From The 390.com

DWI Arrest

On 08/28/2010 at approximately 12:00 AM, the State Police in Somers arrested FREDERICK BARTASEK JR age 37, of Somers, NY, for driving while intoxicated. Subsequent to a vehicle and traffic law stop on SR-202 in the T/Somers, Mr. Bartasek was found to be intoxicated with a BAC of 0.15 %. Mr. BARTASEK was issued uniform traffic tickets returnable to the Town of Somers Court on 09/13/2010 at 5:30 PM.

http://the390.com/feature/dwi-arrest-for-somers-man

Speeding in Somers

On August 27, 2010 between the hours of 7:00AM and 1:00PM, the State Police in Somers conducted a Speed Enforcement Initiative focusing on Route 100 in the Town of Somers and Route 35 in the Town of Lewisboro. The State Police issued a total of 51 tickets, the majority for speeding. This highway safety initiative perpetuates the mission of the State Police to reduce deaths, injuries and property damage caused by motor vehicle accidents through vehicle and traffic enforcement.

http://the390.com/feature/speed-enforcement-initiative-in-somers

Give Blood Today

The Semi-Annual Blood Drive sponsored by the Town is today at Town House from 3 pm to 8 pm. Drop in or schedule an appointment by calling the Supervisor’s office at 277--3637

Somers Artist In Juried Exhibit

Tom Musante of Somers is among eight artists selected to have their work on display in the Attleboro Arts Museum in Massachusetts. The 8 Visions exhibit is a juried member exhibit that opened on August 20th and continues until October 1st.

Musante who has lived in Somers for 18 years is a fine art photographer. A hiker and kayaker, most of works are of the outdoors as he tries to capture “compelling images in both ordinary and extraordinary places”. His images include landscapes of the Croton Reservoir and macros of his wife’s, Julie, garden in Somers. Galleries of his work -- from Boston to Utah, from grave markers to door knockers -- are at his website, www.tommusante.com.

Artists selected for the 8 Visions exhibition pass through a two-phased jury process. Mim Fawcett, Executive Director of the Attleboro Arts Museum said, “The artists chosen for this year’s 8 Visions exhibition are all exceptional talents with clear creative voices." Along with Musante’s photographs, other mediums on display at the exhibit include stoneware, acrylics and oils. Read the news story about the exhibit in the Attleboro Sun Chronicle here.

A Gallery Talk with 8 Visions artists is planned for Saturday, Sept. 25, 2-4 p.m. Make reservations by Sept. 21. The museum is at 86 Park St. in Attleboro, MA. For more information or reservations, call 508-222-2644 or visit www.attleboroartsmuseum.org.

News Round Up

Somers Leads Twelve-Town Effort To Protect Watersheds

Twelve towns in Northern Westchester announced plans on Monday August 23 to protect the Croton and Kensico watersheds. Somers Supervisor Mary Beth Murphy, who chairs the Northern Westchester Watershed Committee, helped make the deal to use $10 million obtained from the East of Hudson Water Quality Fund to bring the towns in compliance in the Memorandum of Agreement for watershed protection entered into in 1997. Most of the money is for storm water retrofit projects throughout the Croton watershed to reduce phosphorus discharged into the reservoir system.

“Protecting our watershed requires the vision to understand what needs to be done and the practical common sense to get things done,” said Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino Astorino. “The Northern Westchester Watershed Committee, under the leadership of Somers, has done both. Working with the county, the committee is taking important steps to protect our drinking water by keeping our reservoirs free of storm water, drainage runoff and contaminants.

Read news reports from NCNLocal here and the Bedford-Katonah Patch here.

LINKS:

http://www3.westchestergov.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2791:agreement-reached-on-approach-to-protect-watershed&catid=74:news&Itemid=300137

Supermarket Price Wars Go To Court

Supermarket giants A&P and Stop & Shop are in court accusing the other of lying about price comparisons at three stores, including one in Somers.

According to the LoHud.com story by Timothy O’Connor posted on August 24, A&P filed a lawsuit against Stop & Shop in federal court saying that “Stop & Shop's advertising campaign claiming consumers could ‘save more every time you shop’ at Stop & Shop compared to A&P was false and was damaging A&P's business.” The lawsuit cited advertisements from three stores in Westchester. Stop & Shop is asking the court to dismiss the suit.

Read the LoHud story here.

Fire Department Drills With Croton Falls

The Northern Westchester blog in LoHud.com reports that Somers and Croton Falls fire

departments recently conducted joint drills at the Exceptional Children’s school in North Salem.

Check out the blog entry and 10 photos here and here.

PHOTO from LoHud.com

Friday Night Movie At Somers Library

This month’s movie at the Somers Library is Mad Hot Ballroom, playing on August 27 at 7:30. The movie is a wonderful story of several New York City's public school kids and their journey into the world of ballroom dancing. The eleven-year-olds go from reluctantly participating in ballroom dancing to preparing to compete in the citywide finals. IMDB gives it 7.4 stars. Rotten Tomatoes says, “This heartwarming documentary will win audiences over, as the sheer charm of precocious, enthusiastic children learning to dance resonates from the screen.” Watch the trailer here.

For more information, call the Library at 914-232-5717.

Dean’s Pond Association Honored By Town For 50 Years Of Community Service

The Town Board honored the Dean’s Pond Association by

issuing a proclamation and declaring August 6, 2010 as Deans Pond

Association day in Somers, NY. The homeowners association owns and maintains Deans Pond for swimming and other recreation and is celebrating its 50th year. The proclamation was delivered by Supervisor Mary Beth Murphy at the Board’s meeting on August 5th, with Jean and Robert Reidy accepted it on behalf of the Association. In her remarks, Murphy described the Association as a great example of a “community coming together”. Watch a video of the presentation at 19:35:41 to 19:44:39 of the August 5, 2010 meeting. An excerpt from the proclamation is set forth below.

WHEREAS, in 1960 the Dean’s Pond Association was formed by like minded residents wanting to work for change and improvement in their community and join together to recreate and socialize, and
WHEREAS, Robert Reidy serving as its first President, together with his wife Jean led the way in providing a support system for the homeowners and offering recreational and sporting activities by the purchase of land and pond from Lawton Adams, who facilitated the improvement of the pond as a swimmable area, and
WHEREAS, the Dean’s Pond Association has been fortunate to find great leadership in neighbors such as Bill Reilly, who served as president for 10 years and Don Sudlik who currently serves as President, and
WHEREAS, the residents of the Dean’s Pond Association are a community who bond together to make their neighborhood a place for families and friends to grow and thrive and a place they are proud to call “home”.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that on behalf of the entire Town Board of the Town of Somers I, Mary Beth Murphy, Supervisor do hereby officially congratulate the Dean’s Pond Association on their 50th Anniversary and hereby declare Friday, August 6, 2010 as DEAN’S POND ASSOCIATION DAY in the Town of Somers and express our most heartfelt gratitude for all they do.

LINKS

http://www.somersny.com/Pages/SomersNY_TownMtgVideos/TownBoardAugust5

Photo is from video.

GM Sales Division Moving From Somers To Danbury

General Motors plans to relocate 80 positions from its Northeast regional sales division in Somers, N.Y. to Danbury, CT, announcing plans to lease 26,000 square feet of space at the Matrix Corporate Center. GM hopes to occupy the space as earlier as November. It is unknown how many of those 80 positions constitute transfers and how many will be new jobs.

The ctpost.com story is here.

LINKS

http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Cautiously-optimistic-New-business-arrives-on-623916.php

Better Slow Down

State police issued 50 tickets, mostly for speeding, in Somers on Thursday, August 19.

Read the brief LoHud.com story here.

Reading Lists -- Part II

Our July 30, the Somers Spectator posted the summer reading lists for ninth and tenth graders at Somers and Kennedy Catholic High Schools. Part II lists summer reading required for 11th and 12th grades. Some great book ideas to add to your “To Be Read” lists. Juniors and seniors better get reading. School starts soon.

Depending on their class assignments, 11th graders at Somers High have the following assignments:

11R –Students must read any two of the following books:

Black Like Me (Griffin)

The Water is Wide (Conroy)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Doyle)

Monster (Myers)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Haddon)

11H –Students must read Wuthering Heights (Bronte)

and also read one of the following:

A Lesson Before Dying (Gaines)

The Edible Woman (Atwood)

If I Die in a Combat Zone (O’Brien)

The Joy Luck Club (Tan)

11AP-Students must read Pudd’nhead Wilson (Twain) and Freakonomics (Levitt and Dubner)

and also read one of the following:

The Education of Henry Adams (Adams)

A Rumor of War (Caputo)

Out of Africa (Dineson)

Out of Africa (Acquah)

All the Strange Hours (Eisely)

Goodbye to All That (Graves)

When Heaven and Earth Change Places (Hayslip)

Dust Tracks on a Road (Hurston)

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Jacobs)

Autobiography (Jefferson)

The Woman Warrior (Kingston)

If I Die in a Combat Zone (O’Brien)

An Only Child (O’Connor)

Down and Out in Paris and London (Orwell)

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Persig)

Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez (Rodriguez)

Up from Slavery (Washington)

The Double Helix (Watson)

One Writer’s Beginnings (Weltly)

In Pharaoh’s Army (Wolff)

This Boy’s Life (Wolff)

At Kennedy Catholic, for 11th graders:

English 11-R

Read each of the following works:

1. Of Mice and Men (a novella by John Steinbeck)

2. A Raisin in the Sun (a play by Lorraine Hansberry)

3. Our Town (a drama by Thornton Wilder)

English 11 AP

Students are required to read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

In addition to the novel, read at least five essays from any of the following essayists:

Joseph Addison, Margaret Atwood, James Baldwin, W.E.B.Dubois, Ellen Goodman,

William Hazlitt, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, George Orwell, Richard

Steele, Henry David Thoreau, James Thurber

For 12th graders at Somers High

12R- Students must read two of the following:

What is the What (Eggers)

I am the Messenger (Zusak)

19 Minutes (Picoult)

The Things They Carried (O’Brien)

12H- Students must read The Life of Pi (Martel) and Demian (Hesse)

12AP -The Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck), A Prayer for Owen Meany (Irving) and Their

Eyes Were Watching God (Hurston)

At Kennedy Catholic, 12th graders read

English 12

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

English 12 – AP

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Tragedy and the Common Man by Arthur Miller

King Lear – A Tragedy by William Shakespeare

Antigone -- A classic Greek tragedy by Sophocles

Sign Of The Times: Somers Lacks EMT Volunteers

In a August 11 editorial, NCNLocal.com mourns the lack of volunteers in Somers to adequately staff EMT positions. “For the first time in Somer's history, town residents will have to pay for emergency medical technicians to be on call around the clock.”

However, in response, Town Councilman Harry Bolton does not see the issue as unique to Somers and applauds the Commissioners for staying on top of staffing issues.

Read the editorial here. Bolton’s comments appear in the comment section that follows the editorial.

LINKS

http://ncnlocal.com/ncnlocal_opinions/editorial/article_3d267544-a5c0-11df-a5d7-001cc4c03286.html?mode=story

Waiting List: Practice PSAT At Somers Library On 8/21

The Library’s free PSAT practice test is scheduled for Saturday from 11am to 2pm. The Library’s web site says the program has a waiting list. For more info, call 914-232-5717 or visit http://host5.evanced.info/somers/evanced/eventcalendar.asp. The presenter, Kaplan Test Prep, will offer a free seminar PSAT Test Strategies 101 at the Somers Library on August 28.

News Round Up

Somers Man Hit By Train In Stable Conditon

A 32 year-old man from Baldwin Place is in stable condition after being hit by a Metro-North train on Saturday at the Croton-Harmon station. NCNLocal.com, in a story by Mary Dempsey posted on Monday reports that Joseph Vasilopoulos jumped off the platform in front of the train as it was slowing down. Foul play is not suspected. See the link below for the full story.

Lincoln Hall Teens Charged In Burglaries In Somers

State police filed charges against juveniles from Lincoln Hall relating to two unrelated burglaries. The story by Terrence Corcoran in LoHud.com posted on August 17, says that two juveniles, age 15, entered a Dellworth Drive home through an unlocked window on Friday and stole a laptop and other electronic equipment worth about $2600. Police charged a third 15 year-old for a burglary of electronics worth about $930 at a Benjamin Greene Lane home in July. The cases go to Family Court.

At the time of the crimes, the juveniles lived at Lincoln Hall, a school for troubled youth located on Route 202 in Somers. See the link below for the full story.

LINKS

http://ncnlocal.com/ncnlocal_news/article_b47438de-a97b-11df-ba77-001cc4c002e0.html

http://www.lohud.com/article/20100817/NEWS02/8170373/3-Lincoin-Hall-teens-charged-with-burglarizing-Somers-homes

King Kone -- Best of Northern Westchester

Small Bites, the LoHud.com good food blog, lists King Kone of Somers as one of its picks for best ice cream in Northern Westchester. In its August 10 post, Small Bites says:

You can’t miss the giant smiling ice cream cone atop this old roadside ice cream stand. The soft-serve is custard, but it tastes more like basic soft-serve. Nevertheless, savoring a cone at one of the picnic tables while the kids play in the sandbox is the nostalgic summation of an American summer evening.

The full review by Katherine Curry, along with some mouth watering photos, is here. Photo (above) from LoHud.com

LINKS:

http://food.lohudblogs.com/2010/08/10/best-ice-cream-in-northern-westchester/

http://food.lohudblogs.com/2010/07/21/the-journal-news-ice-cream-odyssey-king-kone-in-somers/

PHOTO:

http://food.lohudblogs.com/2010/07/21/the-journal-news-ice-cream-odyssey-king-kone-in-somers/

Drought Warning

Town of Somers

Amawalk Heights Water District

Amawalk – Shenorock Water District

Windsor Farms Water District

Drought Warning

Mandatory Water Restrictions

Until further notice the following restrictions are in effect:

• No washing of automobiles.
  
• No washing of driveways, walkways or streets.
  
• No washing of house and building exteriors.
  
• No filling of pools.
  
• Lawn sprinkling and sprinkling of shrubs, flower gardens and vegetable gardens with hose or sprinkler will be allowed on an odd-even day schedule.
  

These restrictions are mandatory for all Town of Somers Water Districts.

Residences not in a water district are asked to voluntarily follow the above water restrictions.

For more way to conserve water click here.

This Weekend: Seussical the Musical At Kennedy Catholic High

Summer theater returns to Somers this weekend. Seussical the Musical, based on the books of Dr. Seuss, is slated for three shows at Kennedy Catholic with shows at 7:30 on on August 13 and 14 and at 2:00 on August 15.

Seussical debut on Broadway was in 2000. It features two of Dr Seuss’ most loved characters -- Horton the Elephant and the Cat in the Hat -- as well as many others. This production is by the Hope Players, a community theater group that raises money for Breast Cancer research. The cast includes more than 50 high school and college students from Westchester County who are volunteering their time to entertain for a worthy cause.

The show is for the young and not so young. The Hope Players’s web site says:

Whether smaller than small, or the biggest of all,
See Seussical the Musical - and don't you stall!
Let the Cat in the Hat take you on an adventure
your whole family will love - from diaper to denture!

For tickets or more information call 914-206-9617 or visit thehopeplayers.com.

School Board To Meet Tuesday To Appoint New Super at $225,000

The Somers Board of Education holds its regular meeting on August 10, with the major agenda item being the appointment of Dr. Raymond H. Blanch as Superintendent of Schools. The proposed appointment is for a three year term under an employment agreement with an annual salary for the first year of $225,000.00.

As reported earlier in the Somers Spectator, the web site for Fox 21 in Colorado said this about Blanch around the time of his resignation:

Blanch has been in the district for nine years, serving as principal of Kilmer Elementary; executive director of Assessment, Research and Technology; assistant superintendent and superintendent of schools (since January 2007). Blanch was instrumental in creating a community-driven strategic vision for the district, guiding the educational decisions for students throughout the Tri-Lakes community.

When Blanch was hired as superintendent, the district faced a myriad of financial issues, and he successfully led the district from a deficit spending budget with minimal reserves to its current, positive financial position.

Blanch attributed his resignation to both personal and professional reasons. “I believe this is the best thing for my family at this point in time, and I wish all those in Lewis-Palmer the best in their pursuit of excellence.”

Read the Fox 21 story here.

The Board of Education agenda is here.

2010 Somers School District Test Results

Over 73% Of Somers 8th Graders Are Proficient In Math

The New York State Education Department released Grade 3-8 assessments in Math and English for 2010 on July 28. NYS set tougher proficiency standards this year so that the scores better assess college-readiness. That means although scores across the state remain about the same as in 2009, fewer students are assessed as being proficient.

Education Commissioner David Steiner said: "New, higher cut scores have resulted in fewer students scoring at a ‘Proficient level’. While that is sobering news, it should cause all of us – the State Education Department, schools, administrators, teachers, and parents – to work ever more effectively together to ensure that all children in New York State get the knowledge and skills they need."

In Somers, 29.3% of 8th graders reached Level 4 -- exceeds proficiency standards -- in Math. Forty-four percent are at Level 3 -- meets proficiency standards. Eighth grade proficiency scores are set at a level that provides students a 75% chance of earning a college-ready Regents score.

To compare, across Westchester County, 48.3% of eighth grade students tested at Level 3 and 17.9% at Level 4 in math. For eighth graders in the Katonah-Lewisboro school district, 60.4% are at Level 3 and 23.4% at Level 4 in math.

A pdf file of state-wide results is here. Somers’ results are at page 1606.

More reporting on test results next week.

LINKS

pdf file: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/ela-math/2010/2010-ELAandMathDistrictandBuildingAggregatesmedia.pdf

press release by NYSED: http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/Grade3-8_Results07282010.html

Car Drives Through Dunkin Donuts; Four With Minor Injuries

An elderly woman crashed her car into Dunkin’ Donuts on Friday morning at the North County Shopping Center in nearby Goldens Bridge. News reports say that the woman put her car into drive, instead of reverse. Her car jumped the curb, crashed into the storefront and ended up entirely in the donut shop. Despite the busy store, no one suffered major injuries. It could have been worse. LoHud.com says that in 2005, at the same shopping center, a car driven an 89 year-old person jumped the curb and killed a man.

The photo is from LoHud.com. More photos are here.

The LoHud.com story is here. The LewisborLedger.com report is here.

LINKS:

http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/lewisboroledger/news/localnews/66626-woman-drives-mercedes-benz-through-dunkin-donuts-window-in-goldens-bridge.html

http://www.lohud.com/article/20100806/NEWS02/100806001/Car-crashes-into-Dunkin--Donuts-in-Goldens-Bridge--pregnant-woman-injured

E-Reader Demo at Library on Saturday

The Somers Library will demonstrate e-readers on Saturday August 7 at noon.

The program will include a short demonstration on how different Electronic Book Readers work, what they look like, and answer any questions you may have about them.

I have a Kindle from Amazon. It’s wonderful.

Somers Town Board To Meet Thursday

The Somers Town Board Meeting yesterday released its agenda for its regular meeting/work session scheduled for Thursday, August 5, 2010.

Public hearings are on the following:

1. Comcast Franchise Agreement renewal (continued).

2. Best Plumbing – Proposed amendment to Special Exception Use Permit.

3. Proposed Stop Sign – Pines Bridge & Laura Lane

The full agenda for the meeting is here.

Blanch Appointment Delayed; Albany Is To Blame

This is latest news from the Board of Education about the appointment of a new Superintendent.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3RD - TODAY'S SPECIAL BOARD OF ED MEETING IS CANCELLED

Please note that today's special Board of Ed meeting, previously scheduled for 4 p.m., has been cancelled.

Due to abbreviated and vacation schedules at the State Education Department, we were unable to secure the necessary documentation needed to appoint our new superintendent this evening. While the necessary paperwork, we are assured, has been processed and sitting in Albany for at least two weeks, they have no one available to forward it to our BOCES. Our plan now is to appoint Dr. Blanch at our scheduled August 10th meeting.

Welcome to NY Dr Blanch!

Dick Smith Receives Acting Award

The Eastern States Theatre Association awarded Dick Smith of Somers its Outstanding Acheivement in Acting award for his performance as Ralph in Dearth of a Salesman, a two-person play written by Albi Gorn and staged by Hand-To-Mouth Players. Smith is described as a “fixture of Westchester community theater for more than a generation” in LoHud.com’s theater blog. The Eastern States Theatre Association is an association of community theaters in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The award is part of the Association’s Festival in May 2010. Hand-To-Mouth Players is a community theater group that has produced plays in and about Westchester County for over 48 years. Auditions for Move Over, Mrs. Markham are scheduled for August 29 and 31 as well as September 2, with performances expected in October and November.

The LoHud blog entry about the about the award is here.

The web site Hand-To-Mouth Players is here.

LINKS:

http://www.htmplayers.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hand-to-Mouth-Players/136947421245

http://theater.lohudblogs.com/

IMAGE

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3810039&id=136947421245&ref=fbx_album#!/photo.php?pid=3810040&id=136947421245&ref=fbx_album&fbid=248835481245

Blanch to be new Super of Somers Schools

NCNLocal.com is reporting that the Board of Education will vote on Tuesday to hire Raymond Blanch as the new Superintendent of Schools to replace Joanne Marien, who retired in June

This notice appears on the Somers Central School District web site:

NOTICE OF SPECIAL BOARD OF ED MEETING

The Somers Board of Education will hold a special public meeting on Tuesday, August 3, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. in the Somers Middle School Conference Room for the purpose of appointing a new Superintendent of Schools.

The NCNLocal story by Art Cusano says that parents were informed of the selection in a letter sent on July 30 and that Blanch was the superintendent of schools in the Lewis-Palmer School District in Monument, Colo., until last month.

The web site for Fox 21 in Colorodo said this about Blanch around the time of his resignation:

Blanch has been in the district for nine years, serving as principal of Kilmer Elementary; executive director of Assessment, Research and Technology; assistant superintendent and superintendent of schools (since January 2007). Blanch was instrumental in creating a community-driven strategic vision for the district, guiding the educational decisions for students throughout the Tri-Lakes community.

When Blanch was hired as superintendent, the district faced a myriad of financial issues, and he successfully led the district from a deficit spending budget with minimal reserves to its current, positive financial position.

Blanch attributed his resignation to both personal and professional reasons. “I believe this is the best thing for my family at this point in time, and I wish all those in Lewis-Palmer the best in their pursuit of excellence.”

Read the Fox 21 story here.

LINKS:

http://boe.somersschools.org/modules/groups/integrated_home.phtml?gid=1477799&sessionid=52b35ae6fd2b4833b68a6fd4bdf7bd9d

http://ncnlocal.com/ncnlocal_news/article_3eb6dac2-9bff-11df-b1aa-001cc4c002e0.html

http://www.coloradoconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=471984