Sound Shore

The city of Rye has started collecting Toys for Tots in conjunction with a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserves who will distribute everything collected to needy children in Westchester during the holidays. Rye is hoping to double last year’s collection of $2,200 in toys! Toys should be new, not gift wrapped and appropriate for ages 0-18 years. Go to police headquarters at 21 McCullough Place or city hall at 1051 Boston Post Road  and look for the short chimney like boxes. Toys will be collected until Dec. 18. Monetary donations can be made on the Web site, www.toysfortots.org, at any  time. Let’s give a poor kid a smile this season!

A new biz in Rye wants to combat the scary statistic that car crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S. teenagers.

Fresh Green Light just opened its doors with the message that high school driver’s education classes are not enough to teach teens how to be safe drivers.

The program touts longer behind-the-wheel training hours than high school driver’s ed, in addition to classroom and vehicle simulator lessons, which give teens a glimpse of all the things that can go wrong on the road.

Fresh Green Light also offers packages for nannies, seniors and adults who need a refresher course.

(Jonathan Wilson, with the “Save A Life Tour”, helps Aubrey Byrne, 21, of Nanuet, drive a drunk driving simulator at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill Nov. 16, 2006.) ( Peter Carr / The Journal News )

A foreclosure-prevention workshop is planned for Dec. 8  at Human Development Services of Westchester’s office in Port Chester, 28 Adee St., from 6 to 9 p.m. The HDSW Neighborhood Preservation Company has been assisting people facing foreclosure during the mortgate crisis. But the newer cases tend to result from unemployment, rather than the mortgage terms, program director Blanca Lopez said.

To register for the workship, call 939-2005 by Dec. 3.

New Rochelle fans celebrate with Quinton Witherspoon after they beat Saratoga Springs 28-21 in a Class AA football semifinal at Dietz Stadium in Kingston

See a gallery of photos from the game

I’m posting a great column I read today on Sports Illustrated’s Web site about Larry Luftig, a Hartsdale native and the first American to play in professional basketball in Lithuania. When Luftig played some 17 years ago, Lithuania was a poor and isolated country that had just split from the Soviet Republic; now, it’s a hotbed for pro-ball, writes columnist Jeff Pearlman. Luftig plays in a recreational league at the Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle. For the full story, read here: In a regular hack rec run, a gem of a hoop dream is discovered

Journalist Matt McAllester, who writes frequently about the Middle East, had an article yesterday about young teenage extremists in the West Bank. One of them, he writes, is from New Rochelle and is 15 years old. A far cry from New Rochelle, the teenager now lives in a cave-turned-settler outpost. A longer version of McAllester’s article has appeared in Details magazine and can be found here.

I wandered into the Nimble Thimble sewing store in Port Chester today, on Putnam Avenue near Lyon Park. The fabrics are mostly displayed by color, and it’s a pretty pleasant sight on a gray November day. My eye went to the green first.

Today I photographed Anthony McGill, the principal Metropolitan Opera clarinetist, visiting with clarinet students at Rye High School.

After performing for about 15 Rye middle school and high school students he gave them pointers. Here, Anthony McGill advises junior Jun Tsuboike, 16, as he plays Weber’s Concertino Op. 26.

McGill joined violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Gabriela Montero to perform before President Obama’s inauguration address. He will play with the Westchester Philharmonic next weekend.

More photos will appear in an upcoming Express and click here to see a gallery of photos.

I photographed Andrea Raynor of Rye today, who has published her first book, The Voice That Calls You Home, a collection of essays from her life experiences.

Andrea’s life experiences certainly lend themselves to a book. Andrea is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, and a United Methodist Minister, She served as the chaplain to the Jansen Memorial Hospice in Tuckahoe for over ten years, has worked with the homeless in NYC and Boston, and was a pastor to churches in N.Y., Conn. and Massachusetts. In the aftermath of September 11th, she served as a chaplain to the morgue at Ground Zero, offering blessings over remains and support to the many workers there. In addition, Andrea is also a cancer survivor. Look for Theresa Juva’s story on Andrea Raynor in an upcoming edition of The Journal News.

Monroe College students took over the Culinary Arts Center kitchen at the college today to prepare an international Thanksgiving dinner for students, faculty, and staff.

The feast took on a multi-cultural flavor as students prepared traditional Thanksgiving dishes as well as dishes from their home countries. The school set up a special tented dining area for the dinner, which takes place this evening. Look for Hannan Adely’s story tomorrow’s edition of The Journal News. For more photos, click here.