Katonah-Lewisboro Times 04.06.2023

VOL. 6 NO. 5 THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 23 CLASSIFIEDS 22 LEISURE 20 OPINION 8 TOWN CROSSING 2 SPORTS 16 JJMS  erapy Dog pg 5 MEET RHODIE! Visit TapIntoKLT.net for the latest news. PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST CALDWELL, NJ PERMIT #992  ings got spicy at the Katonah Chamber of Commerce’s 14th annual chili cook-o on March 24! Taking top honors were Dom Dorman (People’s Choice 1st Place Winner of Golden Ladle), Jesse Mayhew (People’s Choice 2nd Place & Chef ’s Choice), Graeme Fouste (People’s Choice 3rd Place & Chef ’s Choice), Colleen O’Leary Du y, Daniel Esposito, and Josh Yodice (Foodie’s Choice). PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID DILMAGHANI BY TOM BARTLEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER A coalition of Katonah mothers unhappy with the way reading is taught in Katonah-Lewisboro schools has formed a committee to press for changes in that critical curriculum. Erica Glick, a longtime vocal critic of KLSD literacy e orts, is leading the charge. She maintains that the district is wedded to a popular but now disputed approach to reading instruction known as “balanced literacy,” which exposes students to books but does not stress sounding-out exercises and other techniques needed to become a competent reader. Her new committee, KLSDLiteracy100, emphasizes phonics, or correlating sounds with letters, Glick said in a statement.  KLSD “subscribes wholeheartedly to balanced literacy,” she said, calling the program “ine ective and ine cient” for about half the students and “downright detrimental” for the others. “It encourages students to ‘look’ like they’re reading, but not, in fact, teaching them how to really do it,” Glick contends. She said the committee will seek “improved outcomes.” School Superintendent Andrew Selesnick called KLSD outcomes “among the strongest in New York State” and said the district approaches literacy instruction “with the same continual-improvement mindset we Balanced literacy? Parents challenge reading instruction in KLSD CHAMPIONS! CHILI SEE READING PAGE 4 HOPEMAZZOLA YOU’VE GOTTA HAVE HOPE Sales Vice President Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker cell: 914.714.0090 [email protected] hopemazzola.com MAZZOLA YOU’VE GOTTA HAVE HOPE 95 Katonah Ave | Katonah, NY 10536  Find Out What Your Home Might Be Worth Scan for Instant Results #UGottaHaveHope Never Before On the Market - walk to KES through the ‘secret trail’ from this 4 BR/2.1BA enchanting colonial. Loads of potential to make this house even more. Bring your imagination and refresh, restore or expand as the neighbor- hood is really everything you could ever want in an A+ location! $745,000 A Real Gem in Katonah Village

The Staff EDITORIAL TEAM Tom Walogorsky Editor: 914-302-5830 [email protected] Whit Anderson Sports Editor [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 Katonah-Lewisboro Times The deadline for advertisements and editorial submissions is the Thursday before the next publication date. For more information, call Tom Walogorsky at 914-302-5830 or email [email protected] Location 118 N. BEDFORD ROAD SUITE 100 MOUNT KISCO, NY 10549 PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY HALSTON MEDIA, LLC ©2023 HALSTON MEDIA, LLC PAGE 2 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 SCAN HERE FOR MORE INFO! 845-600-8004 | www.bellmech.com Spring withBELL! into Savings 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 up to 30% on your cooling and heating costs. $ 1,000 IN REBATES Heat Pump Hot Water Heater Call Us TODAY! 845-600-8004 UP TO $ 174 PLUS TAX Call Us TODAY! 845-600-8004 AC Preventative Maintenance Visit Starting at Only EXP 4/30/23 Coupon must present at time of service. Cannot be combined with any other offer. $ 115 INSTANT REBATE Duct Cleaning Vista Volunteer Fire Department 377 Smith Ridge Road in South Salem PASTA NIGHT & OPEN HOUSE Saturday, May 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. Join the Vista Volunteer Fire Department at the Vista Firehouse for their annual Pasta Night & Open House event! Featuring  re truck rides on Engine 141,  re ghting demonstrations,  re truck  tours, and EMS tours and demonstrations. $12 for Adults, $8 for Children (8 and under) and it’s all you can eat! You can buy tickets at the door or online at VistaFD.org/Tickets. Lewisboro Garden Club ROOTING FOR LEWISBORO Welcome to the third year of Rooting for Lewisboro for town residents!  e Lewisboro Garden Club is o ering 22 varieties of native trees and shrubs for free, thanks to a grant from One Tree Planted. Requests will be  lled in the order they are received. You are limited to a maximum of 30 plants.  e order form and tree and shrub information are available at www.Lewisborogardenclub.org. It is recommended that you refer to the LGC Tree and Shrub Information Guide located on the site for descriptions and site requirements. Be one of the many Lewisboro residents to  nd the perfect spot in your yard for some of our 2,850 o erings.  ose who have ordered will be noti ed of the date and time to pick up the seedlings in late April. South Salem Presbyterian Church                                          111 Spring Street, South Salem MEMORIAL DAY 10K, 5K AND FUN RUN Monday, May 29 Back by popular demand! More than 400 runners from Lewisboro and surrounding towns will participate on a certi ed course from Main Street in South Salem around Lake Truesdale to the  nish line at Lewisboro Library where ribbons and awards are ceremoniously presented. Organizers are looking for sponsors for $250, which includes the following: Your sponsorship name (logo) is listed on 300 race t-shirts, listed on race registration website and marketing emails, listed on runners’ photos and listed on runners’  nish line videos. Sponsorship also includes a race entry for yourself or a guest.  e race committee strongly promotes these events and tailors marketing e orts to local community: Email Blasts to past participants of dozens of races around Westchester location, Strava Event - 3,800+ club members, Facebook Event - 13,000+ followers, Katonah-Lewisboro Times and updates are found on the SSPC Facebook page and multiple community websites. Please mail your tax deductible payment via check, Zelle or paypal payable to South Salem Presbyterian Church Memorial Day Races 2023, PO 399, South Salem, NY 10590. Deadline to participate as a sponsor is Monday, April 3. If you have any questions email sspcmemorialdayraces@ gmail.com.  Upon receipt of payment you will be contacted by a member of the race committee to coordinate your sponsorship. Contact SSPC Memorial Day Races at [email protected] St John’s Episcopal Parish 82 Spring St., South Salem FOOD PANTRY Spread the word and get involved with the St. John’s Food Pantry! Distribution is every Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m. at St. John’s. A food pantry box is available in the church parking lot 24/7 for those who cannot make it to pick up on Saturday morning - please take whatever you need from the box, as it will be replenished. TOWN CROSSING

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 3 HOME, AUTO, BUSINESS, LIFE & HEALTH 914-232-7750 www.forbesinsurance.com The following are excerpts from an interview I recently conducted with Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah. What is presented here has been edited to fit the allotted size of this column. The entire interaction can be viewed on my show, “All About Town with Jim Martorano,” which can be viewed anytime on YouTube or on Optimum Channel 74 Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. I had interviewed Rocah when she was a candidate years ago; this interview is a follow up.  Question: Can you tell us about some of the goals that you have been able to accomplish in your first two-plus years in office? Rocah: I’ve accomplished a lot of what I set out to do. For example, something I talked about during the campaign was setting up a Conviction Integrity Unit or Conviction Review Unit…We have to put guardrails in place because we know that mistakes happen and a Conviction Integrity Unit is one of those guardrails to make sure we are getting it right. And if we’re not getting it right, what kind of corrections can be made...We hired three women who are professionals in exoneration work… They’re amazing…It’s the first independent conviction review unit in Westchester and it is really a hallmark of any modern prosecutor’s office… Question: We read every day about gun violence. Can you tell us your thoughts? Rocah: I have done a lot of work with Moms Demand Action…We’ve been proactive since I got here…increased our relationship and partnership with law enforcement both across Westchester, the federal level, the state level, as well as New York City to make sure we are getting all the necessary intelligence to do seizures of guns. We’ve gotten literally hundreds of guns off the street in the last two years in these coordinated law enforcement operations. We set up a Gun and Gang Task Force with federal and the local level and again have been really successful in these coordinated efforts…We’re getting guns off the street…Most importantly, we’ve been proactive in preventing guns from getting into the hands of people who might do harm with them… Question: What about so called “red flag” laws? Rocah: Again, we’ve been proactive on the outreach and education front about what’s called red flag laws…We have a process in place in terms of training law enforcement, health care providers, prosecutors, educators… to make sure when there are “red flags,” we can apply to have the gun temporarily removed from the person who is showing signs that they would do harm to themselves or to others and, of course, that is all based on a court application and a court finding and a court order… Question: What about guns improperly stored? Rocah: We’re doing a lot of education on the Safe Storage Law because most school shootings, for example, are done by young people who get access to guns either in their own home or in the home of someone they know…It’s not an anti-gun law. It’s anti carelessness… Question: Besides your work on conviction integrity and getting guns off the street, can you tell us a third thing you are proud of? Rocah: A victim-centered approach to things…my own family, my parents, have been the victim of violent crime on more than one occasion…so I look at things through the eyes of the victims. And so setting up our Cold Case Bureau, which we’ve never had before, was a big accomplishment. There have been over a hundred cold cases in Westchester…That means an unsolved homicide… and there’s a family out there who not only have lost a loved one, but haven’t received the closure that can come with having the case solved…So far, we’ve been able to successfully prosecute five cold case homicides in just two years… and we’re working on many more…We have a new criminal investigator who’s working with our prosecutors…a former NYPD detective with a great history… so I think we’re going to be really successful going forward… Question: In my career of handling over 15,000 criminal cases, I have always been alarmed at the level of mental illness challenges that at least 30% of my clients are dealing with. Are the courts really equipped to deal with this issue on any meaningful level? Rocah: We’ve done a lot in this area. When there is a serious crime of violence…the person who committed that violence is probably going to go to prison for a long time…That’s too late…What we want to do…is to get at the problem BEFORE someone reaches that point…Hopefully mental health court…and our drug court can help…For our part, we’re trying to lower the barriers to entering and get far more people into these programs…and let’s not forget veterans’ court, which also deals with a lot of people with understandable trauma and mental health issues… Question: I have noticed a wonderfully innovative program you have initiated called Fresh Start. Can you tell us about it? Rocah: It is a pre-trial program we started for low level misdemeanors and violations, like loitering…It allows someone who would normally get a desk appearance ticket to receive an option to enroll in this Fresh Start Program…If they successfully complete the program, they never have to appear before a judge and, so, they have no record whatsoever. The focus is low level crimes of primarily first offenders. We know people make mistakes and we want to catch that person and give them a safety net at that early phase when it’s relatively low risk. Fresh Start is a pilot program… We have trained the police departments, all 42 of them, because now it’s county wide…I don’t want to speak for them, but I would say, based on our success rate, you know most of them are quite enthusiastic and it gives them an alternative…It tries to break the cycle of recidivism… Question: I last interviewed you as a candidate. Now, as the District Attorney, what has surprised you the most during your first two-plus years? Rocah: The volume of cases proportionate to the number of prosecutors…Each prosecutor has a high volume of cases…plus the new discovery obligations…make it harder to ensure that we are being as victim-focused as I would want us to be…we need to make sure that prosecutors are spending the time that they need to spend with each victim. The victims deserve to have us devote sufficient time on each case and with each victim and their families. When I got here, the first thing I did was institute a role internally that someone in our office should reach out to the families of homicide victims within 24 hours. Previously, it was the police handling that, but I think it should be someone from the prosecutor’s office as well…It’s a small thing, but it can mean a lot to the family.  Question: Have you done anything to relieve the burden placed on the local Assistants, especially given their discovery obligations? Rocah: To make sure we meet all the law’s discovery demands… we set up a Discovery Bureau, which has been very successful. Assistants used to provide their own discovery. But now, if I am a prosecutor in the office and I have a case, I can go to the Discovery Bureau and they will help me. Ultimately, each prosecutor needs to own it and review it and certify it…but at least they will get help with the process of gathering the materials from the police departments and outside agencies… Question: I want to thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy day to sit down for this interview. As always, it was wonderful talking to you. Keep up the good work on behalf of the people of Westchester.  Rocah: It was my pleasure.  Catching up with Westchester D.A. Mimi Rocah We’re doing a lot of education on the Safe Storage Law because most school shootings, for example, are done by young people who get access to guns either in their own home or in the home of someone they know.’ -Mimi Rocah Westchester District Attorney JAMES MARTORANO MY PERSPECTIVE

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Consider these 401(k) options: • Leave the money in your previous employer’s plan • Move it to your new employer’s plan • Roll it over to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) • Cash out the account subject to early withdrawal penalties We can talk through your financial goals and find the option that works best for you. Judi R McAnaw Financial Advisor 200 Business Park Dr Suite 107 Armonk, NY 10504 914-669-5329 The Consumer’s Choice for Discount Heating Oil! SAVE WITH OUR LOW C.O.D. PRICES! • No Contracts or Commitments • Oil Burner & A/C Service/Tune-ups • Quality Heating Oil • Senior Citizen & Volume Discounts • Heating, Cooling & Generator Installations • Price Matching (Restrictions apply) Order online at: www.codoil.com CALL US TODAY AND SAVE! 914.737.7769 SAVE WITH OUR LOW C.O.D. BY BILL BONGIORNO CONTRIBUTING WRITER  e question of ethics was recently raised at the Lewisboro Town Board. During the Polling of the Board portion at the conclusion of the March 27 meeting, the revival and recon guration of the Ethics Board took centerstage. Councilwoman Andrea Rendo read her email to Town Supervisor Tony Gonçalves from March 15, containing a draft of the proposed Ethics Committee Code.  e email was also presented to the rest of the board on March 22 for comments.   “ is was discussed at a previous meeting and is old business. We do not have a functioning Ethics Board, and even if it was fully sta ed, it would not run the way the residents of the town have indicated that they would like it to run,” Councilwoman Rendo wrote. Rendo worked with the town attorney on a new draft of the Ethics Code and asked that it be on the agenda for the evening for the purposes of setting a public hearing. Supervisor Gonçalves responded to the email, saying “We need to be focused on town business and for tasks we have all been assigned, i.e.. Oakridge. I am not in favor of altering the Ethics Code. We have bigger  sh to fry.  erefore, I will not be placing it on the agenda.  is is not critical to town operations and the work expected of us from our constituents.”   Rendo went on to make a motion for the board to place it on the next agenda for the purposes of setting a date for a public meeting.  Supervisor Goncalves questioned Rendo on the urgency for a public hearing.  She replied, “ at it’s been in discussions for over a year.” Ultimately it will be added to the agenda for discussion and to set a date for public hearing at a future meeting.  Previously, one town employee was required to be one of three on the Ethics Committee. Also, the board could only refer matters to the committee. Ms. Rendo’s proposal allows any town resident to be on the committee. Citizens would also be able to refer a matter to the committee for review and receive a response from the Town Board and Town Clerk.  While there is no requirement in Lewisboro to have a Board of Ethics, there was a previous committee that had consisted of three members, which had not met in about a decade.  is became a campaign issue during the 2021 election year. CULVERT WORK TO BE DONE ON ROUTE 35 BY 2025 Supervisor Gonçalves read a letter from March 14 to the board from the New York State Department of Transportation informing the town it will be replacing the culvert over a stream on Route 35 by Bisbee Lane and Ridge eld Avenue during the 2024 or 2025 construction season. Sections of Route 35 will be torn up and replaced in the process.  ere will be no cost to the town. MERCEDES BENZ OF GOLDENS BRIDGE  ree Mercedes Benz of Goldens Bridge agreements were approved, including a license agreement which allows Mercedes to do landscaping; an easement agreement for a water storage tank, which the Golden’s Bridge Fire Department and town can use; and stormwater control facilities and maintenance easement.  OTHER NEWS  e Farmer’s Grind co ee shop on East Street in Vista requested use of Vista Community Park on eight Saturdays beginning June 10 for free 2.5- hour ice cream socials and food trucks. which was approved by the board.   e fee to use the park per use was reduced to $50.   e resolution to waives fees for  the SALLA Treatment and Research Foundation Fundraiser at Town Park on June 11, was passed by the board. Nick Tedrow of Sustainable Westchester gave an hourlong update on Westchester Power.   e presentation will be available at the Town website www.lewisborogov.com.  e board approved using ribbons in town to recognize May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Supervisor Gonçalves read a resolution honoring J. Waldie Gullen of Waccabuc for being the longest serving member of the South Salem Firehouse, for 81 years, since 1942, as well as other service to his country in the military and the town. Gullen served with the U.S. Army as part of combat infantry in World War II and saw action in Europe from 1944 to 1945, receiving a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.  He was a founding member of  e Lewisboro Lions Club, founded in April 1958. Gullen is also a partner of the 5th Division deli in Cross River. Councilman Dan Welsch said Onatru and Fox Valley now have a food scraps compost program.   e Board approved AMG Waste Services’ Application for License to Collect and Dispose of Refuse and Recyclables.   e Lion’s Club will hold their annual Easter Bunny and Lion at the Townhouse on Saturday, April 8.  e next Town Board Meeting will be held on Monday, April 10 at 7:30 at the Lewisboro Townhouse. Ethics Board revival takes centerstage LEWISBORO TOWN BOARD bring to all our work.”  Joining Glick in the launch of KLSDLiteracy100 were Meredith Black, a lawyer, member of Bedford’s Zoning Board of Appeals and, like Glick, a familiar face at school board meetings calling for change in district reading instruction, and Elizabeth McGoldrick, a literacy coordinator at Waterside School in Stamford. Glick, who has a master’s in early childhood education and owns the Katonah Village Kids Preschool, ran last year for the school board, tallying almost 1,000 votes in a losing bid for one of three open seats. For Glick, literacy is a deeply personal issue. Her children, she said, have struggled to read “despite being eager and intellectually capable students... My family was compelled to send our children to private school.” In announcing the launch of KLSDLiteracy at the school board’s March 7 meeting, Glick described its members—parents, educators and fellow residents, she said—as being “shocked and disappointed that in our excellent school district, despite our high taxes and our high spending, our reading outcomes are not excellent.” She said her advocacy group was seeking a Literacy Committee comprising stakeholders, parents, teachers and other experts to “set clear, measurable objectives, prioritize data over philosophy . . . [and] commit to action steps, because the second thing that we are asking for is to improve our outcomes.” In testing last year, KLSD students in grades 3 through 8 averaged 75 percent in English Language Arts (ELA), far ahead of statewide averages closer to 50 percent. Selesnick, the schools chief, noted students’ success relative to others statewide and o ered thanks “to a community that supports the necessary resources and to our sta for their dedication.” But Glick was not impressed with 75 percent test scores. “We’re earning C’s, at best,” she READING FROM PAGE 1 SEE READING PAGE 6

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City. • Parking facilities for over 100 cars • Monuments & inscriptions available. said. “Decades of research in the  elds of cognition, psychology, linguistics and child development have led to consensus in the scienti c community that nearly all children”—she puts the number at 95 percent—”can learn to read with su cient instruction.”  at does not apply to KLSD’s approach to reading, Glick maintains. “Our district subscribes whole-heartedly to ‘balanced literacy,’ utilizing several purchased programs,” she said.  e concept “directly teaches children to guess at words . . . using ‘clues’ like the pictures or their prediction of a word that makes sense,” she contends. “For roughly half of children in any school anywhere, this is ine ective and ine cient. However, for the other half of children, it is downright detrimental. It encourages students to ‘look’ like they’re reading, but not, in fact, teaching them how to really do it. For these children, balanced literacy is a net negative.” A theory that emerged in the ’90s, balanced literacy was seen as an antidote to an earlier approach known as “whole language.”  at now-discredited technique deemed reading a skill young children come to naturally and emphasized meaning and more reading. Balanced literacy, popularized by Lucy Calkins, a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and others has grown in popularity, to the point that nationwide, it’s estimated, as many as one elementary school in four today uses balanced literacy in its reading programs. But to critics like Glick, learning to read requires—among many other things—phonics, the time-tested practice of sounding out individual letters and quickly connecting them to create the sounds we hear around us. It’s not, she emphasizes, the only answer. “ ere is not a singular ‘thing’ to do, no uniquely ‘best and only’ curriculum to buy,” Glick said. “We continue to throw money at the problem by purchasing ‘patches’ again and again in a repeated and reactionary pattern.” KLSD’s superintendent says the district embraces a variety of techniques for reading instruction. “Our elementary teachers and administrators carefully monitor student-progress data and adjust instruction accordingly,” Selesnick said in his email. “For students who demonstrate additional need, we provide a host of support services through our response-to-intervention and special-education programs.” Like nearby districts, he said, KLSD in recent years has added the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness assessments in the earliest grades and additional professional learning in word study and the Wilson Reading System. “We have also  expanded our classroom libraries and central book rooms,” Selesnick said, “both to include new decodable texts  and to be sure all students see themselves and all cultures and identities re ected in the books they read.” Glick said research in neuroscience, cognitive psychology and child development suggest key elements that are needed for every child to learn to read. “ is is why we are continuing to advocate for a Literacy Committee,” Glick said. “As a district, we have so many strengths, such abundance of resources in our teachers, our stability and our community. Let’s engage meaningfully with this information, with the data and improve outcomes for all students.”  READING FROM PAGE 4 BY EMILE MENASCHÉ CONTRIBUTING EDITOR A potentially dangerous case of reckless driving came to a safe and somewhat ironic conclusion with the arrest of an 18-yearold Katonah resident in what the Carmel Police Department is calling karma. According to Public Information O - cer Lt. Michael Bodo, the incident began on the evening of March 23, when the young man pulled up in a sports car and started taunting Carmel o cers Bambach and Kloskowski as they were on tra c detail in Mahopac.  e o cers were helping pedestrians cross Route 6 for a crowded event when the driver approached the o cers and allegedly started daring them to chase his Blue Dodge Challenger. “Some may describe the young man’s behavior as arrogant,” Carmel PD said in a press release. “He began taunting the CPD o cers with derogatory statements.” Bodo later told Halston Media that the o cers were trying to be friendly at  rst and encouraged the driver to go away quietly. “O cer Bambach was even asking him about his Challenger because he’s a car guy,” Bodo said. “ ey gave him every chance to back down, but the driver started making really nasty comments.”  e driver then allegedly o ered the of-  cers $50 to chase him in his souped‐up Sportscar drama brings ‘karma’ Katonah speeder who taunted cops busted after blowing engine SEE SPEEDER PAGE 7

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 7 BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER Now that spring has o cially sprung, the community can once again enjoy outdoor activities such as Muscoot Farm’s farmers market.  e venue for fresh produce, baked goods, and other gourmet provisions – not to mention handmade candles, craft spirits, and lavender sachets and soaps – will be run from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. every Sunday until Nov. 19.  e county-owned interactive farm’s 2023 vendors include: Arlotta Food, Bear Mountain Co ee Roasters, Bella’s Bake Shop, Bombay Chutney Company, Bongo and Capacci Pasta, Broken Bow Brewery, CM Cookies, Collier’s Candle Company, Cooper’s Daughter Spirits, Do Re Me Farms, Fi-Dough, Goode and Local, Ho man Farm, Hummingbird Ranch, Irvington Delight Market, Manor Sangria, Meredith’s Country Bakery, M&M Italian Provisions, Moondrop Gardens, Noomi, North Winds Lavender, Nourishing Sol, Old World Marketplace, Orchard Hill Organics, Pickle Licious,  e Prospector  eater, and Stewart Watson Farm. To  nd out which vendors will be participating on a speci c Sunday, visit www.muscootfarm.org and check out its calendar of events.  e farm is located at 51 Route 100, in Katonah. Muscoot farmers market opens for the season FILE PHOTO: DEENA BELL The farmers market at Muscoot Farm is a community favorite. Blue Dodge Challenger. “[He] made it very clear that he would never be caught,” the Carmel PD statement said.  “O cers Bambach and Kloskowski repeatedly asked this young man to leave the area, as he was creating an unsafe condition by impeding both vehicular and pedestrian tra c.” According to police, the driver’s response was to do a burnout directly in front of the police car, pollute the area with the stench of burned rubber, and then take o down Route 6 at “a high rate of speed.”  e Carmel police brie y pursued the car as it headed west toward Yorktown and allegedly “observed [it] swerving in and out of oncoming tra c, nearly causing several head-on collisions,” the statement said. For safety’s sake, Carmel police said they stopped chasing the Dodge and alerted Yorktown police, who also tried to stop the car, now travelling in excess of 100 miles per hour. “ e vehicle failed to comply with Yorktown PD of-  cers and continued to  ee,” the statement said. As in Carmel, Yorktown of-  cers considered a high-speed chase to be unsafe and ended their pursuit.  e Dodge made it to the Taconic Parkway and sped south, where New York State Troopers allegedly clocked it at more than 140 miles per hour.  at’s when what Bodo describes as karma intervened. By the time Troopers caught up to the vehicle, they no longer had to chase it.  e Dodge was at standstill, sitting at the Taconic’s Pleasantville Road exit with a blown engine. “Evidently, the young man overestimated the performance of his fancy car and the vehicle’s engine had seized, leaving his car broken down and smoking on the shoulder of the road,” said the Carmel PD statement, which also thanked Yorktown and State police for “bringing this very dangerous situation to a safe conclusion.”  e driver and his passenger were unharmed.  e driver was arrested at the scene and held by State Police. He has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor DWI, 11 vehicle and tra c violations, reckless endangerment, and more. He also faces felony charges for criminal possession of a forged instrument. “He had fake license plates,” Bodo later told Halston Media. “ e real plates were in the back seat.” “ e fake plates on the car were vanity plates.  ey said: ‘NOWIFE.’” SPEEDER FROM PAGE 6 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 Do you know what the cost of your long-term care will be if you are not eligible for Medicaid? CALL NEW YORK’S ELDER LAW TEAM 914.948.1500

Opinion PAGE 8 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 2 TRACKS BRETT FREEMAN, PUBLISHER TOM WALOGORSKY, EDITOR TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL, CREATIVE DIRECTOR Editorial Office: 914-302-5830 [email protected] 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 Katonah-Lewisboro Times 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 118 N. BEDFORD ROAD, SUITE 100 MOUNT KISCO, NY 10549 ©2023 Halston Media, LLC I ’ve been called many things in my life, but perhaps I most like being called “The Funny Priest.” Yet, even I am willing to admit: the bar for priest-funny is rather low; and sometimes the bar is unfortunately so low that if I just need to give a homily with more charisma than drying paint, I might liven up a congregation with less-thansky-high expectations. No, I don’t try to be funny as a means of living out my failed stand-up comedy dreams. It’s truthfully because I can’t help but separate the Catholic faith from comedy, specifically the classical understanding of comedy and tragedy. You don’t have to be a great student of theater to know the difference. Classically, a tragedy would end in the death of the main character(s), most tragically by murder; whereas a comedy would end in the most joyful event possible: a wedding feast and celebrating newfound love with the people most important in their lives. We then assume they go on to live happily ever after. The tragedy of life, we could say, is that we know the ending: death is coming for all of us, and there’s no escaping it. We can delay it with medicine, healthy diet and exercise, and caring for our bodies, but ultimately death is looked upon as the only undefeated player in mother nature. How could anyone laugh when this life, this valley of tears, is the classical definition of tragedy? Then one historical event changed this: about 2,000 years ago, after lying dead in the tomb for three days, Jesus rose from the dead. By His resurrection on that first Easter morning, Jesus unlocked the gates of Heaven for us; by His resurrection, Jesus has defeated the seemingly undefeatable opponent of death; by His resurrection, Jesus has invited us to join Him at the Wedding Feast of Heaven; by His resurrection, Jesus has changed life from a tragedy into a truly divine comedy. As the Church will pray at the Easter Vigil Mass, Jesus’ resurrection “dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty [power of death].” Throughout the Scriptures, we read various descriptions of Heaven: paradise, the Father’s house, a utopian city, to name a few; but the most common description of Heaven found in the Scriptures is that of a wedding feast. And much like those in a classical comedy, those who are welcomed to the Eternal Wedding Feast of Heaven will truthfully live happily ever after. So now the pen is in our hands, so to say, and we are invited to write our own story. Jesus’ resurrection has given us the opportunity now to write that perfect comedy and live happily ever after with Him in Heaven; yet our Father has given us the free will to write that tragedy if we so choose, that life which will result in an everlasting death. How good God is to invite us to Heaven despite our unworthiness, and still how good He is to not force us, because true love can never force, only invite. Might I close with an invitation of my own: it’s never too late to rewrite the script, to change the story from a tragedy into a comedy. If you’re Catholic and it’s been a while since you’ve been to church, come back home. If you’ve fallen out of the habit of Sunday Mass every week, now’s the perfect time to get back on the horse. If you haven’t been to Confession in a while, now’s the time to receive God’s mercy. Stop writing the tragedy, and start rewriting that divine comedy. It’s a story we never have to write alone; one that God gladly writes with us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him might not perish, but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). That might not be news to laugh at, but it is certainly news that should bring joy and mirth to every heart. Happy Easter to all of us whose lives have been purchased by the Blood of the Lamb; and happy Easter to all of us whose stories have been rewritten from a great tragedy into the greatest comedy ever. Fr. Matthew Breslin is a Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of New York, serving as Parochial Vicar of St. Joseph’s Church in Somers and Chaplain of Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School. Easter turns tragedy into comedy BY RABBI YEHUDA HEBER CHABAD OF YORKTOWN, CORTLANDT, & SOMERS Wednesday eve, April 5, was the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover.  The holiday spans eight days, ending Thursday eve, April 13. Some of the Passover observances include not eating leavened bread and participating in a Seder meal (on the first two nights of the holiday, the 5th and 6th), complete with lighting candles and rituals involving matzah, bitter herbs and four cups of wine. The holiday commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.  The theme of the holiday is redemption. Although we are not actually slaves in this day and age, the theme of redemption is very relevant to us, as well. Kabbalah teaches us that there are hidden, scattered sparks of holiness all over the world, in every part of life: physical, emotional, psychological, social, spiritual, etc. Each person who is born has their own unique mission: to reach the sparks connected to them and redeem them.  How does one redeem a spark of holiness? By coming in contact with it and using the situation toward a purposeful, G-dly end. To interact in that situation in a way that we know G-d would approve of and would hope for humanity. It can be displaying kindness in a social situation. It can be practicing ethics in a business situation. It can be maintaining faith in a challenging situation. No soul is complete until it has redeemed the sparks which are a part of its mission.  So a person can move through life, from stage to stage, occupation to occupation, location to location, and it all seems so random. But in truth, it is all designed by G-d so that the person can come in contact with the trapped sparks of holiness that are waiting to be redeemed by that very person.  Our footsteps are directed by the Divine, and in each situation we encounter, we should ask ourselves: What positive impact can I have? What can I contribute? What can I do that releases trapped sparks of holiness here and now? Which mitzvah is called for at this moment? Consider that this corner of the world may be waiting just for you to come along and realize its potential for good! The patterns of our lives have meaning far greater than what we can see. We each have purpose on a cosmic level, for when we each do our part, the entire world becomes filled with the positive energy of sparks redeemed, thus making the world a more peaceful, beautiful, wholesome place for all of us! Wishing you and yours a very Happy and Kosher Passover! For more details concerning the holiday of Passover, visit www. ChabadYorktown.com/Passover. There you will find much information regarding the historical background of the holiday, how-to Passover, and many delicious Passover recipes. You will also find thought-provoking articles on the present day applications of the ancient story. To join a community Seder, purchase hand-baked Shmura Matzah, sell your Chametz, or to receive a free holiday guide, visit the above website, call 914-962-1111, or email Rabbi@ ChabadYorktown.com.   Sparks redeemed this Passover FR. MATTHEW BRESLIN

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 OPINION THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 9 As you have probably gathered from earlier columns of mine, I am a joiner. A friend of mine used to joke, we should start a local chapter of “Volunteers Anonymous” for those people who just  nd a hard time saying no. Whether it’s the little league, local philanthropic groups,  re departments, advisory committees, etc., my default setting is to say yes. I get a lot more from these groups than I give, since it is a great opportunity to make new friends and get involved with the community. Two of my more recent entanglements – I mean involvements – are with “No Labels” and “Braver Angels.” Both are known as “bridge groups” dedicated to bridging the gap between left and right and fostering more civil discourse surrounding politics. I wrote about some No Labels initiatives a couple of weeks ago titled, “Moving to the Middle.” Braver Angels has a much di erent approach than No Labels since it takes place outside of politics and doesn’t directly involve politicians. Instead, their e orts focus totally on grassroots connections and helping people connect on a personal level and facilitating more civil political conversions between, as they call them, ”reds” and “blues.”  e group was co-founded by David Blankenhorn and David Lapp after the 2016 presidential election in order to depolarize the country.  e original name was inspired by Lincoln’s  rst inaugural address calling for national unity referring to the “better angels of our nature.” Our local Braver Angels Westchester County group is doing an exercise, pairing reds with blues to have a series of four to  ve one-on-one discussions over a six-week period about where we get our news and how it shapes our perspectives.  e exercise is titled, “Walk a Mile in my News.”  My  rst meeting was this past Saturday with a “blue” named Sara. We met for an introductory lunch, which lasted over two hours.  e time  ew by. We swapped stories about our respective backgrounds and educations and our political leanings. Her background is remarkable. She immigrated from India, alone, at 23 to start her college education, eventually earning a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology and pursuing a career in education, and then moving into research mostly in service of educational institutions.  Her involvement with Braver Angels started a few months after it was started in 2016, having heard about it in a podcast. She was a founding volunteer. Her politics are probably center left and mine are center right. Our sources of news overlapped some, but we de - nitely get our information from di erent sources. We touched on a few political topics, and I think we were both surprised to  nd a lot of common ground in our views, which probably is true of most of the country.  Sara and I had both enjoyed reading “ e Righteous Mind, Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion,” by Jonathan Haidt, which explored why political discussions are so di cult these days. We all seem to silo ourselves in communities of likeminded folks, read from the same news sources and consume the same social media, which serves to reinforce our view of the world. As a result, many people aren’t exposed to, or even avoid those who don’t occupy our pod. So it is not surprising that civil discourse with those harboring di erent views is rare. Seeking opportunities to have conversations with people who see the world di erently than we do will help turn down the temperature in our politics and bring us together. I look forward to my next discussion with Sara. Di cult conversations DON SCOTT IN CASE YOU MISSED IT S itting in the stillness and resting in the quiet you remember her. Maybe it’s in the old familiar song in the car or running into an old friend  at reminds you She’s still there.  at child who dared to dream, who believed anything is possible, who wasn’t afraid to try and fail, and who believed success would come… the child not afraid to dance in the rain, jump in the puddle or laugh until it hurt,  she’s still there. Remember, you are still her. Choose to embrace the unpredictable beauty of life with joy and let her out a little more often. Kim Stoll empowers women to  nd joy in every day and build a life they love through positive habits in mindset,  tness and smart nutrition. Virtual coaching available. [email protected] Let out your inner child KIM STOLL GUEST CORNER Michael Tom CFP® CFA® • Jeff Wund • Todd Rebori, CFA® 23 Parkway, Second Floor • Katonah, NY 10536 PERSONAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT Financial Planning • Investment Management Tax Planning • Retirement Plan Services Stressed about taxes? We’ll help you organize, strategize, and file. www.AtwoB.com • (914) 302-3233 Point B Planning, LLC d/b/a/ AtwoB (“AtwoB”) is a registered investment adviser. A copy of AtwoB’s current written disclosure statement discussing AtwoB’s business operations, services, and fees is available at the SEC’s investment adviser public information website or from AtwoB upon written request. This article is for information only and should not be considered investment advice. 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PAGE 10 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES OPINION THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 The other night I was looking for something interesting to watch on TV. Create (on channel 133) usually has entertaining and educational cooking and travel shows. At 8:30 p.m., the sounds of lively Greek music introduced a new cooking show called “The Life of Loi,” starring Greek chef and cookbook author, Maria Loi. I don’t really know much about Greek food. My friend, Alexandra, lives in Athens, so I decided to watch the show. I can ask Alexandra if she has heard of Maria Loi in my next email. I settled in for a half hour of entertaining cooking and travel hosted by the enthusiastic and personable Chef Loi. At every opportunity, Maria Loi looks directly into the camera and proudly tells her American viewers that “the food, the soil, the olive oil, and everything in Greece is the best!” I was hooked from that very first episode. “The Life of Loi” travels to destinations in Greece, where Maria talks to an olive grove farmer in Crete or tours the factory of a well known olive oil brand in Sparta. Sometimes Maria cooks outdoors with her Greek hosts using fresh-picked ingredients. In another episode, Chef Loi interviewed an elderly woman whose father started the famous Greek tomato paste brand, Kyknos, in the early 1900s. It seems that every household in Greece has the bright red cans of Kyknos brand tomato paste on a shelf or in the cupboard. Maria visited a small cultural museum with displays of traditional Greek costumes over the years, and those famous red Kyknos tomato paste cans. Maria Loi often tells viewers about growing up on a farm in the village of Thermo. She is a walking/talking ambassador for the benefits of the Mediterranean diet of olive oil, fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood and Greek feta cheese! Maria often laughs and says, “Everything’s betta with feta!” Maria extols the many benefits of Greek olive oil and honey and she pays homage to her Greek upbringing and often credits her yiayia (grandmother) with teaching her how to cook and bake. She even proudly uses her grandmother’s wooden spoon when cooking on the show. Chef Loi tells viewers that her papou (grandfather) believed in a spoonful of olive oil in the morning and a half teaspoon of black honey at night before bedtime. The black honey comes from hives high up in the mountains. Chef Loi owns a restaurant, Loi Estiatorio, on West 58th St., in Manhattan. At least half of each TV episode features Maria cooking in her restaurant kitchen. She is assisted by her always-prepared chef, Felipe, and she invites friends to join her in the restaurant kitchen to bake bread, or make vegetable It’s Greek to me KIM KOVACH READING, WRITING & CHOCOLATE SEE KOVACH PAGE 11 NEW YORK HOMEOWNERS: YOU MAY *QUALIFY THROUGH NEW RELIEF PROGRAMS! HELP IS AVAILABLE EVEN IF YOU COULD PAY CASH Qualify Today: 800-944-9393 or visit NYProgramFunding.org to see if you *qualify Do you need a New Roof and Help paying for it? Do you need Energy Efficient Windows & Help paying for it? Approved applications will have the work completed by a quality repair crew provided by: HOMEOWNER FUNDING. Not affiliated with State or Gov Programs. Contractor License: NY: #2719-h14 *Enrollment is only open during a limited time. Programs, appointments, and installations are on a first come, first serve basis in your area. Any leaking, visible damage, or roof age, may *qualify you! Drafty windows, energy cost too high, you may *qualify! © 2023 Consumer Cellular Inc. Terms and Conditions subject to change. New service activation on approved credit. Cellular service is not available in all areas and is subject to system limitations. Enjoy $25 o your fi rst month! Customers who sign up before April 15, 2023 get up to $25 o their fi rst invoice. This o er is for new and existing customers, and can be redeemed only at an account level, line levels excluded. This o er is good for $25 o the fi rst invoice, and any remaining credit from o er is forfeited if not used during this period. If account becomes inactive for any reason prior to receiving the full amount, any remaining credits will be forfeited. Customer must use a printed promo code to redeem o er. This o er is not stackable with other promotions, see website or store associate for details. O er not redeemable for cash, has no cash value and is not transferable or refundable. CALL CONSUMER CELLULAR 877-427-0320 O First Month of New Service! USE PROMO CODE: GZ59O

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 OPINION THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 11 1 DETAILS OF OFFER: Offer expires 4/30/2023. Not valid with other offers or prior purchases. Buy one (1) window or entry/patio door, get one (1) window or entry/patio door 40% off, and 12 months $0 money down, $0 monthly payments, 0% interest when you purchase four (4) or more windows or entry/patio doors between 12/25/2022 and 4/30/2023. 40% off windows and entry/patio doors are less than or equal to lowest cost window or entry/patio door in the order. Subject to credit approval. Interest is billed during the promotional period, but all interest is waived if the purchase amount is paid before the expiration of the promotional period. Financing for GreenSky® consumer loan programs is provided by federally insured, federal and state chartered  nancial institutions without regard to age, race, color, religion, national origin, gender, or familial status. 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She often ends the episode by inviting her guests to pour Greek olive oil into a shot glass and join her to make a toast, “Yamas!” “Yasas!” (Cheers!)  Kim Kovach adds chocolate in making baklava! www. kimkovachwrites.com KOVACH FROM PAGE 10 Westchester Republicans not aligned with Bedford values Dear Editor, Tom Bartley’s article about the Democrats’ rise in local town government [“Looking to November: GOP looks to regain traction in Bedford,” March 23, Page 5] offers insights into the changes in local politics, and the challenges for Republicans in the 2024 race for the Town Board.  Bartley suggests the changes result from shifting demographics, but values and policies are the more substantive reasons for the appeal of local Democrats. For years, Democrats have campaigned on values, offering detailed policy proposals to carry them out. Once elected, they have delivered tangible results on infrastructure, ethics, healthcare, the environment, seniors, economic development, inclusion, and public safety, all while holding the line on taxes. Democratic Town Board members have served the entire community, enhancing the quality of life in our town.  In contrast with the Democrats’ focus on policy, local Republicans have aligned themselves with the national Republican Party, a party of grievance and polarization. With an extreme right-wing faction of the Republican party overshadowing moderate Republicans in Congress, Bedford voters cannot count on the Republican party label to represent traditional values. More important to voters, no local Republican officials have disavowed the extremist MAGA statements issued by the Westchester Republican Party chairman, nor objected to such polarizing events as the far-right extremist Proud Boys’ participation in a Westchester Trump fund-raiser. Until Westchester Republicans commit to governing in a manner more aligned with the values of the majority of Bedford residents, they cannot expect to gain the confidence of Bedford voters.  -Phyllis Ross Katonah Freeman and all his strawmen Dear Editor, I fervently hope Brett Freeman already considers me among “those frequent letter writers who believe [he] is always creating ‘a straw man’ in [his] arguments” as he writes in his March 23 “Publisher’s Memo” (“Some have become what they once hated” Page 8). If not, please consider this letter my application for membership in that august group. Mr. Freeman’s straw man opening recites the tragic tale of an individual oppressed under the grinding wheel of an “illiberal” system, punishing those who question the “accepted prevailing narrative.” What were the details of this heinous act of illiberalism? It dates back to a 2021 Q&A session at the Bedford Playhouse, when an [editor of the famous ‘Trial of the Chicago 7’ transcripts] made a “tangential comparison” between the “Chicago 7” anti-Vietnam war protesters and the Jan. 6th “Stop the Steal” protesters, and an audience member had the temerity to “roundly criticize” that comparison. Having established a jumping off point, Mr. Freeman then expounds at length concerning various besieged “counterculture” members who are victims of the illiberal cancel culture that is enraged by “sincere inquiry, open dialogue and debate.” Who are these countercultural heroes? Comedians Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock; film director Oliver Stone; political commentator Bill Maher; former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard [who was a leader in the Democrat party]; lawyer and author Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; author Naomi Wolf; and journalist Glenn Greenwald. Oddly enough, none of these individuals appears to be suffering much for their “countercultural” views. Apparently merely criticizing comments or actions by any of these heroic figures is, in Mr. Freeman’s view, illiberal (so much for the free exchange of ideas and opinions). Finally, after this lengthy setup, Mr. Freeman perorates about what appears to be his desired focal point: COVID vaccine skeptics communicating via a “secret private Facebook group” joined by Mr. Freeman “as an observer” while “wearing [his] journalistic hat.” The fact that these countercultural warriors are obviously violating Facebook’s stated policy regarding vaccine disinformation is brushed away by Mr. Freeman as a response to “censorship,” although Facebook is a private company and has the legal right to regulate the use of its product. He then concedes that he accepts the “data-based observation” that the vaccine moderates disease severity and reduces hospitalizations and deaths. Yet, incredibly, LETTERS SEE LETTERS PAGE 14

PAGE 12 THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIM  e muse: whether it be a quick hot spark, a lifelong endless quest, mere curiosity, or obsession, will be the impetus for a conversation among  ve local powerhouse authors.  e Katonah Village Library will host the authors in a conversation about writing with inspiration and aspiration. Sit in on this enlightening, thought-provoking, and amusing group of accomplished authors on  ursday, April 13, at 6 p.m.  e following authors will be in attendance: LAUREN ACAMPORA  e author of “ e Wonder Garden,” winner of the GLCA New Writers Award and a  nalist for the New England Book Award; “ e Paper Wasp,” longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize; and “ e Hundred Waters,” named a Best Book of 2022 by Vogue. She was a 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Fiction from  e New York Foundation for the Arts. Her writing has appeared in Paris Review, Guernica,  e New York Times Book Review, and LitHub, among other places. She lives in Katonah with her husband and daughter. CAROLYN FERRELL Carolyn Ferrell’s short story collection, “Don’t Erase Me,” won the Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Her debut novel, “Dear Miss Metropolitan,” was shortlisted for the PEN Hemingway and the PEN Faulkner Awards. A recipient of grants from the Fulbright Association and the National Endowment for the Arts, Ferrell teaches writing at Sarah Lawrence College. SANA KRASIKOV  e author of the story collection “One More Year,” which received a National Book Foundation’s ‘5 under 35’ Award, was a  nalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award and the NYPL Young Lions Fiction Prize. Her novel “ e Patriots” was chosen for Granta’s Best of Young American Novelists list and won France’s Prix du Premier prize for best new novel in translation. Her next book, What’s your Sana Krasikov PHOTO COURTESY OF SANA KRASIKOV Ann Leary PHOTO COURTESY OF SCOTT M LACEY Carolyn Ferrell PHOTO COURTESY OF LINWOOD LEWIS Author conversation O for a Muse of fi re, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention!’ William Shakespeare What’s your mu STRONG AS STEEL WITH THE ATTRACTIVE LOOK OF VARIOUS ROOF STYLES Upgrade Your Home with a NEW METAL ROOF Guaranteed to Last a Lifetime! From Dimensional Shingles to classic styles reminiscent of Cedar Shake and Spanish Tile, an architectural roo ng system by Erie Metal Roofs can enhance the beauty of your home while protecting your family and property for a lifetime. Call today to schedule your FREE ESTIMATE 1-855-492-6084 Made in the USA New orders only. Does not include material costs. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Minimum purchase required. Other restrictions may apply. This is an advertisement placed on behalf of Erie Construction Mid-West, Inc (“Erie”). Offer terms and conditions may apply and the offer may not be available in your area. Offer expires March 31, 2023. If you call the number provided, you consent to being contacted by telephone, SMS text message, email, pre-recorded messages by Erie or its affiliates and service providers using automated technologies notwithstanding if you are on a DO NOT CALL list or register. Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use on homeservicescompliance.com. All rights reserved. GA License Number: RBCO006004 LIMITED TIME OFFER 60%off TAKE AN ADDITIONAL 10% off YOUR INSTALLATION Install for Military, Health Workers and First Responders + Warranty- Limited Lifetime. Transferable to 1 subsequent owner from original purchaser. Terms and conditions apply. Hail up to 2.5”, Appearance of the surface coating beyond normal wear and tear. Limited time offer. Expires 3.31.23

MES – THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 “ e Shelf Life of Evelyn Shine,” a novel about the cultural politics surrounding children’s literature in the ‘80s, will be out in early 2024. Her stories have appeared in  e New Yorker,  e Atlantic, Zoetrope, the O.Henry Anthology, and will appear in the upcoming Best American Short Stories of 2023. Sana has written extensively for podcasts and with her husband, Gregory Warner, helped create the narrative podcast Rough Translation on NPR, which brought listeners personal stories from around the world. She grew up in Katonah and now lives in Chappaqua. MAYA SHANBHAG LANG  e author of “What We Carry,” named a New York Times Editors’ Choice and a “Best Memoir of 2020” by Amazon. She is also the author of “ e Sixteenth of June,” a modern reinterpretation of Ulysses that was long listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Her essays have been widely published and anthologized. In 2021, the American Civil Rights Museum named her a “Woman You Should Know.” She currently serves as President of the Authors Guild. ANN LEARY  e New York Times bestselling author of the novels, “ e Children,” “ e Good House,” “Outtakes from a Marriage,” and the memoir, “An Innocent, a Broad.” She has written for numerous publications including Ploughshares, NPR, Real Simple and the New York Times. Her novel, “ e Good House” was adapted as a motion picture starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline, recently released on dvd. Her new novel, “ e Foundling” (Scribner/MarysueRucci) was released in May.  is free event is open to all and takes place in the accessible lower level Garden Room. Light refreshments will be served. Books will be available to purchase and for signing, courtesy of Booksy Galore. Article courtesy of Katonah Village Library. Lauren Acampora PHOTO COURTESY OF THOMAS DOYLE Maya Shanbhag Lang PHOTO COURTESY OF BEOWULF SHEEHAN n comes to Katonah se? 2 TRACKS One touch of a button sends help fast, 24/7. alone I’m never Life Alert® is always here for me. I’ve fallen and I can’t get up! ® Help at Home sends help fast, 24/7. with GPS! Help On-the-Go For a FREE brochure call: 1-800-404-9776 Saving a Life EVERY 11 MINUTES Batteries Never Need Charging. PAGE 13

PAGE 14 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES OPINION THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 LETTERS FROM PAGE 11 Spring is here at last!  Nothing can stop it. Daffodils insist on it, robins plan for it, plaintive squirrels demand it. The fox emerges from his den of shivering, spiders untuck themselves from far below, a few drowsy bees have survived winter in their clammy shells, but of all the creatures who need spring the most, it’s us. Poor us, cozy with our burners and blankets and cups of boutique hot chocolate, while the mouse in the attic survives winter on a newspaper from 1953. The deer lay huddled at night on a tiny patch of earth, near starvation, grateful that’s it’s been slightly warmed by the winter sun, while we fly off to Jamaica. We don’t actually need the spring the way wild animals do. You can’t eat a tulip. No racoon ever wrote an ode to spring or teared-up at the site of a haloed cherry blossom tree. We humans are the strangest of all God’s creatures. We like a melody and a rhyme, a sunset filled with purple and red, and yet we don’t know why.  “Because it’s beautiful,” we say. That’s not an answer. That’s an evasion. The answer, I think, is an inborn desire for ecstasy. It gets some people in a lot of trouble.  My first taste of ecstasy came at the Sunday dinner table, when my father, as I’m sure his father did before him, mixed about a half glass of wine with water and a pinch of sugar and told me to drink slowly. I liked the feeling of being lifted so suddenly out of the ordinary and, of course, wanted more. I should interject that my mother and father loved me, if anything, too much. The times were just so different back then. By today’s standards, my next chance at ecstasy might have brought a visit from the Department of Child Welfare and caused a wonderful doctor who practiced in Mahopac for many years to conceivably lose his licensee.  I had scarlet fever, pneumonia and pleurisy all in succession and lost a great deal of weight. We lived two doors down from the saintly Dr. Jacobs, who came to our house the day I got pleurisy and listened to my lungs every half-hour. He fell asleep in a chair by my bedside. A quiet man, always resplendent in a starchy white shirt and tie, he called my mother, “Mama.” Never anything else. “Mama,” he said looking down at the bag of bones I’d become, “a beer with dinner wouldn’t hurt this boy.” A beer with dinner to fatten an underweight teenager sounds harmless enough, but in practice it’s like adding a boost of nitro to an already altered state. My mother, I knew, was not going to let me get within a city block of a beer. She had already placed a ban on wine. I had a problem with ecstasy. Ecstasy is probably the worst word to describe ecstasy. Since it’s spring, allow me to compare ecstasy to the forgotten dandelion. The dandelion, the most beautiful flower on earth, bursting with the sun and wanting so very much to befriend us, though we treat her badly, back she comes every year with the same hopeful smile, waiting. A flower that doesn’t want to die, let me compare the dandelion to the little flower that grows as we grow, that refuses to die no matter how often we push her aside.  Words do spring an injustice. It’s the same as when you say the words “I love you” too often. They lose their meaning because they aren’t close to representing the way you truly feel. After a while, they become a hindrance. So, instead of making with the words, I think I’ll just get out there and enjoy the springtime while it’s still here. The pale greenness, like youth, is gone before you know it. But at least old trees get new leaves and people who stay inside all winter go outdoors. All over there’s the crack of the bat, the satisfying smack of a ball finding leather, and, when they’re not on strike, the pleasure of the game eternal, played in the season of hope, the only time of year when men in knee braces relive dreams of immortality and boys and girls reach for stars that will never seem as close. And even if you get called out once in a while, the birds are still singing, the wife and kids, mother and father, still love you, and rain is falling on roses.  Summer is too hot. Fall is too sad and winter too cold. Hope springs eternal best in spring. And not by accident. All those promises, including the ones never quite met in a glass of sweetened wine, are kept. Somewhere, a tiny flower is pushing the earth aside and getting a taste of ecstasy, again.  Ecstasy in spring he proclaims that his “sacred obligation” as a journalist is to be “inherently sympathetic” to people who “arrive at different conclusions.” In a future Publisher’s Memo, perhaps Mr. Freeman will direct us to the portion of the code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists where it states that a journalist should be inherently sympathetic to those who ignore data in favor of their own biased conclusions lacking any factual basis. Mr. Freeman’s straw man rhetorical sleight-of-hand is growing a bit tiresome. Then again, perhaps this is just another one of those situations where if all you have is a rhetorical hammer, everything looks like a nail. -Lou Sorell Katonah LORENZO GARO OF HUMAN INTEREST Securities offered through Cantella & Co., Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Cantella and Co., Inc. does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. 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THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 OPINION THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 15 1-888-429-1301 Now you can fi nally have all of the soothing benefi ts of a relaxing warm bath, or enjoy a convenient refreshing shower while seated or standing with Safe Step Walk-In Tub’s FREE Shower Package! ✓ First walk-in tub available with a customizable shower ✓ Fixed rainfall shower head is adjustable for your height and pivots to off er a seated shower option ✓ High-quality tub complete with a comprehensive lifetime warranty on the entire tub ✓ Top-of-the-line installation and service, all included at one low, aff ordable price Now you can have the best of both worlds–there isn’t a better, more aff ordable walk-in tub! Call Today for Your Free Shower Package NORTH AMER ICA’S # 1 SellingWalk-In Tub Featuring our Free Shower Package Call today and receive a FREE SHOWER PACKAGE PLUS $1600 OFF FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY Call Toll-Free 1-888-429-1301 With purchase of a new Safe Step Walk-In Tub. 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Certifi cate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN) 6129-1118 FREE Information Kit 1-877-690-2680 Visit us online at www.dental50plus.com/seasonal J ust as I was about to give up hope of having enough time to file this column, anticipating the amount of research I’d need to do the topic justice, along comes Bard to the rescue.  I had thought about bloviating this week on the loyal resistance forces that invariably rise up in comfy suburban strongholds like Westchester whenever something like a multi-family housing project is brought to the town hall podium by a developer.   Bard is Google’s version of a chatbot, a form of artificial intelligence (AI) that we can talk to, and ask questions, and get to write things for us like, say, a letter to the editor.  Ultimately, Bard is seen as the forerunner of super-charged Google search. It can be asked very specific questions (a.k.a. “prompts”), in everyday language and instantly spit out a literate response, ranging from the length of a sentence to the length of a book, of which another AI blabbermouth, ChatGPT from OpenAI, reportedly has already authored 200.  GIVE IT A SPIN Bard was released a couple of days before my deadline to submit what you now are reading. Like a giddy teenager with a new driver’s license, I was eager to “give it a spin,” as Google invited me to do in the email it sent that said my waiting list turn to try Bard had turned up.  Wasting no time, I asked Bard to “Write a letter to the editor listing the most common reasons suburban homeowners protest the building of new rental apartment developments in their community.” Sounds straightforward enough, right? Not to Bard, apparently.  In a matter of seconds, my requested letter materialized, but Bard seemed to misunderstand my prompt. The letter it composed complained not about the developments themselves, but about the people protesting them.  “Dear Editor,” the letter from Bard reads, “I am writing to express my concern about the recent trend of suburban homeowners protesting the building of new rental apartment developments in their communities. I believe that these protests are misguided and harmful, and I urge the community to reconsider their position.” Whoa! Did not see that coming, you bad boy, Bard.  HARVARD STUDY So I went to Plan B, clicking the handy Google icon that rides shotgun with Bard, to forage for “related searches.” The first result that popped up was “Common reasons suburban homeowners protest the building of new rental apartment developments,” a response that was closer to the spirit of the original question I put to Bard. The source of the result was a March 2007 study from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, titled, “Overcoming Opposition to Multifamily Rental Housing” by Mark Obrinsky and Debra Stein. As if that title isn’t tell-tale enough, the opening paragraph of their scholarly paper leaves no doubt where they stand on the matter. Check this out: “Multifamily housing is characterized by some citizens as a “NIMBY” project (Not in My Backyard). Apartments are condemned as “LULUs” (“Locally Unwanted Land Uses”). We even have “CAVEs” (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) and they want “BANANAs” (to Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone).” If the authors’ tone sounds slightly mocking, well, I wouldn’t say slightly.    Ready to try a different tack, I asked Bard, “What is the success rate of suburbanites who want to stop multifamily housing developments in their backyard?” Bard obliged with, “In a study published in the journal “Housing Policy Debate,” researchers found that only about 10% of proposed multifamily housing developments in suburban areas are actually stopped by protests.” TIPS FOR PROTESTERS However, Bard, apparently feeling a twinge of empathy for the preponderance of failed protests, proceeded to list “some tips for suburbanites who want to stop multifamily housing developments in their backyard.”  Bard’s tips are 1) Be well-organized; 2) Have a strong legal argument; 3) Be patient; 4) Be persistent. Is that all you got, buddy? You sound more like a cliched Knute Rockne locker-room pep talk at half-time than cutting-edge counseling.   Oh, well. As a machine-learning AI, Bard knows it has a lot to learn, because it’s built to deliver better responses the more you bond with it, not unlike how Netflix knows more about your viewing taste the more you watch it.  Considering what Google has christened its chatbot, maybe I should have been a touch more poetic in how I phrased my original question to Bard. You know, something on the order of, “To build or not to build, that is the question.”  Bruce can be seen in a wacky one-act called “Dream Lover” at Westchester libraries this spring, including April 29 at Harrison Library (3 p.m.) and May 13 at Croton Free Library (7 p.m.); from June 2-4, he will play the title role in “Tuesdays with Morrie” for The Armonk Players at the Whippoorwill Theatre. All shows are free of charge. [email protected]; 914-275-6887. My chatty buddy, Bard the Bot Google’s AI is pretty smart, but Mensa material it’s not BRUCE APAR BRUCE THE BLOG

Sports PAGE 16 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 BY RICH MONETTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER John Jay opened the season on a good note at home versus Pelham on Tuesday, Mar. 28. An 8-4 victory, the boys then faced a pretty tall order in their Friday (3/31) night match up. The defending state champs from Manhassett brought their swag to Contest Field and left with little damage in an 11-5 victory. But John Jay still gained in the loss, and Andrew Kiefer gave voice to the sentiment.  “It’s fun to play the best of the best,” said the junior. “That’s how you get better.”  Manhassett did not wait long to let everyone know who was who either. The Indians won the draw, and making a juke through the defense, Jack Petersen scored on the first shot on goal.  Obviously not a great save percentage to start for Blake O’Callaghan, but Manhassett would soon learn what they were actually up against. After winning the next draw, Petersen twice got the ball in front. The John Jay goalie got a stick on the first shot and snared the second with his catcher. At the same time, the goalie was no pushover. The ball coming loose above the crease, O’Callaghan put his body on the fray of defenders and secured the sphere.  However, John Jay turned the ball over, and the juggernaut had its way. Liam Connor took a pass from behind, and easily bounced the ball past O’Callaghan. The goalie was undeterred, though, and after making an unbelievable one-bounce, point-blank save, he finally gave John Jay the chance to set up. Kyle Petschek got himself up in prime position, but the post got the better of his shot at 4:43. A penalty still drawn, the Wolves could not capitalize, and a turnover sent the ball the other way. No surprise, Manhassett was greeted by another great stick save, and the Indians opted to regroup by calling for time. Unfortunately, the pause button worked. Matt Cargiulo found just enough space among the morass, and sidearmed the ball into the net. A 3-0 score with 1:28 left in the first, John Jay was still in no mood to surrender. But no such luck, the Wolves ended up in the clink anyway. Kiefer’s sidearm clanked off the metal with 42 seconds remaining in the first, and the score remained unchanged. Of course, Manhassett was not impressed, and only twelve seconds into the second, Cal Girard gave the visitors a 4-0 lead.  Even so, John Jay took the next draw, and the Wolves showed they could play-make too. From the left of the goal, Craig Galea placed the ball on Luca Duva’s stick in front, but the attacker’s shot went just wide.  Then the home team found out they were facing a talented goalie as well. Chris DiChiara swung from the right, and Matthew Im gobbled the ball up on the bounce.  He was there again when Petschek wound up on the right, but so was O’Callaghan on his turn. Petersen made the rush, and the Wolf’s downward twirl did more than just stymy the Indian again. “I think he’s a great young man, and as a goalie, he has so much mental toughness,” said Kiefer. So no reason offense cannot be part of O’Callaghan’s game. The freshman connected with Ben Gold past midfield, and Manhassett giving chase, Luca Duva was open in the middle. He let fly, and John Jay was on the board at 4:31.  A final point-blank save by O’Callaghan preserved the threegoal difference, and the same went as Danny Kolan was denied on the wrap-around to start the third. Inevitably, all the bend had to give way to break. Donald Mack scored at 10:25, and Petersen extended to 6-1 with 8:04.   So mostly in the bag at this point, the teams traded goals with Kiefer getting two, and Brendan Corelli and Petschek getting one each.  Of course, O’Callaghan was the star, and going forward, he’s thinking big. “You can expect a sectional chip,” the net-minder asserted. Maybe a little presumptuous, but a team riding a hot goalie certainly is not. And against the best, the second-year varsity player showed that he could just be the guy.  John Jay wins opener Falls to defending state champs Blake O’Callaghan PHOTOS: RICH MONETTI Chris DiChiara Luca Duva (middle) Aidan McCarthy BOYS LACROSSE You can expect a sectional chip.’ Blake O’Callaghan John Jay Lacrosse Goalie

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 SPORTS THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 17  e Harvey School’s athletics department has announced the selections for the top male and female student-athletes of the winter term. Getting the honor are two juniors, basketball’s Olaf Gorski and skiing’s Katie McCulloch. Each not only enjoyed an outstanding athletic season, but also earned a Cavalier Scholar certi - cate for achieving a grade-point average of 4.0 or higher. Gorski, an international student from Poland, played a primary role in helping the boys’ varsity basketball team capture both the Housatonic Valley Athletic League (HVAL) and the New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) championships.  e starting center in his  rst year at Harvey grew to become a force under the basket as the season moved along. Named as the team’s most improved player by his coaches, Gorski led the team in rebounds and blocked shots. He went on to earn postseason honors such as HVAL All-League, along with All-NEPSAC. Gorski’s coach, Denis Arnautovic, o ered high praise for his player’s achievement. “I’m extremely proud of Olaf for receiving the scholar-athlete award. He exempli es everything Harvey and our community stands for.”  e winter’s top female student-athlete, Katie McCulloch, was the captain of the varsity ski team and its MVP.  Her team coaches also honored her leadership, dedication, and sportsmanship with the Cavalier Award. McCulloch was one of the team’s two skiers who  nished in the top 10 to score points for the Harvey squad. She produced the team’s best result this season when she placed second in their fourth race.  Top winter studentathletes named Olaf Gorski and Katie McCulloch earned the top male and female studentathlete awards. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HARVEY SCHOOL THE HARVEY SCHOOL Olaf (Gorski) and Katie (McCulloch) are most deserving of this recognition. They are two very fine young people who excel in both sports and academics.’ Ray Lacen Harvey School Athletic Director SEE HONORS PAGE 19 Add Value to Your Home We specialize in targeted home improvements — both big and small — to maximize your home’s value,comfort and beauty. • Bathroom Remodeling • Kitchen Remodeling • Durable Vinyl Siding • Room Additions • Add-a-Levels • • Replacement Windows • General Carpentry • Basement Finishing • Painting • Interior Trim • Handy Man • Sero’s Contracting When we’re done, there is nothing left to do. Licensed & Insured • Local References • Brewster, NY • 845-216-1955 • 845-279-6977 • [email protected]

PAGE 18 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES SPORTS THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 BY RICH MONETTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER John Jay began the week on Monday, Mar. 27 in a cold rain at Lakeland.  e Wolves lost 17- 9, and then endured more chill at Fox Lane on  ursday (3/30).  Against the Foxes, Coach Steve DelMoro thought his girls were a little preoccupied with the weather. “O the bus, I felt like we were worried about being cold,” he said. “We did not warm up well, and it kind of trickled down from there.” A 12-0 defeat said as much. “It comes down to being ready to go,” the coach lamented.  e girls went down 1-2-3 in the  rst, but Fox Lane did not. Hannah Getman drew a walk, Sienna Greco reached on an error, and Sydney Hurwitz’s oneout single drove in two. Even so, John Jay looked like they might answer back in the second. Carys Cooper lined a lead-o single, got to second base on a throwing error, but was left on third with Sophia Rodriguez striking out the side. Emma Klares did keep pace with her counterpart, though. Weathering another error, the starter was able to get out of the second unscathed. However, she could not overcome more errors in the bottom of the third. After Gabby Noar singled, a dropped  y ball resulted in another unearned run, and John Jay trailed 3-0.  ere was no reply in the top of the fourth, and Fox Lane continued to ignore the weather. A double by Jordynn Killion was followed by a Noar triple, and singles by Grace Cleveland and DeLuca.    e score at 5-0, Fox Lane sealed the victory with two more in the  fth and four in the sixth.  Still, DelMoro did see some bright spots. “We fought. We made some good plays in the  eld, and Emma and Julia (Neumann) did great pitching.” DelMoro was also happy that eighth graders Riley Foote and Cooper both got singles. Needing to adjust, the end of the week was not going to get any easier.  A strong opponent in Nanuet arriving on Friday (3/31), Coach was hoping home  eld might be an advantage. “ ey have a long bus ride and we do not,” he said. “Who knows, anything can happen.” Crossing the river or not, John Jay scored on a walk-o passed ball and defeated the Golden Knights by a score of 4-3. Wolves o to 1-2 start Get walk-off single over Nanuet Brooke Buatte PHOTOS: RICH MONETTI Elaina Daly (left) Emma Klares Maya Nelsen SOFTBALL

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 SPORTS THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 19 Ski team head coach Simon Leibovic was very pleased to learn of McCulloch’s selection. “Katie demonstrated excellent leadership, and her maturity provided her teammates with a great example to follow. She not only performed well during the ski races, but also served as a shining representative of  e Harvey School with her displays of sportsmanship and positivity.” In making the announcement of the winter’s top student-athletes, athletic director Ray Lacen said, “Olaf and Katie are most deserving of this recognition.  ey are two very  ne young people who excel in both sports and academics.” Article provided by  e Harvey School PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HARVEY SCHOOL Gorski helped his team win the NEPSAC championship this winter. Katie McCulloch was her team’s MVP. HONORS FROM PAGE 17 Contact Us The Katonah-Lewisboro Times is located at 118 N Bedford Road, Suite 100, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. You can contact us at 914-302-5830 or email [email protected]. REQUEST A FREE QUOTE CALL NOW BEFORE THE NEXT POWER OUTAGE (877) 516-1160 Prepare for power outages today WITH A HOME STANDBY GENERATOR $0 MONEY DOWN + LOW MONTHLY PAYMENT OPTIONS Contact a Generac dealer for full terms and conditions *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. FREE 7-Year Extended Warranty* – A $695 Value! Freelance Writer, Editor, and Content Producer Bill Bongiorno | (914) 533-7065 | [email protected] For All Your Writing Needs SUMMERCAMP CAREER & TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR MORE INFORMATION: (914) 248-2220 or (914) 248-2430 Discount of $10 per camper for payments received before May 5, 2023.Register early to guarantee camp choice and discount. FOR STUDENTS 12 - 15 YEARS OLD FUN PROGRAMS INSTRUCTORS ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD SESSION 3 July 17 - 21 SESSION 4 July 24 - 28 SESSION 1 July 3,5,6,7 ($185) SESSION 2 July 10 - 14 ALL PROGRAM OFFERINGS: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm | $235 per week www.PNWBOCES.org/SummerCamp HEALTHY COOKING SPORTS MEDICINE LAW ENFORCEMENT BEAUTY HAIRSTYLING BAKING NURSING ANIMATION DIGITAL MEDIA YORKTOWN TILLY FOSTER FARM PROGRAMS: ANIMAL CARE CUISINES AND DESSERTS AROUND THE WORLD BREWSTER

PAGE 20 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES LEISURE THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 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. Colas 7. Single-celled animals 13. The rear car of a train 14. Endangered 16. It cools your home 17. Helper 19. “The First State” 20. More aged 22. Partner to cheese 23. Type of wrap 25. From a distance 26. Satisfies 28. “Dallas Buyers’ Club” actor Jared 29. God of battle (Scandinavian) 30. Cooking utensil 31. Soviet Socialist Republic 33. Able to perform 34. Big man on campus 36. Second epoch of the Tertiary period 38. Porticos 40. Alban and Peter are two 41. Gets up 43. Humble request for help 44. One-thousandth of an inch (abbr.) 45. Unhappy 47. Hint or indication 48. A way to plead 51. Digits 53. Broadway actress Daisy 55. Jewish calendar month 56. Author Gore __ 58. Peacock network 59. White poplar 60. Promotional material 61. A period of calm 64. Take too much 65. Emit energy 67. Something you can take 69. Mended with yarn 70. Inconsistent CLUES DOWN 1. Calm down 2. One quintillion bytes (abbr.) 3. One who pretends 4. Hang glide 5. Distinctive practice 6. Mariner 7. Peaks 8. Queens ballplayer 9. Geological times 10. Twofold 11. Atomic #13 12. Tranquillizing 13. Metric weight unit 15. Indicates 18. Unwanted rodent 21. Partly cooked with hot water 24. One who can be recommended 26. Resembles a bag or pouch 27. Midway between south and southeast 30. Sets up for a photo 32. California white oak 35. More (Spanish) 37. After B 38. Decorated tea urn 39. Island 42. Car mechanics group 43. Wordplay joke 46. Cut a rug 47. Prickly plant 49. Speech in praise of a deceased person 50. European buzzard 52. Influential linguist 54. West African languages 55. Siskel’s partner 57. Skinny 59. Oblong pulpit 62. Consumed 63. Small, mischievous sprite 66. Powerful lawyer 68. Indicates position April is a big birthday month for the Je ers family. My wife, daughter, sister and many dear friends all celebrate. So, right after I take out a loan for gift buying, I will write this week’s “Birthday Bash” edition of “News & Notes.” I think I just saw Peter Cottontail hopping down the Bunny trail to the always fun, annual Rummage Sale at the Katonah Presbyterian Church set for Saturday, April 29, through Saturday, May 6. Rummage is caring, sharing & love and you are invited to be a part of the experience; hope to see you there.    is should be a hoot, as our local elected o cials put on a play. It reminds me of growing up with the “Little Rascals, Spanky and the Gang.”  On Saturday, April 8, at the Bedford Hills Community Center at 8 p.m.,  e Katonah Classic Stage presents “ e Prisoner of Second Avenue,” which takes us through the trials and tribulations of Mel Edison, a man who is out of work, out of money, and going out of his mind. He is trapped with his wife, Edna, in their New York City apartment with an air conditioner that threatens to freeze him alive and walls as thin as paper. Come laugh with your neighbors as these public servants support the arts by showing o their acting chops!  e crazy “Clubhouse” gang’s April show is April 26, 7 to 8 p.m. on WGCH 1490AM, live from  e Hub at Hotel MTK in Mount Kisco; come join us for some good food, fun and maybe even some sports stories…  I’ve always wanted to try Zumba and now is my chance on  ursdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Join instructor Bernadette Matta as she leads sessions at the Bedford Hills Community Center.  e perfect combination of fun and  tness, a complete workout combining all elements of  tness, cardio, muscle conditioning, balance,  exibility and boosted energy.  e good folks at the Paramount Hudson Valley  eater have some great shows in April. On April 15,  e Wailers hit the stage. Not many bands can claim genuine legend status.  e Wailers comfortably claim their place in essential music history. Jim Messina performs his many hits on April 21. An undisputed expert in the  ne art of making hit music, Messina’s legacy of musical genius spans  ve decades, three super groups and a vibrant solo career. Both shows start at 8 p.m. A sure sign of spring is the Westchester County-owned golf courses are now open for the season, weather and conditions permitting. Tee time reservations may be made online or by phoning the individual courses. Walk-up reservations will also be accepted.  Speaking of golf, my friend and physical therapist Lize Lubbe has opened her sports centric studio at Apex Fitness and really works well on golf exercises and stretches. Lize and her team will take good care of you at their Cross River facility.   is old joke always brings a smile to my face: “If April showers bring May  owers, what do May owers bring? Pilgrims!” See you next time! Welcome to Westchester ‘News and Notes’ MARK JEFFERS NEWS & NOTES I used to feel there wasn’t much to do at nights in Northern Westchester. However, that is nowhere close to the truth.  e fact is there are hundreds of live music options close to home. I decided to expand my horizons this month and look beyond 20 miles from my front door. Who’s been to the Peekskill Smokehouse at 15 N Division St or visited Common Grounds Co ee House in Jefferson Valley since their March grand opening?  e word is they both feature live music. If you’ve been, I’d love to hear your feedback on these new (to me) locations.  ere’s been a bit of buzz about Uncle Cheef’s Live Music Lounge coming to Brewster this spring. Route 22’s newest night club is under construction. Elisa Z (HearIt-  ere Founder) and I were given the grand tour recently and believe me when I say, we are all in for a luscious treat.  e opening date is on the horizon, and I promise to keep you up to date as details become available. In the meantime, follow them on Instagram @unclecheef for updates. As the Editor of HearIt-  ere.com, I get a weekly sneak peek at the multitude of live music events coming up. I’d like to tell you about two events that caught my eye. Jazz at the Lodge in Ossining is hosting SUNDAD on Saturday, April 29. I had the pleasure of hearing this Grammy-nominated ensemble at Daryl’s House Club. It is my pleasure to recommend this unique jazz band fronted Jacque’s Spin on Music for April! JACQUE’S S PIN O N M USI C JACQUE’S S PIN O N M USI C SEE MUSIC PAGE 23

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I t is a common misconception that only the “uber rich” need an estate plan, when in actuality, everyone should have a plan.  In fact, whether you plan, or not, you do have a “plan:” the di erence is whether it is the plan you want, or one that New York law decides for you based on the laws of the state.  Here are  ve common estate planning mistakes and pitfalls to avoid! 1. FAILING TO PLAN AND/ OR REVISIT YOUR PLAN REGULARLY Failing to have any plan at all is probably the most common mistake. Statistically, only 42% of U.S. adults have estate planning documents in place and only about 36% of parents with minor children have end-of-life plans in place.  While we may at one time or another feel that estate planning is not necessary, technically everyone over the age of 18 should have a plan in place.  is plan does not need to be complicated; it can start as a simple Will that indicates who is to receive your assets and who will be entrusted with handling your estate in the event of death, and should also include documents called advance directives that indicate who will handle medical (health care proxy) decisions and  nancial (power of attorney) decisions, if you were to become incapacitated and unable to make your own personal and  nancial decisions during your life. Once your plan is in place, it is equally as important to re-visit your plan regularly to con rm that bene ciaries are still alive and those you wish to inherit your assets, and that the individuals you have chosen to handle  nancial and personal a airs are still as you wish. 2. THINKING A TRUST WILL “OVER COMPLICATE” THINGS OR FAILING TO FUND A TRUST Revocable and/or Irrevocable Trusts are excellent vehicles to avoid “probate” (which is the Surrogate’s Court process validating one’s Last Will and Testament and the Executor gaining access to funds held in one’s name alone after death).  ey are also excellent vehicles to specify how funds are to be used and/or when they are to be distributed to bene ciaries.  e use of a Revocable Trust as the center piece of your estate plan and the proper funding of said trust can eliminate the need for Probate of your Last Will and Testament. 3. RELYING TOO HEAVILY ON BENEFICIARY DESIGNATIONS Many people think that the best way to plan is to have bene ciary designations on all assets. For example, you might have a brokerage account that is in your name alone and names your spouse and/or children as bene ciary. While this is a common “quick  x” to avoiding probate and allows funds to pass to a bene ciary upon death, it can cause more harm than good in certain situations. From a tax planning perspective, important New York and federal estate tax planning techniques can be lost if funds are passed directly to a bene ciary spouse. Additionally, if a bene ciary is a minor and receives the assets, a Guardian of Property must be appointed by the court before the funds are released from the  nancial institution to said Guardian.  ese funds would then be held in joint control with the court until the minor bene ciary reaches age of majority. A trust for a minor child could avoid this outcome. Having not only named bene ciaries, but alternate bene ciaries is also important, in the event your named bene ciary does not survive you. Another issue that arises if you appoint a bene ciary(ies) for a bank, brokerage or retirement account is what happens to said account if the bene ciary is not surviving upon your demise. If there is no surviving named bene ciary, then said account will become part of your probate estate and if you have received Medicaid bene ts (home care and/or nursing home care), it will be subject to any claims made by Medicaid and/or your creditors. Lastly, funds left directly to named bene ciaries are not necessarily available to pay for the expenses that might need to be paid after your passing. For example, if a single individual were to name one of his siblings as bene ciary on his brokerage account, those funds would go to that sibling at his or her death. If another sibling paid for the funeral and/or other expenses that arose, technically the bene ciary sibling has no obligation to use the funds he/she received to reimburse another, or pay for any expenses of your estate, etc.  4. USING ONLINE TEMPLATES AND FORMS While convenient and cost e ective, online templates and forms can inevitably lead to mistakes and/or omissions that cannot be corrected once an individual becomes incapacitated or deceased. Unfortunately, online forms are often incorrectly labeled, outdated, or do not comply with New York speci c laws and/or estate and long-term-care planning concerns. 5. KEEPING YOUR ESTATE PLAN AND WISHES A SECRET If you do not share your plan with your agents and/or trusted advisors, it makes their job in the event of incapacity or death very di cult. Having open communication with those you trust and advising them what assets you have and the plans you have put in place, and who they should contact in the event of incapacity/death (doctors,  nancial advisors, accountants, attorneys) is instrumental to ensuring that your goals are met and wishes followed. Equally important is discussing your end-of-life wishes, including burial arrangements, locations, etc. As you can see from the complexity of the above raised issues, working with an Elder Law and Estate Planning attorney can ensure that you have created a plan that is customized to your needs and correctly re ects your wishes and goals. Lauren C. Enea, Esq. is a Senior Associate at Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP. She concentrates her practice on Wills, Trusts and Estates, Medicaid Planning, Special Needs Planning and Probate/Estate Administration. She believes that it is never too early or too late to start planning for your future and she enjoys working with individuals to ensure that their plan best suits their needs. Ms. Enea received a B.S. in Business Management from Quinnipiac University, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and a J.D. from the Pace University School of Law, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She is admitted to practice law in New York and Florida. She can be contacted at 914-948-1500 or www.esslaw rm.com. THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 23 Avoid these estate planning mistakes! 2023 Lunch & Learn Series Held at noon on the last Wednesday of each month, the free educational programs will shed light on important elder law and estate planning topics. The 90-minute programs, which include a light lunch and refreshments, will take place at the fi rm’s White Plains location and are open to the public at no cost – though space is limited. Those interested in attending are encouraged to register early by calling 914-948-1500 to reserve their spot. April 26 – Aging in Place: A Guide to Growing Older at Home Nearly 90 percent of seniors wish to stay in their own home as they age (source: AARP). Learn how to prepare a home to safely age in place through senior-proofi ng, necessary legal documents, strategies for bill paying and fi nancial management, as well as an overview of the Medicaid home care program. Presented by Sara Meyers, Esq. & Samantha Lyons, Esq. by Father and Son guitarists. John Codman has been curating a scene at this Elks Lodge since 2016 and putting the Rivertown on the map for excellent jazz music. You’ll  nd a listing for this venue’s  ursday and Saturday night shows at jazzatthelodge.com.  e Bedford Playhouse is hosting Spero Plays Nyro:  e Music of Laura Nyro on April 6. For a point of reference, Nyro wrote “Eli’s Coming and Stoned Soul Picnic.” Tickets are available for the 8 p.m. show at bedfordplayhouse.org.  e Playhouse also o ers FREE live music at 6:30 p.m. in  e Café on the  rst Friday of the month. If you miss the band, ONL, on April 7, vocalists Robin Reitzes fronts local band Willin’ on May 6 at the Cafe. Looking for some other options this month? DOG HAUS BIERGARTEN, 3137 E MAIN STREET, CORTLANDT TOWN CENTER, MOHEGAN LAKE, 845-915-4287  ursday night acoustic music at 7 p.m. Bands perform Friday and Saturday nights from 8-11 p.m. JAZZ ON MAIN, 37 S MOGER AVE., MT. KISCO, 914-730-2399  e club has been getting noticed for its FREE Wednesday night open mic welcoming all forms of performance to the stage. A new addition to the Wednesday schedule is a onehour featured band performance opening the stage at 7 p.m. Local bands interested in more details, please send me an email. WESTCHESTER BLUEGRASS CLUB, 33 LAKE WAY CLUBHOUSE, PURDYS Saturday, April 29, at 8 p.m., the club will host Grammy winning  ddler Lisa Gutkin’s band, Lisa’s Pieces. Opening music at 7 p.m. Visit the WestchesterBluegrassClub.com for full details. Readers, I am here to help you get the word out. Feel free to send your May and June gig info to jacque@wbutter y.net. Jacque Roche is a freelance writer and content contributor to Halston Media Group publications, as well as editor and music blogger for HearIt ere.com. Archived broadcasts of her 2016-2020 radio shows are streaming on  Mixcloud.com. MUSIC FROM PAGE 20 LAUREN ENEA GUEST CORNER

PAGE 24 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2023 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 19 CLASSIFIEDS 18 LEISURE 17 OPINION 8 TOWN CROSSING 4 SPORTS 14 Wolves Win Big pg 15 HOCKEY Visit TapIntoKLT.net for the latest news. PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST CALDWELL, NJ PERMIT #992 On Jan. 7, the stage at John Jay High School came alive with the return of ArtsALIVE’s Encore Cabaret! See more photos from this amazing evening on page 10. Encore! PHOTO: ROB DISTASIO The cast performing “What I did for Love” from A Chorus Line. BY TOM BARTLEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER Who thought this was a good idea, anyway? Two young bandits, clearly not acquainted with the relentless calculus of risk and reward, knocked over the tiny Waccabuc post o‰ ce the other day. Sure, they came away with all of about $200, perhaps more cash than they might have realized in a gas station stickup. But for that skimpy take-home they quickly had at least four law enforcement agencies—local, state and federal, including the FBI and postal-inspection service— in hot pursuit. By late last week, all were said to have the getaway car’s license-plate number and to be closing in on their quarry. Waccabuc’s mail service is centered in a quaint, one-story white-clapboard structure on Post O‰ ce Road. Built in 1880, it’s a venerable piece of the Waccabuc Historic District and had never, as far as anyone can recall, been a target of desperadoes. Until Jan. 10. – at’s the day the two men entered, says Lewisboro Police Chief David Alfano, who gave this account: Both intruders were packing pistols when they walked in around 4:30 in the afternoon. While one guarded the door, the other vaulted the counter to scoop up the cash register’s contents. Neither thug bothered to cover his face. Alfano described the stickup duo as black men in their 20s, about 5 foot 8 and 6 feet tall and said one wore an orange re- ž ective safety vest. Cash in hand, the two ž ed, seemingly successfully. But their getaway car had a date with today’s ubiquitous digital surveillance. “We did succeed in obtaining a registration from our license-plate reader on Route 35,” Alfano said. Relatively new technology, license-plate readers capture and cross-reference a car’s plates in real-time, allowing the police to issue alerts even as suspects on the run believe they’ve evaded their pursuers.  Two postal employees, one of them a woman working the service counter, were in the building when the bandits struck, police said. – eir names were being withheld. Neither was hurt, a state police spokesman said. – e U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which traces its roots to 1775, more than a century before the Waccabuc post o‰ ce went up, was “taking the lead” in the investigation, Alfano said. Authorities hunt for Waccabuc post offi ce robbers 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  HAVE IT ALL AT HERITAGE HILLS! Absolutely one of the best locations in Heritage Hills - convenient, private and picturesque! Set on an expansive cul-de-sac, this desirable location offers beautiful year-round views of nature. Enjoy no steps in this one level light and bright updated 3-bedroom/2 full bath Croton II with a 2-car garage! $699,900 #UGottaHaveHope VOL. 5 NO. 44 THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2023 as suspects on the run believe they’ve evaded their pursuers.  Two postal employees, one of them a woman working the service counter, were in the building when the bandits struck, police said. – eir names were being withheld. Neither was hurt, a state police spokesman said. – e U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which traces its roots to 1775, more than a century before the Waccabuc post o‰ ce went up, was “taking the lead” in the investigation, Alfano said. Authorities hunt for Waccabuc post offi ce robbers MAZZOLA Sales Vice President Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker 914.714.0090 [email protected] hopemazzola.com as suspects on the run believe Two postal employees, one of them a woman working the service counter, were in the building when the bandits struck, police said. – eir names were being withheld. Neither was hurt, a – e U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which traces its roots to 1775, more than a century before the Waccabuc post o‰ ce went up, was “taking the lead” in the investigation, Alfano said. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2023 VOL. 5 NO. 47 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 19 CLASSIFIEDS 18 OBITUARIES 5 OPINION 8 TOWN CROSSING 5 SPORTS 13 Scouts Give Back pg 10 TROOP 104 Visit TapIntoKLT.net for the latest news. PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CALDWELL, NJ WEST PERMIT #992 BY TOM BARTLEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER Taxpayers in the KatonahLewisboro School District are being asked whether, and by how much, they want to thank veterans and  rst responders for their service. KLSD’s Board of Education is considering a package of tax-relief proposals for vets and others, including senior citizens and disabled persons. Although the various tax breaks—covering eligibility levels as well as dollar amounts—were authorized last year by state legislation, Albany neither mandates them nor makes up any revenue they cost the district, shifting that burden to other KLSD taxpayers. At their Feb. 2 meeting, board members generally supported proposed improvements in the tax-relief programs. But they were less enthusiastic about creating di„ erent taxing levels for di„ erent groups of residents without a complete  nancial picture of the impact. Trustee William Rifkin appeared to sum up their unease. Although the board annually approves the schools’ $100 millionplus budgets and their subsequent hefty tax levy, that burden is meant to be shared evenly by district property owners. “Here,” Rifkin observed, “we’re picking people who will pay to honor [other] people, and we’re making the decision for them. It’s uncomfortable.” ” e board will hold a public hearing Feb. 23 on the various proposals, which are also under separate discussion by the Lewisboro Town Board. In the meantime, residents are invited to email questions and views to BOE@ klschools.org. ” e decision to turn to the community for feedback followed an 80-minute discussion at last week’s board meeting in which the trustees leaned toward increasing Veterans’ existing tax bene t to new top levels enacted by last year’s state legislation. Albany also eased eligibility requirements for tax breaks to the other groups. Volunteer  re ghters and ambulance workers would now qualify for the bene t in two years, down from  ve, and seniors and persons with disabilities would be given higher permissible income levels. In an email, School Superintendent Andrew Selesnick said the district does not yet have “precise language for resolutions that may or may not be adopted on Feb. 23.” But he told board members they would have to act by about March 1 to assure that the new bene ts could go into e„ ect in the 2024-25 school year. Other nearby towns and school districts have already enacted tax breaks for Veterans, seniors and the disabled. Bedford, for example, acted last spring on Veterans, approving the maximum permissible levels, and voted relief for seniors and disabled persons at year’s end. ” e Bedford Central School District also voted last year to give Veterans the top exemption levels authorized in the new state law. Selesnick sat in last week for Danelle Pacella, the district’s assistant superintendent for business, who had briefed the board Dec. 1 on potential Veterans-exemption increases. For his own discussion, SeleBoard of Education considers tax-relief proposals SEE KLSD PAGE 4 Following a big win on the road against Somers last week, Annabel Brennan and the Wolves are looking to make an impact in the postseason! Read more on page 14. HOPEMAZZOLA YOU’VE GOTTA HAVE HOPE Sales Vice President Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker cell: 914.714.0090 [email protected] hopemazzola.com MAZZOLA YOU’VE GOTTA HAVE HOPE 95 Katonah Ave | Katonah, NY 10536  If A Picture Paints A Thousand Words, Then This Amazing Story is A Best Seller! Meticulous and truly move-in ready, this sunny and spacious contemporary has been nicely updated and perfectly maintained. Located in Greenbriar with pool, tennis, basketball and clubhouse just moments from town, train, school and highways. Super low taxes! 4 BR/3 BA, 2,850sf $685,000 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2022 VOL. 5 NO. 34 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 31 CLASSIFIEDS 30 LEISURE 24 OPINION 10 TOWN CROSSING 7 SPORTS 20 Project Breaks Ground pg 16 PLAYGROUND Visit TapIntoKLT.net for the latest news. PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST CALDWELL, NJ PERMIT #992 BY TOM BARTLEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER For more than 20 years, Coach Bill Swertfager has built John Jay High School’s wrestling program, from literally nothing to a perennial Section One contender. More signi€ cantly, he’s built a generation of young men and women who are now better adults thanks to the example he set and the life lessons he taught, scores of supporters told the Katonah-Lewisboro school board last week. Some 300 strong, a standingroom-only throng, they packed the board’s Nov. 3 meeting in the high school cafeteria to deliver full-throated support for Coach Bill. ˆ ey appealed to keep him at the wrestling program’s helm, beseeching school o‰ cials in public a week ago after a complaint made in private more than a year ago put the coach’s job in jeopardy. In the spring of 2021, an unidenti€ ed person asserts, Swertfager slapped a player on the backside in a girls juniorvarsity softball game. Neither the KLSD administration nor the school board, bound by privacy regulations, is permitted to identify the complainant. One account making the rounds among the coach’s supporters insists that neither the player nor her parents have taken issue with his actions. Instead, this version holds, one of the girl’s teammates, “uncomfortable” with seeing the touch, complained about it. Swertfager, for his part, says he has no recollection of delivering what is the sports world’s longtime, spontaneous gesture of support or congratulations. “I have no idea who the player was that I supposedly did it to, or who the teammate was who was uncomfortable with it,” he said in an interview last weekend. “I simply don’t remember the incident. I am not saying it didn’t happen; I am just saying I don’t remember it.” ˆ ough he has been an integral part of John Jay’s athletic establishment for more than two decades, Swertfager is not a full-time KLSD employee. ˆ e owner of the Cross River-based marketing € rm AIA Promotional Source, he draws only a token stipend from the school treasury. Whoever is varsity wrestling coach this winter will be paid $8,140 for the season. Still, the 63-year-old Swertfager noted in the interview, “I have dedicated my entire adult life, 40 years, to coaching boys and girls in seven sports, including softball, baseball, track and € eld, boys and girls soccer, football, basketball and, of course, wrestling. ˆ ousands of young men and women without a single blemish on my record for anything.”  ˆ e school board had been expected to appoint all coaches for winter sports at ˆ ursday’s meeting but ultimately put the matter over to the next meeting, Nov. 17, after a crescendo of voices insisted Coach Bill be retained. Swertfager had the € rst word. Addressing the school board for Coach Bill Swertfager speaking before the Board of Education on Nov. 3. PHOTO: TOM BARTLEY Outpouring of support for John Jay coach following complaint SEE COACH PAGE 28 HOPEMAZZOLA YOU’VE GOTTA HAVE HOPE Sales Vice President Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker cell: 914.714.0090 [email protected] hopemazzola.com MAZZOLA Sales Vice President Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker 914.714.0090 [email protected] hopemazzola.com 95 Katonah Ave | Katonah, NY 10536 UH, OH! THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT ‘ME’, AGAIN!  "Hope pulled out all the stops during the purchase of our home. She reached out to her contacts, connected us with her invaluable resources, negotiated on our behalf, and got us the keys to our dream house in a timely manner. She made herself available to us at all times, had our best interest at heart, and did not stop working for us - even after the closing. I can't say enough good things about Hope; without her on our team, there is no way my husband and I would have gotten our house." — CS, Purdys NY Your Local Expert. #UGottaHaveHope Another great transaction with 1. Clip the short form on this page 2. Fill out the information. 3. Mail it to: P.O. Box 864, Mahopac, NY 10541 4. Or Visit or visit www.halstonsubscribe.com 5. Or Scan our QR Code to Subscribe. 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 Katonah-Lewisboro Times. YES, I really enjoy The Katonah-Lewisboro Times, 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.) 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We Need Your Support To Continue The Paper THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2023 would be given higher permissible In an email, School Superintendent Andrew Selesnick said the district does not yet have “precise language for resolutions that may or may not be adopted on Feb. 23.” But he told board members they would have to act by about March 1 to assure that the new bene ts could go into e„ ect in the 2024-25 Other nearby towns and school districts have already enacted tax breaks for Veterans, seniors and the disabled. Bedford, for example, acted last spring on Veterans, approving the maximum permissible levels, and voted relief for seniors and disabled persons at year’s end. ” e Bedford Central School District also voted last year to give Veterans the top exemption levels authorized in the new state law. Selesnick sat in last week for Danelle Pacella, the district’s assistant superintendent for business, who had briefed the board Dec. 1 on potential Veterans-exemption For his own discussion, SeleSEE KLSD PAGE 4  VOL. 5 NO. 34 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 31 CLASSIFIEDS 30 LEISURE 24 OPINION 10 TOWN CROSSING 7 SPORTS 20 Project Breaks Ground PLAYGROUND BY TOM BARTLEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER For more than 20 years, Coach Bill Swertfager has built John Jay High School’s wrestling program, from literally nothing to a perennial Section One contender. More signi€ cantly, he’s built a generation of young men and women who are now better adults thanks to the example he set and the life lessons he taught, scores of supporters told the Katonah-Lewisboro school board last week. Some 300 strong, a standingroom-only throng, they packed the board’s Nov. 3 meeting in the high school cafeteria to deliver full-throated support for Coach Bill. ˆ ey appealed to keep him at the wrestling program’s helm, beseeching school o‰ cials in public a week ago after a complaint made in private more than a year ago put the coach’s job in jeopardy. In the spring of 2021, an unidenti€ ed person asserts, Swertfager slapped a player on among the coach’s supporters insists that neither the player nor her parents have taken issue with his actions. Instead, this version holds, one of the girl’s teammates, “uncomfortable” with seeing the touch, complained about it. Swertfager, for his part, says he has no recollection of delivering what is the sports world’s longtime, spontaneous gesture of support or congratulations. “I have no idea who the player was that I supposedly did it to, or who the teammate was who was uncomfortable with it,” he said in an interview last weekend. “I simply don’t remember the incident. I am not saying it didn’t happen; I am just saying I don’t remember it.” ˆ ough he has been an integral part of John Jay’s athletic establishment for more than Outpouring of support for John Jay coach following complaint UH, OH! THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT ‘ME’, AGAIN!  "Hope pulled out all the stops during the purchase of our home. She reached out to her contacts, connected us with her invaluable resources, negotiated on our behalf, and got us the keys to our dream house in a timely manner. She made herself available to us at all times, had our best interest at heart, and did not stop working for us - even after the closing. I can't say enough good things about Hope; without her on our team, there is no way my husband and I would have gotten our house." — CS, Purdys NY Your Local Expert. Another great transaction with THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 VOL. 5 NO. 48 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 23 CLASSIFIEDS 22 LEISURE 21 OPINION 8 TOWN CROSSING 2 SPORTS 17 Heading for States pg 17 GYMNASTICS Visit TapIntoKLT.net for the latest news. PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST CALDWELL, NJ PERMIT #992 BY BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER CONTRIBUTING WRITER Cardinal Timothy Dolan scored some big points with the clergy at St. Mary of the Assumption in Katonah with a blessing of a newly renovated gymnasium. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, led a Saturday night mass at the parish’s school building on Valley Road. Hundreds gathered on Feb. 11 to celebrate the new gym, which serves as a facility for various sports activities such as basketball, volleyball, and pickleball. “Let me say again how happy I am to be with you here at St. Mary’s Parish in Katonah,” Dolan said in his homily. “Of all the duties that I have as your archbishop, this one is what I relish the most, to be with you, God’s people, for the most important thing we do every week: o‹ er the holy sacriŒ ce of mass.” Ž e e‹ ort to renovate the Cardinal Dolan visits Katonah Archbishop praises St. Mary’s for investing in sports and spirituality Cardinal Dolan at St. Mary’s on Feb. 11. PHOTO: BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER ‘You’ve got a good thing going here at St. Mary of the Assumption in Katonah.’ Cardinal Timothy Dolan Archbishop of New York BY TOM BARTLEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER  Bedford’s Town Board, which last year improved the propertytax breaks it gives veterans and others, is looking now to add Œ rst responders to that list. Ž e board last week scheduled a public hearing for next month on a proposal that would cut the length of service time needed before volunteer Œ reŒ ghters and ambulance crew members could claim a 10 percent reduction on the assessed value of their homes. More than simply a “thank you” for the critical services these volunteers provide, the cut in qualifying time from Œ ve years to two is seen as a potential recruiting enticement. Bedford’s emergency services are having “quite a challenge” bringing in new members, Supervisor Ellen Calves said in introducing the measure at the board’s Feb. 7 meeting. Similar proposals, all based on recent changes in state law, are under consideration by the Lewisboro Town Board and the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, the latter representing by far the biggest chunk of local homeowners’ property taxes. Exemptions would apply only to primary residences. All told, the breaks that have either been enacted or are under consideration in the three taxing jurisdictions would beneŒ t veterans, Œ rst responders, senior citizens and the disabled. Ž e money they would save—expected to be a relatively small piece of their total tax bill— would have to be made up by the other town and school district residents, those not in one of the qualifying categories Ž e tax bills of those other residents likely would not see signiŒ cant increases, Bedford Assessor Harold Girdlestone said in proposing the expanded break last week. “Ž e Œ ve-to-two-years [service requirement] wouldn’t be much of an impact,” he told the board, saying “to wait Œ ve years is really a long time.” Saluting the volunteers who roll on myriad emergency calls 24/7, Girdlestone said, “Ž e service they provide is really unbelievable.” Bedford contemplates first responder tax break  SEE DOLAN PAGE 3 SEE BEDFORD PAGE 4 HOPEMAZZOLA YOU’VE GOTTA HAVE HOPE Sales Vice Licensed Associate Real Est President ate Broker cell: 914.714.0090 [email protected] hopemazzola.com MAZZOLA YOU’VE GOTTA HAVE HOPE 95 Katonah Ave | Katonah, NY 10536  What Dreams Are Made Of! Car Collectors - Landscapers - Contractors - Studio - whatever space you need or want to do, this 8-car garage will totally deliver. Add the 900 sf move-in ready ranch with gleaming wood floors, new kitchen appliances and a lovely 1/2 acre lot - all for one low price and with super low taxes. Garage has full heat, AC, hot water/drain and super high ceilings. The total package for living, rental or as a hangout. A rare bird for sure and not going to last so call me today! $499,000 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 Katonah-Lewisboro Times YES, I really enjoy The Katonah-Lewisboro Times 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.) 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