Vote in the SBNC Election on January 11 or Mail in your Ballot Today
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2475
The 2022 School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) Election will take place on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, 7–10 a.m. and 2–9 p.m. in the Scarsdale Middle School Auditorium Lobby at 134 Mamaroneck Road.
For those who choose not to vote in person, mail-in ballots are available in electronic form available in electronic form here.
Hard copies of ballots can be found at Scarsdale Village Hall and the Scarsdale Public Library. Completed mail-in ballots must be sent to:
SBNC Administrative Chair
PO Box 172H
Scarsdale, NY 10583
and received in the SBNC PO Box no later than 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. Please follow the detailed instructions on the ballot website to ensure that your ballot is filled out correctly.
Vote for Candidates in your elementary district ONLY:
Edgewood (vote for 3): Anne McCourt Bates, Frank Murtha, Christine Weston, Meng Zhang
Fox Meadow (vote for 2): Claudia Green, H. Gitonga Kiara, Jonathan Schmerin, Jennifer Zola
Greenacres (vote for 3): Kim Greene-Liebowitz, Allison Kahner, Seth Morgulas, Eva Romas Wilson
Heathcote (vote for 3): Kimberly Miller Champlin, Dianna Cohen-Irom, Sarah Hopkins
Quaker Ridge (vote for 1): Lisa Gans, Alexander Wolf
Candidate biographies can be found here.
Besides electing candidates, voters will also decide on the newly proposed amendments to the SBNC Resolution. View the amendments marked up in the original Resolution here.
Last Minute Gifts You Can Purchase Online
- Details
- Written by Midori Im
- Hits: 1737
With unprecedented supply chain challenges this year, many gift givers are finding themselves forced to be creative, especially with less than a week before Christmas. If you find yourself in the same category, take the quiz below to find a perfect present that can be purchased online in a matter of minutes.
Is your giftee someone…
Who can carry a tune?
Music lessons for your future rock star, virtually or in person (https://therockacademy1.com/)
For the younger set there’s mommy (or daddy/grandparent) and me classes (https://www.slsbmusic.com/)
Who owns an oven?
Order a baking kit, either to make a sweet treat for your giftee or their pooch (timetobakeathome@gmail.com)
In need of relaxation?
Yoga on the go with the Down Dog app (https://www.downdogapp.com/).
Who needs sleep?
A subscription to the Headspace app for help with sounder sleep as well as guided meditation and mindfulness (www.headspace.com)
Ready to turn over a greener leaf?
A food scrap recycling kit from Scarsdale’s sanitation department (https://www.scarsdale.com/495/Food-Scrap-Recycling)
A gift certificate for sustainable paperware & cutlery for the next big event, with on-site monitoring as an option.(SustainableCelebrationsNY@gmail.com).
Who has something to shout about?
Balloon yard art is so 2021! Skip the mylar and go for a custom yarn bombing (Sarah Divi Art @sarahdiviart).
A midnight snacker?
Fresh, local, hand scooped ice cream (pints or cake) delivered to your door. Subscriptions available! Penny Lick Ice Cream Co. (https://www.pennylickicecream.com/)
Who is part polar bear?
Snowshoe rentals delivered to your door from Moosejaw (https://www.moosejaw.com/content/)
Who loves being puzzled?
Subscription to the New York Times Games (https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/games)
A lifelong learner?
Masterclass is at the top of the online heap, with preeminent teachers joining periodically (masterclass.com).
DIYers will revel in the variety of online classes all accessible with one annual Craftsy membership (craftsy.com).
Bakers can take virtual classes from the famed King Arthur Baking Company (https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/).
Or go local, with a great breadth of courses right in your backyard offered by the Scarsdale Adult School (https://scarsdale.augusoft.net/index.cfm).
Letter to the Editor: Opt Out of Marijuana Sales in Scarsdale
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2142
(This is a letter to the editor from Tracy Tang of Harvest Drive)
Good afternoon. My name is Tracy Tang. I’m a resident of Scarsdale.
As you know, our village is going to vote in mid-December on whether to opt out/in of permitting a marijuana dispensary and a marijuana store in Scarsdale.
I have two boys, one in 9th and the other in 7th grade. My older boy spends most of the time hanging around in the high school and the village with his friends. As a mother, I am concerned about the potential impact on teenagers’ attitudes towards and perceptions of marijuana.
A recent survey from high school students showed that most students perceived marijuana as less harmful than tobacco and alcohol. In my view, allowing a marijuana store or lounge in our village really reinforces the acceptance of marijuana as a recreational substance for youth. The Scarsdale Drug and Alcohol Task Force cites the critical correlation between early use of marijuana with later chronic adult use, as well as the drug's negative impact on brain development.
The last hearing for whether to opt out of allowing a marijuana store or lounge was on November 23. A large number of residents showed up to voice their demand for Scarsdale to opt out, including the President, Karen Ceske, and Executive Director, Jay Genova, of the Scarsdale& Edgemont Family Council.
I and two other moms, Nanthini Sriskanthan and Xiaobing Zhang, started this petition to ask our trustees to opt out of allowing a marijuana store or lounge in our village. So far, the petition has been signed by more than 570 residents. The overwhelming message is “Let Scarsdale be Scarsdale: a place focused on families, children, education and community.”
If you agree with this message, please sign this petition on and before December 10th, the deadline for written comments, before the Village Trustees’ meeting to vote on this matter.
Thank you.
Very truly yours,
Tracy Tang
56 Harvest Drive
Con Edison Provides Timeline on Installation of Gas Main in Greenacres
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3320
Just how long will Con Edison be working on Walworth Avenue in Greenacres? That’s what many residents who live and travel along one of Scarsdale’s primary routes want to know. The utility has been working on just one segment of the road, from Fenimore to Greenacres Avenue since the summer. That segment, which many use to access Hartsdale and the train station, was closed on weekdays, causing detours, traffic and aggravation.
Now, the first portion has been completed, the road has been repaved and the utility will install the next portion of a 6 foot wide gas transmission line on Walworth from Greenacres Avenue to Colvin Road.
Residents are hopeful that this portion will be speedier.
Currently there is a moratorium for any new gas service in Westchester. We asked Con Edison if the presence of this new line traversing Scarsdale would change that policy for residents. The answer was “no.” According to the spokesperson, the moratorium will remain in place and no new gas service will be available to Scarsdale residents or businesses, despite the considerable inconvenience caused by the disruption of our streets. How about compensating those who are impacted with a price break on electric and gas? That does not appear to be in the offing either.
State Assemblymember Amy Paulin questioned a Con Edison spokesperson about the timeline for the remainder of the work and here is what she shared with us on December 15, 2021:
"Con Edison and our contractor Network Infrastructure will be installing two new gas lines down Walworth Ave between Greenacres Ave and Brayton Road. This is a continuation of the work completed over the past months from Fenimore Road. The purpose of these mains will be to upgrade and sustain the reliability of our gas service in both Scarsdale and Westchester County. Work on both new installations will take place simultaneously and is planned to be completed by March 31st, 2022. This will also include final site restoration as seen on our first phase of the project between Fenimore Road and Greenacres Avenue.
While we work, we’ll need to store supplies and equipment along the road in some areas. We also may need to excavate on resident sidewalks, driveways or lawn areas. If a customer’s property is affected, we will restore it. During the work, we may need to interrupt gas service temporarily to transfer household services to our new main . We will notify customers in advance if their service will be affected. We will need access our customers’ homes to restore gas service, and we will work with all residents to accommodate their schedule and minimize any interruptions. No interruptions will take place without customer consent and knowledge.
Temporary road closures will also be expected during working hours Monday to Friday 8am – 5pm. We will work closely with all residents in our work zone and ensure residents have complete access in and out of the work site throughout the day. Detours will also be set around our work zone.
We recognize that this important work may cause inconveniences to our customers and the community. We are committed to working closely with our customers to minimize any such inconveniences, and thank them for their patience."
Bronx Women Sentenced to Ten Years in Jail for Burglaries While Residents Attended Funerals
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 1590
Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced that Bronx resident Latonia Stewart was sentenced for burglarizing six homes of families she targeted because they were attending funeral services of loved ones between 2017 and 2018.
Stewart, 30, was sentenced on November 22, 2021, to a determinate term of 10 years in state prison on each of the burglary counts, each to run concurrently, and an indeterminate term of one to three years in state prison to run consecutive to the 10-year sentence.
On October 14, 2021, a jury found Stewart guilty of six counts of Burglary in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, both felonies.
“Latonia Stewart targeted individuals on one of the worst days of their lives knowing they wouldn’t be home, and stole their jewelry, valuables, letters and other keepsakes a spouse would cherish while grieving their loved one,” DA Rocah said. “This coldhearted crime is reprehensible, and I applaud the great work of the District Attorney’s Office, the Greenburgh Police Department, and the other law enforcement partners involved in bringing justice to these victims.”
Between December 2017 and May 2018, Stewart burglarized the homes of six Westchester County residents in Cortlandt, Greenburgh, Ossining, Rye Brook, Scarsdale, and Tarrytown who were out of the house attending their spouse’s wake or funeral service. Jewelry, watches, silverware and other valuables were stolen. Stewart targeted the homes after searching through obituaries online. She would then research the individual online, find the address on Google and locate the homes on Google Street View. Stewart used a sledgehammer to break windows and glass doors to gain entry into certain homes, and would then ransack the victims’ master bedroom in search of valuable items once inside.
On May 1, 2018, Greenburgh Police arrested Stewart after observing her driving away from the home of a deceased person and found jewelry in her vehicle and a website with an obituary pulled up on her cellphone. Following her arrest, police recovered more stolen jewelry from Stewart’s Bronx residence, and additional evidence, including jewelry, a sledgehammer and gloves, from her car.
The Greenburgh Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office investigated the case, with assistance from the New York State Police, Greenwich Police Department, Ossining Police Department, Rye Brook Police Department, Scarsdale Police Department, and Tarrytown Police Department.
The case was before Judge David Zuckerman in Westchester County Court, and was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Stefanie DeNise and Assistant District Attorney Michelle Calvi.
