Sound Shore

In the last of four games at the County Center today, Mount Vernon defeated New Rochelle 75-61 in the Class AA semifinal.

With the victory, Mount Vernon advances to the Class AA final on Wednesday. To view an online gallery of photos from the game, click here.

The final countdown is here! Tomorrow marks the start of our week-long “Unofficial Mayor” contest. Play every day Monday through Friday and you could win a mini laptop computer, a chance to guest blog here for three months, and a profile in our Sunday Express. Play any day and you could win a digital camera.

Most importantly, this contest is your chance to boast about, and show off your knowledge about your community. Don’t be afraid…this isn’t a test and there are no right or wrong answers.

Get the rules and details here so you’re prepared. See you back here tomorrow!

Nobody likes to think about Monday just when the weekend’s starting, but you should if you want to enter the Express “Unofficial Mayor” contest. Here’s the deal: You’re not an elected official, but you’re the one who knows every important place, person and issue in your community; the person newcomers and neighbors go to when they have a question.

We’re going to give you the chance to show how much you know about your community by holding the Express “Unofficial Mayor” Contest, here on this blog from March 1 to 5.

This isn’t a quiz. There are no right or wrong answers. But we will be challenging you to answer questions that show how connected you are to your hometown.

The Grand Prize winner will receive a mini laptop computer, a profile published in a Sunday Express, and the chance to be a guest blogger here for three months. Two Second Prize winners will receive a digital camera.

We’ll post one question here each day from March 1 to 5, and give you two hours to post your response. The more fully-informed your answers, the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize!

We’re going to hold this contest three more times during the year, then ask you to vote on the ultimate “Unofficial Mayor” from among our Grand Prize winners — so enter now!

When I was driving around today in New Rochelle I came across four cousins making one of the largest snowmen I’ve ever seen.

From left, cousins Pablo Gonzalez, 23, Samuel Farias, 21, Alejandra Oliveros, 7, and Samantha Oliveros, 9, put the finishing touches on their large snowman on the corner of North Avenue and Treno Street during a snowstorm Feb. 26, 2010 in New Rochelle. ( Tania Savayan / The Journal News )

Click here to check out more photos from the storm throughout the Lower Hudson Valley region.

Snow has canceled tonight’s opening of “Urinetown, the Musical” at Rye Country Day School. Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. show will now be opening night. All tickets for tonight will be honored at a Sunday matinee at 2. Tickets are still $15, $12 for students. 914-934-8129.

If you’re snowed in today, then you should have some time to read the rules and details of our Express “Unofficial Mayor” contest, which starts March 1. And if you’re not snowed in, read them anyway! There are great prizes to be had if you win. You have to play all five days next week to qualify for the Grand Prize, so bookmark this site and make sure you’re ready to go!

Mourners consoled each other outside the Craft Memorial Funeral Home in Port Chester as they gathered for the wake of Manhattanville College student Marissa Pagli this evening.

Pagli was killed at the college on Monday. Her mother, Stacey Pagli, has been charged in the murder. The funeral for the 2009 Harrison High School graduate is scheduled for Friday. Check back at Lohud.com and in tomorrow’s edition of The Journal News for updates on the story.

Two Metropolitan Transit Authority officers suffered pain in their lower legs when a speeding car struck their official car stopped at a red light Thursday morning.

A Milton Road man, 37, making a left from the Boston Post Road onto Purdy Avenue just before 6 a.m., crossed the yellow lines and struck the front of the stopped cop car, police said.  This was just a block away from Rye police headquarters.

The Rye resident was ticketed for speeding and disobeying a traffic control device for crossing the double yellow lines, police said.

The two Transit Authority cops were taken to White Plains Hospital Center.

Port Chester School Superintendent Donald Carlisle says he will donate an amount equal to his salary increase for 2010-11 to the Tamarack Tower Foundation, which supports the school district.

Carlisle said the amount will be about $9,000, to be added to his current salary of $236,000. Port Chester has been particularly hard-hit with foreclosures during the recession.

“Things have gotten so bad with the economy… I just felt compelled,” he said. “I was trying to set a tone for perhaps others to consider that type of thing.”

I asked why he wouldn’t just put the money back into the general fund. He said that by donating the money this way, his income remains intact for retirement purposes, when the time comes.

The announcement apparently came in a low-key way during a budget presentation at last night’s school board meeting. I noticed the initiative in the Power Point presentation available on the district’s web site.

Port Chester is bracing for a $1.6 million reduction in state aid and a decline in assessed property values. Administrators plan to offset some of the shortfall with $1.5 million from its reserve funds.

Photo: Carucha L. Meuse/The Journal News

Mamaroneck  has cut business ties with an armored car service that it believes may have stolen $8,500 in village funds.

For over 20 years, Mount Vernon Money Centers has been transporting coins from village parking meters and depositing them in the bank for the municipality. Earlier this month, the Journal News reported the group’s president, Robert Egan, was under federal investigation for allegedly bilking customers out of $12 million.

Village manager Richard Slingerland said the village learned about the incident from reading the Journal News article.
“Nobody else ever informed us of anything,” he said. “As soon as we found out about it we did something.”

The village board of trustees this week voted unanimously to dump Mount Vernon Money Centers and replace them with the money transport group Garda Cash Logistics.  Slingerland said Mount Vernon Money Centers may have stolen about $8,500 worth of parking meter coins.

“At this point, we have proof several bags of coin that were taken but not deposited,” he said. “We’ve informed out police and they’re looking into it.”

Given the length Mount Vernon Money Centers has been doing business with the village, Slingerland was asked if there were any reports of coin bags missing in the past.

“Realistically, there’s no way to go back and prove anything there,” he said. “The real issue in our mind is about the identified missing bags. With regards to the old stuff, it’s really hard to say.”