Westchester Now

1) When will puffs of white smoke over the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican announce the successor to Pope Benedict XVI? We'll know sometime after Tuesday afternoon, when a conclave of Catholic cardinals gathers to elect the new pontiff. The cardinals won't have access to any outside news or media while they weigh their votes and will sleep in close quarters at the Apostolic Palace. Read what Hudson...

The mother of a student who was the subject of some harsh words from East Ramapo School Board attorney Albert D'Agostino filed a complaint with the Grievance Committee for the Tenth Judicial District on Thursday.

Charlene Williams-Pulakos asked the committee to investigate an incident Tuesday in which D'Agostino allegedly called her 17-year-old son, Nicholas, a profane name after a School...

This week will be a busy one for Westchester County courts and the federal courthouse right down the block in White Plains, with two murder trials set to start.

Here are some of the bigger cases on the calendar:

- Michael Saunders, 50, of Yonkers, will go to trial in Westchester County Court on second-degree murder charges in the March 2012 death of his infant child's mother, Sabrina...

Noam Bramson scored some victories recently in his campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination for Westchester County executive.

But, perversely, his victories don't necessarily mean he's closer to securing that nomination at the party's convention in late April.

Last week, the mayor of New Rochelle won 68 percent of the support of the Democratic Committee for the Town of Cortlandt....

1. For the first time since Newsday broke the story about New York securing a $1.5 billion loan from the federal government, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's public pointman on the new Tappan Zee Bridge, Brian Conybeare, will answer questions from the Westchester County Board of Legislators about the megaproject's finances, local impact and jobs.

2. A plea deal in the $350,000 tax battle between Rockland...

As Hillary Rodham Clinton hopscotched the world's hot spots as secretary of state, her diet was just as fiery, her biographer says.

The biographer, a BBC reporter who often accompanied the Chappaqua resident on her travels, says that Clinton would chow down on hot chili peppers to increase her metabolism and cleanse her system.

"She eats those hot chilis that make you sweat,"...

Nineteen Westchester County and Putnam County high school students will head to international science competitions after presenting grand prize-winning projects at the 2013 Westchester Science and Engineering Fair.

On Saturday, students showcased projects at Sleepy Hollow High School that they've spent their high school careers and summers developing. The topics researched range from cancer...

As the relatives of a Brooklyn family killed by a hit-and-run driver earlier this week continue to mourn from Monsey to Williamsburg, members of the Orthodox Jewish community have launched a fundraiser to buy a $40,000 Sefer Torah scroll in the victims' names.

Nachman and Raizy Glauber, both 21, were on their way to the hospital early Sunday when Raizy -- who was six months pregnant -- began...

Japanese clothier Uniqlo will open the doors of its first Rockland location next week as part of an expansion into New York City suburbs, bringing  with it 100 local jobs. The 24,000-square-foot space, near Macy's on the first floor of the Palisades Center mall in West Nyack, will feature men's, women's and children's clothing and accessories. "We believe that the perfect T-shirt and perfect...

Stephen Baldwin's lawyer said the tax-evading actor will avoid jail time under a plea agreement in the works with Rockland County prosecutors. Russell Yankwitt, hired by Baldwin to fight felony charges stemming from $350,000 in unpaid income taxes, said details should be hashed out at a meeting Monday morning in Rockland County Court. "I've been told Mr. Baldwin will not be serving any jail...