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MAY 4, 2020 VOL. 56, No. 18
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Seeking a cure
REGENERON AND NYMC IN COVID-19 STUDY BY PETER KATZ pkatz@westfairinc.com
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hen a complex process that normally takes seven to nine months is accomplished in only eight days, you can be reasonably certain that something quite special has just happened. That certain something is establishing the clinical trial of a drug that might help treat people critically ill with COVID19. At present there are no vaccines for the novel coronavirus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration along with experts in medicine, pharmaceuticals, education, finance, data collection and more joined to slash through red tape and arrange the rapid launch of a clinical trial organized by a team at Touro College and University System and New York Medical College (NYMC) in Valhalla and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals along with the French multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi. Tarrytown-based Regeneron and Paris-based Sanofi had jointly developed under a global collaboration agreement the drug sarilumab, a monoclonal antibody known under the trademark Kevzara. Given by injection, the drug is approved for use to treat adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis. Kevzara binds to a protein associated with the human immune system called the Interleukin 6 receptor, or IL-6, which falls into the cytokine category. By inhibiting the ability of IL-6 to stimulate an immune system response, theTWB drug Loan Decision inhibits inflammation. Banner Ad The clinical trial is to test the drug as a possible COVID-19 6” w x 1.5” h treatment. In the trial, “severe” patients require supplemental 3-24-20 oxygen without mechanical help or high-flow oxygenation. “Critical” patients need to be on high-flow oxygen or a mechanical ventilator. » CURE
The spread has taken us aback a little bit. If the person is a little bit immune compromised or a little bit obese or not able to mount a proper inflammatory reaction, in this case it is going to be devastating. — Dr. Salomon Amar
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Image created by Ellie and Anna Pagan. See page 6.
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CRISIS LEADERSHIP
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HOME WORK
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Leadership in a time of crisis: Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN
MAIN OFFICE TELEPHONE 914-694-3600 OFFICE FAX 914-694-3699 EDITORIAL EMAIL bobr@westfairinc.com WRITE TO 701 Westchester Ave., Suite 100J White Plains, N.Y. 10604-3407
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his is a limited series of Q&A’s by Fairfield County Business Journal Bureau Chief Kevin Zimmerman with leaders in various business sectors and industries. It is designed to illustrate how they’re navigating the COVID-19 era, what past experiences they’ve drawn upon, and suggestions they have for those planning for a career in leadership. Now in his record 10th consecutive term as Danbury mayor, Mark Boughton has seen his share of triumphs and tragedies. The city is routinely rated favorably when it comes to citizen satisfaction, being business-friendly and maintaining a low crime rate. But on March 6 came word of Connecticut’s first coronavirus-positive patient — an employee of Danbury and Norwalk hospitals — resulting in a quickly put together press conference featuring Boughton, Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling and Gov. Ned Lamont. “It’s disruptive, it’s scary,” Boughton said at the time. “But at the end of the day, we are going to be okay. We got this.” How prepared were you and the city when that first positive case arrived? “We always expected to have a coronavirus patient early because of our proximity to New York. And then the New Rochelle situation started blowing up pretty quickly. It was just a matter of time before we got one here, because it’s so contagious and infectious. “But we took the point of view ‘We’re Prepared, Not Scared.’ We knew we had to tackle it head on, to be ahead of it and not always be playing catch-up. Which we’ve done to an extent — we put up the auxiliary hospital and were one of the first to have a drive-through testing center and start antibody testing. That stuff isn’t easy to do quickly.” Are there any past experiences you’ve drawn upon to deal with the current situation? “We’ve been through 9/11, the recession of ’07-08, the horrors of Sandy Hook — blizzards, storms, tornados, microbursts — we’ve seen it all. And over time you develop some tried and true strategies, and you have the people and systems in place that you can lean on to get
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Publisher Dee DelBello Managing Editor/Print Glenn J. Kalinoski Managing Editor/Digital Bob Rozycki Associate Publisher Anne Jordan Group Associate Publisher Dan Viteri NEWS Senior Enterprise Editor • Phil Hall Copy and Video Editor • Peter Katz Bureau Chief • Kevin Zimmerman Senior Reporter • Bill Heltzel, Reporters Georgette Gouveia, Peter Katz Research Coordinator • Luis Flores Mayor Mark Boughton
through it. “I knew what to expect. I knew I would not ask anybody to do something I wouldn’t do myself, and that this isn’t about pointing fingers. There’s a problem, we address it and go from there.” What is your approach like? “Be confident, be calm and be compassionate — ‘the three Cs.’ You want people to know that you are somebody they can turn to when there’s a crisis facing the community. “Trust is a core constant to get the community to agree to get things done. When it comes to social distancing, you want everybody to have the confidence that you wouldn’t be telling them to wear a mask if you didn’t think it was important. “You build that trust over time, and then you hold that trust very close to you. If you blow it and lose it, you’ll never get it back. Trying to obfuscate about something is never going to work.” Are there others in Danbury who have demonstrated leadership qualities, gone above the norm, during this time? “Our emergency management director, Bill Halstead, and our Fire
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Chief T.J. Wiedl have been terrific. Matt Cassavechia (director of emergency medical services) at the hospital has been incredible. But really it’s matter of being able to rely on everybody else in your organization to do what they say they’re going to do. “We have 22 department heads working at City Hall who are now working from home. They connected their office to their home phones to take calls, whether they have to do with (the virus) or not. They’ve all risen to the occasion.” I know one particular challenge you had to face that other municipalities did not was Lisa Morrissey, your director of health, resigning in early April to take the same position in Bridgeport. “Lisa was a very strong presence, and we will certainly miss her. And no, it was not the optimal time to have that position empty in the middle of a pandemic. But Associate Director Kara Prunty has stepped up, and she’s doing a great job. It just proves that everyone is interchangeable.” Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Do you share that view?
“It’s a little hard to see this as an ‘opportunity’ to take advantage of, with the catastrophic effects on public health and the economy. “But it has given people the opportunity to rise to the occasion, to be thoughtful and creative, like getting the tax deferrals and the loan programs set up. “Even so, there’s going to be a lot of digging needed to get out of this. There are going to be a lot of challenging days ahead over the next year.” What advice do you have for other leaders, or for those who are preparing for leadership positions? “I steal from Rudy Giuliani and say, ‘Under-promise and over-prepare.’ And once you give your word, never go back on it. My father (Donald) taught me that when he was mayor and I was still a kid. He’d made a promise to pave a certain road and I didn’t understand — ‘Dad, there’s a better road a few blocks away that could be paved.’ “‘I promised we’d do this road,’ he told me. That always stuck with me. Always keep your word with people, as hard as that can be — and think twice about who you’re making the promise to.”
ART & PRODUCTION Creative Director Dan Viteri Art Director Sebastián Flores ADVERTISING SALES Manager • Anne Jordan Metro Sales & Custom Publishing Director Barbara Hanlon Account Managers Marcia Pflug Events Sales & Development • Marcia Pflug Marketing & Events Director • Fatime Muriqi AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & CIRCULATION Circulation Manager • Sylvia Sikoutris Telemarketing • Brianne Smith ADMINISTRATION Contracted CFO Services Adornetto & Company L.L.C. Human Resources & Payroll Services APS PAYROLL Administrative Manager • Robin Costello Westchester County Business Journal (USPS# 7100) Fairfield County Business Journal (USPS# 5830) is published Weekly, 52 times a year by Westfair Communications, Inc., 701 Westchester Ave., White Plains, NY 10604. Periodicals Postage rates paid at White Plains, NY, USA 10610. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Westchester County Business Journal and Fairfield County Business Journal: by Westfair Communications, Inc., 701 Westchester Ave, White Plains, NY 10604. Annual subscription $60; $2.50 per issue More than 40 percent of the Business Journal is printed on recycled newsprint. © 2020 Westfair Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
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The Castle on the market for $1.25M BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com
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ne of Fairfield County’s most unusual luxury homes, the Monroe stone mansion known as The Castle, is now on the market at $1.25 million. Built in 1936 to resemble a medieval castle, it was originally the residence of Robert Musica, who lived under the alias Robert Dietrich and collaborated with two of his brothers in the notorious 1938 financial swindle involving the pharmaceutical company McKesson & Robbins. The home was bought in the early 1940s by industrialist David Trompeter and his
wife, opera singer Lisa Roma, and in 1962, it was acquired by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth as a convent and administrative building. The nuns left the property in 2006 and the property was unoccupied until 2013 when developer John Kimball acquired it. The 7,817-square-foot house at 1428 Monroe Turnpike has six bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms, six fireplaces, radiant floor heating and 10-foot and 11-foot ceilings; the interior’s walls are also made of stone. The 7.2-acre site has a four-car garage and an in-ground swimming pool. The mansion was built by Freemasons, and Masonic symbols were incorporated through the structure. RPW AD Aor20th ThankYou.qxp_RPW Ad Apr20th ThankYou 2 4/14/20 5:41 PM Page 1
Poll: 1 in 10 think they have virus BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com
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early 10% of the U.S. populations believes they may have contracted COVID-19 over the past 30 days, according to a study released by WebMD. However, only 7% were tested to determine if they were infected — and two-thirds of those who were tested were positive for the virus. For those who believed they had the virus, nearly two-thirds described the symptoms as mild, with one-third describing their symptoms as moderate and 6% as severe. Those who claimed to have symptoms cited cough, loss of sense of smell or taste, body aches, diarrhea, headache, sore throat and fatigue as their most common ailments. WebMD added that a “significant percentage reported shortness of breath and fever,” although it did provide a specific figure. For those who were not tested, 39% said they did not meet the testing criteria, 28% felt they did not need a test and 25% said that testing wasn’t available in their area. An additional 16% admitted concerns over going to a clinic as a reason they avoided testing. The percentage who suspected they had COVID-19 in the past 30 days was higher in the metro New York City area, the nation’s epicenter: WebMD reported 26% of metro New York City area residents are positive for COVID-19 while early antibody testing found an infection rate of 21.2% in the city. New York has the largest number of cases in the U.S. The poll was conducted from more than 6,300 online responses between April 20-21.
THANK YOU
To all the First Responders, Medical Professionals, Doctors, Nurses, Hospital Workers, Paramedics, Police Departments, Fire Departments, Dispatchers, Emergency Medical Technicians, and all essential workers for your unwavering dedication to protecting
all of us during these challenging times. We will never forget your extraordinary and heroic efforts on our behalf. We look forward to the day when we can look you in the eye and tell you in person how thankful we are.
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More than numbers
4,040-PLUS PEOPLE WITH FAMILIES BEHIND THE STATE LABOR STATS BY BOB ROZYCKI
of custom-made cabinetry, closed their manufacturing plant. It did not include the number of workers affected.
bobr@westfairinc.com
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ince the beginning of the year, 85 businesses in the Mid-Hudson region have filed notices with the New York State Department of Labor indicating that they would be “temporarily” shutting operations. Of those 85, 54 businesses had notices posted since April 1. To put that in perspective, in all of 2019, a total of 41 businesses in the Mid-Hudson region filed a WARN notice, which stands for Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, a bureaucratic way of saying you’re out of a job. That 54 filed since the beginning of this month, is pretty big; and 85 since New Year’s Day even bigger. A record year in the making for all the wrong reasons. All told, 4,040-plus lives upended by the coronavirus. The closing of the manufacturers, retailers and restaurants came with a handful of asterisks. The layoffs would be temporary or come with furloughs or might even be permanent.
DAY ONE
On April Fools Day, the California Pizza Kitchen on Central Park Avenue in Scarsdale closed, leaving 37 workers to file for unemployment. The chain pizzeria was at the end of the strip mall just south of where Klaff’s had its store until it closed in the summer of 2018 — its parent in Norwalk itself shuttering after 97 years in business. Joining the pizzeria that day in closing was the Crowne Plaza with its 402 rooms in downtown White Plains. The hotel stated that it would be closing temporarily and laying off 85 workers. No more room views of that giant hole in the ground across the street where the Westchester Pavilion once stood. The next day, Nexans Energy USA Inc. across the river in Orange County, whose motto is “Brings Energy to Life,” suspended operations. Its manufacturing facility would be empty of its 127 workers who make industrial power cables and wires. It has been in business for 109 years. Also on the 2nd, all 282 workers at Crown Awards’ 250,000-square-foot facility up on Skyline Drive in Hawthorne
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were laid off. In business for 42 years, Crown Awards bills itself as America’s Largest Awards Manufacturer, creating trophies, medals, plaques, glassware and anything you can engrave. With schools and leagues curtailing sports and other activities so as to maintain social distancing, there would be no winners, no losers, no banquets and sports presentations. No trophies, no medals, no ribbons, no pins.
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The Rivera Auto Group, which does business as Rivera Toyota of Mount Kisco on North Bedford Road said it wouldn’t be selling cars for awhile. Its filing didn’t include the number of sales and office people that would be affected.
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It would be three more days before the next filing popped up. This one was no surprise, in fact it was an amendment to an earlier filing. Doral Arrowwood Resort had its final nail hammered into its coffin after going bankrupt last December. All 275 employees
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were gone from the once bustling hotel and convention center on Anderson Hill Road in Rye Brook.
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Manhattan-based SPEAR Physical and Occupational Therapy PLLC closed its office in Pleasantville. It did not list the number of employees in Pleasantville, but in a separate filing it had 133 overall at all of its locations. Sport Performance Enhancement and Rehabilitation was started in 1999 by Dan Rootenberg and Dave Endres.
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Next to Captain Lawrence Brewing in Elmsford, 40-year-old Two’s Company Inc. filed for a temporary layoff of its 109-person workforce. The gifts and home decor company was founded by Bob and Bobbie Gottlieb in New Rochelle just over 50 years ago. Autobahn Indoor Speedway at the Palisades Center in West Nyack closed its go-kart track and left 27 without jobs. Well-known chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten closed The Inn at
Pound Ridge, leaving chefs, prep cooks, front-end managers and waitstaff numbered at 83 to wait and see how long before they could return to work. The restaurant was for the longest time known as Emily Shaw’s Inn where you might spot locals Hume Cronyn and wife, Jessica Tandy, Colleen Dewhurst and Robert Vaughn.
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A deluge struck on this day when restaurants under the AppleMetro umbrella in Yonkers, New Rochelle, White Plains, Hawthorne and Mohegan Lake closed and left 318 without work. Harrison-based Apple-Metro was started by Zane Tankel and Roy Raeburn in 1994 with a single restaurant and grew it to 33 units and nearly $200 million in annual sales. From award-winning restaurateur and chef Dan Barber came an amended post saying that 133 of his employees at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills would be laid off. Those four-hour courses would have to wait another day. Over on Jones Street in New Rochelle, transFORM, the maker
Intercos America Inc., a cosmetic manufacturing company in Congers and West Nyack, laid off 204 of its 352 workers. The company is part of Italian-based Intercos Group. Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar at The Shops at Nanuet, laid off 70, according to its filing. On its website, it said it looked forward to serving its clientele again. Havana Central Restaurant and Bar in the Ridge Hill Shopping Center in Yonkers let 65 go. The retro décor will remain empty for awhile. The Martin-Brower Co. LLC shut down its distribution center in Harriman affecting 116 members of Local 445 of the Teamsters Union. Ruth’s Chris Steak House on White Plains Road in Tarrytown stopped cooking and left 58 workers idle. (But maybe not for long as the chain received $20 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans.) The Texas Roadhouse restaurant on Huguenot Street next to the Trump Plaza in New Rochelle temporarily closed affecting its 84 employees.
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The Guess outlet store at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley filed stating it would be shutting temporarily. Without giving the number of employees, the posting also said that its other affected site was at the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers. The restaurant at The Time Nyack hotel left 68 seeking unemployment. Building materials supplier Tilcon NY Inc. in West Nyack and New Hamburg put 18 jobs on hold. Spotted Dog Ventures LLC dba Emerson Resort & Spa sent 147 workers home. The Mandee store at the Arcadian Shopping Center in Ossining closed. It did not post the number of workers. AMETEK Rotron, which makes AC and brushless DC motors, fans, blowers, heat exchangers, fault detection devices, and a vari-
ety of subassemblies and systems for military and aerospace customers worldwide. The Woodstock factory would stand idle as would its 268 employees. Romeo Ford and Romeo Chevrolet Buick GMC in Ulster County had 71 sales and office workers go home.
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Paper Source stationery stores in Nanuet and Scarsdale laid off 21. North American Dental Group’s offices in Scarsdale and Yonkers would be laying off x-number of employees as it wasn’t listed on the posting. Charlotte Russe, the national fashion retailer that had launched a comeback after closing stores a year earlier, was left to let workers go at its stores in Poughkeepsie and West Nyack. It too did not say how many workers.
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Westchester Toyota on Central Park Avenue in Yonkers laid off 100.
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Bartaco restaurant on Willet Avenue in Port Chester let 80 go. Instacart, which had same-day grocery delivery and pick-up service in Fairway Market stores, was winding down its operations in light of the retail-
er’s recent bankruptcy filing and store closings. It filed an amendment saying its 27 in-store shoppers at the Pelham store bought by Village Super Market would be laid off. All 11 sites for Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks would close affecting 401. ICR Inc., a collection agency in Poughkeepsie had 50 on its staff. A bit of irony as how can you collect money when everybody is out of work?
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Clothing retailer Zara USA, with stores at the Palisades Center mall in West Nyack and the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers let 68 go in a “temporary plant closing.”
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Mid Rockland Imaging Partners Inc. in New City with several offices let go of 85 workers. Poughkeepsie Day School, with 63 workers, closed.
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PQ New York Inc., which does business as Le Pain Quotidien in Rye and Woodbury Common in Central Valley,
stated that 23 of its 42 workers would be laid off. It also ominously stated: Closing may become permanent.
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Bed Bath & Beyond, with stores nationwide, stated that 304 workers would be affected at its sites in Elmsford, Hartsdale, mount Vernon and Yonkers. Shake Shack Enterprises LLC, which does business as Woodbury Commons Shake Shack, announced that 62 workers would be laid off. A YMCA summer camp in the rural hamlet of Huguenot, in Orange County near the Pennsylvania border, said 61 would be let go. EFCO Products Inc., which makes sweet and savory products for bakeries and chain restaurants at its Poughkeepsie site, would let go 16.
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Visionworks, the eyeglass retailer with five stores in the Mid-Hudson region, was letting 34 workers go. Without having stated it earlier, the one thing that ties all the different businesses together is this declaration on each WARN posting: Reason for Dislocation: Unforeseeable business circumstances prompted by COVID-19. All told, 4,040plus lives upended by the coronavirus.
Bureau chief Kevin Zimmerman wins Press Club honors Westfair Communications’ Kevin Zimmerman has been honored with three 2020 Connecticut Press Club Awards. As Fairfield County Business Journal Bureau Chief, Zimmerman took home two second-prize citations for “SeaQuest ‘Interactive Aquarium’ Coming to Trumbull with Plenty of Creatures (and Controversy)” in the News Story-Print-based newspaper category, and for “Danbury Ascendant: Booming on Nearly All Front, But Will State Measures Curb Its Appeal?” in the Specialty Articles—Business category. Also in the Specialty Articles—Business category, Zimmerman’s “DECD Chief David Lehman: ‘Amazing challenge’ to fix state’s woes, but new approach will pay dividends” took third-place honor. Zimmerman shared credit for the prizes with the Westfair editors with whom he works.
IT’S A NEW WORLD AND NOW, MORE THAN EVER, YOU NEED TRUTHFUL NEWS. As your longtime source for business news, the Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals have expanded their coverage to keep you up-to-date on COVID-19. Don’t miss out on breaking news about the virus, as well as the latest on local businesses, real estate, the courts and more. Subscribe at westfaironline.com.
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Cure—
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Preliminary data released April 27 by Regeneron and Sanofi on Phase 2 of the trial classifies the COVID-19 results so far for the “severe” group of patients as “better than expected based on prior reports, regardless of treatment assignment.” The companies said that in the Phase 2 portion, approximately 80% of the hospitalized patients were discharged, 10% died and 10% remained hospitalized. The involvement of NYMC in the clinical trial began to unfold in March. Regeneron reached out to Dr. Alan Kadish, president of the Touro College and University System to see if the biomedical research team at Touro/ NYMC would be interested in setting up a drug trial in the search for a way to treat COVID-19. The novel coronavirus was spreading around the world, had no known treatment, no vaccine and a fatality rate about 10 times that of influenza. NYMC not only has virology labs and experts, but for decades has
been involved in the annual development of the influenza vaccine. “It’s an ongoing relationship that we had with Regeneron and Sanofi,” Dr. Salomon Amar told the Business Journal. He is the provost for biomedical research at Touro College and University System and professor of pharmacology, professor of microbiology and immunology, as well as vice dean for research at NYMC. “We started a long-term collaboration at different levels on research and development, from basic science to clinical trials. It is a natural progression of this relationship with Regeneron that led them to ask us to participate in this program,” Amar said. “We are talking about a viral particle that was unknown to us. We did not have any background information. Viral particles in general are contagious but this is highly contagious. The spread has taken us aback a little bit. If the person is a little bit immune compromised or a little bit obese or not able to mount a proper inflammatory reaction, in this case it is
COVER: Young artists, Ellie and Anna Pagan, the teenage daughters of Diane Pagan, nurse practitioner in complex care and internal medicine at Westmed, won the Westmed Medical Group “Rainbows of Hope” coloring contest. The sisters shared their artistic talent with the Westmed team to bring hope and optimism to them during a challenging time. Diane Pagan has been instrumental in
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Dr. Salomon Amar is the provost for biomedical research at Touro College and University System and professor of pharmacology, professor of microbiology and immunology, as well as vice dean for research at NYMC.
going to be devastating.” Patients suffering from advanced cases of COVID19 can experience breathing problems associated with inflammation affecting the lungs. In serious cases, what’s known as a “cytokine storm” takes place. It’s a dramatic response by the body’s immune system that makes the lungs unable to function normally. The lungs become overrun by immune cells and fluid buildup, often leading to secondary bacterial
keeping the employees of Westmed healthy during the Covid-19 pandemic, taking on an important role in occupational health in addition to her rigorous patient-facing occupation. The “Rainbows of Hope” contest was hosted to share love and gratitude for the frontline health care team members at Westmed and was open to the children of Westmed employees.
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pneumonia. Instead of being spongy and flexible, the lungs become febrile and oxygen can no longer be efficiently transferred across the lung tissue and into the blood. Patients with serious cases of COVID-19 need to be on supplemental oxygen. If lung function continues to deteriorate, patients need to be put on a ventilator or other breathing assistance device and survival can be in doubt. Approximately 80% of the patients requiring intubation do not survive. If there is a way to reduce inflammation and relieve the cytokine storm, patients should be able to survive, so the thinking went. Regeneron and Sanofi theorized that since Kevzara relieved inflammation with arthritis, it might do the same with COVID-19. There had been a small uncontrolled test of the drug in China and it seemed to help. “Emerging evidence with Kevzara and other repurposed drugs in the COVID19 crisis highlight the challenges of making decisions about existing medicines for new viral threats using small, uncontrolled studies,” Regeneron co-founder George Yancopoulos said in a statement. “We await results of the ongoing Phase 3 trial to learn more about COVID19, and better understand whether some patients may benefit from Kevzara treatment.” Designing a clinical trial involves not only establishing scientific and research parameters but doing lots of paperwork, complying
with regulations, arranging to recruit participants and working very closely with the site of the trial. For NYMC, the site was to be Westchester Medical Center (WMC), also in Valhalla. “It’s a multicenter study, not only at Westchester,” Amar said. “There are multiple sites in the United States as well as outside of the country. The NYMC involvement deals with what is happening at Westchester.” Amar said that he could not provide the number of patients who are enrolled at the WMC because it is a blind study, meaning that patients and even the staff do not know who is getting the Kevzara and who is getting a placebo and what preliminary data is showing. Regeneron and Sanofi in a public statement reported that the Phase 2 portion of the trial assessed 457 hospitalized patients who were categorized as having either “severe” illness or “critical illness or multi-system organ dysfunction.” Amar explained that in this blind study, the patients are divided into three groups. One group does not receive Kevzara, but does receive a placebo, a nonactive substance, in addition to receiving the accepted standard of care. A second group receives 200 milligrams of Kevzara along with the accepted standard of care. The third group receives 400 milligrams of Kevzara, also with the accepted standard of care. “In the case of COVID, we do not leave the patient
without any treatment at all,” Amar said. “Everybody receives the standard of care. In the study, it’s the standard of care plus the experimental drug or the standard of care with nothing. We compare the effect on two populations.” Amar said it was hypothesized in the beginning that the drug would be more effective for patients with advanced cases because those patients are contending with more inflammation. “Without any background information about how the disease progresses it is very difficult to design a study. So, we need to leave it open and we do some measurements midterm, called midterm or midlevel analysis, by looking at some parameters to see whether the parameters have changed or not changed. While the trial is being conducted it is called an open trial,” Amar said. Regeneron and Sanofi announced that they have amended the trial for Phase 3 so that only “critical” patients will continue to be enrolled. Those patients will receive either the standard of care plus 400 milligram doses of Kevzara or the standard of care and a placebo. “These initial results from the randomized clinical trial setting provide physicians much needed insights and information regarding the potential of Kevzara for patients with COVID-19 treatment,” said John Reed, Sanofi’s global head of research and development. Amar said that at some point, statisticians will have enough data to analyze and reach a conclusion about the effectiveness of the drug. If it is actually demonstrated to be safe and effective for treating COVID-19, FDA approval can be sought to have the drug labeled and marketed for use as a COVID-19 treatment. “The trial was designed pretty elegantly given the circumstances and the parameters that we were operating with,” Amar said. “I am proud of the fact that everyone came to work Sundays, holidays. Everyone worked diligently and pulled together for the betterment of the situation.”
Westport Pilates instructor reaches out to help unemployed personal trainers BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com
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he COVID-19 crisis has been rough on the fitness industry, with gyms and studios being forced to shut down and in-home training sessions discouraged in the name of social distancing. Pilates instructor Jessica Newshel is among the industry professionals to see their income evaporate when their workplaces and careers were deemed as nonessential businesses by Gov. Ned Lamont. “I work in my home studio and I also work at a gym called Fast Fitness in Westport,” she said, noting the gym’s personal trainers have been “texting and calling about what we need to do during this difficult time to stay in business, because most of us have lost 50% to 75% of our clients. And we cannot train people in their homes because of social distancing — and some people just have their kids
Jessica Newshel. Photo provided by Ms. Newshel
home all the time now and they’re trying to work from home, but there’s just no time even to do a virtual workout.” Newshel admitted to being fortunate on a financial level because her husband works full time and she is not the family’s primary wage earner. But rather than remain inactive until the economy reopens, she has created Fit Finder CT, a platform designed to connect Fairfield County-area trainers and fitness professional with new clients seeking virtual coaching in a
one-on-one or small virtual group setting. The platform operates under the banner “Get your workout from someone who needs work.” Independent trainers who are now jobless due to the pandemic are able to promote their services on Fit Finder CT by filling out a form detailing their experience and accreditations in training. Newshel provides free listings for the qualified trainers, which includes a photograph and relevant online links. People seeking the trainers for consultations can either contact them directly through Fit Finder CT or via the contact data in the trainers’ listings. Newshel conceived the concept of Fit Finder CT on March 29 and had it online in two days with 15 listings. The site currently has 27 listings and Newshel is particular about who is on her platform. “The idea is to stay very local,” she said. “There are a lot of trainers that are affiliated with gyms or who
are group fitness instructors. And this isn’t necessarily a model that they need because a lot of the gyms have their own online platforms — they’ve quickly gone to having trainers do Instagram Live sessions and they’re getting paid that way as well. I’m trying to target the independent contractors, the ones you know, that aren’t employees at the gym.” Newshel believed Fit Finder CT will help those seeking training assistance from having to slough through endless social media channels to find the right person to help them achieve their fitness goals. “It is a great resource,” she said. “I know my gym tends to be an older clientele who are not necessarily on social media as much as maybe millennials are. And so, for those people that have this resource, it’s very searchable. If you’re a senior, you can click the tag ‘senior’ and it’ll show you all the trainers who specialize in working for seniors. For your kids, you can
press ‘kids’ and it comes up. If you want to do kickboxing, if you want to do Pilates, if you want to yoga, it’s just it is very searchable.” Newshel was unaware of any similar platform for the Fairfield County market, and she insisted she would not expand Fit Finder CT to the rest of the state or beyond. “I decided to focus on Fairfield County right now because, obviously, there are a lot of trainers in the world and I can’t myself post all of their wonderful information on my site,” she said. “I’m starting close to home.” Newshel was uncertain on whether her platform would continue in the post-pandemic period when the gyms and training salons reopen, stressing that she created it to address an immediate void. “I’m seeing it as a filling a very urgent need, which is why I launched it so quickly,” she said. “I am happy to keep it around for a while on a month-to-month basis to see how things go.”
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A day in the (COVID-19) life of Fairfield
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efore the coronavirus crossed the ocean, the town of Fairfield was always very busy weekdays during noontime. The two main business thoroughfares, the Black Rock Turnpike and the Post Road, would be thick with traffic and the search for a parking spot in the strip malls
would be a pursuit requiring conquistador-worthy stamina and obsession. But in the aftermath of the new COVID19 era and the executive orders by Gov. Ned Lamont to shut down businesses judged nonessential and to rearrange human movement into social distancing param-
Row 1: Where the people are and aren’t. Trader’s Joe is among the Fairfield food retailers still open for business, but with a major caveat: The masked shoppers must stand in line with six feet of social distancing between them while a store worker plays gatekeeper to maintain a specific quota for entrants. Meanwhile, the strip mall across the street is eerily barren of activity at noon, when its parking lot is traditionally jammed with cars. Row 2: Essential but empty. Banks were among the businesses deemed essential by the Lamont executive orders, but that was no guarantee branch networks would remain operational. Fairfield’s Citibank branch office only offers ATM service, with customers in need of teller or loan officer help being told to go to the Bridgeport branch. And Fairfield Pizza, lunchtime was always a standing room affair, but now police crime scene tape is used to seal off its dining section as takeout and delivery service remains the only way to enjoy a slice or two. Row 3: Signs of the time. The entrance to a strip mall offers two signs that seem to reflect the COVID-19 obsessions: food and virus testing. Meanwhile, a salon that was forced to close accepts its temporary situation and sends good wishes to passersby via a handmade sign. Row 4: Life goes on. Despite the COVID-19 disruptions, construction continues on a new Yale New Haven Health medical center in Fairfield. And across town, a condemned residence on Sterling Avenue awaits its fate, making way for a new home to join the town’s residential market.
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eters, Fairfield looks completely different today compared to six weeks earlier. Many of the retailers that were the economic backbone of the town are forced to be closed, while those that remained open are lacking the human drama that gave them personality and relevance. And while
there is some life-as-usual motion with real estate construction, for the most part a strange new not-normal has taken hold. The Business Journal’s Senior Enterprise Editor Phil Hall, a Fairfield resident for the past 20 years, took his camera to capture how his town has changed as a result of COVID-19.
When and how to reopen? Opinions vary widely BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com
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eciding when the time is right to reopen businesses has become an exercise in threading a particularly difficult needle. Open too soon and you could see a new spike in COVID-19 cases; wait and you run the risk of watching your battered economy sink even further. Although the Trump administration has issued a three-phase “Guidelines for Opening Up America Again” plan, it ultimately places responsibility on state governors to make their own decisions on timing and breadth — which, it turns out, is bringing about even more confusion. As a result, a few states — Colorado, Mississippi and Montana — have or soon will relax some of their social distancing efforts allowing certain “nonessential” businesses to reopen. Minnesota is doing the same, with Democratic Gov. Tim Walz maintaining the move will return some 100,000 residents to work. Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, announced that all restaurants, retail businesses, and movie theaters would allowed to partially reopen by May 2 if they followed his guidelines. Another Republican governor, Bill Lee of Tennessee, said that the “vast majority” of businesses would be allowed to reopen on May 4. One of the big test cases is Georgia, where Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has already allowed such businesses as barbershops, gyms, bowling alleys among others to reopen. Beginning on May 4, restaurants and movie theaters can also reopen. President Donald Trump, who has been pushing the country to start reopening businesses since at least late March, surprisingly took issue with Kemp’s decision. “I disagree strongly with his decision to open certain facilities which are in violation of the phase one guidelines for the incredible people of Georgia,” he said on April 21. More importantly, the mayors of both Atlanta and Savannah have criticized Kemp’s decision. “As I look at people standing in line for haircuts and to get their nails done, what we are essentially saying in Georgia is, ‘Go bowling and we’ll have a (hospital) bed waiting on you,’” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lake Bottoms told CNN.
Retailers in Westport, along with the rest of the state, have remained closed due to the state restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic. Photo by Sebastián Flores.
“It’s absolutely premature” to reopen, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson told MSNBC, saying he’s encouraging his city’s businesses to remain shut for now.
LAMONT’S CRUCIBLE
For his part, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has said an announcement on when his state might begin relaxing its coronavirus mitigation efforts and thus start reopening businesses will be made on May 20, following the receipt of recommendations from his Reopen Connecticut Advisory Board. Actual openings would probably begin in June. However, during his April 27 briefing, he said that, with hospitalizations declining over the past several days, “that means in another seven to 10 days we can start making some announcements about places that we can go and places that can be reopened.” Presumably that decision would be made in conjunction with New York, New Jersey and the other Northeastern states that have banded together to take a regional approach to the situation. Meanwhile, as is the case with much of the country, criticism and some protests have been growing in volume. A pair of “CT Liberty Rallies” took place in Hartford in April, where protesters drove past the capitol and the governor’s residence, waving American flags and placards bearing messages like “No Socialism — Choose Freedom.” “Your health is not more important than my liberties!” was painted on one car’s rear window. The group’s organizer, Jonathan Johnson, has accused Lamont and his “billionaire friends” of overstepping legal bounds to enrich themselves at the expense of blue-collar workers, and questioned why workers at grocery stores, which have remained open throughout the pandemic, haven’t been getting sick in
large numbers. That the protests, like those in other states, prominently feature pro-Trump messaging has not escaped the notice of state Democrats. “Connecticut’s denialist rightwing PRO-COVID crowd will gather in Hartford to demand their right to what? Infect the elderly and force more doctors and nurses to work 18-hour shifts?” the Connecticut Democratic Party posted on Facebook before the first CT Liberty Rally on April 20. But the back-and-forth is not limited to grass-roots organizations. Stamford Republican Town Committee Chairman Fritz Blau said he considers the crisis to be “overblown” and that Democrats around the country are using the issue to help defeat Trump in November. “We are focused on only one thing — keeping people safe and saving lives,” riposted Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. “Every action we take serves that purpose, and every order has been appropriate and absolutely necessary. “People are frustrated and impatient,” Tong said. “I get that. I want my old life back, too. “To those gathering in the streets right now and to the elected leaders fomenting these rallies for personal political gain — your actions put us all at risk,” he added. “It is not just about you. We need every one of us doing everything we can to give our hospitals the space they need to save as many lives as possible. That is what matters right now. We are in this together and we will get through this together.” Meanwhile, members of Greenwich’s Representative Town Meeting have submitted a nonbinding Sense of the Meeting Resolution to reopen the town’s parks and beaches, which were closed on March 22 by First Selectman Fred Camillo. RTM moderator Tom Byrne
has accused Republican Camillo of “wildly” overstepping his authority in issuing that order. The resolution will be entered into the public record at the next RTM meeting on May 11. On April 27, Camillo allowed Binney, Bruce and Byram parks to be opened for the use of walking paths only. Beginning on April 30, boat owners were to be allowed access to their vessels berthed at town marinas on two days per week, and there will be a “conditional reopening” of the Griffith E. Harris Golf Course on May 4. “Most people I have spoken with, people who have emailed me or texted me, have been extremely supportive of the decisions to close town facilities,” Camillo said. “That being said, we also want to be able to allow use of these larger parks in a very measured way, and in a way that will not contribute to the spread of the virus.”
TRYING TO BE SENSIBLE
“The approach we are taking is data driven and will not be governed by emotions,” Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said. “We can get through this together if we stay apart.” Danbury Republican Mayor Mark Boughton, who surprised some by appearing by teleconference last month at one of Lamont’s daily briefings to voice his support for the governor’s reopening strategy, said the issue transcends politics. “Look, he’s done a very good job,” Boughton said. “There should be a comprehensive approach on social distancing and when to reopen, not cities and towns being left to do their own thing. This is going to be a staged, slow return to normalcy. Some things will never be ‘normal’ until we have a vaccine and/or effective treatment.” Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling, who also attended the briefing by teleconference, agreed. “The biggest danger we have is a false sense of complacency,” the Democratic mayor said. “The fact remains we are still seeing people test positive, and still have people who may be unknowingly transmitting the virus. We are not out of the woods yet. “I know people are eager to try and get back to normal,” he continued. “We must listen to the medical professionals and experts who are studying COVID-19 on when it will be safe to slowly reopen. The best thing
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we can do to save lives and slow the spread of this virus is to continue practicing physical distancing.” Even so, Norwalk has opened a walk-up window at City Hall to allow residents to pay taxes and conduct some additional business. It also reopened its yard waste facility and boat launch at Veteran’s Memorial Park — all on a limited basis. Parks and beaches could also soon reopen under certain guidelines. Retiring Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano (R-North Haven) said he favored a county-by-county approach to reopening — something that Lamont has noted is a possibility, given the great disparity in how the virus has traversed the state. As of April 27, there were over 10,700 cases in Fairfield County and nearly 7,000 in New Haven County, but 500-plus in New London and 400plus in Tolland counties. “To say that you’re reopening a restaurant in Montville (in New London County) and people are going to come from all parts of the state to go there is an argument that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” Fasano said. The senator further said that more clarity was needed on the data being utilized to devise the state’s reopening strategy. “What is the importance of testing? That eludes me,” he said. “Hospitalizations going down is good. But what are the specific goals we need to reach to set a baseline? It’s tough to change, modify and adapt behavior if you don’t know what the baseline is.” “We want to see these businesses open and their employees bringing home paychecks as soon as possible,” said Joe Brennan, president and CEO of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. “But the challenge of doing this safely is enormous.” Brennan said his peers in other states are likewise “anxious to see their states fully reopen, but are cognizant of the fact that doing so haphazardly and without proper planning will cause more harm down the road. “Connecticut businesses and the people they employ are nothing if not resilient,” he said. “That is why I’m confident that if we move forward with proper engagement from all stakeholders and bipartisan cooperation among policymakers, we will reopen our economy as safely, successfully and quickly as possible. We have no other choice.” MAY 4, 2020
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CONTRIBUTING WRITER By Carola Bracco and Stuart Marwell
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Navigating the coronavirus economy
ocial distancing, the closing of businesses and schools, and other isolating effects of COVID-19 have combined to reshape nearly all aspects of our lives, resulting in what might be thought of as the “Coronavirus Economy.” Economists say that the hard stop created by the sudden cessation of business ac-tivity is having an outsized impact compared to other downturns because there was little warning and no time for people to prepare. Some believe the economy may already be in recession. Now is the time for nonprofit organizations, area businesses and individual employers to resist knee-jerk reactions to cut back. Instead we must take the lead to help those who depend on us to weather the storm. Some groups are being hit much harder than others during this crisis. Many peo-ple work in jobs that offer few or no protections against an economic downturn. They receive no sick leave or other paid time off and they have no health insur-ance. When they are not able to work, they are not paid. Many will not receive government stimulus checks. If they feel sick, they may not go to the doctor. Without assistance, their families will go hungry. Some will become homeless, and the virus will spread faster and farther. More people will sicken and more will die. If they are laid off, experienced employees may be forced to leave the county to look for work or to move in with family members elsewhere. Once the economy rebounds—and it will—our workforces will be scattered. Local businesses will have to recruit and train new staff and rebuild their customer bases from the ground up. Recovery will be weaker and take longer. We must try to avoid this scenario. There are things that nonprofits, businesses and individuals can do to help ensure that all Westchester families make it through the economic downturn. This is in the best interests of the entire county. When all people are cared for, everyone benefits. At Neighbors Link, for example, we are prioritizing emergency services, such as providing legal assistance and one-on-one crisis support to our clients, while also providing remote learning opportunities to our ESL and Parent Educa-tion program participants. We are calling hundreds of people each day keeping them updated, checking in on them, and giving them very critical information if they become ill. We have part-nered with Feeding Westchester to ensure that everyone in our community has the food they need while they are staying home We continue to pay our employees and we are grateful to our generous donors for helping us do that.
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Carola Bracco and Stuart Marwell
Corporations should also give priority to paying their employees, even if facilities are shut down. At Curtis Instruments, we have long recognized that our people are our most important resource. We provide a positive work environment that helps them be fully engaged and committed to serving our customers. We are loyal to our people and in return they are loyal to us. When this crisis is over, we know our teams will be healthy and ready to return to work. We will be able to hit the ground running because we have protected our greatest asset. Individuals who employ people to work in their homes as cleaners and nannies or on their properties as gardeners and landscapers should also give priority to paying their employees. Future government stimulus packages will not cover many of these workers. It is critical that they continue to be able to buy food, medicine, and other necessities so they can take care of themselves and avoid the need for more intensive assistance down the road. Helping these workers now translates in-to having a stronger, healthier community tomorrow. All of the actions that we take today should be done with the future recovery in mind. The way to get through this crisis is to stand together and help one another. We must protect the most vulnerable among us in order to protect all of us. Oth-erwise, the “Coronavirus Economy” could end up being more deadly than the vi-rus itself. Carola Bracco is the executive director of Neighbors Link, a nonprofit that helps integrate immigrants into the community. Stuart Marwell is the president and CEO of Curtis Instruments, an industrial equipment company. Both organizations are headquartered in Mount Kisco.
Ridgefield’s RVNAhealth rises to the challenge in unsettled environment BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN
“We were mobilizing and going into emergency mode in January and February,” Santoro said. “And we began sourcing PPE very early, as it quickly became apparent that we were going to be called upon to care for COVID-19 patients.” Thanks to longstanding relationships with some PPE vendors, RVNA got something of a jump on the situation, she said. “And we’ve also received donations from all over the place — $10 here, $20 there — from the community, who have been very generous, along with the Department of Public Health.” Even so, as the crisis worsened, RVNA began paying top dollar, as has been the case with nearly all providers. “We spent about $40,000 over the last two weeks of March,” Santoro said. “Surgical masks, which usually cost around 60 cents, were almost $4 apiece, at a time when we needed hundreds of them. “But that was never a consideration,” she said. “I’m never going to cut corners when it comes to protecting our staff and patients. I paid what I was quoted and we continued with our mission.” A large part of that mission involves continuing care for its non-COVID patient population. “Our physical therapists and occupational therapists are still doing what they’ve always done,” Santoro said, “and we’ve seen a significant uptick in our 24/7 live-ins, who include the elderly who oftentimes can’t live unsupervised.” Hospitals’ postponing elective surgeries has also resulted in a greater need for short-term care, she said, as well as for RVNA’s outpatient rehab services. In addition, curbside vaccinations for flu and other conditions — usually provided only occasionally — are now being done more regularly, as many patients have grown reluctant to enter the premises. Through it all, Santoro said, RVNA will remain ready for the next challenge. “We have a very strong infrastructure, a dedicated team, and the tools necessary,” she said.
kzimmerman@westfairinc.com
W
hile it’s hardly business as usual at RVNAhealth — formerly the Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association — its staff of 250-plus has kept up its defense in responding to the pandemic even as the governor said it has passed its peak. “We’ve remained pretty strong with our public health and community service lines, in alignment with the town of Ridgefield,” President and CEO Theresa Santoro said. “And we’ve had a lot of prior experience with public health crises — Hurricanes Sandy and Irene, H1N1, the swine flu. We’ve been down this road before.” Not that COVID-19 has been a walk in the park, Santoro cautioned. The home health and hospice services provider has cared for more than 100 COVID19 patients since the coronavirus arrived in Connecticut in early March. New admissions continue daily from across RVNA’s service region, which extends roughly from Greenwich to Southbury, ref lecting the expanding COVID population. They are expected to continue through at least the next several weeks, Santoro said. While Gov. Ned Lamont is maintaining that the general decline of virus-related hospitalizations in Fairfield County indicates that it has passed its peak, Santoro said that has not been her experience. “We just admitted five more positive patients yesterday (April 23),” she said, “and they all fell ill in their private homes, not in a hospital or other facility. And we’re still all out in full force. There’s been no slowdown for us.” While some RVNA staff — mostly nonhealth care workers — are telecommuting, Santoro emphasized that the majority of its 63 nurses are out in the field. The group’s experience dealing with past health care emergencies helped make it ready for the current situation, she said, with preparations beginning soon after the coronavirus news began arriving from China.
Top: A pair of RVNAhealth employees preparing to deliver medications to sheltering-at-home patients. Right: An RVNAhealth employee providing a curbside vaccination in Ridgefield.
I’m never going to cut corners when it comes to protecting our staff and patients.
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In Court | Bill Heltzel Tuckahoe hotel developer sues Revlon over deodorant can dumping
Bilwin is demanding that Revlon pay a share of the costs, past and future, under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act and under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The developer also accuses Revlon of negligence and of creating a public nuisance. Bilwin is represented by Rochester attorneys Linda R. Shaw, Dwight Kanyuck and Jonathan Tantillo.
TRUSTEE DEMANDS $1.2M FROM MICHAEL D’ALESSIO COHORTS
Rendering of Marriott SpringHill Suites, Tuckahoe
A hotel developer is demanding that Revlon Inc. help pay for cleaning up discarded cans of contaminated Mitchum antiperspirant that were dumped in a Tuckahoe landfill decades ago. Bilwin Development Affiliates of Eastchester sued Revlon Consumer Products Corp. of Manhattan on April 17 in U.S. District Court in White Plains, claiming that its Mitchum products contained Freon that polluted the property at 109-125 Marbledale Road. “It would be against equity and good conscience to permit (Revlon) to pass the burden of cleaning up the contaminants to (Bilwin),” the complaint states, and to have had the benefit of using the property “free of full responsibility for investigation, remediation, cleanup and removal of and response to the contamination.” “Revlon did not respond to an email asking for its side of the story. Bilwin, operated by Bill Weinberg, bought the 3.45-acre property in 2014 to build a five-story, 153-room Marriott SpringHill
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Suites and a restaurant. Marble had been quarried at the site until 1958. Then the village of Tuckahoe leased the land and ran a landfill for ashes, paper, dirt, stone and yard waste until 1978. Ardmar Realty Co. used it for parking, repairing and selling cars, until 1994. The property had been vacant for several years when Bilwin started working on the hotel project in 2012. Its environmental consultant found contaminants consistent with chemicals and metals that could have been produced by the auto repair business. The consultant investigated the property again in 2015, under a Brownfield Cleanup Agreement with the state. More automotive metals and chemicals, as well as contaminants associated with ash deposits, were found in the groundwater and soil. But numerous soil vapor samples also included Freon, a refrigerant and aerosol propellant that was banned in 1987 when it was deemed a significant cause of ozone depletion. The source of the Freon, according to the complaint, was
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not known. State agencies required the developer to remove 1,264 cubic yards of waste, and to install a depressurization system to block vapors from getting into the hotel, monitoring wells, soil borings and a system to remove vapor contaminants. Cleanup began in 2017, and that is when hundreds of crushed and intact cans of Mitchum antiperspirant, deodorant and aerosols, according to the complaint, were found. A laboratory allegedly found the contents of samples consistent with the Freon contamination. A hazardous disposal facility accepted the cans according to the complaint, but it is not feasible to remove all of the Freon in the groundwater. The contaminants continue to pose a risk to the property and surrounding community, the complaint states, and will have to be mitigated “in perpetuity.” Bilwin did not disclose how much it spent on assessing, cleaning and remediating the property, but it claims that Revlon has refused to pay any of it.
A bankruptcy trustee wants to claw back nearly $1.2 million that convicted fraudster Michael P. D’Alessio paid to an Indian casino, his accountant and his brotherin-law. Marianne T. O’Toole, the trustee, filed three adversary proceedings April 20 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains that names the Seminole Tribe of Florida, accountant Anthony Capeci of Huntington and brother-in-law Domenick Schettino of Purchase. O’Toole claims that most of the payments were improper because they were made after a Chapter 7 liquidation petition was filed and were not approved by the court. Some of the payments were made to Schettino before the bankruptcy petition was filed. They were fraudulent, the trustee contends, because D’Alessio knew he was broke and owed money to creditors and because Schettino was an insider. In 2018, three banks filed
Michael D’Alessio
the Chapter 7 petition against D’Alessio — head of White Plains commercial and residential development company Michael Paul Enterprises — claiming he owed $6.3 million. Then the federal prosecutor accused him of swindling investors in a $58 million Ponzi scheme, over failed real estate projects in Manhattan, the Hamptons and Westchester. D’Alessio pleaded guilty to bankruptcy fraud for concealing assets. Last year, he was sentenced to six years in prison. In 2017, as his real estate developments were floundering, D’Alessio allegedly made 19 payments to Schettino, from personal bank accounts, totaling $561,676. The transfers, according to the lawsuit, were done to hinder, delay or defraud creditors. “D’Alessio did not receive fair consideration or reasonable equivalent value in exchange for the … transfers,” the complaint states. He “was insolvent, or had incurred or was intending to incur debts beyond his ability to pay them as they became due.” One day after the banks forced him into Chapter 7 liquidation, D’Alessio allegedly wired $100,000 to the Seminoles and $300,000 to Capeci. Two days later, he wired $30,000 to Schettino and three days after that, $205,000 to the Seminoles. None of the transactions was approved by bankruptcy court. The Capeci and Schettino complaints cite text messages from a cellphone that was seized when D’Alessio was arrested: “I need some of my money tomorrow for Italy” and “I need my 100k I gave you to hold.” The recipient of the messages was not identified in U.S. Department of Justice disclosures, and O’Toole’s complaints do not explicitly link the messages to Capeci or Schettino. O’Toole is demanding that the defendants return the money that D’Alessio sent them. The Indian defendants include Seminole Hard Rock & Casino in Fort Lauderdale and Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment Inc. in Hollywood, California. O’Toole is represented by Long Island attorneys David A. Blansky, Holly R. Holecek, and Salvatore LaMonica.
In Court | Bill Heltzel
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Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.
CONTRACTOR SAYS MISSING DEVICES CAUSED TZEE LIGHTING BREAKDOWN
The specifications for a $17.7 million lighting contract for the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement omitted a crucial component, according to a lawsuit; no surge protectors were required. Seaport Lighting Inc. sued Tappan Zee Constructors, the joint venture that designed and built the bridge, on March 14 in U.S. District Court in White Plains. The Laguna Beach, California, wholesale electrical supplier is demanding $781,245 for extra expenses it incurred on the contract. “Had Seaport been permitted to use a distributor of its choosing with the knowhow for a project such as this,” the complaint states, “it would be one less factor contributing to the product malfunctions.” The lawsuit also names Lightstyle Automated Systems Inc., a San Diego lighting distributor; Signify North America Corp., a Somerset, New Jersey, affiliate of Netherlands-based Signify; and Welsbach Electrical Corp., a Queens electrical contractor. “We never comment on legal proceedings,” Elco van Groningen, Signify’s spokesperson, said in an email. None of the other contractors responded to requests for comment. The TZC joint venture solicited Seaport in 2014 to procure the bridge lights. Signify, according to the complaint, was specified as the lighting manufacturer and Lightstyle as the distributor. Seaport claims it wanted to work directly with Signify or chose its own distributor, “to ensure quality control,” but TZC reject-
ed the requests. Seaport said its specifications included surge protectors, a device that blunts voltage spikes that can damage electrical equipment. But an earlier “revised scope of work” allegedly did not include surge protectors. Seaport claims it alerted TZC to the discrepancy. Seaport bought the lights from Lightstyle for $12.6 million. Welsbach, which had a separate contract with TZC, installed them. The bridge lights began to malfunction in October 2017 for lack of surge protectors, according to the complaint. Seaport claims that its work was delayed and it incurred extra costs because Lightstyle and Signify did not perform according to the project’s specifications. “TZC has continued to engage in various stalling techniques to keep the project open without payment to Seaport,” the complaint states, “while the issues related to the malfunctioning products are resolved.” Seaport accuses TZC, Lightstyle, Signify and Welsbach of negligence and all but Welsbach of breach of contract. The TZC joint venture is a consortium of American Bridge Co., Fluor Enterprises, Granite Construction Northeast and Traylor Brothers Inc. The Tappan Zee project has cost about $4 billion. Gov. Andrew Cuomo had the new bridge named after his father, as the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. Seaport is represented by attorney Joshua E. Mackey of Millbrook.
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GUEST VIEW | By Robin Colner
A guide to reboot marketing activities during and after COVID-19
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with other local businesses will increase the impact of your efforts.
any of us are glued to our computers, phones, digital tablets and televisions during this time of social distancing and the new work-from-home reality. Clients, colleagues and students have been asking me to help them understand how to continue to message customers, clients and prospects in a sensitive and effective manner through digital channels. It is true that the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic will be enormous and disruptive. It is important, however, for businesses to continue marketing activities if possible in order to be better positioned for growth in the future. I recommend adopting the following phased approach to marketing and communications messaging.
SHOW YOUR CREATIVITY
Many businesses have implemented innovative strategies to provide products and services safely and remotely to their customers and clients. Showcase your employees, their stories and their creative solutions. Consider this type of messaging as a way to humanize your company and build a positive connection with the public. People are seeking personal and professional relationships that are built on trust. I have seen excellent examples of CEOs, managers and their colleagues using video to share their business advice in a caring, sensitive way. These can be distributed through emails and social media stories and posts. Recent research by Pew and EMarketer indicates a dramatic increase in social media usage especially on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn usage during the past few weeks.
HIGHLIGHT YOUR AVAILABILITY
Send communications via texts, phone calls, social media and emails to your current clients and customers to inquire as to their health, the health of their families and their current personal needs. This is the time to demonstrate your humanity and avoid sales driven messages.
PROVIDE HELPFUL INFORMATION
Follow-up that inquiry with details about how your business is currently operating under today’s conditions. It is also valuable to provide links to information regarding ways businesses and individuals can find useful government and private sector resources. This communication needs to be relevant to your audience and will vary by industry sector. Think out of the box, as messages may become redundant over the next few weeks with so many agencies and news sources providing an abundance of daily communications. For example, I have seen clever messages from nonfitness companies offering self-care tips, including complimentary yoga and meditation videos. Other businesses
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UPDATE YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE
have sponsored online group get togethers including virtual happy hours and lunches to foster connection during these isolating times.
DONATE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
If your business can afford to contribute resources to aid the health care industry, it will allow you to show a commitment to your community and inspire others to find ways they can help those in need. While many of us are not in a position to manufacture ventilators, I have been impressed by examples of local businesses sending food to hospital workers from struggling local restaurants as a way to demonstrate social responsibility. Remember to acknowledge the serious challenges people everywhere are confronting along with describing your own philanthropic activities. Collaboration
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People are seeking personal and professional relationships that are built on trust.
Now is the time to review and improve your online presence including your website, social media, video messaging and Google My Business profiles. It is also the time to formulate and implement a marketing plan to increase your email/SMS lists, reach out to influencers, test search and social media advertising and be ready to help customers and clients when they return to their offices and open their doors to the public. Everyone will be running hard to restart their company’s activities.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DISCOUNTS FROM DIGITAL PROVIDERS
Facebook advertising rates have declined on average by 30%. This provides an opportunity for businesses to test lead magnets to grow their email list. Mailchimp is offering temporary discounts to use its email service. Kabbage and Square have
partnered with Facebook to provide access to instant gift certificates to support local businesses. Google announced it will distribute credits to existing advertisers in the near future. Mobile Monkey, a messaging bot provider, is offering free basic accounts to new customers eager to experiment with SMS text messaging their customers. Professional service providers such as attorneys, bankers, insurance agents, Realtors, accountants and financial planners are well-positioned to produce a regular flow of “valuable” content in the form of webinars, podcasts, livestreams, blog posts, tutorials and newsletters to provide helpful advice to current clients and their referrals. Helping beats selling. This type of messaging reinforces the company’s values and its relationships with clients. It also allows providers to grow their email lists with additional prospects. Consumer products and discretionary service businesses should continue communicating with current customers, even if it’s at a reduced level of frequency. Customers and clients will remember how businesses demonstrated their values during this challenging time. Since digital and social marketing should always be customer-centric, ideally, each business should develop a customized marketing plan for this time. I wish you, your families, colleagues and staff continued good health. Most importantly, I hope everyone stays safe, recovers quickly and finds strength, comfort and resilience during these trying times. Robin Colner is the CEO of DigiStar Media, a full-service marketing firm that helps businesses and professionals generate visibility, leads and sales using digital and social media strategies. Colner is the director of the Digital and Social Media Professional Certificate Program at Fordham University’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies. She can be reached at 914-826-5512 or at RColner@DigiStarMedia.com, and on Twitter: @RobinColner.
FOCUS ON
WORKING FROM HOME WESTCHESTER AND FAIRFIELD COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNALS
Work from home and technology combine in financial services BY PETER KATZ pkatz@westfairinc.com
W
hile social distancing and the economic slowdown in response to the COVID-19 outbreak forced many businesses to embrace the work-from-home concept, it’s a concept that is far from brand new although it was not even close to being as ubiquitous as it has become. In September 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published a survey in which it found that 29% of wage and salary workers said they could work at home, 25% said they actually did work at home and 15% said they had days when all of their work took place at home. Of the workers surveyed, 33% said they had a flexible schedule but could not work at home and 24% said they had a flexible schedule and could work at home.
While some businesses have become largely virtual out of necessity and are using video conference calling, emails and online document exchanges and posting, others have been trending that way for years. Financial and banking services that were early adopters of technology and have been revisiting their deployment of personnel were well positioned to adapt to a world in the throes of a pandemic. “Nothing can replace face-toface communication, but financial technology is a wonderful and powerful tool,” Jeff Papa, the region director in Westchester for Chase, told the Business Journal. “We’ve been able to adjust our capabilities so that employees can still provide our services in an uninterrupted way, and in a safe work environment.” Papa said that 70% of the bank’s employees are working from home across the company. For those who
still need to go into the office or into a branch, there are extra precautions being taken to help ensure safety. “For example, we’ve enhanced nightly and daily cleaning globally in our offices and branches, and placed alcohol-based hand sanitizer throughout the branches,” Papa said. “For our frontline employees, 75% of our Westchester branches are operating ‘business as usual,’ with reduced hours, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Our advisers in the branches, financial advisers, small business bankers, home lending advisors are serving customers, business as usual, while working at home to reduce density in our branches.” Papa said that some branches were temporarily closed and bankers redeployed to branches that are open. He said that employees are being paid for their regularly sched-
uled hours, even if their hours are reduced. “We made sure that any branch with a drive-up window or glass partition teller window were among those that remained open for business, to give us the maximum flexibility to continue to provide critical services to our clients,” Papa said. “We’ve also stepped up our cleaning processes in all branches and ATMs to help reduce the spread of germs.” Papa said that the bank has been receiving a high volume of phone calls and is encouraging people to use self-service options as much as possible. For private or investment banking needs, video calls with clients have helped keep that face-to-face interaction. He said that Chase’s retail customers are being encouraged to enroll in online banking, while citing statistics from the AARP Foundation showing that twothirds of adults over age 50 do not
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use financial technology. Papa said Chase has created instructional videos showing step-by-step how to do things such as downloading the Chase mobile app and then using it to make payments or send money to family members or others. “It’s also important to note that as digital banking is on the rise, so is financial fraud,” Papa said, noting that Chase has internal security procedures, security measures built into its systems and offers security advice to customers. “Only access your bank via the mobile app or website. Financial institutions will not ask for confidential information, such as your name, password, PIN or other account information, when they reach out to you. Triple-check any social message, email or solicitation you receive, especially if it mentions COVID-19 and avoiding emails that have an urgent call to action or suspicious links, espe» WORK MAY 4, 2020
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GUEST VIEW | By Marvin Krislov
working from home
The college experience has turned into something entirely different
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ver a week or two in the middle of March, everything about the way we run Pace University changed. First we shifted to remote learning, as it became clear that it wasn’t safe to gather in lecture halls and seminar rooms. Next we asked our employees to work from home, once we knew that commuting wasn’t a good idea. Finally, we moved most students out of their residence halls, as it became clear that our remote period would last through the rest of the semester and Gov. Andrew Cuomo instituted the New York State on PAUSE order. Across the state and the country, everyone has had to reorient how they live and work. The shift was a big adjustment for our students, for our faculty, and for our staff. It has been a big change for me, too. But I’ve also come to realize just how much hasn’t changed. I’m running the university via phone calls and videoconferences. I’m teaching an undergrad-
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cially when the call or email asks for personal information.” Papa said that Chase was heavily involved in placing Small Business Administration loans during the first round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), with its business banking section funding around 18,000 loans for businesses that collectively employ approximately 350,000 people. “Commercial banking, dealer commercial services and the private bank — all combined — funded roughly 8,500 loans for businesses that employ over 750,000 employees,” Papa said. “In Chase business banking we are proud to have secured more funding for small businesses than anyone else in the industry. To date, 80% of our PPP loans have been for businesses with less than $5 million in revenue and about half of our PPP loans have been for less than $100,000. In addi-
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Marvin Krislov
uate course on public education via Zoom meetings. I’m figuring out how and when to safely go grocery shopping, and I’m pleased to report that my daughter, a college sophomore now continuing her own education remotely, and I are doing surprisingly good job of staying out of each other’s way as we spend our days working from different corners of home. Our faculty, staff, and students — and others
tion, more than 60% of our PPP funds have gone to businesses with fewer than 25 employees,” Papa said. “Across the firm, we funded around $14 billion in loans so far for businesses that employ more than 1.1 million people.” Papa said that Chase’s customer service specialists have been helping with things like delaying payments or increasing lines of credit for consumers and small businesses that have told the bank they’re struggling financially as a result of COVID-19. “Our bankers have been calling clients and walking them through online banking and making sure they know all the resources available to them and at times have walked them through setting up the app via the phone. So far, the feedback has been very reassuring and positive,” Papa said. “This is the time our customers need us the most and it’s part of our jobs to be there for them and help them feel comfortable and safe.”
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across Westchester — are dealing with these same challenges, and with many others. People are dealing with work, with families, with health and wellness, with keeping households together. What’s not at all different for so many of us are our values. It’s critically important to all of us at Pace that our students stay current in their coursework and on track toward their planned graduation. We’re working together, supporting each other, and helping our students to succeed. We’ll be using the summer to come up with even more innovative ways to educate our students, however that education is delivered. Pace has always been a community of hardworking, ambitious doers and strivers, and we’re still showing that same perseverance and dedication, just in different ways. In fact, what I’ve found most remarkable about all this change is how well it has gone. There have been some speed bumps along the way, of course. I’m certainly not the
The Chase bank on Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains. Photo by Bob Rozycki.
only faculty member who took a little while to interacting with my via little boxes on a screen rather than as people sitting around a table. I know students miss their friends and miss in-person interaction with their professors. But the fundamentals remain in place. Our faculty and staff remain dedicated to our students’ success, and are students remain hardworking, optimistic, and determined to succeed. Our IT department is reporting that nearly 2,000 videoconferences are happening across the university each day, for lectures and counseling and tutoring and meetings. We’re seeing connections from more than 75 countries around the world, as students, faculty, and staff continue their work from wherever they are — and continue to meet and collaborate with global partners. We’re running virtual social events to keep students connected to one another, and we’re providing support for our faculty and staff, both the kind that helps them do their jobs and the kind that helps
them stay calm, happy, focused and grounded. The technology we have available today — combined with the resilience we’ve always displayed — is what lets us keep doing our work so effectively. Perhaps for the first time, I’m telling parents to encourage their students to keep their heads buried in their computers or their phones. It’s how we’ll all keep learning, keep connecting, avoid loneliness. It’s why we’re creating programming to keep everyone connected even as we’re separated. And it’s how all of us will stay strong. I can’t pretend to know precisely what’s going to happen over the next few months. But I do know that our students will remain on their educational paths —and ultimately see themselves enriched and strengthened by the experience of the extraordinary times we’re living through. The writer is Marvin Krislov president of Pace University. He can be reached mkrislov@pace.edu
GUEST VIEW | By Dan and Sammi Taplitz
Five tips for working remotely during a crisis or anytime
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hen the mandate to work from home was announced, many businesses and nonprofits scrambled to become operational from a remote workspace. Some organizations chose to access their email and applications directly using online versions via an internet browser, while other organizations were using various remote software tools to “take over� their office workstation. Either way, many are having to work remotely in some capacity, and more than likely your organization will choose to adopt a remote work policy moving forward. Now is a great time to assess your current remote setup and plan for what your work from home strategy will look like in the future. The following are some of our suggested tips for how to have a remote workspace prepared for use at any time. Identify work from home needs. Every technology environment is unique to a business or organization as well as the remote location from which you will be working. Analyzing the current remote infrastructure is a critical step in working productively from home. Begin the process by reviewing the existing technology in your home and comparing it with your office setup. For example, if you are using a laptop at home and a workstation with a dual monitor in the office, you may want to add peripherals such as additional monitors, a keyboard and a mouse to make your laptop a complete solution. Establish a secure connection. Internet access is required to work remotely, but is that connection secure? When sharing and accessing files, do it safely and securely. We advise our clients to use a remote connection with a VPN (virtual private network) to safeguard files while sharing and working on them. Our number one recommendation to keep applications and files secure, is to use multifactor authentication whenever you are able, especially when logging into to a remote connection. Access programs and files from the office server. Be sure that you have the programs and files you need to do your job. A remote connection uses your home workstation or laptop as a vehicle to get to your office workstation. Once the con-
nection is securely established, you have access to applications, email profiles, files and server drives just as if you were in the office. Take inventory of programs and files essential to your workflow and make sure they are available to you. Utilize collaboration tools. Communication with both internal staff and external clients is critical, and there are collaboration applications available to allow us to connect virtually in place of in person meetings. Many companies already utilize tools that allow for such collaboration with file management system programs like Office 365, G-Suite and Box, and VoIP internet phone systems. Understand the capabilities offered using tools from software you already have in place for video meetings, messaging, file and screen sharing and take advantage of these features and functionality. Make sure your remote technology can support these tools as workstation video and audio capabilities are usually required. Set up print and scan capabilities from a remote environment. Along with being able to access important files, many have a need for printing and scanning files from their remote workspace. Using a remote software tool allows you to access your local printer and scanner, which prevents the common problem of users emailing themselves office files to print and scan from their home devices. One final bonus tip, email providers offer an encryption feature that allows you to protect the content of email messages from being read by entities other than the intended reader. It is a critical time to be able to work from home, but organizations should take this opportunity to plan for remote access for the foreseeable future. Stay tuned for announcements about our roundtable discussions, focusing on remote workspace topics and more in the coming months. Stay healthy and connect securely! Dan and Sammi Taplitz are co-owners of Right Click Solutions LLC (www. rcsllc.net), a technology solutions firm in Northern Westchester, servicing global businesses and nonprofit organizations. For inquiries, please email team@rcsllc. net
www.bridgetflynn.com
MESSY DESK OR HOUSE?
Here are the top three tips on decluttering your workspace for good: 1. Do a deep decluttering & organize to give clutter a home. 2. Create a beautiful space. 3. Be willing to create some new habits. If you want to get organized for good AND step into an uplifting workspace every morning, then try Desk for Success, the signature work-from-home program from Intuitive Interiors. It is available at a 50% discount for a limited time. Contact Bridget Flynn, a member of the Westport Young Woman's League and The Westport BNI, at bridget@bridgetflynn.com.
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GUEST VIEW | By Laura Persky
working from home
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Tips on working remotely in this new world
or those of us who have worked from home before, working remotely in the new social distancing reality is merely a matter of adapting skills we have already mastered. But for many people, juggling work responsibilities while watching children, silencing barking dogs and managing new video conferencing platforms can be a challenge. Why is it that some people can productively work from home and others lounge around accomplishing little? Having successfully worked remote and part time for many years before the dreaded coronavi-
rus pandemic, I can offer some advice on the skills needed to be an effective remote worker. First and foremost, you need discipline to get to your desk or workspace, and stay focused. It requires discipline to maintain focus on work projects and not get caught up in the kitchen. It is helpful, mentally and physically, to have a dedicated workspace. It can be a folding table, one end of a dining table or any corner of a room. Having a space designated as the work area helps reinforce discipline. Check messages and respond quickly.
While it is good to turn off work to take breaks, part time or remote workers that respond to messages quickly make their employers feel like they are very present and engaged. This can help overcome the “out of sight out of mind” or she’s “only a part-timer” mentality. Schedule your tasks and set time limits for projects or even for checking email, and then have a reward for completion. This provides a limit, an ending and a small break after. For example, tell yourself “I will work on this story or this project for 1.5-2 hours. After it is done I can have a
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reward like walking the dog or having a snack.” Try to stick with the project for the set time. People often find that once they get absorbed in the work the time goes by faster than expected. Reward children as well as yourself for work accomplished. Put up a DO NOT DISTURB sign on your door and reward children with an activity or treat for allowing mom or dad to work in peace for a set amount of time. Set goals and deadlines even when they are not provided. This helps one stay motivated and complete projects. Having deadlines is a tool to combat procrastination. Keep a routine. If you normally exercise before work, keep that up from home or a remote location. If you exercise at lunch or after work, set your schedule to keep that up. It is important to feel like there are routines and transitions in the daily activity schedule. Get dressed for work. It doesn’t have to be as formal as office dress but make an effort to change out of pajamas because it provides a psychological benefit that can help one keep motivated. Communicate with your bosses and let them know what you are doing if they have not asked. Send a note with your the weekly accomplishments or more often if applicable. Let them know about small wins that you might have shared in person. If you feel disconnected then it is likely others do as well. Don’t wait to be asked — offer up a list of accomplishments to keep communication open. Having accomplishments in writing is also helpful when it is time for a review or an interview. Adjust your work environment for maximum comfort. The quick change over to a home work environment has left some people unprepared. Ergonomics are important, especially when working long hours at a desk. Without a comfortable office chair, there may be aches and pains. Try to improvise. Don’t have a standing desk? Create one by stacking boxes under your lap top. Take a walk to refresh body and mind. I recommend taking a walk to help combat the afternoon slump. A brisk walk provides a refreshing energy boost for the late afternoon. Many of us are walking a lot less than we used to so it is important to consciously bring activity back into our day. Adopting some of these practices can make working from home more productive. You may not even want to go back to the office after this is all over. Laura Persky, MBA Ed.D., is associate dean of Manhattanville College School of Professional Studies. She can be reached at Laura.persky@mville.edu.
Alan Haywood, Roy Hargrove (detail), Photograph, 20”x24”
ARTSNEWS MAY 2020
Photography is a special medium, as is music... In This Issue: Read about photography (page A4), streaming music (A30) and more.
A PUBLICATION OF ARTSWESTCHESTER SPONSORED BY:
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Westchester County Business Journal • ARTSNEWS
From the County Executive Thank you for taking a few moments to read this May edition of ArtsNews. As you may already know, many arts events have been canceled or postponed as a result of the Coronavirus. These are unprecedented times, and we are all worried about the impact that COVID-19 can have on the health and well-being of all residents living in Westchester County. Our arts community is one of many that are hurting, and many of our organizations will struggle to bounce back from the devastating impact of this illness. But, there are many groups that are doing everything they can to change and adapt during these challenging times – moving classes online, encouraging art-making on social media, live-streaming concerts and more. I encourage you all to take a few moments of respite, and participate if you can. ArtsWestchester will be a resource for our struggling artists and arts group as this public health crisis unfolds. Our message is a simple one – the arts are here to help heal us, and the arts will still be here for us when we get through this crisis stronger than ever before. Thank you, George Latimer Westchester County Executive
MAY 2020
Contents A4
THE ART IS IN THE PROCESS
A10
THE EPHEMERAL NATURE OF THINGS
A14 A18
THE CULTURAL COST OF COVID-19
A20 A24
AFTER MONTHS OF ISOLATION... REVITALIZATION
A28 A30
"BETTER BY FARR" MOVIE PICKS
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ARTIST STORIES IN THE TIMES OF COVID-19
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MEANDERING THROUGH LYNDHURST
A38
CULTURAL LEADERS TALK ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19
A PUBLIC ART UPDATE FROM ARTSWESTCHESTER
EVERYONE'S GONE DIGITAL!
TOUGH TIMES CALL FOR SWEET MEASURES
The work of ArtsWestchester is made possible with support from Westchester County Government. George Latimer
Benjamin Boykin
Chairman, Westchester Board of Legislators
County Executive
WESTCHESTER BOARD OF LEGISLATORS José Alvarado Nancy E. Barr Catherine Borgia Terry Clements Kitley S. Covill Margaret A. Cunzio
Vedat Gashi Christopher A. Johnson Damon R. Maher Catherine Parker MaryJane Shimsky Colin Smith
David Tubiolo Ruth Walter Alfreda A. Williams Lyndon Williams
31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains | 914.428.4220
Janet T. Langsam
Chief Executive Officer
Michael J. Minihan Board President
Thanks to our generous supporters
Sydney Mitchell
Rocío De La Roca
Graphic Designer & Creative Manager
ArtsNews Editor & Communications Manager Contributor & Communications Associate
Katelynn DiBiccari Graphic Designer
ArtsNews (artsw.org), your guide to arts and culture in Westchester County, NY, is published by ARTSWESTCHESTER, a private, not-for-profit organization established in 1965. The largest of its kind in New York State, it serves more than 150 cultural organizations, numerous school districts, hundreds of artists, and audiences numbering more than one million. The goal of ArtsWestchester is to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts in Westchester.
O ARD F LEG IS BO
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Board Chairman
Mary Alice Franklin
Director, Marketing & Communications
RS TO LA
COU NT Y
Joseph and Sophia Abeles Foundation, Alexander Development Group, Anchin, Block & Anchin, AvPORTS, Bank of America, Benerofe Properties, Berkeley College, Bloomingdales, The Thomas & Agnes Carvel Foundation, Con Edison, Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts, Entergy, Ethan Allen Interiors, The Examiner, Galleria White Plains, Ginsburg Development LLC, Houlihan-Parnes Realtors, LLC, Inspiria, Jacob Burns Foundation, The Journal News, Key Bank, Kite Realty, The Liman Foundation, M&T Bank, Macy's, Marx Realty/Cross County Shopping Center, MAXX Properties, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Pace University, Peckham Industries, Inc., People's United Bank, Reckson, A Division of SL Green Realty, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Ridge Hill, TD Bank, Venu Magazine, Wells Fargo, Westchester Family, Westchester Magazine, Westchester Medical Center, Westfair Communications, White Plains Hospital, Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP
John R. Peckham
Debbie Scates Lasicki
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/ArtsWestchester | @ArtsWestchester
Westchester County Business Journal • ARTSNEWS
MAY 2020
FROM THE CEO
By Janet Langsam, ArtsWestchester CEO
A Dream On Hold We at ArtsWestchester have launched a campaign to raise funds for a sector of our community that has suffered hardships during this pandemic — our artists. Think about the individual artist, one who may be ready to sing at a local theater. She has hired the back-up, reserved the date, rehearsed the melodies, spent some hard-earned cash on arrangements, and poof… the show can’t go on…there’s a pandemic going on instead in Westchester. Restaurants and theaters are shut tight and a young singer, and many like her, must put her dream on hold. Putting a
Today’s many artists, painters, actors, and playwrights are putting their dreams on hold due to cancellations of exhibitions and performances." dream on hold is a painful reality in this crisis that impacts us all. Today’s many artists, painters, actors and playwrights are putting their dreams on hold due to cancellations of exhibitions and performances. They have struggled endlessly over the years to present their work to the public…but these events may never come to pass. For many artists, putting a dream on hold means putting a life on hold. We can give that singer a small grant to compensate her for what she has already spent. But how can we make up for the dream on hold? It’s not only about money. A $500 grant in recognition of her losses is helpful, but more important is a recognition of the loss of a dream yet to come. A small gift to say “Here’s the applause you may have missed. Let this grant sustain your dream until we all can gather once again to hear your song, see your painting, watch your play.” Let us keep our creative community together and ready for the next show.
Alexis Cole performing at Morton's the Steakhouse during JazzFest White Plains 2018
See page A32 for more about this campaign.
Don’t miss Janet’s weekly blog posts at: thisandthatbyjl.com
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feature
The Art is the Process of Making the Image by John Rizzo, photographer
Arnold Kastenbaum, Light at Middlebury College, Toned Gelatin Silver Print, 16”x20”
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MAY 2020
Westchester County Business Journal • ARTSNEWS
Photography is as special a medium as music is. Can you tell me who your favorite band is? I can’t. There are just too many sounds and different styles that I love, and picking my favorite would be an impossible task. The same is true with photography. Ever since the 1840s, when photographic processes were improved and simplified, thereby making it affordable to the masses for the first time, photographers have used it to find their voices. When I think of portraits, I think of Edward Curtis’s work with the Native Americans; reportage, I think of Mathew Brady’s Civil War images and W. Eugene Smith’s work in the Japanese fishing village of Minimata; for still life, I think of Irving Penn; and fashion, I think of Richard Avedon. We have the opportunity to enjoy the vastly different and unique visual experiences from whatever perspective the artist chooses. The nine photographers in ArtsWestchester’s 2020 Lawrence Salley Photography Award online exhibition capture a wide range of subjects, perspectives and techniques. For instance, contrary to popular notion, digital photography has not made it easier to capture outstanding images. Yes, you can capture snapshots more easily, but the photographs in this exhibition are not just snapshots – there is effort, thought process, patience and discipline needed in order to capture something outstanding. Nor are the photographs in this exhibition all digital. Some of the artists represented in the show, such as Howard Goodman and Arnold
Kastenbaum, who is this year’s Lawrence Salley Photography Award winner, are using the traditional capture and printing methods of film and darkrooms, which require a great deal of effort. There isn’t much visual consistency among the nine exhibiting photographers, except that they are all working with a box that has a lens attached to it and are pointing it in the way their heart tells them to. For instance, the works of Kastenbaum, Goodman, and Joseph Squillante remind me of painters who happen to be working in the medium of photography, Tom Atwood’s work is as unique as his subjects, and John Verner has a strong sense of color and the street. Point being, put nine photographers in a room with one subject to photograph and you will get nine distinctly different images. How can this be? We all see differently, even if we are not aware of it. From my own experiences, I get a sensation that is hard to describe whenever all of the elements that I look for come together in one moment. I look for the convergence of color, light, composition and timing. These are my gods. And they are shy and elusive. It takes a thousand hours of looking to find them. This is the discipline part of the medium of photography. Like anything, professionals make this stuff look easy. But it ain’t. It takes a lot of drive, personal time, expense and just plain hard work to create images like the ones on view in this exhibition. And that is why it is so important to support these fine artists. They are doing this work without any kind of return guaranteed,
It takes a lot of drive, personal time, expense and just plain hard work to create images like the ones on view in this exhibition.”
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MAY 2020
feature
John Verner, Laundry Day, 2019, Digital Photography, 13”x19”
and that takes a lot of guts. There is one important thing to remember: the art isn’t just the final image. The art is the process of making the image. The photographer’s timing, planning, dedication and execution. Backstage is not what you think. There are no cast parties after the show. It takes a tremendous effort to create a body of photographic work. The darkroom requires endless patience to remake a print that may not yet be what was envisioned, requiring a redo. Street photography comes with obstacles, such as crowds, traffic and police. You have to persevere. I have a singular focus when working; I only want to get the image I came for, and I will do anything to get it. I suspect that the artists represented in this show know all too well about this. They have done the hard work and have put themselves out there. Now we are the lucky ones who get to enjoy it.
ON VIEW NOW artsw.org/lsalley2020 #AWonline
MAY 2020
Westchester County Business Journal • ARTSNEWS
Howard Goodman, Forks, Silver Gelatin Print, 17”x14”
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MAY 2020
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A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words More photos from exhibiting photographers in ArtsWestchester’s 2020 Lawrence Salley Photography Award online exhibition (see page A6).
Margaret Fox, Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse with Kayaker, 2019, Archival Fine Art Print, 17”x22”
Tom Atwood, Madison Hildebrand, 2017, 35 mm Digital, Inkjet, 16”x20”
Gina Randazzo, Un Violador En Tu Camino (A Rapist In Your Path), Outside Harvey Weinstein Trial, 1/10/20, Archival Pigment Print, 17”x22”
MAY 2020
Westchester County Business Journal • ARTSNEWS
Joseph Squillante, Painterly Sky, 1996, Artist Proof, 15”x18”
Barry Mason, Alpha Stars Step Team Performing at Arts on 3rd, Mt. Vernon, NY, 2013, Digital Print, 9.25”x14”
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MAY 2020
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The Ephemeral Nature of Things​ by Michelle Falkenstein
Five days a week, artist Chris Soria hops on his silver bicycle at 7 a.m. and takes a five-minute ride from his Nyack home to an underpass on the Rockland County side of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. On the way, he picks up coffee and breakfast sandwiches for himself and three friends who are helping with his latest mural project, The Flux of Being.
Chris Soria (photo courtesy of New York State Thruway Authority)
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Mural rendering courtesy of the artist and New York State Thruway Authority
“It’s a balancing act the rest of the way,” Soria jokes. After breakfast, he and his crew get to work on Soria’s colorful 4,000-square-foot mural that depicts the flora and fauna of the Hudson Valley parading across a geometric background. Soria, 40, was one of eight artists chosen to create 10 commissioned artworks on or near the bridge’s 3.6-mile-long shared pedestrian and bicycle path. The artwork selection committee, which included representatives from ArtsWestchester, Arts Council of Rockland and the New York State Thruway Authority, reviewed more than 100 applications before choosing the winners. Painting a mural this large takes a lot of work—hence the helpers. Soria is being assisted by three artists from the metro area. The foursome suits up in helmets, masks and coveralls before they get to work. They use hand sanitizer and maintain social
distancing as they navigate the South Nyack underpass. Soria, who has painted many outdoor murals before, says the team is undisturbed during their seven-hour workday because the path is not yet open to the public. “It has its advantages,” he says. “I like public interaction, but it can really prolong the process.” The mural fills the walls and ceiling of the tunnel, extending to the surfaces that flare out at both entrances. It features trees, animals, plants, insects, fish, birds, fungi, reptiles and mollusks in a brilliant color palette. “In the design, I play with the scale of these specimens—in some cases increasing the size of smaller subjects, such as leaves and insects, and decreasing the size of larger forms, such as bears and trees,” he says, which he hopes will let viewers relate to these creatures in new ways.
The foursome suits up in helmets, masks and coveralls before they get to work. They use hand sanitizer and maintain social distancing as they navigate the South Nyack underpass."
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feature Fabricating a mural requires a number of steps: priming the surface, sketching the design, painting it and adding UV and antigraffiti coating. Using water-based latex paint, Soria colors the fauna and flora first and the abstract geometrical background second. “I’m painting around the deer instead of painting the deer on abstract geometry,” he explains. The mural is 16 feet high, which requires him to be harnessed and lifted on scaffolding.
The mural is 16 feet high, which requires him to be harnessed and lifted on scaffolding."
Mural rendering courtesy of the artist and New York State Thruway Authority
“My mural process often involves the use of a variety of mediums that precede fabrication of the actual mural painting,” he says. “So while the mural is made with brushes and paint, it’s fair to say that it is also created with pencil, pen, scissors, glue, paper, computer and a bunch of materials that may not appear in the physical mural, but certainly get it where it’s going.” Soria, who earned his BFA at Parsons School of Design, has been painting murals for 15 years. He’s also one half of Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, a company that creates elaborately carved pumpkins for television, corporate events and live audiences. While carved pumpkins survive for only a week and a mural can last for decades, Soria sees a connection to his current project. “Even though the mural is more or less permanent, one of its primary subjects is the ephemeral nature of things,” he says.
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The Ralph Martinelli Memorial Golf Outing
Gotta Love the Arts!
Honoree Andrew Greenspan
Honoree Andrew Benerofe
On the new date of Tuesday, September 22, a full field of golfers will tee off at Wykagyl Country Club. In the spirit of camaraderie and good sportsmanship, ArtsWestchester will honor the memory of Ralph Martinelli, a friend of the arts and dedicated golfer. Martinelli was not only a good golfer, he was also a champion in business and in giving back to the community. He supported many nonprofits, including ArtsWestchester, and was a friend to all. His generosity of spirit continues through his brother, Richard Martinelli, who now serves on the ArtsWestchester Board and its golf committee.
The newly renamed Ralph Martinelli Memorial Golf Outing will also honor two leaders, Andrew Benerofe of Benerofe Properties, and Andrew Greenspan of GHP Realty, whose participation and active support every year have elevated this event to being a major fundraiser for ArtsWestchester. Golfers can join the team of players who love the challenge of competing on a championship course along with the fun of supporting the arts at the same time. Foursomes are limited, so early reservations are recommended at artsw.org/golf.
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The Cultural Cost of COVID-19 by Randy Cohen, Vice President of Research and Information, Americans for the Arts
Friday Night Take-Out at The Pleasantville Diner (photo credit: Todd Shapera Photography)
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The coronavirus is having a devastating impact on America’s arts sector. Since the first U.S. case was diagnosed, cancellations and closings are being reported at thousands of arts organizations across the country, artists are posting high unemployment rates, and organizations are furloughing staff. Financial Losses to the Arts Americans for the Arts created the COVID-19 Impact on the Arts Survey to measure the financial and human impacts that the coronavirus has had on the arts. The survey opened on March 13 and, to date, we have received more than 12,000 responses. The findings make plain the damage to the arts sector. Nationally, financial losses to the nonprofit arts sector are estimated to be $4.5 billion (as of April 6). That is up from $3.2 billion just three weeks earlier. Nonprofit arts organizations have lost an estimated 197 million admissions due to cancelled or postponed events. Other findings from the study include: 94% groups have cancelled events; 29% have used financial reserves; 34% have reduced creative workforce (artists); 23% have reduced staff, while 43% report that it is “likely” they will reduce staff (28% say “extremely likely”); 24% have reduced salaries/payroll; and 69% expect this crisis to have a “severe” impact on their organization (36% expect an “extremely severe” impact).
Nationally, financial losses to the nonprofit arts sector are estimated to be $4.5 billion (as of April 6)." Economic Impact of Financial Losses What is the economic cost of 197 million fewer audience members passing through the turnstiles? It’s $6.2 billion, and here’s how we know: Americans for the Arts’ Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 study demonstrates that the typical arts
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feature attendee spends $31.47 per person, per event, not including the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking, lodging and retail. Do the math and this means that local businesses already have missed out on $6.2 billion in event-related spending by arts audiences. Taken together, the $10.7 billion in total financial losses ($4.5 billion by arts organizations + $6.2 billion in event-related spending by arts audiences) has resulted in 304,000 jobs no longer being supported and $1.8 billion in lost revenue to federal, state and local governments. The Rebuilding Power of the Arts Clearly, this is a distressing time for the country, with more uncertainty ahead. When the crisis does end, however, the arts should be looked to as an essential tool in both economic recovery and reconnecting our communities. Getting people out of their houses and spending money again will be key to jump-starting the economy (70% of the U.S. economy is consumer spending). This is what the arts do. They create social and economic opportunities—attending a festival, visiting a museum, going to the theater, seeing a The Mead Orchard Farm Ftand at the Pleasantville Farmers Market (photo credit: Todd Shapera Photography) concert—and every time, that attendee will spend an average of $31.47 beyond the ticket cost. regardless of age, race and ethnicity,” 73% agree that the arts “help This provides income to local businesses, energizes our downtowns, [them to] understand other cultures better” and 81% of the population promotes visitation to different neighborhoods, and puts people to says the arts are a “positive experience in a troubled world.” work. Total national event-related spending in 2015 was $103 billion What’s more, these perspectives are observed across all and supported more than two million jobs! demographic and economic categories. The arts also will create opportunities to heal the isolation caused The coronavirus toll is heavy, but the arts can be our greatest by social distancing and unify our communities. Regardless of who asset in recovering from the crisis socially and economically. This is we voted for, or our personal faith, everyone loves arts experiences, why doing everything in our power to bolster the arts now will make such as attending local festivals, working together on a community our nation stronger later. mural, or seeing Hamilton for a second time. These are things we do together—shared and meaningful experiences in public spaces—and This article was originally published by Americans for the Arts as the research shows that the public understands these well-being “It’s the Arts. Troubling News, Yet Still Room for Optimism.” benefits: 72% of Americans believe “the arts unify our communities
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spotlight
Turning Creative Energy to Mask-Making by Kathleen Reckling, Deputy Director of Public Programs, ArtsWestchester
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a community of creatives throughout Westchester – seamstresses, tailors and artists – are focused on the most important cause at hand: quelling the spread of the virus. After concerns about the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers, cloth masks were being worn over the required N95 masks as a way of managing the supply and prolonging the efficacy of the N95s. So artists and makers rallied. Armed with sewing machines and bolts of fabric, they began to stitch. Liz Maryland Poling-Hiraldo, Jayne Grant and Khamla Erskine are founding members of Croton Face Mask Makers, a grassroots collective of some 500 volunteers who have focused their energies on making masks and scrub caps for front line workers. They use a Facebook Group to share patterns and tips, and to coordinate mask donations. In their first month of collaboration, they prepared 6,502 masks to donate to dozens of facilities in the Hudson Valley and Connecticut. To keep up the momentum, they are welcoming all volunteers to join the fight. There is no shortage of similar stories of art-fueled generosity from across the region. Jennifer Hoertz of Brewster, NY, an expert milliner who is usually readying for Derby season, also turned to mask-making to protect friends and family. She has donated more than 150 masks to
Masks by Croton Face Masks Makers (photo credit: Kiersten Rose Fiorio)
Mask by artist Haifa Bint-Kadi (photo courtesy of the artist)
workers in the United States and Puerto Rico. ArtsWestchester teaching artist Haifa Bint-Kadi of Yonkers began exploring what made N95 masks so effective. With this knowledge, and in addition to her guided meditative art workshops on Zoom, BintKadi went to work converting HVAC filters into her own colorful masks. She explains: “Part of the art-making process is always research. Throughout my life, I have found these skills to be transferrable, even in the midst of a pandemic.” Liza Fuller was a long-time employee of the New York design company Homenature which, like so many businesses, was forced to reduce staffing and close their brick and mortar stores. Recently, and before the virus outbreak, she had pulled her sewing machine out of the closet to teach her fiancé how to sew. Now she’s mask-making. Helping her neighbors weather the pandemic has given her a new mission. “The sewing machine has been sitting on my dining table,” she says. “It finally got a purpose.”
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A Public Art Update From ArtsWestchester Dear Friend of the Arts: One of the most endearing things about the arts is its power to bring people together. That’s what we had in mind when we initiated a major public art project that would be sewn by many hands in the community. Unfortunately, the social distancing that is required due to the COVID-19 virus has curtailed our sewing sessions and we need more time to complete Metropolis Sunrise, the monumental work of public art by artist Amanda Browder. While the unveiling of the work was originally scheduled for May 2020, we now need to move the installation date forward to allow time to complete the work. Once it is safe to gather, we will resume sewing sessions. In the meantime, we are considering the feasibility of some “Zoom” sewing sessions.
Collectively, we have sewn an incredible 6,500 square-feet of fabric, which means that we are twothirds of the way towards completing our goal of sewing 10,000 square-feet! We have rallied a staggering number of volunteers – some 400 individuals – and partners. Metropolis Sunrise is fundamentally an expression of a community working together to bring beauty and vibrancy to their shared living space. During these times, such connectivity is more important than ever. ArtsWestchester will continue to find ways of connecting around public art-making and placemaking. We ask that you stay in touch with us as we work to complete and celebrate the entirety of this project. We thank Amanda Browder, our volunteers and our partners for their contributions to this project!
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Rendering by Amanda Browder
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After Months of Isolation… Revitalization by Mary Alice Franklin, ArtsNews Editor Gardens at Hammond Museum (photo courtesy of Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden)
A welcome word lingers with possibility after months of isolation: revitalization. Waiting in the wings, or perhaps the bamboo shoots as the case may be, is Lara Netting, trustee at the Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden. Netting is the manager of Hammond’s Revitalization Project, which was to be put into motion this spring as a way of creating a more immersive stroll garden experience for its visitors. The Museum was awarded a microgrant of $5,000 by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP) to help accomplish this undertaking. In a Japanese garden, everything is intentional. Each plant is chosen with purpose. The project will assess the state of the Museum's current gardens, working with garden design and care expert Charles Sadler to identify key plants and spaces for improvement. Volunteers will work alongside Sadler to mend and develop those portions of the garden in need of restoration. They will also learn pruning techniques for future maintenance, ensuring the garden’s sustainability. The CGP initiative, available to nonprofit Japanese gardens
in the United States, intends to “foster mutual understanding between the U.S. and Japan on a grassroots level.” The project is even set to be presented at the North American Japanese Garden Association biennial symposium in San Diego this fall, with Netting speaking on the history of the garden, Sadler on the design of the restoration, and Yann Giguere of Mokuchi Woodworking on Japanese tea house construction. A stroll garden is intended to encourage contemplation, leading to a deeper understanding of nature – something that many people are yearning for from their living rooms. However for now, the possibility of a newly refreshed garden space has been put on hold. That is, until Governor Cuomo determines that it is safe to conduct business once again. “We expect the Revitalization Project to go forward, even if COVID-19 forces the work to be rescheduled for 2021,” says Netting. Once the project is underway, she says that the work will be documented on the Museum's website, giving visitors a peek into the process with before and after photos of the key garden plants and spaces.
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spotlight In Memoriam: Don Cecil Donald Cecil, a dedicated friend of the arts and education, and a champion of those less fortunate, recently passed away. He and his late wife Jane were well-known figures in the philanthropic world of Westchester – at the Neuberger Museum of Art, the Purchase College Foundation and at A dedicated friend of ArtsWestchester, the arts and education, from whom they received the 2016 and a champion of Arts Patron Award those less fortunate..." (Jane posthumously). Don Cecil was a Yale man, an executive in a family business, and finally a successful investor and financial advisor. In retirement, he devoted himself to philanthropy and education by mentoring young people through the Jandon Scholars, a program he and his wife founded that enabled students from low-income families to attend college. Cecil’s many business and charitable accomplishments will be remembered, but he will perhaps be known most as a loving husband, father and friend to all who knew him.
In Memoriam: Lee Pope Leandra (Lee) Pope had a vision for Pope, founder of the Schoolhouse Theater, turning an abandoned recently passed away. elementary school In 1983, Pope had a vision for turning an in Croton Falls into a abandoned elementary theater and arts center." school in Croton Falls into a theater and arts center. After the cafeteria/gym turned into a theater and classrooms became galleries, Schoolhouse became a respected professional theater. Since, accomplished and emerging actors, directors and producers have worked with the theater. As well, several plays produced there have made their way to OffBroadway. Pope was honored in 2018 with an ArtsWestchester Arts Award in the Community category.
A Virtual Celebration of Paraguayan Independence and Mother’s Day YouTube Premiere | Friday, May 15 7:30-9:30pm | FREE For updates, subscribe to ArtsWestchester’s YouTube Page I’m excited to announce the introduction of our Examiner – COVID-19 Local News Fund. You can make TAXDEDUCTIBLE, charitable donations to our cause. We’ve partnered with a wonderful nonprofit, the Local Media Foundation, a Section 501(c) (3) organization, to allow you the opportunity to support our mission while also receiving the TAX BENEFIT of contributing to a charity. -Adam Stone Publisher Thank you for your support!
HELP US FUND LOCAL COVID-19 REPORTING IN OUR COMMUNITY
givebutter.com/theexaminernews The N ORTHERN W ESTCHESTER
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spotlight
Being Incarcerated During COVID-19 Rehabilitation Through The Arts (RTA), an arts-in-prison program, has been highlighting its alumni members through messages about life during COVID-19. For instance, a recent video shows RTA alum Ivan Calaff reciting an excerpt from Today, a poem written by his friend who is currently incarcerated. The words speak to the fears many incarcerated individuals are experiencing during this pandemic.
Today Today I felt like crying. I think it had something to do with coming to grips with the fact that I am being chased, stalked, hunted by an invisible enemy; an enemy that doesn’t care that I have a young daughter who just found me after 18 years of being shuttled through the foster care system; an invisible monster that doesn’t care about my two beautiful grandchildren who have not gotten the chance to meet Grandpa. Today I felt like crying. I think it had something to do with becoming paralyzingly aware that I’m a sitting duck, a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, as I sit in my penetrable open-air tomb listening for a beast that doesn’t make a sound. Click here to see Ivan’s video.
Call for Submissions: Studio Theater in Exile and Hudson Valley MoCA invite readers to participate in Climbing the Walls, a collection of scenes, monologues, poetry and images that explore how individuals are experiencing life right now and how we imagine the future. The project will interweave submissions to create an online collaborative performance piece. Info: info@studiotheaterinexile.com. Submissions Deadline: June 1.
JOURNALISM: BECAUSE REGIONAL NEWS MATTERS. WESTFAIRONLINE.COM
Don't Miss These ArtsWestchester Events NNEEW W Arts Award Lucheon: DDAATTEE Tues. June 30, 2020 ArtsBash: NEW Tues. Sept. 8, 2020 DATE JazzFest White Plains: Wed. Sept. 9-13, 2020 Golf Outing: NEW DATE Tues. Sept. 22, 2020 Annual Gala: Sat. Nov. 21, 2020
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Artwork by Isabella Bannerman (isabellabannerman.com)
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virtual activities
! l a u t r i V g n i o G s ’ o h W k o Lo ! e n o y r e v E It’s
Arami Hovy performing at ArtsWestchester's Paraguay Folk Celebration. The 2020 Paraguay festival takes place on May 15 (photo credit: Todd Shapera)
ARTS 10566 provides fun and enriching instructional lessonbased activities through its new interactive platform, available for students, parents and the community. New classes are posted every Monday at 3pm. To learn more, click here.
ArtsWestchester is providing weekly social media activities, such as Art of the Week assignments every Monday and a look back at its staff’s favorite exhibited works every Thursday, as well as Virtual ArtsMobile activities, and more. facebook. com/artswestchester and
instagram.com/artswestchester • Paraguayan Festival: May 15 (RSVP to the Facebook Event or subscribe on YouTube for updates) • Lawrence Salley Photography Award and Virtual Exhibition: On view now
Bedford Playhouse’s Virtual Playhouse brings a selection of interactive programs, from comedies to environmental documentaries, author talks, weekly trivia for kids and more. For a list of current programs, click here and visit facebook. com/bedfordplayhouse
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and instagram.com/ bedfordplayhouse. • Environmental Film Series: Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story: May 11 at 8pm • Author Event & Conversations: First Blood with David Morrell: May 14 at 7:30pm Blue Door Art Center’s Faces: Portraits exhibition will now be online from May 1-31. The Center also hosts a series of free online Saturday art workshops for kids on Zoom: May 2, 9 & 16 at 10am.
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during this time of social distancing. The exhibition will be on view from May 18-Dec. 31. • Surface Decoration Demo with Yoko Sekino Bove: May 6 at 6pm
workshops for teens and adults via Zoom. harrisonpl.org/explore • Magazine Birds: May 7 at 1pm • Birds in a Tree Book Sculpture: May 28 at 3:30pm.
Copland House is posting videos of past performances with its “Coping…with Copland House” series. coplandhouse.org/coping
Historic Hudson Valley offers digital content on its website, including home craft videos like tinsmithing and its People Not Property interactive documentary about the history of Northern colonial enslavement through the personal stories of enslaved people. hudsonvalley.org/article/ history-at-your-fingertips/
Downtown Music has been posting video excerpts from past concerts each Wednesday on its Facebook page. facebook.com/ dtmusicgrace
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts offers a variety of music: jazz, opera and classical, as well as family programs. Audiences can enjoy past performances by world renowned artists on youtube.com/c/caramoor. • Livestream: "What Makes It Great?" With Rob Kapilow and Michael Brown: May 3 at 3pm
Emelin Theatre’s Virtual Screening Room streams the best in independent, international and documentary film for the price of a movie ticket. $12 per film. For the complete list of offerings, click here. More streaming available on Facebook.
Clay Art Center will present Connections, a virtual exhibition of postcards that documents ceramic artists’ experiences
Harrison Public Library is offering suggestions on its website for what to read, watch, and listen to, as well as virtual
Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art’s interactive
digital tours will educate viewers about several highlighted exhibitions. Virtual tours of the exhibitions How We Live and .edu: Art Faculty of the Hudson Valley, and an in-depth Sculpture Trail walk, are available on the Museum’s website. Hudson Valley Writers Center will present free readings throughout the month, and a special offer on its own SHP chapbooks. For a complete list of youth programs, virtual classes, workshops and online readings, visit writerscenter.org. • Slapering Hol Press Virtual Reading Series: May 3 at 4-5:30pm
THANK YOU
for your generous support for ArtsWestchester’s Teen Tuesdays & Thursdays program! artsw.org/teentuesdays
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virtual activities Madelyn Jordon Fine Art presents Abstractly Speaking: Six + One, an online exhibition that features seven abstract artists through May 9. madelynjordonfineart.com/ exhibition Mamaroneck Artists Guild is using Facebook to highlight the artworks of their member artists. facebook.com/MAG.Larchmont Music Conservatory of Westchester will present a virtual concert to be streamed on YouTube on May 8 at 12pm. Registration is also still open for private online video lessons. musicconservatory.org/virtuallessons
Artwork by Jane Neuss Cohen on display in Connections, Clay Art Center's online exhibition
• P oetry Reading on Zoom: May 8 @ 7- 8:45pm • "Writing through Darkness to Light" Zoom Class: May 11 at 1-3:30pm Jacob Burns Film Center is highlighting staff-chosen films, as well as its “Viewing and Doing” series, which provides short films with related activities. education. burnsfilmcenter.org/education/ blog Jazz Forum Arts launched Jazz Forum @ Home, a series
of concerts live-streamed on Facebook Live every Saturday at 7pm. facebook.com/ jazzforumclub • Facebook Live concert with Nanny Assis, featuring Daniel Assis: May 2 at 7pm • Facebook Live concert with Alexis Cole: May 9 at 7pm John Jay Homestead offers interactive activities, such as children’s projects, a virtual tour and downloadable worksheets on its website. johnjayhomestead.org
Katonah Museum of Art offers a slideshow and virtual tour of its upcoming rescheduled Bisa Butler: Portraits exhibition, as well as downloadable kids activities that introduce audiences to the artist’s quilted portraits. katonahmuseum.org • Instagram Takeover with artist Bisa Butler: May 3 at 6pm • Picture & Prose: May 4 at 11am • Virtual Docent Dialogues: May 7 & 14 at 2:30pm
Neuberger Museum of Art provides pre-recorded 20-minute guided meditations on its website, as well as virtual curator-led exhibition tours on Zoom and weekly art-related projects and activities for kids. purchase.edu/neubergermuseum-of-art • Art Sandwiched-In: A Virtual Curator-led Exhibition Tour: May 1 & 15 12:30-1pm. New Rochelle Council on the Arts presents Black & White: The Absence of Color, a virtual exhibition is on view through May 26. Ossining Public Library’s Virtual Mother Goose Story Time will take place every Thursday at 10am on Facebook. Other resources are available in its Stuck at Home page.
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Pelham Art Center is hosting a series of virtual studio visits, youth art classes and events. Additional online events can be found on the Center’s event page and Facebook page. • Mixed Media Class with Donna Ross: May 1 at 10:3011:30am • Virtual Studio Visit with Charlotte Mouquin: May 1 at 1-2pm • Chinese landscape painting Discussion: May 7 at 11:30am Pelham Picture House is presenting short films, each with discussion questions and activities that can be adapted into teaching tools for students of any grade level. instagram.com/ the_picturehouse. The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College’s new online offerings include a range of live, recorded and curated events. Click here to learn about The PAC in Your Living Room initiative. Play Group Theater launched PGTonline which allows audiences to enroll for virtual Spring TheatreLab and Little Theatre classes through May 21, and PGT Project 24 via Zoom. To learn more visit: playgroup.org/ online RiverArts presents #100DaysOfStudioTour, an online showcase of the Rivertowns artists who were supposed to exhibit at this year's Studio Tour, via its Facebook and Instagram pages. Virtual music and dance classes are also available.
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• Monica Shulman Virtual Studio Tour • Six-Pack Music Lessons • Virtual Dance Lessons with Mary Ford-Sussman Ruth Keeler Memorial Library highlights its digital collection, including e-books, audiobooks, music and streaming television and movies, for anyone with their library card. westchesterlibraries.org/listenread Rye Arts Center is offering a series of online classes, music lessons and workshops for children and adults, as well as other weekly offerings on its Facebook page and a virtual tour of its current exhibition, Brigitte Loritz Retrospective. Steffi Nossen Dance has been posting virtual classes recorded in the homes of some of its dance teachers. instagram.com/ steffinossendance Tarrytown Music Hall has launched a series of free one-hour workshops for kids. Previous topics included Shakespeare and Creative Writing. tarrytownmusichall.org/ academy • Morning Story Time for parents and Pre-K through 1st-grade kids: Mondays at 10-10:30am. Westchester Children’s Museum has created WCM at Home, a page on its website with creative and fun projects for families to do together at home. For more information at WMC at Home,
click here. Discover WMC on Facebook and Instagram. Westchester Chordsmen has shared a YouTube video of its performance of Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, which features excerpts of the Emma Lazarus poem The New Colossus, with music and new text by the Chordsmen’s Director Keith Harris. Click here to listen. White Plains Public Library has built a “Stuck at Home” web page, which includes resources
chosen by Josh Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. whiteplainslibrary.org/2020/03/ stuck-at-home-staff-picks YoFi Digital Media Center Friday Film Series presents an evening of independent film and conversation every Friday. For info on upcoming screenings, visit yofidmac.com • Friday Film Series: May 1 & 8 at 9pm.
ArtsWestchester’s ArtsMobile has Gone Digital!
Join us every week to participate in a creative and fun art-making activity. Using items commonly found in your home, families, youth and adults can work on literary, performing and visual art workshops led by professional teaching artists. Explore our virtual ArtsMobile workshops today. artsw.org/artsmobile Made Possible by:
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spotlight
10
MOVIE PICKS
Better by Farr: Corona Watch List by John Farr, Bedford Playhouse Founder
Many people think of The Bedford Playhouse as offering mainly older titles, but it just ain’t so. After all, classics come in all shapes, sizes and ages. The 10 recommendations below were all released over the past decade. Many are lesser-known films that audiences may have missed – a balanced mix of genres and moods, and of domestic, foreign, narrative and documentary titles.
My Life as a Zucchini
The Kids Are All Right
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Stories We Tell
Personal Shopper (2017): This subtle, spooky thriller concerns a young woman (Kristen Stewart) who works as a personal shopper to a celebrity. Her twin brother has recently died from a heart defect, a condition she shares. Adrift, she waits for some sign from the afterlife. Stewart is fabulous. Stream on: YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Amazon
2
My Life as a Zucchini (2016): Here’s a touching animated feature that adults will love, too. Director Claude Barras employs stop-motion animation to tell the story of Courgette, a young boy who is sent to a group home when his mother dies. Depressing though it may sound, it’s actually colorful, wise and uplifting. Stream on: Netflix, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, Amazon, Microsoft Store, DIRECTV, Redbox
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Testament of Youth (2015): This captivating romantic adventure features Alicia Vikander as a young woman whose entry to Oxford is upended by World War I. Soon, with her brother and fiancé both on the front lines, she enlists as a military nurse. Beautifully mounted, and brimming with period atmosphere. Stream on: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, FandangoNOW 99 Homes (2015): A single dad (Andrew Garfield) gets evicted from the home he shares with his mother (Laura Dern) and son (Noah Lomax). Wanting to buy it back, he secretly goes to work for the slimy realtor who threw him out (Michael Shannon). A malignant Shannon shines in this scorching drama. Stream on: Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, iTunes, FandangoNOW
7 8 9 10 Pride
Pride (2014): Bill Nighy stars in this winning, fact-based British sleeper. In 1984, with the country’s miners on strike, gay activists unite to support them, as both groups share an antipathy for the policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. After an awkward start, this unlikely alliance works wonders. Stream on: Google Play, YouTube, Amazon, Microsoft Store, Redbox, FandangoNOW The Great Beauty (2013): Paolo Sorrentino’s eye-popping ode to Rome (and Fellini) is unforgettable. Toni Servillo plays Jep, a once-celebrated author who’s frittered away his talent by basking in the city’s party lifestyle. Now turning 65, Jep searches for some meaning to it all. This is one search you’ll want to join. Stream on: iTunes, Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, Criterion Channel
5 6 99 Homes
The Seven Five (2015): This riveting doc tells the true tale of Michael Dowd, who joins the NYPD in the early eighties and is posted to a drug-ridden precinct in East New York. There, he and his accomplices engage in flagrant corruption. Eventually, the law they’re sworn to protect catches up to them. Stream on: Netflix, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Amazon Locke (2014): Tom Hardy plays the title character, a harried construction manager who, driving in his car one night, fields multiple phone calls of both a personal and professional nature. As time passes, it becomes clear that his life is coming apart. An actor’s showcase for the insanely talented Hardy. Stream on: Netflix, Google Play, YouTube, iTunes, Amazon, Microsoft Store, Redbox, FandangoNOW
Stories We Tell (2012): Canadian actor/director Sarah Polley takes us on a fearless excavation of her family and early life. While interviewing her siblings and father, she reminisces about her late mother, uncovering elements of mystery and regret. Then she uncovers a secret that rocks her world. Unmissable. Stream on: iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, Microsoft Store, Redbox, FandangoNOW The Kids Are All Right (2010): This is a warm, witty comedy about two artificially conceived kids of lesbian partners who decide to find out who their real father is. Once he enters their lives, complications predictably ensue with the female parents. The sterling cast includes Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. Stream on: iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, Amazon, Microsoft Store, DIRECTV, Redbox, FandangoNOW For streaming movies and interactive programs from Bedford Playhouse, visit bedfordplayhouse.org.
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spotlight
Tough times call for sweet measures! Jazz Forum Arts Recommends... by Mark Morganelli, Jazz Forum Arts Executive Director
We are so fortunate to live in Westchester County, home to an abundance of excellent cultural organizations, many of which are offering live or recorded music via the internet as a sort of balm for the soul. When our normal becomes abnormal, there is still an underlying urge to connect with audiences and supporters. As such, some organizations are utilizing the internet to have great artists perform for widespread enjoyment. Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah is inviting folks to join them virtually for livestream concerts by various artists in its Music Room. The 32-year-old concert series Downtown Music at Grace in White Plains is affording devotees the opportunity to enjoy Nanny Assis will perform with Daniel Assis on May 2 in a Facebook Live-stream presented by Jazz Forum Arts many past performances by accessing the archives on its website and inviting e-mail features past performances, as well as previews of weekly streams subscribers to enjoy music from previous seasons. “Coping…with on Facebook Live (each Saturday). Pianists Julius Rodriguez and Ted Copland House” offers listeners a musical respite when folks visit Rosenthal have performed from their homes, as have vocalists and Copland House’s website, availing themselves of past performances by keyboardists Sherma Andrews and Ann Hampton Callaway. Recently, stellar artists. celebrated vocalist Camille Bertault even broadcast from her home in RiverArts, the 53-year-old organization based in Hastings-on-Hudson, Paris, collaborating with her dad who plays piano. On May 2, Nanny is providing remote music lessons during the pandemic while most Assis, featuring Daniel Assis, will perform; on May 9, Alexis Cole. of its regular programming is unable to take place. Similarly, Music During these incredibly challenging times, as we socially distance Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains offers virtual music lessons so that we can return to getting together socially without the distance, via Skype, Zoom and other platforms, while they are also broadcasting a it is music that has a very special capacity to heal and uplift our spirits. virtual concert for the community on May 8. Take some time out of your schedule to check out the wonderful As for Jazz Forum Club in Tarrytown, though it has been closed due musical offerings of many of our cherished organizations right here in to the coronavirus concerns, a weekly Jazz Forum @ Home e-newsletter Westchester – you’ll be glad you did.
MAY 2020
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spotlight
Music From Copland House Now may be a good time to head off to the mysterious, faraway land – and its world of magic, sprites, and spells – that William Shakespeare conjured in his idiosyncratic play The Tempest. In July 2011, Music from Copland House visited the Manhattan studios of WQXR for a “Café Concert” (something of a precursor of NPR's popular "Tiny Desk Concerts" series). There, the ensemble’s Founding Artists, Nicholas Kitchen (violin), Derek Bermel (clarinet) and Michael Boriskin (piano), along with guest artist Joshua Roman (cello), sampled the opening movement, "Ariel Fantasy," of Paul Moravec’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Tempest Fantasy, which captures Shakespeare's whimsy and eloquence. Says Boriskin: “As we hunker down, we can continue to find and enjoy those havens that, as Caliban so elegantly said in Act III, are ‘full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.’”
Click the photo above for the WQXR Cafe Concert – a live performance of Paul Moravec’s "Ariel Fantasy," from Tempest Fantasy (2001-02) by Music from Copland House.
MARSHA ON THE MOVE Monthly Web Feature When Business Council of Westchester President Marsha Gordon, is not advocating for businesses in the County, she can be found at the cinema or theater. Read Marsha's reviews on ArtsWestchester's "As a Matter of Art " blog: artsw.org/artsblog.
Uncorked (Netflix)
This is a very sweet Netflix film about a young man’s journey to become a Sommelier. But it’s real---ly about father-son relationships, and the shifting desires of the next generation related to “the family business” (many readers will relate to this, I’m sure). This includes the ability for parents to accept their children’s aspirations. It’s filled with family love, dedication and pride, as well as gorgeous scenes of Paris and yummy food (some great soul food!)… and, of course, the wine! This was perfect to watch before my Zoom cocktail party. Cheers! Uncorked
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Artist Stories
9 1 D I V O C f o s e m i T in the
In these times of social distancing and quarantines, gallery walls are blank, theater seats are empty and stages are bare. That means artists, actors and musicians are out of work for the unforeseeable future. When it’s safe to resume our lives, people will want to go on a movie date night, sing along at a concert with friends and sign their children up for dance classes again… but the nonprofit arts industry has been hit hard, with an estimated $4.5 billion loss as of April 6. Artists of all disciplines have been affected in unsurmountable ways. Here are just a few of their experiences:
For musicians who are independent contractors, this is a really difficult time. All of my engagements, all of my work in the schools, all of my events that were lined up, have all been cancelled.” – Nicolas Carter, harpist (White Plains)
I earn my living by teaching ceramics to a wide range of people in a variety of settings. With the advent of COVID-19 and social distancing, I abruptly lost approximately 68% of my income. The only classes I teach online end in May. After that, my income will be zero.” – Vicky Youngman, teaching artist (Hastings-on-Hudson)
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spotlight As a teaching artist, I get cut off from my interaction with my beloved audiences. It’s a bummer! Economically, it affects us all, but especially freelancers and teaching artists. We are less protected than most. We are truly vulnerable.” – Miguel Cassio, teaching artist (New Rochelle)
My work has come to a screeching halt. Income loss means some bills not getting paid on time. When things do open back up, some or many of the businesses that I once relied on will no longer be around.” – Barry Mason, photographer (Mount Vernon)
Thanks to you... our Artist Relief Fund
has raised more than $8,300 for emergency grants to artists adversely affected by COVID-19!
Help an Artist Today. The number of artists we can support is directly dependent on how much funding is raised. So, please consider a gift today.
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spotlight
Meandering Through
Lyndhurst by Howard Zar, Lyndhurst Director
Historic Photograph of a Camperdown elm tree with a bench (photo courtesy of Lyndhurst)
While our offices are closed and all our programming has been suspended, Lyndhurst has been in a unique position to offer its 67-acre parkland as a place of respite and beauty during this pandemic. This is in keeping with Lyndhurst's history. Lyndhurst was likely constructed in response to the 1832 cholera epidemic in New York City when half the residents fled to the countryside. During World War II, Anna Gould, Duchess of Talleyrand, used Lyndhurst as a place of respite for soldiers from the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the convalescence buildings on the Lyndhurst property were known to sailors as "Club Lyndhurst." Lyndhurst is a place our neighbors can responsibly access via the Old Croton Aqueduct State Park and the Westchester RiverWalk. On nice days, we're seeing the type of foot traffic that we typically might only see on a summer weekend. Luckily, Lyndhurst is so large that we can accommodate many people
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comfortably while still social-distancing. We also want to remind our neighbors that, as always, dogs are welcome. Our Work is Ongoing Because half of the Lyndhurst staff lives on property and are dedicated to maintenance and landscape work, working from home still means working on the property. A lot of interior work had been completed just before we needed to suspend activities and most of our landscape work has continued unabated. For veteran Lyndhurst walkers who have enjoyed our trails before, you'll notice quite a bit of activity in the landscape, along new pathways and at the swimming pool building. Here's what we've been able to accomplish:
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around the pathway and as trees leaf out with the spring walking, this part of the pathway will feel like a walk in the forest. Pear Orchard Being Planted The recreation of a pear orchard is part of our lower landscape restoration. This orchard is shown on the 1873 estate map and restoring this orchard, along with our existing apple orchard and the future restoration of our kitchen garden, will allow us to highlight the use of the landscape to grow food for the residents of Lyndhurst mansion. The orchard is made up of heirloom varieties common to New York State that include a mix of pears intended for immediate eating, cooking and canning, or extremely hard pears that could overwinter in cold storage. The orchard is being planted with deer fencing and ground cover being installed and planting to follow. Fruit trees come as very small bare root plants, so it will take some time until these trees show their full magnificence. The orchard can best be viewed from the main rockery bench.
New County Park Pathway Opened Those who walk the Old Croton Aqueduct to Lyndhurst from the south will notice a new woodland pathway that is part of the Westchester RiverWalk trail system and leads Camperdown Elm Waiting from the Aqueduct State to be Replanted Park to the new Lyndhurst Historically, a magnificent lower landscape pathways. weeping elm tree was planted Just prior to suspension of along the pathway between Frederick William MacMonnies 'Boy with Duck' fountain piece, wearing face protection activities at Lyndhurst, new (photo courtesy of Lyndhurst) the second and third rockery. bollards and signage were The tree was surrounded by placed at the path entries and a hexagonal bench and likely provided views of the river and the pathway was open to visitors. The path follows an existing historic the pear orchard. The bench has been constructed and will drive that provided vehicular access to four estates, now gone, that be replanted at Lyndhurst this season. This rare tree has been used to sit immediately to the south of Lyndhurst. Remnants of those growing at a local nursery waiting to be planted at Lyndhurst. estates, including a stone-lined circular swimming pool, a gatehouse The hexagonal bench has been constructed and painted the foundation and pachysandra beds from the 1920s, can be seen during same historic green color as other benches at Lyndhurst. In visitors' walks. A native meadow mix has been seeded into areas
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spotlight the coming weeks, additional soil will be added along the pathway to provide a level seating area and the tree and bench will likely be installed this month. Historic Benches Being Constructed Two wooden benches are being recreated based on historic photographs taken circa 1870. We anticipate that these benches will be completed in May and when done, will be placed in the first and second rockeries. These benches provided shaded seating along the lower landscape pathways. A D-shaped bench was created to encircle a majestic 17th century chestnut tree that was unfortunately lost to a blight early in the 20th century. The green color of the benches is a 19th century historic color based on paint drips that were found on some of the existing rocks in the landscape. In addition to restoring the historic appearance of the estate, the benches will provide additional seating for visitors who are exploring the grounds. We still have one additional bench and the large tree house to recreate. Once these are completed, there will be ample seating along the lower landscape pathways.
see the entry vestibule and get a sense of what the building will look like when it is more fully restored. Trees and Shrubs Being Ordered While we finished installing our new pathways in the lower landscape last year, we are currently planning our first major phase of replanting trees and shrubs in the area. Our objective is to recreate the plantings that appear in historic photographs and maps. Because the property was so extensively documented, we can put back the same species of trees that were originally on the property. Approximately, 80% of the trees and shrubs to be replanted are native species, which will help us to reduce the need for hand care and will create habitat for native fauna.
Swimming Pool Building in Initial Phase of Restoration Lyndhurst's early 20th century swimming pool building, styled as a Roman bath, is the last building on the estate in a state of disrepair. The building is undergoing initial renovations in preparation for a major contemporary art installation. Major elements of repair have been conducted. The roof over the entry has been completely stabilized and
Our objective is to recreate the plantings that appear in historic photographs and maps. the roof over the swimming pool has been made watertight. Roofing supports have been strengthened. Electrical supply and wiring is being installed. The entry vestibule has been given new supports and subflooring and the front doors have been restored. Notably, the historic gravel path leading to the front steps and the gravel perimeter around the swimming pool has been re-installed. Weeds and chain link fence have been removed from around the building and new lawn has been restored. Visitors can now peek in through the front door windows and View of new pathway from mansion veranda (photo courtesy of Lyndhurst)
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Taken together, these landscape restorations will result in recreating what these early landscapes would have looked like and how people used them when it was believed that the outdoors and fresh air were curative. Ironically, we have come full circle as we see people coming to Lyndhurst for a safe respite and to enjoy nature without jeopardizing their safety. Our community is availing itself of these landscape improvements during a time when passive outdoor recreations is one of the few safe distractions. We're Preparing for the Day We Can Reopen We invite you to take a restful walk through Lyndhurst in the coming weeks to see some of the progress we're making. Some of the work
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you won't see is the activity of our staff, who are working from home and preparing two exhibitions that will open as soon as allowable. As noted above, the swimming pool building will be the site of Watershed, a contemporary art installation and the first public use of the swimming pool building for a Lyndhurst exhibition. In our exhibition gallery, the exhibition Three Parlors: Treasures from the Attic, will highlight pieces of Lyndhurst's collection that are usually in storage as well as many acquisitions and donations we've received over the past five years.
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Cultural Leaders Talk About the Effects of COVID-19 by Janet Langsam, ArtsWestchester CEO
A Nimble Theater Guy Ponders the Future Elliot Fox strides into his empty theater on a recent coronavirus day. He’s never seen it so forlorn. No sounds of clapping. It’s empty for the fourth week in a row. During those four weeks, between March and May, he has incredulously cancelled or postponed 72 performances. Now that Governor Cuomo has hit the New York State "pause button" for another month, he’s thinking: “What do I do about June?” He reminisces. In the three or four years since he took over direction of the Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck, N.Y., the place has been hopping. “We’ve been on a strong trajectory –ticket sales have hit a new level each season. New programs, new audiences, new members, all were on the rise.” The Emelin presents two film clubs, some 30 partnerships with schools and community organizations and
Left photo: Emelin Theatre, Right photo: Elliot Fox
a lively menu of music, dance, comedy and theatrical performances. Now, working remotely with reduced staff, he is juggling and rescheduling performances and hanging on tight as this COVID-19 wind blows through Westchester. What seemed to many to be a short term disruption is now looking like a much longer process. As he turns his thoughts to the recovery, he wonders: Will there be a recovery? When will it come? Will we still need social distancing? His mind races ahead to September, October. Like many arts leaders, he wonders what the new normal will look like. The uncertainty prompts him to count the seats in the Emelin Theatre...275, just as he thought. He ponders whether social distancing will continue to keep audiences six feet apart. Under those rules, he estimates the theater could seat 60 to 100 people…. The looming length of the COVID-19 crisis is prompting theater professionals like Fox to rethink the financial model of small arts centers. Survival will favor the nimble and their ability to shift gears quickly to suit the new environment, he concludes. But Elliot Fox holds onto the glimmer of hope that: “In tough times, art survives.”
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A Hamlet Sort of Moment Jeff Haydon is in a contemplative sort of mood. As CEO of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, he is pondering a momentous decision. Every summer since 1945, there has been a music festival at its 90-acre property in Katonah, N.Y., 50 miles north of New York City. Caramoor’s renowned music festival brings music lovers to Westchester from distant places. Now as Jeff Haydon watches the daily coronavirus updates, he struggles to determine whether this year's eagerly anticipated concert season is "to be or not to be." Summer is fast approaching, and Haydon and his staff have been planning for the past three years for its 75th anniversary season which is set to feature Jeff Haydon and Janet Langsam at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts (photo credit: Gabe Palacio) opera, classical music, jazz, world music and American Roots traditions in the 1,800-seat Venetian Theater and its 500-seat Spanish sculptures to be seen, as well. And, there is an exciting master plan Courtyard. However, the uncertainty over how long the COVID-19 in the works that will turn the Center into a major outdoor destination. crisis will last, and the taboo on gatherings of all kinds, has required Cultural leaders throughout America are facing similar heartHaydon to do what he always tries to do – think creatively. This year, wrenching decisions about their programs. Can we keep doing what in the midst of this pandemic, he is noodling several different options we've been doing? Or, is this a time to leverage our creativity to revive for continuing, shrinking or rethinking the festival. Fortunately, he our cultural life in new ways? Last, can cultural leaders find new ways has options. Since his arrival at Caramoor some seven years ago, to balance the needs and hopes of audiences, donors, artists and the Haydon has worked with his board to foster year-round performances loyal crew of stage hands and producers? Jeff Haydon believes we at a variety of spaces on the property, including the Music Room can, through creative stewardship and newly imagined partnerships. of the Rosen House and throughout the gardens. There's also more “While the tendency is to solely focus on the financial challenges, we to see and do now at Caramoor than when Lucie and Walter Rosen have to remember that the arts provide inspiration all of us need in first donated the estate for a cultural center. While the festival is the times of crises – we just have to be more creative in how we reach highlight of the summer season in Westchester, the gardens have our audiences.” become more spectacular than ever, and there are public art sound
Artist Oscar Lett at work on a street mural in White Plains, NY. Photo by Will Bermingham, 2019
Visit artsw.org for our Top 5 Virtual Arts Picks during this difficult time.
Attorneys at Law
Westchester 914.476.0600
New York City 212.688.2400
Long Island 516.207.7533
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MAY 4, 2020
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Good Things
Westchester and Fairfield Counties
PEEKSKILL COMMON COUNCIL CALLS FOR RENT AND MORTGAGE FLEXIBILITY The city of Peekskill Common Council has unanimously passed a resolution sponsored by Councilperson Vanessa Agudelo requesting that landlords practice rent flexibility and banks offer deferment plans on mortgage loans. The resolution recognizes the financial hardship that the pandemic is having on many Peekskill residents, including job losses and the ability to keep and maintain their homes and places of business without the burden of excessive debt. The Council is asking local landlords to work together with tenants during the pandemic. This includes considering a freeze on all rent increases planned for the immediate future, waiving late-payment penalties, offering rent-payment flexibility (allowing more time for tenants to pay their rents with modified payment schedules), and waiving rent wherever deemed necessary and appropriate for both residential and commercial tenants. “The great majority of people in our community rent their homes and many of our local mom and pop businesses rent their commercial spaces,” said Agudelo. “In fact, more than a third of our renters pay over 50% of their income toward their monthly rent, an income stream that now may have been lost because of the pandemic….” “This resolution is by no means mandating a waiver of rent or mortgage payments, but rather urges tenants and landlords, as well as borrowers and lenders, to work together proactively to create a plan that is both reasonable and feasible for all parties involved,” said Peekskill Mayor Andre Rainey.
LARGEST GIRL-LED BUSINESS IN THE WORLD CONTINUES VIRTUALLY Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson Inc. (GSHH) in Pleasantville kicked off the remainder of its 2020 annual Girl Scout Cookie season, virtually. There are 1,846 troops in the GSHH seven-county council with 13,712 girl scouts who were selling cookies as part of their annual Cookie Program. All person-to-person sales stopped following virus government mandates and left them with more than 175,000 boxes of cookies to sell. The Girls Scouts Heart of the Hudson virtual launch allows donors to buy and donate cookies to people and places such as hospitals, food banks, grocery store staff and first responders. Cookies can be purchased online for donation to local front line workers at https://www. girlscoutshh.org/en/cookies/about-girl-scoutcookies.html.
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AMERICARES DELIVERS 1.4 MILLION MASKS
Checking shipment at Americares’ warehouse.
Americares, Stamford, is delivering more than 1.4 million protective masks for health workers on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States. The masks are KN95 masks, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined to be a suitable alternative for health workers when N95 masks are not available. The masks will help to alleviate shortages at hospitals and primary care facilities in 11 states and Puerto Rico. The city of New York has already received 300,000 masks and the state of Connecticut and Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts have each received 100,000. In Puerto Rico, 40,000 masks will be distrib-
uted among 11 of Americares partner health centers on the island. The rest of the masks are headed to California, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Tennessee and Washington where state and city officials will oversee the distribution and allocation of supplies to medical facilities based on need. Americares worked closely with longtime partner, the GE Foundation, to source the critically needed masks from a GE supplier in China. Medtronic Foundation and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation also provided instrumental support for the purchase and distribution of the protective supplies. “Hospitals and health facilities
across the country are quickly running out of the personal protective equipment necessary to keep health workers safe while treating patients with COVID-19,” said Americares Vice President of Emergency Programs Kate Dischino. To date, Americares has shipped protective gear and infection control supplies to health facilities in the United States, Haiti, Honduras, India, Lebanon, the Philippines and Tanzania. In the U.S. alone, Americares has delivered 25 tons of protective supplies to health facilities in 40 states. In addition, Americares is training health workers in infection prevention and control, disaster preparedness and mental health and psychosocial support.
VIRTUAL VISITS FROM LOCAL ARTISTS Two recent virtual classroom visits to the students of Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh were conducted by local artists Rita Leduc and Vernon M. Byron who discussed their techniques, inspiration and career highlights. Leduc is an interdisciplinary artist whose work includes photography, painting, drawing, collage and installation. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in visual art from the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University and is the creator and co-founder of Groundwork, an interdisciplinary creative retreat. Byron is a conceptual artist based in the city of Newburgh, working primarily in video and sculpture. The Mount’s Division of Arts and Letters helps to prepare students for careers in writing for print, digital and broadcast media; video and audio production; and copyediting and publishing. Artist Rita Leduc discusses the techniques and influences behind her art during a recent virtual presentation to the Mount Saint Mary College community.
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ENTA OPENS ALL 44 OF ITS CLINICAL SITES ENT and Allergy Associates LLP in Tarrytown opened all of its 44 locations on Monday, April 27. The practice has structured a limited physician schedule — 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday to ensure minimal public interaction within the office space thereby reinforcing proper social-distancing protocols. Patients can book their appointment online, anytime by visiting entandallergy.com/booknow or calling 855-ENTA-DOC. “…Our efforts to provide our patients the safest and most effective care will be an on-going priority during these rapidly evolving circumstances,”said Dr. Robert Green, president of ENTA. Patients will have the opportunity to wait in their cars and complete checkin procedures using a cell phone to limit the number of people in waiting rooms where this can be done. ENTA will continue offering virtual visits for patients who do not feel comfortable in the clinical setting.
NONPROFIT MEMBERS, ELECTED OFFICIALS SALUTE STAFF “I am so inspired by the work of all our nonprofit organizations and am very humbled as we recognize the direct care staff in congregant settings who are providing essential services during this unprecedented crisis,” said Nonprofit Westchester Executive Director Jan Fisher. Thousands of dedicated essential workers in Westchester County have worked tirelessly, and at risk to their own health, to help those in great need since the start of the Covid-19 crisis. Direct-service staff at Westchester’s congregant settings are providing residents with the care they need. New York State Sen. Shelley Mayer; Ed Grano, director of rehabilitation at Bethel residential services for seniors in Westchester; County Executive George Latimer; Seth Diamond, CEO of Westchester Jewish Community Services; and Anahaita Kotval, president of Nonprofit Westchester and CEO of Lifting Up Westchester, joined Fisher in thanking and praising all involved in care giving during Covid-19 pandemic.
Information for these features has been submitted by the subjects or their delegates.
A PARTNERSHIP FOR HELPING INFANTS Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County (CLC) recently received a donation from a community partner, Greenwich-based Mothers for Others (MFO) in the form of more than 3,000 diapers. Karen Gianuzzi and Cathy DeGraaff, both MFO board members, delivered the diapers to CLC’s Early Head Start location at 72 Franklin St. in Stamford. CLC has been a leader in developing and implementing high-quality and affordable early childhood education and care programs since 1902. All of the nonprofit agency’s eight locations are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) or approved by Federal Head Start. While CLC’s programs are currently closed with the exception of a small program for children of health care workers, CLC staff is working remotely to provide support and connect families in need to resources. Marsha Guthrie, CLC’s director of Head Start and Early Head Start, has coordinated two diaper and food distributions for families since the closing with the help of donations from Mothers for Others and Filling in the Blanks, a nonprofit that provides weekly food kits to families when the program is open. The relationship between Children’s Learning Centers and Mothers for Others began in 2018 with CLC CEO Marc Jaffe, who said, “We know that it is going to become more and more challenging for our families to access essentials like diapers,” said Jaffe. “We are grateful that even during the most difficult times, we can rely on community partners like Mothers for Others to lean in and lend their support to vulnerable families proactively.” The relationship between CLC and MFO is highly valued by both organizations. “It is more than a partnership,” explained DeGraaff. “We are all reimagining how we can continue to come together to help the families who are at risk,” she said.
TOWN LIONS RESPONDING TO LOCAL NEEDS The Larchmont/Mamaroneck (LM) Lions are working with CURE and other community groups to raise funds for the Larchmont Mamaroneck Community Resource Center (CRC), which is helping those in need find and afford the medical attention they need, during the current pandemic. Today, the LM Lions’ Foundation are donating $2,100 as a challenge to others to make their own donations. Lions will continue to receive donations from its members and invite others to match with their own donations directly to the CRC. LM Lions are part of the International Lions Clubs, the largest service organization in the world.
LAWN SIGNS DISPLAY SUPPORT FOR HOSPITAL HEROES
Yasmine Kalkstein
MOUNT PROFESSOR NAMED A FULBRIGHT SPECIALIST
In response to their heroic efforts to combat Covid-19, the Friends of White Plains Hospital have spearheaded an initiative to sell lawn signs to members of the community to support the hospital’s efforts against COVID-19 and pay tribute
to the doctors, nurses and staff who are working tirelessly. The blue and white signs with inspirational messages may be purchased through a tax-deductible donation of $50 or more and all proceeds will directly ben-
efit the WPH COVID-19 Relief Fund. For those interested in purchasing a lawn sign or donating to the White Plains Hospital COVID-19 Relief Fund,visit https://www.wphospital.org/ covid19help.
LARGE VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER WITH PERFORMANCE BY STAR COMEDIAN Headquartered in Bethel, Connecticut, and Chappaqua, New York, Ability Beyond provides a wide range of services for more than 3,000 people with a disability that inhibits their activities of daily living. Since suspending all of its day program, employment, clinical, transportation and in-home support services on March 12, Ability Beyond is losing approximately $90,000 per day with an estimated financial hardship of over $5 million by mid-May, yet it continues to provide care for 450 individuals who are self-quarantined in 120 group homes, trying to provide three meals a day for workers, obtain supplies and shop for food, while trying to keep the homes virus-free. Currently, the organization has 12 Covid-19 positive clients and staff members. Two-thirds of Ability Beyond’s residents are considered high risk because they have multiple diagnoses, underlying conditions and are of advanced age. Trying to mitigate its losses on Saturday, April 25 in The Amber Room Colonnade parking lot in Danbury Ability Beyond staged its fundraising event of the season — the virtual No Go Gala! It was held with comedian Christine O’Leary driving up to the event location in a decorated RV for her live Giving Hour webcast from 7 to 8 p.m. in which the public was invited to join the celebration and contribute to the cause from the comfort of their own homes. Adversity brings out the best and most creative in people.
Christine O’Leary
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Yasmine Kalkstein, associate professor of psychology and faculty development coordinator at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, was recently named a Fulbright Specialist by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and World Learning. In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of State temporarily postponed all Fulbright Specialist projects that have not yet commenced. Kalkstein will officially be added to the roster when it is safe to resume projects. Approximately three years ago, Kalkstein received a Fulbright Senior Scholar grant from the U.S. State Department. The grant allowed her to move nearly 6,000 miles away to Rehovot, Israel, for a year to engage in scholarly research projects. The grant also sponsored her ongoing research into women’s medical decision-making regarding childbirth. It’s a topic she’s been exploring for years, often alongside her Mount students through the Mount’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience. “I am hoping once this pandemic ends, I can work to build some other international collaborations besides what I have built in Israel and be able to both travel and learn from researchers in other countries, as well as contribute my expertise however I can,” Kalkstein explained. Kalksten earned an undergraduate degree in biopsychology from the University of Virginia, spent a year as an NIH Fellow doing genetic research on diabetes and then completed a Ph.D. in educational psychology at the University of Minnesota. MAY 4, 2020
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Good Things BANK OF AMERICA GRANT TO PROVIDE CRITICAL SUPPORT Person-to-Person (P2P), established in 1968 to provide low-income individuals and families living in lower Fairfield County with basic emergency services, has received a $30,000 grant from Bank of America to support its response to the critical needs created by the Covid-19 crisis, expanding accessibility to their food assistance and emergency financial assistance programs. Since the onset of the pandemic, P2P has seen the urgent need for food and financial assistance increase daily. As of April 15, the Connecticut Department of Labor had received more than 350,000 unemployment claims. In Fairfield County, with housing costs among the highest in the country, this loss of income for those already living paycheck to paycheck has created dire situations for families. Requests for food assistance at P2P have increased by more than 50% in just the first few weeks of the crisis and requests for rental/financial assistance have increased by 150%. “Providing access to these basic resources is critical to helping vulnerable populations weather this uncertain time and keep our communities strong, particularly in Fairfield County, which has been hit the hardest by the virus…,” said P2P CEO Nancy Coughlin. P2P offers food assistance through its three food pantries in Darien, Norwalk and Stamford. Founded more than 50 years ago, P2P serves 25,000 people each year.
SOME CARES ACT FUNDS GO TO WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY17/ Rockland-Westchester) announced that White Plains Hospital will receive $165,832 in COVID-19 relief funding for telehealth services to treat high-risk and vulnerable patients with pre-existing pulmonary conditions. This funding, awarded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), implements telehealth services to address the facility’s surging patient population while minimizing the risk of COVID-19 exposure for staff and patients. “This national emergency has presented unique challenges for our providers, including White Plains Hospital, but they have risen to the occasion and created telehealth programs to ensure members of our community have access to health care…,” said Lowey. “…This financial support will help us continue to advance our technology and accelerate our telemedicine platform,” said Susan Fox, president and CEO of White Plains Hospital.
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Westchester and Fairfield Counties SALVATION ARMY RESPONDS TO DRAMATIC UPTICK
Vikas Grover
IMPROVING SLP TRAINING FOR NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH
The Salvation Army Ridgefield/Redding Service Unit, in partnership with Ridgefield Social Services, has seen a dramatic uptick in new applications from residents looking for assistance. More than 80 new applications have come in over the last couple of months, which can be attributed to unemployment and reduced work hours. The United Way has estimated that 3% of Ridgefield residents live in poverty and 19% are considered to be ALICE (asset limited, income constrained, but employed). Many have applied for a new program
called Ridgefield Responds, which assists with rent payments. The program, which was set up in March, has awarded tens of thousands of dollars for renters impacted by Covid-19. Food pantry needs continue to grow as well. “Our pantry has shifted to taking online donations,” said Tony Phillips, social services director in Ridgefield and Salvation Army Community Service representative. “We are also distributing gift cards instead of nonperishable food.” Restaurants, including Wooster Hollow Café, 859, Dimitris Diner and Nature’s Temptation, have helped with gift cards
and free or reduced-cost meals. The Salvation Army Service Unit has also assisted people having difficulty accessing unemployment, stimulus checks and small-business loans. “We are always in motion searching for gaps in service and finding ways to plug them quickly and efficiently,” said Phillips. All assistance is provided by donations, which may be supplemented by an annual Red Kettle Campaign as is promoted in Ridgefield. For more information, visit ctri.SalvationArmy.org.
BEACON ADOPTS NY STRETCH ENERGY CODE The city of Beacon is the first New York municipality outside of New York City to adopt the New York State Stretch Energy Code that ensures cost-effective energy efficiency in building construction. The NYStretch Energy Code-2020 Version 1.0 (NYStretch) was developed by NYSERDA (the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority). It is a readily adoptable energy code that calls for incrementally higher efficiency standards in new and renovated buildings. NYStretch accomplishes this simply, by being about one cycle ahead of the NYS Energy Code in its requirements.
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That makes the incremental standards both cost-effective and regionally appropriate — while lowering energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for new and renovated construction. According to NYSERDA, adopting NYStretch will provide savings of roughly 11% over the 2020 Energy Conservation Construction Code of New York State (2020 ECCCNYS), when that energy code is released by the New York State Department of State. Mayor Lee Kyriacou said, “While some of Beacon’s new projects already use more energy-efficient construction, adopting NYStretch for all
new buildings and renovations will both improve our environment and save residents money over time….” Beacon is located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River 60 miles north of New York City, with a population of 15,000. Originally a Native American settlement, the area was purchased from the Wappinger Tribe in 1683 and settled by Dutch and other Europeans, leading to the riverfront community of Fishkill Landing on the Hudson, and the mill community of Matteawan on Fishkill Creek. The two communities were incorporated together as the city of Beacon in 1913.
For Vikas Grover, Ph.D., assistant professor of speech-language pathology (SLP) at New York Medical College (NYMC) helping non-native English speakers expand their linguistic abilities is more than a job — it is a calling. “I have an accent and everyone has an accent,” said Grover who earned his SLP degree in his native India, before completing his M.Phil. and Ph.D. in speech-language-hearing sciences from City University of New York. Expanding English accent skills is a service Grover provides weekly at the SLP Clinic located at the School of Health Sciences and Practice (SHSP) at NYMC. During that weekly clinic, he and his students welcome multilingual speakers from the greater Westchester community. Grover was awarded a two-year grant from the PROMPT Institute for his project “Audio-Visual Versus Audio-Visual-Tactile Training in Non-Native Speakers of English.” He, along with some colleagues, seek to understand the efficacy of two speech training approaches with non-native speakers of English.
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SIMONE HEALTH ON HOSPITAL ROOFTOP GARDEN With hospital layouts evolving an increasingly popular addition is a rooftop garden, where staff, visitors and patients alike can go to absorb the outdoors, take a slow walk or simply a breath of fresh air. Simone Health Development Companies is a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of office, retail, industrial and health care properties in the New York tristate area. The company has taken a creative interest in rooftop gardens and explains how they can help hospitals improve the overall health care experience. According to Simone Health, the greatest benefit from a rooftop garden is providing a space where patients and staff can catch a breath of fresh air because being sealed indoors all day can be damaging to one’s mental health and further, fitting a hospital rooftop garden with sufficient power lines and closed-off conditions give patients locked to machines the ability to travel outdoors significantly improving morale and mental state. Visit simdev.com for more information.
WMC WORKFORCE OF 12,500 TO BEGIN VOLUNTARY COVID-19 TESTING WMCHealth is now offering Covid-19 antibody testing to its network workforce, including employees based in the hospitals and medical practices at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Antibody testing, also known as serological testing, detects antibodies present in the blood when the body is responding to a specific infection, like Covid-19. The antibody test may show if an individual has ever been infected with the virus, even without having had any symptoms. Employees are now being offered access to voluntary antibody testing. As the workforce-testing program gets underway, WMCHealth plans to eventually offer testing to its communities-at-large. Details of this program are being finalized and will be announced in the coming weeks. This antibody test does not take the place of testing for active infection that is currently being conducted in testing sites across the WMC entire network. Testing for infection is available by appointment and community members experiencing symptoms can visit WMCHealth.org/Testing to find the hotline for a testing site near their community. For more information about antibody testing, visit https://www.cdc.gov/ coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/serology-testing.html or https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-serological-tests.
INSECT REPELLENT TO HAND SANITIZERS
$200,000 DONATION GOES TO WARTBURG
Wartburg resident having a virtual visit with family.
Francis Weymon Newsome and Anna Marie Newsome presented Wartburg with a donation of $200,000 in support of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They said when conveying the gift, “We were not at all surprised that Wartburg had the courage to receive
COVID-19 patients from area hospitals during this crisis and we are awed by the staff’s commitment to care and service in the face of this pandemic.” Dr. David J. Gentner, Wartburg president and CEO, said, “The Newsome’s gift is an inspiration to this team as we begin to heal in the aftermath of
unprecedented physically and emotionally challenging circumstances. Our deepest sympathy, thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have passed from the COVID-19 virus, which has disproportionately and virulently affected those in our community who are of advanced age and frailty.”
YOUNG FILMMAKER FILLS BOARD SEAT AT JBFC The board of the Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) in Pleasantville has elected Brooklynbased filmmaker Brit Fryer, an alumnus of the JBFC’s Creative Culture Fellowship Program, to serve as the Jonathan Demme Changemaker board member. The seat was created to honor Demme’s commitment to the JBFC, his nine years of board service and his unwavering dedication to championing emerging filmmakers. Fryer’s films focus on the intersections of race, gender and sexuality and his work includes “Caro Comes Out, Across, Beyond, and Over,” and ‘trans·ience.” He has presented his work across the country at festivals has produced a variety of narrative and nonfiction projects, most recently the Tribeca Film Institute-supported documentary “Bug Farm.” Fyer currently works for the “Made in NY” Post-Production Training Program and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton College in cinema and media studies. “It’s an honor to join the board of the Jacob Burns Film Center, especially in a role that pays tribute to a filmmaker like Jonathan Demme, whose work was so full of humanism and compassion,” said Fryer.
Ranger Ready, Norwalk, is answering the public’s immediate need and creating Ranger Ready Hand SanitizerÔ, an 80% ethanol alcohol-based fine-mist hand spray, utilizing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended formula for protection from germs and bacteria, when hand washing is not available. “We’re in the business of saving lives from vector-borne diseases caused by mosquitos and ticks and we see this as a parallel path to protect people from serious illness,” said Chris L. Fuentes, Ranger Ready founder and CEO. “We recognize that in this time of urgent need we have to be innovative and resourceful.” The Ranger Ready team has been working from home across three states developing the important new product, going from concept-to-shipment in just three weeks. “All of our local supply-chain partners have been amazing and are working overtime to help prioritize this new product launch,” continued Fuentes. “We will manufacture and distribute Ranger Ready Hand Sanitizers for as long as required in order to help keep people protected,” added Fuentes.
WICC600 REMEMBERS THE L’AMBIANCE PLAZA COLLAPSE Tony Reno and Melissa Sheketoff, cohosts of Tony and Melissa in the Morning on WICC600, Bridgeport’s news/talk radio station, recently hosted a live on-air memorial for the 33rd anniversary of the L’Ambiance Plaza collapse. The collapse caused seven completed floors of the building’s structure to topple inward, claiming the lives of 28 construction workers and injuring 22 others, and remains the worst construction disaster in Connecticut history. “With the annual in-person memorial unable to happen this year due to COVID-19, we knew we had to do something to remember that day in Bridgeport,” Reno stated. Reno and Sheketoff were joined by Congressman Jim Himes, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, and Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim.
Information for these features has been submitted by the subjects or their delegates. Brit Fryer
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Facts & Figures
westchester county
BANKRUPTCIES Aref Fani, West Haverstraw, Rockland 20-22590-RDD: Chapter 7, individual debtor, business debt re. Fani Family Corp. winding down 7-11 franchise. Attorney: Michelle Ann Labayen
COURT CASES Chezaree Booker and Qwonjit Nelson v. E.T. Browne Drug Co. 7:20-cv-3166-PMH: class action, fraud. Attorneys: Scott A. Bursor, Yitzchak Kopel Olivia Marino-Myers v. Gretchen Scott LLC, et al. 7:20-cv-3174-VB: job discrimination, demand $1.85 million. Attorneys: Elizabeth V. Stork, Mark H. Moore.
U.S. Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection v. Law Offices of Crystal Moroney. 7:20-cv-3240-UA: fair debt collection. Attorney: Jehan A. Patterson Besim Kelmendi v. Home Depot USA, et al. 7:20-cv3245-NSR: removal, personal injury, removal by defense. Attorneys: Meagan M. Kelly, Michael N. Giacopelli Josephine Loguidice v. Gerber Life Insurance Co. 7:20-cv-3254-KMK: fraud. Attorney: James J. Bilsborrow Carol Whyble v. The Nature’s Bounty Co. 7:20-cv-3257-NSR: class action, contract, demand $5 million. Attorney: Timothy G. Blood Nicholas Mangone, et al v. Big Geyser Inc. 7:20-cv-3267CS: class action, fraud. Attorney: Spencer Sheehan
1160 Inc., d.b.a. Laundry Land v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. 7:20-cv-3181-VB: insurance, removal by defense. Attorney: Jonathan Schapp
Mary E. Candelaria v. Walmart Stores East LP. 7:20-cv-3276-NSR: personal injury, removal by defense. Attorney: John Petrowski
Nancy Danforth, et al v. Town Sports International LLC, et al. 7:20-cv-3195-UA: class action, contract, demand $5 million. Attorney: Katherine Aizpuru
Aron Prero v. Mullooly, Jeffrey, Rooney & Flynn LLP. 7:20-cv-3278-VB: consumer credit. Attorney: Raphael Deutsch
Necha Epstein v. Transworld Systems Inc. 7:20-cv3198-CS: consumer credit, demand $1,000. Attorneys: David M. Barshay, Craig B. Sanders Eugene Scalia, U.S. Department of Labor v. Broadway Mart Corp., d.b.a. Sunoco Food Mart et al. 7:20-cv-3237NSR: fair labor standards. Attorneys: Allison L. Bowles, defense attorney Jennifer S. Echevarria
Markel American Insurance Co. v. Clearstream Systems LLC, et al. 7:20-cv3279-PHM: product liability, demand $167,000. Attorney: Kenneth B. Grear Wayne D. Schmidt v. Steadily LLC and David D. Chung. 7:20-cv-3300-UA: motor vehicle, removal by defense. Attorney: Jenson Varghese William Tenley v. General Motors. 7:20-cv-3307-UA: product liability. Attorney: David W. Hannum
Items appearing in the Fairfield County Business Journal’s On The Record section are compiled from various sources, including public records made available to the media by federal, state and municipal agencies and the court system. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this information, no liability is assumed for errors or omissions. In the case of legal action, the records cited are open to public scrutiny and should be inspected before any action is taken.
Miguel Chiriapa v. Matsul Inc., et al. 7:20-cv-3313-UA: fair labor standards. Attorney Lina Stillman Zalman Biston v. Frontline Asset Strategies LLC. 7:20-cv-3317-UA: class action, fair debt collection. Attorney:David M. Barshay
Questions and comments regarding this section should be directed to: Larry Miles c/o Westfair Communications Inc. 701 Westchester Ave, Suite 100 J White Plains, N.Y. 10604-3407 Phone: 694-3600 • Fax: 694-3699
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ON THE RECORD
DEEDS Above $1 million 42 Groshen Resident LLC, Brooklyn. Seller: Emerald Acquisitions 42 Groshon LLC, Chestnut Ridge. Property: 42 Groshon Ave., Yonkers. Amount: $1 million. Filed April 24. MV 238 Realty LLC, Mount Vernon. Seller: Long Island Dream Garden LLC, Mount Vernon. Property: 238 W. Lincoln Ave., Mount Vernon. Amount: $1.2 million. Filed April 23. PBF Katonah LLC, et al, Katonah. Seller: Jeffrey C. Blockinger, et al, Katonah. Property: 91 Katonah’s Wood Road, Bedford. Amount: $5.2 million. Filed April 22.
Below $1 million 112 Lee Road LLC, Scarsdale. Seller: Michael B. Shiffer, Mount Vernon. Property: 112 Lee Road, Scarsdale. Amount: $799,000. Filed April 24. 121 Scott LLC, Yonkers. Seller: 66 Woodlawn LLC, Fairfield, Connecticut. Property: 121 Scott Ave., Yonkers. Amount: $999,000. Filed April 21. 138 Buena Vista Ave LLC, Jamaica. Seller: Arthur McQueen, et al, Dover, Delaware. Property: 138 Buena Vista Ave., Yonkers. Amount: $520,000. Filed April 24. 875 King Street LLC, Peekskill. Seller: Daniel H. McCoy, et al, Peekskill. Property: 875 King St., Peekskill. Amount: $75,000. Filed April 24. Alchris LLC, Ossining. Seller: Margaret L. Apostolico, et al, Ossining. Property: 52 Ferris Place, Ossining. Amount: $200,000. Filed April 23. Campal Corp., Bronx. Seller: Taftaleen Reid, Yonkers. Property: 147 Hawthorne Ave., Yonkers. Amount: $130,000. Filed April 21. Cardinal McCloskey School and Home for Children, Valhalla. Seller: John Evans, et al, New York City. Property: 11 Fountain Road, Ossining. Amount: $825,000. Filed April 21.
GE Holdings Group Inc., Corona. Seller: Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB. Property: 304 Nelson Ave., Peekskill. Amount: $244,000. Filed April 20. Jemab Family LP, Putnam Valley. Seller: Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. Property: 925 First St., Peekskill. Amount: $285,557. Filed April 20. Joe Bellamy Construction Inc., Yorktown Heights. Seller: Gregory Macher, et al, Cortlandt Manor. Property: E. Hill Road, Cortlandt. Amount: $75,000. Filed April 20. Moon Tower Properties LLC, South Salem. Seller: Laura Jill Dusenberry, Fairfax, Virginia. Property: 20 Bouton St., Lewisboro. Amount: $357,500. Filed April 20. Save144 Group Corp., New Rochelle. Seller: Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. Property: 144 Stone Ave., Yonkers. Amount: $300,000. Filed April 23. Two Mardon LLC, Larchmont. Seller: Kitchen Concepts Inc., Larchmont. Property: 2 Mardon Road, Mamaroneck. Amount: $725,000. Filed April 21. Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Seller: Joseph Rafalowicz, New Rochelle. Property: 1062 Boston Post Road, Rye. Amount: $940,131. Filed April 21.
LIS PENDENS The following filings indicated a legal action has been initiated, the outcome of which may affect the title to the property listed. Akamiokhor, Bosede S., et al. Filed by Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $357,178 affecting property located at 40 Hilltop Ave., New Rochelle 10801. Filed Sept. 18. Alessandro, Kerry J., et al. Filed by ARC Home LLC. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $284,900 affecting property located at 6 Cottonwood Drive, Mahopac 10541. Filed Sept. 18.
Amen, Aleida M., et al. Filed by U.S. Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $189,456 affecting property located at 6 Diane Court, Cortland Manor 10567. Filed Sept. 18.
Carlson, Jason, et al. Filed by LoanDepot.com. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $429,030 affecting property located at 183 Rockne Road, Yonkers 10701. Filed Sept. 19.
Belcher, Darrell D., et al. Filed by Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $280,000 affecting property located at 7 Old Knollwood Road, Elmsford 10523. Filed Sept. 19.
Cox, Fiona Dale, et al. Filed by Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $250,971 affecting property located at 131 S. 13th Ave., Mount Vernon 10550. Filed Sept. 20.
Boyd, Anthony, et al. Filed by HSBC Bank USA N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $241,500 affecting property located at 57 W. Second St., Mount Vernon 10550. Filed Sept. 12. Brunson, James, et al. Filed by Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $310,000 affecting property located at 175 Sears Ave., Elmsford 10523. Filed Sept. 12. Burke, Eugene T., et al. Filed by U.S. Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $200,000 affecting property located at 3428 Curry St., Yorktown Heights 10598. Filed Sept. 10. Buying and Selling Properties New York LLC, et al. Filed by Chondrite REO LLC 6. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $343,500 affecting property located at 105 Frederick Place, Mount Vernon. Filed Sept. 17. Camacho, Aniana M., et al. Filed by Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure an unspecified amount affecting property located at 4 Wyanoke St., White Plains 10606. Filed Sept. 16. Cappelli, Michael A., et al. Filed by KeyBank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $1.4 million affecting property located at 1 Parkside Court, Purchase 10577. Filed Sept. 20.
Crespo, Juan, et al. Filed by Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $340,000 affecting property located at 78 Ferris Place, Ossining 10562. Filed Sept. 20. Criscuolo, Peter, et al. Filed by Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $186,200 affecting property located at 83D Heritage Hills, Somers 10589. Filed Sept. 12. Dolphin, Walter S., et al. Filed by Bank of America N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $212,600 affecting property located at 126 Oliver Road, Bedford 10506. Filed Sept. 10. Dwyer, Pamela K., et al. Filed by JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $1 million affecting property located at 36 Green Hill Road, Goldens Bridge 10526. Filed Sept. 6. Freeman, Bonni Jan, et al. Filed by Select Portfolio Servicing Inc. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $490,187 affecting property located at 2 Sabina Road, Chappaqua 10514. Filed Sept. 17. Galan, Sandra, et al. Filed by Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $535,200 affecting property located at 8 E. Maple St., Valhalla 10595. Filed Sept. 19. Gross, Steven, et al. Filed by MTGLQ Investors LP. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure an unspecified amount affecting property located at 14 Grandview Ave., Ardsley 10502. Filed Sept. 9.
Facts & Figures Hull, Scott E., et al. Filed by Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $310,000 affecting property located at 3663 Old Yorktown Road, Yorktown Heights 10598. Filed Sept. 6.
Miller, Geraldine, et al. Filed by Nationstar Mortgage LLC. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $319,799 affecting property located at 208 Harris Road, Unit DA-4, Bedford Hills 10507. Filed Sept. 19.
Jaffe, Diane, executrix of the estate of Estelle Dreizen, et al. Filed by Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure an unspecified amount affecting property located at 54 Arthur Court, Port Chester 10573. Filed Sept. 18.
Morgan, Annmarie, et al. Filed by Citimortgage Inc. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $220,000 affecting property located at 412 N. Broadway, Unit 30, Yonkers 10701. Filed Sept. 12.
Jones, Marion L., et al. Filed by 2005 Residential Trust 3-1. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $60,003 affecting property located at 48 Briar Hill Drive, Yonkers 10710. Filed Sept. 20. Kim, Young Hee, et al. Filed by Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $435,478 affecting property located at 22 Coolidge St., Larchmont 10538. Filed Sept. 10. LaDuca, Concetta, et al. Filed by U.S. Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $522,500 affecting property located at 22 Chatham Road, Chappaqua 10514. Filed Sept. 19. Lonce, Stefan J., et al. Filed by Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $186,000 affecting property located at 35 Brook St., Croton-on-Hudson 10520. Filed Sept. 11. Manzo, Lucio, et al. Filed by TIAA FSB. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $100,000 affecting property located at 722 Linda Ave., Thornwood 10594. Filed Sept. 18. Marcelin, Ronald, et al. Filed by Nationstar Mortgage LLC. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $303,403 affecting property located at 31 Morris St., New Rochelle 10801. Filed Sept. 20. McNatty, Daniel, et al. Filed by U.S. Bank Trust N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $1.2 million affecting property located at 16 Prickly Pear Hill Road, Croton-on-Hudson 10520. Filed Sept. 17.
Morocho, Rommel E., et al. Filed by HRB Mortgage Holdings LLC. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $440,000 affecting property located at 15 South Road, White Plains 10603. Filed Sept. 20. Nardi, Thomas, et al. Filed by Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $129,000 affecting property located at 8 Woodland Ave., Rye Brook 10573. Filed Sept. 20. Olko, Robert S., et al. Filed by Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $516,000 affecting property located at 3 Frederick Court, Harrison 10528. Filed Sept. 20. Ostrau, Jonathan M., et al. Filed by JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $100,000 affecting property located at 4 Oakmont Drive, Purchase 10577. Filed Sept. 17. Public administrator of Westchester County to the estate of Margaret Palmesi, et al. Filed by U.S. Bank Trust N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $125,000 affecting property located at 641 Route 22, Croton Falls 10519. Filed Sept. 16. Richard, Eric, et al. Filed by Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $36,000 affecting property located at 656 Midland Ave., Yonkers 10704. Filed Sept. 12. Schliman, Carl J., et al. Filed by The Money Source Inc. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $453,100 affecting property located at 51 Glen Forest St., Thornwood 10594. Filed Sept. 11.
Serrano, Jorge, et al. Filed by The Bank of New York Mellon. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $280,000 affecting property located at 940 Liberty St., Peekskill 10566. Filed Sept. 6. Smith, Patricia A., et al. Filed by Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $321,145 affecting property located at 1217 Jackson St., Peekskill 10566. Filed Sept. 19. Teurlinckx, Linda, individually and as trustees of trust u.w.o Henry R. Lieberman, et al. Filed by Citimortgage Inc. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $250,000 affecting property located at 133 Columbia Court A, Yorktown Heights 10598. Filed Sept. 9. Tiso, Susan, et al. Filed by The Bank of New York Mellon. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $369,000 affecting property located at 120 Jennifer Lane, Yonkers 10710. Filed Sept. 13. Vasquez, Francisco, et al. Filed by Nationstar Mortgage LLC. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $363,750 affecting property located at 17 Conklin Ave., Cortlandt Manor 10567. Filed Sept. 12. Young, Diane M., et al. Filed by United Mortgage Corp. Action: seeks to foreclose on a mortgage to secure $369,000 affecting property located at 861 Webster Ave. and Webster Ave., New Rochelle 10804. Filed Sept. 9.
MECHANIC’S LIENS Brooks Shopping Center LLC, as owner. $141,249 as claimed by JKT Construction Inc., Garden City. Property: in Yonkers. Filed April 21. Cohan, David, et al, as owner. $473 as claimed by TCC Building Inc., Shrub Oak. Property: in Scarsdale. Filed April 21. Hudson EFT LLC, as owner. $352,884 as claimed by Upper Restoration Inc., Babylon. Property: in Ossining. Filed April 21.
Iona College, as owner. $43,713 as claimed by Ahem Rentals Inc. Property: in New Rochelle. Filed April 21.
Henry and Rico Home Improvement, 83 Charstworth Place, New Rochelle 10801, c/o Enrique Gonzalez. Filed Dec. 12.
Self-expanding software defined computing cluster. Patent 10,637,921 issued to Barzik et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk.
RXR Soyo Exalta Owners LLC, as owner. $129,489 as claimed by Extech Building Materials Inc. Property: in Yonkers. Filed April 23.
J.C. Adult Care Services, 663 Lafayette Ave., Mount Vernon 10552, c/o Jeanina Celestin. Filed Dec. 9.
Privacy-aware ID gateway. Patent 10,637,845 issued to Ishikawa et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk.
Seritage SRC Finance LLC, as owner. $13,007 as claimed by CRG. Property: in Yorktown. Filed April 21.
Kids in Need, 521 Waverly Ave., Mamaroneck 10543, c/o Brian J. Cardone. Filed Dec. 11.
Linking instances within a cloud computing environment. Patent 10,637,796 issued to DeLuca et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk.
PARTNERSHIPS
LH Services, 190 Palisade Ave., 4F, Yonkers 10703, c/o Larry Henderson. Filed Dec. 10.
Superior Comfort Mechanical, 206 Vernon Ave., Yonkers 10704, c/o Anthony Schiavo Jr. and Elez Muratovic. Filed Dec. 9.
Nymphaion, 555 Bronx River Road, Apt. 2K, Yonkers 10704, c/o Nino Petriashvili. Filed Dec. 11.
SOLE PROPRIETORSHIPS
Pao Dent Removal, 27 S. West St., Mount Vernon 10550, c/o Anthony Paolo Garcia Prado. Filed Dec. 10.
Body Luxe Aesthetics, 77 Quaker Ridge Road, Suite 327, New Rochelle 10804, c/o Vanesa Marin. Filed Dec. 9. Buchanan Senior Travel, 155 Lindsey Ave., Buchanan 10511, c/o Michael Lepore. Filed Dec. 9. Carrock Auto and Resolve, 20 S. Ninth Ave., Mount Vernon 10550, c/o Astariel Francis. Filed Dec. 12. Dialysis Training and Updates, 445 Locust St., Second floor, Mount Vernon, c/o Carmen Mendez. Filed Dec. 11. E3 Leadership Consulting, 4 Lake Road, Cortlandt Manor 10567, c/o Lynne Labrador. Filed Dec. 11. GC Marketing, 294 First St., Yonkers 10704, c/o Eileen T. Siddiqi. Filed Dec. 9. Guzman General Contracting, P.O. Box 351, New Rochelle 10801, c/o Wilfredo Guzman. Filed Dec. 9. H.R.V. Carpenter, 276 Battle Ave., White Plains 10606, c/o Hugo Ricardo Vara Quinonez. Filed Dec. 10.
Pet Love, 21 Mount Airy Road, No. 2B, Croton-on-Hudson 10520, c/o Cassandra D. Lanton. Filed Dec. 12. Prissy Pretty Cosmetics, 18 Elm St., Mount Vernon 10550, c/o Calmania Thompson. Filed Dec. 10. Ridenhour Trucking, 23 Spring St., Suite 105, Ossining 10562, c/o Chris Ridenhour. Filed Dec. 11. Touched by Shellz, 79 Alexander St., Apt. 1258, Yonkers 10701, c/o Michelle Walker. Filed Dec. 10.
PATENTS Rack-mountable assembly with electromagnetic shielding structure(s). Patent 10,638,634 issued to Elsasser et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk. Method of forming a plurality of electro-optical module assemblies. Patent 10,638,613 issued to Andry et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk.
Dynamic grouping and repurposing of general purpose links in disaggregated datacenters. Patent 10,637,733 issued to Li et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk. Predictive analytics and device tracking to facilitate minimization of alert events. Patent 10,637,720 issued to Bar-joshua et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk. Preservative system for acidic beverages based on sequestrants. Patent 10,631,557 issued to Richard T. Smith. Assigned to PepsiCo, Purchase.
HUDSON VALLEY BUILDING LOANS Above $1 million Maple Avenue Onions LLC, New Hampton, as owner. Lender: Ulster Savings Bank, Kingston. Property: in Goshen. Amount: $4.1 million. Filed April 22. One Dutchess Phase 2 LLC, as owner. Lender: Investors Bank. Property: in Poughkeepsie. Amount: $39 million. Filed April 22.
Differentiated services for protocol suitable network virtualization overlays. Patent 10,637,973 issued to Lin et al. Assigned to IBM, Armonk.
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Facts & Figures Below $1 million Doggood Ventures LLC, as owner. Lender: Lendinghome Funding Corp. Property: in Poughkeepsie. Amount: $200,300. Filed April 28. Hong, Mee Hee, et al, Campbell Hall, as owner. Lender: National Bank of Coxsackie, Coxsackie. Property: in Hamptonburgh. Amount: $150,000. Filed April 28. Real Estate ABC 123 LLC, as owner. Lender: Brookhill Holdings Series A LLC. Property: in Pleasant Valley. Amount: $55,000. Filed April 23.
DEEDS Above $1 million EPM Resources LLC, Westbrookville. Seller: Hanif LLC, Albertson. Property: 690 Route 211 East, Middletown 10941. Amount: $1.3 million. Filed April 24.
Below $1 million
68-70 North Cross Road LLC, LaGrangeville. Seller: UpCounty Realty Corp., White Plains. Property: 68-70 N. Cross Road, LaGrangeville 12540. Amount: $330,000. Filed April 21. 77 Sunset House LLC, Woodhaven. Seller: Nicasio J. Librodo, et al, Poughkeepsie. Property: in Poughkeepsie. Amount: $315,000. Filed April 23. Bank of America N.A. Seller: Fred Clarke, Poughkeepsie. Property: 52 Hackensack Heights Road, Wappingers Falls 12590. Amount: $275,000. Filed April 24. Bear Stearns Asset Backed Securities I Trust 2006IM1, Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Seller: Craig Wallace, Poughkeepsie. Property: 56 Edgehill Drive, Wappingers Falls 12590. Amount: $549,000. Filed April 21. Bentley Real Estate Holdings LLC, Clinton Corners. Seller: S.B.T. Realty Inc., Lakeville, Connecticut. Property: 6030 Route 82, Stanford. Amount: $340,000. Filed April 21.
309 Route 94 South LLC, Warwick. Seller: H and M Corporation of Warwick, Warwick. Property: in Warwick. Amount: $140,000. Filed April 24.
Black Walnut Creek LLC, Warwick. Seller: Robert M. Sodrick, Benicia, California. Property: in Warwick. Amount: $195,000. Filed April 23.
3136 Offices LLC, Montgomery. Seller: I Buy Homes SC Inc., Simpsonville, South Carolina. Property: 55 Beakes Road, Cornwall-on-Hudson. Amount: $175,000. Filed April 24.
Castle 2020 LLC, White Plains. Seller: Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. Property: 97 E. Main St., Middletown 10940. Amount: $36,100. Filed April 22.
360 Crystal Run LLC, Florida. Seller: Hope Assets LLC, Goshen. Property: in Goshen. Amount: $600,000. Filed April 22. 5 Star Flooring and Painting LLC, Newburgh. Seller: U.S. Bank N.A. Property: 17 Madison Court, Wallkill 12550. Amount: $290,000. Filed April 22.
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Castle 2020 LLC, White Plains. Seller: Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Property: 30 Rhode Island Ave., Wallkill. Amount: $36,500. Filed April 23. Citizens Bank N.A. Seller: Vincent Catalano, Poughkeepsie. Property: 2696 Route 52, Hopewell Junction 12533. Amount: $363,500. Filed April 20.
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DrewCora Second LLC, New York City. Seller: 89 Liberty Street LLC, Newburgh. Property: 89 Liberty St., Newburgh 12550. Amount: $465,000. Filed April 27.
Speyside Holdings LLC, Highland Mills. Seller: BCM Speyside LLC, Highland Mills. Property: 911 Route 32, Highland Mills 10930. Amount: $315,000. Filed April 24.
Federal National Mortgage Association. Seller: Andrea Pawliczek, Montgomery. Property: 12 Madalaine Terrace, Middletown 10940. Amount: $200,670. Filed April 21.
The Bank of New York Mellon. Seller: Keith Byron, Clinton Corners. Property: 18-20 Mountain Ave., Middletown 10940. Amount: $125,993. Filed April 24.
Hani Holdings LLC, Hopewell Junction. Seller: Chester Gordon, Poughkeepsie. Property: 12 Magnolia Drive, Fishkill. Amount: $248,000. Filed April 23.
TheLandHouse LLC, Monroe. Seller: Big Blue Building Crew Inc., Montgomery. Property: 64 Wawayanda Ave., Middletown. Amount: $90,000. Filed April 23.
Invoss LLC, Middletown. Seller: Rita Salzman, East Chester. Property: in Wallkill. Amount: $90,000. Filed April 24.
MECHANIC’S LIENS
KFB Properties LLC, Hopewell Junction. Seller: ASL Realty Partners Ltd., Warwick. Property: 1 W. Main St., Goshen 10940. Amount: $495,000. Filed April 21. King Prospect Property LLC, Newburgh. Seller: Brian Fernandez, Newburgh. Property: 74 Fullerton Ave., Newburgh. Amount: $245,000. Filed April 24. Millpond Management Inc., Cornwall-on-Hudson. Seller: Ryan Karben, Pomona.. Property: 118 Indian Trail, Maybrook 12543. Amount: $120,000. Filed April 27. Prelude Painting Corp., Brewster. Seller: U.S. Bank N.A. Property: in Southeast. Amount: $221,000. Filed April 23. Quicken Loans Inc., Detroit, Michigan. Seller: Ralph L. Puglielle Jr., New Windsor. Property: 59 Onderdonk Road, Warwick 10990. Amount: $363,747. Filed April 22. Real Estae ABC 123 LLC, Maybrook. Seller: 1653 Main Street Pleasant Valley LLC, Mountaindale. Property: in Pleasant Valley. Amount: $206,000. Filed April 21.
Menchen, Jorge, as owner. $1,224 as claimed by Savarese Septic Service Inc., Pawling. Property: 3464 Pleasant Ridge Road, Wingdale. Filed March 30. Massone, Jason, as owner. $248,000 as claimed by Peak Enterprise Inc., Fishkill. Property: 8 Stanford Court, Rhinebeck. Filed April 3. Oneill Group Dutton LLC, as owner. $126,375 as claimed by MPD Plumbing and Heating LLC, Yonkers. Property: 1 Dutchess Ave., Poughkeepsie. Filed April 15. Zack, Dennis R., as owner. $27,900 as claimed by Robert Porco Jr., New York City. Property: 255 Vanwyck Lake Road, Fishkill. Filed April 15. Levine, Martin, as owner. $10,575 as claimed by Rabco Construction Corp., LaGrangeville. Property: 46 Cambridge Drive, Red Hook. Filed April 20. Fox, Michael, et al, as owner. $18,668 as claimed by Consolidated Electrical Distributors Inc., Albany. Property: 60 Harrigan Road, Hopewell Junction. Filed April 23.
NEW BUSINESSES This paper is not responsible for typographical errors contained in the original filings.
Doing Business As C and Y Import Corp., d.b.a. Katie Q, 2709 Route 17M, New Hampton 10958. Filed April 27.
Royal Imports of NY Inc., d.b.a. Debra Weitzner, 1 Liska Way, Unit 202, Monroe 10950. Filed April 27. Your Home Goods Inc., d.b.a. Elkay Home, 31 Elkay Drive, Chester 10918. Filed April 27. YSR Inc., d.b.a. YSR Label Systems, 5 Shinev Court, No. 301, Monroe 10950. Filed April 27.
Castricone Enterprises Inc., d.b.a. The Goodman Agency, 14 Goodman Ave., New Windsor 12553. Filed April 27.
SOLE PROPRIETORSHIPS
ComfoGreen Inc., d.b.a. HBCY, 31 Virginia Ave., Monroe 10950. Filed April 27.
Bill Nolan Home Improvement Contractor, 496 Newport Bridge Road, Pine Island, c/o William Edward Nolan. Filed April 27.
Garnet Health Medical Center, d.b.a. Orange Regional Medical Center, 707 E. Main St., Middletown 10940. Filed April 27.
Gary D. Howell Enterprises, 3136 Route 207, Suite 103, Campbell Hall, c/o Gary D. Howell. Filed April 22.
Garnet Health, d.b.a. Greater Hudson Valley Health System, 707 E. Main St., Middletown 10940. Filed April 27.
Iron and Quill Nancy, 88 Dunning Road, Suite 216/218, Middletown, c/o Nancy Ann Gonzalez. Filed April 22.
Gluten Free Bake Shop Inc., d.b.a. Katz Freezer Storage, 19 Industry Drive, Mountainville 10953. Filed April 27.
Iron and Quill Salon, 88 Dunning Road, Suite 216/218, Middletown, c/o Amber Jean Gardner. Filed April 22.
JDRLK Inc., d.b.a. Villa’s Market, 327 Broadway, Newburgh 12550. Filed April 27.
Michael J. Sassano Video, 610 N. Lake Blvd., Mahopac 10541, c/o Michael John Sassano. Filed April 24.
M.S. Iron Works Inc., d.b.a. M and S Iron Works, 27 Stone Castle Road, Rock Tavern 12575. Filed April 27. Monroe Online Sales Corp., d.b.a. Naptec Paper, 17 Cannon Hill Drive, Suite 300-600, New Hampton 10958. Filed April 27. Mountain Deals Inc., d.b.a. Green Business, 716 Route 32, Highland Mills 10930. Filed April 27.
Tri-State Protective Solutions, 94 Brola Road, Middletown 10940, c/o James Dillon III. Filed April 27. Word Place Digital, 5 Carlile Circle, Newburgh 12550, c/o Robert L. Pollier III. Filed April 27.
LEGAL NOTICES Be The Total You LLC , Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 3/19/2020. Cty: Westchester. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to The LLC, 793 Palmer Road, 4E, Bronxville, NY 10708 #62563 Notice of formation of KK Clear Communications LLC, Art. of Org. filed with SSNY on 3/18/2020. Office location is Westchester County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC’s principal business location at 9 Maplewood Road, Hartsdale NY 10530. Purpose: any lawful business activity. #62567 Notice of Formation of DG Brow & Beauty Bar LLC. filed with SSNY on 11/07/2019. Offc. Loc: Westchester Cty. SSNY desig. as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the 901 Mamaroneck Avenue, Mamaroneck, NY,10543. Purpose: any lawful purpose. #62569 Notice of Formation of Rosse Multiservices, LLC Art.Of Org. filed with SSNY on 1/23/2020. Offc. Loc: Westchester Cty. SSNY desig as agent of the LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Rosse Multiservices, LLC, 1159 Yonkers Avenue, 5C, Yonkers, NY 10704. Purpose: any lawful purpose. #62570 Notice of formation of Law Office of David Sifre LLC. Articles of Organization (Dom-Prof. LLC) filed with N.Y.S. Dept. of State on 03/02/2020. Located in Westchester County. The Secretary of State is designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served, with copy of process to be mailed to the principal business location at 73 Market St. STE 376, Yonkers, NY 10710. Business Purpose: Practice of Law. # 62566 RAYDEN LLC, Article of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03 /16/2020. 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 RAYDEN LLC, 12 Congress St, New Rochelle 10801. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. Latest date upon which LLC is to dissolve: No specific date. #62568
LEGAL NOTICE POSTED AT WWW.FINANCE.WESTCHESTERGOV.COM
CASE NUMBER: (Numero del Caso): 19STCV26119
NOTICE OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF PERSONS APPEARING AS OWNERS OR DEPOSITORS OF CERTAIN UNCLAIMED PROPERTY HELD BY THE COMMISSIONER OF FINANCE OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER, DEPOSITED WITH THE COMMISSIONER ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2017.
SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): HOOSHANG KAEN, Individually, CLOUD CONSTELLATION CORPORATION, a Delaware Corpora-tion, INTERNATIONAL TELECOM AD-VISORY GROUP, LLC, a California Limited Liability Company, INTERGULF SERVICES, INC., a New York Corpora-tion, CARAVAN COMMUNICATIONS CORP., a New York Corporation, IN-TERNATIONAL INTERNET GROUP, LLC, a New York Limited Liability Company, UNITED TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS & SERVICES, INC., a California Corpora-tion, and Does 1 through 100, Inclusive.
Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 601 of the Abandoned Property Law of the State of New York that: The undersigned Commissioner of Finance of the County of Westchester has on deposit or in her custody certain monies or property paid or deposited in actions or proceedings in the several courts in the County of Westchester. The persons whose names and addresses are set forth below from the records of the Commissioner of Finance of the County of Westchester may be entitled to certain such property in the amount of $50.00 or more.
YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (LO ESTA DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): ESTATE OF SHAHRAUM SCOTT SOBHANI.
DEPOSITED IN ACTIONS OR PROCEEDINGS WITH THE SUPREME COURTOF WESTCHESTER COUNTY: TITLE OF CASE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE COLONY AT HARTSDALE CONDO VS ESATE OF CAROL BLITSTEIN CADET IMPORTERS, LTD VS. GRUPPO VINI SELEZIONATI SR1 CADET IMPORTERS, LTD VS. AZ. AGR. SANT' AGNESE-MILANESI DANIELE CAROL DEFRANZA & RICHARD DEFRANZA VS DIAMOND PROPERTIES LLC ET AL CITY STORE GATES MANUFACTURING CORP. VS. SHENOROCK SHORE CLUB, INC. DEBRA BETZ, ESTATE OF CARMELO CARBONE VS ARNOLD W. BLATT JP MORGAN CHASE BANK VS SILVIA HICKS LENARD E. LAMBARDI VS INTERSTATE FIRE & SAFETY EQUIP CO INC THOMAS STANLEY VS DAVINDER MAKAN URBAN ENERGY SOLAR LLC VS HUDSON VIEW ASSOC, LLC
DEPOSITED BY DENNIS E. KROLAIN ESQ. DOUGLAS J PICK DOUGLAS J PICK SHAFRAN & ROCK PLLC DiLORENZO BUILDERS, LLC. GARY E BASHIAN PC ASSOCIATES PC PC ROSICKI ROSICKI AND ASSOCIATES JOSEPH PANDOLFO DAVINDER MAKAN GIANTOMASI PC PC CHIESA SHAHINIAN & GIANTOMASI
DEPOSITED IN ACTIONS OR PROCEEDINGS WITH THE SURROGATE COURTOF WESTCHESTER COUNTY: NAME ESTATE OF EVERIS ANDERSON ESTATE OF JULIA TOPAK
FOR THE BENEFIT OF MERCIA WILLIAMS WESTCHESTER EMS EMS STARNET DBA WESTCHESTER
DEPOSITED IN ACTIONS OR PROCEEDINGS WITH WESTCHESTER COUNTY COURT : NAME AND ADDRESS ABDUL-WALI, SEIFUDDIN S 967 NOBLE AVE BRIDGEPORT, CT 06608
NAME AND ADDRESS ANGLADA, DEBRA C 541 PELHAM RD APT 4T NEW ROCHELLE, NY 10805
BARNES, SARAH 610 BIRDSALL DRIVE YORKTOWN, NY 10598
BONILLA, KYNA 123 EAST POST RD APT #401 WHITE PLAINS, NY 10601
DEEM, MICHAEL 70 WEST MAIN 3RD ST STREET APT #3B 145 MOUNT VERNON, NY NY 10550 MANOR, 10562 BRIARCLIFF
DIAZ, CHASTITY 185 DYCKMAN MEAGHER AVE AVE 209 BRONX, NY 10465 NEW YORK, NY 10040
GAILHANT-BUBANO, SHENEQUA DONNA ESAU, 184WEST DRAKE AVE APT #1B 70 3RD STREET APT #3B NEW ROCHLLE, NY 10805 MOUNT VERNON, NY 10550
GARVIN, KYLE FARLEKAS, THOMAS 32 ORCHARD 185 MEAGHERRD AVE KATONAH, 10536 BRONX, NYNY 10465
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HAVILAND, GREGORY GAILHANT-BUBANO, DONNA 926 DRAKE HALSTEAD 184 AVEAVE APT #1B MAMARONECK, NEW ROCHLLE, NY 10543 10805
HUDSON,KYLE RICHARD GARVIN, 40 ORCHARD BRIAR CT RD 32 CROSS RIVER, NY 10518 KATONAH, NY 10536
LETTIRE, NICHOLAS HAVILAND, GREGORY 1226HALSTEAD PELHAMDALE 926 AVEAVE PELHAM, NY 10803 MAMARONECK, NY 10543
LOPEZ, FILOMENO HUDSON, RICHARD 303BRIAR NORTH 40 CTAVE APT #3 NEW ROCHELLE, 10801 CROSS RIVER, NYNY 10518
LYPCHUK,NICHOLAS ANDRIY LETTIRE, 1226 PELHAMDALE AVE MOUNT VERNON, PELHAM, NY 10803NY 10552
MANZUETA, RENE LOPEZ, FILOMENO 230 NORTH YONKERS AVE APT 303 AVE APT #3 #3E YONKERS, NY 10701 NEW ROCHELLE, NY 10801
MARTINS, JORGE LYPCHUK, ANDRIY -2175 HALSEY STREET UNION, NJ 07083 NY 10552 MOUNT VERNON,
OCEGUERA-AYALA, MANZUETA, RENE ANA MILIA 238 YONKERS UNION AVEAVE APTAPT #2RR 230 #3E NEW ROCHELLE, NY 10801 YONKERS, NY 10701
OLVERA, JORGE RENE MARTINS, 2175 HALSEY STREET 13 VILLUS AVE UNION, NJ 07083 NY10801 NEW ROCHELLE,
O'ROURKE,SEAN OCEGUERA-AYALA, ANA MILIA 238 UNION AVE APT 34 ATHERSTONE RD#2RR NEW ROCHELLE, NY 10801 SCARSDALE, NY 10583
OLVERA, RENE TRINIDAD PEREZ-MIRANDA, 15 DIVISION STREET 13 VILLUS AVE NEW ROCHELLE, NYNY10801 10801 NEW ROCHELLE,
O'ROURKE,SEAN PINEDA-TERI, JENNIFER 15 ATHERSTONE CLIFF STREET RD 34 NEW ROCHELLE, NY 10801 SCARSDALE, NY 10583
SCHONBERG, ARNOLD R PEREZ-MIRANDA, TRINIDAD 1 JEROME 15 DIVISIONDR STREET PEEKSKILL, NY 10567 NEW ROCHELLE, NY 10801
SHAY, KERSHAW PINEDA-TERI, JENNIFER 265CLIFF BOULEVARD 15 STREET SCARSDALE, NY 10583 NEW ROCHELLE, NY 10801
VACACELA, SARA SCHONBERG, ARNOLD R 87JEROME PAYNE ST 1 DR ELMSFORD, NY NY 10567 10523 PEEKSKILL,
VARGAS, SALVADOR SHAY, KERSHAW 18 LINCOLN AVE 265 BOULEVARD NEW ROCHELLE, NY 10801 SCARSDALE, NY 10583
VUKEL, TOME VACACELA, SARA 1553 STRAWBERRY RD 87 PAYNE ST MOHEGAN LAKE, NY 10547 ELMSFORD, NY 10523
WOODS, ROCHELLE VARGAS, SALVADOR 129LINCOLN LOCKWOOD 18 AVE AVE APT #6A NEW ROCHELLE, NY 10801
ZAGST, TOME JANET VUKEL, 122 LEE RD 1553 STRAWBERRY RD MOHEGAN LAKE, NY NORTH BANGOR, NY 10547 12966
WOODS, ROCHELLE 129 LOCKWOOD AVE APT #6A NEW ROCHELLE, NY 10801
ZAGST, JANET 122 LEE RD NORTH BANGOR, NY 12966 TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT: (A) A report of unclaimed amounts of money or other property has been made to the State Comptroller and that a listing of names of persons appearing to be entitled is on file and open to public inspection at the County of Westchester's office of the TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT: Commissioner of Finance. (A) report of amounts unclaimed money or other been made to the (B) A Such held of amounts money orofother property willproperty be paid has or delivered to proven State Comptroller that a listing of names ofoffice persons appearing to be entitled is on entitled parties by and the County of Westchester's of the Commissioner of Finance file and open public inspection at the County of Westchester's office of the through Marchto31st. Commissioner of April Finance. (C) On or before 10th, any remaining unclaimed monies or other properties will be (B) held amounts money or other property will be paid or delivered to proven paidSuch or delivered to the of State Comptroller. entitled parties by the County of Westchester's office of the Commissioner of Finance Ann Marie Berg through March 31st. Dated: White Plains, New York Commissioner (C) On or before April30, 10th, any remaining unclaimed monies or other properties will be of Finance March 2019 paid or delivered to the State Comptroller. Dated: White Plains, New York March 30, 2019
NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your re-sponse. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral ser-vice. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo. ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 dias, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su version. Lea la infor-macion a continuacion. Tiene 30 DIAS DE CALENDARIO despues de que le entreguen esta citacion y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefonica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos for-mularios de la corte y mas informacion en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov) en la bib-lioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede mas cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentacion, pida al secretario de la corte que le de un formulario de exencion de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podra quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia. Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remision a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios le-gales gratuitos de un programa de ser-vicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Ser-vices, (www. lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de Cali-fornia, (www.sucorte.ca.gov) o ponien-dose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperacion de $10,000 o mas de valor recibida me-diante un acuerdo o una concesion de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso. The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y direccion de la corte es): Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, 111 N. Hill Street, Los Angeles, California 90012. The name, address and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney is: (El nombre, la di-reccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del de-mandante que no tiene abogado, es): RICHARD A. LUFTMAN, Esq., ALPERSTEIN, SIMON, FARKAS, GILLIN & SCOTT LLP, 15760 Ventura Blvd., Suite 1520, Encino, CA 91436, (818) 5013100 Date: (Fecha) 07/29/2019 SHERRI R. CARTER, Executive Officer / Clerk of Court (Secretario) By: MAISHA PRYOR, Deputy (Adjunto) CN965232 SOBHANI Nov 4,11,18,25, 2019
# 62565
*965232* #62381
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Facts & Figures
fairfield county
BUILDING PERMITS Commercial
PSG LLC, Monroe, contractor for Idea for Autism. Build foundation at 515 Washington Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $45,000. Filed Feb. 6.
Cebwski Construction, Bridgeport, contractor for Aquarium Water Company. Renovate locker room at 600 Lindley St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $85,000. Filed Feb. 11.
Riccietelli, Jose, Meriden, contractor for THNY LLC. Perform replacement alterations at 2165 Boston Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $175,000. Filed Feb. 7.
Faubel, Robert W., Stamford, contractor for Robert W. Faubel. Perform a kitchen renovation at 8 Ayres Drive, Stamford. Estimated cost: $30,200. Filed Jan. 6.
Signature Construction Group of Connecticut Inc., Stamford, contractor for One Stamford Plaza Owner LLC. Perform replacement alterations at 263 Tresser Blvd., Stamford. Estimated cost: $800,000. Filed Jan. 6.
Henry & Gerity Inc., Bridgeport, contractor for Hartford Health/SVMC. Perform replacement alterations at 2660 Main St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $30,000. Filed Feb. 11. Jordao Property LLC, Trumbull, contractor for Jordao Property LLC. Build partition walls at 3606 Main St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $1,500. Filed Feb. 7. Morrison III, John R., Stamford, contractor for Two Harbor Point Square LLC. Erect retail store at 100 Washington Blvd., Unit S2, Stamford. Estimated cost: $2,000. Filed Jan. 7. Portwood LLC, Bridgeport, contractor for Portwood LLC. Construct counter at 60 Wood Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $1,189. Filed Feb. 6.
Residential A2Z Contractors LLC, Stamford, contractor for Mohamad Abusbeih. Remodel bathroom and kitchen at 1 Strawberry Hill Ave., Unit 16E, Stamford. Estimated cost: $22,000. Filed Jan. 7. Chang Dae Hyun, Stamford, contractor for Chang Dae Hyun. Build new shed at 39 Hirsch Road, Stamford. Estimated cost: $11,500. Filed Jan. 7. Connolly, Thomas A., Stamford, contractor for Anthony Newman. Install generator at 31 Blackberry Drive East. Stamford. Estimated cost: $8,500. Filed Jan. 6. Exquisite Contractors, Bridgeport, contractor for Sarah Richards. Remove old roof and re-roof 286 Sunshine Circle, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $7,647. Filed Feb. 6.
Items appearing in the Fairfield County Business Journal’s On The Record section are compiled from various sources, including public records made available to the media by federal, state and municipal agencies and the court system. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this information, no liability is assumed for errors or omissions. In the case of legal action, the records cited are open to public scrutiny and should be inspected before any action is taken.
Forbes, Iris, Bridgeport, contractor for Iris Forbes. Alter full bathroom at 404 William St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $2,800. Filed Feb. 12. Haynes Construction, Seymour, contractor for Alpha Home Inc., Change community rooms, offices and meeting rooms at 51 Brewster Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $544,000. Filed Feb. 12.
Questions and comments regarding this section should be directed to: Larry Miles c/o Westfair Communications Inc. 701 Westchester Ave, Suite 100 J White Plains, N.Y. 10604-3407 Phone: 694-3600 • Fax: 694-3699
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Horton Group LLC, Madison, contractor for Forstone McLevy LLC. Remodel and add two ATMs at 177 State St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $100,000. Filed Feb. 12.
Rent a Hubby Inc., Stamford, contractor for Avahi Ada. Perform construction on a residential property at 11 Selby Place, Stamford. Estimated cost: $494,750. Filed Jan. 6.
Westview Electric LLC, Stamford, contractor for Lewis Meredith. Renovate kitchen at 1115 Westover Road, Stamford. Estimated cost: $18,000. Filed Jan. 7.
Lozano, William A., et al, Stamford, contractor for William A. Lozano. Construct rear addition at 296 Hubbard Ave., Stamford. Estimated cost: $25,000. Filed Jan. 6.
Restoration Real Estate LLC, Stamford, contractor for Barry Chavkin. Renovate basement at 18 Denise Place, Stamford. Estimated cost: $20,000. Filed Jan. 6.
Westview Electric LLC, Stamford, contractor for Christopher J. Palkimas. Renovate kitchen at 21 Pine Hill Terrace, Stamford. Estimated cost: $9,000. Filed Jan. 7.
Lux Renovation, Cannon, contractor for Freddy and Denise Guzman. Finish basement at 762 Garfield Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $21,612. Filed Feb. 6.
S&S Builders Inc., Monroe, contractor for Ray Rayan. Complete siding, roof and windows at 140 Marilyn Drive, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $150,000. Filed Feb. 10.
Zhinin Construction Services LLC, Stamford, contractor for Amit Patane. Renovate kitchen at 237 Strawberry Hill Ave., Unit 37, Stamford. Estimated cost: $3,226. Filed Jan. 6.
Midland Contractors, Fairfield, contractor for Liz Fletcher. Repair fire damage at 950 Lindley St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $32,000. Filed Feb. 7.
Southern NE Windows, Smithfield, Rhode Island, contractor for Gil and Maria Sewell. Replace windows at 225 Lenox Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $4,061. Filed Feb. 12.
Midland Contractors, Fairfield, contractor for Chris Powers. Alter kitchen and bathroom at 52 Quinlan Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $26,000. Filed Feb. 7. Posigen Connecticut, Bridgeport, contractor for Shaun Harrison. Install rooftop solar panels at 45 Saxton Drive, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $1,000. Filed Feb. 11. Posigen Connecticut, Bridgeport, contractor for George Reid. Install roof-top solar panels at 1471 Capitol Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $1,000. Filed Feb. 11. Posigen Connecticut, Bridgeport, contractor for Pauline Purefoy. Install rooftop solar panels at 64 Trojan Drive, Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $1,000. Filed Feb. 11. Proples Products, Newington, contractor for Agnes Yakur. Remove old roof and reroof 84 Melrose Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $17,646. Filed Feb. 10.
Southern NE Windows, Smithfield, Rhode Island, contractor for Stephanie Voss. Replace windows at 614 Capitol Ave., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $42,405. Filed Feb. 12. Trinity Heating & Air Inc., Stamford, contractor for Mosharep Hossain. Install roof-top solar panels at 100 Maple Ave., Stamford. Estimated cost: $5,000. Filed Jan. 6. United Cleaning and Roofing, Middlefield, contractor for Louis Cedon. Repair fire damage at 38-40 Hastings St., Bridgeport. Estimated cost: $104,500. Filed Feb. 6. Walker, Joshua J., Stamford, contractor for Joshua J. Walker. Convert walk-in closet to half bath at 113 Redmont Road, Stamford. Estimated cost: $4,000. Filed Jan. 7.
COURT CASES Bridgeport Superior Court 100 Trap LLC, et al, Wilmington, Delaware. Filed by Juliet J Haynes, New Rochelle. Plaintiff’s attorney: D’Agosto & Howe LLC, Shelton. Action: The plaintiff was lawfully on the defendants’ premises, when she slipped and fell due to the presence of ice in the parking area that was controlled and maintained by the defendants. As a result, plaintiff suffered injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-206094733-S. Filed Feb. 24. Carrington, Kembah Asantwa, et al, Stratford. Filed by Omohar Henry, West Haven. Plaintiff’s attorney: D’agosto & Howe LLC, Shelton. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendants and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-20-6094732-S. Filed Feb. 24.
Hartmann Sr., Robert D., et al, Milford. Filed by Angelo Curto, Bridgeport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Juda J. Epstein Law Office, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff and the defendants entered into an agreement in which the plaintiff lent money to the defendants for funding a concert event. However, the concert was canceled and rescheduled for next year when plaintiff would be repaid. The plaintiff wishes repayment now and seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-206094617-S. Filed Feb. 19. Ouellette, Katie, et al, Ivoryton. Filed by Farah Viravong, Stratford. Plaintiff’s attorney: Antignani & Maresca, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendants and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-206094434-S. Filed Feb. 14. Pastore, David B., Greenwich. Filed by Kristin Van Rhede Van Der Kloot, Old Greenwich. Plaintiff’s attorney: Sette & Parnoff PC, Hamden. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-20-6094324-S. Filed Feb. 11. Perez, Ana, Bridgeport. Filed by American Express National Bank, Sandy, Utah. Plaintiff’s attorney: Zwicker and Associates PC, Enfield. Action: The plaintiff is a banking association, which issued a credit account to the defendant who agreed to make payments for goods and services. The defendant failed to make payments. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages less than $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs. Case no. FBT-CV-206094252-S. Filed Feb. 7.
Facts & Figures Spina, Leonard, Stratford. Filed by Bereket Mebrahtu, Bridgeport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Miller Rosnick D’amico August & Butler PC, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV20-6094007-S. Filed Jan. 30. Thigpen, Wanda, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Thea Tyson, Ansonia. Plaintiff’s attorney: Carter Mario Law Firm, North Haven. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendants and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-206094342-S. Filed Feb. 11. Zygmont, James, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Rodney Woodhouse, Derby. Plaintiff’s attorney: The Flood Law Firm LLC, Middletown. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendants and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FBT-CV-206094146-S. Filed Feb. 4.
Danbury Superior Court Plymouth Rock Assurance Corp., Boston, Massachusetts. Filed by Vera Cruciani, New Fairfield. Plaintiff’s attorney: Carter Mario Law Firm, North Haven. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-206035108-S. Filed Jan. 21.
Reiske, Warren, et al, Brookfield. Filed by Amanda Carroll, Brookfield. Plaintiff’s attorney: Moore O’Brien & Foti, Middlebury. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendants and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV-20-6035411-S. Filed Feb. 18. William T. Williams d.b.a. WT Contracting, Shelton. Filed by Saqib Alladin Global Paving & Sealcoating LLC, Danbury. Plaintiff’s attorney: Global Paving & Sealcoating LLC, Danbury. Action: The plaintiff and defendant entered into an agreement in which the plaintiff would provide asphalt services to defendant and defendant would not engage in business with plaintiff’s clients. The defendant breached the contract by performing work directly for a plaintiff customer. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. DBD-CV20-6035614-S. Filed March 6.
Bush, Samuel D., administrator of the estate of Cleveland Hall, Stamford. Filed by Yves Lamour, Stamford. Plaintiff’s attorney: The Pickel Law Firm LLC, Stamford. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV20-6045018-S. Filed Dec. 19. Schmitt, Dana, Wilton. Filed by Michael Malvarosa, Darien. Plaintiff’s attorney: Jacobs & Wallace PLLC, Bridgeport. Action: The plaintiff suffered a collision allegedly caused by the defendant and sustained severe and painful personal injuries. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief as the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV-20-6045231-S. Filed Jan. 10.
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Stamford Superior Court AAC Painting LLC, et al, Bridgeport. Filed by Mattera Construction Company LLC, Westport. Plaintiff’s attorney: Lovejoy & Rimer PC, Norwalk. Action: The plaintiff hired the s perform painting services. The plaintiff paid the defendants in advance. While the job was in progress, the plaintiff notified the defendants of defects in the workmanship. The defendants failed to correct the defects and walked off the job, breaching the contract. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages in excess of $15,000, exclusive of interest and costs and such other and further relief the court deems appropriate. Case no. FST-CV-206045118-S Filed Jan. 3.
Brito, Aracelly, Norwalk. Seller: Rodrigo P. Rodriguez-Brito and Yomara Rodriguez, Norwalk. Property: 8 June Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $347,500. Filed Nov. 12. CLS LLC, Norwalk. Seller: K.B.T. LLC, New Canaan. Property: 10 Berkeley St., Norwalk. Amount: $1,100,000. Filed Nov. 4. Glander, Robert J., Stamford. Seller: Magnasoft Holdings LLC, Stamford. Property: 7 Fourth St., Unit 1L, Stamford. Amount: $160,000. Filed Feb. 20. Harbor Ventures LLC, Norwalk. Seller: Patricia Spagnuolo et al, Shelton. Property: 18 Harbor Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $750,000. Filed Nov. 12.
M&C West Avenue LLC, Greenwich. Seller: 666 West Avenue Associates LLC, Cheshire. Property: 666 West Ave., Norwalk. Amount: $2,800,000. Filed Nov. 4. Michael Laub Company LLC, Scarsdale, New York. Seller: PRPG Haviland Gates LLC, Stamford. Property: 8,10,12,14,16 Haviland St., Norwalk. Amount: $14 million. Filed Nov. 12. Salodkar, Amit and Vrushali Dharkar, Stamford. Seller: Thomas Sturges Construction LLC, Ridgefield. Property: 1025 Stillwater Road, Stamford. Amount: $870,000. Filed Feb. 20. St. John Property Group LLC, Norwalk. Seller: Clifford St. John & Sons Limited Partnership, Norwalk. Property: 2 Olmstead Place, Norwalk. Amount: $300,000. Filed Nov. 7.
Residential Arias, Anir and Ana Karla Arias, Norwalk. Seller: Scott Kelsey Smith and Cherry TunSmith, San Diego, California. Property: 5 Lycett Court, Norwalk. Amount: $520,200. Filed Nov. 5. Avalos Ochoa, Octavio, et al, Norwalk. Seller: Theodore A. Wisniewski, et al, Norwalk. Property: 11 Armstrong Court, Norwalk. Amount: $380,000. Filed Nov. 7. Barragan, Jose L. and Jennifer Barragan, Norwalk. Seller: Sharon A. Marshall, Norwalk. Property: 13 Harris St., Norwalk. Amount: $335,000. Filed Nov. 7. Davis, Carol L., Stratford. Seller: Erich G. Bergmann and Jennifer L. Bergmann, Norwalk. Property: 1 Charcoal Road, Norwalk. Amount: $1. Filed Nov. 8. Distasio, Frank and Elvira Distasio, Norwalk. Seller: Gerardo C. Riccardelli and Paola Palladino Riccardelli, Norwalk. Property: 24 Tod Road, Norwalk. Amount: $385,000. Filed Nov. 5.
Dong, Congyng, Stamford. Seller: Ramesh Lakshmi Narayana and Aruna Aruldass, Highland Park, Illinois. Property: 1633 Washington Blvd., Unit 1H, Stamford. Amount: $312,000. Filed Feb. 20.
Kaniz, Sultana and Prakash Parmar, Stamford. Seller: Edgardo Leis and Adriana Leis, Stamford. Property: 213 Weed Ave., Stamford. Amount: $750,000. Filed Feb. 20.
Drew, Anders, Danbury. Seller: Nathan S. Bird, Weston. Property: 131 Washington St., Unit 401, Norwalk. Amount: $215,000. Filed Nov. 12.
Lu, Cristina A., Norwalk. Seller: Edward Chiaramonte and Suzanne Chiaramonte, Norwalk. Property: 2 West Ave., Unit 13, Norwalk. Amount: $162,000. Filed Nov. 5.
Figueiras, Theresa M., Fairfield. Seller: Horacio B. Figueiras and Theresa M. Figueiras, Norwalk. Property: 15 Hollow Tree Road, Norwalk. Amount: $0. Filed Nov. 4.
Marvadi, Milankumar and Manisha Marvadi, Stamford. Seller: Rita Cifelli, et al, Stamford. Property: 91 Strawberry Hill Ave., Stamford. Amount: $189,000. Filed Feb. 20.
Gartrell, Ian and Tara Minchick, White Plains, New York. Seller: John C. Mitchell and Shonna R. Mitchell, Norwalk. Property: 25 Saddle Road, Norwalk. Amount: $420,000. Filed Nov. 7.
Pampoukidis, George and Martha Pampoukidis, Norwalk. Seller: Kasimer Laskawiec, Norwalk. Property: 15 Madison St., Unit A9, Norwalk. Amount: $0. Filed Nov. 12.
George, Mary R., Greenwich. Seller: Neil Russell and Laura Russell, Norwalk. Property: 178 Flax Hill Road, Unit C201, Norwalk. Amount: $275,000. Filed Nov. 6.
Rosenbloom, Mark D., New Haven. Seller: Michael Cockcroft, Norwalk. Property: 137 N. Seir Hill Road, Norwalk. Amount: $376,900. Filed Nov. 5.
Gjuraj, Marion, Stamford. Seller: Malcolm S. Carter and Tonya Carter, Stamford. Property: 130 Knickerbocker Ave., Stamford. Amount: $375,000. Filed Feb. 20.
Santos, Florencia D. and Alyson R. Santos, Norwalk. Seller: John P. Morash and Maura A. Morash, Norwalk. Property: Lot 11, Map 4582, Mohawk Drive, Norwalk. Amount: $505,000. Filed Nov. 5.
Godoy, Dolores G. and Teodoro Galarza, Norwalk. Seller: Raid M. Ahmad, Norwalk. Property: 111 Ledgebrook Drive, Norwalk. Amount: $279,000. Filed Nov. 4.
Solonynka, Andriy and Olesya Solonynka, Stamford. Seller: Alba N. Riofrio, Stamford. Property: 67 Hope St., Unit 25D, Stamford. Amount: $270,000. Filed Feb. 20.
Gonzalez, Francisco, Norwalk. Seller: Robert D. Ireland and Carol L. Ireland, St. Petersburg, Florida. Property: 14 1/2 Columbine Lane, Norwalk. Amount: $494,000. Filed Nov. 12.
Sussin, Scott, New York, New York. Seller: Barbara D. Norsworthy, Norwalk. Property: Unit 31, Sono Place Condominium, Norwalk. Amount: $277,500. Filed Nov. 8.
Haggerty, Noreen, Wilton. Seller: Paul A. Borella, Norwalk. Property: 50 Aiken St., No. 384, Norwalk. Amount: $270,000. Filed Nov. 12.
Terry, Leanette and Marc Terry, Norwalk. Seller: John P. D’Acunto and Lisa M. Tavella, Norwalk. Property: 4 Suburban Drive, Norwalk. Amount: $555,000. Filed Nov. 4.
Handrinos, Chris P., Norwalk. Seller: Theresa A. Gilchrist, Hernando, Florida. Property: 81 Bayne St., Norwalk. Amount: $475,000. Filed Nov. 6.
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Facts & Figures Theodoridis, John and Foula Theodoridis, Norwalk. Seller: Maurice J. Moore Jr. and Bonni L. Moore, Norwalk. Property: 10 Reboda Court, Norwalk. Amount: $520,000. Filed Nov. 4.
FORECLOSURES Adler, Eric, et al. Creditor: Wells Fargo Bank NA, Frederick, Maryland. Property: 1 Strawberry Hill Court, Unit 8G. Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 12. Aristizabal, Javier, et al. Creditor: Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 62 Wascussee Lane, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed March 17. Begetis, Asimina, et al. Creditor: Wilmington Trust National Association, Chicago, Illinois. Property: 185 Jonathan Drive, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed March 23. Blumenthal, Ronald. Creditor: Schooner Cove Yacht Association Inc., Stamford. Property: Marina Unit F-3, The Boat Club. Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 12. Dallin, Anna Roberts, et al. Creditor: HSBC Bank USA, National Association, Coppell, Texas. Property: 91 Strawberry Hill Ave., Unit 828, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed Jan. 30. Garofalo, Frank Paul, et al. Creditor: US Bank National Association. Property: 106 Dora St., Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed Jan. 8. Jean-Charles, Herns S., et al. Creditor: The Bank of New York Mellon, Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Property: 10 Carlin St., Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed March 2. Juchniewich, Paul, et al. Creditor: Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 26 Neptune Ave., Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed Feb. 19.
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Smith, Monique A., et al. Creditor: Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, Albert Lea, Minnesota. Property: 48 Bouton St., Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed Jan. 30.
Hall, Keena, Stamford. $1,104, in favor of Cavalry SPV I, LLC, Valhalla, New York, by Tobin & Marohn, Meriden. Property: 40 Amelia Place, Stamford. Filed Feb. 19.
Taylor, Cynthia, et al. Creditor: Wilmington Savings Fund Society, Seal Beach, California. Property: 123 Old Belden Hill Road, Unit 31. Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed March 20.
Khan, Kishor, Stamford. $9,693, in favor of Bank of America NA, Charlotte, North Carolina, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 264 W. Main St., Unit 3, Stamford. Filed Feb. 27.
Tyson, Shereda Y., et al. Creditor: JPMC Specialty Mortgage LLC, Jacksonville, Florida. Property: 135 Flax Hill Road, Unit 17B, Norwalk. Mortgage default. Filed March 24. Vizioli, Joseph, et al. Creditor: US Bank NA, Salt Lake City, Utah. Property: 1 Thornwood Road, Stamford. Mortgage default. Filed March 16.
JUDGMENTS Annakie, David, Stamford. $7,175, in favor of LVNV Funding LLC, Greenville, South Carolina, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 637 Cove Road, No. C5, Stamford. Filed Feb. 12. Braziel, Diane, Stamford. $1,545, in favor of Stamford Hospital, Stamford, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 56 Haig Ave., Stamford. Filed Feb. 12. Degani, Mario, Stamford. $5,701, in favor of Midland Funding LLC, San Diego, California, by the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff PC, East Hartford. Property: 257 Four Brooks Road, Stamford. Filed Jan. 22. Hall, Keena, Stamford. $1,130, in favor of Cavalry SPV I LLC, Valhalla, New York, by Tobin & Marohn, Meriden. Property: 40 Amelia Place, Stamford. Filed Jan. 21.
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Kucis, Anthony S., Stamford. $571, in favor of Standard Oil of Connecticut Inc., Bridgeport, by Philip H. Monagan, Waterbury. Property: 30 Archer Lane, Stamford. Filed March 3. Leguizamo, Gustavo, Stamford. $1,918, in favor of Petro Inc., Woodbury, New York, by Gerald S. Knopf, Stamford. Property: 1127 High Ridge Road, Stamford. Filed Feb. 4. Michaca, Rodrigo, et al, Stamford. $1,519, in favor of Hop Energy LLC, Bridgeport, by William G. Reveley & Associates LLC, Vernon. Property: 1012 Sunset Road, Stamford. Filed Feb. 25. Morales, Yolanda, Stamford. $1,145, in favor of Andrew Zeeman, Salem, by Andrew Zeeman, Salem. Property: 10 Meadowpark Ave., West, Stamford. Filed Feb. 25. Pannone, Louis, Stamford. $12,968, in favor of Riviera Produce Corp., Englewood, New Jersey, by Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari LLC, Hamden. Property: 100 Akbar Road, Stamford. Filed Feb. 11. Petunova, Aleksandra, Stamford. $1,427, in favor of Cavalry SPV I LLC, Valhalla, New York, by Schreiber Law LLC, Salem, New Hampshire. Property: 33 Pleasant St., Unit 11, Stamford. Filed March 2. Robotti, Frank and Molly Robotti, Stamford. $2,841, in favor of Norwalk Hospital Association, Norwalk, by Lovejoy and Rimer PC, Norwalk. Property: 33 Amherst Place, Stamford. Filed Feb. 13.
Thielen, Eric, Stamford. $1,551, in favor of Greenwich Ear, Nose and Throat PC, Greenwich, by the Law Offices of Philip H. Monagan, Waterbury. Property: 308 Erskine Road, Stamford. Filed Jan. 8. Toliver Enterprises LLC, et al, Stamford. $23,231, in favor of The Community Economic Development Fund I LLC, Meriden, by Greller Laurie LLP, West Hartford. Property: 150 Waterbury Ave., Stamford. Filed Feb. 6.
LIENS Federal Tax Liens Filed Amador, Joseph, 2490 Blackrock Turnpike 346, Fairfield. $19,526, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 10. Azevedo Lopes, C. and A. Lourenco Da, 31 Garden Drive, Fairfield. $18,751, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 3. Black, Michael G. and Pamela Black, 1733 Streatfield Road, Fairfield. $41,007, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 25. Black, Michael G., 1733 Streatfield Road, Fairfield. $14,606, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 25. Chinchilla, Juan and Jocelyn Carvajal, 258 Farmington Ave., Fairfield. $34,516, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 5. Cooper, Kimberly A., 1285 Mill Hill Road, Southport. $8,653, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 3. Ketcher, Lisa A., P.O. Box 1364, Fairfield. $10,669, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 25. Kipp, Erik I. and Heather A. Kipp, 217 Bronson Road, Southport. $110,105, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 25.
Kipp, Erik I., 217 Bronson Road, Southport. $30,325, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 25. Margarum Sr., Wayne, 155 Shadow Ridge Road, Stamford. $329,330, civil proceeding tax. Filed Jan. 28. Pereira, Filipe, 268 Post Road, Fairfield. $30,856, civil proceeding tax. Filed March 2. Russell, Heather A., 703 Nantasket Court, Apt. 3, San Diego, California. $97,370, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 25. Schmidt, Steven F., 1580 Post Road, Fairfield. $22,207, civil proceeding tax. Filed Jan. 28. Silver, Trevor, 45 SW Ninth St., Apt. 4509, Miami, Florida. $1,223,683, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 5. Tipton, Gwendolyn W., 85 Meadowcrest Drive, Fairfield. $214,745, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 11. Weekes, Katherine F., 29 Massachusetts Ave., Fairfield. $63,285, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 25. Wilcox II, Robert J. and Carrie F. Wilcox, 402 Ruane St., Fairfield. $13,546, civil proceeding tax. Filed Feb. 18.
LIS PENDENS Cammarota, Joseph L., et al, Stamford. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Wells Fargo Bank NA. Property: 77 Mayflower Ave., Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 21. Chabad Lubavitch of Western & Southern New England Inc, et al, Stamford. Filed by Pullman & Comley LLC, Hartford, for Connecticut Community Bank NA. Property: 752-760 High Ridge Road, Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 9.
Charlestin, Fresnel, et al, Stamford. Filed by Vincent J. Freccia, Stamford, for the city of Stamford. Property: 191 Frederick St., Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 21. Connell, Pamela M., Greenwich. Filed by the Law Office of Wayne D. Effron PC, Greenwich, for William C. Connell. Property: 9 Martin Dale, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed March 17. Constantine, Theo, et al, Greenwich. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for M&T Bank. Property: 514 Valley Road, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed March 2. DeVita, David, et al, Greenwich. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Good News Trust UTD. Property: 11 Cross St., Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed March 25. Doonan, Philomena, et al, Stamford. Filed by Halloran & Sage LLP, Hartford, for The Washington Trust Co. Property: Lot B, Map 8520, Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 21. Frattaroli, Dawn, et al, Greenwich. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, Ajax Mortgage Loan Trust. Property: 16 Ritch Ave., No. B, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed March 5. Herrera, Deyanira del Carmen, et al, Stamford. Filed by O’Connell, Attmore & Morris LLC, Hartford, for The Bank of New York Mellon. Property: 95 Soundview Ave., Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 16. Kowalczyk, Grazyna, Stamford. Filed by McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce LLC, Hartford, for Wilmington Savings Fund Society. Property: 10 Oak Hill St., Stamford. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed Jan. 13.
Facts & Figures Lawler, James E., et al, Stamford. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. Property: 65 Old Logging Road, Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 21. Magloire, Jimmy D., et al, Stamford. Filed by Jane W. Arnone, Stamford, for People’s United Bank NA. Property: 65 Maple Ave., Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 6. Michael Connelly & Behey LLC, Stamford. Filed by the Law Offices of Peter V. Lathouris LLC, Stamford, for Totilo & Company LLC. Property: 247249 Knickerbocker Ave., Stamford. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed Jan. 16. Mitra, Kristi, et al, Stamford. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for Roundpoint Mortgage Servicing Corp. Property: 1903 Long Ridge Road, Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 21. Pacific Union Financial LLC, Stamford. Filed by Vincent J. Freccia, Stamford, for the city of Stamford. Property: 155 Little Hill Drive, Stamford. Action: foreclose defendant’s mortgage. Filed Jan. 21. Rosendahl, Roger W., et al, Greenwich. Filed by Brock & Scott PLLC, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for Citizens Bank NA. Property: Dunwoodie Place, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed April 3. Scandizzo, Maria, et al, Stamford. Filed by Milford Law LLC, Milford, for Carrington Mortgage Services LLC. Property: 27 North Hill St., Unit 2X, Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 8.
Shaw, Beverley E., et al, Stamford. Filed by Marinosci Law Group PC, Warwick, Rhode Island, for Loancare LLC. Property: Unit 18-G, First Fairlawn Condominium, Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 6. Tishman, Justin, et al, Stamford. Filed by Gerald S. Knopf, Stamford, for The Buckingham Condominium Inc. Property: 143 Hoyt St., Unit E5, Stamford. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed Jan. 2. Verma, Victor, et al, Greenwich. Filed by Bendett & McHugh PC, Farmington, for UBS Bank USA. Property: 3 Gaston Farm Road, Greenwich. Action: foreclose defendants’ mortgage. Filed March 3.
MORTGAGES 5 Archer Funding Corp., Irvine, California, by Howard S. Ripps. Lender: 9 Lafayette - 3EPH LLC, 411 Arbor Circle, Celebration, Florida. Property: 9 Lafayette Court, No.3E, Greenwich. Amount: $2,400,000. Filed Jan. 6. Aiello, Jennifer, Greenwich, by Joshua F. Gilman. Lender: Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp, 1431 Opus Place, Suite 200, Downers Grove, Illinois. Property: 41 Indian Field Road, Greenwich. Amount: $465,000. Filed Jan. 7. Amico, Kathryn, et al, Greenwich, by Richard M. McGannon. Lender: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, 1111 Polaris Pkwy., Columbus, Ohio. Property: 45 Hickory Drive, Greenwich. Amount: $782,000. Filed Jan. 7. Carlucci, Kathleen, Greenwich, by Richard M. McGannon. Lender: Loandepot.com LLC, 26642Towne Centre Drive, Foothill Ranch, California. Property: 70 Dandy Drive, Cos Cob. Amount: $383,000. Filed Jan. 3.
Common, William G. and Michelle H. Common, Greenwich, by Daniel M. Levine. Lender: TD Bank NA, 2035 Limestone Road, Wilmington, Delaware. Property: 4 Holly Way, Cos Cob. Amount: $1,980,000. Filed Jan. 6. De Barros, Matheus Cassola and Natalia Saraiva Correa De Barros, Greenwich, by Jeremy E. Kaye. Lender: HSBC Bank USA NA, 452 Fifth Ave., New York, New York. Property: 509 W. Lyon Drive, Unit 509, Greenwich. Amount: $788,000. Filed Jan. 6. Dellarocco, Kenneth, Greenwich, by Monica Ellis. Lender: Bank of America NA, 100 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, North Carolina. Property: 11 Lafayette Cottage, No. 3D, Greenwich. Amount: $100,000. Filed Jan. 7. Domenech, Sebastian Francisco and Deborah Elizabeth Campelo, Greenwich, by Mary C. Pugh. Lender: Citibank NA, 1000 Technology Drive, O’Fallon, Montana. Property: 81 Hendrie Ave., Riverside. Amount: $1,460,000. Filed Jan. 6. Fattedad, Graeme and Sherri Fattedad, Greenwich, by David W. Hopper. Lender: Caliber Home Loans Inc., 1525 S. Belt Line Road, Coppell, Texas. Property: 39 Mary Lane, Riverside. Amount: $563,795. Filed Jan. 6. Packer, Suzanne E., Greenwich, by Daniel P. Pennachio. Lender: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, 601 Oakmont Lane, Suite 300, Westmont, Illinois. Property: 25 Dairy Road, Greenwich. Amount: $4,200,000. Filed Jan. 3. Pellegrino, Michele and Luisa Cristina Pellegrino, Greenwich, by Casey M. O’Donnell. Lender: Neat Capital Inc., 2560 55th St, Suite 101, Boulder, Colorado. Property: 71 Angus Road North, Greenwich. Amount: $960,000. Filed Jan. 3.
Polshikov, Alex and Julianne Biroschak, Greenwich, by Richard A. Shannon. Lender: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, 601 Oakmont Lane, Suite 300, Westmont, Illinois. Property: 14 Stallion Trail, Greenwich. Amount: $1,500,000. Filed Jan. 3. Raker, Geoffrey S. and Jill C. Raker, Greenwich, by Scott Robalsim. Lender: Quicken Loans Inc., 1050 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Michigan. Property: 464 Riversville Road, Greenwich. Amount: $1,000,000. Filed Jan. 7. Reyes, William, Greenwich, by Rosemarie D. Young. Lender: JFQ Lending Inc., 15051 N. Kierland Blvd., Suite 280, Scottsdale, Arizona. Property: 25 Hollow Wood Lane, Greenwich. Amount: $615,615. Filed Jan. 7. Ruf, David A. and Alice Ruf, Greenwich, by Bruce D. Jackson. Lender: KeyBank National Association, 127 Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio. Property: 1 Stanwich Road, Greenwich. Amount: $752,000. Filed Jan. 6. Schreck, Daniel C. and Anne M. Schreck, Greenwich, by David K. Rose. Lender: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, 1111 Polaris Pkwy., Columbus, Ohio. Property: 732 Lake Ave., Greenwich. Amount: $826,735. Filed Jan. 7. Shajan, Joshan and Kavya S. John, Greenwich, by Elizabeth Cronin. Lender: TD Bank NA, 2035 Limestone Road, Wilmington, Delaware. Property: 212 Bible St., Cos Cob. Amount: $1,480,000. Filed Jan. 3. Shaw, Harold Ellis and Glenn Hilliard Shaw, Greenwich, by Madeline Dianne Slavin. Lender: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, 601 Oakmont Lane, Suite 300, Westmont, Illinois. Property: 12 Bote Road Greenwich. Amount: $1,697,000. Filed Jan. 3.
Wakeling, Emily M. and Eric C. Lee, Greenwich, by Daniel II, Walsh. Lender: North American Savings Bank, 12498 S. 71 Highway, Grandview, Missouri. Property: 79B Pemberwick Road, Greenwich. Amount: $441,000. Filed Jan. 7. Zaman, Aden and Sarah Ann Zaman, Greenwich, by Maria C. Miller. Lender: US Bank National Association, 425 Walnut St., Cincinnati, Ohio. Property: 311 Riversville Road, Greenwich. Amount: $215,000. Filed Jan. 6.
Latent embeddings for word images and their semantics. Patent 10,635,949 issued to Soldevila et al. Assigned to Xerox, Norwalk. Contextual memory bandit for proactive dialogs. Patent 10,635,707 issued to Perez et al. Assigned to Xerox, Norwalk. Systems and methods for localizing a user interface based on a pre-defined phrase. Patent 10,635,298 issued to Master et al. Assigned to Xerox, Norwalk.
Zukauskas, John and Melinda Vollmer, Greenwich, by Jeremy E. Kaye. Lender: First County Bank, 117 Prospect St., Stamford. Property: 65 Stanwich Road, Greenwich. Amount: $745,000. Filed Jan. 6.
Molecular organic reactive inks for conductive silver printing. Patent 10,633,550 issued to Keoshkerian et al. Assigned to Xerox, Norwalk.
NEW BUSINESSES
System and method for attenuating the drying of ink from a printhead during idle periods. Patent 10,632,757 issued to Herrmann et al. Assigned to Xerox, Norwalk.
Advanced Resources, 83 East Ave., Suite 105, Norwalk 06851, c/o Louis Alfero. Filed March 13. Alberto’s Tree and Landscaping LLC, 76 Winfield St., Norwalk 06855, c/o Alberto Corona. Filed March 6. Berkis Cleaning, 7 Eclipse Ave., Unit B, Norwalk 06851, c/o Berkis B. Avalos. Filed March 5.
Two-way loudspeaker with floating waveguide. Patent 10,638,216 issued to Peace Jr. et al. Assigned to Harman International, Norwalk. Loudspeaker light assembly and control. Patent 10,631,115 issued to Walker et al. Assigned to Harman International, Norwalk.
Building Guys, 252 Main St., Ansonia 06401, c/o Gustavo Herrera. Filed March 4. Draco Home Improvement, LLC, 14 Elm St., Apartment 1, Norwalk 06850, c/o Martha Corrales. Filed March 5.
PATENTS Dot clock signal generation for operating ejectors in multiple-color stations in a substrate printer. Patent 10,635,954 issued to Donaldson et al. Assigned to Xerox, Norwalk.
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MAY 4, 2020
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A MESSAGE FOR OUR DEVOTED EVENT SUPPORTERS Throughout the years Westfair has presented award ceremonies as well as informational events that we have enjoyed hosting and that we know you, the business community, have enjoyed participating in. This year we are faced with the unprecedented and unpredictable coronavirus and its resulting disease, Covid-19. All our previously scheduled events have been postponed until further notice. Like you, we don’t know when it will really be safe for large gatherings. We’re going to play this day by
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