The Somers Record 02.16.2023

VOL. 11 NO. 45 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 CLASSIFIEDS 23 ELEPHANT’S TRUNK 4 LEGAL NOTICES 23 LEISURE 22 OPINION 8 SPORTS 16 Hang Up and Drive pg 12 PSA Visit TapIntoSomers.net for the latest news. BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER  e Somers school district is not messing around when it comes to the safety of its students. Shortly after being shown videos of one of its school buses blowing through two stop signs, it launched an investigation with vendor Royal Coach and the Westchester County Police.  e unidenti ed Royal Coach driver was taken o their afternoon run and will “no longer be driving in Somers,” schools Superintendent Dr. Raymond H. Blanch wrote in a letter to parents on  ursday, Feb. 9. All bus safety protocols were followed. “ e safety of our students is always our top priority, and we are dedicated to ensuring it every day,” he said.  e videos were taken by vigilant White Plains resident Michael Bambace, who told   e Somers Record  that he spotted the errant bus on his commute to work.  He then shared them on social media. Royal Coach driver removed from SCSD route  A screenshot of footage showing a Somers school bus running several stop signs. BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER   ey say there’s safety in numbers.  ree local school districts are presenting a united front with the aim of persuading Westchester County to get on board with school bus stop-arm photo enforcement programs. A Jan. 23 letter sent to County Executive  George Latimer  really laid it on the line. Signed by  Somers  schools Superintendent Dr.  Raymond H. Blanch  along with counterparts  Joseph E. Hochreiter  of the  Hendrick Hudson  Central School District and Dr. Raymond Sanchez  of the  Ossining  Union Free School District, it states that drivers illegally pass stopped school buses “hundreds of times a day in Westchester County, putting children at risk as they travel to and from school.” Yet it’s the only county in the metropolitan region that has not yet o cially authorized a school bus safety program, a “critical public safety tool” that will hold reckless motorists “accountable,” they noted. Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, and Su olk  counties and several municipalities in Nassau on Long Island have all passed local laws authorizing bus safety programs. Somers and Hendrick Hudson are both participating in a pilot program that has allowed them to gather data. But unless the county authorizes the initiative, there’s no way to fund it through the collection of tra c  nes going forward. Some proponents say school bus photo enforcement programs are comparable to the way the electronic toll collection system EZ-Pass works. It would be civil law and part of the county code, legal experts say.  e county could either administer the program directly or outsource its management to a third party, the school district would transmit videos to the county, and the county police would decide whether or not to issue citations. COUNTY RESPONSE Latimer’s communications director, Catherine Cio , issued the following statement on Monday, Feb 13:   “We have been asked by some school districts, but not all, to Somers schools push for bus safety enforcement  SEE SAFETY 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 What Dreams Are Made Of!  Car Collectors - Landscapers - Contractors - Studio - whatever space you need or want to do, this 8-car garage will totally deliver. Add the 900 sf move-in ready ranch with gleaming wood floors, new kitchen appliances and a lovely 1/2 acre lot - all for one low price and with super low taxes. Garage has full heat, AC, hot water/drain and super high ceilings. The total package for living, rental or as a hangout. A rare bird for sure and not going to last so call me today! $499,000

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BY TOM WALOGORSKY EDITOR If you have attended a theatrical production at Somers schools, chances are you have seen and heard Tyler Brownstein’s handiwork. As a part of the performing arts stage crew, his contributions have been invaluable to making SHS productions look and sound their best. The Somers Record caught up with Tyler to learn more about how he got his start in sound engineering, favorite memories at Somers High School, and his advice for younger students considering joining the crew. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 3 HOME, AUTO, BUSINESS, LIFE & HEALTH 914-232-7750 www.forbesinsurance.com Get your body work done right the first time! Steve Deiana Deiana’s Custom Collision 11 Wesley Street Bedford Hills 666-6412 [email protected] SHS senior sounds off PERFORMING ARTS SPOTLIGHT BY BOB DUMAS EDITOR AT LARGE Somers resident Lyn Liao Butler never thought of herself as a writer of thrillers. Her  rst two novels  “ e Tiger Moms Tale”  (Berkley, 2021) and  “Red  read of Fate”  (Berkley, 2022) were considered “book club”  ction. But somewhere along the line, the writing for her third book took a distinctive turn. In “Someone Else’s Life” ( omas & Mercer, paperback original, 2023), which hit bookstores on Feb. 1, Butler’s  debut psychological thriller explores some dark yet all too familiar human emotions of jealousy and self-doubt, and how they can sometimes consume us and the ones we love.  e story is told through the lens of complex characters, including the protagonist Annie Lin, who has just moved with her husband and young son to Kauai, Hawaii to start over after a series of tragedies and unexpected events that unsettled their comfortable lives.  Palm trees, mai tais, peace and quiet— Annie should be at ease, safe in her new  Kauai  home. But the calm doesn’t last long…soon enough items from Annie’s past start turning up and her strength and love for her family are tested harder than she ever expected.   at the story takes place in Kauai is not due to some random muse of the author—Butler and her family own a home there, where they spend several months each year. She knows the town well. Butler was born in Taiwan and moved to the U.S. when she was seven. Before becoming an author, she was a professional ballet and modern dancer and is still a personal trainer and  tness and yoga instructor. She and her husband, a New York City  reman, have a young son, as well as three dachshunds. Butler is an avid animal lover who fosters dogs and volunteers with rescues. “We moved all over the U.S. – we moved to Pleasantville, where I went to middle school, then New York City, and then I got married and we moved to Somers,” she said last week from her home in Kauai. “For our honeymoon, we came here and just loved it so much. We came back twice a year. And during the pandemic, we lived here.  at was the best decision.  ere was no COVID here and the beaches were empty. My son got to play with other kids.” It was actually the pandemic that was at the root cause of why her third novel started to bend genres and morph into a psychological thriller. “I wrote during the pandemic,” Butler said. “And I also home-schooled my son, which was the worst decision we ever made. At one point my son came to me and said he wanted to  re me. It put me in a stabby mood and I started killing o characters. And I added a stalker. My agent was like, ‘you wrote a thriller,’ and sold it with just three chapters and a synopsis. I had about two and a half weeks to turn it into a thriller.” Lyn Liao Butler enters ‘Someone Else’s Life’ Somers novelist’s new book designed to thrill and chill PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE CROSS PHOTOGRAPHY Lyn Liao Butler released her third novel on Feb. 1. When did you begin your involvement in stage crew? I started to be involved with stage crew in the 6th grade. I actually started with lighting and building the sets. As I did my  rst show, I saw sound and what they did, and it was very fascinating to me. So the next year I would do sound and I’ve been helping out ever since. How did you gain your experience? I learned over time because certain things in sound can be pretty tricky to learn. I was taught by Frank Dickinson, a sound engineer that the school district hires to help out with all their productions. I’ve been learning from him for the last six years. What are your future plans after SHS? Do they include performing arts? I do not plan on going into the performing arts  eld. Even though it is a hobby to me that I love, I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in culinary arts. Stage crew and sound production will always stay a hobby for me, and I will hopefully be able to continue it throughout my life on the side. How has being on stage crew shaped your high school experience? I think that it has shaped my high school experience by giving me lifelong memories and friends that I’ll never forget.  e people that are a part of stage crew make it a family. We’re all brought together working on something that we all care about and love to do. What is your favorite performance memory? My favorite performing arts memory is de nitely the show of “Mamma Mia” because of how great it was to work on from a sound perspective, and overall it was a fun show to watch. As a senior at SHS, what kind of advice would you give to younger students who want to be involved in the performing arts? I would tell them de nitely to join stage crew because of all the cool sets and props that you’ll get to build, the technical side of it like sound that you’ll get to experience, and the friendships and memories that you’ll make. Tyler Brownstein at the soundboard preparing for the SHS production of “Night of the Living Dead.” PHOTOS COURTESY OF TYLER BROWNSTEIN SEE BUTLER PAGE 6

PAGE 4 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 The Sta EDITORIAL TEAM Tom Walogorsky Editor: 914-302-5830 [email protected] Whit Anderson Sports Editor [email protected] ADVERTISING TEAM Paul Forhan (914) 806-3951 [email protected] Bruce Heller (914) 486-7608 [email protected] Lisa Kain (201) 317-1139 [email protected] Corinne Stanton (914) 760-7009 [email protected] Jay Gussak (914) 299-4541 [email protected] Pam Zacotinsky 845-661-0748 [email protected] PRODUCTION TEAM Tabitha Pearson Marshall Creative Director/Photographer [email protected] Noah Elder Designer Bri Agosta Designer Haven Elder Designer EXECUTIVE TEAM Brett Freeman CEO & Publisher 845-208-8151 [email protected] Deadlines The Somers Record The deadline for advertisements and editorial submissions for The Somers Record is the Thursday before the next publication date. For more information, call Tom Walogorsky at 914-302-5830 or email [email protected]. Subscribe To request The Somers Record weekly delivery, call 845-208-8503 or email [email protected]. Subscriptions are complimentary for residents and businesses in the town. Out of town mail subscriptions are $150 per year for First Class Mail. Periodicals Postage Paid at Somers, NY and at additional mailing o ices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Somers Record at 118 N. BEDFORD ROAD, SUITE 100 MOUNT KISCO, NY 10549 (ISSN 2330-1597) Published Weekly by Halston Media, LLC at 118 N. BEDFORD ROAD, SUITE 100 MOUNT KISCO, NY 10549 ©2023 Halston Media, LLC Low Westchester inventory equals more opportunities for sellers. Get top dollar for your property while demand is high, now is the time to sell. I would be happy to assist with your real estate needs or answer any questions you may have, get in touch today! Kayleigh Mayer Licensed Real Estate Salesperson [email protected] M: 914.879.2949 68-70 The Crossing | Chappaqua Kayleigh Mayer is a licensed real estate salesperson affiliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity Laws. 845-279-2046 • www.diggstricounty.com 113 Old Rt 6 • Carmel Hamlet, NY 10512 TUES-FRI 8AM-4PM, SAT 8AM-12PM • EXTENDED HOURS SPRING 2023 GRAVEL & SUPPLY FOR ALL YOUR LANDSCAPE SUPPLY NEEDS! MULCH • GRAVEL • RECYCLED ITEM 4 • TOPSOIL • FILL • SAND • MILLINGS • DECORATIVE STONE • BLUESTONE • CEMENT • MASON MIX • REBAR & MUCH MORE! DELIVERY & CONTRACTOR PRICING AVAILABLE WE ALSO CARRY COAL, WOOD PELLETS & FIREWOOD FOR YOUR HOME HEATING NEEDS! STOVE CLEANING & REPAIR SERVICE AVAILABLE WINTER SAND & SALT AVAILABLE! A number of local students have been honored for their scholastic achievements at colleges and universities across the country!  e following were recognized for their academic performance and named to Dean’s List for the fall semester of 2022. Nazareth College Matthew Reimann Western Connecticut State University Sara Reiss University of Rhode Island Codi Creegan Danny Haigh Michael Lulaj Paul Lulaj Isabella Rydzewski The University of Scranton Hannah C. Angelini Michael E. McKearney Celebrating our scholars! Temple Beth Shalom 760 US-6, in Mahopac. www. tbsmahopac.org PURIM EVENTS Sunday, March 5 Come join Temple Beth Shalom of Mahopac for Purim Carnival 2023 (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.) and Purim Trunk and Treat (12:30 - 1 p.m.) Games, prizes, light lunch, Hamantaschen and candy. Open to children of all ages. Costumes encouraged, Muppets theme optional! For more information call 845-628-6133. Feeding Westchester MOBILE FOOD PANTRY March 2, April 6, and May 4, from 3:30 to 5 p.m.  is specialized 26-foot refrigerated truck brings a “market on wheels” to underserved communities so that fresh, nutritious foods can be delivered directly to those who need it. To be held at Shrub Oak Memorial Park, located on Sunnyside Street in Shrub Oak. For more information, visit https://feedingwestchester.org/our-work/ Church of the Good Shepherd 39 Granite Springs Road, Granite Springs SENIOR SATURDAY LUNCH Saturday, Feb. 18, at 12 p.m.  e Church of the Good Shepherd will host its next non-denominational, free lunch gathering of local senior citizens at the church. A delicious hot meal will be served, and will be accompanied by companionship, conversation and community!  e meal will conclude with dessert and co ee. A second meal will be given to everyone attending to take home. RSVP is required by  calling 914-248-5631 or emailing  seniorssaturdays@goodshepherdny.org. The Somers Library Please register using the online calendar at www.somerslibrary.org to have access to online meetings. If virtual, you will receive an invitation prior to the start of the program. Programs are supported by the Friends of the Somers Library through patrons’ generous contributions. (HYBRID) SOMERS LIBRARY BOOK GROUP Friday, Feb. 17, from 2:30 to 4 p.m.  e group will meet both in person and virtually to discuss Marie Benedict’s “Personal Librarian.”  e novel tells the story of Belle da Costa Greene, J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian, who became one of the most powerful women in New York, despite her secret preserving her carefully crafted white identity.  is Library-sponsored book group is led by Diana Cunningham, Librarian, who selects the books to be discussed, chosen in consultation with Tara Ferretti, Head of Public Services, with feedback and suggestions from the group. New members are always welcome. (VIRTUAL) CLASSIC BOOK GROUP DISCUSSES GEORGE ELIOT’S “MIDDLEMARCH” Monday, Feb. 27, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Set in Middlemarch, a  ctional English Midland town, the story follows distinct, intersecting stories with many characters. Issues include the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism, selfinterest, religion, hypocrisy, political reform, and education...all issues of concern to modern life. Group meets on Monday nights, bimonthly. Meetings are via Zoom with plans to move to in-person/ Zoom as desired by the group. Meetings are open to all interested Somers residents. Copies of the current title to be discussed are available at the circulation desk. ELEPHANT’S TRUNK

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PAGE 6 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 Butler spent those weeks in Kauai to soak up the atmosphere. “I knew I wanted to set my third book in Kauai but because of the pandemic, I couldn’t go to do research,” she recalled. “At the end of 2020, when we realized we might very well be sheltering at home again for the winter in New York, on a whim, we decided to go live in Kauai for two months. We spent February and March of 2021 in Kauai, where I was able to  nalize the book. I went back in November 2021 by myself, and now it’s turned into a tradition to go to Kauai twice a year.”  Butler said now that she is a bona  de thriller novelist, she may continue with the genre for a while. “I have always liked psychological thrillers, and I loved [the TV show] ‘Criminal Minds,’” she said. “I think part of my head has always been fascinated with the dark things people do. My computer search is things like, what of poison is undetectable.” With “Someone Else’s Life” o cially in bookstores and online retailers, Butler is nearly ready to introduce her fourth BUTLER FROM PAGE 3 SEE BUTLER PAGE 22 authorize a program relating to school bus photo monitoring cameras which will allow school districts and local governments to work together to identify motorists passing stopped school buses. Our administration wants the children of this county to be able to travel to and from school safely. Personally, as a mother of school-age children that take a bus to school, I see  rsthand how precious and volatile those parts of the day can be.  at being said, we are now in the process of analyzing how this complicated  state legislation would be applied to our county where there are 40 school districts, some city districts and some union-free districts, and roads that are under the jurisdiction of towns, cities, the county, and the state.  is legislation could be applied in completely di erent ways in the northern part of the county as compared to the southern part. At this point, the legislation and the complications are still being analyzed, and the Latimer administration will work with the Board of Legislators to  nd a resolution that will best protect our children.” HOW IT CAME TO BE In 2019, the state Legislature enacted legislation that allows counties and municipalities to install cameras – aka license plate readers -- on school buses.  e key bit here is that governmental entities must pass their own laws in order to enforce the  program within their school districts.  e law remains in e ect until Dec. 1, 2024. State legislators will then have to act to renew it. Less than a year after New York acted, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that all states do the same. “ e need for this program in Somers could not be more clear. It is a critical public safety tool that will make our streets safer and hold accountable motorists who put our children’s lives at risk,”  Blanch  told   e Somers Record last week. Hochreiter agreed, emphasizing that “these initiatives don’t have any teeth unless they become the law of the land and are enforced.” GATHERING DATA Somers  and  Hendrick Hudson have been participating in a pilot program with BusPatrol, a Virginia-based safety technology company  that operates in New York and 11 other states.  e information they’ve been able to gather about the amount of illegal bus passing is alarming -- to put it mildly, said Somers’ assistant director of transportation,  Gerard Esposito. Last fall,  BusPatrol  and  Somers  released data showing that 286 drivers had illegally passed stopped school buses in August and September.  at’s an average of 4.7 violations per bus per day. According to  Esposito, the “hot zones” appear to be Brick Hill Road, Tomahawk Street (Route 118), and Route 100. September was a “rough month,” he noted. As far as the stop-arm camera program is concerned, Esposito’s “all in favor of it.” “I think it’s a great addition to the Somers school district,” he said, pointing out that it’s also “very helpful” that videos are live-streamed to the transportation o ce where sta can use them to pinpoint troublesome areas.  ere were 186 such incidents recorded in October and November, Esposito said, adding that the latest numbers are in the process of being compiled.  e footage was captured using cameras installed on 59 Somers school buses.  Hendrick Hudson  out tted 49 buses and captured 367 violations during the same time period. BusPatrol  claims to have installed cameras on 10,000 buses nationwide. When a driver illegally passes a bus, its stop-arm camera automatically records the violation. In counties where stop-arm camera laws are in place,  BusPatrol  sta reviews each video before it’s turned over to law enforcement, which then decides whether to issue the perp a citation.  Reportedly, only government agencies will have access to the  lmed evidence. Somers’ assistant superintendent for business and operations Christopher Platania was alarmed by the sheer number of violations the pilot program has uncovered. “We’re still just very much behind this initiative and want to see it move forward and will continue to advocate to the best of our abilities,” he said Monday, Feb 13. PRIVACY CONCERNS When this was being discussed last year in nearby  Putnam County, some local lawmakers and citizens wondered how the data would be maintained and distributed. SAFETY FROM PAGE 1 SEE SAFETY PAGE 7 MEDICAL & SURGICAL EYE CARE Looking Forward to seeing old, familiar and new faces! • Comprehensive Eye Care • Cataract Surgery, Glaucoma Laser & Implants, Botox Lan V. 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Localities have to adopt and enforce measures to protect the motorist’s identity. According to the  New York State Association of Counties, state law requires that all evidence “not relevant to the violation is destroyed within 90 days from the date of the incident.” Once  nal adjudication of the violation or failure to prosecute is determined, all images used to prosecute the violation are destroyed. Evidence is maintained by the company during an appeal process, the NYSAC said. New York State Vehicle and Tra c law  requires signs to be posted at the jurisdictional boundaries of each municipality or county notifying the public that school bus photo violation monitoring systems are in use. Questions were also raised about the cost of such signage. Also, once a new program is started, motorists are issued warnings for one month before citations and violations can go into e ect. In April, Putnam legislators voted unanimously to authorize the program. BusPatrol claims that its aim is not to slam motorists in their wallets, but to change their behavior and create “a culture of awareness and responsibility about school buses.” In other words, it’s ALL about saving a child’s life.  e company website claims that violators learn their lessons and that “98 percent” of them “do not receive a second ticket.” According to a report in  school-busride.com, BusPatrol founder and CEO Jean Souliere said then that the pilot data clearly demonstrated the “need for sensible photo enforcement on our roads.” He further advised Westchester to “follow the lead” of other counties and pass a school bus safety program that gives schools and police “the tools they need to keep our kids safe,” the report said. NO COST TO DISTRICTS Photo enforcement technology programs have been “proven to dramatically curb” illegal passing incidents and don’t cost school districts anything because they are “violator-funded,” the superintendents argued in their letter. In other words, the  nes collected pay for their implementation and administration. Under state law, counties and municipalities can contract with private companies such as BusPatrol  to install the devices, gather the data, and ship it to local police, who then make the decision on whether to issue a citation.  e company foots all installation and maintenance costs. Fines reportedly would be collected by the state comptroller and then divvied up.  e county would get 90 percent – part of which it would share with the installer -- and the municipality where the violation occurred, 10 percent. Without photo enforcement technology, most violations go unpunished, which further encourages dangerous driving, proponents claim. “One tragedy is too many, and there have already been too many incidents and close calls this year alone. We need Westchester County to enable the e cient enforcement of our tra c laws to make our roads safer for our kids,” the superintendents asserted. ‘EPIDEMIC’ LEVELS  e video evidence so far is “jarring,” they wrote, adding: “Every instance that goes unenforced endangers the life of a child in our communities.”  ey also noted that there’s been a marked increase in “dangerous driving” around school buses. According to Elizabeth Gilleo, Hendrick Hudson’s supervisor of transportation, drivers in New York state illegally pass stopped school buses at least 50,000 times a year. “And that’s just a conservative estimate,” she said Monday.  e National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services  recently reported that incidents of illegal bus passing reached an “epidemic level” during the pandemic. Nationwide, close to 42 million violations have been recorded for each of the last three years. In the opinion of the  National Highway Tra c Safety Administration, reducing the danger is easier said than done. It requires the involvement and cooperation of motorists, school bus drivers, law enforcement o cers, prosecutors, and local judicial o cials “to make sure the law is obeyed, violations are reported, and the law is enforced,” the NHTSA said.  e three superintendents said stop-arm photo enforcement programs are supported by “a broad coalition of parents, school o cials, transportation safety advocates, and law enforcement.” Civilians are also demanding action, judging by a petition being circulated via change.org. Posted by Gilleo, who is also the head of the Lower Hudson chapter of the New York State Association for Pupil Transportation, it was seeking 500 signatures. As of Monday, Feb. 13, it had gathered 477. “Every other county in the New York City region can make use of these stop-arm enforcement programs – but not us. It makes no sense, and it’s not fair to our kids,” the petition read.  e superintendents also emphasized in their letter that authorizing the program is not the same thing as mandating it. “It simply gives school districts the opportunity to implement school bus stop-arm photo enforcement programs if they so choose,” they explained. Each camera system costs about $10,000.  e pilot program is still in place, but Gilleo and Platania were both worried that someday it may be gone.  at’s because until the county gives the initiative the o cial go-ahead, vendors aren’t making any money. Expressing frustration with the county’s lack of movement, Gilleo opined: “If Westchester is waiting for a fatality to happen, that’s kind of a sad fact.” THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 7 RE/MAX Classic Realty Services Provided Property Evaluation | Home Staging High Definition Photography 3D/Virtual Tours Custom Digital Marketing Five-Star Service Need more info? Scan me! 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Opinion PAGE 8 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 Law Office Of andres d. GiL, PLLC Honor, Integrity, Compassion, and Dignity Call Us Today At (845) 940-1110 ADG-LAW.com 973 Route 22, Suite 3, Brewster New York State Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business TRUST & ESTATES • WILLS • ELDER LAW • REAL ESTATE LAW OFFICE OF ANDRES D. GIL, PLLC Honor, Integrity, Compassion, and Dignity Call us today at (845) 940-1110 Scan here to visit my website Obfuscate and divide the electorate.  is is clearly the strategy of the federal government. As of this writing, U.S. debt stood at $31.5 trillion, according to usdebtclock.org. And according to those in power, we have a binary choice sometime in the next four months: raise the debt ceiling and all will be well or fail to do so and our country faces economic catastrophe. Whether in fact we have a binary choice is a topic for another debate. But rest assured that front and center in that debate will be an e ort to divide us as a nation. Of course, at the top of the list, we’ll hear about grandma and grandpa, and those who don’t care about de cit spending will falsely accuse others of a desire to defund Social Security and Medicare. It seems as if all our political debates and all our policies are intended to divide the electorate into “us” and “them.” I see this most clearly in my role as an employer. I’ll never forget when one of my valued colleagues asked me what they’d “really” be making in their paycheck that year. I prefer the term “colleague” instead of “employee,” as the employer/ employee relationship emphasizes a hierarchy, whereas “colleague” is a reminder that both parties entered into a mutually bene cial and voluntary relationship. Of course, I don’t blame this colleague. He/she was inquiring what they’d be netting in their paycheck, a reasonable question. But from my perspective, I’m paying what I’m paying. What Uncle Sam chooses to tax is between that employee and Uncle Sam. But Uncle Sam wants employees to feel that they aren’t “really” making what they are making. It reduces the government’s complicity in its forced wage garnishment. It’s the same reason we never see what we’re “really” paying at the pump. Not all of that money is going to the gas companies, but nobody is cursing the government during that transaction. Just as the government wants to divide the electorate in all of our budget debates, the government has a compelling interest in emphasizing a hierarchy between employers and employees — again, to divide everyone between “us” and “them.” As a case in point, there are certain costs that employees never see. In reality, employers match an employee’s Medicare and Social Security payments (these employer payments are completely hidden and not reported on a pay-stub or the W-2 tax form), and employers must also pay into state and federal unemployment insurance funds through payroll, which are also never reported to the employee. Outside of payroll, employers must also pay disability insurance premiums for each employee. Again, employees never see this bill. It is much cheaper for a company to limit its payroll and classify as many people as possible as independent contractors, also known as freelancers. Putting an employee on payroll is not only more expensive; it’s also more complicated. To be clear, I don’t mind ful lling all of my legal and  nancial obligations as an employer, but I do mind the fact that it’s so complicated that I need to pay an outside vendor to  gure it all out for me. As the owner of Halston Media, I pay a lot of money to ADP, a Fortune 500 company, to  gure out all this complicated minutia. It would be nearly impossible for me to ful ll all my legal obligations as an employer without a vendor like ADP to keep me compliant. And I do mind that the amounts I pay are purposely hidden by the government, which prefers it this way.  e government forces employers to serve as a tax enforcement authority, of sorts, and it’s designed in a way that minimizes the employee from ever feeling as if they are parting with their own cash. Before I started Halston Media, I used to pride myself in doing my own personal tax returns, which were just a few pages long. It was pretty straightforward. I added up compensation from our W2 and 1099 forms. I reported any taxes already withheld and took all allowable deductions. Voila! I typically ended up with the IRS owing us a small refund.  at small refund was designed to make me feel as if I was actually bene ting  nancially when  ling my taxes. Ever since I started my own business, with a little over a dozen employees as well as dozens of vendors and independent contractors, my taxes are now bewildering. I couldn’t  gure out my taxes if you paid me. Between my corporate and personal taxes, I submit a novel to the IRS and to New York State each year. Any politician that is serious about reducing the tax burden could accomplish their goal in one easy step. Stop turning employers into tax collectors. Let employers pay their employees the full amount, including the hidden expenses, and then let employees write that check to Uncle Sam and all the other taxing authorities. Employees wouldn’t be paying any more than they already do, but it would increase transparency.  at would go a long way towards making us all feel like we’re part of the same team. Government wants ‘us’ vs. ‘them’ BRETT FREEMAN PUBLISHER’S MEMO Happily Ever After

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 OPINION THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 9 I f you’re like me, you read this and thought of a bad word. Or you might be a mature adult and didn’t think anything of the sort. “MTHFR” actually stands for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. It is a gene that helps your body make a protein that is essential to processing folate. However, the gene can mutate. Essentially, with the mutation, your body isn’t correctly breaking down folic acid and sometimes requires methylfolate instead. If you have the gene mutation, it can cause a person to have some health problems, too. Unless your doctor checks for it and does genetic testing, you aren’t going to know. So how did I come to  nd this out for myself? Before I dive into why I wanted to write about this for so long and why it was such a sensitive topic for me, let me just say that I am not a medical professional, as you all know, and I write solely based on my own experiences.  ese experiences usually range from checking my child’s diaper to assess the color of poop, wiping boogies, taking temperatures and making pastina when my kids don’t feel well.  ere’s nothing like a mother’s intuition, but it still doesn’t give me a license to practice. I have written about my recurrent miscarriages before. My close friends and family saw me through a very hard time after Reagan was born. After getting pregnant with Reagan, which was relatively easy, and having a healthy pregnancy, I naively assumed my future experiences would also go well. I was young and didn’t really know anyone who had multiple miscarriages and no one was really talking about the topic.  When Reagan was almost 2, I got pregnant with twins and was very surprised. I remember laughing like a maniac when the doctor told me there were de - nitely two babies in there.  e excitement was short lived when I found out I had lost the babies at my 12-week appointment.  ey had passed shortly after my nine-week check-up and I had no idea.  After this traumatic loss, I went on to have more miscarriages. I was at a loss to why this kept happening. I got pregnant so easily only to lose the baby soon after. After the third loss, I decided to see a specialist who told me that medically everything looked good and it was just bad luck. In my heart, I knew something was o . In 2016, I  nally welcomed Johnny after multiple miscarriages. In 2019, I got pregnant with Tristan.  roughout both of these pregnancies, I was a total wreck. At an early appointment for my pregnancy with Tristan, I was speaking to my midwife about my concerns and anxieties. She mentioned to me that I should be tested for the MTHFR gene. She said it wasn’t a common test because only 30% of women have it. I remember thinking that the number seemed high enough that all women should have it done, especially since some people believe that women with the mutation have a higher risk for recurrent pregnancy loss.  Sure enough, after the tests came back, it all made sense to me. I can’t say for sure that having the mutation was a factor in all of my losses, but it de nitely seemed more likely than saying bad luck. I remember crying and thanking her for being so thorough, especially since my MTHFR  at acronym is not what you think NICOLE DOOLEY MAMA EXPLAINS SEEDOOLEY PAGE 10 140 Bedford Road Katonah, NY 10536 www.arrowaytractor.com 914-232-3515 5-20% OFF IN-STOCK INVENTORY! Your Family Car Care Center! LOCATIONS: Baldwin Place • 44 Route 118 • (845) 628-7900 Croton Falls • 1 Center St • (914) 769-3206 Visit us at www.ProperService.com For over 100 years of combined auto experience, Joe Ferone and his sta of Proper Service have been serving the community, creating releationships, and building a remarkable company with an amazing team of employees! Find out why Joe Ferone of Proper Service needs to be YOUR Go-To Automotive Service Center!

PAGE 10 – THE SOMERS RECORD OPINION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 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 WHY DO WE ADVERTISE IN HALSTON MEDIA’S LOCAL NEWSPAPERS? TO ADVERTISE WITH US, CALL BRETT FREEMAN AT (845) 208-8151 Advertising in Halston Media is being part of a community. While walking through different towns, people recognized our picture and connected it to the services promoted. It was a great way to get new customers while validating our work with current clients. Dr. Deborah Hardy Student Support and Educational Consultant GuidED Consulting, LLC DOOLEY FROM PAGE 9 fertility specialist never even mentioned it. She told me that I immediately had to buy prenatal vitamins that had methylfolate and NOT folic acid since my body couldn’t break it down properly.  I shuddered at the thought of me religiously taking my prenatal vitamins with Reagan and Johnny, not knowing that my body wasn’t getting what I needed from the folic acid. I wound up buying Mama Bird prenatal vitamins that had methylfolate, and never looked back. I also remember comparing the birth weights of my children after having this new knowledge. Reagan and Johnny were both past their due dates and measured on the smaller sides, while Tristan was a week early (induced) and was 8 pounds, 3 ounces. I wondered if the vitamins played a role in this. Why am I writing this? I could have written this from a more emotional standpoint, and I have done that in previous posts. But I wanted women to know that they always need to advocate for themselves. If you feel something is o or not right, demand that extra test. Ask for all the options. If you feel your doctor is not hearing you, switch. It upsets me to think of all the years I dealt with loss, not having all of the information.  I am not saying that my losses could have been prevented. I can’t prove that and I will never know the truth, but my heart feels that they were connected to not having the proper resources and care that I needed during that time. And please know, if you are hurting and need help, or are sad and just need a friend to talk to, I am here. As a mother, as a woman, as a friend, if you have questions about pregnancy, or about a topic that is child-related or not, we need to be there for one another, and I am here.  For me, talking about my experiences was therapeutic and if this information can help another person out, well then, that is good enough for me. 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 mamaexplains. com or follow her on Instagram at @mamaexplains for relatable parenting tips and stories. Also, feel free to send her a message or a question on Instagram! I read in an article in  e New York Times that a woman, Sen. Patty Murray, now chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. And that a bipartisan subgroup of female lawmakers is intent on getting together and slashing red tape to arrive at real budget solutions. And that the purse-strings of America are being controlled by people who may well carry an actual purse. Maybe it will be good for the country to have women in charge of appropriating things. I accused my Mom of it all the time when I was growing up. “MOM- where did you put my sneakers?” “You mean THOSE sneakers sitting there?” she said. “ ey’re right where you left them.” I could swear I didn’t leave them there, but I didn’t, so it wouldn’t go on my record that I accused my Mom of theft, failed to properly dispose of possibly hazardous material AND swore. If there are no men in this little sub-panel, at least there won’t be the possibility of inappropriate comments at the Appropriations Committee.  ings like, do you prefer memos or briefs, or comments about what an itty bitty committee it is.  ere is an air of optimism surrounding the idea of a female-led council, the thought being that men are capable of wasting a lot of money on expensive toys that don’t even work properly. A widelyreported episode of a $5 billion boondoggle surfaced in 2004, regarding Army uniforms designed for camou age. It turned out that they were only useful if a soldier was trying to hide in, say, a  eld of jigsaw puzzles. When in reality all they had to do was fashion uniforms that look like Waldo, who is hard to  nd, or a taxicab in inclement weather, which is damn near impossible. If any of these women is anything like my Mom, they can  nd a bargain if there’s one to be found. She had a little folio with a slew of coupons in it, and she would save a bundle in groceries.  is is what complex negotiations should look like for tactical aircraft over at Lockheed-Martin: “I’d like one of those F-22 Raptors, and I have a coupon.” Shopping for America RICK MELÉN MAN OVERBOARD SEEMELEN PAGE 11

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 OPINION THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 11 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 What steps have you taken to protect your life savings from the cost of long term care? CALL NEW YORK’S ELDER LAW TEAM 914.948.1500 Do you have a ‘DOD Rewards Card?’” “Yes I do.” “You know, you could also save even more if you buy in bulk, and if you brought your own reusable bag.” “Okay, I’ll take 20 of them.” “Smartly done! With the discounts and tax that comes to just $80 billion!” Once in a while it’s women who are the ones guilty of spendthrift behavior. I would go so far as to say that any money spent on kale is a waste of money. And guys, take a look in your closet. I’d be willing to bet you haven’t even noticed this, but take a ruler and measure how much of that closet is devoted to your stu , and how much is devoted to shoes with pointy toes and four-inch heels that you’ve never seen anyone in your house ever wear. It’s almost like they walked in all by themselves, and that’s why it’s called a walk-in closet. Shoes with leopard print were recently spotted in my half of the closet. If I ever see a leopard with no shoes on, I know exactly where they are. Sure, most of the above is thinlyveiled sexism, but you have to admit it looks better with the veil on. When I was living at the condominium complex, a meeting of the condo board could devolve into chaos in a matter of minutes. Everyone thought it was a great idea to replace the lighting in the parking lot, until we found out how much it would cost. Is it really necessary to see where you’re going in a parking lot? Just carry a  ashlight, and once you’re in your car you can turn on the headlights. If Larry, the president of our condo board, was in charge of the Appropriations Committee, America would be paying o a “special assessment” every damn year. Maybe men just don’t understand collaboration very well. My wife went to a seminar for work, and she was leading one of the brainstorming teams. I said, “ at is awesome! I hope your team wins!” She said, “What do you mean, ‘wins?’ We’re working toward a common goal.” I said, “What is the point of that? If my soccer team played your soccer team and we both kicked the ball into the same goal, who would watch?” Based on what she said after that, I got the idea that if I had a brainstorm, it could result in widespread damage. I’m willing to give these ladies a shot. I just hope they don’t do what I did last time, and go shopping for America before they’ve eaten lunch. If they come back with $1.2 billion worth of chocolate, I’ll know that my best advice went unheeded. Look for Rickster Melen on Facebook! Say hello at: [email protected]. MELEN FROM PAGE 10 I look forward to my weekly visits to Michael Robert Salon in Mohegan Lake.  It is like a second home to me. My talented stylist, Gary, and other “family” folk: John, Alice, Sharon, Sylvia, Joy and JenD are super special, fun and welcoming. Imagine my surprise a few weeks ago when I was “ambushed!” I had no sooner hung up my coat and was heading back for my shampoo when Sharon came to me and quickly related that one of Sylvia’s clients had a cat that desperately needed a new home. Sylvia joined the “ambush” with a picture of Nina, an 8-year old black/gray domestic short hair pussy cat. It seems that Nina’s owner had recently passed away.  e owner’s daughter, Mia, brought her mother’s precious pet to her home. Here was the problem: Mia has two kitties and Nina was not going to share! Mia had to put Nina in a separate room. What to do? Mia was really in a bind as she shared her problem with Sylvia and Sharon. Enter Ruthann! “We know how you love kitties and how much you miss Gus. Nina would be a perfect  t for you and you would love her and give her a special home,” said Sharon.  Sylvia again showed me Nina’s picture on her phone and added, “She is up to date on her shots and has been well taken care of.” I could feel myself beginning to care for this sweet cat. She had the kindest face—I could tell she’d known nothing but love. I began asking more about Nina, and as Gary was doing my hair he said: “You are going to adopt this kitty, I just know it.”  I got Mia’s phone number from Sylvia and called her when I got home. Mia told me that her Mom had recently passed away and she wanted a loving home for Nina, as she didn’t get along with her own cats.  e more we spoke, the more I knew I could give Nina the home she needed.  at Sunday, Mia and Nina arrived at my home. Mia brought several  ats of cat food, treats, cat toys, a special blanket, all her medical paper work and of course her carrier. Nina came out of the carrier and proceeded to explore every room. She found the litter box—amazing how they  nd that almost immediately. She sni ed at her new dishes, nibbled on a few pieces of dry cat food and continued investigating her new home. When Mia left, Nina ‘Ambush’ at the beauty salon! RUTHANN SCHEFFER WHAT WAS I THINKING? SEESCHEFFER PAGE 14

PAGE 12 THE SOMERS RECORD – THU BY TOM WALOGORSKY EDITOR On Feb. 8, students and parents gathered in the Somers High School auditorium to hear a simple but powerful message. Hang up and drive. In a program spearheaded by Town Justice Michael McDermott, the event served to educate and warn new student drivers (and provide a reminder for parents) about the dangers of distracted driving. For 15 years, Judge McDermott has presented the program to SHS students, extolling an important message about safety, responsibility, and the consequences of the choices that we make. McDermott related some of his experiences on the bench, notably when local youths volunteer and observe proceedings in his courtroom. “I ask them, what does someone have to do to wind up as a defendant?” explained McDermott.  e answer he often receives is a simple one. “Someone made a bad decision.” “ ere’s a message that I give to young people and everyone who comes into court,” McDermott continued. “ e message I give comes down to the element of choice. And many times the choices we have to make are hard.” Judge McDermott then explained the importance of focusing complete attention while behind the wheel and the potential consequences of distracted or impaired driving. “ ings you have to realize when you’re 17 or 18 yea you’re out driving your parents aren’t Dermott. “A paren is to get a call at 11 or daughter has bee Before turning t his guest speakers, reiterated his poinquences of our a behind the wheel o “Everything com and decisions,” Mc the best you can.” Judge McDerm presentation over the New York Stat to a career in law eer Lora also spoketive of a parent. “We don’t sleep home safe,” she exp Her presentatio images of accident caused by distrac driving, often wit noticeable silence ctorium as photos Taconic State Par Rt. 35 were shown Trooper Lora responsibility and not only avoiding c driving, but also o the road and surrou “When you take with you, you’re re lives,” said Troopesponsible for every Finally, the even a powerful presen speakers Jacy Goo Hang A fatal accident caused by distracted driving. join Lauren, Colleen and Rick and bring a li� le harmony to your next event! musical vocal group playing an eclec� c mix of favorites, old and new [email protected] 914-248-5135 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] STRON ATTRAC ROOF S Upgrade Your Home with a NEW METAL RO Guaranteed to Last a Lifetime! From Dim reminiscen architectu can enha protecting Call today to schedule your FREE ESTIMATE Made in the USA New orders o offer. Minimument placed conditions m March 31, 20 telephone, SM and service p DO NOT CAL homeservices LIMITED TIME OFFER 60%off TAKE AN ADDITIONAL 10% off YOUR INSTALLATION Install for Military, Health Workers and First Responders + Warranty- Limited Lifetime. Transferable to 1 subsequent owner from original purchaser. Terms and conditions apply. Hail up to 2.5”, Appearance of the surface coating beyond normal wear and tear. Limited time offer. Expires 3.31.23

URSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 PAGE 13 ars old, is that when g around at night, sleeping,” said Mcnt’s worst nightmare 1 p.m. that their son en in a car accident.” the program over to , Judge McDermott nt about the conseactions, particularly of a car. mes down to choice cDermott said. “Do ott then turned the to Trooper Lora of e Police. In addition enforcement, Troope from the perspec p until our kids are plained. on continued with ts on local roadways cted and impaired th fatal results. A came over the audiof accidents on the rkway, Rt. 139, and n. again emphasized the importance of cell phone use while of concentration on undings. e someone in the car esponsible for their er Lora. “You’re reyone.” ning concluded with ntation from guest od and Steve Johnson. Jacy’s story began in 2008. Immediately following her graduation from Muhlenberg College, her family was involved in a horri c car crash caused by a driver on their phone. “ at day started as the best day of my life,” she explained.  e distracted driver ran a red light and pulled into an intersection, resulting in a tractor trailer swerving to avoid the car and crashing into the vehicle driven by Jacy’s family. Both of her parents were killed in the collision. Jacy su ered life-threatening injuries, endured more than eight hours of surgery, and was initially given only a 10% chance of survival. Her boyfriend, Steve, remained by her side every day. Overcoming the multitude of injuries took months of rehab, and due to a traumatic brain injury Jacy is unable to use her left arm and lower leg, and also still su ers from lingering cognitive issues. Following those tragic events, Jacy and Steve have made it their mission to educate the world about the consequences of distracted driving. To date, the pair have spoken at nearly 14,000 events across 43 states and several foreign countries. As someone who realizes how fortunate she is to be alive today, Jacy also values the importance of spreading her message. “Someone needs to be telling this story,” she said. For more information about Jacy and Steve’s work with Hang Up and Drive, visit www.hangupanddrive.com g up Somers Town Justice Michael McDermott Trooper Lora Jacy Good AND DRIVE PHOTOS: TOM WALOGORSKY Progressive Animal Hospital Voted “Best of Somers” 2020-2022 What is the most common mismanaged condition that you see? THE ITCHY DOG! Is your pet... scratching • licking • chewing feet or having chronic skin infections? Stop treating the symptoms and find out the underlying cause with a simple blood test. Get your pet feeling better and stop the frequent trips to the vet. INDEPENDENTLY OWNED and OPERATED 268 route 202 l somers, ny 10589 914.248.6220 l progressive-vet.com Elder Law & Estate Planning Wills, Trusts & Estates Small Business • Real Estate Matrimonial • Criminal Personal Injury • Commercial SOMERS • YONKERS Evening Appointments & Home Visits Tel: 914-964-6806 www.marralaw.com • [email protected] NG AS STEEL WITH THE CTIVE LOOK OF VARIOUS STYLES OOF mensional Shingles to classic styles nt of Cedar Shake and Spanish Tile, an ural roo ng system by Erie Metal Roofs ance the beauty of your home while g your family and property for a lifetime. 1-855-492-6084 only. Does not include material costs. Cannot be combined with any other um purchase required. Other restrictions may apply. This is an advertiseon behalf of Erie Construction Mid-West, Inc (“Erie”). Offer terms and ay apply and the offer may not be available in your area. Offer expires 023. If you call the number provided, you consent to being contacted by MS text message, email, pre-recorded messages by Erie or its affiliates providers using automated technologies notwithstanding if you are on a L list or register. Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use on scompliance.com. All rights reserved. GA License Number: RBCO006004

PAGE 14 – THE SOMERS RECORD OPINION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 had discovered my bed and was making herself comfortable. She, like all of my other kitties, would have the run of my home. Nina and I have been together for almost a month. She is my loving fur baby and has the sweetest disposition. Yes, she has known nothing but love and she is still getting lots of love. She loves to get on my lap and make herself quite at home as I pet her. When I stop for a minute, she taps me on the chest: “Keep going, don’t stop!”  So my dear friends at Michael Robert Salon, thank you for “ambushing” me. Now Nina has a loving home, and I have a sweet, furry companion to love. All is well with our world! SCHEFFER FROM PAGE 11 David vs. Goliath Dear Editor, I recently attended a Heritage Hills meeting with Richard Berkley, director of the O ce of Consumer Services of New York.  ere were about 50 angry elderly, along with me, at the earlier meeting, and there was an evening one scheduled as well. It was the classic story of David vs. Goliath and the elderly were the Davids. NYSEG was, of course, Goliath.  NYSEG hides behind poor equipment, poor billing, inadequate personnel, etc., etc. etc. A gentleman who had brought his past bills showed us how they didn’t bill for all the above-listed reasons, but then “caught up” during the winter months with double to triple the rates!  ere’s a story here folks, a big one. Ripping o  xedincome folks is an ugly thing to appear on a tombstone. I hope you’re able to look into this.  anks for the power of the press. -Fran Schultzberg Heritage Hills, Somers Happy ‘Pearl’ anniversary to Somers Land Trust Dear Editor, Years ago at a Somers Earth day event, I saw someone manning a small folding table with pamphlets and print-outs about the environment and the Land Trust while people walked right on by. I was not optimistic about its success. Boy, was I wrong!  e Somers Land Trust, with a list of myriad accomplishments, activities and projects, is now 30 years old! On Jan. 29, I attended the annual meeting of the Somers Land Trust at Town Hall. Along with the business portion and yearly review, the meeting featured an excellent talk by Gretchen Stevens, director of the Biodiversity Center at Hudsonia. Maybe I missed someone in the packed room, but I didn’t see any members of the Town Board there. I know board members have volunteered on di erent projects of the Land Trust, but I would have loved to have seen a representative at the meeting of such an important town organization. Perhaps the term “Land Trust” conjures up images of sequestered pieces of property, a kind of “Look, but don’t touch” scenario. Far from it!  e Somers Land Trust, with its excellent leadership and dedicated volunteers, is a vital and active part of our community, protecting Somers’ natural habitat and historic green spaces through stewardship, advocacy and education. In a brief overview of some of its activities – it has blazed and maintained hiking trails, has hosted native plant sales, taught tree care at its Arbor Day celebration, provided information and encouraged participation in the Pollinator Pathway Program, taught awareness of invasive plants and insects, worked with Scouts and school kids, and works to protect water quality. It has established native plant gardens.  ere is a wildlife management program. It works for conservation easements. It collaborates with over a dozen local and national organizations to bring in additional expertise and has won grants for biodiversity assessments, invasive species removal, and various construction projects and public programs. Community outreach is conducted through its newsletter, Facebook page and town and county events.  irtyeight corporate sponsors have provided their support and help. And on the horizon is the completion of the restoration of the historic Reynolds House at the entrance of the Angle Fly Preserve, which will be the home of a caretaker for the Preserve, a remarkable property with a variety of  ora, fauna, habitats and remnants of history – from its namesake trout stream, a section of farm road and foundations of former agricultural structures, a meadow, beaver dams and ponds, wetlands and vernal pools, and stone walls created by people who carved out homesteads at the founding of our country.  A connection with nature is soul-soothing and emotionally centering, and we’re so fortunate to have this organization and these resources within our town. Even if you can’t be out bushwhacking trails, you can be part of the Land Trust’s legacy. Becoming a member and sign up for the newsletter at their website, somerslandtrust.org, and check out their Facebook page.  -Anita Krusko Somers LETTERS 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. 855.281.6439 I Free Quotes American Made Family Owned Award Winning Could your kitchen use a little magic? NEW YORK HOMEOWNERS: YOU MAY *QUALIFY THROUGH NEW RELIEF PROGRAMS! HELP IS AVAILABLE EVEN IF YOU COULD PAY CASH Qualify Today: 800-944-9393 or visit NYProgramFunding.org to see if you *qualify Do you need a New Roof and Help paying for it? Do you need Energy Efficient Windows & Help paying for it? Approved applications will have the work completed by a quality repair crew provided by: HOMEOWNER FUNDING. 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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 OPINION THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 15 Last year, my colleagues and I attended a newspaper conference in Saratoga Springs hosted by the New York Press Association. Usually, a few weeks after I leave these types of conferences, my enthusiasm returns to normal and I forget the details of most of what I’ve learned. But the keynote speaker on the  rst morning said something absolutely brilliant that has stuck with me ever since. In a nutshell, the speaker explained why it’s absolutely imperative that a business owner or marketing executive at a small and medium-sized business have the right message in their advertising. Now, of course, this seems obvious, but sometimes the way something is explained becomes an “aha!” moment. To illustrate this speaker’s main point, I’ve written a  ctional account of a conversation between one of my advertising executives and a dissatis ed client. Bear with me. If it seems like this dialogue is an advertising pitch, it’s not. Yes, we’re certainly proud of our team at Halston Media, but there is marketing gold in the hypothetical conversation below. A FICTIONAL CONVERSATION BETWEEN A DISSATISFIED CLIENT AND HALSTON MEDIA Dissatis ed Client: “Advertising doesn’t work in your newspapers.” Halston Media: “I’m so sorry to hear that you are dissatis ed. We have an amazing sta of marketing and design experts who can help you change your ad.” Dissatis ed Client: “No thanks. I think I’ll just focus my time on creating social media posts.” Halston Media: “OK, but how about this? We’ll give you a FREE ad. But you have to let us decide the message.” Dissatis ed Client: “Hmmm. Free? I’m intrigued. What would be the message?” Halston Media: “Attention all customers, mention this ad when you walk in our door, and we’ll hand you a $100 bill.” Dissatis ed Client: “No way! I can’t a ord to do that. We’ll have thousands of people coming to my place of business asking for a $100 bill.” Halston Media: “Hmmm. I thought advertising doesn’t work in our newspapers?!” Dissatis ed Client: “But that’s di erent. Everyone would want a free $100 bill.” Halston Media: “So you agree, it’s all about the message.  e ad has to tell the customer about something the CUSTOMER wants. Dissatis ed Client: “I see your point. Short of o ering my customers a free $100 bill, how can we improve my message?” Halston Media: “First, you have to decide your advertising objective. Are you trying to attract a number of new customers? If so, then you might want to o er a highvalue coupon. OK, not $100, but high enough that new customers decide it’s worth giving you a try. And if you could somehow limit the coupon only to new customers, that could be even better. Remember, you are using the coupon essentially to purchase a new customer. How much is the lifetime value of a new customer who has never walked in your doors previously, assuming this person will become a repeat customer? Dissatis ed Client: “ e lifetime value of my new customer could be pretty high. It could mean thousands of dollars in revenue for my business over the next few years.” Halston Media: “So, how much are you willing to give away in your coupon to ensure that new customer walks in your door? You may lose money in that  rst purchase, but if your new customer is satis ed, it could potentially be thousands of dollars in the future.” Dissatis ed Client: What if I already have lots of customers, but really want them to buy more products at a time, or make purchases more often? Halston Media: “ en you might include a coupon that incentivizes purchasing a larger amount of your inventory at one time. Or maybe your coupon creates a sense of urgency. Dissatis ed Client: “What if I want to focus on brand building instead of using coupons?” Halston Media: “ at’s also a great idea. To build your brand, you need repetition in your advertising. You also need a simple message. Your current ad has way too many words in it. A reader’s eye doesn’t know what to look at. You have just a few seconds to get the reader’s attention.” Dissatis ed Client: “You mean I shouldn’t list every product and service and discount and schedule and the history of our business?” Halston Media: “ ink of an ad for a diamond at De Beers.  e ad is simple: a picture of a beautiful diamond with the slogan, ‘A Diamond is Forever.’ Or think of a juicy Big Mac with the slogan, ‘I’m Lovin’ It!’ You can extend that simple concept to any local brand.” SIX WEEKS LATER SATISFIED CLIENT: “ ank you Halston Media. You gave great advice. Your team of marketers and designers really did a great job with my ad.  e coupon worked GREAT! It really caught everyone’s attention. I have a lot of new regular customers now. And when we did that branding ad for the following  ve weeks, it really got the community talking about my business.” Halston Media: “We’re so glad you are satis ed. So, I guess advertising in our newspapers really does work?!” SATISFIED CLIENT: “Halston Media newspapers clearly have a huge reach into the community! It really was all about having the right message in my ad.” I hope this hypothetical conversation was helpful. If you want our team to help you with your marketing, call me at 845-208-8151, email freeman@ halstonmedia.com or visit halstonmedia.com. $100 bill for everyone who reads this column Just kidding. But this got your attention, didn’t it? BRETT FREEMAN MARKETING 101 With Now Accepting New Patients We Are In-Network With MetLife, Delta Dental, United HealthCare, Cigna PPO, and Ameritas PPO, and We Accept Other Insurances 914.277.3518 380 Route 202 at Junction of 116 (across from Heritage Hills) PaulHarbottle.com Excellence in Dentistry In Somers Since 1990 Paul D. 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Sports PAGE 16 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 BY RICH MONETTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER Last Monday and  ursday , Somers/John Jay/Yorktown hit the bars and the beams for the postseason. Not missing a step, the performances continued to stick the landing, the lift and the scoresheet, according to Georgia Nekos of Somers. “We really put all our e ort forward into this season and worked together as a team,” she said, and the results spoke for themselves.  e girls took Sectionals on Feb. 9 at Eclipse Gym in Mahopac and are sending six to States. Nekos, for her part, will be setting down in Bu alo to make her mark on the vault and did so by doing an extra number on the springs. “I put more power and energy into the routine because I really wanted them to count,” said the Tusker.  e same goes for Amelia Carozza as she scored on the beams by employing a “less is more” strategy. “I took out my back tuck,” said the Husker.  e sophomore felt there was nothing to gain by keeping the challenging move in her routine, and she was proven correct. “It bene ted my score,” said Carozza. Excitedly shu ing o , Carozza is about the journey and the destination. “I think the entire experience of being together at States and in the hotel will be great,” she predicted. Sharing the same itinerary, Kayla Cambareri credited a good week of practice for punching her ticket. “I just made sure to apply all the corrections I have been given over the past few weeks,” said the freshman. One more week to  ne tune, she knows the focus for States. “I just have to make sure I stick the landings and keep my toes pointed,” Cambareri asserted. Regan Mooney had her GPS set to true north too and will not change things up either. “I didn’t do anything di erently in practice,” said the Husker. “I tried to do the same things I usually do.” But there was one more di erence in her performance on the beams. “I had a little bit more adrenaline,” she said. Joined on the combined team by Maggie Johannsen of Hen Hud and Nina Mori of Ossining, Mooney is proud 2023 has allowed them to rinse and repeat. “It feels really good because we won Sectionals last year and it’s nice to win senior year,” she concluded. Somers takes Sectionals Sends six to States Sectional Champions: The Somers/ Yorktown/John Jay combined team. PHOTOS: TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL Georgia Nekos GYMNASTICS Call for your FREE consultation today 293 Route 100 Suite 209 Somers, NY (914) 277-1111 www.BBOsmiles.com FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS VALENTINE'S DAY YOUR SMILE SPECIAL OFFER $500 OFF FULL TREATMENT WHEN YOU START WITH YOUR CHILD MUST SIGN UP BY 2/28/23 & MENTION THIS AD CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS OR DISCOUNTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 SPORTS THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 17 BY RICH MONETTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER John Jay/North Salem/Somers again took to the slopes at  under Ridge on Wednesday, Feb. 7 for a league meet. Warmer and closer to the 4:30 p.m. starting time than the previous week, the resulting amenities were not quite commensurate. “ ere were ruts everywhere, basically holes around every turn,” said Luke Spieler. So the senior and his teammates simply dug in. Improving to 4-0 on the season, the boys had seven of the  rst 15 and the girls had six. At 29.92, Spieler  nished  rst, and with the uncertainty abound, he de nitely was not on cruise control. “ ere was a lot of ‘on the  y’ adjusting,” he said. One particular moment stood out. “ ere was a hole about six inches deep,” he said. “I just jumped over it and tried not to get stuck in the crevice.” North Salem’s Rosie Binette knew the feeling, and landed number one as well (22.72). Describing the course as “a little funky,” she did more than take all the airborne necessities in stride. “Yeah, kind of wild, it’s exhilarating. You never know what’s going to happen.”  e same goes at the top of the mountain. “All the teams are together, and you make new friends,” said Binette. “Everyone cheers each Combined team continue their Run Riding through Thunder Ridge and Section 1 Luke Spieler PHOTO: RICH MONETTI SKIING SEE SKIING PAGE 20 2020 Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Operated by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logo are the registered service marks owned by the Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Whether you are selling or buying a home, I am experienced and knowledgeable of today’s ever changing market. You not only want, but need a qualified professional by your side. Contact me today for your free comprehensive market analysis and all your questions answered. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is pleased to honor Your exceptional performance exemplifies the best and brightest in real estate today. Congratulations on ranking among the top sales professionals in the network. STERLING SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL 2022 Ag en t Name Co l d w el l Ba n ker Br a n c h / DBA Marcie Nolletti Coldwell Banker Realty Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is pleased to honor Your exceptional performance exemplifies the best and brightest in real estate today. Congratulations on ranking among the top sales professionals in the network. STERLING SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL 2022 Ag en t Name Co l d w el l Ba n ker Br a n c h / DBA Marcie Nolletti Coldwell Banker Realty Marcie Nolletti Licensed Real Estate Salesperson NY & CT 338 Route 202 | Somers, NY 10589 Cell: (914) 424-5545 [email protected] marcienolletti.com Buying and Selling— I can make it happen!

PAGE 18 – THE SOMERS RECORD SPORTS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 BOYS BASKETBALL Somers 79, Blind Brook 57 Monday, Feb. 6 Mac Sullivan put up a careerhigh 17 points and 11 rebounds in a second-half road stomping of Blind Brook. Matt Fitzsimons did all his damage in the third quarter with 20 pts, Andrew Violante and Nate Cohen put up 12, and Brady Leitner finished with nine. Somers 72, Brewster 60 Wednesday, Feb. 8 Fitzsimons (24 pts) and Violante (23 pts) got buckets on the road against Brewster to move to 17-2 last week. Cohen (13 pts) and Leitner (10 pts) also paced the Tuskers. Somers 63, Yorktown 57 Friday, Feb. 10 Defeating the Huskers the previous Tuesday (1/31), the boys swept the season series in a 63-57 win that also earned them the league title over their rival, their first since 1989. The Tuskers finish the season 18-2 overall (6-0 in league play). “Going into this season was bittersweet for me since it is my last year,” said Coach Chris DiCintio. “Winning the league for the first time since 1989 is something that’s extra special because Coach (Darryl) Atkinson and I came to the program 11 years ago and wanted to elevate it to a different level. It had been 20 years since we won Leagues, and every year that we didn’t win put more and more pressure on ourselves. The fact that the kids were able to do this in my last year at Somers is very special.” Filling up the stat  sheet with 26 points and 13 rebounds, Matt Fitzsimons finished the first half with an emphatic dunk to tie it at 30, and then sealed the deal by going 2/2 from the free throw line in the final seconds.  Mac Sullivan (17 pts, 7 rebs), Andrew Violante (9 pts) and Brady Leitner (7 pts) made huge plays throughout the game to lead the Tuskers to victory.  Somers now gets ready for the Section 1 playoffs, with their first round game on Saturday, Feb. 18. “We have championship athletes who have won state championships in either football or soccer,” DiCintio noted. “They know what it takes to refocus themselves when the playoffs begin. Even though it’s a different sport, they understand that playoffs are a whole different animal...It’s a survive and advance mentality...The experience is going to pay dividends.” GIRLS BASKETBALL Brewster 48, Somers 28 Wednesday, Feb. 8 The girls could not stick with the Bears in a road loss last Wednesday. Somers 47, Yorktown 40 Friday, Feb. 10 Getting sweet revenge after a crushing loss to the Huskers at home (1/31), the girls pulled out a 47-40 dub to pick up a season-defining win.  Tied at 34 with 2:42 to go, Ava Giudice (16 pts) nailed a triple to put the Tuskers up. Lindsay McCullough (8 pts) then hit another to extend the lead to six. Yorktown with a three right back, Giudice made another tough bucket to go up 42-37 with 40 seconds remaining. Then on a missed Tusker free throw, Alexa Warycha grabbed the offensive board, forcing  Yorktown to foul and send her to the line, where she went 2/2.  McCullough icing the game with her own free throws in the final seconds, Somers now awaits their seeding for the playoffs. The Tuskers begin the playoffs with an out bracket game on Thursday, Feb. 16. “As for the playoffs,  we are ready to go,” said Coach Kevin Mallon. “If we are fortunate enough to win (on Thursday), we are looking to make a big upset on the road Saturday (2/18).”  HOCKEY North Rockland 3, BYSNS 1 Friday, Feb. 10 (Sport-O-Rama Ice Rinks) Charles Heese (1G) and Ty Wingfield (27 saves) paced BYSNS (Brewster/Yorktown/Somers/North Salem) in its 3-1 loss to North Rockland. BYSNS 2, John Jay-CR 2 Saturday, Feb. 11 (Brewster Ice Arena) In an inspired effort, BYSNS tied John Jay-Cross River 2-2 in overtime, led by Wingfield (52 saves), Bryan Kottmann (1G), Owen Cunningham (1G), Heese (1A), and Dylan Filmer (1A). Basketball section assisted by Chris Smajlaj. BYSNS section provided by Mike Sabini. Boys Basketball wins first league title since 1989 Girls get revenge on Yorktown PHOTOS: CHRIS SMAJLAJ Ava Giudice led the Tuskers with 16 points over Yorktown. Maddie Lyle Mac Sullivan came up with a huge double-double over the Huskers. Brady Leitner made big plays down the stretch for Somers. VARSITY ROUNDUP

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 BY WHIT ANDERSON SPORTS EDITOR Somers-North Salem traveled to Arlington High School last weekend for the Section 1 Championships, coming away with 14th place and a new individual champion. Ryan Ball (110 lbs., 4-0) found himself down 4-1 in the  rst period against Tappan Zee’s Diego Gonzalez, but managed to persevere to earn an 8-6 decision and win in the  nals. He is the 27th section champ for the program, and the  rst since Dylan Realbuto in 2013. He also earned All-Section honors in the process. Liking his odds against everybody, Ball knew he had a great opportunity. “In my head, I said anyone can be beaten on any given day,” the sophomore revealed. Finally letting his emotions show after the  nal buzzer sounded, the elated Ball did not forget who helped him get to this point. “I felt amazing and so proud. I ran to all my coaches and thanked them.” Ball looks to keep that same drive and mentality for the NYSPHSAA State Championships at Albany’s MVP Arena on Feb. 24 and 25. “Ryan proves that you can accomplish your goals with dedication, persistence, and discipline. He is setting a great example for his teammates and our wrestling program as a whole,” said Coach Ron DiSanto Jr. Liam Dwyer (126 lbs., 4-2) also had a stellar weekend. His  fth-place  nish earned him All-Section. Reaching the podium by defeating Zaeem Jamsheed of New Rochelle on a pin, Dwyer was proud to see his hard work pay o . “I am proud of the outcome from my season and earning AllSection,” said the junior. “It was de nitely better than last season after not even placing at Counties or Divisionals, and not making it to Sectionals. I am proud of my improvement and I am excited to keep working hard in the o -season to do even better next year.” DiSanto Jr. had major praise for Dwyer as well, noting his willingness to take on anyone. “He (Dwyer) was extremely focused on his own wrestling and not who his opponent was. At practice earlier this week, I handed him his bracket to look at, and he handed it right back and said he didn’t care. From that moment, I knew he was already in the zone. He fought hard and showed a lot of toughness through close matches. He maintained solid positioning and scored clutch points when he needed them most.” Ethan Steuber (102 lbs., 2-2), Dalton Baloy (118 lbs., 1-2), Derek Kuchinsky (118 lbs., 0-2), Anthony Tucci (145 lbs., 0-1), Luca D’Orazio (152 lbs., 2-2), Justin Daniyan (160 lbs., 0-2), and Kevin Haxhari (189 lbs., 0-2) also all left it all on the mats for their  nal meet of the season. “I am proud of everyone that wrestled. I appreciate all of their hard work this season, especially the seniors,” said DiSanto. “Our seniors will be greatly missed.  ey made their mark as role models and leaders of this team.” Tuskers take on Sectionals Ball wins fi rst championship since 2013 Ryan Ball (110 lbs.) moments after becoming a Section 1 champion. Liam Dwyer (126 lbs.) placed fi fth in his bracket and made All-Section. PHOTOS: CHRIS BALL Coach Ron DiSanto Jr. (left) and the wrestling staff saw major improvements from the Tuskers this winter. The Somers-North Salem wrestling team at Section 1 Championships. WRESTLING

PAGE 20 – THE SOMERS RECORD SPORTS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 Increase referrals and name recognition. Advertise in The Somers Record Bulletin Board and reach over 7,000 USPS delivered mailing addresses every week. Call 845-208-8151 today! My Community Bulletin Board Increase referrals and name recognition. Advertise in The Somers Record Bulletin Board and reach over 7,000 USPS delivered mailing addresses every week. Call 845-208-8151 today! 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 © 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 One time use only. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other coupon or offer. Coupon offer good until December 31, 2022. Valid for any new service except subscription fees. Must mention coupon at time of sale. One time use only. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other coupon or offer. Coupon offer good until December 31, 2022. Valid for any new service except subscription fees. Must mention coupon at time of sale. 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 other on, it’s a nice environment to be in.”  e uneven course, on the other hand, is not universally accepted, but Elllie Sheridan had no problem settling the matter with her take. “It’s de nitely not the worst I have ever seen here, and it was very slick. But it’s super fun,” said the junior who clocked in at sixth place with a 25.04.  e secret is to always remain on your toes. “You have to be ready to absorb the shock,” said Sheridan.  e skiers also have to remember to stick with the program. “Make sure you are staying forward, not leaning too much, but when it’s rutty, that’s more challenging to maintain and causes you to lose your balance,” said Chris Marchini. He did so to the tune of second place (30.34) and just behind in third was Joshua Burkhart (31.15). He noticed the terrain too, and while shocked how fast the anomalies rushed at him, he knew what to do nonetheless. “I just had to hold my edges and get through,” said the junior. He wants to do the same in Sectionals, and hopefully, States await on the heals of his agenda. “I have to ski fast and hit the gates,” Burkhart assured. Conversely, Mia Bourla hopes to make States by keeping things in house. “I have to improve my mindset. Before, at the top of the course, my mind is racing. I have to learn to relax a little bit more. When I do relax, I end up doing better.”  e sentiment on this tenuous surface was especially important in her tenth-place  nish (28.33). “You need to stay low and keep your legs loose,” said Bourla. “ e more you tense up, the worse it’s going to be going down the course.” Given the lift skiing provides, nerves and tension are not a part of the equation for Jack Spinak. “Skiing is so much fun, it clears my head,” he said. He also made the most of the bumps in this road. “You have to quickly move your legs and mid-air hop into your turn.” As for the postseason, he intends to stay on the path. “I want to do solid in the races and have a good time skiing,” he concluded. SKIING FROM PAGE 17 Isabella Dziedzic Chris Marchini Emma Klares PHOTOS: RICH MONETTI Promote Your Charity Send us a press release at somersrecord@halstonmedia. com, or give us a call at 914- 302-5830.

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book, one that was meant to be a thriller right from the start.  is story takes place in her hometown of Lincolndale, although the name has been changed. And its plot was inspired by real events in her life. “We are doing the development edits right now,” Butler said. “Apparently, I am a thriller writer now. Although I did self-publish a rom-com between the two thrillers just to cleanse the palate.” It was Butler’s love for fostering shelter dogs that inspire the plot of the upcoming book set to be released next year. “My very  rst dog, Pinot, died right before the pandemic hit. I knew then that 2020 was going to be a bad year,” she said. “We still had another dachshund, and she was lonely without Pinot so when we were stuck at home, we decided to foster dogs. We’ve since fostered 18 dogs, and only foster failed twice, and now have three dogs. When we lived in Kauai, I volunteered at the Kauai Humane Society and have volunteered there every time I’m there. I knew rescue dogs were going to play an important part in the book.  In the upcoming novel, the main characters are a couple who foster shelter dogs. A couple arrives at the house to adopt a dog and  they befriend the young daughter who lives there.  e couple seemed friendly enough until... well, it’s a psychological thriller. One of the themes that run through all of Butler’s novels, regardless of genre, is upended lives.  at’s not a coincidence. “My own life imploded in 2013 when a few major traumatic events all occurred in the same year,” she said. “What followed was many years of trying to pick up my life and myself. I wanted to show anyone else who may be going through something traumatic that life can get better, even if it doesn’t take a stalker to show you that.  at life can go on and be good even after you think you’ve lost everything.”  e reviews for “Someone Else’s Life” have been positive. Eliza Jane Brazier, author of “If I Disappear,” said, “Chilling from page one, ‘Someone Else’s Life’ is an unputdownable descent into two women’s parallel lives. With genuine jaw-dropping twists and enough seeds of doubt to populate a very wicked garden, Butler’s debut thriller is a breath of fresh Kauai air.”   Amanda Jayatissa, ITW  riller Award–winning author of “My Sweet Girl,” said Butler has mastered the art of full-body-tense suspense in a fresh take on the ‘stranger in the house’ concept. “It will have you racing to the end even as your blood pressure increases and you have to remind yourself to breathe,” she said.   Somers Library will host a book launch party for Butler on  ursday, March 16, at 6:30 p.m. featuring a reading, followed by a Q&A. Books will be available for purchase through a local bookseller, and refreshments will be served. Registration is required. Call 914-232- 1285. PAGE 22 – THE SOMERS RECORD LEISURE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 BUTLER FROM PAGE 6 Book Release Party Somers Library Route 139/Reis Park Somers NY Call 914-232-1285 to register. somerslibrary.org 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. River in Tuscany 5. A way to represent 8. Rocker’s guitar 12. Civil Rights group 14. Brew 15. Scratch 16. W. Asian country 18. The Eye Network 19. Clarified butter 20. Part of the Cascade Range 21. Downwind 22. A way to steer 23. Loop 26. Not ingested 30. Swampy coniferous forest 31. Musician 32. Signing 33. Containing iron 34. Part of a theorem or proof 39. Veterans battleground (slang) 42. Of enormous proportions 44. Italian city 46. Come before 47. Balm 49. Undergarments 50. Male parent 51. Ropes 56. Ear part 57. Investment vehicle 58. Dictator 59. Cain and __ 60. A type of code 61. Border river along India and Nepal 62. It’s what’s for dinner 63. Consume 64. Christian __, designer CLUES DOWN 1. Cuckoos 2. Skin issue 3. City in central Japan 4. Sorrels 5. Twinned diamond 6. Canadian province 7. Monetary units 8. Head honcho 9. Goddess of wisdom 10. Part of a play 11. Get rid of 13. Applicant 17. Bowling alleys have many 24. Explosive 25. “The Say Hey Kid” 26. Ultrahigh frequency 27. No (Scottish) 28. Make a mistake 29. Credit card term 35. Keyboard key 36. Woman (French) 37. In the middle of 38. Score perfectly 40. Coat a metal with an oxide coat 41. Deadly disease 42. A place to dock a boat (abbr.) 43. Belch 44. Member of U.S. Navy 45. “In __”: separate from others 47. Examine extensively 48. Adjust 49. Tattle 52. Actor Pitt 53. Gulls 54. Within 55. Exceptionally talented performer

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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 1/31/24. 1-866-595- 6967 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 CLASSIFIEDS THE SOMERS RECORD – PAGE 23 PUZZLE SOLUTIONS FOR THE WEEK OF 02/09/2023 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 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 UPDATED Halston Media fillers 12/31/20 (new address) *NOTE: when putting these into place, please take hyphenation off as it can get very confusing for web and/or email addresses. thanks! North Salem Contact Us North Salem News is located at 118 N. Bedford Road, Suite 100, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. You can contact us at 914-302-5830 or email northsalemnews@ halstonmedia.com. Editorial Submissions Press releases and photos should be submitted to North Salem News by the Thursday before the next publication date. Submissons can be emailed to northsalemnews@ halstonmedia.com or mail it to North Salem News, 118 N. Bedford Road, Suite 100, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you’d like your photo returned. 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 North Salem News 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 northsalemnews@ halstonmedia.com. For more information, call the editor at 914-302-5830. Share Your Milestones Let your neighbors know about the special moments in your life, whether it’s a birth, engagement, wedding or anniversary. Send us a photo and announcement at northsalemnews@ halstonmedia.com or mail it to North Salem News, 118 N. Bedford Road, Suite 100, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. There is no charge for this announcement. Send a selfaddressed stamped envelope if you’d like your photo returned. Photo Submissions Photos submitted to North Salem News need to be highresolution. Images that are submitted at a low resolution cannot be published. Submit photos to North Salem News by the Thursday before the next publication date. Submissons can be emailed to northsalemnews@ halstonmedia.com or mail it to North Salem News, 118 N. Bedford Road, Suite 100, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you’d like your photo returned. Promote Your Charity Send us a press release at northsalemnews@ halstonmedia.com, or give us a call at 914-302-5830. Sports Deadline The sports deadline for North Salem News is the Sunday before the next publication date. Varsity coaches should submit results and information by e-mail to sports@ halstonmedia.com. All youth sports and recreational sports items should also be submitted to the same e-mail address by the Thursday before the next publication date. Advertise With Us When you advertise with North Salem News, you are reaching thousands of households and businesses throughout North Salem. To advertise or to place a classified, call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151 or email [email protected]. Advertising Deadline The advertising deadline for North Salem News is the Thursday before the next publication date. Advertisements can be submitted by you as a cameraready PDF via email at [email protected]. We also offer our clients a free ad design service. For more information, call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151. To advertise in North Salem News, call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151 or email freeman@halstonmedia. com. Somers Record News Fillers Promote Your Charity Send us a press release at somersrecord@halstonmedia. com, or give us a call at 914- 302-5830. Photo Submissions Photos submitted to The Somers Record need to be high-resolution. Images that are submitted at a low resolution cannot be published. Submit photos to The Somers Record by the Thursday before the next publication date. Submissons can be emailed to somersrecord@halstonmedia. com or mail it to The Somers Record, Bailey Court, 334 Route 202, Unit C1S, Somers, NY 10589. Send a selfaddressed stamped envelope if you’d like your photo returned. Share Your Milestones Let your neighbors know about the special moments in your life, whether it’s a birth, engagement, wedding or anniversary. Send us a photo and announcement at somersrecord@halstonmedia. com or mail it to The Somers Record, Bailey Court, 334 Route 202, Unit C1S, Somers, NY 10589. There is no charge for this announcement. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you’d like your photo returned. 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 Somers Record or its affiliates. Submissions must include a phone number and address for verification. Not all letters and op-eds will necessarily be published. Letters and op-eds which cannot be verified or are anonymous will not be published. Please send your submissions to the editor by e-mail at somersrecord@ halstonmedia.com. For more information, call the editor at 914-302-5830. Editorial Submissions Press releases and photos should be submitted to The Somers Record by the Thursday before the next publication date. Submissons can be emailed to somersrecord@ halstonmedia.com or mail it to The Somers Record, Bailey Court, 334 Route 202, Unit C1S, Somers, NY 10589. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you’d like your photo returned. Contact Us The Somers Record is located at Bailey Court, 334 Route 202, Unit C1S, Somers, NY 10589. You can contact us at 914-302-5830 or email somersrecord@halstonmedia. com. Advertising Deadline The advertising deadline for The Somers Record is the Thursday before the next publication date. Advertisements can be submitted by you as a cameraready PDF via email at [email protected]. We also offer our clients a free ad design service. For more information, call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151. Advertise With Us When you advertise with The Somers Record, you are reaching thousands of households and businesses throughout the Town of Somers, including all of its hamlets and Heritage Hills. To advertise or to place a classified, call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151 or email [email protected]. To advertise in The Somers Record, call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151 or email freeman@halstonmedia. com. Sports Deadline The sports deadline for The Somers Record is the Sunday before the next publication date. Varsity coaches should submit results and information by e-mail to sports@ halstonmedia.com. All youth sports and recreational sports items should also be submitted to the same e-mail address by the Thursday before the next publication date. header: Univers Bold 11pt/12leading body: Franklin Gothic Book reg10pt/11leading paragraph rule top Univers Bold 10pt/11 leading paragraph rule top Your ad could be here. Call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151 to find out how. Your business card could be here. Call Brett Freeman at 845-208-8151 to find out how. SR legals specs: STANDING HEAD: Gill Sans (TT), bold, 18pt, M100-Y100 HEADER-Univers 57 condensed regular 12/14, all caps, underline, centered BODY-Adobe Caslon pro 10/11 Left Justified, no hyphens LLC FORMATION NOTICE Notice of Formation of Rosslyn Farm LLC. Arts. of Org. filed w/ SSNY 2/23/18. Office location: Westchester County. SSNY designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copies of any process served against LLC to 104 Delancey Road, North Salem, NY 10560. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. LEGAL NOTICES Notice of Formation of CNNJ L.L.C. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 2023-01-16. Office location: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Colin Jennings Jr.: 76 esplanade  Mount Vernon Mount Vernon NY 10553. Purpose: Any lawful purpose Notice of Formation of Caprio Ventures, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 2022- 12-13. Office location: Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Caprio Ventures, LLC: 808 Route 35 Cross River NY 10518. Purpose: Any lawful purpose PUBLIC NOTICE PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Somers, Westchester County, New York will conduct a Public Hearing on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 7:30 P.M. at the Somers Town House, 335 Route 202, Somers, New York, 10589 on the application of Victor and Deborah Wu for an area variance. The property included in this application is located in an R-80 Residential District at 8 Silver Springs Court, Katonah and is known and shown on the Town Tax Map as Section: 58.12, Block: 1, Lot: 10. All persons having any interest in the application are invited to attend and will be given an opportunity to be heard. BY ORDER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS VICTOR CANNISTRA CHAIRMAN Denise Schirmer, Secretary February 9, 2023 PUBLIC NOTICE PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Somers, Westchester County, New York will conduct a Public Hearing on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 7:30 P.M. at the Somers Town House, 335 Route 202, Somers, New York, 10589 on the application of Jeffrey and Andrea Weisbrot for a renewal of a Special Exception Use Permit.  The property included in this application is located in an R-80 Residential District at 28 Young Road, Katonah and is known and shown on the Town Tax Map as Section: 38.06, Block: 1, Lot: 6. All persons having any interest in the application are invited to attend and will be given an opportunity to be heard. BY ORDER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS VICTOR CANNISTRA CHAIRMAN Denise Schirmer, Secretary February 9, 2023 Health Infusion NY LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 1/3/2023. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 32 Lakeview Ave., Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591. General Purpose Behind The Wheel Mobile Detailing LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 1/3/2023. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to William J Murphy, 155 Concord Ave., White Plains, NY 10606. LLC FORMATION NOTICES

PAGE 24 – THE SOMERS RECORD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 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. to keep sending you The Somers Record for FREE. The post office charges us more without it. Please print your first and last names and address legibly, sign and date (all required to continue receiving your subscription to this newspaper). YES, I wish to receive a FREE 3-year subscription to The Katonah-Lewisboro Times. YES, I really enjoy The Katonah-Lewisboro Times, and I’d like to continue receiving it for 3 years, along with a monetary contribution this year. (Please print legibly.) First (Required) (Required) (Required) (Required) (Required. Please print legibly.) 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YES, I wish to receive a FREE 3-year subscription to The Somers Record YES, I really enjoy The Somers Record and I’d like to continue receiving it for 3 years, along with a monetary contribution this year. (Please print legibly.) First (Required) (Required) (Required) (Required) (Required. Please print legibly.) Last (Required) City: State: ZIP: Name: Signature: Email: Snowbird Dates (if applicable): Date: Phone: Address: (Optional) (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 Katonah-Lewisboro Times 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 Don’t Miss a Week of The Somers Record. Please Re-Subscribe Today! Thursday, November 3, 2022 Vol. 11 No. 30 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 32 CLASSIFIEDS 34 ELEPHANT’S TRUNK 4 LEGAL NOTICES 28 LEISURE 26 OBITUARIES 30 OPINION 10 SPORTS 20 Tuskers Batter Brewster pg 22 FOOTBALL Visit TapIntoSomers.net for the latest news. Please note that the Nov. 10 edition of The Somers Record will go to press before the Nov. 8 election results are available. Please visit TapIntoSomers.net to view our full election coverage. BY BOB DUMAS CONTRIBUTING EDITOR When voters go to the polls this election season, they will have a choice between two candidates who are vying for the state’s 40th Senate District seat. Incumbent Democrat Pete Harckham of South Salem, seeking his third term as state senator, will be opposed by Republican Gina Arena, an administrative assistant from Somers. Here is a look at the two candidates, including their platforms, accomplishments and goals. PETE HARCKHAM Now nearing the end of his second term in oƒ ce, Pete Harckham is chair of the Senate Committee on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. He worked to make the 2% property tax cap permanent; delivered record aid to education and addressed the opioid crisis by doubling minimum treatment times and reducing barriers to life-saving treatment. Harckham helped pass the toughest climate-protection legislation in the nation, and also introduced a measure, later enacted, requiring all new passenger-car and truck sales to be zero emission by 2035 and allowing municipalities to build solar canopies and jumpstart community renewable-energy projects. Earlier this year, Gov. Kathy Hochul placed Harckham’s wetlands legislation protecting Class C streams statewide, which will safeguard drinking water resources, into her proposed 2023 state budget. Harckham has been a leading voice to hold the utilities accountable in the wake of failed responses to natural disaster. To date, he has held 13 food drives to ” ght hunger, assisted thousands of residents with unemployment claims and delivered personal-protection equipment to ” rst responders and municipalities throughout the 40th Senate District. From 2008 to 2015 Harckham served on the Westchester County Board of Legislators, where he was a leading voice for protecting the environment and maintaining vital services. In addition to his professional work, Harckham served on the President’s Council for the Northern Westchester Hospital, was a board member for the United Way of Westchester and Putnam, the Junior League of Northern Westchester Community Advisory Council and the Livable Communities Council. “I come from a labor family and have been endorsed three times by the Westchester Building Trades, Westchester-Putnam AFL-CIO Central Labor Body, a host of service and public unions, as well as nurses and teachers,” Harckham said. “I work very closely with my union partners around the issues of decommissioning Indian Point and passed a law to protect wages and local jobs, as well as created the Decommissioning Oversight Harckham, Arena face off for 40th Senate District seat Sen. Pete Harckham Gina Arena SEE SENATE PAGE 28 SellYour Home for TOP DOLLAR with Somers’ Real Estate Specialist Visit: SomersHouseValues.com or Email: [email protected] Michael Trinchitella Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker FREE Home Evaluation Anytime — No Cost or Obligation Call 914.243.3051 SomersHouseValues.com CLASSIC REALTY IN THIS WEEK’S PAPER! Vol. 11 No. 35 Thursday, December 8, 2022 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 31 CLASSIFIEDS 30 ELEPHANT’S TRUNK 4 LEGAL NOTICES 28 LEISURE 21 OBITUARIES 9 OPINION 10 SPORTS 18 Visit TapIntoSomers.net for the latest news. BY WHIT ANDERSON SPORTS EDITOR Winning is always great. But making your way back to the top after a heartbreak is unmatched. Motivated by the crushing 32-31 defeat against CBASyracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome (Carrier Dome) last fall, Somers Football (13-0) avenged their one loss in the last three seasons with a dominating 58-21 win over Union-Endicott for the NYSPHSAA Class A Football Championship on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Syracuse. Coach Anthony DeMatteo, carrying on the winning legacy of his father, Tony, at Somers, knew what he and his team set out to do when workouts began last summer. “Even though we said publicly we wanted to win the section, in house we said states, and we were angry all year. Ž e preparation was on point, we did everything we were supposed to do, weathered several storms, weathered injuries, and we got it done,” said the second-year head coach. Wasting no time on the big stage, Ravi Dass (3 Rec, 2 TDs) answered the call on the opening return, taking it all the way to the Tigers’ 39, then catching an 18-yard pass from Matt Fitzsimons for the — rst touchdown 22 seconds into the game. “Walking out as state champs, it’s awesome,” said the senior receiver. Ž e defense’s turn, George Forbes (6 Tk) began his Tuskers avenge last season with 58-21 state championship win Visit TapIntoSomers.net for the latest news. BY WHIT ANDERSON SPORTS EDITOR Winning is always great. But making your way back to the top after a heartbreak is unmatched. Motivated by the crushing 32-31 defeat against CBASyracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome (Carrier Dome) last fall, Somers Football (13-0) avenged their one loss in the last three seasons with a dominating 58-21 win over Union-Endicott for the NYSPHSAA Class A Football Championship on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Syracuse. Coach Anthony DeMatteo, carrying on the winning legacy of his father, Tony, at Somers, knew what he and his team set out to do when workouts began last summer. “Even though we said publicly we wanted to win the section, in house we said states, and we were angry all year. Ž e preparation was on point, we did everything we Tuskers avenge last season with 58-21 state championship win Ravi Dass put his team ahead early with two huge touchdowns. SEE CHAMPIONS PAGE 18 The 2022 Tuskers cemented themselves in Somers history with the 58-21 win over Union-Endicott. PHOTOS: CHRIS SMAJLAJ HOPEMAZZOLA YOU’VE GOTTA HAVE HOPE Sales Vice President Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker cell: 914.714.0090 [email protected] hopemazzola.com 95 Katonah Ave | Katonah, NY 10536  Your House Could Be the #1 Item on a Homebuyer’s Wish List During the Holidays Each year, homeowners planning to make a move are faced with a decision: sell their house during the holidays or wait. And others who have already listed their homes may think about removing their listings and waiting until the new year to go back on the market. The truth is many buyers want to purchase a home for the holidays, and your house might be just what they’re looking for. Call me for a no-obligation consultation about selling your home and the 5 great reasons you shouldn't wait until Spring. #UGottaHaveHope Thursday, December 8, 2022 rier Dome) last fall, Somers Football (13-0) avenged their one loss in the last three seasons with a dominating 58-21 win over Union-Endicott for the NYSPHSAA Class A Football Championship on Saturday, Dec. 3, Coach Anthony DeMatteo, carrying on the winning legacy of his father, Tony, at Somers, knew what he and his team set out to do when workouts began last summer. “Even though we said publicly we wanted to win the section, in house we said states, and we were angry all year. Ž e preparation was on point, we did everything we were supposed to do, weathered several storms, weathered injuries, and we got it done,” said the second-year head coach. Wasting no time on the big stage, Ravi Dass (3 Rec, 2 TDs) answered the call on the opening return, taking it all the way to the Tigers’ 39, then catching an 18-yard pass from Matt Fitzsimons for the — rst touchdown 22 seconds into the game. “Walking out as state champs, it’s awesome,” said the senior receiver. Ž e defense’s turn, George Forbes (6 Tk) began his Tuskers avenge last season with 58-21 state championship win SEE CHAMPIONS PAGE 18 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  Thursday, December 15, 2022 Vol. 11 No. 36 BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE 37 CLASSIFIEDS 39 ELEPHANT’S TRUNK 2 LEGAL NOTICES 37 LEISURE 31 OBITUARIES 9 OPINION 10 SPORTS 24 Toys for Tots pg 3 GIVING BACK Visit TapIntoSomers.net for the latest news. PHOTO: ROB DISTASIO BY CAROL REIF STAFF WRITER  e Somers Board of Education got its rst o cial peek last week at the scal fallout from the settlement of the old PepsiCo property’s tax certiorari case. Also cited for their potential impact on local pocketbooks were fuel and electricity costs, which are rising at an “alarming” rate, according to the school district’s assistant superintendent for business, Chris Platania. Platania presented trustees and the public with an initial overview of the 2023-24 school budget on Tuesday, Dec. 6.  ere won’t be preliminary numbers to share until after the governor’s rst budget comes out in January and the district gets a clue about what its state aid is going to be. TAXING CIRCUMSTANCES  e 206-acre PepsiCo property, along with its 540,000-squarefoot o ce, o‹ Route 35 was sold in 2015 to  Mexican telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim Helú for $87 million.  e new owners, listed as One P Way LLC,  went on to challenge their real estate tax assessment as well as that of the old IBM campus’  on Route 100, which Slim had acquired in 2017.  e former tax certiorari case was Board of Education begins budget process The Somers community got into the holiday spirit at the tree lighting ceremony outside The Elephant Hotel on Dec. 4. See more photos on page 22! Oh Christmas tr ee! SEE BUDGET PAGE 33 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  “Hope is quite simply the best agent I’ve ever come across in all my years living in Westchester County. Her complete knowledge of the market in the area has impressed even a skeptic like me. Once you hire her, she will represent you at every step in your journey with enthusiasm, professionalism and candor. She is a woman with smarts and integrity and does so much to help others even when she stands to gain nothing for herself. Hope is a quality human being that you should have on your team. I can’t say enough about Hope other than #UGottaHaveHope!” — TI, Somers about Your Local Expert! Rave Reviews Rave Reviews