Westchester Now

Parents and administrators from a dozen lower Hudson Valley school districts are aiming to flood Albany with letters about high-stakes testing, the tax cap, teacher evaluations and the loss of local control in school districts.

“Parents have to get involved,” said Tracy Pyper, advocacy chairwoman for the Westchester East Putnam Region PTA and chairwoman of the consortium, said in a news statement....

If you live in the City of Poughkeepsie, it could be worse. You could live in Detroit. Or Flint. Or Milwaukee.

The Forbes 2013 report on America's Most Miserable Cities ranks Poughkeepsie at number 18, sandwiched between Cleveland at 17 and Gary at 19. The magazine released its annual list of the most miserable cities this week, citing Poughkeepsie's inclement weather, long commutes and high...

Who's the most liberal Republican in congress?

It's Rep. Chris Gibson (R-Kinderhook), according to the National Journal, which ranked lawmakers based on the votes they cast last year.

That might be a surprise to heartland conservatives, but it shouldn't raise an eyebrow among Gibson's constituents, which include people from liberal bastions like Woodstock, Saugerties and New Paltz. But...

By seeking to publicly vet the private groups that someday might manage Rye Playland, the Westchester County-owned amusement park, the Board of Legislators has managed to garner criticism from both well-heeled women and construction workers.

Folks from Rye packed the Westchester County Board of Legislators public hearing on Playland last week. Most were angry 30-something ladies who wore expensive...

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo catches a lot of heat for claiming to be making swift progress on the replacement Tappan Zee Bridge when he has yet to secure a long-term, low-interest federal loan that's key to the project's financing. But a recent inquiry to the U.S. Department of Transportation revealed that few other projects are making headway in obtaining loans from the Transportation Infrastructure Finance...

The Feb. 8-9 snowstorm had many New Yorkers spending the weekend indoors. The collective desire not to trek through the snow resulted in the cancellation of numerous blood drives throughout the state, but most hospitals continued conducting business as usual during the storm, prompting the New York Blood Center to declare a blood emergency.

There is not enough blood in stock in New York or...

The superstorm Sandy-damaged Playland Ice Casino is getting an assist from the Rangers and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

New York Ranger Assist, a  community program launched on Feb. 7 that is part of a broader commitment by Madison Square Garden and Chase to take action in the community, will repair the Rye ice rink and a second one in Long Beach.

"We are proud to collaborate with...

Two East Ramapo school board members who recently resigned citing intimidation will be honored by Rockland County Legis. Joseph Meyers Feb. 19.

"They are the unsung heroes of the East Ramapo School District," Meyers told Newsday Thursday.

Meyers, and 20 musicians from Chestnut Ridge Middle School, will recognize the service of Stephen Price and Suzanne Young-Mercer. Both wrote...

Mahopac High School science teacher Heather McArdle received another national nod for exemplary science teaching in February.

McCardle is one of just 10 semifinalists nationwide for the Shell Science Teaching Award to be presented at the National Science Teachers Association conference in April. If McCardle wins the award, overall she will receive $10,000.

It's not McCardle's first time...

Edward Berman resigned as chairman of the Westchester County Airport advisory board Wednesday night after more than a decade on the board.

Berman told fellow board members at their February meeting that he recently bought a home in Stamford, Conn., a move that will leave him ineligible to serve out the remainder of a three-year term that ends in December.

Berman, an attorney, joked that...