VOL. 5 NO. 45 THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 19 CLASSIFIEDS 18 LEISURE 17 OPINION 8 TOWN CROSSING 4 SPORTS 15 Horse Rescue E ort pg 3 SAVED! Visit TapIntoKLT.net for the latest news. PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST CALDWELL, NJ PERMIT #992 Biology students learn about the interconnectedness of body systems through analyzing the data of real New York City Marathon runners who encountered challenges, discover the structure and function of cellular membrane by modeling it with soap bubbles, exible straws and string, and understand di erent parts of the immune system by creating colorful B-cells and Tcells in origami. e New York State Master Teacher Program identi es educators who are dedicated to providing an innovative and engaging learning environment for their students, and they certainly have found that with John Jay High School’s biology teacher Barbara Spanos. “Please join me in congratulating Barbara Spanos on this honor,” said Dr. Steven Siciliano, principal of John Jay High School. “I am very proud of the fact that she is the fourth science teacher at John Jay to be accepted into the New York State Master Teachers program, a distinction which includes Ann Marie Lipinksy, science research teacher; Jim Panzer, environmental physics teacher; and Frank Noschese, physics teacher.” Spanos is thrilled to be named a New York Master Teacher because of the opportunities it offers for professional learning over the next four years. Prior to coming to Katonah-Lewisboro, she participated in Math for America, a fellowship program for outstanding mathematics and science teachers in New York City’s schools. She also worked with New Visions for Public Schools to design curriculum that is relevant to students’ lives and aligned to college and job skills. ose collaborative experiences informed her engaging, handson approach to teaching science. “Mrs. Spanos is one of my favorite teachers,” said senior Ariel Barniv. “She is fun and energetic and has been very in uential in fostering my love for biology. Her lectures, labs, and other class activities are always very engaging and thought-provoking. One of the memorable moments in his AP Biology class was cell organelle speed-dating. Students become experts on a speci c cell organelle and create a “dating” pro le that highlights its personal details, such as occupation, where in the cell it likes to hang out, a bad habit and basic height/weight stats. ey line up the desks facing each other (scattered with rose petals and Hershey kisses), and go through rounds of “speed dating”—sharing pro les with each other in hopes of maybe nding a match, an organelle they work well with. “One of the most important aspects of teaching is to be passionate about your subject,” said Spanos. “I am a biologist as well as a teacher and, as a scientist, I know that there is always more to learn. I am excited to take workshops through the New York State Master Teacher program and better myself as an educator.” Article provided by KatonahLewisboro School District. Excellence in education! Barbara Spanos is only the fourth science teacher at John Jay to be accepted into the Master Teachers program. John Jay’s Barbara Spanos named New York State Master Teacher BY TOM BARTLEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER e Town Board, not a volunteer committee, should direct Bedford’s diversity, equity and inclusion e orts, Supervisor Ellen Calves said last week, days after pausing the work of the town’s advisory DEI panel. She said the town will look for a “strategic partner” for needed expertise and guidance but that responsibility rests with the Town Board for achieving DEI’s desired ends. Acting on a suggestion by Councilwoman Stephanie McCaine, the Town Board, in a unanimous Jan. 17 vote, halted the work of volunteers on its 2½-year-old Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Advisory (IDEA) Committee. Bedford examines DEI strategies SEE DEI PAGE 6 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 New Listings From The Agent You Know & Trust! (and the tagline that makes you smile!) #UGottaHaveHope Whether you're looking for the energy of city living or for a more relaxed lifestyle let me help you find the condo or townhouse that feels like 'home'. “Granada Arms” White Plains 2 BR | 1 BA | 950 sf $299,900 Sherman I Heritage Hills 3 BR | 2BA | 1,793 sf $715,000
PAGE 2 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 Visit TapIntoKLT.net for the latest news. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2022 VOL. 5 NO. 32 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 23 CLASSIFIEDS 22 LEISURE 21 OPINION 8 TOWN CROSSING 4 SPORTS 18 Wolves Top Edgemont pg 20 GOAL! Visit TapIntoKLT.net for the latest news. PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST CALDWELL, NJ PERMIT #992 A record-breaking crowd gathered on Oct. 22 for the Golden’s Bridge Fire Department’s annual “Community Day at the Firehouse” event. See more photos from this awesome afternoon on page 12! PHOTO COURTESY OF GBFD BY TOM BARTLEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER Construction is expected to begin next summer or fall on almost $50 million in school-building upgrades approved last week by voters in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District. In the district’s rst capitalconstruction referendum in 20 years, residents signed o on security improvements at all ve of their schools, a clean-energy HVAC alternative for Katonah Elementary and multiple other brick-and-mortar projects, including new classrooms at Increase Miller. Balloting took place Oct. 18 at KLSD’s three elementary schools. Despite a comfortable 893 to 565 overall margin in favor of the $49,458,200 bond, School Superintendent Andrew Selesnick later acknowledged the size of the vote against the proposed project. “I can’t imagine there’s ever been a bond vote that passed unanimously, in any school district,” he told the KLSD school board’s Oct. 20 meeting. “I say that because we also want to acknowledge that it [the bond] didn’t have unanimous support and we want to remain mindful of those who didn’t support the bond.” Opposition was clear at Meadow Pond Elementary School, where 53 percent of South Salemarea residents rejected the project, 199 to 174. But elsewhere, voters registered their support in numbers strong enough to overcome that de cit. At Katonah Elementary, “yes” votes prevailed, 311 to 124, as they did at Increase Miller, 408 to 122. “We can pledge to continue being mindful of our entire community in the ways we move forward,” Selesnick continued at the Oct. 20 board meeting. “We try very hard to be thoughtful about all the work that we do and all the projects we put forward with the entire community in mind.” As he did in the hours immediately after the balloting, Selesnick expressed his gratitude for the voter turnout. “We really do thank everybody who came out,” he said, “regardless of how you voted. We appreciate the participation in the democratic process.” District o¡ cials now move into the next phase of the project, including what Selesnick described, in a letter to the KLSD community, as “further design and re nement.” Final plans must then be submitted to the State Education Department for approval. “We anticipate this phase will take approximately one year,” Selesnick said. “Once approvals are received, construction is projected to last approximately two years. If all goes smoothly, all aspects of the project will be complete by the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.” KLSD Trustee Liz Gereghty chairs the two key school board committees, Finance and Facilities, as well as a resident-experts panel that helped guide development of bond speci cs. She had thanked her volunteers weeks before the vote and observed, “Public education is the most important investment a community makes.” Voters approve $49.5 million bond for Katonah-Lewisboro School District Fire away! 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 Sales Vice President Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker 914.714.0090 [email protected] hopemazzola.com 95 Katonah Ave | Katonah, NY 10536 What Would a Recession Mean for the Housing Market? If you’re wondering what a potential recession could mean for the housing market, here’s a look at what history tells us. Questions? Let’s connect. #UGottaHaveHope VOL. 5 NO. 33 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2022 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 27 CLASSIFIEDS 26 LEISURE 20 OPINION 8 TOWN CROSSING 4 SPORTS 16 Wolves Win Big pg 16 PLAYOFFS Visit TapIntoKLT.net for the latest news. PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST CALDWELL, NJ PERMIT #992 Please note that the Nov. 10 edition of The Katonah-Lewisboro Times will go to press before the Nov. 8 election results are available. Please visit tapintoKLT.net to view our full election coverage. BY BRETT FREEMAN PUBLISHER e race for New York’s 17th Congressional District has gained national attention as polls show it’s a tossup between Democrat Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney and Republican Assemblyman Mike Lawler. Maloney, who is chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, currently represents the 18th district and was rst elected in 2012. He is running in this new district after redistricting took place in New York State. Congressman Maloney was raised in New Hampshire and earned his bachelor’s and law degree from the University of Virginia. Maloney served as a senior advisor in the Clinton Administration and after leaving the White House, he built a high-tech startup in New York and later worked for New York Governors Spitzer and Paterson. He and his husband, Randy Florke, have three children together and currently reside in Cold Spring. Meanwhile, Lawler represents New York’s Assembly District 97 in Rockland County. Assemblyman Lawler graduated from Suffern High School and went on to earn his degree in business administration from Manhattan College, where he graduated as the valedictorian. Lawler and his wife, Doina, live in Pearl River, and they have a baby girl. We asked the candidates a series of similar questions in separate interviews. You can Crime, infl ation and abortion at issue in Congressional race Both express support for Israel and Ukraine SEE CONGRESS PAGE 6 Assemblyman Mike Lawler Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney LOCAL REALTORS YOU CAN TRUST Ellen Schwartz and Devin McCrossan are Licensed Associate Real Estate Brokers affiliated with Compass. Kaitlyn ‘Katie’ D’Ambrosio and Catia Leon are Licensed Real Estate Salespersons. Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity Laws. Lic. Assoc. Real Estate Broker M: 646.937.1897 • [email protected] 68-70 The Crossing, Chappaqua Lic. Assoc. Real Estate Broker [email protected] • M: 646.937.1897 387 Main Street, Armonk Ellen Schwartz Devin McCrossan 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. 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.” 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. 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. ousands of young men and women without a single blemish on my record for anything.” e school board had been expected to appoint all coaches for winter sports at 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 Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker Sales Vice President cell: 914.714.0090 [email protected] hopemazzola.com MAZZOLA Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker Sales Vice President 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 the page 2. Fill out the information. 3. Mail it to P.O. Box 864, Mahopac, NY 10541 4. Or Visit www.halstonsubscribe.com 5. Or Scan our QR Code to Subscribe. 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.) Last (Required) City: State: ZIP: Name: Signature: Email: Snowbird Dates (if applicable): Date: Phone: Address: (Optional) (Optional for TAPinto E-News) Checks payable to Halston Media LLC Please include this form in your envelope. Mail to: P.O. Box 864 Mahopac, NY 10541 While we need your Full Support to keep this newspaper strong, we include the option for Basic Support because we don’t want financial reasons to get in the way of our readers receiving this newspaper. Basic Support vs. Full Support Basic Support Full Support $100 $50 $20 other OR Visit https://bit.ly/HalstonSubscribe OR Visit https://bit.ly/ HalstonSubscribe 2 TRACKS We need you to subscribe— is NOT necessarily good news! it’s FREE & it’s Easy! 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.) Last (Required) City: State: ZIP: Name: Signature: Email: Snowbird Dates (if applicable): Date: Phone: Address: (Optional) (Optional for TAPinto E-News) Checks payable to Halston Media LLC. Please include this form in your envelope. Please Include the following additional papers as part of this subscription: North Salem News The Somers Record Yorktown News The Mt. Kisco-Bedford Times Mahopac News Mail to: P.O. Box 864 Mahopac, NY 10541 While we need your Full Support to keep this newspaper strong, we include the option for Basic Support because we don’t want financial reasons to get in the way of our readers receiving this newspaper. Basic Support vs. Full Support Basic Support Full Support $100 $50 $20 other or visit www.halstonsubscribe.com OR Visit www.halstonsubscribe.com 2 TRACKS Please Re-Subscribe Now! Miss Seeing Us Every Week?
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 3 BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER It was really an all-hands-ondeck situation. Were it not for the concerted e orts of numerous rst responders, things might not have turned out so well for a horse that had become mired up to its shoulders in mud last week in North Salem. e dramatic rescue took place in a large swamp on Tuesday, Jan. 17, according to the Croton Falls Fire Department. Reports vary on how it all came down. One had it that the unidenti ed rider was exploring the woods deep o Hardscrabble Road around dusk. Another said Nico was being ridden around a vineyard when he was spooked by something and took o into the trees, losing his passenger along the way. e 11-year-old horse then stumbled into the swamp and got sucked in. at much can be con rmed. e rider was able to go for help, but couldn’t tell re ghters exactly where to nd the trapped animal. e fact that it was by then completely dark complicated rescue e orts as well. Croton Falls called in the cavalry, including technical rescue teams from Westchester and Putnam counties; the Patterson Fire Department, which has a horse rescue special operations unit; and several other agencies including the Goldens Bridge Fire Department and the Yorktown Fire Department, which deployed a drone equipped with an infrared camera. An employee of the property’s owner gets a big shout-out for helping to locate the equine victim. He knows the area “like the back of his hand” and was able to accurately guess where Nico could have wandered, said Croton Falls Fire Chief Je ery Daday Jr. A front-end excavator was brought in to carve a path so that utility vehicles and all-terrain vehicles could access the general area. A veterinarian sedated the frightened, exhausted, and muck-covered beast and rescuers literally used their hands to shovel Nico out. Footing had to be established so the humans wouldn’t get stuck as well, Daday said. e 11-year-old patient stood an estimated 17 hands tall and likely weighed about 1,400 pounds. A makeshift stretcher was constructed from EMS backboards and plywood. It took more than two dozen folks to drag him to solid ground. Nico was a little groggy at rst but managed to walk out of the woods on his own to the staging area where a nice warm horse trailer awaited him. Transported to a local veterinary hospital and examined for injuries, the horse was doing well and was expected to be released on Friday, Jan. 20, Daday said. e rider was not seriously injured. She was treated at the scene and released. ‘A MIRACLE’ Charlotte Harris, co-president of the North Salem Bridle Trails Association, said last week that it was a “miracle” that the horse made it through the four-hour ordeal in one piece. She credited that to the e orts of all the rst responders at the scene. “ ese guys did an incredible job. It was truly an amazing feat of skill, dedication, and compassion,” Harris said, adding: “It gives me goosebumps just thinking about what they did.” MANY HANDS According to the Croton Falls Fire Department, WCDES Battalion 13, County Car 2, County Car 4, County Car 8, County Car 36 with Communications Sta , WCPD Aviation, WCDES TRT Car 2001, North Salem PD, and PCBOES Battalion 12 and 15 operated and provided assistance throughout the incident. While operating, EMS from North Salem VAC, WCEMS, and WEMS 45 Medic 3 treated multiple patients at the scene, while Lewisboro VAC stood by for North Salem VAC in their headquarters. While all units operated for four hours, the Carmel Fire Department stood by at the Croton Falls Fire House until they returned to service. All were thanked profusely by CFFD for their “assistance in accomplishing a successful outcome!” No horsing around Local rst responders perform equine rescue A makeshift stretcher was constructed from EMS backboards and plywood to free the animal. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PATTERSON VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. Emergency responders were dispatched into the woods off of Hardscrabble Road on Jan. 17. 11-year-old Nico was successfully saved from his muddy predicament. HOME, AUTO, BUSINESS, LIFE & HEALTH 914-232-7750 www.forbesinsurance.com Donate: CommunityCenterNW.org Give to the Food Pantry at the Community Center
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 [email protected] EXECUTIVE TEAM BRETT FREEMAN CEO & PUBLISHER 845-208-8151 [email protected] Deadlines THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES DEADLINE 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 ©2022 HALSTON MEDIA, LLC PAGE 4 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 A Family Friendly Vibe! 914-277-4424 • 440 Rt 22 North Salem, NY • www.theblazerpub.com CELEBRA CELEBRA CELEBRA CELEBRATING 521 YEARS! Voted Most Popular Burger in Westchester! IRT-4395H-A > edwardjones.com | Member SIPC You're retired. Your money isn't. Let's work together to find the right strategy to help keep you on track. Call or email me today to get started. Judi R McAnaw Financial Advisor Somers Financial Center 332 Route 100 Suite 300 Somers, NY 10589 914-669-5329 FAP-1966G-A > edwardjones.com | Member SIPC There may be opportunities for your investments to be working harder for you. Let's work together to make sure your financial strategy is optimized. Contact us today for a complimentary review. We can help you prioritize your goals. Judi R McAnaw Financial Advisor Somers Financial Center 332 Route 100 Suite 300 Somers, NY 10589 914-669-5329 FAP-1966G-A > edwardjones.com | Member SIPC There may be opportunities for your investments to be working harder for you. Let's work together to make sure your financial strategy is optimized. Contact us today for a complimentary review. We can help you prioritize your goals. Judi R McAnaw Financial Advisor Somers Financial Center 332 Route 100 Suite 300 Somers, NY 10589 914-669-5329 IRT-4395H-A > edwardjones.com | Member SIPC You're retired. Your money isn't. Let's work together to find the right strategy to help keep you on track. Call or email me today to get started. Judi R McAnaw Financial Advisor Somers Financial Center 332 Route 100 Suite 300 Somers, NY 10589 914-669-5329 IRT-4395H-A > edwardjones.com | Member SIPC You're retired. Your money isn't. Let's work together to find the right strategy to help keep you on track. Call or email me today to get started. Judi R McAnaw Financial Advisor Somers Financial Center 332 Route 100 Suite 300 Somers, NY 10589 914-669-5329 Bedford Lions Club GREATER BEDFORD HILLS INDOOR GOLF OPEN Sunday, Feb. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m. e Bedford Hills Lions Club is hosting an indoor golf “FunRaiser” competition on some of the most famous golf courses in the world to help raise funds for their many community projects. e event will be held at Forged Iron Golf in Mt. Kisco. ere will be many prizes awarded for: Longest Drive, Closest-to-the-Pin, Hole-inOne and is open to everyone. Light snacks will be served, and a cash bar will also be available. Lions Club of Bedford Hills relies on membership dues & community support throughout the year to support their various initiatives. All proceeds bene t the Lions Club of Bedford Hills For tickets and information, contact Lion Mike Palladino at 914-263-9681 or info@bedfordhillslions.org. Lewisboro Playground Improvement Project THAT’S MY BRICK! PROJECT rough Feb. 1 e new Lewisboro Playground is coming soon! Customize a brick to be paved into the park. Last call, deadline extended to Wednesday, Feb. 1. Support increased costs, ongoing maintenance and improvements, and leave your mark at the park! Order online at www.thatsmybrick.com/lewisboroplay For any questions, email lew[email protected] Friendly Squares Dance Club FREE SQUARE DANCING FUN NIGHTS Feb. 6 and 13, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Singles, couples, and families welcome! Modern Western Square Dancing is a lot of fun, great exercise for both the body and mind and an opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. e attire is casual and no experience is necessary. To be held at the Katonah Methodist Church Parish Hall, 44 Edgemont Road, Katonah. For more information, visit www.friendlysquares.com Katonah Village Library 26 Bedford Rd, Katonah, NY 10536 www.katonahlibrary.org WRITING THROUGH THE GRIEF Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 6 p.m. Barri Leiner Grant, an author and Certi ed Grief Coach will help move the deep emotions and feelings we may be holding, from the depths of our subconscious to the page. No experience needed. Bring a pen or pencil, paper and your curiosity. Register on the library’s website calendar at https://katonahlibrary.org/ event/writing-through-grief/ AUTHOR TALK: MYSTERY AND THRILLER ursday, Feb. 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. Join in for a panel discussion with mystery/thriller authors Wendy Corsi Staub, Katie Sise, Wendy Walker and Lyn Liao Butler. e authors will brie y read from their latest novels and author Fran Hauser will moderate a panel discussion. ere will be plenty of time for audience questions followed by light refreshments and book selling/ signing by the authors. Registration is not required. COMMUNITY GREEN READ Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. Join Bedford2030 and Katonah Village Library for a Community Green Read culminating in an author chat with Florence Williams. e author of “ e Nature Fix” will discuss the mental and physical health bene ts of spending time in nature. is book will be available at the library (book or ebook) and at local bookstores. Info and register: https://katonahlibrary. org/event/community-readand-conversation-with-florence-williams/ Bedford 2030 www.bedford2030.org WINE, CHEESE, AND BOB! ursday, Jan. 26, from 7 to 9 p.m. At Pound Ridge Library. Enjoy curated wine and cheese from e Kitchen Table while saving home energy and money! Personal Energy Coach, Bob Fischman discusses home audits, Energy rebates, and Clean Energy Systems, while enjoying Organic wines and cheeses. is event is hosted by Friends of Pound Ridge in partnership with Bedford 2030, Sustainable Westchester, Energy Action Committee, Climate Smart Communities, and Pound Ridge Library. THE POWER OF TREES: A BEDFORD 2030 COMMUNITY FORUM Mar. 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Save the date! e Power of Trees Forum will celebrate the critical role of trees in combating climate change. Join experts, community members, and local organizations pledging to support healthy ecosystems, promote biodiversity, and protect our planet. To be held at Fox Lane High School. St John’s Episcopal Parish 82 Spring St., South Salem JANUARY SERVICES Join in for January services, with guest priests preaching every Sunday at 9:30 a.m.! Sunday, Jan. 29 at St. John’s, led by Father John Morrison. Evening prayer at St. Paul’s every Saturday, led by volunteers. FOOD PANTRY Spread the word and get involved with the Food Pantry! Distribution is every Saturday TOWN CROSSING SEE CROSSING PAGE 5
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 5 • HEATING • AIR CONDITIONING • PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE • AIR QUALITY • DUCT CLEANING/SEALING •GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS YOUR TRUSTED HVAC COMPANY WITH DECADES OF EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE SCAN HERE FOR MORE INFO 845-600-8004 | www.bellmech.com 0 DOWN 0% FINANCING AVAILABLE! No Matter How Cold It Gets... Bell Mechanical Will Keep You & Your Family Warm & Comfortable! $ 250 OFF New Heating System EXP 3/15/23 Coupon must present at time of service. Cannot be combined with any other offer. 0 DOWN $ 174 Preventative Maintenance Visit Starting at Only Plus Tax 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. Don’t miss your chance to lock in rebates and incentives today— VALUED UP TO 50% of your Heat Pump project while program funding lasts… CALL NOW TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY! from 9 to 10 a.m. at St. John’s. A food pantry box is available in the church parking lot 24/7 for non-perishable food donations. Lewisboro Library 15 Main St, South Salem, NY 10590 TIME CHANGE TO CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS Beginning in January, there will be a few changes to the start times of weekly programs o ered in the Children’s Room. “Family Storytime” will continue to meet at 10:30 am on Tuesdays, but will now meet at 1:30 p.m. on ursdays, instead of 1 p.m. Wednesday’s “MakerSpace Mornings” will continue to meet at 10:30 a.m., but the afternoon session will now meet at 1:30 p.m. In addition, “Girls Who Code,” which used to meet weekly on Wednesdays, will now meet monthly. Please see the Library website for details and to register at https://lewisborolibrary.org. Lewisboro Parks & Recreation MEN’S BASKETBALL rough Mar. 2 is is an opportunity to have fun and gain physical tness. e program will focus on pickup games, with teams formed on a weekly basis, on-site. e pick-up games are not part of a regularly scheduled season of competition or a championship series. Instead, it is a more-orless spontaneous game, with teams often made up on the spot. Open to adults, 18 and up. To be held in the John Jay High School gym on Mondays and ursdays from 8:30 - 10 p.m. $10/residents, $15/non-residents, payable by cash or check. Pre-register by visiting www. lewisbororecreation.com. Practice basketball at open gym e Lewisboro Parks & Rec Department will sponsor a limited open gym program this fall for all Lewisboro and KatonahLewisboro School District residents. is is an opportunity for young athletes to play/practice basketball in a supervised, noninstructional, friendly and casual setting. Please note: participants will be responsible for how they decide to spend their time. FEE: $10 per session. (Supervision provided, drop o is required) Pre-registration is required! Each session limited to 16 participants. BRING: A basketball, water bottle, and sneakers. For more information, visit lewisbororecreation.com/opengym. INDOOR PICKLEBALL e Town of Lewisboro will be o ering our residents an indoor location at the Lewisboro Recreation Gym, 79 Bouton Road, South Salem NY. ere are three indoor courts which will be rst come, rst served. Permits are required for indoor play. Photo Permits: A photo ID system has been implemented for indoor pickleball permits. Fees: Resident/School District Individuals - $125.00 Resident/School District Families - $200.00 Resident/School District Seniors (65+)- $80.00 NonResident Individuals - $150.00 Indoor Hours Adults: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (All Wednesday Pickleball will start at 10:30 a.m. and end at 1:30 p.m.) Family: Sundays 9:30 -11:30 a.m. Additional indoor evening BY TOM BARTLEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER Katonah-Lewisboro schools will open their doors Sept. 6 to start the 2023-24 academic year, the KLSD school board agreed last week. e 182-class-day calendar includes breaks of a week-plus in December and April as well as briefer pauses, some of them weather-dependent, scattered through the school year. For vacation planners, this year’s winter-holiday break begins with the close of school on Friday, Dec. 22, and runs through New Year’s Day, with classes resuming on Tuesday, Jan. 2. In April, schools will be closed for the rst ve days of the month and that hiatus would extend to the following Monday, April 8, if the day does not have to make up for earlier, perhaps snow-related, lost time. State law requires districts to maintain at least 180 days of classes in a school year, which runs from Labor Day to an Albany-speci ed date in June. To do that, KLSD schedules a series of conditional days o — four of them in the upcoming year—that can be converted if needed to class days. e district’s three remaining “weather-reserve” days are appended to respites in March, April and May. Good Friday’s long weekend could be even longer, starting ursday, March 28. But that reserve day would be the rst one sacri ced to the weather requirement. April’s Passover observance will see schools close on Monday, April 22, and they could close on Tuesday as well. April 23 would become a snow makeup day only after all others had been used. In May, Tuesday, May 28, would extend the Memorial Day weekend. at would be the No. 3 day to fall, following April 8 at No. 2. KLSD sets 2023-24 academic calendar BOARD OF EDUCATION CROSSING FROM PAGE 4 SEE CROSSING PAGE 6
PAGE 6 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 Serving all Faiths since 1858 Cremations and Burials FUNERAL PREARRANGEMENT Both pre-payment and no-payment options • Only 1/4 mile from 684 exit 6. • Only 1 block from the Katonah • Less than 60 minutes from N.Y. City. • Railroad station. • Parking facilities for over 100 cars. • Monuments & inscriptions available. 4 Woods Bridge Road, Katonah • (914) 232-3033 www.clarkassociatesfuneralhome.com DANIEL B. McMANUS ~ Proprietor BRUCE E. REISDORF ~ Licensed Manager JOSEPH M. McMANUS ~ Director RONALD P. CERASO ~ Director MARISA A. GIULIANO ~ Director ADNER J. MONTENEGRO-LEE ~ Director CLARK ASSOCIATES FUNERAL HOME McCaine proposed a partnership with Pace University’s Multicultural A airs center. rough such an alliance, she said, “we can better articulate our strategic goals . . . as well as more e ectively manage the disruption and pushback that often comes along with this work.” McCaine went on to propose suspending the work of the IDEA Committee. “ is is by no means suggesting that we will not be pursuing diversity, inclusion and equity work going forward,” she said. But taking on an experienced partner will “help us develop a strategic direction for that work.” Calves, in an interview at week’s end, sounded the same theme, saying, “ e Town Board needs to know what it wants before it delegates its responsibilities to a committee.” She applauded the IDEA Committee’s e orts but, referring to herself and fellow board members, said, “We shouldn’t really delegate those responsibilities; we should be doing this work [ourselves].” Established by the Town Board in July 2020, Bedford’s IDEA Committee, like countless similar panels nationwide, emerged only weeks after the callous murder of a black man, George Floyd, by a white police o cer in Minneapolis. And like many of those hastily assembled DEI ventures, Bedford’s committee was imbued more with good intention than speci c objectives or the expertise to realize them. “So, we need training,” Calves said in the Jan. 20 interview, “because we aren’t experts in diversity, equity and inclusion. We need to learn from experts and tap into resources of an institution like Pace to stay on track to take meaningful action. “ e Town Board can learn a lot more to help us hire a morediverse work force, create moreequitable housing opportunities and make town government practices and policies more accessible, more inclusive, more re ective of our entire community,” she said, adding, “Having a committee of people who care about this work has been great, but it can only take us so far.” Expect future diversity e orts to address a broader spectrum of potential discrimination than the race-related concerns that sparked the nation’s belated - if widespread - reckoning in 2020 with the iniquities so many of its people have endured. Handicapped persons and members of minority religious faiths, for example, need to be considered in the ght against discrimination and indi erence, Calves said, pointing to the town’s autism-friendly initiative as an example of action in a less-publicized area. “We want to take a step back and really formulate what it is that we need to be doing here to be more inclusive,” she said at the Tuesday Town Board meeting. In the later interview, Calves added that residents have opportunities through the town’s numerous nonpro t organizations and cultural institutions to come together in inclusive spaces, engage in conversations about DEI topics and celebrate cultural diversity. “ e town will continue to engage with these partners and promote these opportunities even if we don’t have a committee,” she said. Calves told the board that IDEAC chair Andromeda Turre was “very much in support of this initiative.” “We have agreed that we still will continue with a lot of the things we de nitely have committed to doing this year,” she said. “We plan to engage with people who want to be involved, including members of the [IDEA] Committee.” Calves praised the committee’s e orts in staging events like the annual Juneteenth celebration and Gay Pride month observance as well as “the education they’ve put out there.” “Are events going to cause long-term, systemic change?” she asked. “Not by themselves. But they are important to raise awareness and provide opportunities for more inclusion and understanding among all people. ey might also help some people understand what we’re doing and why we’ve been doing it.” DEI FROM PAGE 1 hours: Tuesdays 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.: 1/31, 2/21, 2/28, 3/7, 3/14, 3/21 7:15 - 9:15 p.m.: 2/14 5 - 7 p.m.: 2/7 2/17, 2/20 e Pickleball season will run until approximately March 31, weather and holiday permitting. Chronic Pain Support Group Research tells us that 50 million Americans live with chronic pain, or pain that lasts most days or every day for three months or more. Of this group, 20 million experience high-impact chronic pain, or pain that interferes with basic functioning and activities of daily living. Pain is the number one reason that Americans access the health care system, and costs the nation up to $635 billion each year in medical treatments, disability payments, and lost productivity. Support groups provide a forum for those with pain to gain support and learn about ways to manage pain and progress from patient to person. is group takes place over Zoom every other week. For more information, please call Ted Bloch at 914-552-6281 or email him at tednbloch@ gmail.com. All conversations are kept strictly con dential. Temple Beth Shalom Slides, Swings, Stories and Watermelon! Join in for “Watermelon Wednesdays”, an informal playground playdate and story time for Jewish Families of children ages 2-6 years old. Call 845-628-6133 to RSVP. CROSSING FROM PAGE 5
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 7 Increase referrals and name recognition. Advertise in The Katonah-Lewisboro Times Bulletin Board and reach over 3,500 USPS delivered mailing addresses every week. Call 845-208-8151 today! My Community Bulletin Board VIKING LYNX MONOGRAM SUBZERO SCOTSMAN BERTAZZONI BOSCH BEST DCS GE MARVEL MIELE MAYTAG ELECTROLUX WHIPSPERKOOL FRIDGIDAIRE Trusted Repair That Will Stand the Test of Time Grills | Washers | Dryers | Refrigerators | Ovens | Ranges | Wine Coolers Serving Westchester County PH: 914.864.1252 6 Mark Mead Road • Cross River, NY 10518 Email: [email protected] www.appliancegenie.com AUTHORIZED SERVICE FOR VIKING, LYNX, FRIGIDAIRE Service: 914-669-9679 Auto Sales: 914-485-1195 Fax: 914-669-9685 6 Dingle Ridge Road - North Salem, NY 10560 meccanicshop.com © 2023 Consumer Cellular Inc. For promo details please call 844-919-1682 CALL CONSUMER CELLULAR 844-919-1682 O First Month of New Service! USE PROMO CODE: GZ59O BUYING ONLY 845-628-0362 WE WILL COME TO YOU! 51 YEARS! WE BUY: GOLD • STERLING SILVER • JEWELRY • COINS • PAINTINGS • BRONZES • CLOCKS • COLLECTIBLES • ANTIQUES • ETC. Items for sale? Call us! GOLD • SILVER • DIAMONDS WATCHES • COINS • FURS PAINTINGS • FULL ESTATES The Buying Service We simply pay more! Contact Barry 914-260-8783 [email protected] WE BUY Honest and Reliable, 30+ years experience. Local Collector/Seller (Westchester/Putnam) Call or text: 917-699-2496 • email: [email protected] Hope to hear from you! Thanks! BUYING COMIC BOOK COLLECTIONS! TOP PRICES PAID! Visit Our Display Center at 747 Pierce Road, Clifton Park, NY, 12065 Same Day Installation • Sales • Rentals • Service • Buybacks New and Reconditioned Lifts Locally Owned & Operated Regain Your Independence! $ 200 OFF the purchase of any stairlift RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL ELECTRIC GENERATOR INSTALLATIONS LICENSED & INSURED NY & CT 914-763-5555 CHARLES GEORGE • POUND RIDGE, NY ADULT SOFTBALL YSALEAGUES.COM [email protected] YORKTOWN PARKS & RECREATION
Opinion PAGE 8 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 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 ©2021 Halston Media, LLC How is a coyote like an English teacher? To the Editor: Lewis Carroll presented the riddle of how is a raven like a writing desk, a challenge for centuries, but Brett Freeman’s puzzle is a lot easier to solve. In the Jan. 5 issue of The KatonahLewisboro Times, there was an article about a woman who was bitten by a coyote and her companion who nearly was. The reporter writes “by what was probably a rabid coyote.” There is a real problem with making a comment like this because it engenders a level of fear and worry in the public. It is important to note that the reporter doesn’t tell us if the animal was ever found, and we do not learn if the woman tested positive for rabies. While living in the woods with wildlife is always a challenge and requires thoughtfulness (something the reporter deals with quite well), the addition of rabies brings that concern to another level. Which brings me to Mr. Freeman’s article about DEI versus Academic Freedom. Like our rabid coyote, he reaches conclusions about an event without access to the facts. Again, to his credit, he acknowledges he didn’t have the facts, but that didn’t prevent him from writing a long article challenging the idea of a certain kind of exploration of race in the school setting. Mr. Freeman spends some time presenting his bona fides as a minority (growing up Jewish in a community where he was the exception) and a refugee from the University of Chicago. I believe he presents these facts to underscore his legitimacy in discussing the issues of oppressed minorities and his contention that academia “aims to take a topic and make it more complicated by deconstructing it, journalism aims to take complicated topics and make it easy for everyone to understand.” As he admits, Critical Race Theory is not being taught in Grades K-12, but suggests it pervades the entire academic establishment as well as government at all levels. He sees this as an argument about unequal outcomes for traditionally oppressed groups, “a false and academically lazy”construction. Societies as a whole have a very hard time in being self-aware, much less hold themselves accountable for past sins, and perhaps ongoing ones. American society particularly, which likes to always view itself as moral and superior, constantly has swept these issues under the rug where they continue to fester and have influence. Despite the desire to be colorblind, post-racial, and post-religious, we can continue to deal with racism that is both institutional and individual, violence towards various racial groups, and a rise in antisemitism. I should mention my bona fides as the first generation son of Eastern European Jewish immigrants who came here after World War II and the Holocaust, a graduate of Columbia College, and a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. A society that is color-blind will push against the recognition of past and current problems. It will paper over past abuses and refuse to recognize current ones. The case brought against Harvard had its origins in a person who had an antipathy towards recognizing those racial injustices and latched onto an issue about Asian students being discriminated against, which almost makes no sense in the context of this discussion (I would refer you to Tablet Magazine’s excellent podcast series about the history of antisemitism at Ivy League schools, Gatecrashers, which set the stage for creating barriers to people who didn’t “fit” into their view of an Ivy man). The purpose of education is to examine complexity and very often challenge the status quo, creating an environment where easy answers can no longer be tolerated. The teaching of racial history in America, a topic that has been overlooked for a long time, whether it be about slavery and Jim Crow, antisemitism in its various guises, the internment of Japanese American citizens during WWII, has become a challenge both technical but also spiritual where this society is being asked to come to grips with LETTERS TO THE EDITOR “Daddy, you no longer have superpowers,” said my son, mocking me for my hubris over the past three years. My wife, Lauren, who followed every COVID protocol imaginable from the very beginning – even double masking in some situations – was the first among us to get the dreaded virus. Like dominoes, the virus captured my son and daughter, my mom and dad, and my brother, sister-in-law and nieces. But for three years, I managed to avoid it. What was wrong with me? Was I like Spider-Man, living in some sort of chemically altered super-body? The day before Lauren was formally diagnosed with COVID in 2021, I sat next to her in a car for about four hours. We even kissed. I never got it. The second time she got COVID, about a year later, I threw all caution to the wind and entered her quarantined space without a mask. Still nothing. But after three years, the virus finally caught up to me. On the night before I tested positive, I attended my daughter’s jazz band concert without a mask. I had a slight tickle in my throat, and Lauren tested me. I was negative. I thought it was probably nothing. Before any keyboard warriors decide to write a letter to the editor saying how awful I was for not wearing a mask, I concede that in hindsight, I should have worn one. I feel pretty awful that I didn’t. I’m one of those jerks that keeps this thing spreading. Even a small tickle should have prompted more caution on my part, and I hope and pray that I didn’t make anyone else seriously ill by the ripple effect I may have caused. At the end of the concert, I asked Lauren and several people sitting near us if it was just me or if the auditorium was freezing. Lauren looked at me with total bewilderment and embarrassment, as apparently it was just me. Not only should I have been masked, but I clearly shouldn’t have been there. The next morning I had a fever and the red stripe indicating a positive test appeared immediately. So far, it’s been like a mild flu. In July, I came down with bronchial pneumonia (not COVID), and that was far worse than this. But given my recent history with bronchial pneumonia and given the fact that my wife and mom think I’m extremely overweight (I think the word “extreme” is extreme; I like to call it a dad-bod), I was instructed by the two women in my life to call the doctor and request to be prescribed the anti-viral medication, Paxlovid. So, that’s the update in a nutshell. Of course, now that I just Googled Paxlovid to make sure I was spelling it correctly for this column, I happened to look up the side effects, and now all of a sudden I’m nauseous. Putting all irreverence and joking aside, I think all of us can use a little common sense when it comes to COVID. The truth is that it can be deadly for people with comorbidities. My good friend’s sister, who was in her 50s, just died after catching COVID in the hospital, where she was being treated for cancer. So, the virus is deadly serious. At the same time, my son recently had the flu followed a bit later by COVID, and the flu was exponentially worse for him. He got up to a 105 fever with the flu, which would have surely killed someone else with a comorbidity. So obviously the cautions that we learned from this pandemic are applicable in preventing all sorts of other potential bugs, which can be deadly to the wrong person. One of the best practices many of us developed during the height of the pandemic is to avoid shaking people’s hands. While part of me feels that it’s a shame to stop this time-honored tradition, especially when it comes to conducting business, I think a good fist bump is preferable over spreading COVID, flu or a cold. Unfortunately, the one good thing about being sick – getting some rest and relaxation, is hard to achieve when you run a business fueled by technology. With COVID, I have the privilege of replying to emails and answering phone calls while working from my laptop and cell phone while lying in bed. The press never sleeps. The ‘VID’ finally caught up to me BRETT FREEMAN PUBLISHER’S MEMO SEE LETTERS PAGE 9
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 OPINION THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 9 its past and ongoing sins. As has been said so often, forgetting the past is a program for repeating it. As for journalism being a source of clarity versus academia, as a physician, I have been dealing with two years of misinformation about COVID infections, COVID vaccines, and vaccines in general, making my job harder and threatening the health of my patients. is brings us, nally, to Ms. Allison Ferrier teaching Layla Saad’s journaling lesson. Mr. Freeman was honest in saying, “Of course, when it comes to Ferrier’s lesson, I have no clue what she presented to the students beyond Saad’s related journaling exercise.” Despite not knowing how she presented her lesson, he assumed a level of oppression and indoctrination, “which prevented students from disagreeing with the author.” He cannot know how the class was taught. Was this indeed Ms. Ferrier promoting her political perspective, or was this and exercise in projected identi cation that led to more dialogue but started with assuming a position. I am reminded of students asked to participate in moot court or Oxford debates where they take a point of view opposite to their own in order to explore di erent sides of an issue. Here we have our possibly rabid coyote but without proof. Despite this proof, Mr. Freeman wrote a long opinion piece about racism and education predicated on taking issue with a speci c teacher and an unsubstantiated narrative of her class. I completely support Mr. Freeman expressing his views on this subject, but his inclusion of Ms. Ferrier and her class was provocative and maybe just a touch rabid? Oops, there’s that darn coyote again. Mark Ligorski, MD Cross River LETTERS FROM PAGE 8 One day I said to my son, “When I get to a really old age and need to live in an assisted living facility, I hope I can nd one populated with many former schoolteachers. at way we can constantly tell each other schoolteacher stories and be thoroughly amused and entertained forever more.” Here is one of those stories I would tell from my very early days as a young teacher of kindergarten in Providence, R.I. I was not able to do my “practice teaching” while still in college, but because there was such a shortage of teachers I was allowed to do the rst semester of my initial job with someone supervising me. When that trial period was about to end, the principal in my building came to me one day and said, “On your lunch break, Dr. Quirk wants you to call him.” My question to her was, “Who is Dr. Quirk?” She explained that he was the assistant superintendent of schools for the city. I was so intimidated by his call that I went to a pay phone rather than to the school o ce to return his call. (No cell phones back then, of course.) I could not possibly imagine why he had singled me out, and I just hoped I was not going to lose my job for some unknown reason. Dr. Quirk said that he wanted me to take the kindergarten class for the next year at a rather new school which happened to be in a very depressed area of the city. I explained that I had only six months’ experience and did not feel myself quali ed for such a di cult assignment. His response, “I know just what a capable teacher you are. What if I send your friend Paula over with you to take the other kindergarten room which will also have a vacancy?” Being young and naïve, I blurted out, “How do you know I’m friendly with Paula?” To which he responded, “I know just about everything going on in our school system.” I guess he did, even though at that time it was a city of about 150,000 people with 25 to 30 elementary schools. Both Paula and I accepted the challenge, and a challenge it was. We each had between 25 and 30 children in our kindergarten classes for both the morning and afternoon sessions. One day after reading a story to the children about di erent jobs and careers, I asked them if they had any ideas of what they might like to be when they grew up. An adorable little girl named April was the rst hand I saw shoot up, and she told the class she wanted to be a teacher and teach in the rst grade so she could help children learn to read. I explained to her that she would have to go to a place called college, and it was very expensive to go there. I suggested she might want to put some of her allowance away to save toward that goal. e next day April came into the classroom early and came over to my desk. She said, ”I went home and told my mom what you said yesterday.” at is always an anathema for a teacher, as you are never quite sure what it was that you did say, or if the child understood you correctly. April went on to tell me that she explained to her mother about having to go to college in order to be a schoolteacher. at very day, she and her mother headed out to the local 5&10 where they bought a big, red, plastic piggy bank, and April proudly told me that she now had 28 pennies in there already. My eyes totally lled up with tears, and when April asked what was wrong, I made the excuse of having a bad cold. If I never reached another child in my 30 years of teaching, I was so happy and proud to say there was at least one, and being in my very rst kindergarten class made it so extra special. My school teaching days MARILYN A. PELLINI MUSINGS: PAST AND PRESENT 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 When did you last update your last will and testament and power of attorney? CALL NEW YORK’S ELDER LAW TEAM 914.948.1500
PAGE 10 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES OPINION THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 To advertise in The Katonah-Lewisboro Times, call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151 or email freeman@halstonmedia. com. We needed to schedule a pneumonia shot recently and had to call our healthcare provider to gure out which avor of shot we needed, apparently there are a couple. After 45 minutes on hold, my wife gave up, jumped in the car, and headed over to the o ce to stand in front of the receptionist to make the same request. It worked, and she was on her way – customer service the old-fashioned way – face-to-face. If they won’t lower the drawbridge, sometimes you have to swim the moat to get into the castle. Recently, I needed to make an appointment with my dermatologist for the annual check-up and barnacle scraping. Being very tech-savvy, I signed onto “the portal” to nd that the next available appointment was over ve months away. Frustrating. Our healthcare provider, now known as Optum, purchased Caremount which was formerly Mount Kisco Medical Group. To date myself, when I rst started going to Dr. Russell at MKMG, the entire operation was housed in a one turn-ofthe-century Victorian house. Many years later, the group has grown into a behemoth with thousands of doctors in o ces stretching from Mount Kisco to Poughkeepsie. A quick scan of area news and social media shows we are not the only ones who noticed the changes. Optum’s purchase of MKMG has resulted in many problems ranging from customer service issues and delays. ere has also been a big increase in emergency room visits at Northwell nee Northern Westchester Hospital as a consequence of Optum’s scheduling problems. Optum is owned by health insurance company United Healthcare, what could go wrong? e theory for medical groups has been you have to get big in order to negotiate with insurance companies on equal footing. Now we are learning that you need to get big in order to be purchased by an insurance company. Not sure where that leaves the patient. In our area, Optum is a near monopoly for consumers and a monopsony for docs and healthcare workers in that they are the only game in town if you want to work in Northern Westchester. Many doctors are also reportedly concerned about having to sign an onerous non-compete agreement which prohibits them from taking a job within a 20-mile radius for three years if they decide to leave the group. is causes not only an impact on the doctor, but patient care too. Unrelated to Optum, the federal government is considering making non-compete agreements illegal nationwide since they believe they reduce competition and lower wages. I’m not sure that is the right way to go, but I appreciate the sentiment. Early in my career, I had the unfortunate experience of being sued because I hired someone who had signed a non-compete agreement. We received an opinion that the agreement our new employee had signed was unenforceable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get sued for “tortious interference with a contract.” So I have earned my non-compete agreement merit badge. I learned that non-competes serve a useful purpose, but only if they are reasonable. We are spoiled in this country by the incredible level of medical care we receive. Healthy Americans can expect to receive annual checkups while in the UK physicals are only covered every ve years. According to a recent study, we wait on average of 17 days for elective orthopedic surgery compared to Canada where the wait is 48 weeks. We love our doctors and have received great care from MKMG and its successors. We just need easier access to the fortress in which they reside. We are rooting for Optum to raise their customer service game, and soon. e doctor will see you now DON SCOTT IN CASE YOU MISSED IT from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Call to get your FREE Information Kit 1-855-225-1434 dental50plus.com/nypress Includes the Participating (in GA: Designated) Providers and Preventive Benefits Rider. Product not available in all states. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN); Rider kinds B438/B439 (GA: B439B). 6255 DENTAL Insurance EOE Administrative Opening Monticello Central School Assistant Principal The successful candidate should possess: Knowledge of research-based instructional programs & practices; exp. w/ teacher supervision & evaluation; a record successfully improving learning experiences and enhancing school to home communication; and can provide a supportive environment with knowledge of social, emotional competencies, restorative practices, and promote a culturally responsive educational climate. NYS SDAISDLISBL Certlflcatlon Required plus 1 yr. of previous administrative leadership and 2 yrs. exp. as a classroom teacher preferred. Please apply online by Feb 2nd at https://montlcelloschools.tedk12.com/hire EOE Monticello 2x2.crtr - Page 1 - Composite Freelance Writer, Editor, and Content Producer Bill Bongiorno | (914) 533-7065 | [email protected] For All Your Writing Needs 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.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 OPINION THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 11 Letters and Op-Ed Policy Letters to the editor and op-ed submissions may be edited. The views and opinions expressed in letters and op-eds are not necessarily those of the KatonahLewisboro Times or its affi liates. Submissions must include a phone number and address for verifi cation. Not all letters and op-eds will necessarily be published. Letters and op-eds which cannot be verifi ed 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. I received lots of chocolate confections over the holidays. My friends know that chocolate is a major food group for me and they really outdid themselves in mailing packages lled with special treats. Claire sent me a gorgeous round purple box containing chocolate tru es with exotic avor combinations including ancho chili, wasabi, curry powder, star anise, fennel, raspberry, and absinthe covered in dark chocolate and milk chocolate. Wow! Margie searched to nd my favorite Baci chocolates from Italy. ese delicious dark chocolate tru es lled with crushed hazelnuts arrived in a special holiday box shaped like a tree! Mr. Goodman, my Hungarian language teacher from senior year at Bayside High School, takes gift giving seriously. His thoughtful holiday present contained my favorite Bahlsen chocolate-covered gingerbread cookies (hard to nd), two containers of Guittard cocoa powder, and 12 bars of German dark chocolate! As I nibbled my way through the week between Christmas and New Year, I started getting inspired to use some of those dark chocolate bars to bake something special. I decided that I would bake chocolate croissants. I purchased the frozen pu pastry dough and planned to bake on Saturday afternoon. e frozen pu pastry sheet needed to thaw on the counter for 40 minutes. I assembled my chocolate bars, cinnamon, marble rolling pin and ceramic board to roll out the dough. Where is my pastry brush? I used to be a fantastic baker back in the 1980s and 1990s. I baked gourmet chocolatechunk cookies out of my tiny apartment kitchen in NYC and progressed to elaborate layer cakes, cheesecakes, brownies, and candy. When I moved to Cross River in 1987 and had plenty of counter space in a wonderful large kitchen, I expanded my repertoire to include all kinds of fancy confections, cakes, sou és, and pastries. I bought lots of cookbooks and many baking accessories. I had spring form pans, uted Bundt cake pans, mu n tins, cookie sheets, cookie cutters, mixing bowls and whisks. But after I moved to a small house in 1995 with a tiny kitchen, sour-smelling cabinets and a propane gas oven that made loud banging noises, I stopped baking. All my wonderful baking equipment stayed packed away in cardboard boxes. I moved again 11 years ago. e kitchen is nice, but I have been too busy to get back into baking. I remembered exactly where my pastry brush should be and I opened that box to nd forgotten specialty tools like the ravioli cutter, the cheese slicer, fancy tips for the pastry bag, the bread dough scraper, and the lemon zester. With pastry brush in hand, I returned to the kitchen counter and rolled out my pu pastry dough, chopped the dark chocolate bars, sprinkled on the cinnamon, cut out the pastry squares, and folded the sticky dough. I placed each chocolate croissant seam-side down on the baking sheet before dipping my pastry brush into coconut milk to top each chocolate croissant before setting the baking sheet in the oven for 25 minutes. When I opened the oven door to gaze upon my freshly baked chocolate croissants, the aroma brought me back in time to 1985. I used to walk to work each morning and stop at the Hot & Crusty bakery on Second Avenue to get a chocolate croissant and co ee to go. I placed the warm croissants on a cooling rack and made a cup of co ee. How delicious to bite into that warm, aky chocolate croissant! I happily relived my pastry walk of long ago and savored every bite! Kim Kovach is happy that her 250th weekly column is about chocolate! www.kimkovachwrites. com Pastry walk KIM KOVACH READING, WRITING & CHOCOLATE The last time I rocked you to sleep, I didn’t know it was going to be the nal time you would need me to hold you so close to rest. Did I know the last time I smelled your baby scent that it wouldn’t stay forever? I often feel guilt when I think about how I longed for you to be just a little bit older so I could rest a little longer. Did I not appreciate every second? Every quiet moment together? Even every hard one? I look back at your picture from when you were rst born and I remember the day so clearly. e joy, the excitement, the nervousness, the exhaustion…even the pain. How could it be that it is three years later, and you are your own person now. You have your likes and dislikes and your own opinion, a strong one for that matter. It hit me this morning. You’re not a baby anymore. And I’ll never get to nurse you again, hush and rock you to sleep, or smell your hair as you sleep on my chest. Not in the newborn way at least. ose days are behind us. ey really did pass so quickly, even when the nights were so very, very long. Sometimes I look at you and I still see your face as an infant, and it brings me back to those early moments. I’ve had a few tears, but mostly I smile just watching those expressions on your face. ank you, my baby, my last baby, for having me as your mother. One day you will be six, and then fteen, and even forty. But you’ll forever be the baby, my baby. ere’s something cathartic about the realization (and the tears) that your last baby is the end of what was a very long phase of your life. But it’s also the start of a new chapter. ank you, my baby, my last baby, for helping me through motherhood, for teaching and guiding me, for everything. I will miss your baby smiles, giggle quietly when thinking about your attempts at crawling, smile softly when remembering your Ode to my last baby NICOLE DOOLEY MAMA EXPLAINS SEEDOOLEY PAGE 12 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. Michael Tom CFP® CFA® • Jeff Wund • Todd Rebori, CFA® www.AtwoB.com • (914) 302-3233 23 Parkway, Second Floor • Katonah, NY 10536 Why AtwoB? • Boutique, Independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) • Owner-Operated, Your Money Matters to Us • Legally Obligated to Act in Your Best Interests 100% of the Time • Unbiased – Paid Only By Clients, No Commissions or Hidden Fees • High-Touch, Attentive Service You Can Depend On • Employer-Sponsored Retirement Solutions for Business Owners Financial Planning Investment Management Tax Preparation & Planning Business Retirement Plan Services Tour Your Future At The Tech Center at Yorktown For Middle and High School Students February 13th and 14th 8:00am-10:00am and 12:00pm-2:00pm • Visit over 40 programs within our career academies • Learn about opportunities to earn high school academic credits, college credits, and national technical certifications • Please see your home school counselor for further information and a permission slip. Information Contact: Samantha Vredenburgh at 914.248.2427 or [email protected]
PAGE 12 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES OPINION THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 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, 2022. 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. 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 3.31.22 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. REQUEST A FREE QUOTE! 877-516-1160 Prepare for power outages with a Generac home standby generator FREE 7-Year Extended Warranty* A $695 Value! Limited Time O er - Call for Details Special Financing Available Subject to Credit Approval *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. 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]. rst steps and happily laugh when visualizing your reactions to rst trying peas and plums. I will always remember our cuddle sessions, dances in the living room, swaying until you smiled, and our baby talks, which I hold forever in my heart. ank you my baby for giving me that precious time. And I even thought I can’t have it back, it’s forever with me and I’m eternally grateful for our time together and for all the memories we have yet to make. Nicole Dooley is a Somers mom who enjoys writing for her parenting blog. If you enjoyed her column, you can read more of her entries at www.mamaexplains. com or follow her on Instagram at @mamaexplains for relatable parenting tips and stories. Dear Dr. Linda, I’m a grandma with four beautiful children. My husband died a few years ago, so I’m thankful that I have my daughter living near me with her family. I feel very close to them and see them often. I get them o the bus, do their homework with them and seem to be on call 24/7. But my problem isn’t those things — it’s that I feel used. My daughter and sonin-law never include me in other things — like going out to dinner or the movies or occasionally on a vacation. In fact, they never invite me over for anything other than what I can do for them. Just last week, my daughter was talking to me about the birthday party she was making for my granddaughter, but I’m not invited. Am I alone or do other grandparents feel used? ere’s more to learning reading and math -- there’s also learning how to treat others. Should I bring my feelings up to my daughter? We have a good relationship and I don’t want to ruin it. -Used Grandma Dear Grandma, ank you for sending me this email. Many people think that learning only takes place in school. But children are learning all the time and the most important people they learn from are their parents and grandparents. ese are their role models from whom they pick up their values and manners and most of all, how to be in relationships of all kinds, including between parent and child, parent and parent, child and child, etc. School teaches the basic skills children will need so that they can acquire knowledge, but parents and grandparents teach basic social skills so their children can function successfully in the world. If you only “babysit” and do your grandchildren’s homework with them, then you probably are being used, but you’re allowing it to happen. Without realizing it, your daughter and son-inlaw, like many other parents, are wrapped up in their own lives and for whatever reason don’t think of you until they need your services. If you don’t mind this role, then continue. But if you’re feeling used and would like to expand this role beyond being the hired help, then you have to do something about it. at’s up to you. Many people continue doing the same thing, complain to others about it, feel used, but do nothing to change the situation. If you want things to change, then I suggest you do one or more of the following: If you have an open and trusting relationship with your daughter, mention that you’d love to join them when they’re going somewhere or having a party at home. You may not be available, but it would be nice to be invited to a family outing. She may never have thought of it, gured you didn’t care or assumed something else entirely. Don’t think you’re alone in feeling this way. In our culture, many families consider grandparents as babysitters or the people to turn to when you need an extra set of hands or a little extra money. In other cultures, grandparents are the ones children and grandchildren turn to for advice. ey have lived the longest and therefore have experienced the most and hopefully have become wiser for it. Either way, grandparents have an important role to play in their grandchildren’s lives. You can start changing things by initiating the outings, inviting your daughter and her family to dinner, and arranging to spend a day with your grandchildren at a museum or with the family at an amusement park. But even if you continue only to spend time with your grandchildren in the afternoons, remember that it won’t always be that way. Establish relationships with them — don’t wait for your daughter to make it so. Talk to them about things other than homework — world events, past family history, a book you think they would like. Become a role model, not only for your grandchildren, but also for your daughter and son-in-law. -Dr. Linda Learn more about Dr. Linda by visiting stronglearning.com. Feeling a bit ‘used’ DR. LINDA SILBERT STRONG LEARNING DOOLEY FROM PAGE 11 There is so much we do not get to choose. We don’t choose our DNA, when in the timeline of history we are born, our family, our body type and so many of our circumstances. We can focus on that, even blame that if we want, and use it as an excuse to not live up to our potential. Or we can choose to show up, ght for and decide the type of person we want to be. What will you choose? 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. Coachkimstoll@gmail. com You have a choice KIM STOLL GUEST CORNER
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 OPINION THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 13 Happily Ever After 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 I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions this year. I used to make them, but they always fell by the wayside by the second week in January. I also used to say that now that the previous year was gone, I could concentrate on starting over fresh and new, but the ending of 2022 has left me feeling sad and a bit unsettled. Last September, we lost a family member, my son-in-law’s mother, Linda. She was a petite, quiet woman who worked as a school librarian for about 30 years. She loved her son and grandson dearly, not to mention her two dogs, Barney and Betty. After her husband passed away about ve years ago, she took on the monumental task of getting her nances and life in order to accommodate her new status in life. She cleaned out her large, three-story home and bought herself a beautiful apartment not far from her son’s home. Linda enjoyed being with our big, boisterous Italian family, and held her own and laughed with us when we teased her. She was a good sport. Last September, after she returned home from doing her errands, she realized she had left her phone in her car. She took the elevator down to her parking lot, retrieved her phone and while walking back to the elevator, she was struck by a car. e person driving said that he never saw her. Our hearts were heavy as we celebrated anksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and the New Year. I had a particularly di cult time with Linda’s passing in such a tragic and unexpected way and nally reached out to one of my best friends from high school. She had become a priest. My letter to her just kept asking, “Why?” and she nally told me that we may never know why Linda was taken from us in such a sudden and shocking way. Her words helped me. At this time, as much as I want to put 2022 behind me, I want to keep my memories alive. I want to remember all the fun times with Linda, our trip to Greece together and how much she loved being a grandmother. I think of Linda most days and am sad that she will not see our grandchild, Drew, grow strong and con dent; and I am sad that he will never remember Linda. I will keep this special lady in my heart and let Drew know that Grandma Linda and I share a very special bond: we became grandmothers at the exact moment in time. How special that was for us. I know I said I was not going to make any resolutions for 2023, but if I did, they would be to enjoy every single moment of every single day with the people I love, forget petty annoyances and enjoy the beautiful world that the good Lord has given us. Hello 2023 and Happy New Year to all. [email protected] Goodbye 2022 JO ANN FRANCELLA JUST JO ANN
PAGE 14 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 Snowfall is magical and the excitement of playing in the snow can turn into a painful reality when you need to dig your way out of your house as snow keeps piling up. With snow shoveling comes the risk of injuries. Be smart when shoveling snow. Approach it as your first session in a gym. You can only work out for 15-20 minutes for the first time: pace your body, especially with wet, heavy snow UNDERSTANDING HOW SNOW SHOVELING MAY LEAD TO INJURIES Shoveling is a strenuous, repetitive activity and can lead to lower back strain, shoulder tendinitis to name just two. As in the case of any repetitive exercise, you should warm up your body with gentle dynamic stretches that will help to loosen your muscles and joints, improve blood circulation. WARMING-UP EXERCISES TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF SNOW SHOVELING INJURIES The following warm-up exercises and dynamic stretches will get you ready for snow shoveling: • Hold light weights (3-5lb) in your hands and march or walk in place for 5-10 minutes keeping your elbows bent and shoulders down. March with your shoulders and arms as you bring your knees high up to your waist. • Stretch your hamstrings: place your one leg up on a step, keep your front knee straight and gently lean with your body forward until you feel a stretch behind your leg. Hold for 5 seconds, and move in and out of the stretch; never bounce. Repeat 10 times with both legs. • Stretch your adductor: open your legs wide, hold onto a sturdy counter and bend your one leg deep down in a side lunge until you feel a stretch on the inner thigh. Hold 5 seconds and lunge from side to side. Repeat 10 times. • Stand upright with your core tight and gently rotate your body from side to side stretching your arm across your body as you rotate. Repeat 10 times. OTHER SNOW SHOVELING TIPS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURIES • Choose the correct size shovel with lightweight material. A bigger scoop may carry more snow, but is more strenuous on your back to lift. • When shoveling - - keep your feet separated with one leg forward and your knees in a soft bent position. Keep your ribcage up, your spine straight, and hinge from the hips slightly forward; - Bend your knees and not your back; - Keep the shovel close to your body, and your elbows tucked in. Let your thigh muscles do the work to push the shovel and keep your core tight; - Avoid lifting the shovel with arms stretched out, because that puts extra strain on your spine and shoulder tendons; and - Avoid twisting your back. Instead, take an extra step to face with your shoulders and hips in the direction of where you shovel. • Avoiding shoveling only to your dominant side. Alternate sides; shoveling to the left leading with your left foot and left hand on the bottom of the snow shovel and when shoveling to the right, reverse the above. • Create distance between your hands on the snow shovel. It provides more leverage when lifting the shovel. • Lift smaller loads of snow at a time. • Never throw snow over your shoulder. Instead, go forward with a load to avoid twisting and torquing of your lower back. STRETCH AFTER YOU SHOVELED SNOW Gentle stretches will assist your body to relax and cool down. • Stand on your hands and knees (Quadruped), and do gentle cat-cow movements lifting your head to the ceiling and arching your back as you inhale then tucking your behind and head down, rounding your spine to the ceiling. You can modify this movement if you have difficulty kneeling on your hands and knees: hold onto a sturdy counter, feet shoulder width apart, knees bent and gently arch and tuck your spine. Repeat 10 times. • In Quadruped lift your one arm up to the ceiling as you gently rotate your body and head to follow the outstretched arm to the ceiling. Then needle through bringing you stretched arm underneath the supporting arm, following the movement with your head and upper body. The modified position can again be done leaning against a sturdy counter. Repeat 10 times. • Sit on a chair with one leg straight out and foot flexed back. Lean forward with your body until you feel a stretch behind your knee to stretch your hamstring. Hold for 20 deep breaths. Repeat 5 times. • Sit on a chair and cross your one ankle over your knee in a “cross 4” position and lean with your body forward to your ankle to feel the stretch in your buttocks. Hold for 20 deep breaths. Repeat 5 times. • Stand in a doorway with one leg in front and arms up against the doorframe. Lean forward until you feel a stretch in front of your shoulders. Hold for 20 deep breaths. Repeat 5 times. Stay warm and safe. If you experience any pain or injury, please contact your medical practitioner or physical therapist. LIZE LUBBE GUEST CORNER ADVERTORIAL Minimizing snow shoveling injuries Lize Lubbe is the owner of Lize Lubbe Physical Therapy with its main practice located at 892 Route 35 in Cross River and a PT Studio in the premises of Apex Fitness (where her team focus on the rehabilitation of sports-related injuries). Learn more by calling 914-875-9430, emailing [email protected] or visiting www.lizelubbept.com. We are hands on PTs! The professional services of the team at Lize Lubbe Physical Therapy include: • Pre & Post Surgery Rehabilitation • Sports Injury Rehabilitation • Neurological Rehabilitation • Treatment of Musculoskeletal & Orthopedic Conditions • Postural, Balance & Gait Training • Pain & Headache Management • Body Rebalancing through Diaphragm, Breathing & Pelvic Stability www.lizelubbept.com [email protected] 914.875.9430 892 NY-35, Cross River, NY 10518 (blue office building)
Sports THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 15 BY RICH MONETTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER On the strength of five firstquarter Miranda Martin threes last Tuesday, Jan. 17, John Jay jumped out to a 23-11 lead at Clarkstown South. However, the Vikings would not go away, and with 4:55 left in the final period, the home team took a 46-44 lead. But John Jay has plenty of weapons. So needing to regain the momentum, the Wolves simply put another bullet in the barrel and fired away. Mia Puccio did the honors this time. She calmly pulled the trigger on a three to get the lead back, and seeing an opening to the hoop on the next possession, her converted layup led the way to a 56-47 victory. Martin didn’t wait to get started, though. After the Vikings grabbed a 2-0 lead, she took a long cross-court pass from Annabel Brennan for her first three and then began to cook. The big center burned three consecutive triples to open a 14-5 lead. But up to the task, Carley Voce answered right back. The guard hit a three and went coast-tocoast for a layup. A 15-10 game, the John Jay unicorn kept the rainbows flying nonetheless. The first trey took a high bounce before dropping through and Martin’s fifth of the quarter fell true for a ten point edge. The lead then grew to 23- 11 on Puccio’s long inbound to Shannon Nolan, who converted the layup. Not falling prey, Fallon Shapiro hit a buzzer-beating three to keep the advantage in single digits, and the Vikings carried the momentum forward. First, Mackenzie Annesi made no apologies for her bank off the backboard and then showed she didn’t need any help by swishing a second three to cut the lead to 23-20. Still surging, Clarkstown played big off the offensive boards and also made good use of the backstop to take the lead. Katie Quinn had a put back for two and hit a jumper off glass after John Jay could not secure a defensive rebound. The John Jay chamber was far from empty, though. Brennan answered right back with a three, and Puccio was automatic moments later for a 29-24 John Jay lead. Three minutes left in the half, Clarkstown did more offensive board work to keep the game from getting away again, and Annesi was the beneficiary in the corner. Next, the The Vikings tied the game when Magnolia Acosta’s penetration freed Carley Voce for an easy layup. But John Jay refused to yield the upper hand, and once again, Martin waved her magic wand from above the arc. Yielding a three point lead at the half, Coach Matt Gallagher saw the writing on the wall from the outset. “Miranda came out hot from the start,” he said. “She got into a zone, and when that happens, it’s hard to contain her.” Even so, Martin could marvel too, and Puccio’s put back to start the third left the long-range shooter at a loss. “Mia is absolutely insane with getting the rebounds,” she asserted. “Like, I have no words.” The Vikings were left speechless with Puccio’s ability to move without the ball too. The guard made her cut, and Brennan perfectly in sync, Puccio took the pass and extended the lead to 36- 29 on the foul line. Under six to go in the period, Nolan now did her part to maintain. A little hook shot from the paint, a drive from the top of the key, and after Annesi’s triple cut the lead to four, Nolan spotted Sela Halaifonua coming off the pick to gain a 44-38 lead. A final foul shot closed the half with a five point difference, and Clarkstown remained on the run. Karlie Maye got in for a put pack, and Martin not able to answer this time, Kate Frae was equally imprecise from downtown. Unfortunately, the ball banked in off the glass, and the game was tied. 5:38 remaining, Gallagher called for time, but the pause button did not apply to Acosta. She pulled down the defensive board and closed her coast-tocoast drive with a Eurostep to the square. A 46-44 score, Puccio did her thing with the next five points, and Martin sprinkled the salt with another three at 1:52 left in the game. Brennan added the dagger a minute later with a three of her own and chipped in four straight free throws for the final score. Upping their record to 9-3, Gallagher hopes his center can stay hot. “We need Miranda to keep that up heading into league play,” he said. “Because it just changes the whole dynamic of our team and allows other players to get open looks or attack the basket,” he boasted. Martin didn’t let up Friday night (1/20) either. The center led the way with 22 points and ten rebounds in the Wolves 57-37 win over Yorktown. Now 10-3, Brennan added 14, Jess Martin had nine and Shannon Nolan chipped in seven assists and nine rebounds. John Jay, Martin keep knocking down opponents 2-0 week for the Wolves Miranda Martin (right) Annabel Brennan (left) PHOTOS: RICH MONETTI GIRLS BASKETBALL BY RICH MONETTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER On Saturday, Jan. 14, the Wolves defeated Mt. Pleasant 5-2. PJ DeNoia had two goals while Kyle Petscek, Liam Burke and Declan Whelan had one each. Dylan Rogers recorded 22 saves. Then on Tuesday (1/17), John Jay defeated JWBA by a score of 4-2. PJ DeNoia and Whelan had two goals each. Friday (1/20) saw John Jay lose a close 5-4 decision to Rye. Petschek had two goals and Declan Goldrick and Michael Mendicino had one each. In goal, Rogers had 24 saves. Wolves go 2-1 on the week HOCKEY
PAGE 16 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES SPORTS THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 BY RICH MONETTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER A pretty long season for the boys basketball team so far, the Wolves hoped a trip to Yorktown would lighten the ride. An even first period bode well last Friday night (1/20), but John Jay could not keep up with the Huskers big, fast front line, and the journey only got longer. A 9-7 John Jay lead turned into a 23-11 deficit, and Yorktown ran from there to a 59-29 victory. Nonetheless, John Jay opened strong. After both teams misfired a few times down, Will Sanz took the inbound and hit a short jumper to gain a 2-0 lead. Not long lasting, Kaden Gonzalez stepped up first. He took a pass in the corner, and Yorktown had a 3-2 advantage. Seemingly up for a back and forth, Liam Lynch had his own moves. The senior grabbed the defensive board and completed his coast-to-coast flyby with a reverse layup. So Ryan Duffy answered in kind. The guard got the ball on the baseline and cruised past the rim for his own reverse. The highlight reel was to come, though. Brandon Montero took off from the baseline and skied high above the interior defense for a 7-5 Husker lead. But Sanz was undeterred. The center received the ball just outside the paint and rolled hard to the hole. No stopping him, Sanz got the layup and converted a three point play on the foul. An 8-7 lead then had Lynch refusing to relent and bodies went flying on the guard’s burst under the boards. A foul shot made it 9-7, but the rest was mostly downhill. Billy Feeks got to the line for two, Gonzalez registered a three point play on a fast break layup, and Montero muscled a follow for a 14-9 lead. Still, a brief reprieve came on the fast break with Sanz and Ben Gold.. On the steal, the duo played hot potato before Sanz banked the layup. Yorktown was not impressed, though. Montero, Austin Price and Gonzalez all hit threes, and the lead was now 23-11. Lynch hit a layup to close the half and Sanz did the same to open the third. But Feeks and Ryan hit consecutive threes, and Yorktown never looked back. Huskers give Wolves another loss PHOTOS: RICH MONETTI Ryan Giner Will Sanz Craig Galea Liam Lynch BOYS BASKETBALL BY RICH MONETTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER The bowlers have been busy over the last two weeks. On Jan. 11, the girls defeated Lakeland 7-0 by a total of 1783 to 1116. A career day for Kayleigh Plutzker, she had her highest game ever with a 177 and then had her highest series to date by finishing with a 480 total. By her side, Stephanie Halsey also had a high game of 144 and a 367 series, while Suri Singh had a 137 and 331 series. Then on the next day (1/12), John Jay defeated Yorktown 7-0 by a score of 1852-1742. Plutzker rolled games of 164, 154 and 131 for a 449 series, and Halsey came in just behind with a 410 series. Moving to Jan. 18, John Jay defeated Hen Hud 4-3 and the tally was just as close. 1795- 1790, Stephanie Halsey had her career high game of 182 and finished with a 436 series, while Plutzker had a 363 and Singh added a 352. Then on Thursday (1/19), the Wolves ran headlong into the perennial champs. Panas took the match 7-0 and the pin total was 1929-1755. Game one was a blowout, but the final two were nail biters. Panas won by 29 and three pins respectively, and the loss left the girls 9-4 and 65-26 overall. Nonetheless, Plutzker rolled a 437, Halsey a 374 and Kayla Petre had a 339. On the boys’ side, they rolled only two matches. On Jan. 11, the Wolves lost 7-0 to Panas. Denis Zapson had games of 139, 122 and 116 for a 377 series, Connor Harty had a 338 series and John Curtin a 318. A week later, the boys lost 5-2 to Ossining, but the match was still the best of the season. Zapson had games of 171 and 167 for a 452 series, Nick Maiorana had his best day of the season with games of 151, 150 and 140 for a 441, and Taylor Julian had games of 145 and 130 for a 377 series. Girls team stays winning Boys post career highs vs. Ossining BOWLING
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 LEISURE THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 17 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. Tax collector 4. Fishes without the line touching water 8. Brooklyn hoopsters 10. Actress Lathan 11. A metric for athletes 12. Food storage location 13. Colossus 15. Desolations 16. Accustom to something unpleasant 17. __ Kubrick, filmmaker 18. You might ask this at Thanksgiving 21. Arkansas city 22. Gave food to 23. Request 24. V-shaped open trough 25. Make lively 26. It accompanies feather 27. Blonde bombshell 34. One who revolves 35. Bluish greens 36. Charity 37. Having the shape of a cube 38. Unwind 39. Believed by some to be the supreme being 40. Checks or guides 41. Leak slowly through 42. Top-quality 43. Midway between south and southeast CLUES DOWN 1. Part of your foot 2. It’s at the back of the eyeball 3. Where things stand 4. Offered 5. Contains pollen 6. Boisterous get-together 7. Asserts out loud 9. They’re in the sky 10. Canonized 12. A politician’s official stances 14. It can catch fish 15. British thermal unit 17. Helps little firms 19. Where patients go for treatment 20. Large red deer 23. Pokes holes in 24. ‘Star Wars’ hero Solo 25. One in a hospital 26. Scandinavian god of battle 27. Famous cat 28. __ Angeles: City of Angels 29. Type of drug (abbr.) 30. City along the Rhine 31. Animal disease 32. Martini ingredients 33. Get away 34. Rare species of rodent 36. Suppress Soup can be a delicious meal for lunch or dinner or even make for a comforting snack. e versatility of soup undoubtedly contributes to its appeal. Just about any ingredient can go into a soup to yield the ideal result. e bene ts of soup do not end with avor alone. A bowl of soup can be lling, helping to corral hunger and reduce over-eating. Plenty of studies also link soup to increased wellness and recovery from respiratory illnesses. Soup also is a perfect comfort food on a cold day. It warms from the inside out, helping to chase away chills from damp or frosty conditions. Mushrooms can be the star of soups, adding earthy notes to the broth. Enjoy this creamy recipe for “Easy Mushroom Soup,” courtesy of the Mushroom Council. Dip your spoon into a creamy mushroom meal Easy Mushroom Soup Yield: 3-4 3 tablespoons of butter 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 shallot, fi nely chopped 4 ounces crimini mushrooms, chopped 4 ounces white button mushrooms, chopped 2 tablespoons allpurpose fl our 3 cups chicken stock 1/4 teaspoon fi ne sea salt, or to taste 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste Sliced sauted mushrooms for garnish, optional Chopped parsley for garnish, optional 1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot such as a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallot, cook for 1 minute, until they begin to soften. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes, until tender and browned. Transfer all the contents of the pot to a bowl. 2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the pot. Once melted, sprinkle in the fl our and whisk it quickly into a paste. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the stock a little at a time, whisking out the clumps between each addition. 3. Increase the heat back to medium-high and allow the soup to simmer well for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms back to the pot and continue to cook for 2 minutes more. The stock will thicken slightly to be somewhat creamy. 4. Let cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then ladle into bowls. Garnish with mushrooms and parsley, if desired.
PAGE 18 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES CLASSIFIEDS THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 855.281.6439 I Free Quotes American Made Family Owned Award Winning Could your kitchen use a little magic? FINANCING AVAILABLE WITH APPROVED CREDIT Call today and receive a FREE SHOWER PACKAGE PLUS $1600 OFF With purchase of a new Safe Step Walk-In Tub. Not applicable with any previous walk-in tub purchase. Offer available while supplies last. No cash value. Must present offer at time of purchase. CSLB 1082165 NSCB 0082999 0083445 1-855-916-5473 Take advantage of the new 30% Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) with PWRcell, Generac’s fully-integrated solar + battery storage system. PWRcell will help you save money on your electric bill and be prepared for utility power outages. Plus it’s compatible with most existing solar arrays. Now’s the Right Time SAVE 30% WITH THE SOLAR TAX CREDIT^ Call to request a free quote! (888) 871-0194 Purchase a PWRcell and Receive a Free Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced – valued at over $189!* *Scan the QR code for promo terms and conditions. ^Consult your tax or legal professional for information regarding eligibility requirements for tax credits. Solar panels sold separately. EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TIME OFFER! Promo Code: 285 FINANCING THAT FITS YOUR BUDGET!1 1 Subject to credit approval. Call for details. FREE GUTTER ALIGNMENT + FREE GUTTER CLEANING* SENIORS & MILITARY! YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE* 20 + % % OFF 10 OFF *For those who qualify. One coupon per household. No obligation estimate valid for 1 year. **Offer valid at time of estimate only. 2The leading consumer reporting agency conducted a 16 month outdoor test of gutter guards in 2010 and recognized LeafFilter as the “#1 rated professionally installed gutter guard system in America.” Manufactured in Plainwell, Michigan and processed at LMT Mercer Group in Ohio. See Representative for full warranty details. Registration# 0366920922 CSLB# 1035795 Registration# HIC.0649905 License# CBC056678 License# RCE-51604 Registration# C127230 License# 559544 Suffolk HIC License# 52229-H License# 2102212986 License# 262000022 License# 262000403 License# 2106212946 License# MHIC111225 Registration# 176447 License# 423330 Registration# IR731804 License# 50145 License# 408693 Registration# 13VH09953900 Registration# H-19114 License# 218294 Registration# PA069383 License# 41354 License# 7656 DOPL #10783658-5501 License# 423330 License# 2705169445 License# LEAFFNW822JZ License# WV056912 CALL US TODAY FOR A FREE ESTIMATE BACKED BY A YEAR-ROUND CLOG-FREE GUARANTEE 1-855-478-9473 Mon-Thurs: 8am-11pm, Fri-Sat: 8am-5pm, Sun: 2pm-8pm EST Drive Out Breast Cancer: Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup - 24hr Response Tax Deduction - Easy To Do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755 Wheels For Wishes benefiting Make-A-Wish® Northeast New York. Your Car Donations Matter NOW More Than Ever! Free Vehicle Pick Up ANYWHERE. We Accept Most Vehicles Running or Not. 100% Tax Deductible. Minimal To No Human Contact. Call: (877) 798-9474. Car Donation Foundation d/b/a Wheels For Wishes. www.wheelsforwishes.org. TRAIN ONLINE TO DO MEDICAL BILLING! Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 855- 543-6440. (M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required. COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 844-947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required. ARE YOU BEHIND $10k OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 888- 869-5361 (Hours: Mon-Fri 7am5pm PST) ATTENTION VIAGRA USERS: Generic 100mg blue pills or generic 20mg yellow pills. Get 45 plus 5 free $99 + S/H. Call Today. 877-707-5523 Up to $20.70 NYC, $20.00 L.I., $16.20 Upstate NY! If you need care from your relative, friend/ neighborand you have Medicaid, they may be eligible to start taking care of you as personal assistant under NYS Medicaid CDPA Program. No Certificates needed. 347-713-3553 BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636 Don’t Pay For Covered Home Repairs Again! American Residential Warranty covers ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE/ $100 OFF POPULAR PLANS. 833- 398-0526 Get DIRECTV for $64.99/mo for 12 months with CHOICE Package. Save an additional $120 over 1st year. First 3 months of HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Epix included! Directv is #1 in Customer Satisfaction (JD Power & Assoc.) Some restrictions apply. Call 1-888-534-6918 BEST SATELLITE TV with 2 Year Price Guarantee! $59.99/mo with 190 channels and 3 months free premium movie channels! Free next day installation! Call 888- 508-5313 Do you have boxes of old comic books lying around? Turn them into cash. Call, text or write George and I will come get them. 917-652- 9128; [email protected] DISH TV $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/23. 1-866-595- 6967 PUZZLE SOLUTIONS FOR THE WEEK OF 01/19/2023 AUTO DONATIONS BUYING/SELLING Buying diamonds, gold, silver, all fine jewelry and watches, coins, paintings, better furs, complete estates. We simply pay more! Call Barry 914-260-8783 or e-mail [email protected] EDUATION/CAREER TRAINING FINANCE HEALTH HELP WANTED HOME IMPROVEMENT MISCELLANEOUS TV INTERNET PHONE Your business card could be here. Call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151 to find out how. Editorial Submissions Press releases and photos should be submitted to The Katonah-Lewisboro Times by the Thursday before the next publication date. Submissons can be emailed to KLT@ halstonmedia.com or mail it to Katonah-Lewisboro Times, 118 N. Bedford Road, Suite 100, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you’d like your photo returned. 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].
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES – PAGE 19 WHY DO WE ADVERTISE IN HALSTON MEDIA’S LOCAL NEWSPAPERS? TO ADVERTISE WITH US, CALL BRETT FREEMAN AT (845) 208-8151 We’ve advertised with Halston newspapers since the beginning because we know they connect us to the communities we serve. We view our ads as an extension of word-of- mouth advertising; they have definitely played a role in our continued success with both new and returning families. -Jamie Sirkin Summer Trails Day Camp & Baseball Camp APAR PUBLICITY WITH PERSONALITY PR Public Rela ons For... Businesses | Individuals | Organiza ons | Events Your Message Is Our Mission Leave Your Message Here... (914) 275-6887 | bruceaparpr@ gmail.com BRUCE APAR Before I address the changes to the income/resource eligibility requirements for Medicaid, I wish to rst remind you that as of Jan. 1, there is still no 30-month lookback (period of ineligibility) on gifts (uncompensated transfer of assets) for community (home care) Medicaid eligibility in New York. In fact, according to the New York Department of Health, the earliest the lookback will be implemented is March 31, 2024. us, if one transfers their assets to an Irrevocable Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT) before March 31, 2024 and applies for Medicaid home care before that date, then their transfer of assets to the trust will not create a lookback for Medicaid home care, but, only for Medicaid nursing home care. When combined with the ability to utilize a pooled income community trust to shelter surplus income, Medicaid home care becomes a very advantageous option for seniors and the disabled that need assistance with activities of daily living in their home (including an assisted living facility). Because of high in ation last year, the income and resource eligibility requirements for Medicaid have signi cantly increased. For example, for institutional/ nursing home care in 2023, a single applicant can have no more than $28,133 in non-IRA savings (in 2022 it was $16,800). Additionally, the spouse of a nursing home Medicaid applicant can have a maximum of $148,620 (was $137,400 in 2022) of nonIRA savings (the face amount of IRA’s/401k’s/Quali ed Retirement funds are not counted for Medicaid eligibility purposes; however, the Minimum Requirement Distribution is counted as part of one’s income). e applicant for nursing home Medicaid is allowed to keep $50 of their income, the spouse of the applicant can have no more than $3,715.50 (was $3,435 in 2022). If the spouse’s income is below $3,715.50, they can take from the applicant spouse’s income to bring them to the $3,715.50 amount. If the spouse’s income is greater than $3,715.50, they must do what is known as spousal refusal. For Medicaid home care (community Medicaid), in 2023 the applicant can have no more than $28,133 (was $16,800 in 2022) of non-IRA savings (resources) and no more than $1,563 of income (if they have more, they can enroll in a pooled income community trust to utilize said income for their needs). e spouse of the applicant can retain 50% of the couple’s assets up to a maximum of $148,620. If the spouse’s nonretirement saving are greater than $148,620, they will have to do spousal refusal. Married couples applying for Medicaid home care can have no more than $37,902 (was $24,600 in 2022) in combined non-IRA savings (resources) and no more than $2,106 of combined income. Additionally, one’s home (primary residence) with an equity limit of $1,033,000 is also exempt for Medicaid eligibility purposes (was $955,000 in 2022). While the house/co-op/condo that is the primary residence is exempt for eligibility purposes so long as the Medicaid applicant and/or their spouse resides therein, it is still an asset against which Medicaid can have a lien/claim against for the value of services provided if the home is part of the Medicaid applicant and/or refusing spouse’s probate estate at the time of their passing. While seniors that are concerned about losing their life savings to the cost of long-term care (home care and/or nursing home) are generally not concerned about having to pay estate taxes upon their demise, it is of great importance that New Yorkers be aware of the exemption as New York has an onerous estate tax. In 2023, the New York estate tax exemption is increased from $6,110,000 (2022) to $6,580,000. us, with proper estate planning, a husband and wife in New York should be able to shelter $13,160,000 from estate taxes. However, if they do not plan, they can be subject to NY’s estate tax cli and its signi cant taxes. In 2023 the federal estate and gift tax exemption increased from $12,060,000 to $12,920,000, a signi cant increase which allows a married couple to transfer almost $26 million either during their lifetime or on their death without federal estate and gift tax. However, the high exemption amount may be short lived as under current law, the exemption sunsets on Dec. 31, 2025, and unless it is extended by law before that date, then on Jan. 1, 2026, it returns to approximately $6 million per person. e current size of the exemption presents great opportunity for the a uent to transfer millions of dollars to their children and loved one’s and thus, signi cantly reducing the possibility that their estate will be subjected to a federal and/ or NY estate tax. Finally, in 2023 the personal gift tax exclusion increases from $16,000 per person per year to $17,000 per person per year. us, another opportunity to transfer assets. Anthony J. Enea is a member of Enea, Scanlan and Sirignano, LLP of White Plains. He focuses his practice on Wills, Trusts, Estates and Elder Law. Anthony is the Past Chair of the Elder Law and Special Needs Section of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), and is the past Chair of the 50+ Section of the NYSBA. He is a Past President and Founding member of the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). Anthony is also the Immediate Past President of the Westchester County Bar Foundation and a Past President of the Westchester County Bar Association. He can be reached at 914-948-1500 or at esslaw rm.com. New year, new New York laws 2023 brings changes to Medicaid eligibility requirements & estate/gift tax exemption ANTHONY J. ENEA GUEST CORNER
PAGE 20 – THE KATONAH-LEWISBORO TIMES THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023 @2023 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY. 83 KATONAH AVENUE, KATONAH, NY 10536. 914.232.3700. When it comes to selling real estate, local expertise has never been more important. An award-winning 20-year veteran and top-producing broker at Douglas Elliman, Melissa is raising her family in Katonah and has deep roots in the Northern Westchester community. Melissa has successfully leveraged Douglas Elliman's New York City reach by matching exceptional Westchester homes with the right buyers. If you’ve been considering a move, now is a great time to contact Melissa. It pays to work with a professional with local expertise and first-hand knowledge of the community. Contact Melissa today. 2023 Top Real Estate Agent by Westchester Magazine Melissa Frank Lutz Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker O: 914.232.3700 | M: 646.765.8691 [email protected] Now is the Time to Contact Me to Prepare for Our Spring Market. Deep Local Knowledge. Broad Expertise. Real Estate market demand will increase in the coming months. Call Melissa today to get a head start.