Sound Shore

We wrote last fall about an unusual grocery store in Port Chester that sells dented, squished and officially-expired* goods. The owner describes it as “the aisle (or isle?) of misfit groceries.”

That Discount Place, at Irving Avenue and North Pearl Street, is going to be closed, owner Jane Stout said today in an email:

We appreciate all of our loyal customers and regret we need to do this. The business just did not pick up fast enough to support itself. We tried. Please come by to support our closing. We have already started to lower prices and will have an official sale beginning on next Thursday. I expect things to sell quickly and would love for our loyal customers to get in on things before they are gone. Please come by. We are also selling furniture and fixtures. I am extremely saddened by this and do hope to have a chance to say thank you to all of you.

*Added: Stout reminds us that the “sell by” dates generally refer to freshness guarantees, and not safety rules. The FDA explains here.

From David Kaufman, Bronx River Sound Shore Audubon:

BRSS Audubon May 6th Central Park Bird Walk: 7:30 AM

Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Central Park West  and 77^nd Street at the Humbolt Bust statue across from Museum of Natural History.   We will be entering the park through the nearby “Naturalists Gate”.  We’ll be looking for spring migrants including warblers, vireos, and grosbeaks.  To arrange car pooling from Westchester, please contact Doug Bloom, the fieldtrip coordinator: [larchowl@aol.com, 914-834-5203 (evenings)]

Spring Warbler Migration

May is the best time for seeing some of North America’s most beautiful birds, the warblers. At this time of year, these tiny, brightly colored, insect-eating birds begin to return to their North American breeding grounds from Central and South America where they spend the winter. Their journeys may involve non-stop flights covering more than a thousand miles at a time, so when they finally touch down they have expended much of their energy and must feed constantly to refuel. Warblers fly in flocks—sometimes called “waves”—of several species, and their arrival creates a spectacle of brilliant colors. In addition, many male warblers sing high-pitched songs during migration, making them even more conspicuous. So grab your binoculars and your Stokes Field Guide to Birds and go out and enjoy the show!

On a particularly successful day, when a good “warbler wave” has arrived, if you are lucky and in the right place, you can see over 15 different kinds of warblers. Flamboyantly colored in their breeding plumage, many are often easy to identify.

Where to See Warblers
Look for warblers in isolated areas of trees, especially in green spaces within cities or at the northern edge of large bodies of water. Such places attract warblers like an oasis in a vast desert, since budding trees harbor swarms of insects, which they eat.

David M. Kaufman

BRSS Audubon

Here’s news from Moni Kaneti, reporter for the Mamaroneck High School Chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America:

From April 18th to April 20th, the local Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Mamaroneck High School Chapter attended the New York State Leadership Conference (SLC) at the Riverside Convention Center in Rochester, NY.

Missing three and a half days of school was definitely worth it for the Mamaroneck FBLA students. Competing in over 15 competitive events, students placed top five in ten competitions with Carlin Iannarelli and Moni Kaneti winning 5th in Community Service Project, Asher Hochman and Felicia O’Connor in 5th place for Digital Design and Promotion, and Jesse Vellue, Noah Velasquez and Jordan Garofalo placing 5th in Entrepreneurship.

Photo caption: Mamaroneck FBLA students

Photo Credit: Sent in by FBLA

Paul Morange finished third in Outstanding New FBLA Member, and Adam Nissinoff defeated the NYS FBLA Parliamentarian to take first in Parliamentary Procedure.

Also Asher Hochman, Martine Ossenfort, and Felicia O’Connor, placed second in Digital Video Production, Adam Nissinoff placed second in Technology Concepts, Brad Pogostin, Carlin Iannarelli, and Ken Pomeranz placed first in Website Design, Ken Pomeranz placed first in FBLA Principles and Procedures, and Brad Pogostin and Carlin Iannarelli placed first in Computer Game and Simulation.

All gained eligibility to compete at the National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas in June by placing first or second in their respective competitions. To add to our outstanding performances as a chapter, team and individual competitive events, Mamaroneck FBLA also successfully ran two students, Adam Nissinoff and Ken Pomeranz, for FBLA NY State Office.

We are now supporting Adam Nissinoff as acting NY FBLA State Parliamentarian and Ken Pomeranz as acting NY FBLA State Secretary. This year Mamaroneck FBLA received third in Chapter of the Year, ending our five year reign as the best chapter in NYS. However, this only paves the road for us to succeed at the 2013 State Leadership Conference and re-establish our place!

The Legal Services of the Hudson Valley will honor attorney Jon A. Dorf at the 2012 Equal Access to Justice Dinner on Wednesday, May 23. The ceremony starts at 6 p.m. at the VIP Country Club in New Rochelle.

Dorf (pictured, right) is the Founder and Managing Partner of Dorf & Nelson LLP in Rye.

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will be the guest speaker at the fundraising dinner.

Legal Services of the Hudson Valley handles urgent matters such as domestic violence, foreclosures, predatory lending, children’s advocacy and access to food and medical benefits for poor and newly unemployed New Yorkers in Westchester and surrounding counties.

For tickets and information, go to www.LSHV.org or call 914-355-4806.

Photo courtesy of LSHV

The League of Women Voters is holding three school candidate forums Tuesday night, May 1, for the Port Chester, Rye and Blind Brook districts.

The Port Chester forum, with incumbents Jim Dreves and Blanca Lopez and challenger Tom Corbia, begins at 7 p.m. in Port Chester High School Room 229.

The Rye forum begins at 7:30 in the middle school multipurpose room, with incumbent Laura Slack and candidates Patric Cox, Nancy Pasquale and Chris Repetto.

The Blind Brook event starts at 8 p.m. in the high school auditorium, with incumbent Nancy Barr and challengers Richard Buzin and Dan Savitt.

For information check the league’s website, www.lwvrrbpc.org.

The Sarah Neuman Center for Healthcare and Rehabilitation recently celebrated the 20th Anniversary of their Volunteer Program and honored their volunteers & friends in the community.

Here’s news from the center:

“Our volunteers plant the seeds of kindness,” said Amy Lionheart, Director of Volunteers at Sarah Neuman Center for Healthcare and Rehabilitation (SNC) in Mamaroneck during her welcoming remarks at SNC’s Volunteer Recognition Dinner on Thursday, April 19th, which recognized volunteers and community organizations. This annual event marked the 20th Anniversary of Sarah Neuman’s Volunteer program.

Former SNC Director of Volunteers Carol Saltzman, who started the department in 1992, beamed when she learned that over the past year, volunteers at all ages logged an astounding 12,726 hours! At $21.79 per hour, the estimated monetary value per volunteer per hour, an added value of $277,300 for SNC was directly attributable to these incredibly dedicated folks. SNC Board Chair Lisa Feiner and Pat Jacobs, both founders of the Friends of Sarah Neuman Auxiliary Group, shared loud hurrahs for the invaluable support of volunteers.

NYS Assemblyman George Latimer personally presented a citation recognizing the achievements of volunteers and a proclamation, from Senator Suzy Oppenheimer, honoring their exemplary service was proudly on display.

The evening was punctuated with a presentation from guest speaker Dr. Henri Roca, M.D., Medical Director, Greenwich Center for Integrative Medicine, who shared concepts to enhance audience members’ ability to live long and healthfully, despite the many challenges they may face along the way.

The 20th Anniversary Community Partner Award was presented to Trader Joe’s. Its Boston Post Road in Mamaroneck and White Plains Post Road in Scarsdale locations have supported Sarah Neuman for the past five years. A grateful Ms. Lionheart said, “Trader Joe’s donates flowers and other gifts on a continual basis to help brighten our resident’s lives. In fact, the day after Valentine’s Day, they donated breathtaking bouquets of flowers to each and every one of the three hundred residents at Sarah Neuman Center, as well as arrangements for our public areas!”

Mary DiAmario, a Trader Joe’s employee and former volunteer at Sarah Neuman Center, accepted the award on their behalf. She shared comments from Pam Reis, Captain (store manager) at Trader Joe’s, “I am glad to work with Sarah Neuman Center. We at Trader Joe’s are always very supportive of our local community, and I am happy to be able to contribute to such a wonderful organization.”

Other Community Partner awards went to the volunteer groups from: Holy Trinity Church, Larchmont Music Academy, Larchmont Temple, Mamaroneck High School Step Program, Mamaroneck Seventh Day Adventist Church, Saints John and Paul Church, Scarsdale High School’s Adopt a Grandparent Program, Strait Gate Church, Rye High School, Unique Life and Westchester ARC.

Larchmont resident, Grace Cosgrove, was the recipient of this year’s Ivy Voris Outstanding Volunteer Award for her 11+ years of service. The Bernard Wasko Memorial Award for Excellent Service was presented to Cathy Phelan of Port Chester, and the Oren Brandt-Rauf Youth Award was presented to New Rochelle student, Matthew Baffuto.

The evening’s final award provided the capacity filled room with something to bark about! The Golden Paw Award for Pet Therapy was presented to Stella Lenore and Davis Harris Levy, three-year-old, chocolate-colored Standard Poodles, who happen to be the family pets of mother/daughter Marissa and Lisa Levy. The twin dogs, dressed in full costume, were acknowledged for bringing countless smiles and joy to the residents.

Ms. Lionheart concluded the evening’s festivities by sharing, “I truly believe that the only way to experience the richness of life is to live with an attitude of gratitude—to appreciate what you have and what you can give. The best way to ensure your own happiness is to assist others in experiencing theirs. I am very proud of our volunteers’ accomplishments this evening.”

For more information about volunteer opportunities, please contact Amy Lionheart at alionheart@jewishhome.org or (914) 864-5140

News from League of Women Voters of Larchmont/Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, and Rye/Rye Brook/Port Chester:

The timely issue of campaign finance in the midst of this presidential election year is the focus of the League of Women Voters annual luncheon at noon on Fri, April 27th at the Orienta Beach Club in Mamaroneck.

Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause NY, will tackle the controversial topic: “Money in Politics – Can Americans Beat the Odds and Establish Fairness in Campaign Finance?” at the luncheon that is co-sponsored by the LWV chapters of Larchmont-Mamaroneck, New Rochelle and Rye, Rye Brook and Port Chester.

The event is open to the public. To make a reservation, please mail a check for $45 payable to LWV Larchmont/Mamaroneck to LWV, PO Box 811, Larchmont, NY 10538. Please e-mail questions to lwv10538@aol.com .

Common Cause New York, and its national counterpart, is the citizen’s lobbyist for clean elections and ethical standards for our elected officials. CCNY is a leading force in the battle for honest and accountable government. This nonpartisan, nonprofit organization often works together with the League of Women Voters on public interest issues.

Susan Lerner was the executive director of the California Clean Money Campaign before assuming her current post as the executive director of Common Cause New York. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU School of Law.

The Sound Shore Leagues will invite local high school students chosen to participate in this year’s Students Inside Albany Conference (SIA) to report on their experience at the luncheon. Students from throughout the state participated in the League’s 4-day public policy training program March 25-28th in Albany. The program brought these student leaders together to educate them on how they can influence public policy and provided them with an opportunity to meet and shadow their elected representatives, debate current policy issues, tour the capitol, and more.

The League of Women Voters of the United States was founded in 1920 by suffragists who had organized over decades for passage of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. The League’s mission is to promote informed citizen participation in government. Membership is open to all citizens 18 and older, regardless of gender, and associate membership to noncitizens.

If you are running for school board in Westchester, Putnam or Rockland, we invite you to submit a photograph and information for LoHud.com’s upcoming online school election guide. 
Please send your full name, home address, a daytime phone number and email address to elections@lohud.com to obtain information on how to submit. In both the subject line and body of the email, be sure to indicate your school district.

Would you rather have New Rochelle’s summer farmers’ market held on Fridays or Saturdays?

For  now, vendors come to the downtown Library Green on Fridays in the warmer months to sell their produce, breads, pastries and pickles. (Personally, I’m addicted to the “new pickles,” the ones that are still crisp and partkly sweet. But I digress.)

Some downtown merchants would rather see the market set up (more…)

Iona College has named Brian Nickerson the new provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, making him the school’s chief academic officer.

Nickerson has been serving in the position on an interim basis and previously served (more…)