Mahopac News 01.21.21

VOL. 11 NO. 50 Visit TapIntoMahopac.net for the latest news. THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021

School district readies
plan for COVID testing

Awaits Albany’s directions on protocols

BY BOB DUMAS ‘It sounds easy enough—
EDITOR

Administrators for the Mahopac test 20 percent—but that
School District are working to have a plan
in place for if and when the state follows would mean we would
have to test over 900

through with a proposed mandate that 20 people in a four-week
percent of its sta and student body be period.’
tested for COVID-19.

In the district’s weekly broadcast of its Dr. Greg Stowell
online program, “Spotlight on Mahopac,” Assistant Superintendent
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Greg Stow-
ell said that whatever protocol the dis- of Schools

trict comes up with, it has to be “ exible

enough and scalable enough so that no

matter if we are a micro-zone or regional so that it’s evenly distributed among the

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELLEN NISTICO zone, we will [be able to] have a structure buildings.

Last week, the Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire Department dive team in place.” “So, if we have to test, we will have a
took part in training exercises in the frigid waters of Lake Mahopac.
Here, Will Gabay, left, gets an assist from Matt Eaton as he emerges “It sounds easy enough—test 20 per- plan,” he said. “We will send the informa-
from the water. For more photos of the dive team in action, see the cen-
terspread on pages 12 and 13. cent—but that would mean we would tion out [to parents] well ahead of time. It

have to test over 900 people in a four- will be a safe and expedient process. If you

week period,” he said. “How do you get are chosen to be tested, [parents] will get a

them through it; how do you get their notice via email and it will give all the in-

consent; how do you keep them safe, so structions—when to come, what you need

they are not congregating?” to bring with you. It will also have instruc-

Stowell said the district is putting to- tions on what to do if your child is nega-

gether a plan so that in a four-week period tive or positive. If you aren’t contacted, it

it will have a portion of the elementary just means you weren’t randomly selected.”

schools and a portion of the secondary Stowell said no one will be forced to

schools prepared as testing sites and will SEE TESTING PAGE 16
randomize who gets selected for testing

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PAGE 2 MAHOPAC NEWS MAHOPAC MUSINGS THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021

The Staff Rotary Community form a puppet show of his very [email protected]. opportunities in 2021 with a key-
Forum popular book, “ e Interrupting note presentation by author Joe
EDITORIAL TEAM Chicken!” A working email ad- Reed’s Zumba Massaro. Owner and builder of
BOB DUMAS
dress is required for this program. on Zoom the famous Frank Lloyd Wright
EDITOR: 845-208-0774 e Rotary Club of Lake For ages 3 and up. To register house on Lake Mahopac’s Petra
[email protected]
BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER Mahopac invites the public to visit www.mahopaclibrary.org, or e Reed Memorial Library Island, Mr. Massaro will discuss
SPORTS EDITOR: 914-302-5628
[email protected] join them at their rst Commu- call 845-628-2009, ext. 135. will host a Zumba Gold pro- professional and personal setbacks

ADVERTISING TEAM nity Forum, to be held on Zoom, Board of Trustees Meeting gram on Zoom on Mondays at and successes based on his recent
PAUL FORHAN
Wednesday, Jan. 27, from 7-8 Wednesday, Jan. 27, 6:30 p.m. 9:30 a.m. now through March memoir, “From the First Seat in
(914) 806-3951
[email protected] p.m. For this inaugural forum, Monthly meeting of the Board 29. Online registration required. the Dumb Row to Owning My

BRUCE HELLER Supervisor Ken Schmitt will pres- of Trustees of Mahopac Public To register go to the calendar at Own Private Island”.
(914) 486-7608
[email protected] ent on town issues, followed by a Library. e public is welcome to www.carmellibrary.org/calendar County Executive MaryEl-

LISA KAIN COVID-19 update by a repre- attend; to register visit www.ma- and go to January 4. Contact len Odell will present opening
(201) 317-1139
[email protected] sentative from the County Health hopaclibrary.org. is meeting email programs@carmellibrary. remarks, followed by the keynote
CORINNE STANTON
(914) 760-7009 Department. Rotarian Joseph will be held onsite in a socially org with any questions. presentation by Massaro. e
[email protected]
DeMarzo will moderate the pro- distant format, or virtually on Business Council audience will be invited to par-
JAY GUSSAK gram. Questions can be submit- GoToMeeting. For information, ticipate in an informal Q & A and
(914) 299-4541
[email protected] ted on Zoom during the program. call 845-628-2009, ext. 100. Breakfast networking mixer.
JENNIFER CONNELLY Presentation e event is free for members
(917) 446-7757 e Zoom information can be United for
[email protected] obtained on the Rotary website at and $20 for non-members. Host-
SHELLEY KILCOYNE
(914) 924-9122 Lakemahopacrotary.org the Troops ed via Zoom, all attendees must
[email protected] e Putnam County Busi- register to participate in this spe-
GABRIELLE BILIK Mahopac
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/DESIGNER United for the Troops needs ness Council will host its annual cial event. Once registered, non-
[email protected]
Library Events addresses of deployed military to Breakfast Presentation & Gen- members may purchase tickets
PRODUCTION TEAM keep sending them gift boxes from eral Meeting on ursday, Jan. via the Business Council website.
TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL
Zoom Puppet Show united for the troops. ey are in 28, at 7:30 am. Prior to the main For registration and tickets visit
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
PHOTOGRAPHER ursday, Jan. 21, 4:30 p.m. the middle of Operation Cupid event, members will brie y con- putnamcountybusinesscouncil.

[email protected] Picture book author David Ezra and eager to continue bringing a vene to elect o cers and directors com/2021-breakfast-presentation
CHRISTINA ROSE
ART DIRECTOR/ Stein will visit with us via Zoom little comfort to the troops. Visit for the current year. e Council SEE MUSINGS PAGE 16
to talk about his books and per- unitedforthetroops.org or email will toast the New Year and new
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 Your Neighbor MAHOPAC NEWS PAGE 3

Paying it forward

Doctors saved his brother’s life, now Mahopac senior wants to make a di erence

BY BOB DUMAS
EDITOR

Two years ago, when Max Seme-

gran learned his older brother, Ben,

had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s

lymphoma, a type of blood cancer,

naturally, he was scared.

“I was shocked. I thought he was

indestructible,” said Max, 17, a senior

at Mahopac High School. “ en sud-

denly he comes down with this dis-

ease.”

It was the boys’ father, a physician,

who noticed the symptoms.

“He saw this bump on his chest and

he got tested,” Max recalled. “When

the tests came back [positive], I

couldn’t believe it.”

Max said the treatment was almost

as bad as the disease.

“It was hard to watch him go

through it,” he said. “ e stu they

give you is toxic and ravaged his body. PHOTOS COURTRSY OF MAX SEMEGRAN Max and Ben Semegran
head teams in di erent chapters across
He lost hair and was in bed a lot. He Max Semegran announcing his candidacy donated to them, such as gift cards or
ended up going through an initial for LLS Students of the Year.
round of chemo and we thought it was

gone. He went to college for his rst the country,” Max said. “I work with tickets to a ballgame or show.

semester, but it came back, and he had cause of my brother,” he said. the Westchester and Fair eld chapter. Max is also looking into doing some

to come back and have a bone marrow After some research, Max discov- I am the rst from Mahopac to do it local fundraising in Mahopac with a

transplant. It destroyed his immune ered the Leukemia & Lymphoma and want to leave a good legacy for scavenger hunt. Teams would pay an

system and they had to rebuild it. It Society (LLS) and its Students of the people to follow.” entry fee and then solve riddles to

was right before COVID was starting, Year program. Max will lead a multigenerational nd certain things throughout town

so we were really worried.” Students of the Year is a phil- 10-member team of teachers, stu- and take sel es with them.

But Ben, 19, who attends Tufts Uni- anthropic leadership-development dents, family members and friends. Max’s goal is for his team to raise

versity in Medford, Mass., where he program for high school students. ere are myriad ways the team $50,000, though he hopes to surpass

majors in biology, eventually fought Participants foster skills such as en- members raise funds. Each member that.

o the disease under the care of doc- trepreneurship, marketing and project has a website and garners donations “I want to make as good a showing

tors at New York Presbyterian/Weill management to raise funds for the through it. ey also seek donors with as I possibly can,” he said. “I want it to

Cornell Medical Center. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. e emails and letters, which they try to be a yearly thing like Relay for Life. I

“He went through immunotherapy students take part in a seven-week spread like chain letters. can nominate someone to do it next

and nished treatment two weeks campaign to raise money and aware- “Social media is really useful to get year. It gets lots of kids involved.”

ago,” Max said. “But we are still a lit- ness for blood cancer therapies and the link [to the websites] out there,” Asked what his brother thinks of all

tle cautious because we went through treatments. Max’s seven-week cam- Max said. this, Max said, “He is a very humble

this before and he has no immune sys- paign will run from Jan. 21 to March e other way they raise money is person. At rst, he was like, ‘You don’t

tem right now. So, with COVID, if he 11. through the sponsorship of local busi- have to do this for me.’ But now he’s

got it, it would be really bad.” Max has put together a team of fun- nesses. Or the businesses can buy an excited about it too.”

Watching his brother go through draisers, much as Relay for Life does, ad in the Students of the Year pro- To learn more about Students of

his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and dubbed them Team Ben: Max and gram used at the year-end celebration. the Year and to donate to Max’s team,
ADG-LAW.COM
struck a chord with Max and inspired Mahopac Students of the Year Fund- e teams also raise money at the cel- visit events.lls.org/ctwhv/CTWHV-

him to do something. raiser. ebration via auctions. Each team can SOY21/tmaxandmah. For more in-

“I wanted to make a di erence be- “Candidates are nominated and auction o up to four items that were formation about LLS, visit lls.org.

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PAGE 4 MAHOPAC NEWS THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021

Odell urges patience
during vaccine rollout

County awaiting more supplies from the state

County Executive MaryEllen doses a week from the federal ply, we will. e best we can do PHOTO PROVIDED BY COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Odell has called for the public’s government. As of Friday, Jan. 15, now, is keep you informed. ”
patience as Putnam awaits more the county Health Department Gerald Locascio, from Kent Police Department, receives his COVID
vaccine supply. had no vaccines and no indica- Here is the latest advisory from vaccine from Victoria Maxino, RN, a volunteer with Putnam’s Medical
tion when it will receive a new our health department: Reserve Corps.
e Putnam County Depart- allocation from the state. with vaccine announcements is
ment of Health administered State vaccination sites may at www.putnamcountyny.com/ Article provided by the County
307 vaccines to seniors 75 and e state has a wide network have changing availability. To health or www.putnamcountyny. Executive’s O ce
older and essential workers last of vaccine dispensers. Hospitals check for appointments at a NYS com
have been charged with vaccinat- vaccination site, go to https://
ursday at the Philipstown ing doctors, nurses and medical am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.
Recreation Center. at follows workers. Local health depart- health.ny.gov/.
two successful vaccine points of ments are charged with vaccinat-
dispensing, or PODS, at the Car- ing essential workers identi ed as When a Putnam County
mel Friendship Center, which part of Phase 1B— rst respond- DOH Point of Distribution clin-
vaccinated 611 people. ers, educators and more. Local ic (POD) is scheduled, the link
pharmacies are charged with vac- will be sent directly to speci c
“ ursday’s venue was ideal, it cinating those aged 65 and up, organizations the state requires
means the Health Department but since there were problems the county to vaccinate, or shared
now has a location in Philip- with some pharmacies in Put- on the Putnam County Depart-
stown and another in Carmel to nam County, the state asked the ment of Health website at www.
administer the vaccine,” Odell county’s Health Department to putnamcountyny.com/health as
said. “I even heard seniors remark vaccinate the seniors. appropriate.
how nice it was to see friends who
they hadn’t seen since the O ce “We need to ask for your Also see PutnamHealthNY
of Senior Resources programs continued patience,” Odell said. Facebook and Twitter accounts
were paused early last year.” “ is is hard on everyone, but I @PutnamHealthNY )
know it is especially hard on our
Although the county health seniors, who are the most vulner- e health department is made
department has set up facilities able to the virus and, often, the aware of its vaccine allotment
to distribute the vaccine, demand most isolated. We are working as and assignments from the state
still far outstrips supply. More best we can to get you vaccinated, on a weekly basis. As such, Put-
than seven million New Yorkers and as soon as we get more sup- nam will be scheduling Point of
are eligible to be vaccinated but Distribution clinics less than one
the state only received 300,000 week in advance for the rst dose.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 MAHOPAC NEWS PAGE 6

County to expand vaccine distribution to those over 75

e Putnam County Depart- tion Hotline for an appointment: department expects another 300 · Coroners, medical examiners · Doctors who work in public
ment of Health is preparing to ex- 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697- doses this week. and certain funeral workers health clinics and their sta
pand COVID-19 vaccination dis- 4829).
tribution to those aged 75 and older, Other agencies, including hospi- · Sta and residents at OP- · Registered nurses
Prior to receiving the vaccination, tals, urgent cares, health centers and WDD, OMH and OASAS fa- · Specialty medical practices of
rst responders, teachers and other you must complete the New York pharmacies, will also be vaccinat- cilities all types
essential workers who live and/or State COVID-19 Vaccine Form. ing people. Because of the limited · Dentists and orthodontists
work in the county, as the state in- supplies, it is expected to take until · Urgent care providers and their sta
stitutes Phase 1B of its vaccination is form can be completed online mid-April to vaccinate all the New · Individuals administering · Psychiatrists and psychologists
program. at https://forms.ny.gov/s3/vaccine. York State residents in the approved COVID-19 vaccines, including and their sta
You will receive a submission ID. 1A and 1B groups. local health department sta · Physical therapists and their
“ is is a good step forward,”said · All outpatient/ambulatory sta
Putnam County Executive Mary- Do not show up to a vaccination ose now eligible for COV- front-line, high-risk health care · Optometrists and their sta
Ellen Odell.“ e rollout will still be site without an appointment. You ID-19 vaccination include: workers of any age who provide · Pharmacists and pharmacy
slow because the supply is so very will not be given a vaccine. direct in-person patient care aides
limited.We are hopeful that vaccine · Teachers and education workers · All sta who are in direct con- · Home care workers
production will ramp up and that For information about eligibil- · First responders tact with patients (i.e. intake sta ) · Hospice workers
the supply will increase to meet the ity, phased distribution and more, · Public safety workers · All front-line, high-risk public · Sta of nursing homes/
demand.” visit https://covid19vaccine.health. · Public transit workers health workers who have direct skilled nursing facilities who did
ny.gov/what-you-need-know. · People 75 and older contact with patients, including not receive COVID vaccination
Vaccinations are by appointment · High-risk hospital workers those conducting COVID-19 through the Pharmacy Partner-
only. On Monday, Jan. 11, the Putnam (emergency room workers, ICU tests, handling COVID-19 speci- ship for Long-Term Care Pro-
County Department of Health ran sta and Pulmonary Department mens and COVID-19 vaccina- gram
To sign up, start by seeing if you its second Phase 1A vaccination sta ) tions Check www.Putnamcountyny.
are eligible: https://am-i-eligible. point of dispensing, or POD, at · Residents and sta at nursing · Doctors who work in private gov for updates.
covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/ Carmel Friendship Center on Old homes and other congregate care medical practices and their sta
Route 6 for healthcare workers and facilities · Doctors who work in hospital- Article courtesy of the County
If you are, you will be given a list those who live or work in nursing · Federally quali ed health center a liated medical practices and Executive’s O ce
of local places where you can get a homes or group homes only. e employees their sta
vaccination. health department has adminis- · EMS workers
tered 600 doses of the Moderna
ose eligible can also call vaccine, all it has received so far. e
the State COVID-19 Vaccina-

THERE’S A SMARTER WAY Courthouse
TO HEAT ANY ROOM goes blue
THIS WINTER. for Human
Trafficking
Heat and cool the rooms you live in… Prevention
without wasting energy on
the rooms you don’t. Month

AND RECEIVE NY UTILITY REBATES In recognition of January as
on a H2i® whole-home National Slavery & Human Traf-
heat pump system.
cking Prevention Month the
Rebate based on Putnam County Courthouse has
system capacity. been lit with blue light.

In business for over 40 years! © 2020 Mitsubishi Electric “Human Tra cking is every-
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said County Executive MaryEllen
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e average age of youth being
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trade is 12-14 years old. All youth
are at risk for tra cking, regard-
less of socio-economic class, race,
and gender. Runaway and home-
less youth, youth who have been
in foster care, and LGBTQ youth
are at higher risk.

Warning signs of human traf-
cking can include: A history

SEE TRAFFICKING PAGE 14