Yorktown News 09.09.21

Vol. 10 No. 25 Visit TapIntoYorktown.net for the latest news. Thursday, September 9, 2021

Help wanted “I feel like we’ve
been saying,
Yorktown businesses struggle to make new hires
‘We’ve just got to
BY BRIAN new employees through Owner Dave Rully said he get through this
word-of-mouth and on mostly tries to hire young week’ for the past
MARSCHHAUSER social media, Yorktown adults as opposed to high two months,”
EDITOR Pizza & Pasta has posted schoolers. He used to start
job listings on Indeed.com new workers at minimum Mike Giuliano
Finding a 16-year-old and in the Pennysaver. e wage (currently $15 an Yorktown Pizza
willing to work has become Giulianos are especially hour in Westchester).
as rare as nding an “alien,” struggling to nd delivery & Pasta
according to at least one drivers, a mostly tip-based “I’ve adjusted all of my
Yorktown small business position. guys upward,” Rully said. Joe Giuliano and
owner. “I would start someone at his son, Mike, of
“More money seems to about $17 or $18 an hour Yorktown Pizza
“ ere used to be a con- be the big issue,” Joe Gi- with a real fast track. Once & Pasta
stant ow of kids coming uliano said. To entice pro- they show me something,
in,” said Joe Giuliano, who spective employees, YPP they start getting raises. PHOTOS: BRIAN
has owned Yorktown Pizza has resorted to o ering MARSCHHAUSER
& Pasta for 31 years. “Ever more money to start. ey “I don’t how much higher
since the pandemic, no- have even heard of other I can go,” he added. 10
body’s coming in. Literally businesses o ering signing 31
just nobody.” bonuses to new hires. Rully has also turned to 30
the web to nd new hires, 29
In fact, YPP’s hir- ough many of his em- creating a job posting on 26
ing problems predate the ployees are teenagers or ZipRecruiter. But a month
pandemic. e restaurant, college students, his roster into his search, Rully is 12 PUPPY POOL PARTY
located on Route 202 includes some adults with hearing nothing but crick-
in downtown Yorktown full-time jobs looking to ets. 22 pgs 16-17
Heights, had only made supplement their income.
one new hire in two years at “I’m having trouble even
the time of this interview in “I understand you’re not having people to talk to,”
mid-August. going to get rich,” Joe Gi- he said in an interview on
uliano said. “It’s walking Sept. 2. “But nothing is re-
“She’s like an alien,”Mike around money, a little bit of ally happening yet, and I
Giuliano, Joe’s 30-year-old cash.” am concerned.”
son, said of his restaurant’s
new employee. “A 16-year- About a quarter mile Rully has owned Pow!
old who wants to work. You away in the Triangle Cen- Burger since October 2017.
don’t exist anymore.” ter, Pow! Burger is facing During those four years,
similar employee shortages.
In addition to seeking SEE HELP PAGE 2

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Page 2 – Yorktown News Thursday, September 9, 2021

The Staff HELP more.” this week’ for the past two abandoned the pizza side of its

EDITORIAL TEAM FROM PAGE 1 For both Pow! Burger and months,” Mike Giuliano said. business due in part to its fail-
BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER
EDITOR: 914-302-5628 Yorktown Pizza and Pasta, the His father, Joe, works about ure to nd “reliable help,” it an-
[email protected]
he has never experienced hiring employee shortage has started 80 hours a week. Add that to his nounced on Facebook.
ADVERTISING TEAM
PAUL FORHAN issues like this. In fact, the res- to a ect operations. For much of commute to and from Connecti- “You really feel bad,” Mike

(914) 806-3951 taurant has received many walk- the summer, Pow! Burger closed cut, and his weekly commitment Giuliano said of Froggy’s. “You
[email protected]
in applications over the years, on Mondays. YPP, likewise, can- to Yorktown Pizza & Pasta to- don’t take pleasure in that.”
BRUCE HELLER
(914) 486-7608 even when it was not actively not o er delivery services on tals about 100 hours. Pow! Burger employees are
[email protected]
recruiting. ose days are over, some days, and has shortened its “We’re maxed out,” Joe Gi- also working themselves to the
LISA KAIN
(201) 317-1139 Rully said. hours to ease the burden on its uliano said. bone to keep the restaurant
[email protected]
CORINNE STANTON “You can’t just put up an ad shrinking sta . Some businesses have had to a oat, Rully said. Right now,
(914) 760-7009
[email protected] and nd a person right away,” he “I feel like we’ve been saying, make even more drastic changes. Pow! Burger is short about one-

JAY GUSSAK said. “ at doesn’t happen any- ‘We’ve just got to get through In neighboring Somers, Froggy’s and-half employees.
(914) 299-4541
[email protected] “My guys who are remaining
SHELLEY KILCOYNE
(914) 924-9122 are amazing and they’re really
[email protected]
GABRIELLE BILIK From closets to kitchens stretching out their schedules to
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/DESIGNER accommodate,” he said. “I don’t
[email protected]
to bedrooms and more, know how long they’ll be able to
PRODUCTION TEAM do that.”
TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL
barn doors make for the Rully does not want to think
CREATIVE DIRECTOR about what might happen to his
PHOTOGRAPHER business if he can’t nd new em-
perfect functional accent piece. ployees. “ at would be tragic,”
[email protected] he said of a potential closure.
Aside from wages, the small
EXECUTIVE TEAM
BRETT FREEMAN Built with superior craftsmanship, business owners can only make
CEO & PUBLISHER
845-208-8151 educated guesses as to why the

[email protected] Woodgrain barn doors set the bar employee well has dried up.

Deadlines for the industry’s highest standard of “I really think it’s a realign-

YORKTOWN NEWS DEADLINE authentic stile and rail construction. ment of expectations,” Rully
THE DEADLINE FOR ADVERTISEMENTS
said. “And we have adjusted our
AND EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS FOR
wages way up. I think people are
YORKTOWN NEWS IS THE THURSDAY
BEFORE THE NEXT PUBLICATION DATE. Give your home a just waiting and seeing and look-
timeless and rustic feel ing for better opportunities.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION, with Woodgrain
CALL BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER AT barn doors. Some have blamed expanded
914-302-5628 OR EMAIL unemployment bene ts, which
[email protected]. provided jobless New Yorkers
with higher wages for longer
Subscribe stretches of time. Such a pack-
age, critics say, has disincentiv-
TO REQUEST YORKTOWN NEWS
WEEKLY DELIVERY, CALL 845-208-8503 ized unemployed people from
OR EMAIL [email protected].
SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE COMPLIMENTARY FOR These barn doors are on display seeking new work. ose ex-
RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IN THE TOWN. panded bene ts were set to ex-
OUT OF TOWN MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE
$150 PER YEAR FOR FIRST CLASS MAIL. now at Interstate + Lakeland pire in New York on Labor Day.
Lumber’s Shrub Oak “Everybody loves to blame
PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT
SOMERS, NY AND AT the bene ts, which I get. Maybe

ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. Design Center. that’s part of it,” Mike Giuliano
POSTMASTER: said. “But [maybe it’s a] genera-

SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO tional change.”
YORKTOWN NEWS AT
And then there is the obvi-
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SUITE 100 ous answer: the threat of COV-

MOUNT KISCO, NY 10549 ID-19. Working in a restaurant

(ISSN 2329-8693) requires physically interacting
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©2021 HALSTON MEDIA, LLC working remotely.

“We are truly front line,” Rully

said. “ ere is a little bit of trepi-

dation I think about getting into

jobs like that again.”

In addition to developing a

strong work ethic, said Joe Gi-

uliano, working at a restaurant

teaches problem-solving and

communication skills. At the

end of the day, he said, Yorktown

Pizza & Pasta is a family busi-

ness, and he doesn’t expect new

hires to make work their life.

“We don’t expect you to work

open to close,” he said. “We try

to set their priorities straight.

While you’re working here,

it’s family rst, school second,

INTERSTATE + LAKELAND LUMBER sports third, and I don’t mind
Yorktown Pizza & Pasta being
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Thursday, September 9, 2021 Yorktown News – Page 3

Running is no joke
But you can do it too with enough practice

BY BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER requires a person being in tune to cause if you’re dehydrated, you’re John Iavarone trains.
EDITOR their own body, knowing when to going to get a cramp, and that’s not
follow tried and true strategies or going away. After your run, you re- PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOHN IAVARONE
e rst rule of training for a when to change it up. During the ally need to replenish with protein.
marathon? Be “all in.” process, Iavarone blazed his own You really need to feed your mus- John Iavarone stops to take a selfie on one of his runs in New
path more than a few times. cles.” York City.
at advice comes from John Ia-
varone, a stand-up comedian and For example, most marathon TIME TO THINK
Yorktown resident who discovered training guides recommend run- Naturally, a long-distance run
his love of running as he neared his ning four days per week. “But when
I run four times a week, my ankle can be isolating—which Iavarone
fth decade. e 54-year-old prac- hurts. When I run three times a doesn’t view as a bad thing. He en-
tices what he preaches. ese days, week, I feel good.” So, Iavarone joys listening to podcasts and hav-
Iavarone sports a new tattoo which runs three times a week. “You have ing time to think. Sometimes, he’ll
showcases his commitment to com- to make it your own.” even practice reciting his stand-up
pleting the New York City Mara- routine while he’s running, though
thon on Sunday, Nov. 7. With the e rst time around, Iavarone he admits it draws some funny
number “26.2” inked on his fore- trained for 20 weeks. By doing so, looks.
arm, there is little chance Iavarone he found that he burned himself
will forget how many miles he’ll out by marathon day. is year, he’s But if you’re running with some-
have to run that day. doing a 14-week program. one, Iavarone said, it doesn’t hurt
to carry on a light conversation. “It
Running piqued Iavarone’s inter- Iavarone has a “hill day” and a works out your diaphragm,” he said.
est around 2016. So, he went out- “fast day” on weekdays, followed by
side and ran his rst mile, which a double-digit mile run on Sunday WORK OUT WHERE YOU CAN
took him about 16 minutes. mornings. Iavarone, the father of two girls

“I remember going home and LOCATION, LOCATION, (ages 18 and 14), says working out
saying, ‘I just ran a mile. I just ran LOCATION is not always convenient. Whether
the whole mile,’” Iavarone said. he’s walking the dog or mowing the
“And I remember just being so hap- In addition to being tiring, run- lawn, Iavarone nds a way to get his
py that I ran the mile.” ning can be boring, especially if miles.
you’re running for hours on the
Since then, he’s gradually worked same trails and tracks every week. Sometimes, he nds himself
his way up to 5Ks, 10Ks, half-mar- To combat this mental fatigue, Ia- coming home at the tail end of a
athons, and nally a marathon. But varone takes his long runs to unique long day not having worked out.
Iavarone didn’t just want to run any places, usually in New York City.
marathon. So, he set out to qualify “ ere will be times at the end of
for the iconic New York City Mar- “I’ll drive an hour and a half to the night where you may just want
athon by participating in the New run somewhere because I’ve never to kind of get comfy on the couch
York Roadrunners’9+1 program.To been there,” he said. “Your eyes are and retire,” he said. “But if you just
gain entry, Iavarone had to com- so xed on exploring you don’t even get out there for a quick couple of
plete nine marathon-qualifying realize you ran six miles.” miles, you’ll be glad you did.”
races and volunteer at one event
over the course of a calendar year. So far, he’s run in places like Van DON’T GIVE UP
Cortlandt Park, Roosevelt Island, Looking back on his rst mile,
But the marathon, along with Governor’s Island, and along the
nearly everything else in 2020, was Westside Highway. Iavarone said other potential run-
eventually canceled by COVID-19. ners are likely to encounter the
Not wanting his training to go to BREAK IT UP same struggles that he did. Too
waste, Iavarone completed a virtual Instead of going on a long run many people give up when they get
marathon. On a dreary November tired, he said. But those are the most
day, Iavarone ran through a mara- without taking a break, runners important times to keep moving.
thon through New York City and can keep their legs fresh and their
tracked his distance with an app minds engaged by running in inter- “If you’re getting tired, walk it
on his phone, running 27 miles vals. out and then start running again,”
(an extra 0.8 miles in case his GPS he said. “Allow your lungs to open
wasn’t working properly). At about Like most runners, Iavarone lis- up. Nobody does that. Once they
six hours, he didn’t clock a blazing tens to music or podcasts as he runs. get tired, they’re like, ‘I’m done.’”
pace, but Iavarone was proud to Every time he nishes a mile, he’ll
have nished. reward himself by walking for a It won’t be easy, he said, but it will
song. be worth it.
So, how did he go from barely
running one mile in 2016 to run- When Iavarone trains in the city, “You’ve got to be all in. You’ve got
ning a marathon in 2020? for example, about every three miles to be fully committed to it. ere
he will stop in a deli for a refresh- are going to be days when it’s go-
ANYONE CAN RUN ment. ing to be cold and it’s going to be
Iavarone’s story is not extraordi- dark. But you have to picture that
“It’s unorthodox, but it breaks it day when you nish.”
narily unique. In fact, 24 Yorktown up a little bit,” he said.
residents ran the New York City ANY OTHER ADVICE?
Marathon in 2019, the last year it HYDRATION/DIET IS KEY “Before you start speaking to
was held. But he is proof that al- Not only do Iavarone’s deli stops
most anybody can become a runner someone in person after your run,
so long as they are willing to make give him something to look forward check yourself, because you can
the commitment. on his run, but they help to make have veins sticking out of your
sure his body is functioning prop- head,” Iavarone said. “You look like
Perhaps more than anything, it erly. you’re electri ed. You can look like
a madman.”
If you’re going on a long run, he
said, “Take in a lot more water, be-

Page 4 – Yorktown News Thursday, September 9, 2021

Esports are coming to Yorktown
Parks and Recreation Department partners with GGLeagues to bring gaming programming

BY NICK TRUJILLO Marissa Lieto, Yorktown’s Recre- • Wednesday: Rocket League 1v1 are weekly competitions with times istrations, with Yorktown receiving
STAFF WRITER ation Assistant. Lieto facilitated the and 3v3 based on which age group the gamer 30 percent of the money. If that
partnership between the town and falls under. e nal week is a play- number sounds modest, it is because
e esports industry has been GGLeagues after the gaming plat- • ursday: Super Smash Bros o , and the top three nishers in the town is not centered on the -
growing for years and boomed in form reached out to the Recreation • Friday: Fortnite Duos each league will receive a prize from nancial aspect of the partnership
the pandemic era due to many peo- Department. To register for a league, gamers GGLeagues including in-game and is more focused on providing
ple nding themselves stuck within or parents can create an account currency, a GGLeagues champion safe, online recreation for its youth
their homes and turning to video “ ey happened to call our of- on GGLeagues, navigate to the shirt, and a medal. at a time when the level of physi-
games as their primary source of en- ce around my second week here. Yorktown organizational page, and cal socialization allowed within the
tertainment. I spoke to them brie y over the purchase a Yorktown season pass e aspect of GGLeagues’ plat- coming months remains uncertain
phone, had them send us an email for $30. Once the pass is purchased, form that impressed Martorano, due to the Delta variant of the CO-
Yorktown’s Parks and Recreation with the information, and then I the gamer or parents can activate Lieto and the rest of Yorktown’s VID-19 virus.
Department is looking to capitalize scoured their website a little bit to it by inputting the Yorktown code recreation department was the poli-
on the trend towards digital recre- nd out as much information on and then they are registered to play cies and safeguards the organization “It’s not really about the money
ation with a partnership between them as I possibly could,”said Lieto. and take part in seminars o ered has in place to create a safe, inclu- for us,” said Martorano. “It’s about
the town and GGLeagues, a recre- “ ey have a lot of policies in place, by GGLeagues for education on sive online experience. Private chats providing quality recreation for chil-
ational esports platform that hosts code of conducts in place to make esports. Interested gamers must are moderated, parents can moni- dren that love playing video games
leagues for a variety of video games this a very safe and fun environment already own the game and corre- tor their child’s actions within the and can recreate with their friends
split into three age groups and o ers for the kids participating in these sponding console. leagues, and age-speci c competi- in a safe manner, that’s the most im-
educational resources for people to programs and we thought that this “ ey will be playing in what tions allow the gamer to connect portant thing for us.”
learn about what esports can o er in would be a good program for us to is called the New York league. It’s with similar children through the
a fun and safe setting. move forward with.” kind of the surrounding communi- game of their choice. While this partnership serves as a
ties around Yorktown, so they will test of how Yorktown can o er more
“For anyone that’s watching a rough GGLeagues, Yorktown be competing with other Yorktown “For us, it had to be this or noth- digital recreational programming,
little bit, it’s no surprise that this is is o ering registration for competi- residents, but they will also be com- ing at all. If it wasn’t this good of Martorano said that he is optimis-
something that is a growing trend,” tive leagues for Rocket League (1v1 peting with other participants with- an organization with these kinds of tic for the town’s future with esports
said James Martorano, Yorktown’s and 3v3), Madden 21 for Xbox in that league,” said Lieto. “It gets safeguards, then we wouldn’t have and more online programming for
Superintendent of Parks and Recre- and PS4, Fortnite (solos and duos) a little bit complicated when you felt comfortable enough to take that the younger generations.
ation.“Coming in as superintendent and Super Smash Bros (Nintendo break them all down, but overall it leap,” said Martorano. “It’s a new
here, it was de nitely on my radar Switch). e leagues are split into totals to 27 di erent leagues.” part of recreation so we’ll monitor it “Being able to provide a safe space
of something that I wanted to add three age groups: youth (ages 8 to as the days and months go on, and for this type of recreation is excit-
to Yorktown’s toolbox of recreation 12), teen (ages 13 to 18), and adult e registration period to sign hopefully this is something we can ing for the town of Yorktown and
programming, but I needed a special (ages 18+), and will follow a weekly up for the leagues began on Aug. build on.” the community,” said Martorano.
employee to help facilitate that.” schedule of: 31 and will run until Sept. 22. e “Hopefully parents get behind this
season begins on Oct. 4 and runs GGLeagues and Yorktown have and really support this program, be-
at employee arrived in the • Monday: Madden 21 for six weeks. e rst ve weeks a 70-30 split over the revenue made cause I think the sky is the limit.”
rst week June with the hiring of • Tuesday: Fortnite Solos on season pass purchases and reg-

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