The Somers Record 09.14.2023

VOL. 13 NO. 24 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 CLASSIFIEDS 27 ELEPHANT’S TRUNK 2 LEGAL NOTICES 27 LEISURE 20 OPINION 8 SPORTS 16 Back to School pg 14 STUDENTS Visit TapIntoSomers.net for the latest news. BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER The Somers community gathered Monday to mark the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 with inspiring speeches, poetry, patriotic music, personal reflection, and prayer. Because the weather was damp, the Patriot Day Remembrance Ceremony started off inside St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and wrapped up at Bailey Park where a wreath of hydrangeas and bouquets of flowers were solemnly placed in the Unity Garden, which is dedicated to three Somers residents who perished during the terror attacks: George Bishop, Richard J. Klares, and Joseph P. Spor Jr. Grace Zimmerman of the event’s organizers, the Somers Historical Society, welcomed participants. Supervisor Robert Scorrano gave the remarks. “Families that day were torn apart. We saw the heroism of the first responders, who selflessly ran into the danger to save others. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, we were faced with a choice. We could let fear and anger divide us, or come together as a community and nation. I stand before you today, proud to say, that we choose unity,” he said. Despite the “unimaginable loss and devastation,” the nation emerged “more vital than ever,” Scorrano said, adding: “We can draw strength from this example as we face our challenges individually and as a community.” He urged folks to carry the memory of 9/11 “as a reminder that, even in the darkest times, we can find the light of hope and humanity. May we never forget.” Father Mike Watson of St. Luke’s gave the invocation and Father John Lagiavonne of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, the benediction. Writer and poet Lisa O’Neil-Guerci read “A Still Beautiful Sky,” a work that she had penned in 2020 in honor of 9/11. “How many angels flew and fell/ Somers community gathers on September 11 We will never forget PHOTO: CAROL REIF ‘We can draw strength from this example as we face our challenges individually and as a community.’ Town Supervisor SEE 9/11 PAGE 21 Rob Scorrano HOPEMAZZOLA YOU’VE GOTTA HAVE HOPE Sales Vice President Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker cell: 914.714.0090 [email protected] hopemazzola.com 95 Katonah Ave | Katonah, NY 10536  Featured Property Somers | 2 BR | 2 BA | 2,003 sf | $489,000 Until now you could only dream about something this special. Absolutely stunning ranch-style townhouse set on a quiet cul-de-sac with total privacy. Fully updated and offering finished lower for recreation and entertaining. An absolute gem! #UGottaHaveHope

PAGE 2 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 The Staff EDITORIAL TEAM Tom Walogorsky Editor: 914-302-5830 [email protected] ADVERTISING TEAM Paul Forhan (914) 806-3951 [email protected] Bruce Heller (914) 486-7608 [email protected] Lisa Kain (201) 317-1139 [email protected] Corinne Stanton (914) 760-7009 [email protected] Jay Gussak (914) 299-4541 [email protected] Pam Zacotinsky 845-661-0748 [email protected] PRODUCTION TEAM Tabitha Pearson Marshall Creative Director/Photographer [email protected] Noah Elder Designer Bri Agosta Designer Haven Elder Designer EXECUTIVE TEAM Brett Freeman CEO & Publisher 845-208-8151 [email protected] Deadlines The Somers Record The deadline for advertisements and editorial submissions for The Somers Record is the Thursday before the next publication date. For more information, call Tom Walogorsky at 914-302-5830 or email [email protected]. Subscribe To request The Somers Record weekly delivery, call 845-208-8503 or email [email protected]. Subscriptions are complimentary for residents and businesses in the town. Out of town mail subscriptions are $150 per year for First Class Mail. Periodicals Postage Paid at Somers, NY and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Somers Record at 118 N. BEDFORD ROAD, SUITE 100 MOUNT KISCO, NY 10549 (ISSN 2330-1597) Published Weekly by Halston Media, LLC at 118 N. BEDFORD ROAD, SUITE 100 MOUNT KISCO, NY 10549 ©2023 Halston Media, LLC Hebrew Congregation of Somers Cypress Lane & Mervin Drive in Shenorock High Holiday Services Beginning with Rosh Hashanah Eve on Sept. 15 and ending with Yom Kippur on Sept. 25. The Hebrew Congregation of Somers welcomes guests to their Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. Attendance is free, and organizers only request that you fill out a form by visiting www. hebrewcongregationofsomers.org. For further information call (914) 248-9532 and leave a message. Chavura Beth Chai Conducting services at the Lake Lincolndale Clubhouse, 11 Lake Shore Drive North, Lincolndale High Holiday Services Chavura Beth Chai, a nontraditional Jewish congregation without walls (except for the High Holidays, to accommodate a larger number of worshippers), invites the community to its services. Attendance is free. Rosh Hashanah services will begin on Friday evening, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. and Saturday morning, Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. Yom Kippur services will begin on Sunday evening, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. and Monday morning, Sept. 25 at 10 a.m. For more information about this unique congregation, visit www. chavurabethchai.org or call (973) 380-7995 and leave a message. Somers Parks & Recreation Department Fall Programs Now Online To register, visit www.somersny.com, then click “Parks & Recreation” and scroll down to “Program Registration Site.” Available programs can be found in the orange tab. The Church of the Good Shepherd 39 Granite Springs Road, Granite Springs Craft Vendors Wanted The church is seeking craft vendors to participate at its Oktoberfest event on Saturday, September 30  from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The fee is $40 per space and organizers ask that you supply your own table(s). There will be flowers,  pumpkins, baked goods and much more for sale. To register, please call the office at 914-248-5631 or email [email protected]. Senior Saturday Luncheon Saturday, Sept. 23 at 12 p.m. The church will host a free lunch gathering of local senior citizens, featuring a delicious hot meal accompanied by companionship, conversation and community!  The meal will conclude with dessert and coffee. A second meal will be given to everyone attending to take home. RSVP is required by calling 914-248-5631 or emailing  seniorssaturdays@ goodshepherdny.org. Fall Festival Saturday, Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featuring a plant sale, homemade baked goods, craft vendors, children’s  activities, a classic car show and more! This event is rain  or shine, and admission is free. For more information, call 914-248-5631 or email admin@ goodshepherdny.org A Message from Braver Angels Braver Angels will be showing a documentary called “Better Angels: Reuniting America.” Braver Angels is a national grass roots organization which has been doing workshops, debates, and speaking engagements around America. The 50-minute documentary and discussion will SEE TRUNK PAGE 22 ELEPHANT’S TRUNK Your Family Car Care Center! LOCATIONS: Baldwin Place • 44 Route 118 • (845) 628-7900 Croton Falls • 1 Center St • (914) 769-3206 Visit us at www.ProperService.com For over 100 years of combined auto experience, Joe Ferone and his sta of Proper Service have been serving the community, creating releationships, and building a remarkable company with an amazing team of employees! Find out why Joe Ferone of Proper Service needs to be YOUR Go-To Automotive Service Center!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 3 BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER “Behind Closed Doors,” the latest art show to take place at Coldwell Banker’s offices in the historic Bailey House has been getting “great reviews,” according to the real estate brokerage. “We are honored to host these talented artists and add to the culture of our Somers community,” said senior managing director Tammy Benkwitt after the opening in late July. Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, the show runs through Sept. 28. The gallery will also be open to the public during the Celebrate Somers festivities on Saturday, Sept. 23, and will include a special poetry reading event beginning at 1 p.m. “Behind Closed Doors” features seven local artists. Jose Mendoza, a native of Puerto Rico, grew up in the South Bronx. He majored in advertising design in college and worked in the health care industry for more than 25 years as an art director. Mendoza took up painting 18 years ago and plans to carry on with the craft for the rest of his life, he says. Show curator and participant Frances Bregman Schultzberg has been teaching the exploration of arts and crafts for 40 years. She started as an easel painter, then moved on to pottery, sculpture, metalsmithing, jewelry making, and woodwork. Schultzberg has come back full circle, returning to her first love – painting. A student once asked her: “Why?” “My honest response was, it’s easier than getting a divorce,” she said. Artist Lynn Harrington’s works focus on “the interplay of light on objects and on human form.” “I strive to paint what it reveals, as well as what light conceals.  I paint from life using north light - inspired by the quiet beauty in common household objects as well as in people,” she said. Harrington maintains a studio in Pound Ridge. She said to her, “painting, like prayer, is a form of communion with the ultimate Light, and with my deepest self.” Adelaide “Addie” Polito, a Somers resident since 1994, is deeply into mixed media and other craft/art projects. She loves “bold color and texture” and is open to experimenting with “almost all genres.” It is her first exhibition. “I hope you like them!” Polito said of her works. Leslie Bioux studied studio art with an emphasis on painting at SUNY Oswego. Also a poet, she has explored pastels, figure drawing, abstract painting, jewelry making, and graphic arts. Bioux’s latest interest is printmaking. She loves to “create layers and textured surfaces.” Photographer Howard Robinson, now retired as a teacher, had a long career in the social work arena, according to his bio. He was a restaurant worker, a foster care caseworker, a clinical social worker in therapeutic nurseries, a therapist, and a research partner at the Fordham Center for Trauma Education. Robinson also worked as a global mental health consultant in China, Taiwan, Israel, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. He says he has always had his camera by his side whenever he traveled. The Heritage Hills resident says he loves shooting landscapes in different countries “that capture something about the culture and life of the people who live there.” Illustrator, painter, and musician Julian Allen has been drawing since the age of 2. His works in pencil and charcoal were exhibited all over the lower Hudson Valley when he was in high school. Allen majored in painting and illustration at the Hartford Art School. His senior thesis was about “family found and family lost over the years,” he says. While in college, Allen also studied instrumental performance. “As human beings we all experience different things and events that happen in our lives which could cause us to be happy, depressed, angry, etc. It’s good that we can all relate to our emotions and certain events once in a while,” he said in his bio. Allen’s recent projects have focused on album covers and portraits of cars, people, and animals. He especially likes to do portraits of renowned Black figures such as Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Bob Marley. GOOD TO KNOW Coldwell Banker is located in the historic Bailey House, 338 Route 202, Somers, N.Y. Behind Closed Doors Coldwell Banker art show highlights local talent Adelaide Polito Fran Schulzberg Howard Robinson PHOTOS COURTESY OF COLDWELL BANKER Jose Mendoza Julian Allen Lynn Harrington HOME, AUTO, BUSINESS, LIFE & HEALTH 914-232-7750 www.forbesinsurance.com Get your body work done right the first time! Steve Deiana Deiana’s Custom Collision 11 Wesley Street Bedford Hills 666-6412 [email protected]

PAGE 4 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 Large ©2023 Rita’s Franchise Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Valid at participating locations. Product contains caffeine. LIMITED TIME ONLY Small Discount applied to lowest priced item. Not valid on take home treats, catering, or novelty items. Not valid with any other offer. Limit one offer per guest per visit. Not valid at cart or theme park venues. Not for resale. ©2020 RITA’S FRANCHISE COMPANY, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. VALID AT PARTICIPATING RITA’S LOCATIONS. REDEEMABLE AT FROZEN TREAT $1 OFF WHEN YOU BUY ONE Expires 04.15.2021 RITAS OF YORKTOWN 1881A COMMERCE STREET YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NY 10598 914 302 7711 ritas.com www.facebook.com/ritasof $1 OFF BUY ONE, GET $1 OFF ANOTHER ritasofyorktown ritasofyorktown.com Discount applied to lowest priced item. Not valid on take home treats, catering, or novelty items. Not valid with any other offer. Limit one offer per guest per visit. Not valid at cart or theme park venues. Not for resale. ©2020 RITA’S FRANCHISE COMPANY, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. VALID AT PARTICIPATING RITA’S LOCATIONS. Exp. 10/01/2023 BY SOPHIA CASELNOVA STAFF WRITER Yorktown’s representative in the Westchester County Legislature, Vedat Gashi (D), is facing scrutiny for allegedly using an affordable housing program co-op on Manhattan’s Upper West Side as an investment property in violation of New York City affordable housing rules. Gashi, a graduate of Lakeland High School, was elected to the Westchester County Legislature’s District 4 (Yorktown, New Castle, Somers) in 2019. He is running for reelection this fall against Republican Dan Branda, who has accused Gashi of “defrauding New York’s affordable housing program during a housing crunch” by owning the NYC co-op. Gashi has denied any wrongdoing. As reported by The Journal News Tax Watch columnist David McKay Wilson, the co-op was purchased in 2015 by Gashi and his wife Vjosa, who both live in Yorktown. While it is legal to sublet such co-ops, properties purchased under New York City’s affordable housing rules are supposed to be the purchaser’s primary residence. According to property records, the co-op is a four-bedroom unit located at 72 West 88th St. and was purchased by the couple for $849,000. In 2017, Gashi and his wife moved to Yorktown, where they currently reside. While Gashi still owns the unit, it is not his primary residence, something required by the co-op’s regulatory agreement with New York City. Tax Watch reports that an exception can be granted to this regulation by the co-op’s board; a board on which Gashi serves as secretary. Gashi apparently has the exception in writing but had declined to provide it, according to McKay Wilson. Gashi and his family’s 4,000-square-foot Yorktown home sits on 1.81 acres and has an assessed value of nearly $1 million, according to the town’s tentative assessment roll. “My wife and I worked and saved to purchase this apartment in 2015 to be our family home for us and our children,” Gashi said in a statement. “Our family has grown and we have made our way back to my childhood home in Yorktown, where my wife and kids and I now reside and my kids attend school. We have followed every housing rule and have always sought explicit written permission for our use of residence in this building from the cooperative, including ensuring that we qualified to purchase.” Gashi’s opponent in November’s election for county legislature, Branda, a Somers resident, issued a statement on Friday calling for an investigation into Gashi’s ownership of the co-op. “It is  crucial that we can trust the Board of Legislators to proceed with a fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of these allegations against Vedat to run parallel to any other investigation by the many agencies that have jurisdiction,” Branda said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think we can.” In July, Gashi served on a committee that looked into Legislator Chris Johnson for moving outside of his district while renting his affordable housing unit. Johnson resigned as a result, which Gashi said was in “the best interest of our constituents.” The Journal News report said that Gashi’s New York City co-op is listed as a business venture. And while the city’s affordable housing program allows shareholders to sublet units for up to 18 months in five-year periods, the unit would still have to be the owner’s primary residence, according to William Fowler, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Branda accused Gashi of violating rules in New York City that he’s supposed to help govern in Westchester. “He’s a real estate attorney who engages in millions of dollars in real estate transactions, and as chairman of the Board of Legislators he has a duty in Westchester to enact our own Affordable Housing policy,” Branda said. On Friday,  The Journal News reported that County Legislator Damon Maher (D-New Rochelle) was calling for an investigation into Gashi and compared his co-op to the housing scandal that led to Johnson’s resignation. However, Gashi rejected the idea that the two cases were similar. “Respectfully, I would argue that this situation is very different than Mr. Johnson’s,” he said, according to The Journal News. “There his residency impacted his eligibility for the role. No one is questioning whether I reside in Yorktown where we have deep roots and my kids attend the public school.” In a separate statement, Gashi defended his ownership of the property. “Upholding the public trust is a foundation of my public service,” he said. “The co-op in question was purchased in 2015 after being ensured that we qualified and met all purchase requirements. In subsequent years, we moved our home to Westchester, where my extended family has extensive roots, to raise our children. We are proud of that decision. We sublet the New York City co-op in compliance with all governing rules, including renting to a family throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.” Gashi accused of affordable housing rules breach County legislator denies wrongdoing in owning NYC co-op

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 5 2023 SOMERS SOCCERFEST Sunday Sept 24th Reis Park Somers, NY 9am - 5pm FREE ADMISSION GAMES | MUSIC | RAFFLES | FUN Somers Animal Hospital • St. Joseph Quick Stop | Somers National Golf Club | Heather Maguire Floral & Botanical Design

PAGE 6 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 24/7 TOWING • Car, Motorcycle & Light/Heavy Truck Full Automotive Repair Shop & Auto Engine Diagnostics 260 N. BREWSTER RD. BREWSTER, NY 845-287-0139 9-5pm Mon - Sat BRAKES • OIL CHANGES • TIRES 10% OFF any Oil change not valid with other offers must present at time of service FREE Tow to our shop with most repairs not valid with other offers must present at time of service lilpetesautony.com BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER Longtime educator Jeffrey Getman is returning to his roots. After having been Somers Middle School principal for a dozen years, he has pivoted to a new position as a school counselor at Primrose Elementary School. The Board of Education, which approved the job shift at a special meeting in August, also appointed Jennifer Mangone, who was SMS’ assistant principal, as interim principal and Chris DiCintio as interim assistant principal. Getman, who came to the school district in 2000, was a school counselor at SMS before he joined the administrative team. He had also been its dean of students and an assistant principal. Explaining the recent change, he said he’d found out that, over the last few years, it was “harder and harder as a principal to work directly with kids.” “That’s what I got into it (education) for and I was being pulled into tasks that weren’t, to me, always as professionally rewarding,” Getman added. So when the counselor’s position was created, he applied for it and was hired. His probationary term started on Aug. 30 and expires in 2027. His salary will be $147,681. “I am extremely excited to return to my roots. It’s challenging, but everyone at Primrose has been so welcoming. I can’t wait to get to work,” Getman said just before the official start of the school year. After the announcement, Mangone sent a note to SMS families saying that it was “both and honor and a privilege” to step into the role of interim principal. “With gratitude for the support I have received and a deep sense of responsibility, I am excited to continue serving our remarkable school community in this new capacity,” she wrote, adding: “Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of getting to know many of you, whether as students, parents, guardians, or fellow educators. This familiarity and the strong sense of camaraderie we share will undoubtedly be essential as we navigate this transition together.” Her term officially started on Aug. 14. Her annual salary is $168,500. Mangone also expressed her appreciation for Getman’s work “and the positive foundation he has established.” “It has been a great gift to have worked as his partner the past few years and his sense of family and community at SMS are values we hold dear. While change is inevitable, the core values and dedication that define SMS remain steadfast,” she wrote. Mangone added in her letter that she was committed to “uphold the high standards we have set for ourselves and continue fostering an environment of academic excellence, personal, growth, and mutual respect.” “I understand that transitions can be both exciting and uncertain, but rest assured, my focus remains on the well-being and success of our students.  With  the incredible team of educators by our side, we will ensure a smooth continuation of the school’s operations and an unwavering commitment to our students’ growth. Together, we will navigate this chapter with determination, unity, and a shared vision for the future. I am grateful for the trust you have placed in me and excited to lead Somers Middle School in this interim capacity. Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to our school. I look forward to working alongside each of you.” MANGONE Before becoming SMS’ assistant principal four years ago, the Long Island native taught sixth grade in New York City and later social studies at Babylon Senior High School, where she was also assistant principal. Mangone has a master’s degree in secondary education from Adelphi University and a master’s in educational leadership from Stony Brook University After she and her family moved to Connecticut, Mangone became drawn by the Somers school district’s “mission, vision, and values,” which included working on a Middle Years Programme in order for SMS to become authorized as an International Baccalaureate World School. That prestigious status was achieved this year. “Middle School is such a challenging time for young adults,” said Mangone, adding that the SMS team is always “thinking of ways to connect with our learners and how to help them feel like an integral part of our school community.” It’s the mom of four kids – ages 11, 8, 4, and 5 months – first year as an SMS parent. “I’m getting to experience things from both sides,” Mangone said. She and her husband, Philip, have a small “hobby farm” where they keep goats (for controlling weeds) and chickens and ducks (for the eggs). “I’m super excited about this opportunity. I’ve really fallen in love with the SMS community,” she said last week. “I hope that families know that when their kids walk through the door of our school, we’re going to care for them like our own children,” Mangone added, noting: “Family feeling is very important to me.” DICINTIO Now retired, DiCintio had a long career as an administrator for public and private schools, including Iona Grammar School (now known as Iona Preparatory School) in New Rochelle, where he was dean of students, and Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers, where he was an assistant principal. He coached varsity basketball at Somers High School for 11 years and was head basketball coach at SMS sees change in leadership SEE SMS PAGE 7

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 7 Contact ANTHONY J. ENEA, ESQ. Managing Member • Fluent in Italian 914.948.1500 WHITE PLAINS • SOMERS • WWW.ESSLAWFIRM.COM • Asset Protection • Elder Law • Medicaid Applications (Nursing Home/Home Care) • Guardianships (Contested/Non-Contested) • Wills, Trusts & Estates Past Chair of Elder Law Section of NYS Bar Association “Super Lawyer” In Elder Law for 16 consecutive years CALL NEW YORK’S ELDER LAW TEAM 914.948.1500 What steps have you taken to protect your life savings from the cost of long term care? BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER A former Westchester man has been arrested on suspicion of firstdegree murder in the stabbing death of his roommate in Colorado. Garrett Littenberg, 27, went to North Salem High School where he played soccer and lacrosse and was named an AP Scholar when he graduated in 2014. The victim was identified as 30-year-old Kurt Smolker. Littenberg is being held on $10 million bond. Police responding to a report of a disturbance at 1663 Zamia Ave. in Boulder around 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29 found the door open. Upon entering, officers discovered footprints leading from the first-floor living room and up the stairs. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by the media outlet Daily Camera, Littenberg yelled that he was “unarmed” and was coming out with his hands up. The document further stated that he was shirtless and that his arms were covered in blood, it reported. The mortally wounded Smolker was found bleeding in an upstairs bedroom, lying on the floor with a flannel shirt wrapped around his neck and head, according to the Daily Camera. Several knives were recovered nearby. Smolker was pronounced dead at the scene. A coroner’s report found that he had been stabbed “dozens” of times in the head, neck, and abdomen, according to media reports. The Daily Camera noted that the affidavit said Smolker had called Littenberg’s family around 10:02 p.m. that night to report that he was not “acting right.” A family member told police they had heard “muffled” noises and that Littenberg had been ranting about “Putin” and “rape,” according to the document. When that person asked Littenberg where his roommate was, the affidavit said he allegedly responded: “Don’t worry about him. He’s dead. I killed him.” According to the Daily Camera, the affidavit also said that Littenberg’s family had told police that he’d been taking medication for anxiety and psychosis. Littenberg, who had no criminal history in Colorado, was to appear in court on Tuesday, Sept. 5, for a status conference. The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact Boulder police Det. Starks at  StarksE@bouldercolorado. gov or (303) 441-3067 and reference case 23-08516. North Salem High School alum faces murder charge in Colorado Mug shot of Garrett Littenberg PHOTO COURTESY OF BOULDER COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT Rye High School for more than a decade before that. DiCintio founded, is president of, and continues to run East Coast Panthers, an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball organization that provides children and teens with camps, clinics, and leagues to play in the off-season. He gave up coaching in Somers this spring in order to have more time to run the business, and, more importantly, to be able to watch his daughter, Danielle, play basketball in college. Now a senior, she intends to pursue a master’s degree in teaching. DiCintio, who was raised in Eastchester and his wife, Suzanne, a Yonkers native, moved to Somers about 30 years ago. Both Danielle and the DiCintios’ son, Chris, who just completed his graduate degree, are SHS graduates. DiCintio Sr. got his undergrad degree at Pace University, earned a master’s in education and administration from Iona College, and is certified as a school administrator/supervisor. Last year, he was asked to fill in for the dean of students at SHS, who was on paternity leave. After that, he stepped up at SMS for Mangone, who was on maternity leave. As interim assistant principal, DiCintio will draw an annual salary of $119,304. “They didn’t let me retire for long,” he said, joking that being appointed to his new job reminded him of the famous line from “The Godfather” -- “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” DiCintio’s extremely glad that they did, however. “I’ll be busier than I have been for the last few years, but it will keep me on my toes,” he said, adding: “I’m happy to be part of it.” He had high praise for Mangone, who he called “energetic and passionate.” “I’m very impressed with Jen and her leadership,” said DiCinto said, who’s “having a great time being her assistant” and is “very excited to work with her this year.” “The town and the school district have been very good to my children, to me, so I want to be able to do for them what I can. So as someone with deep roots in Somers I was honored to be given the opportunity to be the interim assistant principal. I want to give back to the family and children of Somers,” he said. SMS FROM PAGE 6

Opinion 118 N, BEDFORD ROAD, SUITE 100 MOUNT KISCO, NY 10549 ©2023 Halston Media, LLC 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 The Somers Record 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 914-302-5830 Brett Freeman, Publisher Tom Walogorsky , Editor Tabitha Pearson Marshall, Creative Director Editorial Office: 914-302-5830 [email protected] PAGE 8 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 I n June, I wrote about a drastic overhaul of the New York State voting system. The new law will move all local elections, traditionally held in oddnumbered years, to even-numbered years to align with presidential and national elections. Most fair observers – there are a few – saw it for what it was, a partisan power grab, which would subjugate local issues to national politics. Like most poor legislation, it was passed in the wee hours at the end of the legislative session without any testimony or public feedback. A Newsday editorial said, “The bill’s backers defend it as a boon to voter turnout. While nobody interested in democracy opposes more participation, this bill cannot be viewed as a nonpartisan good-government reform.” Curiously, the new law won’t apply to cities or villages in New York -- only to towns. The bill has been uniformly panned by town supervisors across the state. Apparently, imposing the law on cities and villages would have required a timeconsuming change to the state constitution. It would require deliberations during business hours and pesky public feedback. Sadly, all indications are that the governor will sign the bill later this fall. A lawsuit will undoubtedly follow. I’m holding out hope that the governor will listen to those involved in local government, who are uniformly against the change, and veto it; although, I’m probably dreaming. With towns across the state being steamrolled by Albany, and not having the built-in legal protections of villages, I wonder if there are advantages to being a village instead of a town. Municipalities in New York fall into three different governing models under state law: cities, villages and towns. In our area, Mount Kisco is interesting in that it is one of a handful of villages in the state that are also towns with identical borders for both. The technical term is a coterminous municipality. Try to use that in a sentence this week. The Town of Mount Kisco exists primarily to collect taxes for the the school districts and the county. At the annual organizational meeting, it delegates nearly all other functions to the Village of Mount Kisco. The Village of Mount Kisco used to be split between the towns of New Castle and Bedford. In 1978, then Mayor Hank Kensing led the movement to secede from those towns and form the Town of Mount Kisco, containing the Village. The residents had to vote for the change in a referendum. There are several advantages to operating as a village instead of a town. As recent events show, a village has some protections from the political whims of the state legislature, which in these partisan times, is no small thing. They also operate under different rules than towns. Each village has a village manager, who is a professional public administrator. All departments and employees are under that administrator’s management rather than being managed by an elected political figure not trained in public administration. That manager reports to the mayor and council. Another thing I love about the village form of government is that most of them hold their elections in March instead of November, although they do have the option of having them in November if they choose. March elections allow voters to focus on local issues since the only positions on the ballot are local officials such as mayors, judges and council members. In many villages, candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans. As you may know, I am a huge fan of non-partisan local government. Frequently, local parties are created, which align with local, not national issues. These affairs are frequent lower-turnout elections, but those who do turn out are locally focused. High turnout, like that in a presidential election year, is not necessarily a good thing for local government, since most voters just vote the party line without knowing much about the differences between local candidates. I am OK with a smaller turnout of well-informed voters that a “local only” election would draw. In a future column, I will talk about Scarsdale’s story – a village and a town – that switched to nonpartisan elections in 1911 “after a particularly bitter partisan election” according to the League of Women Voters. Historian Harry Hansen wrote, “it was felt that the injection of politics into our local affairs can only lead us away from the high standards of unselfish service our Village has enjoyed.” Adopting the village approach is appealing, especially as the national partisan divide deepens. Maybe it does take a village DON SCOTT IN CASE YOU MISSED IT “It is easier to change a man’s religion than to change his diet.” -Margaret Mead The other day I found an old picture of myself posing with my brother and sister in our front yard. It was taken around 1968 when I was 10 years old. I was so thin that if I had turned sideways, you probably couldn’t see me. I wanted to be a football player when I got to high school—like my big brother, who was captain of the varsity—but weighing in at about 99 pounds soaking wet, I knew I would make a better water boy than a middle linebacker. “If you want to gain weight, eat potatoes,” was my brother’s advice. So, eat potatoes I did. When I got to high school, I weighed in at a robust 165 pounds my freshman year and made the JV as a fullback. But I wasn’t a very good footballer. Baseball was my game, and I was named All-League in both my junior and senior years and helped lead those teams to several championships. In my senior year, I batted close to .400. I was about 185 pounds at that point. The Potato Initiative was doing fine. Unfortunately, I continued the Potato Initiative well after college, but without all that pesky exercise and movement that comes with being an athlete. I gained more than 50 pounds in about two years, and settled quite nicely into a sedentary lifestyle. Becoming a journalist didn’t help. We spend a lot of time sitting at a desk talking on the phone and typing. That doesn’t burn as many calories as you might think. If it did, I’d be back to the 1968 picture again. Like anyone else with weight issues (I like to call it being “gravitationally challenged”), I tried all kinds of ways to get skinny again: Fad diets, sketchy supplements and short bursts of exercise regimens that I never maintained. To make things even more criminal, I knew full well that diabetes ran through my family like a busload of sumo wrestlers heading to an all-you-can-eat buffet. Even when my feet started getting tingly and numb, I thought, well, this is the worst that it gets. A weighty problem BOB DUMAS OUT OF MY HEAD SEE DUMAS PAGE 9

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 OPINION THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 9 We follow strict CDC guidelines. We pledge to keep everyone safe! •Precision Cuts • Sets • High-End Color • Highlights • Perms • Blow-Dry • Facial Waxing (914) 232-7070 Hours: Tues • Wed • Fri 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Thurs 10:00 am - 7:00 pm Sat 9:00 am - 4:30 pm Look Your Very Best For the Beautiful Fall Season! 914.455.2158 SpirelliElectric.com • [email protected] Specializing in residential & commercial services. Licenses in Westchester, Putnam CREATING CUSTOMERS FOR LIFE Family Owned—Over 40 Years Experience! 10% OFF Service Calls When You Present this Ad First Time Customers Only Light up your summer • Outdoor Lighting • Smart Home Setup • Electric Car Chargers • GENERATORS AND ALL OF YOUR ELECTRIC NEEDS! DUMAS FROM PAGE 8 When the numbness started climbing up my legs and I had to start using a cane, I figured, well, this was the worst it could get. Wrong. I eventually had a heart attack, which resulted in bypass surgery. Then I got an infected diabetic foot ulcer that led to the amputation of all the toes on my left foot and eventually my entire leg. There is no cure for diabetes, but a healthy diet and some exercise can often stave off the really bad stuff. I paid no attention. Another pack of Skittles, please. There are some who don’t want to hear this, but obesity is a national health crisis. But instead of trying to combat it, we Americans are embracing it. And now we have even gone from fat acceptance to fat celebration. The term “body positivity” has come to mean “I am perfect the way I am because I’m me.” It’s Orwellian when positivity is used to describe what is not healthy. But, if you notice, no one has ever pretended there is “positivity” in smoking. Last year, The New York Times reported that poor diet is the leading cause of mortality in the United States. The paper also reported that military recruitment is at its lowest since the draft because 17- to 24-year-olds are either too obese to qualify or have criminal histories. Now, they even sell business suits with drawstring pants. It shows how much we’ve given up. But at some point, acceptance just becomes enabling. I am all in favor of the Woke movement standing up for the rights of minorities and the LGBTQ+ community, but proselytizing that being overweight is just you being you is not just wrong, it’s dangerous. And fiscally irresponsible. So many health issues are generated by obesity: Diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and immune system breakdowns (COVID taught us that obesity is horrible for the immune system.) This leads to more doctor visits and hospitalizations and the soaring cost of health insurance. That being said, I am not advocating fat shaming. The only thing that does is make people sad and then eat an entire meat lover’s pizza while sitting in the back of a dark closet. I know because I’ve been the victim of such cruelty. Let me share. I used to play in a men’s slow-pitch softball league. It’s the perfect sport for former baseball players who’ve gotten fat. Now when I look at pictures of me in my uniform, I realize I resembled an anaconda that has swallowed a baby gazelle. Anyway, one evening after we had finished a game, my teammates and I were sitting around enjoying a post-competition libation when an old high school classmate whom I hadn’t seen in about 12 years approached. I was so happy to see her. We hugged and laughed. She looked me up and down, smiled, and patted my belly. “So, when are you due?” she asked. It took a moment, but then I realized she was implying I was pregnant. Funny joke. I hadn’t seen this “friend” in a dozen years, and she insulted me within the first 30 seconds of our reunion. It really stung, and I cried a little bit when I got home. Here’s another one: I am a big New York Rangers fan and one time, for my birthday, a friend bought me a Mark Messier jersey, replete with the hockey legend’s number 11 and name on the back. I was out at a bar one night, proudly wearing the jersey. I was standing at the jukebox mulling what songs to play when another friend who I hadn’t seen in a long time came up and put his arm around me. He didn’t say anything like, “Wow! Bob! Long time, no see! How ya doing?” No. Instead, he patted my belly (what is up with that?) and said, “Geez, ‘Mark,’ you really let yourself go!” I wanted to punch him in the neck, but I just smiled and said something like, “Yeah, retirement’s been good.” So, no—shaming someone suffering from weight issues is not the way to go. But, geez, neither is shaming someone who has lost weight. Remember when Adele shed all those pounds? Instead of being praised and congratulated, she was mocked and ridiculed on social media. Her critics felt she should have embraced her fatness. Apparently, losing all that weight was an insult to obese people everywhere. But as Bill Maher once said, “You are not a freedom fighter just because you want to keep eating donuts.” At one point, about three years ago, I discovered I weighed nearly 280 pounds. I was just a couple of bacon cheeseburgers away from the 300-pound threshold, which I considered the point of no return. Then the illnesses hit—first the congestive heart failure/heart attack, then kidney and thyroid issues, and then the diabetic infections and subsequent amputations. I began to lose weight. After the heart surgery, I went from 280 to 230 pounds. When I was in the hospital after the amputation, I began losing weight so rapidly that the head nutritionist was so concerned that she came into my room to see me. I told her the food was inedible. Thus, the weight loss. They actually paid to have Chinese food delivered to me from a local restaurant. I now weigh about 190... nearly the same as I did in high school. When people ask me how I did it, I just smirk and say, “You don’t want to know.” But I call it the “I Damn Near Died Diet.” So, if your doctor tells you that you are pre-diabetic, pay attention. Your life isn’t over. You can still have a deep-fried Twinkie at the county fair. You just can’t have one every day. Moderation is the key. And go for a walk every once in a while. I wish I could. But I’m in this dang wheelchair. So, now, instead, I go for rolls. Look at me, on the right. So thin that you can practically see through me. I was 10.

PAGE 10 – THE SOMERS RECORD OPINION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 OF SAN GENNARO YORKTOWN FEAST PROCESSION * AMUSEMENT RIDES * FOOD MUSIC * GAMES * BEER AND WINE Wed - Friday, 5pm - 11pm Saturday, 12pm - 11pm Sunday, 12pm - 10pm Location: Commerce Street & Railroad Park September 13th - 17th Statue Procession Wednesday, September 13th @ 6:00pm Starts Behind Yorktown Firehouse (All are Welcome to March) @sangennaroyorktown [email protected] Thank you to our Sponsors! I certainly hope you didn’t miss last week’s “blue supermoon,” since the next one won’t be seen until 2037. I didn’t happen to notice the moon last week, but strangely enough I didn’t miss it. I also didn’t hear anything about my cat running a triathlon, or no traffic on the Hutchinson River Parkway, or a year of reasonable taxes, things you’d expect to happen once in a blue moon. According to scientists, last week’s moon, its closest point to the Earth, appeared to be 8% bigger and 15% brighter than normal, the same things my parents wished they could say about me when I was in the fourth grade. I hear about these celestial events, and I stare up in the sky, expecting the same excitement as when the crowd first spots what they think might be Superman: “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” And it turns out to be a bird and a plane. Remember the “cold moon” last December? Neither do I. That’s where the moon temporarily eclipses Mars so that you can’t see it. If I was actually living on Mars, I’m not sure I would be able to find it, so the fact that the moon jumps right in front of my field of vision only saves me the trouble of not seeing it in the first place. Supposedly you could see all this with the naked eye, and I took a look outside, but I couldn’t remember if only your eye was supposed to be naked, so I apologize to my neighbors for that misunderstanding. If you saw a super moon that night and you thought it was impressive, I’ll take most of the credit. Several months ago the stargazing community apprised us of the fact that “C/2022 E3 (ZTF)” would be approaching Earth, and that you SHOULD NOT MISS IT because it won’t be passing this way again for 50,000 years! C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is a comet, and by “approaching,” they mean 28 million miles away, give or take a few million miles. But they really piqued my interest when they further described that this was a rare GREEN comet. Why I would waste my time on a green, unripe comet? But I stayed up until 1 in the morning, and I saw what I always see during a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event: cloudy skies.  Maybe you know someone who saw the infamous Hale-Bopp comet of 1997. And by the way, if you have a goofy last name, don’t be looking up in the sky discovering stuff. Hale and Bopp actually discovered the comet in separate states on the same day and reported it to the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams, which was angry they hadn’t discovered it first, and also that they were still relying on people sending telegrams. I’m pretty sure that if Hale and Bopp were together at the time, there would have been a hell of an argument as to who saw it first. “I saw it first,” Hale says. “You saw NOTHING,” Bopp says. “You couldn’t even see Uranus if it came up behind you and bit you on your elbow, which you wouldn’t know from it.” Hale says, “Why don’t you and the boys from Hanson get together and discover the MMMBop comet?” And so forth until Hale bops Bopp upside the head. It’s entirely possible that whatever’s out there in space is not going to help us one bit. Quite the contrary. Scientists say that “2022 AP7” is lurking somewhere out there. It’s a giant one-mile-long asteroid which, if its orbit eventually coincides with that of the Earth, could slam into our planet and cause the extinction of the human species. If it slams into downtown L.A., it’s possible that no one would notice, but the amount of dust it kicks up could possibly leach into the atmosphere and blot out the light of the sun, or so they say. NASA is also tracking an 11-milewide comet called “C/2017 K2,” with a tail so large that if it belonged to a cat, could knock all the pens off of every kitchen table in the entire country. Should this body impact the Earth, to paraphrase a lot of scientific lingo: we’re screwed. It seems like the more we befoul our own planet and the more we continue to elect politicians who have no understanding of science, the more we turn our attentions to the stars in the hopes that there is something up there that will somehow help us down here. Astronomers are always freaking out that there might be water on Mars, for instance. I will temper my enthusiasm until it finds its way to my lawn. Is there intelligent life somewhere out there? Judging by the intelligence level here, we’ll never know. In the meantime I’m keeping my eyes peeled for a super-DUPER moon.  Say hello at [email protected]. Celestial tease RICK MELÉN MAN OVERBOARD

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 OPINION THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 11 My very first column for The Somers Record, “What have they done to my city?,” was published Sept. 13, 2012.  Because it captured the horror and deep personal feelings of 9/11, a never-to-beforgotten tragedy, I have rerun it each year since in memory of our fallen heroes, family, friends and strangers who perished that day and who still sacrifice their lives years later from 9/11-related illnesses.  I will share with you, again, that column on this, the 22nd anniversary of that horrific day.   “On that bright, clear Sept. 11, 2001 morning, I was in our office cafeteria getting coffee when the cafeteria manager came out and said that a plane had hit one of the towers at the World Trade Center.   By the time I returned to my desk, my co-workers told me it was the North Tower that was hit and that the South Tower had also been struck. I then knew that these strikes were not accidents; something terrible and horrific was happening.   Who could hate us so much?     Little did I know the horror and devastation wasn’t over, that the Pentagon was targeted by these terrorists and that another plane would go down in a quiet field in Shanksville, Pa. I did the only thing I could: pray. Later, our vice president called me into his office and asked that I go to each member of the staff and quietly tell them to pack up and go home. The stillness and disbelief was palpable. No one spoke. We were in shock. A few weeks later, a dear friend returned to New York from Louisiana, where he’d been caring for his terminally ill dad. His apartment was a block from Union Square, which became the unofficial center for public mourning. It was there that my friend sent me a heartbreaking note: “No matter what anyone has read in the papers or seen on television, it is even harder to fathom in person,” he wrote. “My flight back took us directly over the site—flood lights illuminating the billowing smoke coming from a huge black hole in the ground. Then, it really became true. I had tears in my eyes as I thought, ‘what have they done to my city?’ He continued: “At Union Square there were literally hundreds and hundreds of candles burning and on every possible surface there were colored papers with pictures of lost people and telephone numbers to call in case you had any information about them. There seemed to never be less than a thousand people gathering in that park— some speaking, some singing, some just there because they couldn’t bear it alone. Everyone seemed to know someone whose husband, wife, father, mother, son or daughter was murdered in that attack. I knew the city would never really return to normal—we had truly lost our innocence.” My son-in-law was a police officer with NYPD and worked traffic and crowd control during the weeks after 9/11. He wouldn’t speak about or discuss the tragedy. One evening my husband asked him directly what his thoughts and feelings were.   “I will remember the sights, sounds and smells for the rest of my life,” he said.  As you may recall, the Eagles started their composition, “There’s a hole in the world tonight,” on the evening of Sept. 11, 2001: “There’s a hole in the world tonight; there’s a cloud of fear and sorrow. “There’s a hole in the world tonight, don’t let there be a hole in the world tomorrow...”  As I sit at my desk, I pray for our dear United States of America. We will never be the same; but can’t we try to bring some “United” back to our beloved country? It’s like it was yesterday PHOTO: METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION RUTHANN SCHEFFER WHAT WAS I THINKING? Elder Law Wills, Trusts & Estates Estate Planning Medicaid Applications Guardianships Probates Elder Law & Estate Planning A Tradition of Excellence in Elder Law (845) 621-8640 thefellergroup.com 625 Route 6, Mahopac NY 10541 We make home & hospital visits Contact the team today! (845) 621-8640 JUNIOR TENNIS PROGRAMS FOR MORE INFO CALL: 914.669.9500 or email: [email protected] HardscrabbleClub.com • 22 Sutton Pl, Brewster, NY 10509 ENROLLING NOW for FALL 2023 Week of Sept. 4 onward GRAB YOUR SPOT BEFORE THEY’RE ALL TAKEN! STAGES: Red Ball, 5-7 years Orange Ball, 8-9 years Green Ball, 9-10 years Yellow Ball, 11- 18 years CLASSES: Weekdays: 4-5pm, 5-6pm & 5-6:30pm. Saturdays: 3:30-4:30pm & 3-4:30pm ALL LEVELS: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, Middle School and JV/Varsity Team Players AFTER-SCHOOL

PAGE 12 – THE SOMERS RECORD OPINION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 Today is my good friend John’s birthday. Had he survived the cancer that took his life last spring, he would have turned 70. This day has me contemplating not only about how lucky I was to have known him, but also how incredibly fortunate we all are to be alive. Just imagine the odds. By the elegance of random selection, channeled through nature’s laws, we are here. From the big bang through our births, we miraculously exist. Think of the astronomical numbers of possibilities. And yet, astoundingly, your sequence of base pairs of DNA and mine, your molecular combination and mine, developed. Here we are. Being practical people, most of us live without concerning ourselves with the fact that, when we’re gone, the world will continue humming without missing a beat. Instead, we focus our energy on what we can control. We build families. We participate in our community. We work. We love. We grieve. We comfort. When faced with death, a stark reminder of our own mortality, we try desperately to move on. We look to our world for something to excite us, entertain us, make us feel fulfilled. But underlying all of this, whether we like it or not, lurks our begrudging acknowledgment that our time will soon be up and all that we have created is impermanent.  Author Brian Greene puts it this way, “We are ephemeral. We are evanescent.” How true. Our time on this planet is both miraculous and rare. And yet, as unremarkable as it is, measured by cosmic history, it is for us, glorious.  I say that without hesitation because of our superpower. Every species but our own is tethered to the immediate. We alone can step outside the present and contemplate, among other things, the past and the future. We can look at the universe, we can explore it, we can process our findings. Reining in my obvious enthusiasm is the fact that despite these amazing capabilities, we are a long way from answering any of the ultimate questions: Why is there something rather than nothing? What sparked the onset of life? How did conscious awareness emerge?  For better or worse, I have immersed myself in the study of these questions for years and have been truly frustrated by the elusiveness of the answers. But, over time, I have concluded that even if the answer to these ultimate questions remains beyond our grasp, the very pursuit of the truth makes our lives meaningful and exciting. We don’t have to know the origins of the universe to appreciate the complexity and diversity of our world as well as its endless opportunities for growth, learning and personal fulfillment. From the grandeur of nature to the intricacies of human relationships, every moment offers us a chance to marvel at the wonders of life.    The very fact that we can ponder ultimate questions demonstrates the incredible potential of the human mind. It is a testament to the power of consciousness. By asking questions, we push the boundaries of our knowledge and contribute to the collective understanding of our species.  I wholeheartedly believe that the quest for knowledge and the concurrent search for truth is both majestic and all-encompassing. It is not limited to cosmic questions. Science, art, literature, philosophy and countless other disciplines offer rich opportunities for intellectual and emotional growth. By engaging in these pursuits, we expand our horizons, challenge our preconceived notions, and deepen our understanding of the world. Life’s worth also lies in the connections we form with others. Human relationships provide an indispensable source of well-being and happiness. The bonds we share, the support we receive, the love we foster from family, friends and our community, are invaluable. These connections, like the one I enjoyed with John, remind us of our shared humanity and give us a sense of belonging in the vast universe.  Life is a journey of personal growth and self-discovery. Through the highs and lows, the triumphs and challenges, the joys and disappointments, we can learn and evolve as individuals. Every experience, even a painful one, can shape us and help us become the best version of ourselves.   Life has an inherent value, in and of itself. The mere fact that we are conscious beings capable of experiencing emotions, sensations and thought is extraordinary. We are part of a vast tapestry of life on earth, interconnected with all living things. Despite the connections, each living thing is unique as well as a breathtaking testament to the creativity of the universe. Every moment we are alive is another opportunity to celebrate and cherish this gift.  Happy birthday John JAMES MARTORANO MY PERSPECTIVE SEE MARTORANO PAGE 13 B”H Traditional High Holiday Services with Chabad of Yorktown Rosh Hashana: Sept 15-17 Yom Kippur: Sept 24-25 For more information and to RSVP visit www.ChabadYorktown.com or call 914-962-1111 • No membership fees fifffflffiflffi fflffi Traditional services with contemporary messages Hebrew/English prayerbooks • Insights and explanations Prayer instructions throughout the service • All are welcome Find out more about our exciting Hebrew school for this year! www.ChabadYorktown.com/ HebrewSchool FUNERAL PREARRANGEMENT Both pre-payment and no-payment options Serving all Faiths since 1858 Cremations and Burials DANIEL B. McMANUS ~ Proprietor BRUCE E. REISDORF ~ Licensed Manager JOSEPH M. 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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 OPINION THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 13 Elder Law & Estate Planning Wills, Trusts & Estates Small Business • Real Estate Matrimonial • Criminal Personal Injury • Commercial SOMERS • YONKERS Evening Appointments & Home Visits Tel: 914-964-6806 www.marralaw.com • [email protected] Now Accepting New Patients We Are In-Network With MetLife, Delta Dental, United HealthCare, Cigna PPO, and Ameritas PPO, and We Accept Other Insurances 914.277.3518 380 Route 202 at Junction of 116 (across from Heritage Hills) PaulHarbottle.com Excellence in Dentistry In Somers Since 1990 Paul D. Harbottle, DDS VOTED TOP DENTIST 2009-2019 by his Peers as featured in 862 Route 6 Goodrow Building Mahopac NY 10541 (845) 208-0963 SOUTHEAST EXECUTIVE PARK 185 NY-312 • Suite 301B Brewster NY 10509 (845) 279-9288 MILL POND OFFICES 293 Route 100 • Suite 107 Somers, NY 10589 (914) 276-2520 www.aonpt.com The Road To Recovery Starts Here As long as I have consciousness, I will continue to pursue answers to life’s big questions about the universe, time, an afterlife, etc. This maddening enterprise coupled with my appreciation of the beauty of the world and my precious personal connections provide my life with immeasurable meaning. I have no doubt that if we continue to foster wonder and curiosity, while sustaining our search for knowledge and the truth, our lives will always have value and purpose. When it comes down to it, nothing provides more happiness, contentment or value than personal relationships. I had the pleasure of spending countless afternoons engaged in long conversations with my friend, John, about everything under the sun. He was as insightful as he was hilarious. Even now, I can imagine the uproariously sarcastic comments he would have made after reading this column. No matter! I thank my dear friend for the years of friendship and for reminding me never to take myself too seriously and to always appreciate just how much fun life can be. Happy Birthday, John. Dear Dr. Linda, Our son, Scott, is an eighth-grader in accelerated math. He loves math and obviously does well enough; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been placed in the class. In fact, he has a 90 average. But he’s embarrassed. His teacher puts up big gold stars on a bulletin board in the front of the class for kids who get 100s on their weekly tests. She says the stars motivate her students. That may be true, but with Scott it has actually backfired. All of a sudden he’s telling me that he hates math, that he’s stupid, and that he wants to drop down to a lower level math class. He tells me that half of the class have gold stars and he doesn’t. I’ve spoken to his teacher and she claims that these kids will be moving into accelerated math in high school, and if they can’t handle it, they should drop down to a lower level now. Should I put him in a lower level or leave him there? -Darlene Dear Darlene, I would leave him in the accelerated math. If he has a 90 average, the problem is not his placement. The problem is with the teacher. As you said, he obviously can do the math. The overarching goal of this course is to learn the math. A student who has mastered 90% of it is doing quite well. Is 100 better? It’s not better or worse. It simply means that those students are apparently doing what they need to do to get 100%.  Talk to Scott and explain to him that those are only grades, that 90% is more than OK to you, and that getting gold stars (or no gold stars) is not a reflection of intelligence. In fact, in many cases, tests given in class don’t reflect how much a student has actually learned. Instead, they measure how well a student can memorize or how many questions a student can answer in a short period of time. I’ve seen tests with 100 questions completed in a 45-minute class period. It’s quality, not quantity, that counts when it comes to measuring student mastery. I understand that the teacher wants to reward those that get 100%, but she also has to be sure what it is she’s rewarding and sensitive to the feelings of the other students who are not getting the gold stars and, like Scott, may only occasionally if ever. I once worked with a learning-disabled sixth-grade boy who took his school work seriously and did well, but he struggled. He once told me that his teacher gave out small bags of M&Ms to anyone who got a 100% in any subject because she knew that that child worked hard. He said, “I work hard, but I guess I’ll never get a bag of M&Ms.” I would be inclined to say that he probably worked harder than many of the students who received M&Ms. Scott has to learn to do whatever it takes to continue to do his work and ignore the teacher’s policy. He’s not behind, and I’ll bet he’ll be fine next year with another teacher of accelerated math. It would be unfortunate and damaging to put a student in a class beneath his level because of the policies of one teacher.  -Dr. Linda Dr. Linda, along with her husband, Dr. Al, own Strong Learning Tutoring and Test Prep serving Westchester and Putnam Counties for over 40 years. Strong Learning tutors students K-12 in any subject, in person or remotely. Drs. Linda and Al are also the authors of “Why Bad Grades Happen to Good Kids.” Don’t be discouraged by one teacher’s policy DR. LINDA SILBERT STRONG LEARNING MARTORANO FROM PAGE 12 Advertising Deadline The advertising deadline for The Somers Record is the Thursday before the next publication date. Advertisements can be submitted by you as a camera-ready PDF via email at freeman@ halstonmedia.com. We also offer our clients a free ad design service. For more information, call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151.

PAGE 14 THE SOMERS RECORD – THUINDEPENDENTLY OWNED and OPERATED 268 ROUTE 202 SOMERS, NY 10589 progressive-vet.com Rooted in the Community with Excellence & Love 914•248•6220 • Gravel • Topsoil • Mulches • Sweet Peet • Unilock Pavers BEDFORD GRAVEL & LANDSCAPE SUPPLY 27 Norm Ave., Mt. Kisco (next to Kohl’s) www.bedfordgravel.com 914-241-3851 • Sand • Stonedust • Item #4 • Drainage Pipe • Flagstone • Fieldstone • Belgian Block • Cobblestones • Wallstone • Fire Pits • Stepping Stones • Soil/Fill Somers students packed their lunches, put on their backpacks, and headed back to the classroom on Tuesday, Sept. 5! Back to School! Cora and Mila Cini PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER CINI Chase Bello PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREN HUMEN Ben Chakmakian PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIANNA CHAKMAKIAN Chris Frey PHOTO COURTESY OF RICH FREY Caleb, Frankie, Derick, and Cece Morrissey PHOTO COURTESY OF ADRIANA DIAS Liana and Benjamin Manzi PHOTO COURTESY OF LORRAINE PERRONE Matthew Hirsch PHOTO COURTESY OF TONI ANNE HIRSCH Tommy, Cassidy, and Cooper Newman PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER NEWMAN Christopher and JoPHOTO COURTESY OF MBrianna PHOTO COUSkylar Allen PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSICA ALLEN

RSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 PAGE 15 914-277-4424 • 440 Rt 22 North Salem, NY • www.theblazerpub.com CELEBRATING 521 YEARS! 52 The results are in... always delicious! TALENT SEARCH FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD LIFE-CHANGING OPPORTUNITIES! or Email: [email protected] Call: (914) 997-8000 Fax: (914) 940-4730 APPLY NOW! GO TO CMCS.ORG/CAREERS Visit our website for career listings. • Teacher (Birth-2) • Family Worker/Advocates • Home Visitors • Health Specialist/Nurse • Custodians • Cooks • Teachers on Study Plan • Health Nutrition & Safety • Social Worker • Education Specialist Nick Frey PHOTO COURTESY OF RICH FREY oseph DeRuvo MARYLYNN DERUVO Faley URTESY OF DARICE AYSON-FALEY Nicolas, Lucas, Emma, Mateo, and Tomas Quinones PHOTO COURTESY OF NICO QUINONES Charlie and Lyla Winter Butcher PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE WINTER Will Chakmakian PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIANNA CHAKMAKIAN James, Ryan, Kate & William Thomas PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTINE THOMAS Coraline O’Brien PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSICA O’BRIEN Josephine O’Brien PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSICA O’BRIEN Daisy Bartholomew RAQUEL BARTHOLOMEW Emily Frey PHOTO COURTESY OF RICH FREY

Sports PAGE 16 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 Call for your FREE consultation today 293 Route 100 Suite 209 Somers, NY (914) 277-1111 www.BBOsmiles.com WE DON'T JUST CREATE AWESOME SMILES... WE INSPIRE THEM! Our friendly board-certified orthodontic specialists treat patients of all ages! We have an incredible team that works hard to make your braces/Invisalign experience amazing. DR. BRIDGHAM DR. BARR BY RICH MONETTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER On Wednesday September 5, the Somers boys volleyball team traveled to Fox Lane and didn’t get an indoor break from the 90-degree temperature. The gym almost as sweltering, neither team gave into the heat. Still, the Tuskers ended up on the downside of a three-game sweep. But regardless of how the ball fell, the team did make history. It was the first ever volleyball game for a boys team, and Christian Dotto took in the groundbreaking milestone with a dose of reality. “It’s exciting but we’ve got a long way to go,” said the senior. A few miscues on both sides starting the game, Somers went textbook with Fox Lane up 3-1. Alberto Cacho bumped the serve, and Conner Entenberg knocked down Dotto’s perfect center set. “It’s just nice to see someone follow through on what you set up,” said the setter. Of course, things don’t always go by the book. An errant bump by Julian Chidester sent Cacho chasing, and he put a backhand fist on the ball. Enough to go just barely over, the Fox Lane front line obliged by hitting into the net for a 4-3 game. So back and forth game one went and a free ball bump by Entenberg gave Somers a 13-12 lead. Then Chidester went to town. The front man got a big block at the net and showed a softer side with a dink that found the floor. A 16-13 game, the ivory seemed pretty sharp. But the Foxes scored 12 of the next 13 points for a 25-17 game one victory. Fox Lane continued the streak with the straight to open game two, but Somers played big to get on the board. Ethan Burns this time, he stood tall on the outside and got the block. Jacob Cormier responded with a kill, and Chidester matched him for a 4-2 game. A series of missed serves and miscues didn’t measure up, though. So Fox Lane restored order by scoring the trinity. Bump and set executed on the Somers serve, and Cormier knocked it down emphatically. A 7-6 Fox Lane lead resulting, the home team was sparked to a 16-10 advantage. More mistakes on both sides, the lead narrowed to two, but Dylan Gomez didn’t shrink for Fox Lane. He took the set and confidently blasted his team to an 18-15 lead. From there, Fox Lane ended the 25-21 game on kills by Cormier and Bruce Polanco Perez. Down two, Somers stayed even in the third with the help of Cacho. He came racing up twice to cover dinks, and Fox Lane was unable to make good when Cormier’s hit into the net made it 4-4. Not by accident, Cacho and his teammates didn’t wait for the school year to get up to speed. “We grinded it out all summer - almost every day,” said the libero. The work showed at 6-5. The rally going back and forth, Dotto made his set off an Ethan Burns bump, and Chidester’s swing left a trail of smoke to tie the game. Unfortunately, Fox Lane didn’t blink. Brad Patterson killed from the center for a 15-11 lead, and Dylan Gomez closed the run with an ace to make it 18-11. But Somers wasn’t ready to go home to their air conditioners. Entenberg dropped in a dink to stop the bleeding, Burns registered an ace, and Entenberg went full steam ahead on Dotto’s center set. A 21-16 game on the kill, Fox Lane kept their eyes on the ball again. Perez teed up a center set, and Saer Sicignano blew the ball past the Tuskers for a 23-18 lead. A Lucas Fry hit into the net had Fox Lane one point away, but Somers was still chilling. Two errors had Fox Lane on edge, and then they almost went over the cliff on the wall put up by Seth Cheung. He made the block, and Somers trailed 24-23. Time out for Fox Lane, the temperature really went up when Gomez hit wide for deuce. Unfortunately, Somers’ number was up. Cormier and Patterson both had kills, and the 26-24 game had Dotto reflecting on the main shortcoming. “We need to communicate better,” he revealed. As for the coach, she concedes that work has to be done, but she likes the kinetics the team is grounded by. “They have passion, and their energy is so good,” concluded Coach Massi Angooti. Somers boys volleyball team makes history Jaiden Marichal Seth Cheung PHOTOS: RICH MONETTI Ethan Burns

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 SPORTS THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 17 845-600-8004 | www.bellmech.com EXCLUDES SERVICE CONTRACT EXP 10/31/23 Coupon must present at time of service. Cannot be combined with any other offer. $ 50 OFF ANY OF OUR SERVICES SCAN HERE FOR MORE INFO! FALL into BIG $AVINGS with New Energy INCENTIVES WHAT IS A HEAT PUMP? Heat pumps will help you find the perfect balance of comfort and savings all year round, while reducing your carbon footprint. These all-in-one heating and air conditioning systems optimize the temperature throughout your home to use less energy, and can save you thousands on your cooling and heating costs. DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE to lock-in these incentive savings! FEDERAL INCENTIVE: 30% off the total cost STATE INCENTIVE: $5,000 UTILITY COMPANY INCENTIVE: Up to $20,000 HYBRID HOT WATER HEATER: $1,000 Rebate SUPER SAVINGS on your Heat Pump project while program funding lasts... CALL NOW TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY! ENJOY 0 DOWN, 0% FINANCING! BY RICH MONETTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER On Wednesday September 6, Somers opened their season at home. Facing Pearl River, the Tuskers were in danger of a split after two games, and a long day was on the precipice. But the girls eking out a victory, the prospect of a sweep definitely chilled the visitors, and the final dust up filled Taylor Luks with pride. “So to start out against such a strong team and win is amazing,” said the libero of the 25-18, 25- 22, 25–18 victory. The game began like Somers never had an off season. Mia Barlanti was on the bump, Emma Barton delivered the set, and Bridget Pittman paid for the postage with roundhouse from the right. The Somers lead would then double with a little give and go. Maren Kellock got the dig off a Pearl River spike, Reilly Pittman fielded the set, and Kellock put it away from a 5-3 lead. A couple of amazing diving saves by Bridget Pittman should have grown the lead, but Pearl River tied the game on consecutive kills by Hailey Hennessey. Somers was undeterred, though. Bridget Pittman and Caroline Conti had a kill each, and after Kellock shoveled another big dig, Pittman hammered down for an 8-5 lead. Another kill by Pittman, and an Emma Gallet hit into the net grew the lead to four, but the Pirates weren’t going away. After Reilly Pittman hit long, Keira McElligott had two service winners for an 11-10 game. Fortunately, the Pirate gave right back on a serve into the net, and Somers added on in the same Tuskers sweep Pearl River to open season Reilly Pittman Maren Kellock PHOTOS: RICH MONETTI GIRLS VOLLEYBALL ‘To start out against such a strong team and win is amazing.’ Taylor Luks SEE VOLLEYBALL PAGE 19 Jenna McMahon

PAGE 18 – THE SOMERS RECORD SPORTS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 REQUEST A FREE QUOTE CALL NOW BEFORE THE NEXT POWER OUTAGE *To qualify, consumers must request a quote, purchase, install and activate the generator with a participating dealer. Call for a full list of terms and conditions. (877) 516-1160 $0 MONEY DOWN + LOW MONTHLY PAYMENT OPTIONS REQUEST A FREE QUOTE FREE 7-Year Extended Warranty* A $735 Value! Whether you are home or away, protect what matters most from unexpected power outages with a Generac Home Standby Generator. BY RICH MONETTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER On Friday, September 8, Somers began their home schedule and trailed Clarkstown South 6-0 with six minutes left in the half. An unexpected place for the state champs, events conspired to merit the slow start. “We had a tough practice week with the heat. We were out of our routine,” said Coach Anthony DeMatteo. “We’re a very structured program and we do things to the minute. So, we were a little out of sorts - especially coming off a tough game last week.” But with a bang, the trunks got into the swing, and sanity ultimately came back to the Somers universe. Mason Kelly busted through the line for a 65-yard touchdown, and the Tuskers piled on from there with a 42-13 victory. Nonetheless, the game began just as abruptly. Johnny Olivieri ran the opening kickoff to the Somers 18, and the heat was back on. Colin Holder then ran a second down keeper to the four and connected with Jacob Teitel for the touchdown.  Less than two minutes in, the home crowd was certainly expecting a response. Unfortunately, a stalled drive to midfield was all they got.  Even so, the change of possession left no doubt that the defense was back on the clock. A couple of short yardage plays set up a third and long, and Ryan Cole’s sack had Clarkstown punting from inside the 20. A shanked punt to the 37 was no help either, and Somers looked ready to roll. Not yet, the Tuskers went three plays, and it was the defense’s turn again. Aided by a fumble and a bad snap, Somers had Clarkstown punting again when the Tuskers gang tackled Teitel on a dump over the middle.  35 seconds left in the first, Somers still wasn’t with the program. Only three plays this time so DeMatteo reiterated the Somers brand. “Our offense has really exploded over the last few years,” he said. “I’m really proud of that. But at the end of the day, our defense is what makes us tick. It’s our identity. It’s our attitude, and when the ball isn’t bouncing our way, we rely on our defense to keep us in the game.” Clarkstown did get more bend out of the Somers defense in return, but another Ryan Cole sack essentially stopped the Vikings in their tracks at the Somers 43.  Taking over at the 9, Dean Palozzolo went sideline for 11 yards and signaled that the Tuskers were back in rhythm. Mac Sullivan then ran a couple of keepers for a first down to the 35 and Kelly was primed to bring down the house. He took the hand off in the backfield, cut inside to the hole and went untouched into the end zone at 5:06. The Luke Cukaj extra point gave Somers the lead, and four plays later, the Tusker offense officially began to hum. On first down from the 33, Miguel Iglesias lined up left, took the hand off, and rolling right, the designed play had Luca Ploger wide open for a 67-yard touchdown pass. A fumbled snap led to a two-point conversion to Logan Ruby, and Clarkstown would have gladly settled for another three and out. Instead, Kelly intercepted and ran the ball into the end zone. But a hold on the return negated the touchdown, and taking over the 17, Sullivan’s subsequent touchdown scramble was also called back. A third and 11 eventually faced, Sullivan stood tall in the pocket and didn’t panic on the collapse.  The ball away, Palazzolo was on the receiving end with 35 seconds left in the half and definitely felt the force. “I feel like we have a chemistry that just can’t be stopped,” the receiver beamed. Now a 22-6 game, the Tuskers came out firing in the third. Ploger ran the kickoff to midfield, and Somers didn’t let a 4th and three bother them. Sullivan went play action, and hit Landon Pepe for a 19-yard gain. A first down at the 22, Kelly added dance to the Tuskers musical number. He started right, cut outside and shook multiple defenders on the sideline to give Somers a 29-6 lead. “That’s why we have him back there. We open up the holes, and he hits ‘em,” said Nick Crecco. In fact, the heavens were so entertained, a light show came from above and caused a one-hour Somers takes the heat in victory over Clarkstown South Luca Ploger James Balancia PHOTOS: RICH MONETTI Mac Sullivan FOOTBALL The Tuskers’ match against Eastchester on Sept. 7 was postponed due to hazardous weather that rolled in just after game time. Somers trailed 1-0 after an Eagle goal at the 7-minute mark. With 11 minutes remaining in the frame, lightning forced officials to postpone the rest of the game. Lightning halts Tuskers soccer Lucas Arbelaez PHOTOS: CHRIS SMAJLAJ Brady Leitner Daniel Nikac BOYS SOCCER SEE FOOTBALL PAGE 19

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 SPORTS THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 19 COLLEGE COUNSELING ACADEMIC PLANNING • CAREER COACHING (845) 628-0726 • www.guidedconsult.com 900 South Lake Blvd., Suite 8 • Mahopac, NY 10541 EMPOWERING students’ critical thinking skills through academic, career, and post-secondary planning. College List • Essay & Supplemental Writing Resume Development • Application Completion Obtain ONGOING SUPPORT For A Detailed Process. Contact us TODAY WE SPECIALIZE IN 8, 10, 12 & 15 YARD DUMPSTERS ON WHEELS & TRADITIONAL DUMPSTERS 10-40 YARD RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL CLEAN-OUTS proximity. Bridget Pittman teed off from the left and Conti got the block for a 15-10 lead. The writing on the wall, three aces by Bridget Pittman opened a 21-12 lead, and despite a late run, Somers went back to the trinity for the win. Barlanti on the bump, Reilly Pittman under the set, and Alex Googel finished for the 25-18 win. Two wins to go, the Pittman sisters got Somers off to a good start again. After Kellock’s hit got turned back, Bridget crashed the party to up the block, and the volley continuing, Reilly opted for the dink on the second ball. The ball falling, Somers was up 1-0 and got one more on Conti’s deep off-speed kill. But Gallet’s service winner capped a 4-0 Pirate run, and Somers had work to do. No problem, Conti went off speed again, Kellock dropped a service winner, and Reilly Pittman went even slower. With Luks back row set getting too close to the net, Pittman negotiated the dividing line and got the dink for a 5-4 lead. Back to front, Somers again double downed the lead. Bridget Pittman got the kill and Luks hit the service winner for a 7-5 lead. Not for long, a net infraction, a miscommunication and center kill by Kiera Hayes gave Pearl River an 8-7 lead. So Reilly Pittman sent out the call to start a 7-4 run. “If I see an area of the court is open, I’ll tell them where to tip it in,” she said, and Googel’s dink answered to tie the game. Taking the cue, a back row spike by Luks also found the floor, and when Gallet’s spike sailed long, Somers had a 15-11 lead. Of course, Pearl River closed to 15-14, so Kellock did her thing again. She killed from the left, and the point won had Somers joyously into the swing of things. “The little dance moves keep us happy,” said Luks, “and when we’re happy…” Jenna McMahon completed the sentence by following suit on the other side, and the lead was soon 18-14. Here before, Hennessey’s block pulled Pearl River within one but Somers stretched the court to re-extend. Luks and Reilly Pittman made two deep digs to keep the play alive and that let Googel come in for the kill. A 21-18 lead, Pearl River actually pulled even on three Somers errors and a kill by Gallet. All tied at 22, Somers had enough. A couple of mistakes by the Pirates, and then Googel got the block to secure the win. Up 2-0 and a big release, Somers still fell behind 2-0. But a dink by Conti and a kill by Chiara Ginty evened the score at four. So the time was ripe, and a pair of aces by Luks weren’t nearly as impressive as her defense at 7-5. “I love jumping on the floor. It’s the best part,” and she made good by racing in on the serve to make the save. From there, Kellock got credit for the kill, and Somers began to pile on. Bridget Pittman and Conti added kills while Libby Hochman contributed three service winners for a 14-8 lead. Three more dropped dinks for Conti, and the Pearl River show went back on the road. One win, Reilly Pittman kept the victory in perspective. “I think we still have some improvements to make, but I am so happy with how we all played,” she concluded. VOLLEYBALL FROM PAGE 17 delay before the game could proceed. Despite the inconvenience, DeMatteo praised Clarkstown for wanting to complete the game, and upon return, the Vikings confirmed that they had more in mind than throwing in the towel. Olivieri again ran back the kickoff to the Somers 18, and a few plays later, Holder hit Teitel in the end zone and for a 29-13 game. Of course, Somers didn’t blink. Will Marcus recovered the onside kick, Sullivan threw a quick screen left to Palazzolo, and there was no stopping the receiver on the sideline. The 35-13 lead pretty much did in the Vikings, and Sullivan made sure. He hit Andrew Violante for another sideline touchdown pass, and DeMatteo was onboard after his quarterback’s slow start. “He ended the game really strong,” concluded the coach. FOOTBALL FROM PAGE 18 Mason Kelly PHOTO: RICH MONETTI Taylor Luks PHOTO: RICH MONETTI

PAGE 20 – THE SOMERS RECORD LEISURE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 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! For puzzle solutions, please see theparamountrehab.com CLUES ACROSS 1. Type of crayon 7. Fashion accessory 10. Most cerebral 12. Incline from vertical 13. Dependent on 14. Broken in 15. Strongly desires 16. Mounted soldier 17. Ad __: when necessary 18. Cattle 19. Ottoman military commanders 21. __ student, learns healing 22. Composed in poetic meter 27. Promotional material 28. Where people live 33. Sodium 34. Embarrassing 36. Medical man 37. Mother of Hermes 38. One who saves the day 39. Tooth caregiver 40. Not clothed 41. Slope covered with loose stones 44. Used to cook 45. Praises enthusiastically 48. Rooney is a famous one 49. Beekeeper 50. Pigpen 51. Potato chip brand CLUES DOWN 1. Living quarters 2. Horizontal passage 3. Attacks 4. Vietnamese offensive 5. Midway between east and southeast 6. Confined (abbr.) 7. Book of Esther antagonist 8. Port in Yemen 9. CNN’s founder 10. Type of bulb 11. Prepare 12. Promoted 14. Dinner jackets 17. Partner to cheese 18. Nebraska city 20. Human gene 23. Pays no attention to 24. Lowland South American plain 25. Blood group 26. Mauna __, Hawaiian volcano 29. Atomic #37 30. Unit of electrical resistance 31. Jeweled crowns 32. Nastiest 35. Traditional cars need it 36. Bowler hat 38. Robust 40. Not straight 41. Stony waste matter 42. Have an interest in 43. Jacob __, journalist 44. Maintains possession of 45. Swiss river 46. Average cost of market goods 47. Spanish soldier: El __ As September unfolds, it occasionally surprises us with days that feel more like the heart of summer than the cusp of autumn. On such balmy days, our appetite often leans towards something light, refreshing and invigorating. Enter the September Sunshine Salad - a vibrant medley of seasonal fruits, crisp greens and a zesty dressing that captures the lingering warmth of summer while nodding to the approaching fall. Ingredients • 4 cups mixed salad greens (arugula, spinach and romaine work well) • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved • 1 ripe avocado, sliced • 1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumber • 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (from about 1 ear of corn) • 1/2 cup diced mango • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese • 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds • Fresh basil and mint leaves for garnish For the Citrus-Honey Dressing • Juice of 1 lemon • Juice of 1 orange • 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil • Salt and pepper to taste Instructions • Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, orange juice, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper until well combined. Adjust seasoning to taste and set aside. • Salad Assembly: In a large salad bowl, combine the mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, avocado slices, cucumber, corn and mango. Gently toss the ingredients to mix. • Serve: Drizzle the citrushoney dressing over the salad. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds. Garnish with fresh basil and mint leaves for an aromatic touch. • Enjoy: Serve the salad immediately, preferably with a chilled glass of white wine or iced tea, and soak in the warm September sun. This September Sunshine Salad is not just a feast for the taste buds but also a visual delight. It’s a reminder that while autumn is on the horizon, there’s still plenty of sunshine to enjoy. So, here’s to making the most of these warm September days with food that’s as bright and cheerful as the season itself! Refreshing September Sunshine Salad

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 21 ROAD KNIGHT'S CAR SHOW NATHAN’S HOT DOG EATING CONTEST SENIOR LUNCH CHILDREN'S RIDES & CRAFTS MUSICAL PERFORMANCES DANCE PERFORMANCES BEER & FOOD VENDORS OCT 8th 11am-5pm at the Jefferson Valley Mall PLATINUM SPONSORS GOLD, SILVER, & BRONZE SPONSORS , s YORK TOWN FA L L FES T IVA L PRESENTED BY THE YORKTOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DIAMOND 202 3 SPONSORS EDISON HOME HEALTH CARE, AMERICAN FAMILY CARE, SERV PRO, JILCO WINDOW CORP. through a crystalline sky/ on that Tuesday morning/ a sky we remember so well./ Full of promise,/ then abruptly interrupted/ by a sudden tolling/death knell,” it began.  To read the entire piece, visit O’NeilGuerci’s Facebook page: Poetry, Prose, and Assorted Ponderings. Singer/songwriter Scott Urgola led participants in “God Bless America.” MEMORIES Historical Society member and Somers native De Wittmann shared some fond memories of growing up with Spor with The Somers Record. He used to come over to her family’s home for dinner on the weekends where, inevitably, De’s mom, Barbara, would serve cauliflower, which was “easy” to make and a family favorite. (Barbara was a past president of the Somers Historical Society) “He would eat it politely and my brother would go over to our mother and whisper: ‘Joe doesn’t like cauliflower.’” “Oh, my gosh, my boy doesn’t like cauliflower!” Barbara would exclaim. “I’m so sorry; I do it every time.” The Wittmanns had a dog, so there’s a good chance that the pooch was fed a LOT of cauliflower under the table, De admits. Then there was the time Spor and De’s brother, Joe, borrowed her motorcycle and decided to mosey on over to the Lasdon property next door where they proceeded to “jump the driveway.” Of course, the hard landing popped the tires and they got stuck, she said. Her parents, who were preparing to attend a “black tie” event, had to go over – in their formal dress -- to rescue the two boys. “They got in trouble, and they had to fix it (the bike),” Wittmann said. 9/11 FROM PAGE 1 Singer/songwriter Scott Urgola and Grace Zimmerman of the Somers Historical Society Sgt. John Maguire, former town supervisor Rick Morrissey, Councilman William Faulkner, and Somers police Chief Brian Linkletter Maria Lippman, Barbard Polidor, and Kate O’Keefe PHOTOS: CAROL REIF The community gathered in Bailey Park to honor those we lost. Arnie and Elsie Guyot with De Wittmann and Charlie Maher

PAGE 22 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 If you care deeply about our country If you are heartsick about the hostility tearing the U.S. apart If you believe America’s best days can lie ahead IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ACTION TO HELP BRING US TOGETHER Stay for a post-film discussion with ambassadors for Braver Angels. Learn about ways you can get involved to help reduce the political polarization that threatens our nation. Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Route 139 & Reis Park Somers, NY 10589 Somers Library In a small rustbelt town in 2017, a group of Democrat-leaning voters and Republican-leaning voters met to honestly talk and listen to each other, reaching understanding and empathy after initial skepticism, and even forming friendships with people on the other side of the aisle. Join us for a 50-minute film about a transformative workshop that YOU can participate in. be highlighting the genesis of Braver Angels and will be showing moments from our signature workshop. If you care about the future of our local, state and national government, then this documentary is for you. If you want our political parties to work together and find common ground, and get things done, please join us at Somers Library on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. .Support Connection Team Spirit Campaign Sunday, Oct. 1 Support Connection  announces the launch of the “Team Spirit” campaign for their 2023 Annual Support-A-Walk. This year’s Walk will take place in FDR Park in Yorktown Heights and in communities nationwide!  Support Connection is based in Yorktown Heights, but their toll-free and web services allow for a nationwide reach. Whether showing your support locally or from afar, you can participate in the Support-A-Walk wherever you are! The  Support-A-Walk  is held to bring attention to the needs of people affected by breast, ovarian, or any gynecological cancer and to raise funds for Support Connection’s free cancer support programs and services for those living with these diseases. Since the organization was founded in 1996, many thousands of people locally and across the country have received help from Support Connection. The Team Spirit Campaign encourages friends, family members, co-workers, and neighbors to “team up” for the SupportA-Walk. Teams are groups of people who decide to participate together in any way they wish. Team activities can include seeking donations, planning fundraising activities, inviting others to participate, and spreading the BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER The Somers school community is mourning the death of a well-loved Primrose and SIS bus monitor and high school athletics chaperone. According to a letter sent to families by schools Superintendent Dr. Raymond Blanch Monday, Sept. 1, Gregory Siklos, known to students as “Mr. Greg,” passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. His wife, Linda, is a monitor at the high school. “Mr. Greg was a caring, devoted member of our SCSD family and his passing will surely have an impact on our students,” Blanch wrote. The district planned to make teachers and counseling teams available to help students “process this difficult news,” he added, advising folks to reach out to their child’s principal if they think he or she “could benefit from support.” “We send our deepest sympathies to Linda Siklos and her family,” the note concluded. The Somers Record will publish information about funeral services when they become available. SCSD mourns Gregory Siklos BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER Muscoot Farm is expanding its offerings to include preschoolers, county parks officials announced earlier this month. The 777-acre, early 1900s interpretive farm is launching its Early Learners Program for children from 3 ½ to 5 years old next month. It will utilize the farm and natural areas to allow participants to develop mentally, socially, and physically through exploration, free play, themed activities, crafts, baking, science, art, and more. Sessions are 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The program runs from Monday, Oct. 30 through Friday, Dec. 22. There will be no classes on Wednesday, Nov. 22 and Friday, Nov. 24. The fee is $1,050. Registration is now open. “Muscoot Farm provides many purposes to our community and education is the most important,” County Executive George Latimer said last week. “Youngsters will have the opportunity to learn and grow in a unique, natural setting.” Parks Commissioner Kathy O’Connor agreed. “I’m thrilled they are expanding their programming to include preschoolers,” she said. Muscoot Farm is located at 51 Route 100 in Katonah. For more information, visit www.muscoot farm.org or call (914) 864-7286. Muscoot Farm announces early learners program TRUNK FROM PAGE 2 SEE TRUNK PAGE 24

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PAGE 24 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 Are you raising a grandchild, young relative or child of a family friend in the absence of the biological parents? Want to keep your family healthy and safe? NYS Kinship Navigator provides information, referral and assistance with financial needs, legal options, school enrollment, kinship law and other resources. Help is just a phone call away. 877-454-6463 NYS Kinship Navigator can help. nysnavigator.org Then you’re a Kinship Caregiver! TTY: NY Relay 711 or 800-421-1220 FINANCING AVAILABLE WITH APPROVED CREDIT Call today and receive a FREE SHOWER PACKAGE PLUS $1600 OFF With purchase of a new Safe Step Walk-In Tub. Not applicable with any previous walk-in tub purchase. Offer available while supplies last. No cash value. Must present offer at time of purchase. CSLB 1082165 NSCB 0082999 0083445 1-855-916-5473 NEW YORK HOMEOWNERS: YOU MAY *QUALIFY THROUGH NEW RELIEF PROGRAMS! 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Other restrictions may apply. This is an advertisement placed on behalf of Erie Construction Mid-West, Inc (“Erie”). Offer terms and 1.855.492.6084 FREE ESTIMATE Expires 6/30/2023 Before After Make the smart and ONLY CHOICE when tackling your roof! word about the Walk. Teams can create their own t-shirts and signs or banners to share their stories and express their inspiration for participating. Team members can live close to one another or far away. Those who can’t all be in one place can make plans to walk at the same time in different locations. It’s a great opportunity to connect with loved ones to work for a common cause. Team Spirit Awards will be presented as part of this campaign. Awards will go to the top 3 teams for the amount raised; the top 3 teams for the number of donors; the most creative team sign or banner. To learn more about the Support-A-Walk, or to make a donation, call 914-962-6402 or visit  www.supportconnection. org/support-a-walk Somers Women’s Club Rent-A-Space Tag Sale Sunday, October 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To be held in Reis Park, rain or shine. Spaces are $45 each for a 12’ x 12’ square. No assigned spaces, selection at setup time. Bring your own tables and tents. No raffle sales. No baked goods or fresh food sales. Please note that pets are not allowed in the Town Park. For any questions, please email SWC2023TagSale@ comcast.net or call 914-406-1593 Somers Library Please register using the online calendar at www.somerslibrary. org to have access to online meetings. If virtual, you will receive an invitation prior to the start of the program. Programs are supported by the Friends of the Somers Library through patrons’ generous contributions. STEM for Grades 4-7: Aerodynamics & Paper planes Tuesday, Sept. 19, from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m. This program takes a fun look at how to build a paper plane, and how changing the design can help or hinder flight. Instruction will start small and work up to big paper airplanes, finishing off with a competition to see which plane flies the farthest, fastest and highest. Registration is necessary.(Rain date: Thursday, Sept. 21.) Tot Time Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 10:30 a.m. Enjoy songs, rhymes and books. Ages 0-3 and caregivers. Somers Library Foundation Needs You Are you a passionate supporter of the Somers Library and looking for a way to help improve the services and capabilities? The Somers Library Foundation is looking for new board members. There are lots of opportunities to use your talents and build new skills. Send the foundation an email at [email protected]. Watch the Somers Library Foundation website (https://somerslibrary foundation.org) for details on upcoming meet and greet events to learn more about the Foundation and what it means to be a board member of the board. TRUNK FROM PAGE 22 ELEPHANT’S TRUNK

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 25 Increase referrals and name recognition. Advertise in The Somers Record Bulletin Board and reach over 7,000 USPS delivered mailing addresses every week. Call 845-208-8151 today! My Community Bulletin Board VIKING LYNX MONOGRAM SUBZERO SCOTSMAN BERTAZZONI BOSCH BEST DCS GE MARVEL MIELE MAYTAG ELECTROLUX WHIPSPERKOOL FRIDGIDAIRE Trusted Repair That Will Stand the Test of Time Grills | Washers | Dryers | Refrigerators | Ovens | Ranges | Wine Coolers Serving Westchester County PH: 914.864.1252 6 Mark Mead Road • Cross River, NY 10518 Email: [email protected] www.appliancegenie.com AUTHORIZED SERVICE FOR VIKING, LYNX, FRIGIDAIRE Service: 914-669-9679 Auto Sales: 914-485-1195 Fax: 914-669-9685 6 Dingle Ridge Road - North Salem, NY 10560 meccanicshop.com 421 Rt 6 • Mahopac, NY 10541 Tel: 845.628.9604 • www.callsullivan.com Neal L. Sullivan Business Umbrella Home Auto BUYING ONLY 845-628-0362 WE WILL COME TO YOU! 52 YEARS! WE BUY: GOLD • STERLING SILVER • JEWELRY • COINS • PAINTINGS • BRONZES • CLOCKS • COLLECTIBLES • ANTIQUES • ETC. Items for sale? Call us! Established 1979 Hunter Douglas Showcase Priority Dealer WESTCHESTER 914-277-4229 • PUTNAM 845-278-2575 AS FEATURED ON FREE ESTIMATES AND FREE INSTALLATION DISCOUNTED BLINDS & SHADES VERTICAL-MINI BLINDS-SILHOUETTE SHUTTERS-WOOD BLINDS-VIGNETTE LUMINETTES-ROMAN BLINDS-VALANCES Shades Above the Rest for Home & Office SAVE AN ADDITIONAL $25 PER BLIND! www.westrockwindowdesigns.com Somers Resident COUPON Honest and Reliable, 30+ years experience. Local Collector/Seller Putnam/Westchester/Orange/Dutchess and more Call or text: 917-699-2496 • email: [email protected] Hope to hear from you! Thanks! BUYING COMIC BOOK COLLECTIONS! TOP PRICES PAID! 845-278-7312 ALL FUEL CO. The Shelley Family Home Heating Fuel 1606 Rte 22, Brewster • Burner Sales, Service & Installation • Tank Removal & Installation • Propane Available for Cooking & Heating 59 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE 719 Rte. 6, Mahopac, NY 10541 email: [email protected] 845.628.3924 • beeandjay.com For All Your Plumbing, Heating, Hot Water Heater & Gas Needs AFFORDABLE Dumpster Rentals! CIRONE CARTING 845-533-5262 * Maintenance * Planting * Pruning * * Shrubs * Plants * Lawn Maintenance * Soil Test * * Landscape Architectural Planning * Horticulturist * (914) 248-7768

PAGE 26 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 NO NEWS... 1. Clip the short form on the page 2. Fill out the information. 3. Mail it to P.O. Box 864, Mahopac, NY 10541 4. Or visit www.halstonsubscribe.com 5. Or Scan our QR Code to Subscribe. We need you to subscribe. It’s FREE & It’s Easy! is NOT necessarily good news! # Please print your first and last names and address legibly, sign and date (all required to continue receiving your subscription to this newspaper). YES, I wish to receive a FREE 3-year subscription to The Somers Record YES, I really enjoy The Somers Record and I’d like to continue receiving it for 3 years, along with a monetary contribution this year. (Please print legibly.) First (Required) (Required) (Required) (Required) (Required. Please print legibly.) Last (Required) City: State: ZIP: Name: Signature: Email: Snowbird Dates (if applicable): Date: Phone: Address: (Optional for TAPinto E-News) (Optional) Mail to: P.O. Box 864 Mahopac, NY 10541 While we need your Full Support to keep this newspaper strong, we include the option for Basic Support because we don’t want financial reasons to get in the way of our readers receiving this newspaper. Basic Support vs. Full Support Basic Support Full Support $100 $50 $20 other or visit www.halstonsubscribe.com OR or visit www.halstonsubscribe.com Checks payable to Halston Media LLC. Please include this form in your envelope. Please include the following additional papers as part of this subscription: North Salem News Mahopac News Yorktown News The Mt. Kisco-Bedford Times The Katonah-Lewisboro times BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER Westchester health officials are urging folks to take precautions when they’re outdoors after two batches of mosquitoes collected in Rye and Mamaroneck tested positive for West Nile Virus. “Protect yourself and your family by using repellents, especially from dawn to dusk, when many mosquitoes are active. Apply sunscreen first, and repellent second,” advised county Commissioner of Health Dr. Sherlita Amler. Areas surrounding the positive batches will be inspected and, if needed, nearby catch basins that hold standing water will be treated in order to prevent further mosquito breeding. To date, these are the first positives out of 108 batches of mosquitoes submitted to the state Department of Health for testing. Last year, 11 Westchester batches had West Nile Virus out of 151 submitted for testing. Then the virus was first detected on Aug. 4. West Nile symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, and joint pain. These can be more serious for people 60 and older and anyone with an underlying medical conditions. Large areas of standing water on public property should be reported to the Westchester County Department of Health at (914) 813-5000. Tips to avoid West Nile · Avoid the outdoors in the late afternoon and early evening when skeeters are active and feeding, or use insect repellents then and follow the label instructions. · Adults can use insect repellents with up to 30 percent DEET on infants over two months of age by applying the product to their own hands and then rubbing it onto their children, avoiding their children’s hands, eyes, and mouth. · Use EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), or IR3535. Always use as directed and wash treated skin with soap and water after returning indoors. · Pregnant and breastfeeding women can use all EPA-registered insect repellents, including DEET, according to the product label. · Use permethrin-treated clothing and gear (such as boots, pants, socks, and tents). You can buy pre-treated clothing and gear or treat them yourself. · Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and socks when outdoors, especially in areas where mosquitoes are active and feeding. · Check around your property for anything that can hold water and pour it out or put it away. · Check and remove standing water from children’s toys and playhouses left outside. · Remove discarded tires. · Drill holes in the bottoms of all recycling containers that are left outdoors. · Cover outdoor trash containers to keep rainwater from accumulating inside · Drain water in birdbaths, plant pots and drip trays twice a week. · Turn over plastic wading pools, buckets, and wheelbarrows when not in use. · Change the water in birdbaths at least twice weekly. · Keep storm drains and gutters clear of leaves and debris. · Continue to chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor spas, and hot tubs until properly winterized or drained for the season. Also, if not chlorinated, drain any water that collects on their covers. · Stay and sleep in screened-in or air-conditioned rooms. · Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens and repair or replace screens that have tears or holes. DEAD BIRDS People only get West Nile Virus when they are bitten by a mosquito that’s fed on an infected bird. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Westchester County Health Department are no longer taking reports of dead birds or submitting birds for West Nile virus testing. If you find a dead bird, please dispose of it properly. To dispose of a dead bird: · Use gloves and a double layer of plastic trash bags to pick it up. · Using your gloved hands and a doubled trash bag, enclose the dead bird in the bags. · Close and tie the bags and dispose in the trash or as directed by your municipality. · Wash your hands with soap and warm water. West Nile virus is not transmissible via touching a dead bird. Officials urge caution after West Nile Virus detected in Westchester Two batches of mosquitoes collected in Rye and Mamaroneck tested positive for West Nile Virus. PHOTO: METRO CREATIVE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 CLASSIFIEDS THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 27 Drive Out Breast Cancer: Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup - 24hr Response Tax Deduction - Easy To Do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755 Privacy Hedge! Arborvitae 6-foot Reduced to $125/each. Free Installation, Free Delivery. Fast growing, High-quality Beautiful & Bushy! Order now to reserve for early Fall delivery. LowCostTrees.com 518-536-1367 HEARING AIDS!! High-quality rechargeable, powerful Audien hearing aids priced 90% less than competitors. Tiny and NEARLY INVISIBLE! 45-day money back guarantee! 855-598-5898 VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS! 50 Pills SPECIAL $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW! 855-413-9574 ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! Discover Oxygen Therapy That Moves with You with Inogen Portable Oxygen Concentrators. FREE information kit. Call 8 88-514-3044 My Caring Plan’s local advisors have helped thousands of families with unique needs find senior living. Can you afford 2k a month in rent? We can help for free! 866-989-1812 BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636 Secure your home with Vivint Smart Home technology. Call 866-601-1219 to learn how you can get a professionally installed security system with $0 activation. Do you need a Roof or Energy Efficient Windows & Help paying for it? YOU MAY QUALIFY THROUGH NEW RELIEF PROGRAMS (800) 944-9393 or visit NYProgramFunding.org to qualify. Approved applications will have the work completed by a repair crew provided by: HOMEOWNER FUNDING. Not affiliated with State or Gov Programs. BEST SATELLITE TV with 2 Year Price Guarantee! $59.99/mo with 190 channels and 3 months freepremium movie channels! Free next day installation! Call 888-508-5313 DIRECTV Sports Pack – 3 Months on Us! Watch pro and college sports LIVE. Plus over 40 regional and specialty networks included. NFL, College Football, MLB, NBA, NHL, Golf and more. Some restrictions apply. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918 AUTO DONATIONS FOR SALE HEALTH HOME IMPROVEMENT MISCELLANEOUS PUZZLE SOLUTIONS FOR THE WEEK OF 9/07/23 Your ad could be here. Call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151, to find out how. Share Your Milestones Let your neighbors know about the special moments in your life, whether it’s a birth, engagement, wedding or anniversary. Send us a photo and announcement at somersrecord@ halstonmedia.com or mail it to The Somers Record, 118 N. Bedford Road, Suite 100, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. There is no charge for this announcement. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you’d like your photo returned. UPDATED Halston Media fillers *NOTE: when putting these into place, please take hypweb and/or email athanks! Somers RecoPromote Your Charity Send us a press release at somersrecord@halstonmedia. com, or give us a call at 914- 3025830Photo Submissions Photos submitted to The Somers Record need to be high-resolution. Images that are submitted at a low resolution cannot be published. Submit photos to The Somers Record by the Thursday before the next publication date. Submissons can be emailed to somersrecord@halstonmedia. com or mail it to The Somers Record, 118 N. Bedford Road, Suite 100, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you’d like your photo returned. Share Your Milestones Let your neighbors know about the special momentsin your life, whether it’s a birth, engagement, weddingor anniversary. Send us a photo and announcement asomersrecord@halstonmedcom or mail it to The SomerRecord, 118 N. Bedford RoaSuite 100, Mount Kisco, NY10549. There is no charge for this announcement. Sena self-addressed stamped envelope if you’d like your photo returned. Letters and Op-Ed PoLetters to the editor and op-ed submissions may bedited. The views and opiexpressed in letters and op-eds are not necessarilthose of The Somers Recor its affiliates. Submissiomust include a phone nuand address for verificatioNot all letters and op-edsnecessarily be published.Letters and op-eds whichcannot be verified or are anonymous will not be published. Please send yosubmissions to the editorby e-mail at somersrecordhalstonmedia.com. For minformationcalltheeditoContact Us The Somers Record is locat 118 N. Bedford Road, S100, Mount Kisco, NY 10You can contact us at 9145830 or email somersrechalstonmedia.com. Advertise With Us When you advertise with The Somers Record, you are reaching thousands of households and businesses throughout the Town of Somers, including all of its hamlets and Heritage Hills. To advertise or to place a classified, call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151 or email [email protected]. To advertise in The Somers Record, call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151 or email [email protected]. NOTICE OF COMPLETION  OF FINAL ASSESSMENT ROLL  (Pursuant to NY State RPTL§516)  NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Final Assessment Roll for the Town of Somers, in the County of Westchester, State of New York, for the year of 2023, has been completed by the undersigned Assessor and a certified copy thereof has been filed for public inspection in the office of the Town Clerk.  Dated this 15th day of September 2023  Teresa A. Stegner, IAO   Assessor, Town of Somers  PUBLIC NOTICE  PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Somers, Westchester County, New York will conduct a Public Hearing on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 7:30 P.M. at the Somers Town House, 335 Route 202, Somers, New York, 10589 on the application of David and Maureen Valvano for a Special Exception Use Permit.  The property included in this application is located in an R-40 Residential District at 3 Gwynne Drive, Yorktown Heights and is known and shown on the Town Tax Map as Section: 27.05, Block: 2, Lot: 25.  All persons having any interest in the application are invited to attend and will be given an opportunity to be heard.  BY ORDER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS  VICTOR CANNISTRA  CHAIRMAN  Denise Schirmer, Secretary  September 6, 2023  PUBLIC NOTICE  PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Somers, Westchester County, New York will conduct a Public Hearing on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 7:30 P.M. at the Somers Town House, 335 Route 202, Somers, New York, 10589 on the application of Elizabeth Luppino for two variances.  The property included in this application is located in an R-10 Residential District at 10 Central Way, Purdys and is known and shown on the Town Tax Map as Section: 17.16, Block: 1, Lot: 17.  All persons having any interest in the application are invited to attend and will be given an opportunity to be heard.  BY ORDER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS  VICTOR CANNISTRA  CHAIRMAN  Denise Schirmer, Secretary  September 6, 2023  1832 Commerce, LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 7/25/2023. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 81 Virginia Ave., Dunmont, NJ 07628. General Purpose  Wessy LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 8/31/2023. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Elahe Ohebshalom, 490 Bleeker Ave., Apt. 3H, Mamaroneck, NY 10543. General Purpose 51 Grove Street Realty, LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 7/26/2023. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Lynn Scott, P.O. Box 204, Mt. Kisco, NY 10545. General Purpose Prime Nation Records LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 7/31/2023. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Howard Johnson, 18 North Bond St., Apt. 1D, Mt. Vernon, NY 10550. General Purpose   27 New Street Realty LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 8/2/2023. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to SMSM Accounting Services, 1075 Central park Ave., Ste. 206, Scarsdale, NY 10583. General Purpose   AJSRJ LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 8/11/2023. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 60 Elm St., Yonkers, NY 10701. General Purpose    Royalty Day Care LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 7/27/2023. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 167 King Ave., Yonkers, NY 10704. General Purpose    Gillespie Consulting Group LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 8/3/2023. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Thomas W Gillespie, 2 Coolidge Ave., Yonkers, NY 10701-5906. General Purpose    Kokum Kitchens LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 8/2/2023. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Arun Menezes, 2 Eastchester Rd., New Rochelle, NY 10801. General Purpose    LLC NOTIFICATIONS

PAGE 28 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 135 Mahopac Ave, Granite Springs, NY Jilco Window Corp. 914 248-6100 jilcowindow.com Please Contact Us for Special Savings on Select Andersen® Products. SALE RUNS from SEPT 21st – SEPT 23rd