Yonkers Thrives - Rising Media Group

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Vol 110 Number 13
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Yonkers St. Pat’s Parade
Shines Through Snow
Friday, March 27, 2015
Kahlil Gibran School Earns
‘School of the Month’ Award
Girls from the Flynn School of Irish Dance. Photo by Donna Davis.
Students from Kahlil Gibran School with the “steps to success” they have learned.
By Dan Murphy
Mother Nature was no match for the Irish
spirit and pride that swept through the City of
Yonkers on March 21 for the 60th annual Yonkers St. Patrick’s Day Parade on McLean Av-
enue. One last snowstorm the night before was
washed away by the marching band, pipers and
dancers that thrilled the thousands of spectators
along Yonkers’ Emerald Mile.
Continued on Page 10 With More Photos
Council Meeting ‘Hijacked’ &
Fireworks Over $41M Bonding
Mayor Mike Spano recently presented
the city’s School of the Month award to Kahlil
Gibran School, specifically recognizing the
school’s commitment to teaching the creative
writing process and promoting college and career goals.
“Kahlil Gibran School is living up to its
namesake by providing students with a wonderful education with a focus on creative writing,” he said. “Good writers become good
communicators, which will serve our young
people in the workplace and beyond.”
Kahlil Gibran, a renowned artist and
writer, is celebrated as a literary hero and best
known for his book “The Prophet.” A strong
emphasis is placed on literature and the creative writing process at Kahlil Gibran School.
In addition, seventh- and eighth-grade students at the school establish college and career goals for themselves.
As part of the School of the Month presentation, students performed a vignette titled
“What Happens After Once Upon a Time,”
Continued on Page 9 With Additional Photo
‘Yonkers Thrives Partnership’
Aims to Improve Student Success
Council President Liam McLaughlin, right, voted “no” on bonding $41 million for Yonkers
Public Schools, while Councilman Dennis Shepherd voted “yes.”
By Dan Murphy
A City Council meeting held last week that
was supposed to be a formality in the approval
of borrowing $41 million to clean up a budgetary
disaster at the Yonkers Board of Education two
years ago turned into a five-hour meeting that was
described by council members as a “disgrace,”
“back-door politics” and a “hijacked council meeting.”
Two weeks ago the council approved the
same plan to borrow and bond the $41 million, by
a 5-2 vote, with Council President Liam McLaughlin and Councilman Dennis Shepherd voting “no.”
Five votes are needed to approve borrowing, and
the items passed and many believed it would pass
again at Tuesday’s meeting to approve the sale of
the bonds and the terms.
The meeting was noticed to be held at 7
p.m., but was delayed for more than four hours,
as Democrats on the council would not sit for the
meeting and take the vote. All three Democratic
council members, Minority Leader Michael Sabatino, Corazon Pineda and Christopher Johnson,
later stated that they were told the final vote for the
borrowing would be unanimous.
Closed-door negotiations continued for hours,
and it was finally agreed that Councilman Dennis
Shepherd would also vote for the borrowing. All
council members returned and approved the borrowing by a 6-1 vote (with McLaughlin voting
“no”) but not before all seven council members accused each other of playing politics and not doing
what is best for the city.
The votes of McLaughlin and Shepherd in
this matter are most notable. While Democrats on
the council accused McLaughlin of springing his
“no” vote on the borrowing, the council president
defended his votes and his position on borrowing, the state oversight in the Yonkers budget that
comes with the borrowing, and the need for every
councilperson to vote his or her conscience.
McLaughlin said he wanted Yonkers “to be
able to have the ability to get rid of mandatory
oversight from the (state) comptroller and the commissioner of education, two people that I don’t feel
comfortable having oversight in our affairs.
“The solution provided by the governor went
too far, we asked our state and the majority of the
council filed a lawsuit because it should not have
been imposed unilaterally,” he said. “But we allowed this deficit financing to move forward and
dropped the lawsuit. There was a vote a few weeks
ago to allow deficit financing and approve the
bonding, which passed by a 5-2 vote. Some on the
council were unhappy and wanted a unanimous
vote. Unfortunately, sometimes things are not
unanimous, and I have expressed my dissatisfaction with deficit financing. Some were unhappy
that I didn’t explain my vote. I didn’t know that
was a requirement of serving on the council and
anyone can ask what my vote will be.
“This meeting was supposed to start at 7 p.m.,
but the council Democrats said they would not
attend unless a unanimous vote was taken,” said
McLaughlin. “This meeting was hijacked for four
hours, and I think it’s disgraceful. Every council
member should have the courage of your convictions and not twist the arms of others on the council
and use the employees as pawns in your political
game. I’m glad you ultimately decided to attend
and the changes you requested have been made.”
The agreement reached behind closed doors
required Councilman Shepherd to vote “yes” on
the borrowing, which he did.
“I don’t have to share my explanation or my
vote with anyone on this council,” he said. “I’m
not here to please other council members. Nobody
asked me how I felt, and I always vote the way
I believe and stand up and vote accordingly. The
only people I’m responsible to are the people I represent. “
All three council Democrats expressed disappointment in McLaughlin’s decision to vote “no”
and not have a unanimous vote for a very unpopular but necessary matter.
“Two weeks ago we had to take a vote on
deficit bonding,” said Councilman Christopher
Johnson. “Our council president gave a wonderful
speech, but he voted ‘no,’ even though we were
told that all council members would vote for it. I
knew this is what was best for the city and if we all
were voting for it I would support it.
“We also asked the mayor about it and he said
the entire council would support it,” he continued.
“You didn’t take the tough vote and do what’s best
for the city, instead you played backdoor politics.
I’m glad I’m doing what’s right and it’s too bad
others don’t do the same.”
Councilwoman Corazon Pineda said: “The issue was that all of us should come together and
vote for something that is very difficult. I was always ready to vote and to look at the bigger picture. This was the only way to avoid layoffs and
support education, and the people that don’t support this are just saying that they don’t care about
the city, education, unions and layoffs.”
Minority Leader Michael Sabatino also said
“we checked with the mayor and were told that all
Republican council members would vote for it. After the first vote was 5-2, I was surprised and asked
what happened and Councilman Larkin said that
people have the right to change their minds.”
“We were always going to vote ‘yes’ for this,
and while you claim we are doing this for political
reasons, there are others voting for political reaContinued on Page 6
Mayor Mike Spano and YPS Superintendent Dr. Michael Yarzulo sign the “Yonkers Thrives
Partnership” pledge.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and Yonkers
Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Yazurlo last week launched the Yonkers Thrives
Partnership, a public-private community-wide
effort to improve the education and lifelong success of children and youth in Yonkers.
The kick-off event, held at the Hudson
River Museum, is the result of a two-year collaboration combining resources, expertise and
influence from community leaders to create a
cradle-to-career infrastructure and build a thriving culture around lifelong learning for Yonkers
students.
“Our community leaders believe in Yonkers,
our schools, and most importantly our youth, but
despite best intentions, our institutions are often
fractured, working in isolation rather than collectively,” said Spano. “It is our collective actions – an entire city of advocates to fight for
our kids, from cradle to career. Yonkers Thrives
has brought all sectors of our city to the table to
identify and bridge the gaps that may exist. What
has developed is a coalition of civic, education,
community and business leaders committed to
achievement in our Yonkers students.”
Continued on Page 5
Five Star Premier Residences
Offers Memory Care Program
Five Star Premier Residences of Yonkers’ Bridge to Rediscovery program supports the capabilities of each resident through individualized activities that encourage creativity and self
expression.
Five Star Senior Living’s innovative and
award-winning Alzheimer’s care program, Bridge
to Rediscovery, is exclusively located right in
your backyard at Five Star Premier Residences
of Yonkers. The Bridge to Rediscovery program
helps those with memory-related challenges rediscover the pride and joy in everyday life.
The Bridge to Rediscovery neighborhood
supports the capabilities of each resident through
individualized activities that encourage creativity
and self-expression. Based on the same Montessori methodology used in school systems, the program is personalized for each resident, focusing
on their strengths to help them retain their individualized identities – as loving parent, outspoken
Continued on Page 4
PAGE 2 - Yonkers Rising - Friday, March 27, 2015
City to Honor Vietnam
Vets With Street Renaming
American Illustration Artist
Returns to Yonkers a Last Time
The illustrative works of
art by Yonkers artist Sidney Riesenberg include
Patriotic posters and
magazine covers.
Yonkers Vietnam veterans, pictured at City Hall last year, will have a street named after their
service this weekend.
Mayor Mike Spano will join the Yonkers
City Council and Department of Veterans Services in paying tribute to the city’s Vietnam veterans when the city renames a two-mile stretch
of Yonkers Avenue as “Vietnam Veterans Way”
on Saturday, March 28 at 11 a.m. at Yonkers and
Midland Avenues.
The city also will honor Vietnam veterans
with a flag raising ceremony at Yonkers City
Hall on Friday, March 27 at 3:30 p.m. Both
events will pay tribute to Vietnam veterans from
Yonkers, recognizing their service and sacrifice
50 years since the Vietnam War escalated.
As part of the street renaming ceremony, a
portion of Yonkers Avenue from Midland Avenue to Bronx River Road will be designated
Vietnam Veterans Way, and the names of 31
Yonkers killed in action will be added to honorary street signs along Vietnam Veterans Way.
“The street renaming gives us the opportunity to honor those veterans who may not have
been rightly recognized in the past,” said Spano.
“We want to make sure that we acknowledge
the great sacrifice made by all of our veterans
and their families.”
The City Council was proud to pass this
tribute to Vietnam veterans by designating a
portion of Yonkers Avenue as Vietnam Veterans Way, according Council President Liam
McLaughlin.
“Every person in this great city is indebted to the men and women who served – some
of whom gave the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.
“There is no question that our veterans did not
receive the recognition they deserved upon their
return home and we can never again allow the
denigration of a generation of veterans. That is
why I was proud to sponsor this legislation that
will designate a portion of Yonkers Avenue as
a public and permanent reminder of those who
lost their lives in this conflict.”
“As American citizens we have a duty to
honor all of our veterans, past and present,”
added Lou Navarro, director of the Office of
Veterans’ Affairs. “These events, done in honor
of Vietnam veterans, are a way to pay tribute to
all those who have served.”
The year 2015 marks 50 years since the
United States escalated its participation in the
Vietnam conflict. Vietnam Veterans Day is observed each year March 29, the date when the
last of the American troops left Vietnam in
1973.
For more information on the commemoration of Vietnam Veterans Day in Yonkers,
contact the Department of Veterans Services at
914-377-6700.
In the weeks to come, Yonkers Rising will
feature the Vietnam veterans from Yonkers who
lost their lives serving our country. If you have
information on any of these men, including
photos, please email us at dmurphy@risingmediagroup.com so we can include them in our
memorial.
Send your story ideas, photos,
announcements and upcoming events to
us at dmurphy@rising mediagroup.com
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Yonkers Rising received the following
email from the family of Sidney Riesenberg,
who lived in Yonkers for many years and whose
famous illustrations were used in magazines
and U.S. military posters over the last century:
“My uncle, Yonkers resident Sidney Riesenberg, 1885-1971, is coming home to Westchester,” writes Anne Atheling, who also lived
in Yonkers from 1944-51. “On April 18, our
family will inter his ashes in the Riesenberg
plot at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson. Born in Chicago in 1885, Sidney moved to
Yonkers in 1905 where he lived and pursued a
successful career in illustration and fine art.
“Graduate of the School of the Art Institute
of Chicago and active in art circles for many
years in the Westchester area, Sidney Riesenberg was on the executive committee of the
Yonkers Art Association from 1929 and became president in 1954. Riesenberg lived and
painted throughout the Hudson Valley and on
Cape Ann.
“Sidney Riesenberg illustrated for national
magazines – Saturday Evening Post, Colliers’,
Harper’s Weekly, Boy’s Life, Scribners’, Pacific Monthly and many books,” according to
Atheling. “During WWI he designed posters
for the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and the
Liberty Loan campaign. He was a member of
Allied Artists, the Salmagundi Club, Society of
Illustrators, Yonkers Art Association and Rockport Art Association.
“His works were exhibited at the National
Academy of Design, Art Institute of Chicago,
Allied Artists, New York Water Color Show,
National Art Club, Montclair Museum, New
Rochelle, Hudson Valley Art Association, Currier Gallery of Art, and his paintings are in the
VanderPoel Collection and Hudson River Museum
“Sidney taught at the Hudson River Museum, the Westchester Art Association and at the
YWCA in Yonkers,” writes Atheling.
“A bit of background: In 1944 when I
was 14 years old, my mother, Edith Atheling,
passed away and I came to live in north Yonkers
with her bachelor brother, Sidney Riesenberg,
and spinster sister, Elsa Riesenberg, in their
home on Greenvale Ave. They soon moved to
an apartment at the corner of Roberts Avenue
and North Broadway and I entered Gorton High
School as a freshman. I lived with them on
North Broadway through my high school years,
as well as my college years as a commuter dayContinued on Page 9
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FRidAY, MARch 27, 2015 - YoNkERs RisiNG - PAGE 3
This, Too, is Race,
Parking and Sadness
By eric W. Schoen
have given their members and
Starbucks and race
friends cards with their union
Readers of this column
logos.
know that I am a Starbucks
Is the card a “get out of
aficionado. In the coffee
jail” card? Not really. You put
world, either you like Dunkin’
the card in your car window
Donuts or Starbucks. There
and hope that if your meter is
simply is no in-between.
running out you won’t get a
The morning Starbucks
ticket. Or you show the card
CEO Howard Schultz anand maybe the police officer
nounced that he was encourwill be a little lenient on you if
aging his baristas – the fancy
you didn’t make a full stop or
name for the folks who brew
went through a red light.
the coffee, make drinks and
Parking around fire and
Eric W. Schoen
serve customers in stores – to
police stations in the southengage in conversation about
west side of town is extremely
race with customers, I walked into my local Star- limited, so placards were issued to allow firefightbucks as I have done for years to see what it was ers or police officers reporting for work a little latiall about.
tude in terms of where they could park. Obviously,
There at the register was one of my favorite they should not be parking in front of fire hydrants,
baristas, a woman in her early 60s, with a line of but with alternate side of the street parking, the
at least 10 customers waiting to order. Whether it placards would give our hardworking police and
be this barista or the others who work at this rather firefighters a little wiggle room in terms of where
busy store, I always say “Good morning,” and they they can put their personal vehicles.
say “Good morning, Eric, are you having your
I don’t know when the placards became liusual?” and within minutes, the barista behind the cense to park free at street parking meters, in Yonbar whips up my quad espresso over ice. The same kers parking lots or illegally when those they were
drink I have been enjoying for at least 10 years.
issued to were not on duty.
Was I going to engage the barista in her early
The question the inspector general should
60s in a conversation about race. Frankly, she was be asking is, “Who in the city administration told
working very efficiently to get the orders of the parking enforcement officers, police officers and
customers on line, get their payment and get them anyone else responsible for issuing summons not
out the door so they could get to work on time or to ticket cars with placards in their windows?” This
to the train to New York City or upper Westchester. person or persons needs to be called on the carpet.
Discussions about race were not on her agenda, nor My guess is that the practice has been going on
the agendas of those waiting to order and be on for years and no one in the current administration
there way.
in City Hall is responsible for its implementation.
When I got my espresso over ice, I asked the
The city needs to come up with a policy
barista preparing my drink why “race together” for the issuance of official business placards, the
was not written on my cup. She smiled, put the union-issued cards need to have official city seals
sticker on my drink, and moved on to make the removed, but most importantly, the person or perother 10 drinks for the folks waiting to catch their sons who gave instructions not to ticket vehicles
trains this chilly morning.
with these placards needs to be identified and posStarbucks ultimately ended its plan to have sibly prosecuted.
baristas engage customers in the discussion of
And please, don’t lay the blame on the poor
race. Where did they go wrong? Most baristas I guy or gal giving out tickets on the street for this
know are hard-working and quite busy during their mess!
shifts. They haven’t time to make sure the condiSadness in Brooklyn
ment bar is loaded with sugar and milk, let alone
The first thing I did when I heard about the
engage customers with conversations about race.
tragic fire in Brooklyn that took the lives of seven
If Starbucks’ campaign had been to encourage innocent children was to push the little buttons on
customers who frequent their busy stores to talk the smoke detectors in my apartment to make sure
among themselves about race, I think it would not they were working. You are supposed to do this
have received the backlash it did. Customers are when the clocks spring forward or fall back, but
free to talk about race or not talk about race, and somehow with the wicked winter we have endured
talk about ways to help your garden grow using the I forgot to do it.
free coffee grinds Starbucks gives to customers. To
If you haven’t checked your detectors to make
ask baristas to engage customers in conversation is sure they are working, I would encourage you to
not fair to them and, frankly, with a line of custom- do what I did – and the sooner the better. It is also a
ers eager to get on their way, not realistic in any good time to discuss and plan out with your family
Starbucks I frequent.
and neighbors fire evacuation plans.
My advice to those who got so upset over the
I am sure hot plates are used by many in our
suggestion to discuss race relations at Starbucks is community, not only for religious reasons but beto order a soothing herbal tea to help them relax cause they are living in residences without stoves.
and leave the espresso drinks to those who need a You should not be using your stove to heat your
little lift in the morning.
apartment; candles are beautiful but must not be
parking placards
used unattended and need to be used with care;
in yonkers
extension cords not used properly are an accident
We haven’t heard from the Yonkers inspector waiting to happen; and appliances with frayed
general in a while. The first person appointed to wires need to be replaced.
the post lasted less than a month, and the post was
Keep those poor seven children who died in
resurrected years ago with a change in administra- your prayers, but most importantly, do what you
tion at City Hall and the need to find a job for an can do to make sure a tragedy like this never hapoutgoing staff member in the office of the Corpora- pens in your household!
tion Counsel, who everybody liked.
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.
Last week, Yonkers IG Brendon McGrath is- com and follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers.
sued a report regarding parking placards in the city Catch the Westchester Rising Radio Show featurof Yonkers. Let me preface my remarks by say- ing Dan Murphy and Eric Schoen on Thursdays at
ing that for years, Yonkers police and fire unions 10 a.m. on WVOX 1460 on the A.M. dial.
Find Your Unclaimed Funds
New York State has more than $13 billion
in unclaimed funds, and some of this money may
belong to you.
Meet with a representative of the Office of
the State Comptroller, who will search for an
account in your name; the whole process takes
about five minutes. The representative will be in
the Yonkers Riverfront Library atrium Wednesday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and no appointment is necessary.
Riverfront Library is located at One Larkin
Center, Yonkers.
For more information, call 914-375-1500,
ext. 457 or visit www.ypl.org.
Is There Political
Peace in Yonkers?
Mayor Mike Spano with Bringourjobshome.com founder Frank Spotorno.
By Dan Murphy
As we near the end of March, Mayor Mike
Spano does not have an announced opponent for
his seat, and no opponents have stepped forward
for two of the three City Council seats up for reelection this year – in the first district, currently
held by Councilman Christopher Johnson, and the
fifth district, currently held by Councilman Mike
Breen.
Breen’s likely opponent, tossed out by Democrats for months, Don Weigand, bowed out earlier this month.
Why are Republicans and Democrats having
problems finding candidates to step forward? Is
there a political peace in Yonkers? Are the residents and voters satisfied with their government?
Yonkers resident, businessman and BringourJobsHome.com founder Frank Spotorno, wrote:
“I have noticed recently how many friends
and voters are happy with the representation and
accomplishments of our team of local elected officials, starting with Mayor Mike Spano, Council
President Liam McLaughlin and City Council
members Majority Leader John Larkin, sixth district; Christopher Johnson, first district; Corazon
Pineda, second district; Minority Leader Michael
Sabatino, third district; Dennis Shepherd, fourth
district; and Mike Breen, fifth district.
“Our city faces many challenges and our
mayor and council are working together with our
state and federal officials, including Assemblywomen Shelly Mayer, State Sen. George Latimer,
State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Congressman Eliot Engel…The people of Yonkers don’t
care what side of the aisle you sit on, as long as
you are working for the best interests of the people, the taxpayers. This November, we have several elections in Yonkers, for mayor and for three
seats on the City Council.
“Become an informed voter, look at records,
see what they have done and what they want to
do,” wrote Spotorno, who recently met with Spano and who has endorsed his re-election. “Serving
the people of Yonkers successfully takes a special
person.”
Spotorno, who had considered running for
mayor, said he believes the settlement of almost
all of the outstanding union contracts, and the
many development projects planned and underway, are the key factors in Spano deserving another four years.
“Making sure the people of Yonkers have the
opportunity to get a job, and that our city workers have fair contracts, are two of my reasons for
supporting Mayor Spano,” he said. “I will carry
petitions and support his re-election.”
Spotorno’s comments are symbolic of the
majority of voters in Yonkers.
The economy in Yonkers, and across the
country, continues to improve; unemployment in
Yonkers continues to drop; and the State of New
York has a surplus, which Yonkers hopes to tap
into to improve the Yonkers Public Schools.
Spano has no vocal or visible opposition in
the city. The settlement of the union contracts, and
the latest contract settlement with Firefighters Local 628, has removed any organized possible opposition.
Local 628 President Barry McGoey had,
prior to the contract agreement, searched for and
suggested candidates to run for mayor against
Spano. However, the settlement of the firefighters
contract is, according to members of other unions
and primarily the Yonkers police officers, a better
contract than the contracts they agree to.
There is peace in Yonkers – union peace and
political peace.
The only race so far that will have opposition is in the third district, where Democrat and
Council Minority Leader Michael Sabatino will be
running for re-election to a second term. Several
Republican candidates are interested in challenging Sabatino, including Michael Meyer, who ran
four years ago and publicly stated his intentions to
run on Hezi Aris’ blog talk radio, found at Yonkers
Tribune.com.
Bee-Line Bus Fare
Changes in Effect
Effective, Sunday, March 22, fares increased
on all Bee-Line bus routes except the BxM4C
Westchester-Manhattan Express. The Bee-Line
System is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s MetroCard system and the fare
increases are identical to those on the MTA New
York City transit system that will also go into effect March 22.
The increases are as follows:
* Single-ride bus fares increase to $2.75 from
the current $2.50, the same as the authorized increase for New York City subways and buses. For
seniors and the disabled with proper identification,
the fare increased to $1.35 from the current $1.25.
* The 30-day unlimited-ride MetroCard (useable on Bee-Line buses and New York City buses
and subways) increase to $116.50 from the cur-
rent $112. For seniors and the disabled, the 30day unlimited–ride Reduced-Fare MetroCard cost
$58.25, up from $56.
* The seven-day unlimited-ride cards increase
to $31 from $30. For seniors and the disabled, the
fare increased to $15.50, up from $15.
* A bonus discount will be available on payper-ride MetroCards with a value of at least $5.50.
The amount of the discount increased from 5 percent to 11 percent.
* The fare for the Bee-Line route BxM4C,
Westchester-Manhattan Express will not change.
For more information about fares, visit www.
westchestergov.com/beelinebus or call the BeeLine hotline at 914-813-7777 Monday through
Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.; automated information is available 24 hours a day.
PAGE 4 - YoNkERs RisiNG - FRidAY, MARch 27, 2015
Sarah Lawrence to Hold
Undergraduate Open House
Sarah Lawrence College’s undergraduate
open house March 28 will feature Rob Franek,
senior vice president and publisher of The
Princeton Review and author of “The Best 379
Colleges,” who will discuss how to choose the
right college.
“Finding Best Fit Colleges: How to choose
– and get into – the college best for you” begins at 8 a.m., with participants later given the
Sweet Ginger Snap
opportunity to tour the campus and dorms, talk
to current students and faculty members, and
understand first-hand what makes Sarah Lawrence’s education and community distinctive.
Registration is required, but all events
are free of charge and open to the public. For
more information and to register, visit www.
sarahlawrence.edu/admission/visit/open-house.
html.
Letters to the Editor
Dear editor:
First, I would like to say how much I enjoy
reading Yonkers Rising every week, and your
political coverage, but most of all Eric Schoen’s
“This, Too, is Yonkers.”
I read your recent story on political chairmen
getting state jobs, and I decided to do a little research and found the website that lists all of the
state jobs and payroll. It is public record but not
publicized.
One person you didn’t mention in your story
is Joe Dillon, who ran for State Senate last year
and lost to George Latimer. While I voted for
Dillon, I do not condone the fact that he has also
been hired as an employee of state government,
working for State Senate Majority Leader Dean
Skelos.
If you are going to go after party chairmen
for taking jobs, make sure you highlight everyone, Mr. Murphy, the next time.
ann lipsy
yonkers
Editors Note: thanks for the letter, Ms. Lipsy,
and for reading Yonkers Rising. I did not include
Mr. Dillon in my story because it focused on the
three party chairmen in Westchester and Mr. Dillon is not a party chairman. You are correct that
Mr. Dillon works for the State Senate, in the Majority Operations Office in New York City, at a biweekly salary of $2,164.44
A good resource for you, or anyone trying
to find out salaries of New York State, county,
local and school district employees, is www.
seethroughny.net.
Dear editor:
The Yonkers City Council on March 24 held
a special meeting concerning the state’s pending
“Education Investment Tax Credit” legislation.
The meeting was to approve a resolution of support for the state legislation. The public notice issued by the City Clerk’s Office on March 23, 2015
at 6:33 p.m. did not include the actual resolution,
as was subsequently provided to me, and was
vague and not informative.
The city clerk’s notice stated: “A resolution
of the council of the city urging Gov. Andrew
Cuomo, the New York State Assembly and the
New York State Senate to support Yonkers school
children.”
The wording would be hard to disagree with
and is clearly not informing the public as to the
actual issue presented at the council meeting.
I believe the council did not give the public
adequate notice and information. Having listened
to the council discussion, I note there were many
“ifs” expressed by the speakers, particularly those
in favor. Clearly, there were issues generated by
the actual wording of the resolution.
I believe the lack of adequate and informative public notice was more intentional, to limit
informed public opinion by individuals, civic associations, parents, administrations, etc.
kevin gorman
yonkers
Community Council Meets
The next regular meeting of the Third Precinct Police Community Council will take place
Tuesday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chema
Community Center, 435 Riverdale Ave.
Residents and merchants of southwest Yonkers are urged to attend this important commu-
nity meeting. City Council members of this area
are expected to attend, and quality-of-life issues
and other concerns will be discussed.
For more information, contact Bob Stauf,
president, at 914 476-2284 or Capt. Peter Butler
at 914-377-7427.
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Give Ginger Snap a loving home.
Ginger Snap is a sweet, petite, mixed-breed
dog about 40 pounds and 1 year old who was
found as a stray in Yonkers but must have been
someone’s pet, as she is calm and confident and
has lovely leash and kennel manners. She knows
sit and give paw, and likes to play ball and seems
able to amuse herself with a toy for some time.
She is not at all destructive and is going to
make some family a wonderful companion. Ginger Snap would do just fine in a city or suburban
setting, and loves everyone and would do great
in an apartment with an elevator!
She also just loves the other dogs at the
shelter.
Visit Ginger Snap at the Yonkers Animal
Shelter at 1000 Ridge Hill Blvd., between 11
a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays and noon and 4 p.m.
weekends. For more information, call 914-3776730 during business hours or 201-981-3215 at
any time, or email lesliem147@gmail.com.
five Star
“Residents can choose from a full complement of social, educational, wellness, cultural and
spiritual programs, as well as a variety of support
options,” said Executive Director Maria Lynn.
“The comfort of home, the compassion of a caring team and the fulfillment of companionship is
the Five Star difference.”
Another golden perk of Five Star’s Bridge
to Rediscovery is its award-winning dining program. The Assisted Living Federation of America
awarded the Bridge to Rediscovery’s dining program the Best of the Best award, not to mention
the countless raves from the residents. Along with
exceptional dining and remarkable care, Bridge to
Rediscovery also offers superior security to ensure the safety of all residents at all times.
The Bridge to Rediscovery program is where
high-quality care meets high-quality lifestyle and
Five Star is where it all begins. Let Five Star Premier Residences of Yonkers be the bridge to your
rediscovery.
For more information, visit www.fivestarpremier-yonkers.com or call 914-709-1234.
Continued from page 1
lawyer, creative artist or die-hard Yankee fan.
When a new resident joins Bridge to Rediscovery, the team performs a comprehensive life
review with that individual and their family. The
team obtains an overview of the new resident’s
daily routines in an effort to make life at Five
Star Premier Residences of Yonkers as similar to
home life as possible. A customized plan of action
is then developed based on the resident’s personality, likes/dislikes and personal preferences to
ensure the highest level of productivity.
Walking/exercise groups, book clubs and
movie nights are readily available to Bridge to
Rediscovery residents in order to stay active and
social. Five Star Premier Residences of Yonkers
strives to offer many diverse activities and events
so that the residents can more quickly develop
relationships with each other and with the team
alike.
FRidAY, MARch 27, 2015 - YoNkERs RisiNG- PAGE 5
YPIE Volunteer Open House
Are you or anyone you know interested in
joining a network of volunteers who are making a difference in the lives of young people?
Join Yonkers Partners in Education at an upcoming volunteer open house to learn more.
Open houses will be held Thursday, April
9 from 4 to 5 p.m.; Thursday, May 14 from
9:30 to 10:30 a.m.; and Thursday, June 4
from noon to 1 p.m. at the Riverfront Public
Library, 1 Larkin Center, Yonkers. Parking is
available in the Buena Vista Garage, 8 Buena
Vista Ave.
RSVP is requested by emailing info@
ypie.org or calling 914-377-4882.
YPIE’s mission is to increase the number
of Yonkers Public School students who complete a post-secondary program that prepares
them for a successful career. The organization
partners with the school district, business and
philanthropic communities and higher education institutions and relies on detailed data to
drive its decisions and programs.
Senator Latimer Announces
Collegiate Scholarships
State Sen. George Latimer announced last
week that the New York Conference of ItalianAmerican State Legislators is now accepting applications for four $2,500 scholarships to be awarded
June 8 at the annual Legislative Conference Day.
In previous years, scholarships have been awarded
to students from Port Chester and Mamaroneck.
“Given the high costs of college, every opportunity must be made by local students and their
working families to meet their required expenses
with scholarships as well as with student loans,
available financial aid and personal contributions,”
said Latimer. “I highly recommend that our area’s
students apply to the conference for these prestigious scholarships so that they may hopefully
secure as much extra help with their expenses as
possible.”
This year, the Italian-American State Legislators Conference will be awarding four $2,500
scholarships to four current or future college students from New York State. Eligibility will be
based upon the student’s grade-point average, interest in pursuing a higher education, involvement
in the local community and individual financial
need.
The conference is a bipartisan organization
of New York State Assembly and Senate members
who are actively involved in promoting and celebrating the state’s Italian-American community.
Its mission is to work hard to elevate and highlight
Italian-American contributions to the State of New
York and beyond, in all aspects of society, including literature, the arts, architecture and politics.
The conference also tries to dispel negative stereotypes of Italian-Americans.
“Our conference is very proud of our role in
promoting higher education and assisting students
in reaching their academic goals and full potential
for future success in the global marketplace,” said
Latimer. “This year’s recipients will be invited
to Albany to receive their scholarship awards in
June.”
Area students may request an application by
contacting Latimer’s Albany office at 518-4552031. Applications must be submitted by Friday,
April 24.
Lincoln H.S. Receives $10K
For Science Research Projects
Lincoln High School’s Scientific Inquiry
Program have received two $5,000 grants to
assist in funding student research projects this
year: Regeneron Corporation and the Young Science Achiever’s Program support will fund an
unprecedented 35 research proposals submitted
by Lincoln’s Young Scientists.
Each year, Lincoln’s Program for Scientific
Inquiry submits a number of grant proposals,
with the number of students funded this year being unprecedented. The funds from Regeneron
were used to create a Career Technical Education Curriculum by which students were taught
the skills to potentially become laboratory technicians and/or researchers in the bio-medical
field. The remaining funds were used to have
students carry out in-house original molecular
biology/biomedical engineering research projects.
Some of the projects include creating a device that will inform visually-impaired people
when they come too close to an object; a test to
see if violent games increase the amount of aggressive cognitions in teenagers aged 13 to 18;
and one that will create electricity with a microbial fuel cell that uses benthic mud.
Ten Lincoln scientists participated in the
highly competitive Westchester Science and Engineering Fair early this March, which is the regional competition for the national Intel Science
and Engineering Fair. Ravenne Reid received the
Philips Award for Exceptional Research, which
honors students for doing research that focuses
on improving the quality of people’s lives.
Ivette Peralta and Johan Velasquez received
the Fisher Scientific Award.
Ravenne’s research investigated the thera-
Yonkers Thrives
Continued from page 1
“The need to significantly shift the education paradigm for our youth has never been more
necessary than today,” added Yazurlo. “Their
world and career paths change daily, and we,
collectively, must prepare them. Early interventions through health care and literacy prior to
schooling build a foundation for our children’s
academic success. As the proverb says, it does
take a village to raise a 21st century child.”
The Yonkers Thrives Partnership’s baseline
report, released at last week’s launch, outlines
academic performance, as well as cradle-tocareer challenges that YPS students face, as a
starting point to make informed decisions about
how to prioritize the partnership’s efforts to improve student outcomes. Data released in the report highlights a number of variables that tell the
story as to how students are faring, as seen when
data is disaggregated.
Moving forward, the partnership will identify indicators that contribute to current performance rates, as well as successful strategies in
which to improve them.
“As seen by Yonkers Thrives’ baseline report, it is evident we need to provide more for
our students and usher them every step of the
way, from cradle to career,” said Spano. “I look
forward to the continued collaboration with our
partners to work as one, and identify ways to
provide for the betterment of our children and
their future.”
Yonkers Thrives is part of a nationwide
movement led by the StriveTogether Cradle-toCareer Network, connecting more than 8,000
peutic potential of two antimicrobial peptides,
P307 and P307Ex, against acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates. Acinetobacter baumannii is a gram-negative, opportunistic pathogen
brought back in wound infections of soldiers
from Iraq that has become a multi-drug resistant
nosocomial pathogen. Her results indicated that
these peptides are effective in killing and inhibiting the growth of A.baumannii, while sparing
human red blood cells.
Ivette and Jhoan investigated if gender
plays a role in color preference.
These exceptional grants made way for
Yonkers’ students to create astonishing research
projects.
The following students were funded by the
Young Science Achievers Program: Lezly Aquino, Jalen Gaynor, Yoseline Alonso, Maximo
Casimiro, Ryan Arias, Max Ghosh Lisbin, Roel
Arias, Augustus Mends, Ana Karina BenitezFlores, Emily Martinez, Miguel Blanco Perez,
Deana Moffat, Jesus Blondet Rivera, Hector
Mora, Mohammad Dabsheh, Chrislyn Webster,
Bianca Brown, Rebeca Ochoa, Raquelmi Gonzalez, Jose Canales, Laura Rodriguez, Maria
Guzman, Pedro Canales Melendez;
Also, Natalie Rodriguez, Jennifer Madrid,
Falluk Chaudhary, Taylor Rodriguez, Carmen
Quinones, Nashaly Collazo, Edward Saavedra
Mendez, Elisabeth Ramos, Adrian Diaz, Erick
Alexis Sanchez Hernandez, Jasmin Reyes, Jason
Dos Santos, Sheyla Tapia, Jasmine Rodriguez,
Akeyla Octavia Dyson, Jaiell Taylor, Stephanie
Romero, Daniel Espejel, Kaly Valentin, Omar
Alejandro Espino, Elias Feliz, Arianna Fernandez, Jocelyn Flores Venancio and Hailie Fortuniewicz
organizations to impact more than 5.5 million
students. State University of New York Chancellor Nancy Zimpher initiated StriveTogether
eight years ago in Cincinnati, Ohio, which led
to more than 50 cities across the country ushering students from early childhood development
to career.
Locally, the New York State Cradle-toCareer Strategic Alliance started by Zimpher
funded through SUNY provides technical and
strategic assistance to a dozen Strive communities in the state.
“Cradle-to-career partnerships across New
York State and the nation are transforming the
way we educate and support children through
every stage of their education, ultimately ensuring that they are prepared for the challenges of
college coursework and in a position to build a
successful career once they graduate,” said Zimpher while joining the Yonkers Thrives launch
last week.
“Today’s launch is an exciting milestone
not only for Mayor Spano, Dr. Yazurlo and all of
those contributing to the Yonkers Thrives Partnership, but especially for the many students and
families their work will collectively impact. The
State University of New York is proud to be a
part of this important effort.”
During the kickoff, the Yonkers Thrives
Partnership consisting of more than 50 leaders
and representatives from government, businesses, universities, education, labor, parents, students, nonprofits and health care organizations
signed the Statement of Shared Commitment,
which signifies that the participants share the
same vision and goals for Yonkers Strives.
For more information, visit www.yonkersthrives.org.
On This Day in
Yonkers History…
An early postcard of Getty House and Getty Square at night.
By Mary hoar
president, yonkers historical Society
Monday, March 30
March 30, 1871: Gov. John Hoffman signed
the act creating the Yonkers police force.
March 30, 1928: Custom officials seized a
mystery ship off our Yonkers’ coast after it had
passed through a network of Cost Guards ships.
The ship had a cargo of liquor valued at $300,000.
March 30, 1946: Stephen Lee Senigo, the first
baby of a British war bride to be born in Yonkers,
was born at Yonkers General Hospital. The proud
papa was Mark Senigo, sports editor for the London edition of Stars and Stripes.
March 30, 1889: Mrs. John Reid and John
Upham won the first golf mixed-foursome in the
United States against John Reid and Carrie Law.
tuesday, March 31
March 31, 1887: The Getty House was sold
for $125,000 to Franz Blatzhein.
March 31, 1889: The main structural work of
the Eiffel Tower was finished, equipped with Otis
elevators manufactured in Yonkers. France wanted
French manufactured elevators in this entrance to
its 1889 World’s Fair, but Otis was the only company in the world that could do the job. Because of
this delay, the tower opened several weeks after the
start of the fair.
Wednesday, april 1
April 1, 1680: Gov. Edmund Andros gave a
royal patent to Frederick Philipse, providing for
annual rent of one bushel of winter wheat to be
paid to the Duke of York.
April 1, 1941: Mrs. Adah Hopkins Aime was
appointed executive secretary of the Yonkers chapter of the American Red Cross. She was the sister
of Harry L. Hopkins, one of the architects of the
New Deal and a close advisor to Franklin Delano
Roosevelt.
thursday, april 2
April 2, 1756: The freeholders and inhabitants of Yonkers and Mile Square held a public
town meeting at the home of Edward Stevenson
in Yonkers. They elected James Corton, supervisor and pounder; Thomas Sherwood, constable and
collector; David Oakley and William Warner, assessors; Edward Weeks, William Crawford, Daniel Devoe, John Ryder, Isaac Odell and Hendrick
Post, highway masters; Andrew Nodine, Charles
Warner, Moses Tailer and Isaac Odell, fence and
damage views; and Benjamin Fowler, town clerk
of Yonkers.
April 2, 1917: Two-hundred men and women
from Bryn Mawr, Nepperhan Heights and Grey
Oaks sections of Yonkers formally organized a
Home Guard for that section of the city, with Norman Macdonald as president.
April 2, 1927: Yonkers resident C. Stanley
Mitchell was selected to be national chairman of
the $5 million endowment campaign for a National
Cancer Center to be maintained by the New York
Cancer Association.
April 2, 1932: Yonkers High School sports
star John Acropolis was chosen captain of the Colgate University basketball team.
friday, april 3
April 3, 1893: The new Palisade Avenue home
of the Woman’s Institute of Yonkers was dedicated.
April 3, 1930: With only an overcoat button
An early picture of Vincent Richards
taken in 1921.
as a clue, Yonkers police solved a series of thefts
of brass railings from graves at Oakland Cemetery.
April 3, 1937: Vince Richards played Bill
Tilden in an exhibition tennis match at the State
Armory.
Saturday, april 4
April 4, 1893: A heavy windstorm blew down
a three-story building in Nepera Park.
April 4, 1914: A new central switchboard
handling all fire department calls was set up at
Yonkers City Hall.
April 4, 1922: The Wolverine Express, the
second-fastest western express on the New York
Central Railroad system, was almost derailed near
the Federal Sugar Refinery when three boys put
planks and iron pipes on the tracks. The cowcatcher on the engine scooped up the obstruction and
prevented disaster.
Sunday, april 5
April 5, 1869: The Hudson River Railroad
began hourly service between 13th Street in New
York City and Yonkers.
April 5, 1914: Charles Le Bailly, St. Mary’s
School, won the seventh annual Schoolboys’ Race
run by the Mercury Athletic Club. His time for just
over 3 miles was 20 minutes and 12 seconds. He
defeated School Ten’s Joseph Garden by a few
feet; John Monroe from School Nine came in third.
April 5, 1927: Public Safety Commissioner
William Cameron announced that all Yonkers policemen would be given two extra vacation days as
a reward for a virtually crime-free winter.
For more information on the Yonkers Historical Society, Sherwood House and upcoming
events, visit www.facebook.com/YonkersHistoricalSociety, LinkedIn or Twitter. For information
on membership in YHS, call 914-961-8940 or
email yhsociety@aol.com.
WALK TO CREATE A WORLD
FREE OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS!
REGISTER TODAY!
walkMS nyc.org • 212-463-9791
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presented locally by:
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Cloves Lake Park
04.19.15
New York City
Pier 26
Orange County
Crane Park
04.25.15
Rockland County
Rockland Lake State Park
04.26.15
Westchester County
Glen Island Park
Putnam County
Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department
IF YOU USED THE
BLOOD THINNER XARELTO
and suffered internal bleeding, hemorrhaging,
required hospitalization or a loved one died while
taking Xarelto between 2011 and the present time,
you may be entitled to compensation.
Call Attorney Charles H. Johnson 1-800-535-5727
PAGE 6 - Yonkers Rising - Friday, March 27, 2015
Legal Notices
Classifieds
Daylight Savings Time has arrived and so has the WAJE Spring
term! ... Celebrate by joining Westchester
Adult Jewish Education for one or more of these
exciting classes: Jewish Art Workshop (Exploring the connection between your name and
soul through the tradition of the biblical verse)
2 Monday mornings beginning April 20, JCC
of Mid-Westchester); Making Meaning of the
Laws of Shabbat (5 Wednesday evenings beginning April 15 , private home in New Rochelle);
The Minor Prophets (10 Wednesday mornings
beginning April 22, Congregation Kol Ami); Introduction to Talmud: Two Tractates (9 Monday
mornings beginning April 13, private home in
Armonk); or Talmud From the Inside (8 Thursday mornings beginning May 7, Temple Beth El
of New Rochelle). WE HAVE A CLASS FOR
YOU! For more information or registration,
visit us online at www.waje.org, or call Alice
Tenney, Director, at 914-328-7001 ext. 704.
SAP Developer, Sr. (New York
Power Authority - White Plains,
NY) – Use ABAP, BW, Portal Dev. to administer Application Portfolio. Manage SAP app.
production issues, compliance w/reporting reqs.
Analyze, design functionality enhancements,
bus. process changes. Implement app. replacement solutions. ReQ: Bach. in Info. Tech. + 5
yrs. exp. w/SAP dev. projects either in pos.
offr’d or as Lead Sftw. Eng. 38hrs/wk. Email
resume to newyorkpowerauthority@gmail.com
Delivery Driver Needed-Delivery driver wanted for weekly newspapers in
Yonkers and Westchester County. Experience
and own auto preferred. To apply send email to
risingmediagroup@gmail.com Currently searching for an
experienced Janitorial Facility/Building Manager to manage all
janitorial responsibilities of a large building in
White Plains, NY. Requirements - YOU MUST
MEET ALL REQUIREMENTS: -5+ years janitorial management, managing one facility at
least 250,000 square foot or more, managing
15+ employees, project work scheduling, hiring
employees, employee discipline, managing inventory, training janitorial employees, computer
skills, good organizational skills, etc. Salary
starts at $48,000 To apply call 612-208-3441 or
612-331-1165 and send your resume to jobs@
alliedns.com
Also seeking ---Part Time Janitor/Cleaner Growing janitorial company
is searching for experienced, reliable part-time
janitor / cleaner needed in White Plains, NY.
Two years previous janitorial experience required. Strip and wax experience as well as carpet cleaning experience a plus. Starting Wage at
$22.00 per hour, with full benefits and vacation
available**Must be extremely reliable with own
car and valid driver’s license. ****Candidates
must be prepared to pass E-Verify and criminal
background check.**To apply please call 612208-3341. Send resume to jobs@alliedns.com
ANTIQUES • ART • COLLECTIBLES
Most cash paid for paintings, antiques, furniture, silver, sculpture, jewelry, books, cameras,
records, instruments, coins, watches, gold, comics, sports cards, etc. Please call Aaron at 914654-1683.
Licensed therapists needed
- for Early Intervention SLP, OT, PT, SI, SW,
Psych Cases in Westchester County for ages
Notice of formation of Limited
Liability
Company
(LLC) STAY PRAYED UP,
LLC (stayprayerful.org). Articles of Organization were
filed with the Secretary of
State of New York (SSNY)
on 02/02/15. Office location: Westchester County.
SSNY has been designated
as agent of the LLC upon
whom process against it may
be served. SSNY shall mail
a copy of process to: C/O
STAY PRAYED UP, LLC,
77 Locust Hill Ave. Apt. 329,
Yonkers NY 10701. Purpose:
Any Lawful Purpose.
#6613 03/13 – 04/17
0-3 with developmental delays Send resume to
HR@skhov.org
ADOPT: A dream is a wish your heart
makes, our wish is a baby tolove. We’re loving,
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ADOPTION: A childless young married
couple, hands on mom/ devoted dad(she-31/ he37) seeks to adopt. Financial security, expenses
paid.Call/ text Mary & Adam 1-800-790-5260
Donate your car to Wheels
For Wishes, benefiting Make -A -Wish. We
offer free towing and your donation is 100% tax
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WELDING CAREERS-Hands on training for career opportunities in aviation, automotive, manufacturing and more. Financial aid
forqualified students. Job placement assistance.
CALL AIM 877-206-4006
Rinaldi Flea Market Season
Opening April 5th. Every Sunday through
October. 900 Dutchess Turnpike Poughkeepsie. See you there! RINALDIFLEAMARKETS.
COM
Parents! Having trouble with
college funding? Get personal help
with financial aid forms for free grants. Visit
www.sourcesforstudents.com or call Paul Anthony Rivers at (914)358 -1700.
Privacy Hedges -SPRING Blowout
Sale 6ft Arborvitae (cedar) Reg $129 Now $59
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Get FAA approved Aviation Maintenance Technician training. Financial aid for qualified students – Housing available. Job placement assistance. Call AIM 866-296-7093
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straightening, leveling, foundation and wood
frame repairs at1-800-OLD-BARN. www.
woodfordbros.com. “Not applicable in Queenscounty”
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CASH for Coins! Buying Gold & Silver. Also Stamps, Paper Money, Comics, Entire
Collections, Estates. Travel to your home. Call
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Notice of formation of Marjorie Hsu LLC Arts. of Org. filed
with Sec’y of State of NY
on 2/3/15. Office location:
Westchester. The street address is 115 Millard Avenue
Sleepy Hollow NY10591.
SSNY has been designated
as agent of the LLC against it
may be served. SSNY shall
mail process served to Marjorie Hsu 115 Millard Avenue
Sleepy Hollow NY. Purpose:
any lawful act
#6612 03/20 – 04/24
Notice of formation of Palmerini Properties, LLC, a
domestic Limited Liability
Company (LLC), filed with
the Secretary of State of NY
(SSNY) on 02/20/2015. Office location: Westchester
County. Principal office of
Palmerini Properties, LLC:
264 Cherry Street, Katonah,
NY 10536. SSNY designated as agent of Palmerini
Properties, LLC upon whom
process against it may be
served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Palmerini Properties, LLC, 264 Cherry Street,
Katonah, NY 10536, upon
whom and at which process
may be served. Purpose:
Marketing
#6611
03/13 – 04/17
To join the Exchange Club of Yonkers contact
Vice-President David Tubiolo at 646-596-3375
Legal Notice:
Official Notice to the Public:
The City of Yonkers Office of Workforce Development is posting the Request For Proposal
Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) for the 2015 Year Round Youth Program.
The contract period begins July 1, 2015 and ending June 30, 2016. All questions relative
to the RFP should be directed in writing via e-mail to Mr. Sean McGrail, Executive Director
at sean.mcgrail@yonkersny.gov or by fax to 914-963-1989. An electronic copy of the RFP
may be downloaded at www.cityofyonkers.com click onto Departments, Yonkers Workforce
Development Board, Information and Events.
RFP Procurement Schedule--(Dates subject to change with notice from the YWDB)
RFP Issue Date:
Bidders Informational Session:
RFP Questions Due:
Proposal Due Date:
Grant Award Date:
Contract Start Date:
March 24, 2015
March 31, 2015
April 6, 2015
April 10, 2015
June 2, 2015
July 1, 2015
#1353 03/27/15 – 04/03/15
Notice is hereby given that a
License serial
# 1284602 for Liquor has
been applied for by the undersigned to sell Liquor at
retail in a Restaurant under
the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 523 South Fulton
Avenue Mount Vernon, NY
10550 for on premises consumption.
Wheeler & Wheeler, Inc.
Notice is hereby given that
Vintage 1891 Kitchen LLC
has applied for a license, Serial #1283858, to sell beer,
liquor and wine at retail in
a restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law
at 2098 Boston Post Road,
Larchmont, NY 10538 in
Westchester County for on
premises consumption, Vintage 1891 Kitchen
#3133 3/20 – 3/27
#3136 03/27 – 04/03
Council Meeting
Continued from Page 1
sons,” said Sabatino, who alluded to the rumor in
and around City Hall that McLaughlin voted “no”
to lay the groundwork for a future run for Yonkers
mayor.
Majority Leader John Larkin said Sabatino
was never told that the Republicans would support the motion unanimously, but that there would
be five votes total for the borrowing. “The three
Democrats on the council took a political vote last
year when you voted against the IMA (inter-municipal agreement) that provided $28 million in additional state aid for our schools,” he said. “Rather
than do what was right, you took a political vote,
which would have devastated the schools. What a
disgrace.
“Tonight the Democrats decided they would
boycott the meeting and not represent half the people in the city,” he continued. “The issue here is
that people’s feelings were hurt. I was opposed to
the borrowing but when I knew that my vote was
the fifth, I didn’t want to put the city in jeopardy,
and I received a lot of flack for it from members
of my own party. I didn’t do it to support Mayor
Spano, I did it to do the right thing for our city.”
Councilman Mike Breen said: “If we took responsibility, then we would have voted at 7 p.m.
tonight. But we found out that we didn’t have the
votes, so phone calls were made and the unions
showed up. This passed two weeks ago by a 5-2
margin, but something changed tonight. We had to
drop our lawsuit to see this through.”
Johnson and McLaughlin exchanged a few
final barbs before the vote was taken.
“The issue is we live in a city where council members lie to each other and the mayor,” said
Johnson. “The mayor said this vote will be unanimous. Step up and take responsibility and don’t lie
to our faces.”
McLaughlin responded, saying: “If I was
budget chairman for the last two years when these
mistakes were made, I would step up – but I wasn’t
here and didn’t vote, and the people who are saying ‘step up’ are hiding and running for political
cover.”
Johnson was the council budget chairman
during the overspending at YPS that caused the
borrowing.
Finally, the council debated a petty issue of
whether the 10-year bond should be callable, or
repaid without penalty in six years or eight years.
Council Republicans wanted six years, so that the
city could repay the bonds sooner and remove state
oversight from the city’s budget process; council
Democrats and Spano wanted an eight-year call.
In order for the bonds to be paid back in six
or eight years instead of 10, the city would have to
come up with a $17 million balloon payment, or
surplus monies in its budget, to pay off.
“The sooner we can get rid of it the better, and
the quicker we can get the commissioner of education and the comptroller out of our budget the
better,” said Breen. “It’s good to have that option.”
Johnson said: “Show me a Yonkers budget
where there was a $17 million surplus. Even if we
had it, I would put that money into education and
not pay off the bond sooner.”
In the end, the bonding agencies had already
issued the bonds with a six-year call.
FRidAY, MARch 27, 2015 - YoNkERs RisiNG - PAGE 7
Seniors and Health Care
Regency Extended Care Center
Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day
Staff and residents at Regency Extended Care recently celebrated St. Patrick’s Day.
Staff and residents of the Regency Extended Care Center had a specially advanced
celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day on Friday,
March 13.
Guest singer Theo Getzoff joined community liaison Bob Stauf in providing melodies
befitting the celebration. Both have been fellow
members of the St. Margaret of Cortona (Bronx)
church choir.
Getzoff plays acoustic and electric guitar,
banjo and piano, and demonstrated for the residents a diverse eclectic repertoire – regularly
shared as an opera singer with an opera company under Velia Botti, an internationally recognized vocal trainer and as a regular performer at
An Beal Bocht Café in Riverdale.
Getzoff’s autism evidenced an inability to
speak at all, but more than 20 years later, his vocal talent is evidenced in several languages and
vocal styles. Residents responded to his entertainment with enthusiastic applause.
Residents enjoyed a “sing-song” in the Irish
tradition, as well as the Irish National Anthem
and Stauf’s signature song “Fields of Athenry.”
Stauf is the host of Yonkers Emerald Focus, an
Optimum cable program airing Tuesday nights
at 9:30 p.m. on channel 18.
Ana Leiva, program director, and her specially dressed staff maintained the Irish theme
by decorating the cafeteria as an Irish wonderland. Residents enjoyed Irish soda bread and
green cupcakes, as well.
Social Security Q&A
By Julissa Javier
Social Security assistant district manager,
yonkers
Question: My father gets Supplemental
Security Income for a disability. He is now legally blind and wants to receive information
from Social Security in an alternative format.
How do I help him?
answer: Social Security is dedicated to
providing vital information in the most effective
way for every recipient. There are several ways
to receive information from us if you’re blind
or have a visual impairment: You can choose to
receive Braille notices and a standard print notice by first-class mail; a Microsoft Word file on
a data compact disc and a print standard notice
by first-class mail; an audio CD and a standard
print notice by first-class mail; or a large print
(18-point size) notice and a standard print notice by first-class mail.
You can request these special notice options by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov/people/blind.
Q: My mother receives Supplemental Security Income benefits and she’ll be going to
live with my sister next month. Does she have
to report the move to Social Security?
a: Yes, she should report any change in
living arrangements to us within 10 days, as the
change could affect her payment. Failure to report the change could result in an incorrect SSI
payment that may have to be paid back. Also,
we need her correct address so we can send her
important correspondence about her SSI benefits.
She can easily change her address by accessing her personal “My Social Security” account at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
She can also call Social Security at 1-800-7721213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
Q: I recently retired and am approaching
the age when I can start receiving Medicare.
What is the monthly premium for Medicare
Part B?
a: The standard Medicare Part B premium
for medical insurance is currently $104.90 per
month. Since 2007, some people with higher incomes have been required pay a higher monthly
premium for their Medicare coverage. You can
get details at www.medicare.gov or by calling
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (TTY
1-877-486-2048).
Montefiore’s Investment in
Westchester to be Discussed
At the invitation
for the area of New Roof “At Home on the
chelle’s 242-bed hospital, he will also include
Sound,” Tony Alfano,
such relevant topics as
vice president and exMedicare, Medicaid and
ecutive director of MonHome Health Care.
tefiore New Rochelle
Prior to joining
Hospital, will discuss
Montefiore New Rothe health system’s imchelle, Alfano served as
portant investment in
senior vice president and
Westchester on Tueschief operating officer
day, April 14 at 4 p.m.,
at New York Downtown
at Larchmont Avenue
Hospital, part of the
Church.
New York-Presbyterian
Montefiore,
with
Healthcare System. Ear2,747 beds in eight hoslier, he served on the sepitals and an extended
nior leadership teams of
care facility, is a premier
Brooklyn Hospital Cenacademic health system,
ter and Saint Vincent’s
nationally recognized
Catholic Medical Center.
both for its clinical exHe holds both a
cellence and its focus on
bachelor of science dethe needs of the commuTony Alfano, vice president of
gree and a master of scinities it serves. It is the
Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital
ence degree in adminisuniversity hospital for
the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and tration from Long Island University.
The program is free and open to the public
its children’s hospital is consistently named in
U.S. News’ report on “America’s Best Chil- at Russell Hall, Larchmont Avenue Church, 60
Forest Park Ave. Refreshments begin at 3:30
dren’s Hospitals.”
At the program in Larchmont, Alfano will p.m. (Enter the church through the Forest Park
not only underscore Montefiore’s significance Avenue door near Wendt Avenue.)
Demystify Medicare for Seniors
The forum “Demystifying Medicare and
Health Care Coverage for Seniors” will take
place at several locations in Westchester next
month.
This presentation of the library system’s
Westchester Seniors Out Speaking is perfect for
anyone trying to navigate their way through our
complicated health care system for older adults.
It will help those who already have Medicare,
as well as people soon to be 65, planning their
retirement, or assisting relatives and friends
with their medical decisions and paperwork.
The engaging, interactive program outlines
the various parts of Medicare and lays out the
costs associated with the medical and drug insurance provided by the government and private companies.
Topics include original Medicare, Medicare Advantage Plans, prescription drug plans
(Part D), Medigaps (supplemental plans) and
various cost-saving programs (MSPs, Extra
Help, EPIC, etc.)
Walk-ins are welcome, but pre-registration
is requested at 914-231-3236; leave your name,
telephone number and the event you wish to at-
tend.
Dates and locations include:
Monday, April 6 from 6 to 8:45 p.m. at the
Warner Library, 121 N. Broadway, Tarrytown;
Sunday, April 12 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at
the Ossining Public Library, 53 Croton Ave.;
Wednesday, April 15 from 6:30 to 9:30
p.m. at Phelps Memorial Hospital, 701 N.
Broadway, Sleepy Hollow;
Monday, April 20 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Hart
Library, 1130 E. Main St., Shrub Oak;
Thursday, April 23 from 6 to 8:45 p.m. at
Will Library, 1500 Central Park Ave., Yonkers;
Saturday, April 25 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Field
Library, 4 Nelson Ave., Peekskill;
Wednesday, April 29 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at
Fox Center, 198 Carpenter Ave., Mount Kisco;
Saturday, May 2 from 1 to 4 p.m. at New
Rochelle Library, 1 Library Plaza at Lawton
Street;
Monday, May 4 from 6 to 8:45 p.m. at
White Plains Library, 100 Martine Ave.;
Wednesday, May 6 from 6:15 to 9 p.m. at
TDY Community Center, 32 Manhattan Ave.,
Greenburgh.
Celebrating our 125th Anniversary
Spa
Arab nish an
d
ic
prov speakin
iders
g
are
avai
lable
INTRODUCING THE LATEST MEMBER
OF THE SAINT JOSEPH’S FAMILY
Saint Joseph’s Family Medicine
415 South Broadway
Yonkers, NY 10705
(914) 623-5400
Offering Comprehensive healthcare services for the entire family
Pediatrics • Adults • Older Adults
Ammir Rabadi, MD, Medical Director
Wendy Sylvester, MD • Nadeem Shahid, MD
 Convenient Hours
 Basic Testing Services On-Site
 Most Insurance Plans Accepted
 Same day appointments available
Hours of Operation
Monday-Thursday 8am-8pm • Friday 8am-5pm • Saturday 9am-2pm
FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, PLEASE GO TO OUR ER AT:
Saint Joseph’s Medical Center
127 South Broadway
Yonkers, New York 10701
(914) 378-7000
www.saintjoseph.org
PAGE 8 - Yonkers RIsing - Friday, March 27, 2015
Senate & Assembly Submit
‘Wish List’ One-House Budgets
Education, Ethics Reform, Property
Tax Relief Needed in State Budget
By Dan Murphy
As negotiations continue on a $139 billion
budget for New York State, the Democratic
majority in the Assembly, and the Republican
Majority in the Senate, each submitted their
one-house budget resolutions last week. The
two budget “wish lists” passed by the Assembly and Senate provide insight into how the
majorities of each body want to proceed and
negotiate with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and his
budget proposal.
Three key issues that Westchester residents will be looking for in a final version of
the state budget will be property tax relief,
education reform and ethics reform.
Assemblywoman Sandy Galef wrote a letter of support for Cuomo’s proposed property
tax credit.
“We have a real opportunity in this year’s
state budget to adopt a new tax relief program
to help those who pay too much of their household income for property taxes,” she wrote. “If
you believe this could impact you and your
family, I hope you will be the strongest advocate for its adoption within the next two weeks.
Gov. Cuomo introduced this program in his
proposed budget as the Property Tax Credit
Program, which was also included in the Assembly budget.
“I introduced the same concept many
years ago with Sen. Betty Little called the Circuit Breaker Program. The concepts are similar: I believe this approach would help many
New Yorkers who pay more than 6 percent of
their household income for property taxes and
have a total adjusted gross income of less than
$250,000. As owners of homes, condos or coops, you would be entitled to an income tax
credit on a sliding scale for property taxes you
pay above the 6 percent level.
“On average, owners of property will
receive a tax credit of between $781 and
$1,500,” wrote Galef. “That tax credit would
help approximately 1.3 million middle-income
households in New York. Those who do not
owe taxes at tax time would get a reimbursement for their outlay from the tax department.
“This program offers middle-class taxpayers a fair and balanced approach to property tax relief based on need and income. This
really targets those who are struggling the
most with their high property taxes and have
less income to pay them.
“I thank the governor and the NYS Assembly for being such strong advocates for
this program, but be aware that during budget negotiations this important new tax relief
program could fall through the cracks. If you
support the Circuit Breaker, call your New
York State Senate representative now to push
for this tax relief program in the 2015-16 state
budget. This tax credit will give tax help to
many, which will help keep families in their
homes,” wrote the assemblywoman.
Education and ethics reform may be the
two toughest hurdles to clear to be included in
a final budget deal.
Cuomo has proposed new education testing for teachers and state takeover of failing
schools as part of his education reform package. He has also tied increases in education
funding to local school district to his education
reforms, a move that so far has not been supported in either the Assembly, Senate or by the
powerful teachers union.
But for the parents and students that are
some of the 178,000 students trapped in a failing public school, the push for some remedy
continues. A group called Mobilizing Preachers and Communities, a non-profit coalition
consisting of more than 500 interdenominational churches, recently launched a statewide
education reform campaign in support of Cuomo’s education Opportunity Agenda.
Clergy leaders throughout New York State,
representing nearly 75,000 congregants, have
launched an outreach effort to fight for every
child in New York State currently trapped in a
failing school; MPAC members have pledged
to reach out directly to their congregations.
Most of New York’s failing schools are in
New York City, with Westchester having nine
failing schools – eight in Yonkers and one in
Mt. Vernon
“We have seen so many parents and children in our communities struggle with failing
schools,” said the Rev. Patrick Young of First
Bible Church in East Elmhurst. “They are losing hope in a system they deeply rely on to
help educate their children. The governor’s education agenda is the most promising solution
we’ve seen yet, and we promise to spread the
message far and wide that our children need
action now.”
“It’s time for adults in this state to stop
fighting over their narrow political agendas
and get to work for our children,” added the
Rev. Dr. Johnnie Green Jr. of Mount Neboh
Baptist Church in Harlem. “Great schools can
open the doors of opportunity for our young
people, and our parents and our kids can’t afford to wait. On behalf of our communities,
we demand action. Let’s implement Gov. Cuomo’s education Opportunity Agenda today and
give our children the opportunity they deserve
to succeed.”
Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl
Heastie reached an agreement on ethics reform
that calls for restrictions on how members can
spend their campaign funds and disclosure of
outside income of $1,000, but no limit on how
much outside income state legislators can earn.
Most believe this is a good start, but not
enough. Blair Horner, legislative director for
the New York Public Interest Research Group,
commented: “If you believe New York’s in its
‘Watergate moment, this is the equivalent of
the F.B.I. issuing a trespassing summons.”
Cuomo and Heastie’s ethics agreement
must also be agreed to by the State Senate, and
Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos wants
ethics reform to include income earned by domestic partners, including Cuomo’s girlfriend
Sandra Lee.
Skelos doesn’t want ethics reform to include disclose of where outside income for
legislators comes from, including legal clients
for senators and Assembly members that are
also attorneys.
Another year should not pass by without
serious ethics reform in Albany; a recent Quinnipiac poll found 89 percent of New Yorkers
believe corruption is a serious problem in Albany.
Over the next two weeks, the “four men
in a room” will negotiate a final budget. This
includes Cuomo, Heastie, Skelos and Independent Democratic Conference Chairman Sen.
Jeff Klein.
Klein and the IDC issued a release touting what the Senate’s one-house budget plan
includes: Paid family leave, a major infrastructure repair and jobs program, affordable housing, aid for working families, help for seniors
and a state tax deduction for college loan repayment were chief among the IDC’s “Invest
NY” policy proposals to be adopted in the Senate’s 2015-16 one-house resolution.
“We’re proud this resolution contains so
many of the IDC’s proposals that will aid our
seniors, help college students, continue to fund
universal pre-kindergarten and child care subsidies, develop much-needed middle-income
housing and rehabilitate the deplorable conditions in NYCHA developments,” said Klein,
who represents Pelham.
Westchester State Sen. Andrea StewartCousins, who serves as the Senate Democrats’
leader, released her conference’s budget priorities, including $2 billion in additional education funding.
The priorities include adding another $2
billion in funding for education, increasing
the minimum wage, creating more affordable
housing and job opportunities through capital
projects, increasing aid to local municipalities
to help reduce property taxes, and increased
funding for EPIC – the prescription drug plan
for seniors – and for kinship care.
The list of priorities were included in a
budget letter to the Republican Senate Majority Leader; the conference has also issued
requests for use of the $5.1 billion in settlement funds available for one-time investments
this year, including $275 million in 0 interest
loans for the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement
project.
“The budget priorities outlined by the Senate Democrats reflect our view of our state’s
most important needs, including adequately
funding our education system and not linking policy reforms to critical funding,” said
Stewart-Cousins, who will not be included in
the “four men in a room” budget negotiations.
“We have two weeks to put together a budget
that works for all New Yorkers.”
Priorities that specifically relate to the
35th District include a $2 billion increase in
education funding.
The enacted budget must address adequate funding from universal pre-kindergarten to college – with increases first targeting
high-needs districts, including Yonkers, which
the senator pointed out in her remarks on the
Senate floor last week – has requested an additional $89 million to maintain the status quo.
Priorities also include increased funding
by 4.8 percent for special act school districts
that instruct vulnerable students, including tuition indexing for special act schools and 853
schools; as well as funding library aid at the
2010 Census level and increased construction
funds by $14 million.
The problems with one-house budget
resolutions are that, combined with the governor’s budget and the minority party’s budget
priorities, they become far too many budget
plans that confuse the voters.
The other issue for Senate and Assembly
members who vote against the budget resolutions are that while they may vote against a
budget plan that doesn’t include something
they feel strongly about, their “no” vote can
be used against them in future political campaigns.
Voting “no” for a budget resolution also
means you voted “no” on a budget plan that
bundles together popular issues like helping
seniors and college students, raising the minimum wage and increasing education funding.
Political ads have frequently highlighted – in
negative and misleading spots – a candidate’s
“no” vote on a budget resolution and their supposed opposition to seniors, college students
and more education aid for their local school
districts.
All of which underscores our point – that
one-house budgets confuse the voters of New
York and Westchester. We hope that this story
helped clarify your confusion.
By Joel J. Sprayregen
Westchester Congress members Eliot Engel and Nita Lowey attended Israeli Prime Minister
Bibi Netanyahu’s recent speech to Congress.
Obama Bares His
Hatchet for Israel
By Joel J. Sprayregen
There were two major terrorist atrocities in
the Middle East last week and one major democratic achievement. How did President Obama
respond to tragedy and triumph?
In Tunis, the epicenter of the mirage misnamed “the Arab spring,” ISIL gunmen killed
20 innocents, mostly western tourists. In Yemen,
ISIL suicide bombers blew up two mosques, killing 137 Shia Muslims as they prayed.
ISIL became a formidable terrorist power after Obama prematurely pulled American
troops from Iraq in 2011, foolish ly minimized
the ISIL jihadis as “jayvees,” and repudiated his
own “red lines” in Syria. As recently as last September, Obama boasted of his “successful” policies in Yemen. Obama ritualistically condemned
both atrocities.
On Sunday, the U.S. announced without ostensible embarrassment the ignominious fleeing
from Yemen of our few-hundred Special Forces
troops as the country fell under the rule of the
Houthis, who are proxies for Obama’s emerging
détente allies in Tehran.
The Triumph of a Democratic Election
The sole event in the region energizing
Obama’s wrath was Israel’s parliamentary election. Obama must know Israel is the only country for thousands of miles around which can hold
an election open to all citizens (including the 15
percent non-Jews) in which 72 percent of its citizens vote, with guaranteed free speech/press.
This is a remarkable achievement for a
country menaced on two borders by terrorist
forces possessing thousands of Iran-supplied
rockets and which endured a war last summer.
Many Sunni Arab leaders quietly applauded
Netanyahu’s victory because they see him as a
bulwark against Iran’s hegemonic aspirations.
Obama, however, did not like the results of the
Israeli election, so he pounced on some campaigning remarks of the Israeli Prime Minister.
Let’s look at what Netanyahu actually said
in text and context:
“I think anyone who moves to establish a
Palestinian state today, and to evacuate Israelis
from territory, is giving radical Islam an area
from which to attack the State of Israel. This is
the true reality that has been created in this area
in the past few years.”
The interviewer pursued: “If you’re reelected, there’ll be no Palestinian state?”
Netanyahu answered: “Indeed.”
A Demilitarized Palestinian State that
Recognizes the Jewish State
When NBC asked if this was a repudiation
of his 2009 speech calling for two states living in
peace, Netanyahu reminded that six years ago he
called for “a demilitarized Palestinian state that
recognizes the Jewish state.” The Palestinians
never accepted these conditions.
The prime minister pointed to two significant changes since 2009: i.e., (1) the Palestinian
Authority, Israel’s putative “peace partner,” has
allied with Hamas, whose charter calls for destruction of Israel with killing of all Jews; and
(2) “every territory that is vacated is taken up by
Islamist forces.”
Also significant is that after a nine-month
Israeli settlement freeze, the Palestinians’ president refused to negotiate and ran to the Muslimmajority United Nations, a flagrant breach of the
1993 Oslo Accords. That Netanyahu’s apprehensions are realistic is proven by the fact that when
Israel withdrew per the Oslo Accords, Arafat unleashed the “Second Intifada” to murder 1,000
Israelis in 2000-05.
This is not really complicated if you can
read. Netanyahu explained what had changed in
the conditions precedent to a two-state solution.
Moreover, the Israeli government to be formed
has no binding policy until a coalition agreement
is ratified.
So why did Obama and his spokespersons
commence a week-long hatchet-baring with
threats to “reassess” policy and warnings that
the U.S. might break with the long tradition of
vetoing Security Council resolutions that endanger Israeli? There is an obvious reason and perhaps a hidden one.
Obama personally despises Netanyahu, who
– as a veteran of an elite commando unit – has
security credentials Obama will never possess.
Obama’s visceral disdain for the prime minister
is exhibited in his body language in every photo,
in policy initiatives the president unveiled twice
while Netanyahu was in flight to the U.S. and
in unparalleled rudeness when Obama went upstairs for dinner, leaving the prime minister alone
in the White House.
Obama pithily told people I know “Bibi pis-- on my foot” when he disagreed with Obama
in the Oval Office. The liberal media hides the
personalized petty Presidential pique.
Watching Obama From the
West Bank of Lake Michigan
The second reason is less easy to prove because Obama is nothing if not shrewd. Having
closely watched Obama’s ascension in Chicago
and met with him in the White House and elsewhere, I conclude that Obama just doesn’t like
Israel, but is not ready to jettison his admiring
Jewish liberal supporters who believe he is “proIsrael.”
Obama has displayed vast ignorance, as in
his 2009 Cairo Apologia, when he suggested
that Zionism is founded solely on the Holocaust.
Clearly, Obama – who has grievously misread
security issues in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Egypt and
elsewhere – has displayed scant comprehension of immanency of threats from a Palestinian
state, as well as what ensues when and if terrorist
Hamas takes full control of a Palestinian state by
vote or force (the Palestinian president is in the
10th year of his five-year term)..
There were many signs of Obama’s anti-Israel perspective when he first emerged as a candidate; e.g., his promises to an Arafat agent at a
2003 farewell dinner in Chicago, which are preserved in a videotape that the Los Angeles Time
still refuses to show. I can review other indicia in
a future column, in which I can also deal with the
canard that Bibi disparaged Arab voters.
But as I look to the future, I foresee an
Obama – freed from further campaigns – unshackled to erode bi-partisan domestic support
for Israel and to throw Israel to the wolves at the
United Nations. I acknowledge that Obama has
mostly met Israel’s security needs, but this will
not offset a sustained 20-month political hatcheting of the only democracy in the Middle East,
which is also one of the U.S.’s few consistent
supporters at the U.N.
Preserving Bi-Partisan Support
Preservation of bi-partisan support for the
historic U.S.-Israel alliance will depend significantly on our congressmen and senators, as well
as Hillary Clinton. It is not good for either country or the Democratic Party to allow Obama to
hack away at this alliance. Obama has the congresspeople distracted with machinations to exclude them from his dealings with Iran (which
of course provides another reason for Obama’s
animus against Israel).
I trust that Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand, as
well as Reps. Engel and Loewy plus Ms. Clinton, will speak up.
Editor’s Note: Westchester’s three members
of the U.S. House of Representatives attended
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
speech to Congress earlier this month.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu made a powerful presentation to members of Congress regarding the threat of a nuclear Iran,” said Congresswoman Nita Lowey, ranking member on the
House Appropriations Committee. “I share the
prime minister’s concerns regarding the P5+1
negotiations. The ultimate outcome needs to
verifiably prevent the regime from ever acquiring
nuclear weapons. The United States and Israel
must jointly confront the Iranian challenge.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech showed
that there remain serious and urgent concerns
about the nuclear negotiations with Iran, said
Congressman Eliot Engel.
“These are not new – and many of them are
shared by Republicans and Democrats, including officials in the Obama Administration,” he
said. “Together, we must work to curb Iran’s nuclear program and prevent them from accessing
any pathway to a bomb. I expect that Democrats
and Republicans will move forward together in
the interest of our national security and strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship.”
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney added: “Israel
and the U.S. have a uniquely strong alliance
built on our common values, principles and interests, and our support for our close friend will
never waver. Both the U.S. and Israel’s top security priority is preventing a weaponized program
in Iran, and any final agreement must ensure that
Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons. However,
a bad deal is worse than no deal, and we won’t
know what we have until the negotiations end.”
Maloney was considering boycotting the
speech, but in the end decided to attend, along
with New York’s two U.S. senators, Charles
Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Friday, March 27, 2015 - Yonkers Rising - PAGE 9
Students and staff from Kahlil Gibran School welcome Mayor Mike Spano, Superintendent Dr. Michael Yarzulo and BOE President Nader Sayegh.
Kahlil Gibran
Continued from Page 1
in which they showcased their writing and
performing skills. Following the vignette,
students had the opportunity to ask Spano a
series of questions, based on Kahlil Gibran
School’s Steps to Success.
American Illustration
Continued from Page 2
student at Barnard College.
“My aunt and uncle lived in Yonkers for
many years before I joined them. Sidney came
to Yonkers when he graduated from the School
of the Art Institute in Chicago because New
York City was the center of the art world and,
as a young illustrator, he wanted to establish
his career as an illustrator. He chose Yonkers
because he could easily reach the art world in
New York City by public transportation and he
invited his mother, father and sister to make
their home with him at 739 Palisade Ave.
“My mother and I lived in Manhattan and
visited them in Yonkers until she died and I
moved to Yonkers myself – to live with my uncle Sidney and Aunt Elsa,” said Atheling. “Sidney had a very successful career in illustration.
Elsa was a homemaker and won prizes for her
baking, preserves and handwork at the county
fairs in White Plains. When they aged, they
came to live with my husband and our children
in our home in Hasting-on-Hudson and then we
moved together to Cambridge.
“My uncle passed away in 1971, a time
in my life when I was unable to make the trip
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ative writing,” added Dr. Michael Yazurlo,
superintendent of schools.
Mayor Spano’s School of the Month recognition program began in January 2014 as a
way to celebrate the significant academic success, extracurricular achievements and community volunteerism of Yonkers’ students,
teachers, administration and staff at Yonkers
Public Schools.
“Today I had the pleasure of interacting
with some of Yonkers’ best and brightest,”
said Spano. “The entire administration, staff
and faculty and students at Kahlil Gibran
School are doing a wonderful job and I’m
proud to recognize them.”
“On behalf of the Board of Education
trustees, I would like to congratulate another
one of Yonkers’ wonderful schools, Kahlil
Gibran School, on their achievement and
recognize their commitment to providing a
quality education to our Yonkers students,”
said Board of Education President Dr. Nader
Sayegh.
“The entire administration, faculty and
staff at Kahlil Gibran School are providing a
strong foundation for students’ lifelong learning through their focus on literature and cre-
to bury his ashes in the Riesenberg plot at Mt.
Hope Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson – and
his ashes have been with me ever since.
“On the weekend of April 18 and 19, 2015,
with members of my immediate family, I am
bringing Sidney Riesenberg’s ashes to Westchester to inter them in the family plot at Mt.
Hope Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson. The
interment will be on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. and
on Sunday, we plan to tour the Yonkers of my
fond remembrance,” writes Atheling.
“In a separate e-mail I am forwarding a
copy of a letter written by Sidney Riesenberg
briefly summarizing his life in art – in his own
words. I write in hopes you may find the news
of interest to readers of Yonkers Rising.”
In His Own Words:
Yonkers Artist Sidney Riesenberg
Nov. 21, 1960:
I was born in Chicago in 1885. I studied
at the Art Institute of Chicago for four years
and on graduation won the Frederick Magnus
Brand Memorial Prize for composition. Then
I left school and joined that small company of
artists who were able to make their living with
a brush without ringing a time clock. I did this
for 40 years.
While still a student during the summer, I
made two trips west: one to Arizona and New
Mexico – the Santa Fe Railroad gave me transportation in return for a picture; and the other
trip to Old Mexico – I rode on horseback from
the border to Mexico City with a fellow student.
I got the money for this by serving as deputy
sheriff for Cook County, Ill., in a teamster’s
strike in Chicago. I wrote a couple of articles
with a lot of help on these trips and made the
illustrations. They came out in the Pacific
Monthly.
I started illustrating in Chicago
for the Pacific Monthly, Redbook
and Sports Afield. Then I went to
New York and did illustrations for
the national magazines – Post, Harper’s, Collier’s, Scribner’s, etc.; also
a number of books and most of the
pulps. The subjects I covered were
out-of-doors, Westerns, the Civil
War, sports. I made a lot of posters
for the U.S. Marine Corps and Liberty Loan posters for the First World
War. I went out and painted from nature – figures, landscapes, watercolors and drawings in-between jobs to
keep that spark alive.
The paintings that I made at this
time were exhibited in the National
Academy of Design, National Art
Club, Allied Artists and the Currier Gallery of Art, the Montclair Art
Museum, the Rockport Art Association and other places. I have pictures
in the permanent collections of the
John H. Van de Poel Art Association,
Chicago; Hudson River Museum,
Yonkers; County Trust Co., Westchester; King’s Point Merchant Marine Academy; and in private collecSidney Riesenberg in his Yonkers studio.
tions.
I have some favorable notices
subordinate factual records to esthetic values in
by New York critics and also a number of small my work. I also have done a little teaching.
awards. I have had several one-man shows.
– Sidney Riesenberg
I had a break not long ago. My uncle,
Thanks for your letter Anne, and your fond
Adolph Riesenberg, left me some money so I memories of Yonkers. We appreciate your love
could have a go at what I started out to be – an of Yonkers and your desire to come home, and
artist. This about covers it. I am trying now to have your uncle remembered in Yonkers Rising.
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PAGE 10 - YoNkERs RisiNG - FRidAY, MARch 27, 2015
Parade Grand Marshal Tim Rooney Jr. with his aides at St. Barnabus before the
parade kick-off.
Mayor Mike Spano, bagpiper Peter Staruch and Police Commissioner Charles Gardner.
From left are City Council members Mike Breen, Dennis Shepherd and John Larkin; County
Executive Rob Astorino; and Council President Liam McLaughlin and son Ryan Patrick.
Joan Deierlein waves the county flags of Ireland.
Mayor Mike Spano marches with parade Co-Chairpersons Larry McCrudden and
Deidre O’ Mara.
A Yonkers firefighter shows his Irish pride.
Photos by Donna Davis and Kevin Fitzgerald
We have the inner potential to function
in a state of peace and focus regardless of
the situation or challenges. Inner clutter,
indecisiveness, uncertainty, lack of focus
and emotional imbalance are some of the
real causes of stress due to creating an
overload on our mental abilities. With
accurate diagnosis, this illness can be
properly treated and cured; it can even be
ultimately eradicated. Identify your own
stress causer & become your own stress
buster! Together we will explore the simple, logical yet profound practices ‘tools’
with which to conquer, replace and cure
these weak tendencies.
Leslie Dymphna in green.
Yonkers St. Pat’s
Continued from page 1
Parade Grand Marshal Tim Rooney Jr. led
the parade and completed his busy week, which
included painting a portion of McLean Avenue
green with Mayor Mike Spano, and attending
Mass at St. Barnabus High School Chapel with
his aides.
Spano; County Executive Rob Astorino;
City Council President Liam McLaughlin; Coun-
Stress is not natural
Ed. Wondoloski
An experienced Retreat & Workshop Facilitator at Peace Village
Learning and Retreat Center will
lead us through an interactive session to help us Define our own
Inner Potential While combating
Stress
Venue: Yonkers Riverfront Library
cilmen John Larkin, Mike Breen, Michael Sabatino, Christopher Johnson, Corazon Pineda and
Dennis Shepherd; Assembly members Shelley
Mayer and Gary Pretlow; State Senators Andrea
Stewart-Cousins and George Latimer; and Congressman Eliot Engel all marched in the parade
and were Irish for the day.
Congratulations to the parade committee
and Co-Chairpersons Larry McCrudden and Deidre O’ Mara. Once again, all of us who attended
the parade enjoyed the day with family – and the
corned beef and drink that followed!
1 Larking center Yonkers NY 10701 2nd floor room AB
Between Atherton St and River St/Buena Vista Ave
Date: Saturday March 28, 2015
Time: 10:00am to 1:30pm
RSVP and Contact Information
Phone: 914-473-3879 or 914-969-7910 / Email: bkwestchester.ny@gmail.com
Offered as a free Service by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual organization
WEBSITE: www.bkwsu.org