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Pleasantville Mother, Daughter Honored For Fighting Alzheimer's Pleasantville Mother, Daughter Honored For Fighting Alzheimer's
Pleasantville Mother, Daughter Honored For Fighting Alzheimer's PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. -- A Pleasantville mother-daughter team is leading the fight against Alzheimer's. Amy Shanus and her daughter Maggie were honored as Women's Champions by the Alzheimer's Association Hudson Valley Chapter. They are among 12 women chosen to be champions because of their devotion to the fight against Alzheimer’s. They became involved with the Alzheimer’s Association after the disease touched their lives. Amy's mother-in-law has had Alzheimer's for about 10 years. “Once a very strong, vibrant and intelligent woman, she has had the life taken out of her by this disease, and …

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Pleasantville Student Honored For Starting Community Garden Pleasantville Student Honored For Starting Community Garden
Pleasantville Student Honored For Starting Community Garden PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. -- Devin Juros, a sophomore at Pleasantville High School, is doing what he can to fight hunger. Juros was honored at the Volunteer New York! 37th Annual Volunteer Spirit Awards in Tarrytown for his creation of the Pleasantville Community Garden when he was in middle school. After finding out food pantries don't get much fresh produce to the short shelf life, he pitched an idea for a community garden. Juros began gathering a team of consultants ranging from landscape architects to contractors and gardeners.  St. John’s Episcopal Church in Pleasantville donated a 600-squa…

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by Sam Barron
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Keeping It Real: Westchester Actor Returns To Scene Of Crime In New Film Keeping It Real: Westchester Actor Returns To Scene Of Crime In New Film
Keeping It Real: Westchester Actor Returns To Scene Of Crime In New Film NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- John Palomino admits that for most of his life, he was ashamed and embarrassed to talk about his father, who committed suicide when he was 6-years-old. And so, the New Rochelle native put his efforts into a movie that deals with the topic. "Man of the House," premiering at the Pelham Picture House Saturday, May 6, was filmed in and around New Rochelle and Mount Vernon, with nods to Mamaroneck, to mirror exactly what happened to him 24 years ago.  "The script and casting were important, but the areas we shot in were just as important or even more so,"…

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by Jeanne Muchnick
Neighbors
What Your Neighbors Think: Pleasantville's Favorite Places For Good Eats What Your Neighbors Think: Pleasantville's Favorite Places For Good Eats
What Your Neighbors Think: Pleasantville's Favorite Places For Good Eats PLEASANTVILLE, NY. -- Looking for some good eats in Pleasantville? Look no further. Here are the three favorite places to grab some grub in the area, according to Yelp. Little Mumbai Market  Where: 475 Bedford Rd. Phone: (914) 773-0500 Hours: Mon.-Sun. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. & 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. What People Are Saying:  ''Love the location and colorful place. I had the Indian cheese with brown rice and yogurt. For a drink I had the fig smoothie. My friends had savory crepes which they loved.'' -- Dalmarys M. Wood and Fire  Where: 59 Marble Ave. Phone: (914) 747-2611 Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.…

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by Tea Zagorscak
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Westchester College Lecturer Wins Pulitzer Prize Westchester College Lecturer Wins Pulitzer Prize
Westchester College Lecturer Wins Pulitzer Prize PURCHASE, N.Y. -- Du Yun, a lecturer in the School of the Arts at Purchase College, SUNY, has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize in music for Angel's Bone, her groundbreaking operatic work about human trafficking. The Pulitzer jury described it as a “bold operatic work that integrates vocal and instrumental elements and a wide range of styles into a harrowing allegory for human trafficking in the modern world.” The piece was first produced at the Protoype Festival, 3LD Arts and Technology Center in New York City in January 2016 and includes a libretto by Royce Vavrek. Du Yun, who is known for h…

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by Jeanne Muchnick
Neighbors
Trump's Original Apprentice, Sleepy Hollow Resident, To Wed At Citi Field Trump's Original Apprentice, Sleepy Hollow Resident, To Wed At Citi Field
Trump's Original Apprentice, Sleepy Hollow Resident, To Wed At Citi Field The head of Procida Funding & Advisors and Trump's original apprentice will be getting married at Citi Field in June, the New York Post reports. Piermont resident Billy Procida, who also owns property in Sleepy Hollow and Beacon, recently took over for the company which filed for bankruptcy, and is renovating neglected structures that have amounted "hundreds" of violations, the article says.  Last week Procida was in the basement of an apartment building when an arsonist set fire to it, the New York Post reports. To read the story, click here.

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by Cecilia Levine
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Community Rallies Around Family After Mount Kisco Woman Dies Community Rallies Around Family After Mount Kisco Woman Dies
Community Rallies Around Family After Mount Kisco Woman Dies MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. -- Maria DePoto touched a lot of lives in Mount Kisco, and now the community is returning the favor. A GoFundMe page has been launched in honor of DePoto, who died Sunday at 68. As of Tuesday, more than $3,000 has been raised and the money will go to her daughter Nicole to help pay for funeral expenses. DePoto worked for 15 years as a preschool teacher at the Boys and Girls Club. That's where Ashley Balogh, who started the GoFundMe page, first met "Mrs. D." "From when we were three years old, I had a very special relationship with Nicole and her mother, Mar…

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by Sam Barron
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Westchester Mom Takes A Stand On Facebook To Help Syrian Refugees Westchester Mom Takes A Stand On Facebook To Help Syrian Refugees
Westchester Mom Takes A Stand On Facebook To Help Syrian Refugees YONKERS, N.Y. -- Amber Lewis has never been to Syria or had any prior personal connections to its people but, as a humanitarian  -- and a mom -- she felt she could no longer sit idly by.  And so, in late December 2016, the Yonkers resident made a post in a Facebook Mom's group proposing small but positive actions to combat the horrific images coming out of this Middle Eastern country. In 48 hours, she went from zero to 500 members. And, at her first meeting in January, she had formed an army of 1,000 people acting under the name Greater NYC Families for Syria (GNYC4Syria).  The non-partisa…

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by Jeanne Muchnick
Neighbors
19-Year-Old Westchester Singer Alleviates 'Doubts' With New Hit Single 19-Year-Old Westchester Singer Alleviates 'Doubts' With New Hit Single
19-Year-Old Westchester Singer Alleviates 'Doubts' With New Hit Single HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. -- Caleb Flood can’t remember a time in his life where he wasn’t fascinated by music. As a toddler, the Hastings resident would put on performances for his family and beat on a drum set made of pots and pans. He started taking piano at five but by eight had moved onto the guitar.  Now, you can find the 19-year-old traveling the world belting out original songs and playing a range of instruments, including the guitar, piano, bass, and drums. (He can also play ukulele, harmonica, and a few other random instruments.)  If you're a WXPK ("The Peak") listener, …

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by Jeanne Muchnick
Neighbors
A Son's Illness Forces Westchester Mom To Rethink Her Career Path A Son's Illness Forces Westchester Mom To Rethink Her Career Path
A Son's Illness Forces Westchester Mom To Rethink Her Career Path MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. --- It's not many people that can say their job is a lifesaver but for Mount Kisco resident Carinne Mossa, it's the truth. Mossa, a Stella & Dot independent stylist, said the community of women she's met through selling jewelry has been instrumental in helping her both retain her ties to the professional world while also raising two kids under five. The Mount Kisco resident (who previously lived in Norwalk) had left her job teaching fourth grade at Weston Intermediate School to care for her son who, at one-year-old, was diagnosed with a devastating seizure disorder cal…

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by Jeanne Muchnick
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Former Hawthorne Man Wins 2017 Breakthrough Prize In Physics Former Hawthorne Man Wins 2017 Breakthrough Prize In Physics
Former Hawthorne Man Wins 2017 Breakthrough Prize In Physics MOUNT PLEASANT, N.Y. -- Former Hawthorne resident Joseph Polchinski’s story isn’t just one of “local boy makes good,” it’s more like “local boy makes major scientific breakthrough.” Polchinski, a theoretical physicist and string theorist, is one of three people who won the 2017 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for their “insights into the deepest questions of the universe.” The University of California, Santa Barbara, professor is sharing the $3 million prize with Harvard University's Andrew Strominger and Cumrun Vafa. A total of $25 million was awarded at the Dec. 4, 2016, event. …

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by Carol Reif
Neighbors
Thornwood ShopRite Employees Land On Cheerios' Box Cover Thornwood ShopRite Employees Land On Cheerios' Box Cover
Thornwood ShopRite Employees Land On Cheerios' Box Cover This story has been updated. WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Grocery customers may see some familiar faces on Cheerios boxes on their next visit to a ShopRite store.  Photos of 81 ShopRite associates will appear on the back of limited-edition Cheerios boxes, honoring them for their work in helping raise $1.4 million to fight hunger. The associates earned those spots after joining thousands of other ShopRite associates in September in a friendly competition sponsored by ShopRite and General Mills. “Fighting hunger from the heart ­– together we can make a difference" was this year's theme.…

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by Jon Craig