RyeCity REVIEW THE
June 17, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 25 | www.ryecityreview.com
Report recommends archery for deer control By SIBYLLA CHIPAZIWA Editorial Assistant
Who is... Stew Latwin? Former Rye resident Stew Latwin, right, with “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek. Latwin won $44,601 after appearing on the TV quiz show last March. Last week, Latwin’s three-episode run aired on networks across the country, attracting the attention of a particularly engaged Rye audience. For story, see page 5. Contributed photo
HUD administrator talks life after housing settlement By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer As Westchester County nears the end of its seven-year commitment to identify and construct affordable housing, two representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s regional office are already working toward building a relationship for the future. The county is amid the final six months of a controversial legal settlement with HUD, in which the county agreed to create 750 units of affordable
housing in 31 of its more affluent and Caucasian communities and meet specific guidelines that restrict how many of those buildings can be rental or senior-living, and where they can be built. But in a meeting with some members of the Board of Legislators on Monday, June 6, HUD Regional Administrator Holly Leicht focused on building a relationship between HUD and the county after the settlement requirements are completed. “If we get to the end of the settlement and 750 units have been built but everybody’s say-
ing ‘I never want to deal with the federal government or the federal government’s money or affordable housing again,’ we have not really met our goal here,” Leicht told county lawmakers. Leicht and Valerie Daniele, special assistant to the regional administrator, said their focus is on building a future with the individual municipalities after the settlement. Leicht said she hopes her department can help Westchester communities set ordinances to require developers to build specific numbers of affordable units per overall unit
built. She added that, moving forward, much of the department’s aim would be education and outreach, with the goal of informing the public about the benefits of affordable housing. Leicht’s strategy would keep a dialogue open between county communities and HUD, even if Westchester decides to sever ties with the department after the terms of the settlement have been fulfilled. But several of the legislators were fixed on HUD’s requirement for an analysis of impediments, hud continued on page 10
Wildlife biologist Hank Birdsall believes there are 159 deer in the small city of Rye and is recommending using volunteer archers to control the population. Birdsall, who lives in Rye and has experience in deer management, presented the results of a deer study at the June 8 Rye City Council meeting. Birdsall’s presentation covered how many white-tailed deer are currently rummaging through Rye and how the city should manage them. If their numbers are not managed, according to Birdsall, things like deer-car collisions, and damage to private gardens and forests in the area, not allowing them the ability to regenerate, would increase. At both dawn and dusk between December 2015 and March 2016, Birdsall and volunteers collected data for his report by tracking deer in and around the Rye Golf Club, the Marshlands Conservancy, the Jay Heritage Center, the Greenhaven section of the city, the Edith Read Sanctuary, the Rye Nature Center and Greenwood Union Cemetery. Residents in the North Kirby Lane and Milton Point areas also reported deer sightings in their backyards to Birdsall via email or through a deer hotline he set up. A deer pellet count was also conducted between April 5 and April 11 of this year around the Marshlands and golf club, using
methods and a formula by wildlife researcher Dr. David deCalesta that are also used by county parks and state agencies in the Northeast. “Deer are ‘eco-engineers’; what they do really affects a forest,” Birdsall said while first showing a picture of a forest with a flourishing understory and then displaying a photo of a part of the Marshlands Conservancy greenery that he took on the morning of June 8. “There is no understory here. It’s just completely gone. We have no forest regeneration.” Birdsall said high numbers of deer are a concern because of the effects they have on forest health. A healthy forest or wooded area would have an understory, smaller trees and shrubs that grow on the ground that other animals rely on. Young trees’ inability to grow and replace older trees due to deer eating them will drastically affect the parks and greenery of Rye and surrounding areas in 100 years, he added. Birdsall said that the area with the most deer—93—was around the Marshlands and Jay Heritage Center. This figure was higher than the number of deer counted by an informal study Birdsall conducted using a Westchester County Parks helicopter in February 2015. The pellet count done this year in the same area revealed that there are more than 50 deer per square mile; too many to allow for forest regeneration. deer continued on page 8
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2 • The rye city review • June 17, 2016
June 17, 2016 • The rye city review • 3
County, state officials push for Esplanade bill By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer Westchester County legislators are leaning state representatives to approve a bill drafted in March that would establish restrictions on landlords of mostly senior tenants. The so-called Esplanade bill, named for the White Plains senior living facility which forced out its residents last November to convert the property into a luxury apartment complex, was sponsored in March by state Assemblyman David Buchwald, a White Plains Democrat, and state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Yonkers Democrat. The Assembly version of the bill has 25 co-sponsors; StewartCousins is the sole sponsor of the draft in the Senate. The current draft of the bill proposes to outlaw the termination or non-renewal of leases for tenants who are disabled or older than 65 without court approval. The bill also regulates the rate and frequency at which a landlord may increase rent. The law would further require that landlords notify applicable tenants of this law in print on the rental application. However, the bill does not protect seniors from eviction due to justifiable causes including non-payment of rent. “If there’s a legitimate reason to remove a tenant, that’s allowed,” Buchwald told the Review.
The Esplanade senior living facility on Lyon Place in White Plains recently forced its residents out to make room for a new luxury hotel, a move which drew the attention of state legislators who drafted a bill to prevent other assisted living centers from similar moves. Photo/Corey Stockton
Buchwald said many of the seniors who lived in the Esplanade expected that facility to be their last home, and they were displaced and burdened by the necessity to move when they were ousted. The Westchester County Seniors and Constituencies Committee met with representatives for three state legislators last month to discuss the status of the bill. During that meeting, Westchester County Legislator Mary
Jane Shimsky, a Hastings-onHudson Democrat, said that oftentimes seniors and people who are disabled have the most difficulty in relocating, either due to physical or psychological issues, or a combination of both. Former county Legislator Bernice Spreckman, a Yonkers Republican who chaired the committee, urged state legislators to move the bill onto the voting floor quickly, claiming that the Esplanade bill could help draw attention to other senior issues. “We need a start, not only so that doesn’t happen— what happened [at the Esplanade]—but also other things that I see going on in independent living that have to be watched carefully,” Spreckman said. Rachel Estroff, chief of staff for Assemblywoman Shelly Mayer, a Yonkers Democrat, said the bill has not moved forward yet in either state house because state legislators want to protect landlords and tenants from unintended consequences. One such consequence Buchwald said he hopes to prevent is discouraging developers from building senior housing for fear of legal restrictions. “It’s a slightly heightened level of responsibility when you’re renting out your building all to seniors because you know that they’re a slightly more vulnerable population,” he added. CONTACT: corey@hometwn.com
4 • The rye city review • June 17, 2016
What’s going on... Rye Free Reading Room
will be able to choose between classes in fine arts, STEM education, musical theater and an arts immersion program. Students who register for one or more summer classes by June 30 will receive a $30 rebate during this one-time offer. For more information, to view the Rye Arts Center’s summer class guide or to register for classes, visit apm. activecommunities.com/ryeartscenter.
Wainwright House
Coffee and Conversation with county legislators
Memory and Brain Health On Friday, June 24 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Meeting Room. June 24 is Brain Health Research Day. This talk includes normal changes in memory with aging, how to keep your brain young and what works to achieve this and how to recognize signs of early dementia and what to do about it. A lifelong resident of Westchester County, Dr. Madris received his medical degree from New York Medical College in Valhalla, and subsequently did his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Westchester County Medical Center, now known as Westchester Medical Center. He has been a solo practitioner since 1984, first in Harrison, and for the last 18 years at the Rye Ridge Plaza in Rye Brook. He is board certified in both internal medicine and geriatrics.
Teen sand mandala workshop On Saturday, June 25 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Meeting Room. In Indian and Tibetan cultures, the sand mandala is a beautiful religious symbol that represents the universe. Constructed of colored sand and presented as a balanced, geometric composition, it is used as a meditative tool to gain wisdom and compassion. The classic mandala is a temporary creation that usually takes weeks to build, but participants will create permanent versions in about two hours, using colored sand and glue. All materials will be provided. Class size is limited. Go to the event descriptions at ryelibrary. org and click on the Register button.
Rye Arts Center Summer class registration Registration is open for summer classes. Weeklong classes begin on Monday, June 27. Students
Middle Eastern dance expert, will enable participants to delve deeply into the meditative quality and physical benefits of specific movements that belong to belly dance. The workshops will be held on Thursday, June 23 and 30 and July 7 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Wainwright House. Class fees for the series are $72 for Wainwright members and $80 for non-members. For more information or to register for the workshop, visit wainwright.org.
Tai Chi This six-week-long tai chi series will teach participants this valuable discipline that helps improve health, vitality and longevity. Tai chi is a form of exercise that consists of learning and performing movements that are relaxed, gentle and fluid. This workshop will be taught by Ron Kendricks, a popular fitness professional who has worked as a personal trainer and teacher at the Rye YMCA. The workshops will be held on Saturday, June 18 and 25, July 2, 9, 16 and 23 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Class fees for the series are $108 for Wainwright members and $120 for non-members. For more information or to register for the workshop, visit wainwright.org.
Summer Solstice Ceremony On Sunday, June 19 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Summer Solstice is an auspicious time and opportunity to release your limitations and to create and invite new dreams to manifest. Feel free to bring your own drum or other instruments. $10 suggested donation. For more information, visit wainwright.org or call 967-6080.
Belly Dancing This four-week-long summer dance series will teach participants about the art of belly dancing, and how to unleash their inner diva and connect with their feminine nature. The workshop, which will be taught by Aszmara Sherry, an acclaimed
Have a cup of joe with county legislators on Saturday, June 18. Stop to meet with your elected officials state Sen. George Latimer, Assemblyman Steve Otis and County Legislator Catherine Parker to discuss state and county issues and concerns over a cup of coffee, on the legislators. They’ll be available at Ruby’s Oyster Bar & Bistro, located at 45 Purchase St. in Rye, from 10:45 a.m. No appointment needed. Free literature will also be available on state and county issues. For more information, call 934-5250.
Rye Meeting House Guided bird walk The Bird Homestead nonprofit will sponsor a guided bird walk on Saturday, June 18 at 5 p.m. starting at the historic Meeting House, located at 624 Milton Road in Rye. Christopher Mignone, vice president of Central Westchester Audubon, will lead the outdoor walk on the Meeting House and Bird Homestead properties and the wildlife area in between. Participants will look out over the salt marsh and the Blind Brook estuary at low tide. At this time of year, most birds are on their breeding grounds. “On the Wing,” an exhibit of 80 beautiful photographs of birds by Nadia Valla, is on display at the Meeting House. It usually closes at 3 p.m. on Saturdays, but will remain open from noon until 5 p.m. on June 18 for viewing before the bird walk. This walk will take place rain or shine and is free. Donations will be gratefully accepted. For further information, email birdhomestead.meetinghouse@gmail.com or call 967-0099.
Permit holders get “high tide” benefits for a “low tide” cost. The permits will be on sale Wednesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Permit Office in the Administration Building, Rye Town Park, 95 Dearborn Ave. in Rye. Parking-only permits are $150. Beach access is free for all permit holders. The more permit holders go to the beach, the more they save. Rye Town Park is a “stay-cation” bargain. MasterCard, Visa and Discover credit cards will be accepted for season permits. New resident permit holders will have to provide a proof of residence. For more information, call the park at 9670965 or visit ryetownpark.org.
Twilight Tuesday Concert Series The Twilight Tuesday Concert Series at Rye Town Park kicks off on June 21 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a performance by the local band Twist of Fate. Led by Adam and Dayna Reist, this fivemember band is built around the tropical sounds of the steel drums. The band’s playlist comes from all over the reggae, ska, Jamaican and American pop music scenes. Concerts are held at the Rye Town Park South Pavilion, located by 95 Dearborn Ave. Space in the pavilion will be set aside for dancing, which is highly recommended for people of all ages. All concerts will be held rain or shine, except in case of thunderstorms. Picnicking is welcome. Some seating will be available, but people are encouraged to bring blankets or beach chairs. Dining and takeout is available at the nearby Seaside Johnnie’s Restaurant. Parking is $5 for non-resident permit holders; $4 for resident permit holders; free for senior permit holders. This is the first of seven free concerts that will be held on Tuesdays in June, July and August. The concert series is sponsored in part by G Griffin Wine and Spirits. For more information, call Rye Town Park at 967-0965 or visit ryetownpark.org.
Jay Heritage Center
Rye Recreation Rye Youth Soccer fall 2016 registration Online registration is open at ryeyouthsoccer. org for fall intramural soccer for boys and girls in grades K-5. Season will begin Saturday, Sept. 17 and end Saturday, Nov. 12. Complete details on dates and times of the program can be found the website. If you have any questions, contact Patti Adimari, registrar, at pattirys@optonline.net or 967-5273. Scholarships are available upon request. Please note that coaches should also register to coach in their online account.
Rye Town Park Park season permits Discounted season permits are available for Rye City, Port Chester, Rye Brook, Rye Neck and Rye Town residents and non-residents alike. Season permits allow people to take full advantage of the beautiful Rye Town Park and Oakland Beach.
Understanding John Jay’s New York On Saturday, June 18 from 11 a.m. at the Jay Heritage Center, located at 210 Boston Post Road in Rye. The life of John Jay is illuminated through two performances in one day. First, a tableau of “Striving For Freedom” which highlights Jay’s anti-slavery legacy, followed by “Arts & Letters of Our Founding Fathers” with select compositions and dances of the 1700s enjoyed by Jay, Hamilton and Washington. Admission is free and both programs are suitable for all ages. Deadline for our What’s Going On section is every Thursday at noon. Though space is not guaranteed, we will do our best to accommodate your listing. Please send all items to news@hometwn.com.
June 17, 2016 • The rye city review • 5
Rye grad nets $44K in ‘Jeopardy!’ appearance
By ANDREW DAPOLITE Contributor For Stew Latwin, the hardest part was keeping a secret. After filming multiple episodes of the popular television quiz show in March, Latwin, a former Rye resident, was contractually obligated to keep the outcome of his “Jeopardy!” debut to himself until its national broadcast more than two months later. “It was kind of weird sitting on the secret that I won at all,” Latwin told the Review prior to the airing of the final episode on June 8. “My friends said they either wanted to see me win and do well, or they wanted to see me do so bad I ended with a negative score.” On June 6, friends and family across the country finally got to watch Latwin appear as a contestant on the nationally
syndicated show and capture a total of $44,601 in winnings across three episodes, two of which he reigned as champion. One of the longest running game shows in television history, “Jeopardy!” is comprised of general knowledge clues in the form of answers, to which contestants phrase their responses in the form of questions. The clues cross a wide variety of topics, including history, current events, science, popular culture, literature and languages, and are categorized by topic or theme. Each category contains five clues, valued incrementally between $200 and $1,000. The contestant who rings in their answer using a handheld signaling device the fastest gets the first chance to answer the clue. However, unlike most television game shows where contestants are selected at random, “Jeopardy!” has an extremely difficult and competitive application process. “I’ve been applying for years and finally, everything just came together,” Latwin said. Latwin, 30, first took an online
test in January 2014; a 50-question exam where applicants have only 15 seconds to type in the answer. After achieving a high score, Latwin was called to audition in June of that same year in Washington, District of Columbia, however he didn’t receive that long-awaited phone call until February 2016 when a show producer asked him to appear as a contestant the following month at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California. Latwin explained that with only a month’s notice, it was nearly impossible to prepare for the show’s wide range and depth of topics, which forced him to draw upon his years of experience as an avid “Jeopardy!” fan and frequent trivia competitor. “Back in high school, or probably even earlier, I watched ‘Jeopardy!’ at home and kept watching as much as I could,” he said. “I also just like trivia and like challenging myself mentally in different ways, whether it’s trivia, crossword puzzles, things like that.” Latwin graduated from Rye High School in the top 10
Stew Latwin, a 2004 graduate of Rye High School, serves as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy and has flown missions in the Persian Gulf on the U.S.N.S. Arctic and the U.S.S. Iwo Jima. Latwin recently appeared on the TV show “Jeopardy!” for three consecutive nights, coming away with more than $44,000 in winnings. Contributed photo
percentile of his class in 2004 before moving on to earn an honors degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He currently serves as a helicopter pilot in the Navy, and has flown missions in the Persian Gulf on the U.S.N.S. Arctic and the U.S.S. Iwo Jima. That experience proved invaluable to Latwin on the show as he clinched his second victory, winning $29,201 on June 7, by providing the correct question to a clue regarding the helicopter
used in the opening credits of the television series “M*A*S*H.” “We had no idea going in what the questions were going to be,” Latwin said. “Some of it was just luck that the helicopter question was selected for me.” Looking back on his time on set, Latwin described a nervous energy around the studio, while also noting that despite the intense competition, everyone was friendly toward each other, even the more intense competitors. “It was a great experience,” he
said. “It was mentally and physically exhausting by the end of the day, but it was a lot of fun. Everyone I met out there was incredibly nice, even the contestants you see vilified [on the Internet].” With his winnings, Latwin intends to help pay for his upcoming wedding later this year and pay off graduate school, as well as take a few vacations. “It was very exciting and cool to see the filming and be part of a show I’ve grown up loving,” he said.
6 • The rye city review • June 17, 2016
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Publisher | Howard Sturman ext. 21, publisher@hometwn.com Christian Falcone Associate Publisher | Editor-in-Chief ext. 19, chris@hometwn.com Executive Vice President | Ira Ellenthal ext. 31, irathal@hometwn.com Sports Editor | Mike Smith ext. 22, sports@hometwn.com Editorial Assistant | Sibylla Chipaziwa ext. 25, sibylla@hometwn.com Editorial Assistant | Suzy Berkowitz ext. 30, suzy@hometwn.com Reporter | James Pero ext. 20, james@hometwn.com Education Reporter | Sarah Varney ext. 17, sarah@hometwn.com Graphic Designer | Arthur Gedin Graphic Designer | Jim Grasso Advertising | Lindsay Sturman ext. 14, lsturman@hometwn.com Advertising Coordinator | Sibylla Chipaziwa ext. 27, ads@hometwn.com Staff Writer Corey Stockton Staff Photographers Bobby Begun, Andrew Dapolite Intern Justin Grant Columnists John Carey, Rye City Council, Lenore Skenazy, Joe Murphy
Letters
BURGER BLAST More than meats the eye By SUZY BERKOWITZ Editorial Assistant
Attendees at the Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla ate and drank until the cows came home. On Thursday, June 9, Westchester Magazine’s fifth annual Burger and Beer Blast event, which was part of the monthly magazine’s sixth annual weeklong Wine and Food Festival, brought out a record number of almost 3,000 visitors to sample slider-sized patties from vendors across the county and cast their vote for Westchester’s best burger. After a warm welcoming from Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, who referred to the event as the reason why “Westchester has become a destination for foodies,” 32 participating restaurants, four food trucks and two bakeries served the masses, all hoping to boost their clientele, gain exposure and place in this year’s competition. “This is a great event, and some restaurants have been coming back year after year,” said Jennifer D’Ambrosio, Westchester
Magazine’s director of marketing. “My favorite part is the friendly competition.” Barbara Glus, manager of Piper’s Kilt on White Plains Road in Eastchester, said the restaurant has been participating in the event for the past four years. She said they continue to return to the blast in an effort to reach a consumer base they wouldn’t otherwise have. Showcasing a classic cheeseburger with sauteed onions, Piper’s Kilt snagged third place in this year’s best burger competition, an honor Glus said the 37-year-old restaurant is used to receiving. Having placed within the top three since they started participating in the event, Piper’s Kilt was also awarded Westchester Magazine’s Best of Westchester burger recognition in 2015, an online readers’ choice contest created by the magazine. Another contender at this year’s blast was the Rye Roadhouse on High Street in Rye, which has been participating in the event since its inception. No stranger to acknowledgement, this New Orleans-influenced
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Attendees at the blast gamble at the Empire City Yonkers Raceway tent, which offered games of blackjack and Russian roulette. This was Empire City’s first year at the event.
Pow Burger, on Main Street in New Rochelle, serves up a Mexican BLT burger with tomatoes, mayonnaise, a Mexicanstyle chimichurri and agave-glazed bacon. Photo/Suzy Berkowitz
eatery was also recognized in Westchester Magazine’s 2015 Best of Westchester contest for their fried chicken. Giving customers a taste of their blackened beignet burger topped with smoked Gouda cheese and a Creole rémoulade, Kevin Campbell, co-owner and manager, said he made sure to keep the sliders simple to appeal to the masses. “The event was excellent; it was by far the largest crowd we’ve ever seen,” he said. “We go to build our business and bring in new customers. We got some good feedback.” Campbell said the weekends following the event often bring in new diners who sampled a bite at the festival and are interested in trying the rest of the menu. Although the Rye Roadhouse didn’t place within the top three in this year’s burger competition, they’re confident they did well. Also trying to take home a piece of the pie was Polpettina, an Italian eatery with locations on Larchmont Avenue in Larchmont and Fisher Avenue in Eastchester. Although Polpettina is known for their pizza, co-owner Kyle Inserra
said the restaurant participates in the event to show clients that they don’t have any beef with the idea of cooking burgers. Grilling up a classic patty topped with cheddar cheese and house-made tomato jam on a potato bun, Inserra said although the restaurant has been open for the past six years, gaining more exposure and expanding a client base is always helpful. He also said the event gives restaurateurs the chance to get to know each other. “There are so many of these events in the city, but they’re so rare in Westchester,” he said. “I love spending time with other chefs and getting to taste their food.” Inserra said Polpettina has only attended the blast twice, taking a break in between their last showing, and returning this year to find the event’s consumer base exponentially larger than before. D’Ambrosio said the blast has grown so quickly because Westchester Magazine makes sure to
keep the event new and exciting year after year. This year, Empire City Yonkers Raceway attended for the first time, occupying a tent full of blackjack and Russian roulette tables for guests to enjoy. From gambling to the grill, there was something for everyone at this year’s blast. Taking home the crown for best burger was renowned chef Peter Kelly’s rib-eye-brisket patty, topped with a melted pepper jack and cheddar sauce, spicy cherry peppers and lardoons on a delicate pretzel bun. Kelly, of X20 Xavier’s on the Hudson in Yonkers, has won the competition four out of five years. Coming in second was a burger made by Coals Pizza, which has one location in Port Chester and one in Bronxville. D’Ambrosio said although there was a competitive tone to the day’s events, she hopes the blast was just that for customers and restaurateurs alike. CONTACT: suzy@hometwn.com
Visit us online www.ryecityreview.com Follow us on Twitter, @ryecityreview Like us on Facebook, facebook.com/ryecityreview The Rye City Review (permit #438660) is published by Home Town Media Group weekly for an annual subscription of $32. Application to mail at the peridcals postage rate is approved at Port Chester, N.Y., 10573. Periodicals postage paid at Port Chester and additional mailing offices.
More than 30 chefs and restaurateurs from across Westchester gather at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla to show off their skills and broaden their client base.
Chef Peter Kelly, of X20 Xavier’s on the Hudson in Yonkers, serves customers at Westchester Magazine’s Beer and Burger Blast. Kelly’s burger has been voted best at the blast four out of the last five years. Photos courtesy Facebook
June 17, 2016 • The rye city review • 7
Save the Sound seeks participation for water testing By ANGELA JORDAN For the fourth consecutive year, Save the Sound is hosting its water quality monitoring training sessions again this summer. According to Tracey Brown, the director of Western Sound programs, the purpose of the program is to give citizens the opportunity to participate in sampling studies that are used to persuade elected officials to invest more in water infrastructure, while simultaneously informing residents of the true quality of their local waters. “This program really focuses on bacteria contamination and what we’re trying to do is figure out where updated structure investments need to be made, or where animal waste is,” Brown said, “because we want to make sure the shoreline is safe to swim in.” The Westchester municipalities where Save the Sound conducts samplings include New Rochelle, Pelham, Rye, Harrison, Mamaroneck, Larchmont, Port Chester, Scarsdale, White Plains and Mount Vernon.
They have also extended their services out to Greenwich, Connecticut, and will begin testing at some sites on Long Island soon. In the summer of 2015, Save the Sound worked with 24 volunteers who collected roughly 400 water samples from 52 different sites in Westchester and Greenwich. They tested the water for Enterococcus, bacteria that indicates fecal contamination. After the results were collected, they then gave each site a “pass” or “fail” score based on safe swim criteria established by the states of New York and Connecticut. The 52 sites included rivers, embayments and shorelines. Of the three categories, rivers were the most contaminated waters, with a 79 percent fail rate, followed by shorelines, which had a 35 percent fail rate, and then embayments, which had a 34 percent fail rate. The sites with the highest levels of contamination were Mount Vernon, Pelham, Port Chester and White Plains, and the cleanest
sites were in Larchmont and Greenwich. Mamaroneck had sites ranging from the cleanest, the Mamaroneck Harbor, to one of the most contaminated, the Sheldrake River. Furthermore, according to Save the Sound, 51 of the testing sites indicated worsening water quality when compared to samples from 2014. Brown, however, said that there are usually specific causes for water contamination that can be remedied. Brown said that in Rye for example, some of the sanitary sewer lines are cracked, and therefore sewage overflows in manholes can cause water contamination, and that by pushing for state funding to update Rye’s sewer infrastructure, the city could significantly reduce the bacteria in bodies of water like Playland Lake and Beaver Swamp Brook. The first testing dates for water quality monitoring training sessions were in Mamaroneck on June 6 and June 7, but Brown said that there will likely be more available train-
This map indicates all of the sites tested by Save the Sound during the summer of 2015. Green indicates that the site passes safe swim criteria; orange is a failure; red is a failure by 10 times or more; and gray indicates that not enough data was collected to calculate an average. Photo courtesy Save the Sound
ing session in a few weeks if there is a demand for it. “We’re trying to drum up some new people to volunteer,” Brown said. “We’ll add more
[training dates] depending on interest.” Save the Sound’s Westchester office is located at 545 Tompkins Ave. in Mamaroneck,
and Brown said that locals who are interested in attending a training session should contact Peter Linderoth at plinderoth@ savethesound.org.
8 • The rye city review • June 17, 2016
Future presidents’ weapons of war A RYE OLDTIMER Judge John Carey
One of the attractions in the town where our Texas family members live is the Museum of the Pacific War. If you ever got anywhere near the Pacific in the first half of the 1940s, you will be drawn to this presentation of military and naval warfare in the years preceding the Japanese surrender. There is a building called Combat Zone, separate from the main museum. It is well that Combat Zone is separate, because of its unique contents, two powerful weapons of war like those in which two U.S. presidents fought and nearly died. One of these weapons is a PT boat like the one piloted by a young naval officer named John F. Kennedy. The other is a torpedo bomber, TBM, like the one that was shot down from under George H. W. Bush. I have no personal familiarity with PT boats, but I have watched TBMs in action from
fairly close up. I served in 1944 on the USS Loy (DE-160) when it was escorting an aircraft carrier, the USS Core (CVE -13). We and three other destroyer escorts, with the carrier, made up a “hunter-killer group.” The carrier bore both small attack planes and the bulkier TBMs which would carry a heavy torpedo slung beneath it as well as depth charges. Our aim was to sink German submarines before they could sink allied ships bringing weapons and supplies east across the Atlantic. Our DE had depth charges to drop on subs, 20-mm and 40-mm machine guns to fight off attacking planes, and three cannons to fire armor-piercing shells 3 inches in diameter. The pilot of a TBM sat high up under a canopy that opened to get him in and out of the aircraft. Besides the pilot, there were two crew members. They were situated back aft and near the bottom of the plane with no exit except downwards and towards the rear of the plane. One day in 1944, our carrier was operating off the Bay
of Biscay, near where the subs were based on the French coast. Planes were sent out to search for subs and the return. One day, our ship was stationed aft of the carrier to rescue any personnel from planes that fell into the ocean while trying to land. A TBM came close, turned to approach the flight deck, and then slipped sidewise into the ocean. It quickly disappeared; all that floated was one of its wheels. No sign of its crew members, one of whom I had met a few days before while ashore in Casablanca. The future President Bush was fortunate to have been able to escape from his downed plane, and then to have been able to deploy his rubber raft from which a nearby American sub fetched him to safety. If you study the TBM at the Combat Zone exhibit in Fredericksburg, Texas, you will readily see what a large and heavy machine it is. The escape from it by a future president, or anyone else, is nothing short of a miracle. CONTACT: j_pcarey@verizon.net
Obituary
Rye resident Cathy A. Culyer passes away Cathy A. Culyer, 58, a longtime resident of Rye, died on June 6, 2016. She was born Dec. 27, 1957 in Port Chester to Margaret Warlick Amendola and the late Pat Amendola. She was raised and educated in Rye, graduating from Rye High School in 1975 and from the College of New Rochelle. Cathy was married on Oct. 20, 1979 to James Culyer at Corpus Christi Church in Port Chester, New York. She was a nursery school teacher at Rye Methodist Nursery School and the Christ Church Nursery School. Cathy was a parishioner of The Church of the Resurrection in Rye. She is survived by her husband Jim, of Rye; her children Jennifer Abbott and husband John, of Rye; J.J. Culyer and wife Jessi, of Henrico, Virginia; Maggie Culyer and wife Deb Culyer, of Port Chester;
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Cathy A. Culyer Photo/craftmemorialhome.com
grandchildren Riley, Faith and Jaxon Culyer, and Hannah and Benjamin Abbott; mother Margaret Amendola, of Rye; brothers
Patrick Amendola and wife Vicki, of New City, New York; and Richard Amendola and wife Pamela, of Haverhill, Massachusetts. Besides her father, Cathy was predeceased by her brother Joseph Amendola. A memorial gathering was held on Friday, June 10 at Craft Memorial Home Inc., located at 40 Leicester St. in Port Chester. A memorial Mass was also held on Saturday, June 11 at Church of the Resurrection, located at 910 Boston Post Road in Rye. A committal service will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Rye Brook. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made and sent to Pennies In Action, 3100 Dutton Mill Road, Aston, PA 19014. Visit penniesinaction.org for more information. (Submitted)
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deer from page 1
Hank Birdsall, a Rye-based biologist with deer management expertise, has recommended that the city use volunteer archers to control the growing white-tailed deer population. Pictured is a section of the Marshlands Conservancy with almost no understory, lacking smaller trees and shrubs on the ground which have been eaten away by deer in the area. Photo/Hank Birdsall
“Clearly, [doing] nothing is not an option,” Birdsall said. Birdsall then offered three approaches to the City Council. The first two options included using non-lethal immunocontraception with medicated darts every two to three years, which uses an animal’s immune system to prevent fertilizing offspring, and hiring sharpshooters with firearms from organizations such as USDA Wildlife and White Buffalo Inc. on an annual basis. The third option, and Birdsall’s recommendation, is “Host-a-Hunter,” a network connecting skilled, local volunteer archers with property owners in Rye. The hired hunters would use compound bows from removable, elevated tree stands 150 feet from the nearest resident’s house—a state law— unless the resident allows bowhunting from a closer distance. “We don’t just want good archers, we want the best of the best,” Birdsall said, adding that hunters will have to sign an injury waiver and residents could have a say on how hunters will behave on their private property. Bowhunting season in Westchester begins on Oct. 1 and runs through Dec. 31. Under this scenario, effects of dead deer on the environment were
also considered, as Birdsall suggested that 25 percent of local venison be donated to the Food Bank of Westchester to help cut down on Rye’s carbon footprint, with hunters keeping the rest as an incentive. According to Rye Police Department data, there were 16 reported accidents involving cars and deer per year on average between 2008 and 2015; there have been eight collisions reported so far this year. Affected Rye drivers can pay more than $50,000 per year in damages, excluding medical costs, Birdsall said in his report. Most collisions happen during the deer’s mating period between October and December. “It might be a good idea to have some public service announcements prior to the deer breeding season,” Birdsall said. He also noticed that more than one-third of deer-car collisions occurred on Boston Post Road, between Oakland Beach Avenue and Rye’s border with Mamaroneck. Almost all collisions happened when there was low visibility, between dusk and dawn, when deer are most active. Westchester County parks use a similar program to what Birdsall is proposing, who mentioned that the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in northern
Westchester has seen a dramatic drop in its deer population in an eight-year period using this method; from 67.1 deer per square mile in 2008 to 16.6 this year. And forest regeneration has begun to occur as a result of the method. Last year, the county declined to provide a deer culling program to help Rye and Mamaroneck with the issue. That rejection by the county remains a sore point for Rye City Mayor Joe Sack, a Republican. “What that prompted us to do was say, ‘OK, if you’re not going to help us, we’re going to help ourselves,’” he said. The mayor suggested that the City Council would have to consider if Rye Golf Club, city property, will be a part of Birdsall’s suggested program. “It’s a policy decision,” Sack said, “but thankfully because [Birdsall] has been able to give us all this good information, we’re in a good position to be able to do that.” The council has until its July 13 meeting to decide if the golf club will be part of the program, ahead of a suggested Aug. 1 deadline to set the “Host-a-Hunter” program in motion. CONTACT: sibylla@hometwn.com
June 17, 2016 • The rye city review • 9
Tech. Sgt. Lemm honored at Kensico Dam By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer Police officers, veterans and servicemen joined Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and the family of Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lemm on Monday, June 6 beside the 9/11 Rising memorial at the Kensico Dam in Valhalla to honor the fallen “superman.” Astorino accompanied Lemm’s family, including his wife, Christine, his stepdaughter, Brooke Chaco, and his son, Ryan, down the Westchester Fallen Heroes Memorial Walkway to the tune of “God Bless America,” performed by The Pipes and Drums of the Police Emerald Society of Westchester, to Lemm’s newly unveiled plaque which lies between an American flag and a U.S. Air Force flag. The county executive called Lemm, a 15-year veteran of the NYPD and sergeant of the U.S. Air Force, selfless, brave and courageous, a family man, a hero and Superman. Moreover, Astorino said Lemm was a throwback to the
heroic soldiers who, exactly 72 years ago, were storming the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. “Not only was Joseph Lemm a throwback to the greatest generation,” the county executive said, “he was the greatest of our generation today.” Lemm, a West Harrison resident, was killed in action on Dec. 21, 2015 in Afghanistan when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive near Lemm’s team outside Bagram Air Field. Lemm sacrificed his life to shield his team from the blast, which killed the sergeant and five other Americans. The Lemm family remained solemn during Father Chris Monturo’s closing prayer and the nine-shot rifle salute, which was followed by a bugle performance of taps. Astorino shook hands with 5-year-old Ryan Lemm, who was wearing dog tags etched with his father’s face, before departing from the family. Lemm is one of 18 heroes recognized in the walkway at Kensico Dam and the first to represent the Air Force. His
plaque is directly across the walkway from the only other Harrison honoree, Sgt. Anthony Kallideen of Purchase, a veteran of both the Army and the Marine Corps. Lemm was also honored in May during Harrison’s Memorial Day parade on May 30, when his stepdaughter Brooke, 17, sang the national anthem and “God Bless America” for the opening and closing ceremonies. Harrison Mayor Ron Belmont, who attended the ceremony in Valhalla, told the Review that a service to recognize Lemm’s addition to the Honor Roll Memorial in Ma Riis Park is pending. Belmont noted that the weather and the energy of the Lemm commemoration were reminiscent of the annual 9/11 ceremony beside the Rising memorial. Just like the men and women recognized by the towering steel memorial, Lemm will be remembered in Kensico Dam for decades to come. “Seventy-two years from
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, third from right, joins the family of fallen Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lemm in honoring the “real-life superman” at the Westchester Fallen Heroes Memorial Walkway. Photo/Bobby Begun
now, when many of us are long gone, people will come here and read about a great man of courage and character, who fought
for us as a soldier and served us as a police officer,” Astorino said, “but above all else, to those who loved him most, was a
wonderful son, a husband and father to his family.” CONTACT: corey@hometwn.com
10 • The rye city review • June 17, 2016
Volunteer firefighting for 30 years in Rye
HUD from page 1
AI, a report submitted by the county and its municipalities determining the laws, zonings and restrictions that deter the fair building of affordable housing units. Legislator David Gelfarb, a Rye Brook Republican, said what troubled him most about the county’s settlement with HUD was the reading of the analysis of impediments, which he called “Kafkaesque.” As part of the settlement, the county must submit an AI that HUD finds acceptable before the end of this year. The administration of County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, has filed at least eight separate AIs since 2010, but HUD has disagreed with each submission’s finding that zoning laws in the county were not exclusionary. “Everyone sort of agreed what the data was,” Leicht said, “But the county’s understanding that there were no impediments, we don’t necessarily agree with.” The HUD administrator stressed that an impediment does not only result from intentional discrimination or negligence; sometimes municipal or state codes can stifle efforts to create affordable housing. Legislator John Testa, a Peekskill Republican, said of the analyses, “Maybe the re-
The council Corner Councilman Richard Mecca
HUD regional administrator Holly Leicht told Westchester County legislators she plans on working with individual municipalities to promote affordable housing development during and after the final six months of the county’s settlement with HUD. Photo courtesy aafe.org
sults are what they are and maybe HUD needs to accept what they are.” Daniele said that although the AI has been a point of contention between HUD and the county in the past, the intention of the AI was to help the county to recognize potential weaknesses and move forward in creating affordable housing opportunities. Leicht added, “It’s really meant to be kind of a starting point for a discussion where a town has data to be able to think about ‘what are our
goals.’” Gelfarb told the Review he was troubled with the way the HUD representatives addressed his concerns about the AI. “It didn’t really provide much of a roadmap for an ending of litigation,” he said. He said he is not entirely averse to the idea of working with HUD in the future but added, “We’re skeptical of our relations with HUD for obvious reasons and we want to bring an end to this.” CONTACT: corey@hometwn.com
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The Rye City Fire Department is undergoing a slow and significant decline in the number of volunteer firefighters, particularly interior-trained firefighters. As the demographics of Rye change and our blue collar workers age out or move away, the city faces a real danger of insufficient personnel to respond to alarms. Overall, volunteerism in Rye is still strong. We have many organizations that are completely or partially run by volunteers. All of our community boards and commissions are fully staffed by volunteers, including our City Council. However, a volunteer firefighter is a different breed of volunteer. This altruistic soul will respond at a moment’s notice to an alarm in all types of weather and threatening circumstances. The term “alarm” refers to not only fire alarms, but automobile incidents, trees and/or limbs on and live power lines on the roadway. It takes a special person willing to get out of bed in the middle of the night, not knowing how long they will be on duty. Then there are the storms; nor’easters without names that wreak havoc on our shore lines and bring volumes of wind and rain which swell Blind Brook. Hurricane Sandy was not the worst storm I have experienced in my time in Rye, just the most recent. When these storms hit, the volunteer firefighter deserts his home and family for hours at a time. I have left my wife to assemble a sump pump in our flooded basement. During one storm, the firetrucks were at my house while I directed traffic on Boston Post Road. The city of Rye is lucky to have a very well-trained career staff and they too experience these conditions. They don’t “clock out” just because their shift is over and they too must brave the elements. However, there are just not enough of them, which is why we need volunteers. Lots of them. Firefighting today is quite different from when I joined
30 years ago. In 1986, we only needed 48 hours of initial training, “Essentials of Firematics.” Buildings were not constructed with the same environmental standards as they are now. They were not as “airtight,” which created fires that expanded with the oxygen fuel available in most leaky (that is, air leakage) homes. Furnishing did not contain same chemical composition (plastics) and the wood of the superstructure was dimensional lumber. Due to numerous building and energy code changes, our newly renovated housing stock has created some interesting and dangerous fireground conditions. There is a greater chance of flashover, when superheated air from a smoldering fire consumes all the available oxygen in the room. Three elements are need for a fire to progress: fuel, heat and air. When the room overheats, it can create a flashover condition, which is an extremely dangerous situation for firefighters. When oxygen is introduced to the room, this phenomenon superheats the room and its contents. The temperature can exceed the rating of our fire gear and protected air supply, which is known to be fatal. When investigating a suspected arson fire in a residential garage, I was asked to rule out electrical failure as “cause and origin.” I observed the remnants of a flashover which burned from the ceiling to about 3 feet from the floor, destroying everything in its path. Another danger in today’s fires is plastic or non-wood materials used to build and furnish our homes. We cannot be sure which types of fumes are “off gassed” during a fire. Have I mentioned engineered lumber as another element of danger for today’s firefighter? This lumber is thinner than dimensional wood and is bonded under extreme pressure with glue. This type of building material is known to fail during fires, increasing the risk of entrapment. Due to all of these dangers, the new training program requires more than 120 hours! Among the training modules are automobile fires which provides for many different types of cars on the
road today. I currently drive an electric car at work. The voltage from the batteries to the motor is almost 600 volts! I am an electrician by trade and that scares me. Today’s firefighter must be taught how to extricate a victim based on the type of car. Now banned, Freon, which older cars required for air conditioning, is sometimes replaced by propane. An emergency crew could unknowingly face a “bomb” situation during a car fire or accident. Also covered during these training hours are: “bail out” training for self-rescue, mask confidence, ladder operations and pump operator, just to name a few. As a volunteer firefighter, I have had some fun. Tillering the old Hook and Ladder truck, steering the back of the truck, I was living a childhood dream! Riding in back, with the wind in my face, I had to remember to turn left when first approaching a right-hand turn, then correcting the oversteer to avoid sideswiping a car. Hose training was fun, when we got to “put the wet stuff on the red stuff.” I also enjoyed the vehicle extrication demonstrations for the Rye High School Drivers Ed classes. Not-so-fun stuff: staying with an accident victim who will not survive, awaiting the medical examiner. Every firefighter’s worst nightmare is to be greeted at a working fire by the screams of the occupants indicating someone may still be in the house. Just writing this makes me tremble. Observing a family watching their home go up in flames is heart-wrenching. Photo albums (when people still made paper copies of their lives), cherished memories, keepsakes, possessions, gone. However, these things are replaceable. Sometimes a life is lost, and we have had fire fatalities in Rye. Most vulnerable are the elderly who may not have smoke alarms or who have forgotten to check the batteries. For 30 years, it has been a real pleasure to serve as a volunteer firefighter in Rye. I met some great people and felt I made a difference by serving my community. However, my time has passed and I need to find a replacement. Interested?
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June 17, 2016 • The rye city review • 11
Rye High School salutes senior class On Thursday, June 9, Rye High School started the process of saying goodbye to its Class
of 2016. At the annual Senior Recognition Ceremony in the Performing Arts Center, awards
in 50 categories were handed out to dozens of students. -Review staff
Review Publisher Howard Sturman addresses the crowd before presenting The Community Spirit Award to James Quinn Fahey for his service to the community.
Rod Mergardt, the district athletic director, presents The George “Butch” Nordstrom Award to the high school’s most outstanding male athlete and The Mary Henwood Scholarship to the most outstanding female athlete. The awards were presented as part of the annual Senior Recognition Ceremony.
Rye High School Principal Patricia Taylor welcomes friends and family to the annual Rye High School Senior Recognition Ceremony on June 9.
Board of Education President Katy Keohane Glassberg addresses the Class of 2016.
A recipient of the senior class is presented with the Top 3 Scholars Award. Photos/Bobby Begun
Lela Negri presents the Woman’s Club of Rye Scholarship to David Schindler.
12 • The rye city review • June 17, 2016
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June 17, 2016 • The rye city review • 13
My brother from another planet RHYMES WITH CRAZY Lenore Skenazy
Solomon Feuerwerker grew up as an alien. Not “alien” as in “illegal immigrant.” Alien as in from another planet. That planet was Williamsburg, Brooklyn. While many people in Williamsburg lead lives most of us can relate to, Solomon was the youngest of 11 children in an ultra-orthodox Jewish family. The religious sect he grew up in, a group called the Satmar Hasidim, believes in large families and distrusts the modern world. Members wear distinctive clothing—the men are in black suits, white shirts and side curls—and speak the traditional hybrid German/Hebrew/Slavic language of Yiddish. They do not mingle with outsiders. They do not watch any media. Boys like Solomon go to sex-segregated schools and are forbidden to study almost anything other than religion. No algebra. No biology. No non-Jewish studies beyond what a fourth- or fifth-grader would get at public school. Which is why it’s all the more remarkable that about a week ago, Solomon stood up in front of a crowd of 300 and announced that he had been accepted to medical school. The crowd went wild. This was the annual downtown gala sponsored by Footsteps, the organization that helped Solomon and hundreds of others find their way out of ultra-orthodoxy to lead lives of their choosing. Footsteps is not anti-religion, it is pro-freedom. Its slogan is “Your life, your journey, your choice.” “Our core value is choice,” says Lani Santo, the executive
director. “We really help people think through the consequences of their various decisions.” Because people leaving ultra-orthodoxy are often shunned by the community they left behind, including their own families, Footsteps provides counseling, practical help and a home base for those who have lost their entire support system. The gala was organized to celebrate the milestones in the lives of Footsteps participants, since few had family members to cheer them on. Instead, the audience of Footsteps supporters whooped for a member who just got her first tech job, and another who just became an Uber driver. Several members had become engaged, provoking joyous applause. Then Solomon took the stage as the evening’s keynote speaker, and the audience sat in stunned silence as he told his story. “You need to understand just how insane it is for me to be here,” the 26-year-old began. “I grew up in a typically sized family in Williamsburg: I have 10 siblings. Exposure to the mainstream world is almost nonexistent. Some people say I’m an immigrant in my own country, but I prefer ‘alien.’ An immigrant might know about science and history and politics—an alien doesn’t. An immigrant has read books and watched TV—an alien hasn’t. An immigrant has spoken to people of the opposite sex without feeling like the world is about to end. An immigrant might be culturally unaware, but at the same time be an informed citizen of the world. An alien is just an alien and let me tell you, if an alien is going to successfully transition to immigrant, they need Footsteps.” Solomon heard about Footsteps through the grapevine as a teen. By then, he’d already been
sneaking off to the DVD store in the Puerto Rican part of his neighborhood and voraciously renting action flicks. These taught him colloquial English, and gave him direction: He wanted to be a cop, just like the guys in the movies. But then he went on a tour of Hunter College sponsored by Footsteps and his life changed. Classes in art and sociology! Laboratories! Students of every stripe talking, studying, laughing together. Footsteps was founded by a Hunter student, Malkie Schwartz, who’d made her way out of ultra-orthodoxy and wanted to help others who chose that path. Solomon enrolled and immediately floundered. “I had never tackled the concept of the atom, or seen a periodic table of the elements,” he later recalled. “I did not even know that all living things were made up of cells.” He had to make up for lost time, and at first, he couldn’t. He was in danger of failing, but reached out for help. And by the next year, he rose to the top of his class in chemistry. He continued to climb, getting A’s in his coursework while working part time, and becoming a mentor to others following in his, well, footsteps. He began volunteering at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and doing genetics research. And last year, he did it. He graduated with a degree in sociology. He put off applying to med school, however, to stay on for a year at Hunter, teaching organic chemistry. Now Solomon is heading to Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Yes, he will be an immigrant from New York, but not an alien. CONTACT: lskenazy@yahoo.com
Rye City
Official Newspaper Rye Schools
Women in Innovation panel to be held Women in Innovation, WIN, a networking group for women working in innovative careers across any industry, will hold its inaugural event, a panel discussion on Women in Emerging Digital Leadership, at MasterCard, located at 2000 Purchase St. in Purchase on Wednesday, June 22 at 6 p.m. The event, co-sponsored by the MasterCard Women’s Leadership Network, will tap into leading digital media executives for insights on career path planning and how to leverage existing networks to uncover and activate new opportunities. Panelists for the one-hour session include: • Tina Exarhos, chief marketing officer of Now This is Media, ad-
visor at Lerer Hippeau Ventures and former chief marketing officer of MTV Networks • Fran Hauser, a digital and venture capitalist partner at Rothenberg Ventures and former president of Time Inc. Digital • Tiffany Pham, founder and chief executive officer of Mogul • Johanna Zeilstra, entrepreneur and founder of Womensdebate.org • Elisa Romm, executive vice president of B2B marketing at MasterCard Co-founded by Grace Fedele and Suzanna Keith, Women in Innovation is a community focused organization dedicated to elevating women in Westchester and Fairfield counties who are pushing the boundaries of
innovation and accelerating the pace of change across a range of industries. In hopes of empowering women in innovation and educating women with the latest innovation and technology trends, WIN will host events that feature top speakers and great networking opportunities. Participants will be able to expand their innovative boundaries and stay at the forefront of change by attending the Women in Innovation’s panel discussion. For more information or to register to attend the discussion, contact Keith at skconcepts@ hotmail.com or 925-0753, or contact Jenn Howland at jennhowland13@gmail.com or 9607521. (Submitted)
Clarissa is a beautiful torbie with plush fur. She loves being pet but isn’t the biggest fan of being held. Her meows tell you when she wants attention. Clarissa is the Mother Goose among her foster siblings. She also is a fierce hunter of catnip mice—she attacks them then runs around the house making this funny noise as if to say, “Hey, look what I found!” Clarissa needs to go to a home with an experienced cat owner and with another young cat in the household. She is microchipped, spayed, in excellent health and up to date with all vaccinations. Her adoption donation is $80. To meet Clarissa, contact Larchmont Pet Rescue at 835-3332 or 8354133 or visit NY-PetRescue.org. (Submitted)
14 • The rye city review • June 17, 2016
SPORTS
The fun in NBA conspiracies LIVE MIKE Mike Smith
I don’t mind saying it: I love conspiracy theories. Chemtrails, CIA mind control, the Illuminati “relocating” recently deceased celebrities to private, tropical islands. It’s not that I necessarily believe the tin-foil hat folks, I just love hearing their takes. But somewhere mixed in with the crowd that vigilantly dissected the Zapruder film to “prove” that the JFK assassination was actually perpetrated by a nefarious cabal of black hole-worshipping space men, is the group that turned their trained eye toward Left Shark’s freemason symbolism during Katy Perry’s Super Bowl XLIX halftime performance. Of course, I’m talking about sports-truthers. On Sunday, prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals, it was announced that Golden State
Warriors’ forward Draymond Green would serve a one-game suspension after being retroactively assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for attempting a low-blow on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James in the waning moments of Game 4. Without Green in the lineup on Monday, the Cavaliers avoided elimination with a decisive 112-97 win, sending the series back to Cleveland for a Game 6. To the untrained observer, it seemed like the NBA had made an objective, fair and rational decision. Green is a well-documented agitator on the court, and over the course of the playoffs, has demonstrated a propensity for targeting opponents’ groins, either with his fists or his feet. But to those who are really in the know, what had happened was clear: the NBA was just looking for a way to extend the series. The avalanche of takes started soon after Green’s suspension was announced on Sunday. “The NBA is just looking for
more advertising dollars,” some fans screamed. “A LeBron win is better for the league’s brand!” others opined. Even if the conspiracy theorists can’t agree on exactly why the NBA chose to suspend Green, it’s clear that there is some sort of pro-Cavaliers agenda being passed down from the league office. Of course, when it comes to sports conspiracies, the NBA has always been fertile ground. There is the famed “frozen draft lottery envelope” theory that posits the league maneuvered to ensure that Patrick Ewing ended up on the Knicks in 1985. There are those who believe that Michael Jordan’s first retirement and subsequent baseball career was the result of him being caught by the league for betting on games. Heck, any time a team loses a hard-fought playoff series, there are countless fans who point to unbalanced officiating as part
On Sunday, June 13, the NBA suspended Golden State Warriors’ star Draymond Green for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Unsurprisingly, the announcement gave rise to more NBA conspiracy theories. File photo
of a league mandate to help one team advance for some reason or another. Now, the Warriors-Cavs series is a little bit closer at 3-2, at press time, but just because Cleveland gets to head back to its home court doesn’t mean that
when everything is settled, the long-suffering city of Cleveland is going to be celebrating its first major sports title since 1946. More than likely, the Green suspension and the Warriors’ Game 5 loss is just a small speed bump on the road to a second-straight
championship for Golden State. But let’s face it: when you’ve had a series as devoid of drama as this one, maybe a little controversy is what’s best for business.
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SPORTS
June 17, 2016 • The rye city review • 15
Garnets win silver at nationals The Rye High School crew team capped an award-winning season by taking second in the Men’s Youth Lightweight 4+ category at the USRowing Youth Nationals Regatta held June 10 to June 12 in West Windsor, New Jersey. There were high hopes for Rye’s sole entry in the nation’s top youth rowing event, as the team was on a stellar streak in prior regattas. In mid-May, the Garnets won the New York State Championships, and followed that feat with a silver medalperformance at the Scholastic Nationals in Ohio over Memorial Day weekend. The Rye High Lightweight 4+, coached by Stan Nelson, is
made up of coxswain Zachary Szabo and rowers John Dailey, Tim Rudolph-Math, Jimmy Cronin and Jack Hartman. The category is defined by weight, each rower weighing no more than 150 pounds. Rye fought their way to the elite grand final race over the 2,000-meter course, besting 16 other boats from both club and high school programs from around the country in qualifying heats and semis. In the grand final, Rye was edged by NorCal Crew, a California-based team, who took the gold medal by two seconds. The other teams in the grand final were the best from Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Massachusetts. Winning silver in the “A” grand final was coach Nelson’s best result, in a sweep boat category at Youth Nationals, in his nine-year tenure with the Rye program. It would appear that Rye’s
rowers are poised for more success next year, as the team returns all five boat members from this year’s silver medal squad. Dailey and Szabo are juniors while Rudolph-Math, Cronin and Hartman are sophomores.With the weight limit in place for the Lightweight 4+ division, however, it remains to be seen if the team will be able to compete in that category next year. “If team weight can be managed among other factors, the prospects for another very formidable crew next year are more than real,” Nelson said. “But for now, the guys and me are going to let this accomplishment sink in and just enjoy it.” Generous financial support from boosters and in particular Julie Killian of Rye and Nancy Neuman of Coldwell Banker made it possible for the entire crew team to travel to the end-of-season regattas. (Submitted)
From left, Jack Hartman, Tim Rudolph-Math, Zachary Szabo, Jimmy Cronin, John Dailey and coach Stan Nelson of the Rye High School crew team. The Garnets won a silver medal at the 2016 USRowing Youth Nationals Regatta. Photo courtesy Susanna Cronin
Newman helps set world record By MIKE SMITH Sports Editor A local swimmer continued to make waves on Saturday, June 11, as Mamaroneck resident Steve Newman helped break a Masters’ swimming world record at the annual Bumpy Jones Classic in Sarasota, Florida. Along with three other members of the Sarasota Sharks swim team, Newman, 54, helped set a new benchmark in the 400-meter long-course medley relay event, as the Sharks finished with a time of 4:44.34, which bested the previous world record by 0.24 seconds. Newman, a math teacher at New Rochelle High School, led off the record-breaking race with a blistering backstroke split that was roughly a half-second faster than his time a year ago, which helped to spur the Sharks to a historic win. “I knew that if I swam a good race, we would have a chance,” Newman said. “And
I think that the fact that I swam as fast as I did gave [my teammates] a little more incentive, and help boost their adrena-line a bit.” Two of Newman’s teammates on Saturday, Rick Walker and Jack Groselle, were part of the Sharks’ team that broke the Masters’ world record in the 800-meter shortcourse freestyle race last November, and Newman said it didn’t take long for the group to set their sights on another record-breaking run this spring. “Just looking at everyone’s performances over the last year or so, we thought we had a shot to break the record,” Newman said. “But it just depended on each individual performing well.” Because the Sharks are based in Florida, Newman had to prepare for last weekend’s race on his own, training at the YMCA in Rye. According to Newman, a combination of dry-land and in-pool workouts helped him to shave
precious time off the backstroke heading into the Bumpy Jones Classic. “I really upped my training,” he said. “I generally spent about three days a week doing dry-land training and got in the pool at least five times a week. “The support that I got from my wife and the guys that I trained with at the Rye Y really helped me to get in condition for this.” With the long-course meter season over, Newman and the Sharks will look ahead to the fall, where they hope to take another shot at the 800meter short-course freestyle world record. “Unfortunately, I’m not traveling to Oregon this summer for the long-course nationals so we are going to set our sights on the fall,” he said. “We are going to try to recapture that world record, so that’s we’re looking forward to.” Contact: sports@hometwn.com
From left, Steve Newman, Rick Walker, Bill Brenner and Jack Groselle pose at the Bumpy Jones Classic in Sarasota, Florida, on June 11. The foursome set a Masters’ world record in the 400-meter long-course medley relay. Contributed photo
16 • The rye city review • June 17, 2016