A Few Clouds 61°
Neighbors
3-Year-Old Saves The Day After Finding Woman's Purse At BJ's In Yorktown 3-Year-Old Saves The Day After Finding Woman's Purse At BJ's In Yorktown
3-Year-Old Saves The Day After Finding Woman's Purse At BJ's In Yorktown Landon Pruyne of Yorktown loves fire trucks, ambulances and police cars, so he was super excited last week when he got to visit a real police station to do a good deed. The 3-year-old  was shopping with his parents in BJ's when he found a purse in a shopping cart and gave it to his dad,  Justin Pruyne, the deputy commissioner for the Westchester Department of Corrections.  Right away, the little guy wanted the person to have their purse back, said Pruyne.  "We decided to take it to the Yorktown Police department on the way home because it had a phone, cash, and credit cards inside,&qu…

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by Kathy Reakes
Neighbors
Community Rallies Around Westchester Family After Father's Death Community Rallies Around Westchester Family After Father's Death
Community Rallies Around Westchester Family After Father's Death WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- A GoFundMe page has been launched for the family of Miguel Gil, a White Plains resident, who took his own life last week. As of Saturday morning, the page has raised nearly $5,000 by 80 people over three days.  "It was so unexpected," his daughter Angie said. " We couldn't understand why he would do something like this to us. We never thought we would have to imagine a life without our father." Angie said they are hoping to raise enough money to send him back to his native Dominican Republican where he can be buried with his parents and siblings and…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Animal Sanctuary Will Honor 6-Year-Old Sandy Hook Massacre Victim Animal Sanctuary Will Honor 6-Year-Old Sandy Hook Massacre Victim
Animal Sanctuary Will Honor 6-Year-Old Sandy Hook Massacre Victim NEWTOWN, Conn. — Six-year-old Catherine Violet Hubbard once caught a butterfly on her hand. As she set it free, she whispered: “Tell your friends that I am kind.” That one sentence is the inspiration behind the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, a tribute to the little girl who was one of 20 children and six adults who perished in the Sandy Hook School massacre on Dec. 14, 2012. It has been five years since that tragic day and family, friends and supporters of the sanctuary gathered this month to celebrate Catherine’s memory and raise more than $700,000 for the new sanctuary. “If …

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by Meredith Guinness
Neighbors
29-Year-Old Westchester Composer Is Behind New Off-Broadway Musical 29-Year-Old Westchester Composer Is Behind New Off-Broadway Musical
29-Year-Old Westchester Composer Is Behind New Off-Broadway Musical Bonnie Gleicher is all about celebrating one's differences. And now, thanks to her show "Addy & Uno," her passion for showcasing what makes us each special is being recognized -- off-Broadway.  The musical, just signed for an extended run at Theatre Row -- it had been at the 14th Street Y Theater in New York City for most of September -- uses puppets and upbeat music to highlight the struggles of a child with autism as he competes in his school's math competition.  It also focuses on other children with (and without) varying disabilities (such as ADHD, visual, hearing and phy…

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by Jeanne Muchnick
Neighbors
Pleasantville Rallies Around Family Seeking Wheelchair Van For 4-Year-Old Pleasantville Rallies Around Family Seeking Wheelchair Van For 4-Year-Old
Pleasantville Rallies Around Family Seeking Wheelchair Van For 4-Year-Old PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. -- The Pleasantville community has come together to help a family in need. A GoFundMe page launched by Chris and Dianna Ryan to help purchase a wheelchair van for their 4-year-old Emma Grace, who suffers from Ogden Syndrome, has raised more than $120,000 by 852 people in 28 days as of Friday afternoon.  Emma did not breathe spontaneously at birth, spending the first months of her life at Lenox Hill and St. Mary's Children Hospital, according to the GoFundMe page. At about five months, Emma started having seizures which affected her development. Today, Emma is legally bl…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Not So 'Anonymous' Anymore: Westchester Professor Wins National Arts Award Not So 'Anonymous' Anymore: Westchester Professor Wins National Arts Award
Not So 'Anonymous' Anymore: Westchester Professor Wins National Arts Award A SUNY Purchase Associate Professor of Art+Design is one of ten recipients of a 2017 award by Anonymous Was A Woman. Nancy Bowen is in good company; among the other recipients is Amy Sherald, commissioned to paint the portrait of Michelle Obama for the National Portrait Gallery. Each year, the Award recognizes women over 40 who have made significant contributions in their fields to date, while continuing to create new work.  Winners are chosen from among a competitive pool of applicants recommended by a group of distinguished art historians, curators, writers, and artists who serve as anon…

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by Daily Voice
Neighbors
Northern Westchester $5M Lottery Winning Couple Identified Northern Westchester $5M Lottery Winning Couple Identified
Northern Westchester $5M Lottery Winning Couple Identified It was easy for four Hudson Valley residents to offer up huge smiles when handed giant checks from the New Lottery making them the area's newest millionaires. The winners, Paul and Norma Fox of Cortlandt won $5 million playing the Mega Millions megaplier, and Katherine Lukin of West Nyack won $1 million on a Cashword scratch-off game, received their winnings during a ceremony Wednesday. Along with them was Anthony Vitolo of Wallkill in Orange County, who picked up his $10 million winnings from a luck $350 million Cash Spectacular scratch-off tickets. Lukin, who said she likes to play her f…

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by Kathy Reakes
Neighbors
Somers Leos Raise $25K For Special Olympics Somers Leos Raise $25K For Special Olympics
Somers Leos Raise $25K For Special Olympics SOMERS, N.Y. -- A group of Somers teenagers did not let the cold water stop them from raising money for a good cause.Thirty-six Somers Leos ran into the freezing cold water at Glen Island Park as part of the Special Olympics Westchester Polar Plunge Fundraiser, raising $25,000. Additionally, for his work on the Polar Plunge, Team Captain Brandon LaSpina was nationally recognized by Disney/ABC Television Group and Youth Service America with their “Be Inspired Grant” for kids and families making a positive impact in their communities. For more information, click here.

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Oh Deer: Buck Forges Westchester Waterway In Time For The Holidays Oh Deer: Buck Forges Westchester Waterway In Time For The Holidays
Oh Deer: Buck Forges Westchester Waterway In Time For The Holidays Deer are on their annual mating runs through Westchester, and a channel in Mamaroneck Harbor near Long Island Sound is no exception. Diane Eglauf of Mamaroneck captured a photo of one buck forging the channel at about 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 21. She lives in a building on the Sound. "Evidently the deer haven’t been seen doing this in quite awhile," Eglauf told Daily Voice. "Although we did see two deer a few months back waiting to cross the channel one night when we were out on our boat." "Unfortunately, I had to zoom the picture in order to see him and not the…

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by Jon Craig
Neighbors
Westchester Resident Makes Year-Round Giving Her Priority Westchester Resident Makes Year-Round Giving Her Priority
Westchester Resident Makes Year-Round Giving Her Priority At Thanksgiving, many take time to be grateful for their family, friends, and what they have. For Yorktown Heights resident Paula Miritello, Thanksgiving – and every day – is all about giving. Miritello has always been about helping others. She took care of her brother Vinny who had cerebral palsy until his death in 2000 at age 21 and then continued with charity work in her brother’s memory, raising funds for various causes from the Special Olympics to mental health groups to charities that help those with special needs.  "Although, he could not walk or talk he had the most beautiful p…

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by Vira Mamchur Schwartz
Neighbors
Cuomo Talks Turkey, Distributing Food For 32,000 Hungry New Yorkers Cuomo Talks Turkey, Distributing Food For 32,000 Hungry New Yorkers
Cuomo Talks Turkey, Distributing Food For 32,000 Hungry New Yorkers Just in time for Thanksgiving, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Monday that New York state is partnering with Walmart, Wegmans, FreshDirect and The Coca-Cola Co. this week to deliver meals to feed more than 32,000 people statewide. "New Yorkers have a long and proud history of helping neighbors in need, and Thanksgiving provides a special opportunity to give back and reflect on what we are thankful for," said Cuomo of New Castle. "I am proud to partner with these organizations to provide thousands of families throughout the state with a warm meal. I encourage all New York…

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by Jon Craig
Neighbors
Northern Westchester Resident Celebrates 108th Birthday Northern Westchester Resident Celebrates 108th Birthday
Northern Westchester Resident Celebrates 108th Birthday When Eleanor La Motta was born, the Cubs World Series drought was only one year. There were only 47 states. William Howard Taft was president.  La Motta, who lives in North Salem, celebrated her 108th birthday last month surrounded by family and friends. Ever resilient, LaMotta recently overcame a bout with pneumonia. "She's amazing," her daughter Fran Monti said. "She still has her facilities, she still votes. She watches TV and says her prayers." La Motta attributes her longevity to good genes, a life of prayers and a healthy diet. Born in Manhattan on Oct. 13, 1909, …

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by Sam Barron