each other through
weekly sessions that combine biblical teaching
and small interaction.
Study Topics Include:
Seasons of a Man’s Life | Uncovering a Man’s
Wounds | Defining Manhood | Deepening the
Marriage Relationship | Raising Sons and
Daughters | Developing a Manhood Plan
Are you up for a Challenge? Get ready for a Great Adventure.
Join other men from Westchester, Rockland and Putnam County
in seeking real manhood.
Meetings are Every Monday from 7 - 9pm @ The Mahopac Library
For More Information:
Call: Lawrence Light 914-879-8725 or 914-949-3714 Email: [email protected]
www.facebook.com/RidgewayAllianceChurchMensMinistry
Bella Moda
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PAGE 22
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Samantha, 4, Angelina, 6 and
Emma Mazzella, 2, who is clinging
to dad Joe, are excited to see
Santa.
Emily, 10, Lindsay, 7, and Kayliegh
Pontillo, 5
Gavin, 5, and Gabrielle Ferrante, 9,
pose with mom and grandma with
Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Eight-month-old Cook discovers
candy canes.
Lots of kids on Concord Road get together at one
house for a big meet-and-greet with Santa.
“I’ve waited 25 years to be able to do
this!” exclaimed Louella Daddio. She
and her husband William and grandson
Dylan were waiting for the Clauses to
arrive with candy canes.
Photos: Tabitha Pearson Marshall
Pace, 5, Anyssa, 3, and Cruz
Zeilor, 8, are happy to meet Santa!
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 23
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MAHOPAC MUSINGS
PAGE 24
MUSINGS
mental health protection, family
health promotion and health education. For more information, visit
Brewster, NY 10509. Alternatively putnamcountyny.com/health.
materials may be emailed to: karen.
[email protected]
The Health Department’s mission
is to improve and protect the health
of the Putnam County community,
composed of nearly 100,000 residents. Core services include comSupport Connection, Inc., a notmunity health assessment, disease for profit organization that provides
surveillance and control, environ- free, confidential support services
FROM PAGE 18
Support group
for gynecological
cancers to meet
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
for people affected by breast and
ovarian cancer, offers a wide range
of free support groups women with
breast and ovarian cancer.
Groups focus on topics pertaining to living with cancer through all
stages of diagnosis, treatment and
post-treatment. They are offered in
Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess,
and by toll-free teleconference. For
a complete calendar of groups at
all locations, visit supportconnection.org. Advance registration is re-
quired for all groups; call 914-962• The shelter provided must be
6402 or 800-532-4290.
appropriate for the dog’s breed,
The following support groups are physical condition and climate.
scheduled in Putnam in November: This means that a wooden doghouse, plastic igloo or similar type
of shelter is not appropriate during
AT PUTNAM HOSPITAL CENTER
freezing and below freezing condiIN CARMEL
1) Breast Cancer Support Group: tions for shorthair breeds (beagles,
Third Thursday of the month, Dec. pit bulls, Chihuahuas, etc.). This
also means an older dog or a dog
18, at 7 p.m.
2) Breast & Ovarian Cancer Sup- with a medical condition, such as
port Group: Third Wednesday of arthritis, cannot be left outside in
freezing and below freezing temthe month, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m.
peratures.
• For all dogs that are left outdoors in inclement weather, a housing facility must have a waterproof
Registration is open for MSA roof; be structurally sound with
girls lacrosse for the spring 2015 insulation appropriate to local cliseason. To register, visit msasports. matic conditions and sufficient
to protect the dog from inclemorg. Registration closes Feb. 15.
ent weather; be constructed to allow each dog adequate freedom of
movement to make normal postural
adjustments, including the ability to stand up, turn around and lie
down with its limbs outstretched;
and allow for effective removal of
When faced with a life-threaten- excretions, other waste material,
ing illness, what messages would dirt and trash. The housing facility
one want to leave for future genera- and the area immediately surroundtions to share and remember them ing it shall be regularly cleaned to
maintain a healthy and sanitary enby?
Thru My Eyes is a non-profit vironment and to minimize health
organization whose mission is to hazards.
Also, please keep in mind that,
work with parents living with life
threatening illnesses to create a by law, dogs must be supplied with
free clinically guided videographic water at all times. A water bowl that
legacy to leave for children in the has frozen to ice does not meet this
chance they do not win the battle requirement. If your shelter does
not meet the above requirements
against their disease.
The process is simple, and 100 or if your dog is not breed, age,
percent free to clients. The Thru physical/medical-appropriate, then
My Eyes team is always quickly you must keep it inside during inavailable, and can take a referral clement weather. This also applies
from first contact to completed vid- to when it is too cold for the water
eo in one week if necessary. They bowl to contain water in its liquid
are the only organization to offer state.
Don’t subject your pet to winter’s
not only this service for free to this
specific population, but in the pri- harsh conditions—it’s a crime.
Owning a dog is a responsibilvacy of one’s own home, with the
help of a trained mental health pro- ity. Please take it seriously, espefessional, and without limiting the cially when the temperatures drop.
time a person has to leave a legacy To report animal cruelty/animal
message. They also offer guidance crimes, the public can contact the
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on donations of supporters who
As the weather starts to turn cold, care about animals and how they
the Putnam County SPCA would are treated. Given law enforcement
like to remind dog owners of their powers by the state of New York,
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 25
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PAGE 26
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Local family to sell gigantic indoor Christmas display
BY LIZ BUTTON
OF MAHOPAC NEWS
Each year since 1990, one Mahopac family has been assembling
a massive and magnificent indoor
Christmas display at their Hill
Street home, but now they’re seeking a new owner for the panoramic
set-up.
Mahopac resident Chris Costello, his mother Francene and his
stepfather Lou Galeazzo are looking to sell the entire display, which
features 36 large moving animatronic figurines on the upper level
along with a train set and ceramic
Christmas village surrounded by
more than 100 feet of HO scale
railroad tracks, assorted Santas and
holiday snow globes.
Each piece has added more and
more to the magic of the display
over the years, according to Costello. From Frosty the Snowman to
Winnie the Pooh to all sorts of
Santa Clauses to festively dressed
dolls, bears and mice, the family
has compiled an entire wall’s worth
of Christmas-themed ephemera
since they first began collecting.
“We kept it going for a while and
each year we added more and more
and made it larger and larger,”
Costello said.
The display is also full of vintage
animatronic pieces, Galeazzo said.
“A lot of these pieces are no
PHOTOS: LIZ BUTTON longer available,” Galeazzo said,
Vintage Mickey Mouse animatronic pointing out the moving Mickey
figures overlook a quaint
Christmas village.
Francene
Costello and
Lou Galeazzo
(seated) and
Chris Costello
pose with their
painstakingly
crafted and
curated holiday
display.
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Mouse figurines at the display’s
far end, near where the family’s
Christmas tree stands. “But there
is just not a lot of room anymore.”
The family is selling it, Costello
said, for a number of reasons, one
being that it is a lot of work to assemble each year. The display
takes many hours to create, with
this year’s process taking about 85
to 90 hours.
“The most exhausting part is
putting it all up,” he said.
Another reason is that there are
no longer any young children in the
house; his son, who used to enjoy it
as a kid, is now 23 years old. Over
the years, nieces, nephews and
neighbors have been enjoying the
set up at a special open house for
friends and family.
The family, who had recently
taken a six-year hiatus from putting
up the display, is open to selling it
to a restaurant or large venue like
Villa Barone or giving it to a local
hospital.
Galeazzo plans to hold an open
house this season and Costello said
he wants to make the display available for viewing by appointment
for the general public and prospective owners.
Costello said he can’t come up
with a price right now but is open
to negotiations with the interested
party.
“I can’t put a price on it. To me,
it is priceless,” Costello said. “Each
piece I remember.”
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 27
The Christmas display includes Santa’s reindeer and Dickens-era teddy
bear figures that move.
The display stretches all the way from one side of the room to the other.
Photos: Liz Button
One hundred feet of model train track encircles the display.
Lou Galeazzo and Chris Costello have created a Christmas fantasia and hope to sell it to another owner this
year.
PAGE 28
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Mahopac Middle School PTO unveils recreation donations
Basketball court, picnic tables installed for new recreation/recess area
By Liz Button
Of Mahopac News
Photo: Liz Button
Current PTO president Lisa Copeland, Mahopac Middle School Principal
Vince DiGrandi, Assistant Principal Anna O’Connor, former PTO copresidents Melissa Monterra and John DiCiccio and Assistant Principal
Helen Horvitz.
Three years ago, the Mahopac
Middle School Parent Teacher
Organization helped bring recess
back, and now they’ve made postlunch playtime even more fun for
students at the school.
The PTO unveiled a new basketball court and recreation area for
students to use during their lunch
period at a Nov. 14 ribbon cutting to unveil the new playground
equipment donations. The event
was organized by middle school
officials along with former middle
school PTO co-presidents John
DiCiccio and Melissa Monterra
and current PTO president Lisa
Copeland.
Over the last year, the PTO purchased and installed picnic tables,
which cost about $5,000 altogether,
along with basketball hoops costing $1,500, and footballs, basketballs and other sports equipment.
The middle school has had a recess program in place for the past
three years, which it initially pulled
off in cooperation with the high
school. For the last few years, Principal Dr. Adam Pease has allowed
middle school students to use the
track and football field at the high
school next door after lunch until
the school could procure its own
facilities. Middle School Assistant
Principal Anna O’Connor said that
years ago, the middle school did
have its own area for students to
stand in for socializing purposes
during their lunch period, but that
spot was eliminated when a section
was added to the school building.
Students have 42 minutes in
their lunch period, O’Connor said,
although it only takes most kids 20
minutes to eat. It is great to have
facilities they can use during that
time, instead of just sitting in the
lunchroom, she said.
DiCiccio said the parent teacher
organization was the first to advocate for the school to provide recess
time for middle school children
three years ago. Kids were coming from the elementary school and
having to adjust to a school that did
not provide that designated time
they were used to, he said.
“We started the ball rolling back
then,” said DiCiccio, who served as
co-president for two years. “That
was really the impetus,” he said.
Athletic movement after lunch
is therapeutic, Mahopac Middle
School Principal Vince DiGrandi
said, and the school’s hall monitors
have noticed that behavioral incidents dropped drastically since the
recess program was implemented.
Basically, said DiGrandi, who
is in his second year at the school,
recess for middle school students is
becoming more popular around the
country, and clearly, the reasons
are many.
“It’s coming back,” he said.
Before designing the new recreation area, the PTO looked at how
the recess program was working in
middle schools in Yorktown and
conducted a site visit, according to
Monterra.
This year, to install the new
amenities, the school district entered into an agreement with the
New York City Department of Environmental Protection to install
the stormwater runoff catch basins
they needed to in a particular area
on campus. The DEP did the paving work and tree removal to make
way for the new basketball court.
The work cost $15,000, which the
PTO split with the district.
“It was kind of part of the plan:
if they put stormwater catch basins
there, they would pave it and do all
the tree removal,” DiGrandi said.
DiGrandi said he has some other
ideas for the new area to implement in the spring or fall, like allowing kids to sit outside with
boxed lunches. He said he is also
thinking about procuring a portable
stereo system for the yard.
Advertising Deadline
The advertising deadline for
Mahopac News is the Thursday
before the next publication date.
Advertisements can be submitted
by you as a camera-ready PDF via
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free ad design service. For more
information, call Shelley Kilcoyne at
845-621-1116.
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 29
Fill snow days with activities and fun
A blizzard of white flakes has
been falling through the night, and
the school phone chain has begun.
As expected, children will have a
day off from school, leaving parents scrambling for ways to keep
children occupied and supervised.
Snow days may be coveted by
kids (and teachers), but they may
not be as beloved by parents who
are unaccustomed to having kids
home during the week. Working parents whose businesses are
open do not have the same luxury
as their children to roll over in bed
and avoid trekking through the
white stuff.
But just because snow days are
unexpected, that does not mean
parents can’t plan for them.
· Establish a snow day plan. Parents who cannot take days off from
work will need a contingency plan
for snow days. Organize a snow
day club, wherein school parents
rotate taking children for the day.
Working parents can reciprocate by
taking the school kids on a weekend and letting the other parents
have a “date night.”
· Create a snow day entertainment bin. Rather than having kids
spend the day watching television
or playing on their tablets, parents
can establish a snow day entertain-
ment bin to encourage their kids
to make the most of the day off.
The bin can include board games,
books, building block sets, paints,
and other crafts.
· Plan for an indoor picnic. Kids
will probably want to spend a portion of the day playing out in the
ings to pots and mix ingredients.
Involve the kids in choosing which
meals to cook. Baking bread is another fun activity and enables kids
to sculpt dough and then eat the
fruits of their labors.
· Go the movies. If roads are
passable, consider a trip to the
movie theater, where you can enjoy a matinee. Bring a few friends
along and make it a fun-filled outing.
· Create snow art. Fill squeeze or
squirt bottles with some water and
food coloring. Allow kids to go out
in the yard and create some pic-
tures with the snow as their canvas.
· Catch up on cleaning. Cleaning may not be the most exciting
snow day activity, but it might be
the most productive. Children can
spend time sorting through toys
and belongings in their rooms.
· Take a nature walk. Grab those
boots and insulated pants and head
outdoors. A walk in the brisk, cold
air can boost spirits and introduce
kids to the beauty of winter landscapes. Take the camera along and
encourage kids to snap pictures of
their favorite vistas.
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Mentors can serve as trusted
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When looking to give back to their
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· Ensure confidentiality. Confidentiality should be of paramount
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snow. After all of that physical
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living room floor and enjoy a picnic of sandwiches, snacks and hot
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PAGE 30
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Noah’s Ark participates in Adopt-a-Family program
The children and families of Noah’s Ark School donated gifts, ribbons,
wrapping paper and trimmings to the Friends of Karen “Adopt-a-Family
Program,” which provides gifts for each Friends of Karen sick child and
his or her healthy siblings. Each Friends of Karen child sends their wish
list, and then they match each child with a kind-hearted “elf” who purchases the items on their list. Friends of Karen sends the gifts along with
ribbon, wrapping paper and all the trimmings to the child’s parents to
make a holiday of surprises and delight.
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Sports
PAGE 31
Joe Frezza
Senior wrestler seeks Section 1 mat title
By Dan Winogradoff
For Mahopac News
Joe Frezza is a senior captain
wrestling at 126 lbs. for the Mahopac varsity wrestling team. He
is currently 7-1 and looks to earn
his eight win this Wednesday at
Fox Lane High School. Frezza also
plays on the varsity lacrosse team.
How old were you when you
first started wrestling and how
did you get into it?
I started wrestling way back in
the 5th grade. I pretty much signed
up in hopes of it being similar to
WWE wrestling.
What do you feel are your
strengths as a wrestler?
My technique has definitely led
me to success in the sport. Shout
out to Coach DiSsanto, Coach
Brennamen, and Coach Mifsud for
teaching me my technique.
What is your favorite part
about wrestling?
My favorite part of wrestling
is that feeling you get after a win.
You know that you did it all by
yourself, which makes the win that
much more rewarding.
Photos: Jim MacLean
Joe Frezza has his eyes on the prize as he hits the mats with intensity and aims for a Section 1 title.
Favorite athlete?
Floyd Mayweather
During the offseason, how
much time do you devote to
wrestling?
I devote most of my summer to
wrestling. I wrestle with different
clubs throughout the summer and
I also help out at youth summer
camps.
Favorite show on television?
Key and Peele
Favorite movie of all-time?
A Bronx Tale
Favorite band/artist?
Joey Bada$$
What are your expectations
for yourself and the team for the
rest of the season?
I expect my team and I to have
nothing shy of a very memorable
and successful season.
Facebook or Twitter? Why?
Facebook. You can go like my
“truth is”
If you were to have one superpower, what would it be? Why?
It would definitely be the ability
to fly. Who wouldn’t want to be
able to fly?
How would you describe who
Joe Frezza is to the readers at
home?
To the readers at home: Joe
Frezza is a charismatic, cool, and
funny guy with a skin fade on the
sides and a 3.5 on top.
Tell us one thing about yourself that not a lot of people may
know.
One thing no one definitely
doesn’t know about me is that I
can sing pretty well.
Who has been your biggest
role model over the years and
what have you learned from
them?
Frezza scores a takedown.
Needless to say, my father has
truly been an inspiration to me.
That’s the least I can say.
What is your favorite subject
in school?
I definitely don’t have a “favorite subject,” but the most tolerable
one has to be math.
What are your college plans?
Do you know where you want to
attend, or do you have a shortlist of schools? Will you wrestle
at that college? What will you be
studying? Why did you choose
that college?
My college plans include me
attending a school down south
majoring in Accounting. However,
I don’t see myself wrestling in
college.
If you could pick one place
to visit on vacation that you’ve
never been to, where would you
go and why?
I would go to Italy. I would love
to see my cousins
Favorite food?
Penne Alla vodka
Favorite sports team and why?
Best place to eat in Mahopac?
The New York Giants because
Why?
I grew up watching all of their
Bliss, it tastes the best after
games.
weigh-ins.
SPORTS
PAGE 32
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Mahopac falls in Section 1 dual meet quarterfinals
By Jim MacLean
Of Mahopac News
It wasn’t the result Mahopac
coach Dennis DiSanto was hoping
for as the Indians hosted John Jay
of Cross River in the quarterfinals
of the Section 1 dual-meet tournament last Thursday.
At the start of the season DiSanto
was anticipating a match against
Brewster, but John Jay surprised
a lot of people as they crushed
Brewster to advance. At Mahopac
for the quarterfinals DiSanto was
anticipating a close match, and the
Indians and the rest of Section 1
found out just what Brewster had
Photos: Jim MacLean
Mike Muldoon scores a takedown in final seconds to pull out a 9-8
learned as John Jay scored a 39-24 Garrett Semenetz scores a takedown.
victory.
win over the Indians and eventually
advanced to the finals of the dualmeet tournament before falling.
“It was intense and we lost some
close matches,” explained DiSanto.
“We have to go back to the drawing board. I really didn’t expect to
see them and it was a surprise they
beat Brewster like that. It’s a credit
to John Jay, they did a good job not
allowing us to score back points. It
was disappointing, but it’s a long
season ahead, a lot of wrestling and
we’ll be there at the end.”
Mike DiNardo was one of the
bright spots for Mahopac as he returned to the lineup and scored a
Mike DiNardo was in control in his first match back on the mats this
See wrestling page 33 season.
Anthony Martins controls on his way to win in 220 pound match.
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 33
SPORTS
PHOTO: JIM MACLEAN
Liridon Hasanramaj had to wrestle against his cousin Halil Gecaj of
John Jay.
WRESTLING
FROM PAGE 32
12-2 major decision to put the Indians ahead.
Liridon Hasanramaj then found
himself in a tough spot as he had
to wrestle his cousin Halil Gecaj
at 195 pounds. Hasanramaj rallied
back after falling behind 5-0, but
came up a point short in 7-6 setback.
Anthony Martins won a 6-2 decision at 220, Ryan Delahanty won
by forfeit, and Garrett Semenetz
won an 11-3 major decision for
three-straight wins to put Mahopac
up, but then John Jay was able to
storm back with some victories by
pin to pile up the points.
Mike Muldoon was another
highlight for Mahopac as he rallied
back and scored a late takedown to
pull out a 9-8 win at 120 pounds,
and Joe Frezza scored a major
decision at 126, but the final five
matches were all won by John Jay
as it wrapped up the victory.
“DiNardo looked really good
and it was his first match,” added
DiSanto. “Liridon was nervous
wrestling his cousin. Muldoon had
a big win for us and Chris Cornell
did a good job against a sectional
finalist. We were still in it going
into the last five matches and lost
some close decisions. I felt we
wrestled hard, kept attacking and
did a good job.”
Mahopac hopes to rebound this
weekend at the Port Jervis Tournament in Section 9.
FILE PHOTO
Trip to Playland is no fun as
Indians fall to Rye on the ice
Joe Corradi and his Mahopac ice hockey teammates had one game last week as the Indians travelled to
Playland to take on Rye and suffered a 2-1 setback.
Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department
Candy Cane Run
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Beginning at 9 a.m.
Mahopac’s Bravest will be escorting Santa Claus all
around town via Fire Engine to deliver candy canes to
the children.
We are also collecting for the Toys for Tots program.
If you would like to contribute, one of our “elves” will
graciously accept a new, unwrapped toy during this
event.
Please be advised that our arrival may be delayed due
to any fire/rescue or emergency medical call that we
must respond to.
When you hear the sirens coming,,Santa is near!
SPORTS
PAGE 34
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Alayne Felix was named tourney MVP as
she led Indians to tourney title at Panas.
Amanda McGarney goes up
for a layup in win over RC
Ketcham.
Kim Schiera hits a free throw.
PHOTOS: JIM MACLEAN
Tara Ravoli drives the lane.
Mahopac girls win Panas hoop tourney title
Felix earns MVP honors as Indians beat Ketcham and Panas
BY JIM MACLEAN
OF MAHOPAC NEWS
That’s more like it.
The Mahopac girls’ basketball
team entered the Walter Panas
Tournament with something to
prove. It’s early in the year but the
Indians were not happy with their
season opening performance last
week at the Scarsdale Tournament.
And after a good week of practice
they were ready to hit the court and
prove that they are a much better
team than what they showed last
week.
In the first round game Mahopac
defeated R.C. Ketcham as the of-
fense was on fire and scored 61
points to advance to the finals, and
in the championship game the Indians took control with defense and
cruised to a 42-29 victory over the
host Panthers to claim the title.
Leading the way was senior captain Alayne Felix as she earned
tournament MVP honors.
“It was a huge confidence boost
for us,” Felix said of winning the
tournament title. “Starting out we
felt like a rookie team because we
lost such big components of our
team from last year. That first tournament the first game was upsetting. We practiced really hard and
we played well as a team. It’s defi-
nitely coming together.”
Mahopac coach Chuck Scozzafava agreed with Felix, that the Indians are coming together, but they
still have work to do if they want to
get back to the County Center like
last year for the final four.
“We’re starting to make progress,” explained Scozzafava. “We
have to take it one at a time and
can’t look ahead. Every day come
out and play good defense, make
them work to score points. We just
have to keep moving in the right
direction.”
In the final, Felix scored 17
points to lead the way for the Indians, but it was the defense that set
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the tone and led to the victory as
the Panthers were held to just 29
points overall.
In addition to Felix, senior Caroline Horan was named to the AllTournament team. Horan was one
of four Indians to score five points
in the title game along with Amanda McCarney, Carly Pease and
Kim Schiera. Tara Ravoli added
three points and Amanda Geyer
had two points for the Indians.
The first round game against Ketcham was a different story as the
two squads of Indians battled it out
in a tight first half. With both Felix
and Horan on the bench with foul
trouble in the first half, Scozzafava
looked for help off the bench and
found it as the Indians kept it close.
Then Ketcham got into foul trouble
and Mahopac was able to take control in the second half.
“That game our defense stepped
up and we started to score off the
defense,” explained Scozzafava.
“They were beating us in the first
half but we hung in there. The girls
who came off the bench did a great
job keeping us where we had to be.
They stepped up when we needed
it.”
Felix led the way with 18 points.
Pease also scored in double figures
as she had 10 points for the Indians.
Horan added eight points, Schiera
had seven points, Geyer scored six
and McCarney had five as the Indians used a balanced scoring attack
to pull out the victory.
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MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 35
SPORTS
Mahopac boys finish fourth at Panas tournament
BY DAN WINOGRADOFF
FOR MAHOPAC NEWS
Mahopac’s basketball program
has been one of the better programs
in all of Section 1 the past couple
of years. Every season, the Indians
win double digit games, with only
two, three, maybe even four losses
on their resume.
However, the Indians are notorious for starting their seasons off
slowly, and this season was no different, as this characteristic came
into fruition this past week.
After an opening day win against
Peekskill on Dec. 5, Mahopac (2-2)
dropped two of their three games
this week, one being a 52-41 loss
to Panas on Dec. 13 and the other
being a 40-34 defeat against Lakeland on Dec. 12 for their first loss
of the season. Mahopac’s lone win
this week came against Beacon on
Dec. 9 (64-49).
“The play from our team this
past week was definitely sub-par,”
senior forward Chris Esernio said.
“Shots weren’t falling and we
turned the ball over way too much.
However, it’s still early in the season and I am confident we will
bounce back.”
Last Saturday, Mahopac played
host and reigning Section 1 Class
A Champions Walter Panas in the
Third-Place game of the Panas
Tournament.
After an astonishing and, frankly, surprising 17-15 score after the
first half, Mahopac and Panas provided the competitive basketball
that everyone was looking forward
to.
Both the Indian and Panther offenses turned the heat up, as both
teams went blow for blow on the
offensive sides of the court. Unfortunately for the Indians, they came
on the wrong side of the spectrum
as Panas hit a few more shots than
Mahopac.
“We need to work hard in practice the next couple of days and
come out with a lot of intensity in
our next game,” Dan Foley said
following the loss.
Esernio bucketed a team-high 19
PHOTO: JIM MACLEAN
Senior Chris Esernio and the
Mahopac boys had a rough
weekend at Panas tournament.
points in the loss.
“We beat ourselves,” the captain
said. “We were very careless with
the ball and had way too many
turnovers. Because of the turnovers, we didn’t get enough shot
attempts up. That’s why we lost.”
Mahopac girls go undefeated at lacrosse tourney
Members of the Mahopac girls
High School lacrosse team went
undefeated at a lacrosse tournament Thanksgiving weekend at
Hofstra University. The girls won
all of their five games
played. Back row standing left to
right: Nicole DeMealo, Kim Harker, Fran Ferreira, Chelsy McNulty,
Alessia Dibullo, Victoria Corrado
and Katie Lavin. Front row kneeling left to right: Emily O’Shea,
Ali Korin, Kelly Maxwell, Kristen
Maxwell
and Katie Semenetz.
Missing: Briana Corace and Coach
James Lieto.
Last Friday, Mahopac played the
first game of the Panas Tournament
against Lakeland.
The gritty, physical game produced little offense in the first half.
However, the lackluster offensive
output was made up through tough
defense, as an array of blocks,
steals, charges and hustle plays
kept the score tight. Before the end
of the first half, neither team gained
a sizeable lead, as it ended in a 2020 tie.
However, the story of the game
was seen in the third quarter, a
quarter in which Mahopac scored
an abysmal two points and produced six turnovers in that quarter
alone. The disappointing quarter
for the Indians ultimately led to
their heartbreaking downfall.
Esernio was one of the few
bright spots for the Indians offensively, scoring 15 of the Indian’s 40
points.
“The main reason we struggled
on offense was because we weren’t
hitting our shots,” Foley said. “In
addition, we weren’t running our
normal offensive sets against their
zone properly and we turned the
ball over way too much.”
Despite dropping down to .500
on the season this week, Mahopac’s second win came against
host Beacon on Dec. 9.
Foley led all scorers with 19
points. Esernio was second on the
team with 16 points.
Mahopac got off to a blistering
start offensively, tallying 39 points
in the first half against the Bulldogs. Beacon’s defensive struggle
dug a deep hole for them to start
the second half, which proved to
be their Achilles heel after all was
said and done.
“We need to work hard in practice the next couple of days and
come out with a lot of intensity in
our next game,” Foley simply said.
Mahopac will travel and face off
against neighbor Somers in a great
matchup next Thursday, Dec. 18.
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LEISURE
PAGE 36
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Lasting holiday memories in the kitchen
By Mary Opfer
For mahopac News
The holidays are as much about
shopping, eating and stressing out
as they are about creating memories and fun times, particularly
around food.
This is especially true if you are
a parent of young children. Food
is memorable for many of us. Remember walking into your house
when you were young and smelling certain foods? Smelling them
as an adult brings back all those
memories.
Let me share one of the very
memorable times in my mother’s
kitchen. I was about 5 years old
and she had been making the pastry
for apple pies. There was nothing
better than seeing my mother in the
kitchen. I would sneak in the kitchen and take some of her dough and
bring it to my oven. Don’t worry, it
was fake.
There was a very special yellow
bowl that the pie dough was made
in. That bowl was sacred in our
house growing up and we would
have gotten into a lot of trouble had
we broken it.
I inherited that yellow bowl
when she passed away because
I was the only one who learned
how to make her crust. That bowl
always seemed so big to me back
then. I take it out every Thanksgiving and Christmas to make my
mother’s apple pie for my family.
The bowl is actually pretty small,
much smaller than a bowl I would
use now. Nonetheless, I use the
bowl as it makes me feel my mother is with me momentarily while I
make her piecrust. I never change
the recipe or the way she closed
up the pie seams. It is a memory
of love, food and most of all, my
mother.
So, you are asking what’s this
got to do with nutrition or even
wellness? Everything. Good times
that are relaxing and pleasurable
create great memories. It also creates a good attitude towards food
in general, particularly if you invite
your children to the counter to help
you.
Leave a little time for family
members big and small to help you
in the kitchen. Whether you make
cookies to share with others, or
make your own holiday candy, let
your family help you create, pack
or plan. This is one way in a “crazy
always-on-the-go” world we can
be together as a family.
Sharing cookies or the ingredients in a jar to make cookies (which
you can find recipes for on the Internet) is not only a great activity,
but also a way to show your child
to give back to those who care for
us during the year.
Let your children pick out the
cookie recipe or help decorate the
cookies to make it more personal
for them. Cooking together builds
excitement and anticipation for the
holiday.
Cooking together, whether it’s
for the holidays or any other time,
creates a time for conversation with
your family. Conversation naturally occurs in the kitchen when everyone is doing his or her projects.
Take advantage, especially if there
are children or even young adults
in the kitchen.
Just as I shared my kitchen
memories about my mother’s apple pie, share one of your memories. Children both young and old
like hearing about what it was like
in the “olden” days. It’s a time to
embrace your heritage and cultural
background and family history.
Have your family help in the
planning of the holiday meal. Allowing them to make suggestions
helps them feel part of the festivities. Include them in setting the
table or filling up the salt and pepper shakers. Have younger children
make nameplates for the table.
Building traditions into your holidays and all year round will help
create a great memory and positive
attitude towards food and family.
Have a happy and healthy holiday, from my kitchen to yours.
Mary Opfer, MS, RD, CDN, is a
resident of Somers.
Crossword
CLUES ACROSS
1. Cuts off a branch
5. 13th Hebrew letter
8. “Hair” producer Joseph
12. Giraffa camelopardalis
14. Indicates near
15. Capital of Samoa
16. Roving adventurously
18. Help
19. Deafening noises
20. Spanish neighborhood
21. Portable computer
screen material
22. 20th Hebrew letter
23. “Blue Bloods” lead actor
26. Scholarly
30. Raleigh NC river
31. Alongside each other
32. Electronics Support
Module
33. Dogma
34. New Deal statesman
Harold
39. A corporation’s first stock
offer
42. Slender tower with
balconies
44. Young eel
46. Deviation from the
normal
47. CBS police drama
49. Cliff
50. Resting place
51. Island in Venice
A simple and healthy Oatmeal Raisin cookie
Ingredients
1 cup white whole wheat flour or 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 cup all
purpose
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup non fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups uncooked old fashion oats – rolled oats
1 cup golden raisins
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cover the cookie sheet with parchment paper
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a
bowl
In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, yogurt, oil, eggs and vanilla
Add flour mixture to the egg mixture and then gently fold in oats and
raisins
Drop mixture by tablespoons 2 inches apart on the prepared baking
sheet
Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Do not over bake.
Puzzle solutions on page 39
56. 1981-82 Sec. of State
57. Young man
58. Skylighted central area
59. Oily skin disorder
60. East northeast
61. 1945 Crimean conference
city
62. Transfer property
63. Used to be United __
64. Daze
CLUES DOWN
1. Murderers Leopold & ___
2. Southern veggie
3. Henry’s 6th wife
4. Practice fight
5. Dinners
6. Hermaphrodite
7. Centers
8. Fathers (Spanish)
9. For each one
10. SW Belarus city
11. Australian slang for a kiss
13. Ability to begin
17. Short whistle blasts
24. Were introduced
25. Glowing quality
26. Ingest
27. Relative biological
effectiveness
28. Footed vase
29. River in NE Scotland
35. English Univ. river
36. Malaysian Isthmus
Fun By The
Numbers
Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This
mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from
the moment you square off, so sharpen your
pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test!
37. Soft-finned fish
38. Eyelid infection
40. Fred & Wilma’s baby
41. New __, Louisiana city
42. Tse-tung or Zedong
43. Hindu weather god
44. ___ May, actress
45. Hauled laboriously
47. One suspender
48. More peculiar
49. N. Central African
country
52. Macaw genus
53. Rhythmic swing or
cadence
54. Ballerina skirt
55. Arabian sultanate
Here’s How It Works:
Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid,
broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a
sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each
row, column and box. Each number can appear
only once in each row, column and box. You
can figure out the order in which the numbers
will appear by using the numeric clues already
provided in the boxes. The more numbers you
name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Sign up for town’s
emergency
notification system
Town of Carmel residents/business owners can now sign up to
receive emergency notifications
and urgent alerts via text messages/
emails. You can also sign up to receive email notifications for any or
all of the items listed in the e-mail
notification section of the town’s
website. Visit carmelny.vt-s.net
and go to the bottom right portion of the web page and click on
“emergency notifications” and follow the instructions to register.
Buy raffle to win week
in Florida at Bucci’s
Deli
Drug Crisis in our Backyards
and Bucci Brothers Deli are cosponsoring a fundraising raffle
to win a free week at a beautiful
waterfront condo in St. Petersburg
Florida. Tickets are $50 for one or
three for $125.
To purchase tickets, go to Bucci Brothers Deli, 926 Route 6 in
Mahopac, or visit drugcrisisinourbackyard.com/raffle.
The drawing will be held at noon
at Bucci’s.
In addition, between now and
then when you purchase an egg
sandwich or Italian combo, Bucci’s
PAGE 37
will donate a portion of the pro- internships.”
ceeds to Drug Crisis in our BackEligible participants must be
yards.
Putnam County residents who are
graduate, college or high school
students in their junior or senior
year. Applicants must be at least 16
years of age. For college students,
a GPA of 3.0 or higher is recommended.
Putnam County will once again
The 2015 Summer PILOT prooffer high school, college and grad- gram will be held May 26 through
uate school students the opportu- Aug. 14, 2015, depending on stunity to apply for paid and unpaid dent availability. Internship hours
summer internship opportunities in are typically 28 hours a week, and
county government as part of the will be coordinated with departPutnam Invests in Leaders of To- ment supervisors.
morrow (PILOT) Program.
Online filing instructions are
County Executive MaryEllen now posted at putnamcountyny.
Odell first introduced the concept com/personnel. The application
of PILOT back in 2013.
deadline is Friday, Jan. 16. Initial
“We look to our high school and candidate interviews will begin in
college students as the future in December.
Putnam County,” Odell said. The
PILOT program not only gives students the opportunity to see how
their county government works, it
also provides a cost effective boost
It’s that time of year again when
to the workforce while building a adults everywhere are starting to
possible succession plan.”
shop for children’s holiday gifts.
Since its inception, interest in the
Toy safety is important when
PILOT Program and the number of making selections and Putnam
student applicants has grown dra- Count Executive MaryEllen Odell
matically. This is not surprising to a encourages shoppers to heed the
recent intern who said, “If I could, guidance offered by Putnam CounI would repeat this internship every ty’s Child Advocacy Center (CAC)
summer. I truly had such a won- and the Putnam County Departderful experience. I was exposed ment of Health (PCDOH).
“Even one child treated for a
to real life situations and was able
to help solve some of those issues. toy-related injury is too many,”
This certainly set the bar for future Odell said. “We need to be aware
Putnam County
government seeking
interns
BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE
and protective of our youngest and
most vulnerable residents.”
According to a new report by
the Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC), there were
approximately 188,400 children
treated in emergency departments
for toy-related injuries last year.
This represents a decrease of 2 percent from the previous year.
Putnam County Commissioner
of Health Dr. Allen Beals points
out that lead remains a problem
despite legislation that bans its use
in toys.
“While the United States has
banned lead in items marketed to
children, significant numbers of
imported items for children still
contain it, including toys and children’s jewelry,” Dr. Beals said.
Other problematic toys include
those with small parts, which can
result in choking, or toys with
projectiles that can cause eye injury. Overly loud toys may damage
hearing, and there are growing lists
of items with small, high-powered
See briefs page 39
Keep safety in mind
when buying toys
May your walls know joy
May every room hold laughter
And every window open
to great possibility.
Alicia M. Albano
Real Estate Salesperson
Mobile: 914.447.6569
[email protected]
www.aliciaalbano.com
YORKTOWN BROKERAGE
703 East Main Street (Route 6 & 6N)
Jefferson Valley, New York 10535
BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE
PAGE 38
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
Time for a family meeting about financial preparation?
GUEST
CORNER
TOM
CASEY
During the holiday season, you
no doubt have a lot going on in
your life — work functions, gatherings with friends and neighbors,
tracking down the elusive “perfect
gift,” etc. But you may find it valuable to add one more event to your
calendar: a family meeting to discuss those financial preparations
that affect you and your loved ones.
Of course, the scope of your
meeting will depend on your age
and the age of your children, and
on whether you have elderly parents. So, let’s look at one family
meeting scenario that would work meeting with your elderly parents.
under two different sets of circumIn either case, you’ll want to restances: you are meeting with your view the following areas:
own grown children or you are
• Investment information — It’s
a good idea to let your grown children know where you (and your
spouse, if still living) keep your investments and what sort of invest-
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opac
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ments and retirement accounts you
own, such as your IRA, 401(k),
and so on. You should also provide your children with the name
of your financial advisor. And talk
to your parents about their investments. You might think that this
could be a challenging topic to
bring up, but you might be surprised at their willingness to talk.
• Estate planning documents
— Comprehensive estate planning can involve a variety of legal
documents, such as a will, a living
trust, power of attorney, etc. If you
have already created these documents, you need to share both their
location and their intent with your
grown children, who will be active
players in carrying out your estate
plans. The same is true with your
elderly parents — try to encourage them to share all their estateplanning documents with you, especially if they will be counting on
you for their care.
• Names of professional advisors
— As you put together your estate
plans, you will likely need to work
with a team of financial, tax and legal advisors. Make sure your grown
children know the names of these
professionals and how to contact
them. Similarly, seek the same information from your parents.
• Wishes for future living arrangements — It’s certainly possible that you will be able to live
independently your whole life. On
the other hand, you may eventually need some type of long-term
care, such as that provided in a
nursing home or an assisted-living
residence. Let your children know
what your feelings are about such
a possibility, and what preparations
you have made. And try to elicit the
same information from your own
parents.
• Funeral or burial instructions
— Admittedly, you can probably
find topics that are more pleasant
to discuss than funeral plans. Yet,
if you make your own burial or
cremation plans in advance, and
possibly even prepay for them, you
will be taking a tremendous burden off the shoulders of your loved
ones, who won’t be forced to make
difficult decisions — or scramble
for money at short notice — during a highly emotional time in their
lives. Once again, you’ll also want
to learn about your parents’ desires
for their final arrangements, and
what steps they may have already
taken in this area.
By holding a family meeting
about these issues today, you can
avoid a lot of stress and misunderstandings in the future. So bring
out the coffee and cookies — and
start talking.
This article was written by
Edward Jones for use by your
local Edward Jones Financial
Advisor. Tom Casey is a licensed
securities adviser associated with
Edward Jones, located at 163
Route 6 in Mahopac. He can be
reached directly at 845-621-8647.
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
BRIEFS FROM PAGE 37
magnets (neodymium) that can cause severe gastrointestinal injuries, even death if swallowed.
The age appropriateness of a toy should always be considered. Even if a child is advanced for his or her age, that
does not mean it is safe for the child to play with a toy
made for an older level. Safety recommendations are developed based on safety issues alone, not maturity or intelligence. More information is available at kidshealth.org.
Sheriff alerts residents
to car theft scam
Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith is alerting
county residents to a potentially dangerous scam which
seemed to have originated in Maryland, but has spread nationwide.
According to published reports, incidents have occurred
whereby some money was left under windshield wipers of
vehicles usually parked in public parking lots. Perpetrators placing the bill upon the vehicle hope that this would
distract the driver. When the unsuspecting driver retrieves
the cash, the criminal, using the element of surprise, would
approach the vehicle and rob the victim of their belongings
and in some cases the car itself. These crimes have been
referred to as the “cash-bait carjacking scam.”
Although there haven’t been any reports of this scam occurring in Putnam County, Sheriff Smith is asking motorists to be particularly vigilant during the holiday season.
“Anyone finding money on their motor vehicles is urged
to move quickly to a safe place and notify store security
personnel or law enforcement immediately. Those finding
the money while they are inside their vehicles are asked to
remain in the vehicle, immediately lock the doors and not
retrieve the money,” said the Sheriff.
Additionally, Sheriff Smith offers the following safety
tips:
• Park in well-lit areas as close to the store as possible.
• Do not purchase more items than you can safely carry.
• Have your keys in hand when approaching your vehicle.
• Check the vehicle’s back seat and surrounding area before you get into your vehicle.
• Trust your intuition. If something “feels” out of place,
go with your instincts.
• Carry your pocketbook close to your body or place
your wallet inside a coat or front trouser pocket.
“Naturally, if you see something of suspicious nature,
contact the nearest law enforcement agency,” Smith said.
Did you know?
An individual retirement account, or IRA, is a type
of account men and women who meet certain eligibility requirements can open to save money for their
retirement. Unlike a 401(k), a type of retirement account that is provided by an employer, an IRA must be
opened by an individual. Another difference between
a 401(k) and an IRA is that men and women can withdraw money from their IRAs before they reach retirement age to pay medical expenses without incurring
the penalties that apply when 401(k) account holders
prematurely withdraw money from these accounts.
One similarity between 401(k) accounts and traditional
IRAs concerns taxation. Account holders of both types
of accounts do not pay taxes on their contributions to
those accounts until they begin to withdraw money in
retirement (prematurely withdrawing money from a
401(k) will incur taxes and fees). But men and women
who open a Roth IRA pay their taxes up front, meaning they won’t be paying taxes down the road when
theywithdraw money in retirement. Each type of IRA
comes with its own set of rules and restrictions, including contribution limits and eligibility requirements
based on earned income. In addition, men and women
with a traditional IRA must begin to withdraw their
money by the time they reach age 70.5, while those
with a Roth IRA can leave their money in their accounts as long as they please.
PAGE 39
ADOPTION
Unplanned Pregnancy?
Caring licensed adoption
agency provides financial
and emotional support.
Choose from loving pre
approved families. Call Joy
toll free 1 866 922 3678 or
confidential email: Adopt @
Forever Families Through
Adoption.org
A childless young married
couple (she 30/he 37) seeks
to adopt. Will be hands on
mom/devoted dad. Financial
security. Expenses paid.
Call/text. Mary & Adam.
1 800 790 5260.
AUCTIONS
Tiny house AUCTION,
Vermont post & beam
sheds, Livestock shelters &
firewood storage January 22,
2015 Absolute no reserve Bid
online 802 297 3760 www.
JamaicaCottageShop.com
AUTO DONATIONS
Donate your car to Wheels
For Wishes, benefiting
Make A Wish. We offer free
towing and your donation
is 100% tax deductible. Call
315 400 0797 Today!
1-800-OLD-BARN. www.
woodfordbros.com. “Not
applicable in Queens county”
MISCELLANEOUS
SAWMILLS from only
$4397.00 MAKE & SAVE
MONEY with your own
bandmill Cut lumber any
dimension. In stock ready to
ship. FREE Info/DVD: www.
NorwoodSawmills.com
1 800 578 1363 Ext.300N
REAL ESTATE
Out of State: Sebastian,
Florida Beautiful 55+
manufactured home
community. 4.4 miles to the
beach, Close to riverfront
district. New models from
$99,000. 772-581-0080, www.
beach-cove.com
WANTED
CASH for Coins! Buying
Gold & Silver. Also Stamps &
Paper Money, Comics, Entire
Collections, Estates. Travel to
your home. Call Marc in NJ:
1 800 488 4175
CLASSIFIEDS
DONATE YOUR CAR
Wheels For Wishes benefiting
Hudson Valley
*Free Vehicle/Boat Pickup ANYWHERE
*We Accept All Vehicles Running or Not
*100% Tax Deductible
WheelsForWishes.org
x
% Ta
100 tible
uc
Ded
Call: (914) 468-4999
EcuaStone Corp.
Granite Countertops
The Best Price and the Best Quality
17 25 Front St
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
(914) 275-6178
www.ecuastone.com
[email protected]
Putnam Humane Society
PUZZLE
SOLUTIONS
Donate your car to Wheels
For Wishes, benefiting
Make A Wish. We offer free
towing and your donation
is 100% tax deductible. Call
914 468 4999 Today!
HELP WANTED
AIRLINE CAREERS begin
here Get FAA approved
Aviation Maintenance
Technician training. Financial
aid for qualified students
– Housing available. Job
placement assistance. Call
AIM 866-296-7093
HOME IMPROVEMENT
HAS YOUR BUILDING
SHIFTED OR SETTLED?
Contact Woodford Brothers
Inc, for straightening,
leveling, foundation and
wood frame repairs at
Suggar:
Suggar is waiting so patiently for a home
for Christmas. This beautiful girl will shower
you with kisses and make you laugh with
her antics. Suggar doesn’t understand why
she keeps getting overlooked. An active
home with no other pets would make the
best family for her.
Putnam Humane Society,
Old Rt. 6, Carmel; 845-225-7777;
www.puthumane.org.
Open 7 days a week from 10am-4:30pm
MAHOPAC NEWS – Thursday, December 18, 2014
PAGE 40

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