Great news. On February 3, Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School was named a School to Watch. This is an outstanding achievement.

This selection followed a long year of self-study, activities involving self reflection and examination by the school staff on the school’s philosophy the Middle School and submission of an application to the N.Y.S. Middle Schools Association to become a School to Watch. LCBMS was then selected for a visitation, which is the second phase of the application process. The visitation team consisted of middle level educators from across NYS.

travelchannel.com

Bourdain also met up with Bill Murray for a meal in Yonkers.

Frank Ramos, president of the Uniform Firefighters Association, Inc. of Mount Vernon, filed an Article 78 suit on Jan. 12 asking the court to declare Mayor Clinton Young’s Sept. 22 appointment of Al-Farid Salahuddin arbitrary and an abuse of discretion.

An Article 78 proceeding is a way of having the court rule on whether a municipality has followed the law when it comes to hiring or firing personnel.

The union wants the court to force Young to chose a new fire chief from among six deputy fire chiefs.  The union claims that Salahuddin has not passed the necessary Civil Service examinations.

The union’s court filings also accuse Mount Vernon officials of not following the city’s Civil Service hiring rules for a fire chief, which stipulate that a fire chief must have one year of experience as a paid deputy fire chief prior to being appointed chief.

Mount Vernon’s corporation counsel refers media inquiry’s to Young’s chief of staff Yolanda Robinson, who could not be reached this afternoon for comment. Salahuddin could also not be reached for comment.

The Journal News learned about the union’s lawsuit during a routine check of court filings this morning.

“Trying these individuals in lower Manhattan goes beyond the pale. There is no area of our country that has suffered more than those few square blocks. They have suffered in terms of lost lives, lost dreams, and of course, the economy,” said Leibell, who introduced the resolution.

Leibell suggested that anywhere in the state would not be a good place to have the trials. He said the trials would not be appropriate in any civilian court.

Sen. Daniel Squadron, a Democrat who represents lower Manhattan, said he agrees with Leibell that the trials should not be held in New York City. However, he voted against the resolution because he believes they should take place in civilian court, he said.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others are vociferously against having the trials in Manhattan and have asked for federal officials to reconsider their decision.

“Trying these individuals in lower Manhattan goes beyond the pale. There is no area of our country that has suffered more than those few square blocks. They have suffered in terms of lost lives, lost dreams, and of course, the economy,” said Leibell, who introduced the legislation.

Leibell suggested that anywhere in the state would not be a good place to have the trials. He said the trials would not be appropriate in any civilian court.

Sen. Daniel Squadron, a Democrat who represents lower Manhattan, said he agrees with Leibell that the trials should not be held in New York City. However, he voted against the resolution because he believes they should take place in civilian court, he said.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others are vociferously against having the trials in Manhattan and have asked for federal officials to reconsider their decision.

The phenomenon of people crediting God when things go right but not mentioning God when things go poorly got me thinking—again—of the religious responses we’ve heard to the suffering in Haiti.

As I’ve written over the past few weeks, numerous religious leaders have contended that God is present with the survivors and the rescue workers and that God expects all of us to help rebuild Haiti with our donations and prayers.

But few religious leaders address the dark and tenuous question (yes, the subject of my book) of where God was when the earthquake struck and thousands of people, young and old, good and bad, got crushed.

I can’t help it. I’m drawn to theodicy—attempts to reconcile God’s presence with the presence of evil.

So I went back and re-read a homily by a Catholic priest that came to my attention. Father Rees Doughty, pastor of St. Ann’s Church in Nyack, addresses the questions at hand quite directly.

I was going to quote a few sections of his homily, but I’ve decided to reprint the whole thing.

In short, he blames Original Sin for humankind’s fractured relationship with Creation. He says that until the created world finds peace in the fulfillment of “Jesus’ Kingdom,” God has rendered himself “helpless.” And he compares this state of helplessness to God’s position when Jesus Christ died on the cross.

Obviously, this is a Christian explanation that may not soothe those of other faiths. But it is an explanation that is worth reading, particularly if you, like me, admire religious leaders who don’t duck the tough ones:

*****

Our helpless God

When the human race suffers any natural disaster as catastrophic as the recent earthquake in Haiti, believers almost by nature turn to God not only in prayer but in bewilderment.  (Even non-believers appear to wonder.  The saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes” comes to mind.)  What was God thinking?  How could He have allowed something like this to happen? Where was He?

Monserrate was the focus of media attention as he walked through the halls outside the Senate. He told one group of reporters that he would have a formal statement following whatever action is taken in the Senate.

When asked if he expected to be a member of the Senate tomorrow morning, he said, “I expect to be a member of the Senate for many, many years.”

He told another group of reporters that only the voters could remove him from office:

“I’m going to go back to work right now. That’s what I’m here for. I’ve already made the statement that the issue clearly is much broader than I. The issue is about justice, law and order, process, and at the end of the day, that’s what has to be protected—the will of the people, the voters.”

Monserrate was the focus of media attention as he walked through the halls outside the Senate. He told one group of reporters that he would have a formal statement following whatever action is taken in the Senate.

When asked if he expected to be a member of the Senate tomorrow morning, he said, “I expect to be a member of the Senate for many, many years.”

He told another group of reporters that only the voters could remove him from office:

“I’m going to go back to work right now. That’s what I’m here for. I’ve already made the statement that the issue clearly is much broader than I. The issue is about justice, law and order, process, and at the end of the day, that’s what has to be protected—the will of the people, the voters.”

The New York Student Aid Alliance Lobby Day is being hosted by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities.

Participants from more than 50 college campuses are advocate for state student aid programs including the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), HEOP, STEP/C-STEP, and Liberty Partnerships programs.

More than 315,000 students depend on state student aid to meet their college costs each year, and four million students have received state aid over the past four decades. Gov. David Paterson’s budget for the fiscal year 2010-11 proposes to cut TAP by more than $71 million while eliminating TAP for graduate students.

Students heard from state legislators and directors of various financial aid programs, and are now meeting with legislators.

Representatives from Manhattanville and Mercy colleges and Pace University were expected.

EndFragment->

I did cringe a little bit when I saw that Bob Gainey resigned as Canadiens GM … because I always fear how great players might damage their legacies when they go into management or coaching. So my first thought was with Mark Messier, and wondering what would happen if he ever became Rangers GM and didn’t succeed, or flat-out failed.

So I wonder how Gainey is now perceived in Montreal. Of course, in Montreal, they have been hiring legends in various front-office capacities forever.

I don’t even like to think about it what it might be like for Messier if he was promoted here and didn’t do well, especially when I remember how many people misinterpreted the circumstances in which he was booted out the door in 1997 and blamed him.

Whatever. I am sure if Messier did become the Rangers GM, he would fully accept the challenge head-on, as he has always done, as well as accept whatever else comes with the job.
———————————————-

One of the really popular and common ideas being passed around these days is the comparison of the Capitals to the young Edmonton Oilers. Didn’t we just do that all last year with the Penguins?

Let’s see how serious the NHL is about hits to the head after that Carter on Salmonella hit.

Anyway, you guys should be sending Gainey “Thank you” cards for the Gomez for Gaborik deal.

The $6 million project is the first item, up for discussion at 7:30 p.m.

DiBartolo has stepped back from the project after the Town Board stripped him of his duties as director of labor operations last month. A compromise does not appear close.

“I didn’t put the town in this situtaion,” DiBartolo said.

He accuses officials of spinning the issue so that it appears he is refusing to do his job, denying that is the case.

“I didn’t go to them and say I wasn’t doing Legacy Ballfields, he said. “They eliminated the position.”

Siegel has argued DiBartolo’s public commitment to the project was the linchpin to securing county funding and that the labor operations position was unrelated.

A review of the town’s records pertaining to the project indicates the town, but not DiBartolo, is contractually commited to providing the labor and materials necessary to the project.

DiBartolo’s appointment to the labor post came after two intermunicipal agreements between the town and county dating to 2006 were found lacking, specifically regarding materials and prices, former Town Attorney John Buckley said recently.

“It was only in 2007, in the fall when push came to shove, that Eric stepped up and said we can still make this happen,” Buckley said.

DiBartolo’s appointment came two months after the most recent agreement on file. That would support his contention that the appointment was tied to his work on the ballfields.

“She’s trying to shame me into it,” DiBartolo said of Siegel. “It’s not going to happen.”

A discussion is also slated for 10 p.m. on two highway positions DiBartolo is seeking to fill. State law permits him to fill budgeted positions. The Town Board has the option of reopening the budget, but a reluctance to do so already prevented officials from taking back the $17,000 pay increase DiBartolo received as labor director.

The meeting is at Town Hall, 363 Underhill Avenue. The complete agenda can be found at yorktownny.org.

Photo: DiBartolo, a Westchester County deputy fire coordinator, works the scene of a house fire in Cortlandt Tuesday. (Joe Larese/The Journal News)

Some directors say, ”... and Scene!” as a way to break the tension that comes with a slipping scene. I’ve worked for others who thought they were movie directors and yelled “Cut!”

Others I’ve encountered: ”Oh, just stop!” “No! No! No!” “What play is THIS?”

Then there was the community theater director who wouldn’t stop us at all. We’d hear her laughing at the back of the auditorium, and laughing, and laughing, and laughing. We knew it was a comedy, but she was laughing when there were no laugh lines. We’d plow on through and keep hammering at it till the scene ended. And eventually we’d get notes on what she didn’t like. Let’s just say that wasn’t the most fruitful approach, although we were fully prepared when the audience laughed at the laugh lines…..

Do tell….What does YOUR director say?

Read the article I wrote about Baumgartners in 2003 when they were celebrating 25 years of service after the jump.

Throughout the week, students are jumping rope to raise funds for the American Heart Association Jump Rope For Heart event.

This is the third year that Milton students have participated in the fundraiser.

The last two years, students raised a total of $11,395 and they are looking forward to add to that total this year. After the first day, about $1,000 has been raised. The final day for donations is Friday.

For years, Karta and the Department of Environmental Conservation have been at odds over myriad violations the state agency claims Karta has broken. This latest action stems from hundreds of violations of a 2006 consent order between Karta and the DEC signed. The AG’s office has now stepped in on behalf of the DEC to obtain penalties and close the Lower South Street plant.

Meanwhile, Karta and Peekskill are working out a settlement concerning the city’s purchase of the property.

Read more about this today on lohud.com, The Journal News and here.

American playwright Israel Horovitz’s friends at the Barefoot Theatre Company have been marking his 70th birthday curating a year-long global festival of his works, 70 in all. The “70/70 Horovitz Project” will wrap up March 31, 2010, on the occasion of the playwright’s 71st birthday.

Two Lower Hudson Valley venues — Nyack’s Elmwood Playhouse and Hudson Stage Company in Briarcliff —?are participating in the celebration with staged readings of Horovitz plays.

This weekend, Elmwood and Pear Productions present “Man in Snow,” directed by Bernie Garzia. Next month, Scarsdale’s Matthew Arkin directs his mother, South Salem actress Barbara Dana, in “Fighting Over Beverly,” a one-night-only event Horovitz plans to attend.

Audiences in Nyack will be treated to an American premiere of a Horovitz work, a coup for a small community theater working with a brand-new production company.

Producer Paul Russo says it all started with Facebook.

Russo’s friend, “Man in Snow” cast member Erin deWard, had appeared in Horovitz’s “North?Shore Fish” years ago and was a Facebook friend of the playwright.

When deWard learned about 70/70 project, through a Facebook alert, she mentioned it to Russo, with whom she was shooting a movie in Haverstraw.

“In between takes, we were talking and we said ‘We should really be doing more. We want to be more in control of the process,’” Russo recalls, adding with a laugh: “Everyone else has a theater company, why shouldn’t we?”

Pear Productions was born.

Russo wondered if the 70/70 Project wouldn’t be a good place to start, but deWard doubted a brand-new company would be taken seriously.

“I wrote a letter, describing our connection to all the arts, Rockland World Radio, Elmwood Playhouse, Shades Repertory and Riverspace, at the time, which was open. And we got a beautiful acceptance letter, saying they looked forward to our contribution,” Russo recalls.

Then they had to find the right play.

A Web search eventually led Russo to an eclectic little site run by a British man who dabbled in everything from wine-making to BBC?radio shows.

There, on the site, was a blurb about a radio show Horovitz wrote for the BBC, “Man in Snow,” including the synopsis, which Russo can recite from memory:

“A more-than-middle-aged man climbs mountains, babysitting fornicating Japanese honeymooners.”

(Yes, you read that right.)

“I said ‘That’s the play for me!’” Russo jokes.

Mark Rinis, a retired Ramapo High School theater and English teacher who now lives in Riverdale, plays David Kipling, a grieving father whose friend asks him to lead a group of tourists up Alaska’s Mount McKinley.

It turns out that the tourists are Japanese honeymooners who are convinced that a son conceived under the aurora borealis will have untold power.

The original BBC?production won the Sony Radio Academy Award, the highest honor bestowed on U.K. radio programs.

Russo’s original plan was to broadcast the production over the Internet, but Horovitz demurred, suggesting that he had plans for a film version and an expanded stage adaptation of the radio play and that having an Internet incarnation out there might pose a problem.

Instead, it will be a “radio play on stage,” a sort of reader’s-theater presentation with seated actors reading from scripts.

Set designer Chantale Bourdages has draped the tiny Elmwood stage with sheer panels that suggest mountains, onto which images will be projected. Lighting designer Mike Gnazzo catches the actors in pools of light, and creates a Northern Lights effect.

Rinis, who plays the lead character, says the projections, music and sound will heighten the theatricality, but the writing is what will be front and center.

“The emotions are quite raw here,” he says.

Russo says the writing and structure of “Man in Snow” is lyrical and musical.

“Every word is so carefully crafted and the changes are like movements in a piece of music,” Russo says. He credited director Garzia for shaping the piece in the six weeks of rehearsal.

Elmwood, Nyack’s venerable 63-year-old community theater, happened to have a monthlong break between mainstage productions — “Beau Jest” closed Feb. 6, “Rabbit Hole” opens March 12 —providing an opening for “Man in Snow.”

The production will be filmed, to be included in a documentary on the “70/70 Horovitz Project,” Russo says.

If you go

What: “Man in Snow,” a radio play on stage

When: 8 p.m., Feb. 12 and 13; 7 p.m. Feb. 14.

Where: Elmwood Playhouse, 10 Park St., Nyack

Tickets: $21

Call: 914-353-1313

Web: www.elmwoodplayhouse.com

With: Erin deWard, Tanya Garzia, Michael Gruda, Mark Rinis, Sondra Rosoff and Paul Russo.

Also

Another Lower Hudson Valley company will host a 70/70 Horovitz production. At 7:30 p.m. on March 12, Hudson Stage presents Horovitz’s “Fighting Over Beverly,” directed by Scarsdale’s Matthew Arkin and featuring Arkin’s mom, South Salem actress Barbara Dana, as part of a senior love triangle. Horovitz is planning to attend the Hudson Stage reading and take part in the post-show Q&A. $10, general admission. At Woodward Hall Theatre, 235 Elm Road, Briarcliff Manor. At www.hudsonstage.com or call 914-271-2811.

70/70

To learn more about the 70/70 Horovitz Project, go to www.barefoottheatrecompany.org.

Did you know?

Israel Horovitz is the father of Beasty Boy Adam Horovitz. His life, as a playwright raising a large family, was the focus of his screenplay for the film, “Author! Author!” which starred Al Pacino.

Photo by Peter D. Kramer/The Journal News: The cast of “Man in Snow” includes, from left: Erin deWard, Sondra Rosoff and Mark Rinis.

But what I learned — and where I can’t believe I’d never heard of before — was the sausage guy. This, from reader Joan Jennings:

I caught the HV segment on the Travel Channel last night and was surprised and pleased to see that a featured stop was the Quaker City deli in black dirt onion country. My mother came from that part of the woods (our family burial plot is in the cemetery adjacent to St. Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church in Pine Island). Andy and I would also stop in Quaker City when going back and forth to visit my folks when they were still alive; they relocated back to Sussex from Yonkers after my dad retired. My favorite there is a long narrow spicy smoked sausage akin to (but a thousand times better than) beef jerky.

OK, who knows what the name of that bar was? That looks pretty fun, too!

The Granite Springs resident, who won the New York State Open last summer, picked up a winner’s check for $900. He drove into a greenside bunker on a short par-4, blasted out and two putted while Michael Tobiason carded a bogey from right of the green.

Lamberti, who taught at East Fishkill Golf Center and Doral Arrowood last summer, carded a 66 in the one-day tournament with seven birdies and one bogey.

Century assistant Frank Bensel lost in the semifinals of the Taylor Made-adidas Golf Match Play Championship at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, but pocketed $1,700 for winning four matches.

Anyways, here’s some info on an upcoming blood drive in Larchmont:

The Larchmont Temple will hold a blood drive on April 18 to benefit the Sound Shore Medical Center. Coffee, juice, bagels and donuts will be served. Walk-in donors are welcome and appointments can also be set that day by calling David Szabo at 914-833-2866. Donors are required to show photo ID and provide the last four digits of their Social Security number. The drive will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Garden Room of the temple, located at 75 Larchmont Avenue.

You have to believe the resolve’s been fortified.

And if you haven’t been to a Mamaroneck game at Hommocks yet, go a couple of minutes early and listen to the last song played in warm-ups. Very cool.

Yesterday
Pawling 3, Ossining 1
Clarkstown South 7, Pearl River 3
Mount Pleasant 4, RTH 3, OT
White Plains 9, New Rochelle 2
Rye 4, Fox Lane 1

Today
Fordham Prep vs. Mamaroneck, 8:20 p.m. at Hommocks

Sorry, don’t know of any Iona scrimmages we can break down. Yes, it’s sarcasm. I noticed the same thing happens in lacrosse, people go crazy searching for advantages in a controlled environment to blow up.

Greeley has been skating all season with a thin roster, and tonight’s rescheduled game against Mount Pleasant is canceled. It’s a win for the Icecats. The Quakers have already fulfilled their league obligation against Mount Pleasant and were down to skate three times in as many nights with at most 11 players.

Now the weather may wipe out tomorrow’s game against Rye, and they will wrap the season on Thursday against Byram Hills. A couple of players are leaving early to start vacation, so there’s no wiggle room to make up these games.

As for the future, Greeley does have some numbers coming up.

“In two years were should have 20 legitimate skaters,” Quakers coach Zach Dargatay said this morning. “Every one is a hockey player. This is just a down cycle for us.”

Mahopac and Brewster will now be playing on Friday at 5:20 p.m. at Brewster Ice Arena while Lakeland/Panas and Somers/North Salem will be facing off at 9 p.m. They switched time slots. Brewster is heading up the road on Saturday for a 10 a.m. game against Pawling and wanted to get a couple of extra hours to rest.

Police said the 8 a.m. fire was out by 9:55 a.m. but the street remained closed while Con Edison checked out wires and makes repairs.

Con Edison spokeswoman Sandy Miller said defective cable caused the smoky condition.

Con Edison crews were on the scene making repairs.

It was not known when the area would reopen, police said.

There were no reported power outages.

The canine, a German shepherd named Duke,  is being trained to spot Sarah’s seizures and keep her out of danger when they occur.

Sarah said her seizures, which happen daily, cause her to lose awareness of her surroundings. She said that, as a result, she can walk into the path of cars. Sarah will be tethered to Duke by a leash that goes around her waist, and the 100 pound dog will be trained to pull her clear of traffic if she has a seizure.

I wrote a story about Sarah and her family which was published Sunday on our Web site. To view the article, visit this link — www.lohud.com.

Donations to the family’s seizure dog fundraising campaign can be sent to Sarah Harris, Seizure Dog, PO Box 422, Pound Ridge, NY 10576.

We weren’t really planning on eating, but the idea of sharing the Iron Horse’s small plates special was too good to pass up.   For $29, you can choose any three appetizers or desserts off the menu, and you can combine them however you want.

We started with the Iron Horse chopped salad, which has blue cheese dressing and toasted pine nuts.  The pine nuts are the perfect foil for the creaminess of the dressing.

Our next selection was the lobster knuckle sliders.