Yorktown News 07.22.21

Vol. 10 No. 18 Visit TapIntoYorktown.net for the latest news. Thursday, July 22, 2021

TOWN BOARD

Yorktown opts-out of marijuana dispensaries

9/11 mural, repairs to courthouse steps discussed

BY NICK TRUJILLO Chamber of Commerce President Sergio ARTWORK: CHRIS RIOS
STAFF WRITER Esposito agreed with the board members’
points, saying there are too many questions, The rendering of the proposed mural commemorating the 20th anniversary of 9/11
e Yorktown Town Board has made the and the town has the choice to opt back in
unanimous decision to opt-out of allow- at a future date if it pleases. community who were killed on Sept. 11, constructed of concrete block.
ing cannabis retail dispensaries and on-site
consumption sites in town. “We do not understand what the regula- 2001. e image of the mural features rst re-
tions are because there are no regulations,”
Members of the board closed the public said Esposito. “ e questions haven’t been John Tegeder, the town’s director of plan- sponders raising an American ag, a police
hearing during the July 13 meeting after answered yet.”
adjourning the discussion on July 6. All ve ning, presented the schematics of the pro- o cer and servicewoman saluting, civilian
members of the board have expressed their Members of the Yorktown community
opposition since March, when New York may submit a valid petition to the town posed wall to the board during its meeting silhouettes over an American ag design
State’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation clerk within 45 days of the decision to opt-
Act made public marijuana consumption out. If enough quali ed voters sign, the on July 13. e wall would be built 7-and- backdrop. e artist, Chris Rios of Rios Art
legal and allowed municipalities a choice decision of whether or not to allow retail
whether to allow dispensaries within its marijuana dispensaries would fall on the a-half feet away from the pavilion, would SEE TOWN BOARD PAGE 4
towns. town’s constituents on the November gen- be 14-and-a-half feet long, 7 feet high, and
eral election ballot. To qualify, the petition
“I raised a couple of concerns last week, would need to be signed by approximately
and those concerns still remain,” said Town 1,600 quali ed Yorktown voters (or 10 per-
Supervisor Matt Slater. With his concerns cent of the 15,916 Yorktown residents who
on proper regulation, the capabilities of en- voted in the last gubernatorial election).
forcing it safely, and whether the technol-
ogy exists to accurately test for impaired RENDERING FOR 9/11 20TH
driving under the in uence of marijuana, ANNIVERSARY MURAL UNVEILED
he added,“It would be irresponsible of us to
move this forward.” To coincide with the 20th anniversary
of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Yorktown
Councilwoman Alice Roker said that, Town Board gave an update on its plans to
“My feeling is that once we have a real law construct a memorial mural on the site of
with real regulations, the next Town Board the existing Shrub Oak Memorial Pavilion
will decide what it would like to do.” that memorializes the ve members of the

BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 31

CLASSIFIEDS 30

HEALTH & WELLNESS 20

LEGAL NOTICES 29

LEISURE 28
OPINION
10 BASEBALL

SCHOOLS & CAMPS 27 Lakeland grad taken in
SPORTS 24 MLB Draft
TOWN GREEN
18 pg 25

Page 2 – Yorktown News Thursday, July 22, 2021

The Staff Lakeland school board responds to town hall petition

EDITORIAL TEAM Trustees call for civility as DEI debate heats up
BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER
EDITOR: 914-302-5628 BY NICK TRUJILLO ing tension between opposing ments by members of the crowd. to discuss the implementation of
[email protected] STAFF WRITER groups of parents and school e board received a petition critical race theory into the dis-
board trustees. Despite e orts trict’s curriculum.
ADVERTISING TEAM e Lakeland Board of Edu- to keep conversations organized, signed by parent Judy McLaugh-
PAUL FORHAN cation’s reorganizational meet- many interruptions were made lin, which had received over e petition also demanded
ing on ursday, July 8, was the throughout the trustees’ com- 550 signatures, demanding an the removal of two community
(914) 806-3951 culmination of months of brew- “emergency town hall meeting” members from the district’s Di-
[email protected] versity, Equity, and Inclusion
team, citing the results of May’s
BRUCE HELLER Board of Education election,
(914) 486-7608 in which they nished as the
[email protected] bottom-two vote-getters. e
petition states that, “ is dem-
LISA KAIN onstrates the community’s lack
(201) 317-1139 of con dence in these two.”
[email protected]
CORINNE STANTON McLaughlin, one of many
(914) 760-7009 audience members donning a
[email protected] t-shirt reading, “Education Not
Indoctrination,” commented
JAY GUSSAK that she and Ragonese were in
(914) 299-4541 a focus group together during
[email protected] the selection process for the
SHELLEY KILCOYNE DEI team. “I said I didn’t want
(914) 924-9122 Black Lives Matter taught in
[email protected] school, because I didn’t believe
GABRIELLE BILIK it should be. She did, and guess
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/DESIGNER who got on the inclusion team?”
[email protected] McLaughlin added that she
“knows for a fact that seven out
PRODUCTION TEAM of nine parents on that inclusion
TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL team support BLM, critical race
theory, or both.”
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
PHOTOGRAPHER Other demands from the pe-
tition include a safe space for
[email protected] students who feel uncomfort-
CHRISTINA ROSE able with an activity or the ma-
ART DIRECTOR/ terial being taught, cellphone
access for students in class, a
DIGITAL PRODUCTION MANAGER live streaming camera in every
[email protected] classroom, and an audit of the
signatures from the petition that
EXECUTIVE TEAM circulated following the George
BRETT FREEMAN Floyd protests last summer, ti-
CEO & PUBLISHER tled “Lakeland Central School
845-208-8151 District Demand Letter,” by
Zalma Vivacano, which spurred
[email protected] the beginning of the district’s
DEI initiative.
Deadlines
e public comment session
YORKTOWN NEWS DEADLINE featured about 40 speakers and
THE DEADLINE FOR ADVERTISEMENTS lasted over two hours, with par-
ents expressing their viewpoints
AND EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS FOR both in support and opposition
to the district’s DEI initiatives.
YORKTOWN NEWS IS THE THURSDAY Many parents told their chil-
BEFORE THE NEXT PUBLICATION DATE. dren’s experiences with racism
during their time in the district.
FOR MORE INFORMATION,
CALL BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER AT e accounts of racist events in
914-302-5628 OR EMAIL the district ranged in age; speak-
[email protected]. er Maura Gregory said her Black
child was called the “N-word”
Subscribe and threatened in kindergarten,
second grade, and eighth grade.
TO REQUEST YORKTOWN NEWS When she complained to the
WEEKLY DELIVERY, CALL 845-208-8503 district, she said, she was told it
OR EMAIL [email protected]. was categorized as bullying, not
SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE COMPLIMENTARY FOR racism, and nothing was done.
RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IN THE TOWN.
OUT OF TOWN MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE Other stories told accounts
$150 PER YEAR FOR FIRST CLASS MAIL. of more racist and anti-Semitic
remarks being made at Lakeland
PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT schools with no punishment.
SOMERS, NY AND AT Trustees and attendees on both

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SEE PETITION PAGE 6